Wow, okay, I wasn’t expecting that. I turn slowly to see him watching me, that smirk firmly back in place on his face. I look down at his hand that’s holding his coffee, the one with the ring on it.
“That won’t happen,” I say but with a smile.
Inside I’m screaming, You want him.
But I contain myself as I walk away.
Married men—totally off-limits.
“That didn’t happen. Tell me that didn’t happen? You didn’t turn him down?” Vicky screams as she lifts the shot glass, drinking it in one go as I describe what happened.
“It did. I had to. He’s married.”
My sister, Rylee, who sits across from us, raises her eyebrows and shakes her head. She may be a bit judgmental.
How we are twins and complete opposites baffles most people. But I love her. If I were dying, she would be the person I would call first, without a doubt.
Vicky hands me a shot, then hands one to Rylee, who looks at it, then places it on the table. I take hers—no sense letting a perfectly good shot go to waste. Vicky is always trying to get Rylee to break her rules, let down her walls, and be a little naughty. But Rylee is the apple of my family’s eye. She is the golden child through and through, no doubt about it, so I know she won’t be doing anything to damage her reputation anytime soon.
Anderson walks over, leans down, and kisses Rylee on the lips. I hate him. I really do. I scrunch my nose behind his back so he can’t see, and as Rylee pulls away from his kiss, she shakes her head infinitesimally at me. Rolling my eyes, I look away, I simply can’t help it.
Anderson and Rylee have been together since high school. He’s never really left her even though he has been caught cheating, and she has never called it quits, even when she should have. But she says it’s her first love and I wouldn’t understand.
“Let’s go, I have an early day tomorrow.” Anderson’s voice is demanding. Rylee stands and looks down at me. She’s only ever allowed out for a short time before Anderson finds her and pulls her away.
I’m waiting for the day she sees the light and leaves the asshole.
Rylee is smart, extremely smart. It baffles me why she hasn’t left him. Even our parents approve, and that’s only because Anderson comes from a good family. Rylee loves to please our parents. Actually, she lives for their approval. Especially considering she will be the heir to our father’s business. My father holds and looks after accounts for some of the richest people in Australia. And one day, so will Rylee. It was meant to be both of us, as our brother is into sports and younger than us, but I took another path and didn’t want anything to do with my father’s business. It’s boring. Accounting and business in general are boring, and money is only interesting when it’s in your hand, not counting it on paper or on a computer screen. How she does it day in and day out, I will never know.
“You don’t have to go,” I tell. Rylee shakes her head and looks to Anderson, who is pulling her to his side already.
“She does, we have plans.” He starts to walk away, and Rylee offers me a small wave as she leaves. I turn to look at Vicky, who’s drunk as usual, actually very drunk, but she still looks at my sister and her boyfriend, who just left with disgust written all over her face, the curling of her lip a dead giveaway.
“What the fuck is wrong with her? Seriously,” Vicky says, then looks at me. “I haven’t forgotten about your story. Now, tell me why you really said no. Did he have bad breath?”
I laugh at her slurred words and stand, pull my skirt down that has ridden up from sitting, and shake my head. “He’s married, end of discussion,” I tell her.
“Please. He asked you out. I bet you’ve dreamed about that happening.”
I have. Oh, god, have I. I’ve even had dreams of him and what he would do to me. Noah’s the star of many of my nighttime dreams. They all involve him touching me in places I like a lot.
“Change of subject. Danny is behind you and is about to touch you in… three, two, one,” I say, as Danny’s hands wrap around Vicky’s waist, and he leans in and kisses her neck. She stills, not bothered by him at all.
“Hey, Rhi,” Danny says as he lays his head on Vicky’s neck. “You plan to join us one night soon?” He winks. Vicky nudges him in the ribs, so he holds up his hands in surrender. “Just a joke, Vick. Calm down.”
They aren’t serious, more of a spend-the-night-now-and-again thing.
“Saw Anderson leave,” Danny says, pulling Vicki up and turning her front to his, and wrapping his arms around her waist. “What the fuck does she see in him?”
We all want to know the answer to that question.
I shrug and sit, reaching for Vicky’s drink. Looking away as they start to make out—loudly I might add—I scan over the dance floor. We are looking over it on the second floor, which has seating areas and bars wrapping around. It’s brighter up here than it is down there where the dance floor is located. The glass railing lets me see straight down, and as I scan the crowd, my heartbeat picks up when my eyes lock on someone I have never seen anywhere but the coffee shop.
I stand, pulling my lilac dress down from scrunching up on my hips yet again—mental note, don’t wear this dress again—and down the drink. I look to Vicky, who is still lip-locked with Danny before I push past them and head toward the stairs to head down. I walk over to where I saw Noah but keep my distance. He’s standing with two other men next to him, dressed in black pants with a black button-up shirt with the top two buttons undone, holding a glass of amber liquid in his hand, and putting it to his lips.
He looks good, really good.
“What can I get you, sweetheart?” I turn to the bartender and smile.
“Vodka and Coke, please.” He nods before he starts making my drink. I look up at Vicky, but she’s still lip-locked with Danny on the second floor.
“Ten dollars,” the bartender says. I reach into my bra to pull out my money, but before I can pay, someone’s hand is in front of me, paying for my drink.
“Twice in one day.” Noah’s voice is gravely, almost rough sounding as he stands next to me.
The bartender takes his money and walks away.
I turn to face Noah, who has that smirk firmly on his face. “Must be my lucky day.”
Chapter Two
His hands are strong, veins popping along the backs of them, as he places one on the counter, and the other holds his drink.
Teeth so perfectly white, that when he smiles at me, I am dazzled by their brilliance. My heart rate picks up a beat.
“Lucky day?” I reply, scoffing. Reaching for my drink, I bring it to my lips, carefully watching him over the top of it through my lashes.
“Very much so,” he says with authority, his eyes never leaving mine.
“I find that hard to believe.” My voice is confident, even if I feel anything but. He’s only just noticed me, yet I have been serving him for six months. I could argue today is my lucky day if he didn’t have that ring on his finger.
Yet, here I am, seeking him out when I should have stayed with Vicky out of his line of sight. Because let’s be real here, I came down with the sole intention of spying on him and maybe on the off chance he would notice me.