Up to Me
Page 15
Taryn limes and salts her belly, and goes one step further by pouring the tequila into her navel, which only works for people with a fairly deep one.
Oh boy! Some guy is gonna love sucking that out!
I look into the drooling crowd for salivating idiot number one. He’s easy to spot. He’s all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at the thought of licking something off this girl’s body. All his friends are clapping him on the back and he’s actually rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Try to hold it together there, quick shooter.
I giggle at my thoughts. He’s not so bad, but some of his friends look like they could be poster children for premature ejaculation. My bet is that a couple of them run off to the restrooms after they watch this little show.
Ack!
Since my customers are otherwise occupied, I use the time to wipe down my station, doing anything and everything I can to keep my mind on work. Periodically, I glance down at the commotion on Taryn’s end. The crowd goes wild when the guy starts licking the salt off the girl’s stomach. I shake my head and smile. It really doesn’t take much to get this group fired up.
Just as my eyes are moving back to the task at hand, I see a shadow move in the sliver of light coming from Cash’s office. My senses are attuned to that corner of the room, no matter what I’m doing or how hard I try to ignore it.
Cash is leaning up against the door jamb, watching me. Even across the distance, I see the heat in his eyes. I feel it. He doesn’t have to tell me what he’s thinking. I know it as certainly as I can see it in the back of my mind. He’s remembering the night this music played for us.
Like instant replay, the scene—the smells, the sights, the sounds, the feelings—unfolds in my mind with perfect clarity. A slow burn starts low in my belly as I think of Cash draped over me. It spreads like fire as I relive his lips and tongue traveling over my stomach, dipping into my navel and teasing the edge of my shirt.
I feel my pulse pick up when I remember the look in his eyes when he took the lime from my mouth. It’s the same look I’ve seen there more than a dozen times since then. That’s the way they look when he watches me come. It’s the way they look when he’s watching me undress. It’s the way they look now. It’s a hungry look that says he wants me. Right this minute, with nothing between us but hot breath and damp skin, he wants me. Now.
And there’s no denying that I want him, too. Just as badly.
The crowd between us cheers, but I don’t look to see what’s happening. I can’t tear my eyes away from Cash. He’s like the sun that my world revolves around—no matter how much I try to gravitate away from him, to set my heart and my body free of him, he draws me. Compellingly. Inexplicably. Undeniably.
He arches one brow and I feel desire shoot through me. It almost takes my breath.
Oh God how I want him!
I’ve never wanted someone this way. So deeply. So completely. So desperately.
But that’s the part that gets me into trouble. It’s the part that scares me.
A group of guys moves away from the action, coming between us and breaking Cash’s very disconcerting eye contact.
The moment is gone.
But not the effects.
Every day, every hour, every minute I spend in his presence, Cash is getting further and further, deeper and deeper under my skin.
“You must be Olivia,” a lightly accented voice says, drawing my attention away from the door.
When my eyes make their way to the owner of the voice, I know my mouth drops open. If the earth holds anyone that ranks anywhere close to Cash in good looks, it would have to be this guy.
Holy furry crap balls! He’s gorgeous!
A thick patch of jet black hair—cut close and styled like Tom Cruise’s hair in Top Gun—sits above a very tan face that is the picture of classic good looks. Wide brow, high cheekbones, straight nose, chiseled mouth, strong jaw—he’s just a man’s man. That’s all there is to it. But it’s his great smile and twinkling ocean blue eyes that turn him from great looking into gorgeous.
Even while I’m thinking this, while I’m cataloging his attributes, I’m aware of a lack of any flicker of excitement, any glimmer of attraction. He’s handsome, very pleasant to look at, seems to be a nice enough guy, but he’s just not Cash. Plain and simple. My guess is there’s only one guy for me. I just hope I’m the girl for him.
The guy I’ve been examining raises his eyebrows in question and I remember what he said.
“Why must I be Olivia?” I ask agreeably. His grin widens. It’s contagious and puts me instantly at ease.
“Well, for starters Olivia is a pretty-girl name. And you’re a pretty girl. Secondly, you’re the only employee I haven’t met here, which means you must be Olivia. Now,” he says leaning in and looking at me from the corner of his eye. “Be honest. You’re impressed by my extraordinary powers of deduction, aren’t you?”
His eyes are full of mischief and I find myself laughing before I can even reason out what he’s saying.
“Okay, you caught me. I won’t lie. I’m terribly impressed by your extraordinary powers of deduction.”
He nods. “As I suspected. I’m irresistible that way.” Abruptly, he straightens and sticks his hand across the bar. “I’m Gavin. Gavin Gibson. I help Cash with the bar.”
“Gavin Gibson? That sounds like the real identity of a super hero. You packin’ a cape somewhere under that shirt?” I ask.
“Nah, I stow my only super power in my pants.”
He winks and I grin.
“Do you flirt like this with all the employees here, Mr. Gibson?”
“Mr. Gibson?” His expression shows he’s clearly appalled. “Mr. Gibson is my father.”
“Sorry, Gavin.”
“Much better. And no, I don’t. It’s very unprofessional for one thing. But, far more importantly, none of the other employees look like you. If they did, I might have a problem on my hands.”
“I never figured you for the sexual harassment type, Gavin,” Cash says, coming to a stop at the bar beside Gavin.
Although his tone is light and playful, Cash’s expression is anything but. Gavin leans an elbow on the bar and turns to Cash.
“You’ve never had an employee worth harassing before,” he teases, looking over to wink at me. “But this one might be worth losing my job over.”
“Oh, you’d lose more than your job if you ever laid a hand on her. Trust me.”
Gavin’s still smiling as he looks back at Cash. I see it slowly fade as he takes in Cash’s very serious expression. Gavin straightens and his head turns from Cash to me and back again.
He nods and claps Cash on the shoulder with one big hand. They’re pretty close to the same size, but Cash is still a touch bigger.
“Got it, mate. No harm intended.” He turns to me and gives me another charming smile. “Olivia it’s been a pleasure. If you’ll excuse me, we have some business to discuss.”
Oh boy! Some guy is gonna love sucking that out!
I look into the drooling crowd for salivating idiot number one. He’s easy to spot. He’s all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at the thought of licking something off this girl’s body. All his friends are clapping him on the back and he’s actually rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Try to hold it together there, quick shooter.
I giggle at my thoughts. He’s not so bad, but some of his friends look like they could be poster children for premature ejaculation. My bet is that a couple of them run off to the restrooms after they watch this little show.
Ack!
Since my customers are otherwise occupied, I use the time to wipe down my station, doing anything and everything I can to keep my mind on work. Periodically, I glance down at the commotion on Taryn’s end. The crowd goes wild when the guy starts licking the salt off the girl’s stomach. I shake my head and smile. It really doesn’t take much to get this group fired up.
Just as my eyes are moving back to the task at hand, I see a shadow move in the sliver of light coming from Cash’s office. My senses are attuned to that corner of the room, no matter what I’m doing or how hard I try to ignore it.
Cash is leaning up against the door jamb, watching me. Even across the distance, I see the heat in his eyes. I feel it. He doesn’t have to tell me what he’s thinking. I know it as certainly as I can see it in the back of my mind. He’s remembering the night this music played for us.
Like instant replay, the scene—the smells, the sights, the sounds, the feelings—unfolds in my mind with perfect clarity. A slow burn starts low in my belly as I think of Cash draped over me. It spreads like fire as I relive his lips and tongue traveling over my stomach, dipping into my navel and teasing the edge of my shirt.
I feel my pulse pick up when I remember the look in his eyes when he took the lime from my mouth. It’s the same look I’ve seen there more than a dozen times since then. That’s the way they look when he watches me come. It’s the way they look when he’s watching me undress. It’s the way they look now. It’s a hungry look that says he wants me. Right this minute, with nothing between us but hot breath and damp skin, he wants me. Now.
And there’s no denying that I want him, too. Just as badly.
The crowd between us cheers, but I don’t look to see what’s happening. I can’t tear my eyes away from Cash. He’s like the sun that my world revolves around—no matter how much I try to gravitate away from him, to set my heart and my body free of him, he draws me. Compellingly. Inexplicably. Undeniably.
He arches one brow and I feel desire shoot through me. It almost takes my breath.
Oh God how I want him!
I’ve never wanted someone this way. So deeply. So completely. So desperately.
But that’s the part that gets me into trouble. It’s the part that scares me.
A group of guys moves away from the action, coming between us and breaking Cash’s very disconcerting eye contact.
The moment is gone.
But not the effects.
Every day, every hour, every minute I spend in his presence, Cash is getting further and further, deeper and deeper under my skin.
“You must be Olivia,” a lightly accented voice says, drawing my attention away from the door.
When my eyes make their way to the owner of the voice, I know my mouth drops open. If the earth holds anyone that ranks anywhere close to Cash in good looks, it would have to be this guy.
Holy furry crap balls! He’s gorgeous!
A thick patch of jet black hair—cut close and styled like Tom Cruise’s hair in Top Gun—sits above a very tan face that is the picture of classic good looks. Wide brow, high cheekbones, straight nose, chiseled mouth, strong jaw—he’s just a man’s man. That’s all there is to it. But it’s his great smile and twinkling ocean blue eyes that turn him from great looking into gorgeous.
Even while I’m thinking this, while I’m cataloging his attributes, I’m aware of a lack of any flicker of excitement, any glimmer of attraction. He’s handsome, very pleasant to look at, seems to be a nice enough guy, but he’s just not Cash. Plain and simple. My guess is there’s only one guy for me. I just hope I’m the girl for him.
The guy I’ve been examining raises his eyebrows in question and I remember what he said.
“Why must I be Olivia?” I ask agreeably. His grin widens. It’s contagious and puts me instantly at ease.
“Well, for starters Olivia is a pretty-girl name. And you’re a pretty girl. Secondly, you’re the only employee I haven’t met here, which means you must be Olivia. Now,” he says leaning in and looking at me from the corner of his eye. “Be honest. You’re impressed by my extraordinary powers of deduction, aren’t you?”
His eyes are full of mischief and I find myself laughing before I can even reason out what he’s saying.
“Okay, you caught me. I won’t lie. I’m terribly impressed by your extraordinary powers of deduction.”
He nods. “As I suspected. I’m irresistible that way.” Abruptly, he straightens and sticks his hand across the bar. “I’m Gavin. Gavin Gibson. I help Cash with the bar.”
“Gavin Gibson? That sounds like the real identity of a super hero. You packin’ a cape somewhere under that shirt?” I ask.
“Nah, I stow my only super power in my pants.”
He winks and I grin.
“Do you flirt like this with all the employees here, Mr. Gibson?”
“Mr. Gibson?” His expression shows he’s clearly appalled. “Mr. Gibson is my father.”
“Sorry, Gavin.”
“Much better. And no, I don’t. It’s very unprofessional for one thing. But, far more importantly, none of the other employees look like you. If they did, I might have a problem on my hands.”
“I never figured you for the sexual harassment type, Gavin,” Cash says, coming to a stop at the bar beside Gavin.
Although his tone is light and playful, Cash’s expression is anything but. Gavin leans an elbow on the bar and turns to Cash.
“You’ve never had an employee worth harassing before,” he teases, looking over to wink at me. “But this one might be worth losing my job over.”
“Oh, you’d lose more than your job if you ever laid a hand on her. Trust me.”
Gavin’s still smiling as he looks back at Cash. I see it slowly fade as he takes in Cash’s very serious expression. Gavin straightens and his head turns from Cash to me and back again.
He nods and claps Cash on the shoulder with one big hand. They’re pretty close to the same size, but Cash is still a touch bigger.
“Got it, mate. No harm intended.” He turns to me and gives me another charming smile. “Olivia it’s been a pleasure. If you’ll excuse me, we have some business to discuss.”
