Kat looked across the bar to another booth. “Isn’t that Dax right there?”
I turned to follow her gaze, finding him in a booth with a group of guys, their beers in front of him, a beautiful woman beside him, leaning in close and finding any excuse to touch his arm. There was a bit of jealousy when I looked at the supermodel he’d go home with at the end of the night, but I tried to focus on his face, the way his five-o’clock shadow had grown in and how his eyes lit up when he was having a good time. “Yeah, it is.”
“And who’s that skank?”
I shrugged and looked away. “None of my business.”
“The two of you are really done?” She sipped from her drink, looking at me through thick lashes. She had plump, cherry-colored limps, soft eyes, and a complexion that made her look like a doll. She was gorgeous, so I didn’t understand why Charlie had lost interest so abruptly when Denise came around.
“I wouldn’t describe it like that. It was just casual.”
“Yeah, but it seemed like you were into him.”
“I mean, he’s super hot…and a good guy.” The more I got to know him, the more I realized he was special. He wasn’t average in intelligence or appearance. He was thoughtful, observant, secure…perfect. “But we’re just friends now.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
I shrugged. “It’s better this way. I’m just not ready for something more.”
“Did he want something more?”
“Not explicitly, but I was starting to like him, so…I jumped ship.”
She gave me a sad look.
“I’m fine. Really. We were never exclusive, so I don’t care if he’s with someone else.”
She glanced at his booth again but abruptly turned back to me. “Well…he’s coming over here.”
“He is?” I asked in surprise.
She nodded discreetly before grabbing her drink.
Dax appeared at the table, tall, dark, handsome. His hands were in his front pockets, and his attention was on me. “Hey.” His eyes were lit up with affection, and he was friendly, like he wasn’t uncomfortable being seen with another woman, a woman much more beautiful than I was.
“Hey.” I forced a smile and acted natural.
“Just the two of you?” He was in jeans and a shirt, his muscular body noticeable in the way everything fit him.
“We wanted to get together and talk shit about work,” Kat said. “We do it at least once a week.”
His gaze shifted to her. “What do you do?”
“Personal shopper for rich people,” she said.
“Wow.” He nodded. “That sounds interesting.”
She shrugged.
He glanced back at his table before he turned to us. “You know, I’ve got a friend over there that I intended to introduce you to. His name is Nathan.”
Kat glanced back to the table. “Which one is he?”
“He’s wearing the blue collared shirt.”
Kat narrowed her eyes and then clearly liked what she saw because she quickly turned to me. “Ooh…he’s hot.”
I chuckled. “Go for it.”
He nodded to the table. “Come on.”
“Oh my god, right now?” Kat asked. “I’m nervous.”
“Girl, you gotta go,” I said. “Be cool.”
“Easy for you to say.” She turned back to me. “You took a rifle from an Iraqi soldier and hit him over the head with it.”
Dax turned to me, wearing a surprised expression.
“Then this should be nothing.” I snapped my fingers. “Get it, girl.”
Dax chuckled. “He’s harmless. I promise.”
Kat took a big drink from her glass then scooted out of the booth. “Wish me luck.”
“I don’t need to, Kat.”
Dax walked her back to the booth and introduced them.
My glass was empty, so I grabbed hers to finish it off. I could walk over there and join them, but I thought it was best to let Kat have all the spotlight. I opened my wallet and pulled out some cash to leave on the table.
Then Dax slid into the booth across from me, scotch in hand.
I stared at him for a few seconds, surprised to see him join me. “What are you doing here?”
“I gave up my seat so Kat could talk to Nathan.”
“Oh.” I glanced back at the table, seeing Kat talking to the guy she’d been introduced to. The woman Dax had been with stared at our booth, clearly hurt that he’d left her to sit with me. I turned back to him. “The woman you’re with seems upset.”
He shrugged and took a drink.
“That’s it?” I asked in surprise.
“I just met her.”
I turned back to him. “Well…she’s gorgeous.”
“Aren’t they all?” He eyed the two glasses in front of me. “Rough day?”
I smiled. “No. Just a dehydrated day.”
“Have a new assignment yet?”
“Yeah. Vince gave me a few smaller articles. He wants me to cover the big court case they just moved to Brooklyn. A little below my level, but I’ll take it. There aren’t very many high-profile articles that come around often.”
“So, you’ve got to tell me about the gun incident.”
I rolled my eyes. “Kat made it sound way more intense than it really was.”
He gestured with his hand, encouraging me to talk. “Then tell me what happened?”
I shook my head slightly. “I was in the streets of Baghdad trying to get interviews with people. I had my translator with me. When the soldiers came through, they gave my translator a hard time for helping some stupid American girl. A guy pointed a rifle in his face. I basically took it from him and smacked him upside the head.”
Dax had never looked so shocked.
“They left us alone after that.”
“Why?” he asked incredulously. “Why didn’t they just shoot you?”
I shrugged. “I think they were a little scared of me, honestly.”
He shook his head. “I’m surprised you went into that environment with no protection.”
“I had a bulletproof vest and a pistol on me. I just didn’t reveal it unless I had to.”
He shook his head again. “You’re a badass chick, you know that?”
I shrugged. “I may have heard that before…once or twice.”
A slight smile moved onto his lips.
I noticed the woman rise out of the booth and head for the door. “She’s leaving.”
He shrugged and kept drinking.
I stared at him in surprise. “You let gorgeous women walk out of your life often?”
That smile was still on his lips. “Not always.” He lifted his gaze and looked at me, stared at me without blinking, like his words implied more than they said. “How are you?”
I let the topic drop. “Excited for our game tomorrow.”
“Ready to kick some ass?” Without much change of expression, he could show his amusement, his enjoyment when he spoke to me.
“That’s all I ever do—kick some ass.”
He chuckled. “The guys were really impressed by you. They said you’re a great player.”