Chapter 4
We gotto the entrance of the Golden Nugget and the place was packed.
“Can I talk you into a different place? One where we can hear each other speak?” he asked.
This was not good. He’s far too perfect and me … I’m a hot mess and too scared to even think about this. I could just fall into those eyes though and melt. I’m gonna regret this, I just know it.
“Okay.” One word. Four letters. And my heart rate hit two hundred.
We headed around the corner to a different place. He put my hand in the crook of his arm and made me walk on the inside of the sidewalk. We arrived at a much more intimate bar called Mystic and he opened the door, ushering me inside. There was an empty booth in the back of the room and that’s where we headed.
The waitress was there in seconds, ready to make us less thirsty.
“What would you like, Alexia?” The rich timbre of his voice had me leaning toward him, wanting more.
Mystic didn’t look like a beer kind of place. Instead, I ordered a chardonnay.
“The house?” the waitress wanted to know.
I was getting ready to say that was fine when Pearce interrupted and said, “Bring her a glass of the Hanzell.”
“Sir, we don’t serve that by the glass.”
“Then bring a bottle. Make sure it’s appropriately chilled to fifty degrees. And bring me a Laphroaig 18 neat, please.”
Good lord! Hanzell Chardonnay sounded like something mighty fancy and Laphroaig 18. I was totally out of my element.
“Right away, sir.”
“I didn’t take you for a Scotch drinker,” I said.
“No? Tell me why.”
“You were crazy fussy about the food I just figured you’d like something less complex.”
He laughed. “It was an act to get you to pay more attention to me,” he confessed.
I looked at him and rolled my eyes. I’d figured that out already.
The waitress returned with our drink order. She uncorked the bottle of wine and poured a sample in the glass, waiting for Pearce to taste it. He looked at her in annoyance and said, “The lady should be tasting it. She’s the one drinking it.”
“Yes, sir, pardon me.” She kept ogling him and I couldn’t blame her. He was oh-so-easy on the eyes.
I took a sip, and the wine was heavenly. Rich and creamy with hints of pear, honeydew, and cloves, it was perfectly delightful.
“Mmm. This is totally delicious.”
“I thought you’d enjoy it. If you like chards that is.”
“What? You’re not a chard fan?”
“No, I like them. I was just saying that.” He leaned forward and said, “Tell me more about the beautiful Alexia.”
I stiffened. This was not on my list of conversation topics. What would I say? Oh, right. I sleep with everyone in town and I enjoy doing drugs. I rubbed my hands over my legs, and then fisted them, feeling my nails biting into my palms.
“There’s really not much to tell,” I said stiffly.
“Okaaay. I get it. You don’t want to talk about yourself. Are you a bank robber? Do you break into people’s homes when they’re on vacation and steal their valuables?”
I chuckled. “Of course not. I’m a waitress and personal assistant to the lovely Lisbeth Rutledge, whom I adore.”
“I know Lisbeth. She and my grandmother are great friends. She’s a real gem.”
“That she is. I was lucky she found me.”
“How’d she do that?”
“Well, truthfully, I answered a rental ad for her carriage house. Then when she told me the monthly fee, I had a heart attack. Afterward, she confessed she’d been on the hunt for a personal assistant that was reliable. That’s how we made a deal. I’d be at her beck and call, in exchange for rent. It’s been the best deal I’ve ever made. She’s become a wonderful friend to me and I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
He leaned back in his chair and nodded. His perfectly beautiful smile had me smiling too.
“What?” he asked.
“What what?” I tried to deflect his question.
“What’s that look about?”
“I didn’t realize I had a look.” Now only one corner of his mouth turned up. I wanted to sit on his lap, run my fingers through his hair, and kiss that corner of his mouth. Phew, he was hot. Why couldn’t I just be a normal girl who wasn’t afraid of getting involved or ashamed of what she’d turned herself into? Why couldn’t I wake up in the morning and just be Lexi, without the guilt or baggage that I’d carried for the past three years?
“What?”
“What? Me?”
“Yeah, you. You have a different look now.”
My cheeks grew superhot and I sent up a quick prayer of thanks for the darkness that surrounded us. Unless of course they were neon red, which was a possibility. I gave my head a firm shake and grinned.
“Please let me take you to dinner,” he said, his voice pleading.
My jaw crashed to the floor.
“What is it?” he asked, concern oozing out of every pore of him.
“Look, you really don’t want to take me out. You need to go out with someone that … well, with someone who deserves you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I’m a mess and you don’t need to be dealing with someone like me right now. Please don’t push this. I swear if you do, you’ll only end up hating me.”
He looked at me with a furrowed brow. “I don’t understand, but the fact that you won’t even clue me in pretty much pisses me off.”
“It’s personal.”
“The fact that I’m attracted to you and want to take you to dinner is pretty personal too.”
I twisted my hands together in my lap. “Look, I’ve been through some tough times and right now I’m pretty screwed up. Plain and simple. I need to straighten my stuff out before I get involved with anyone. And the last thing you need is to try to fix me.”
“Who said I’d try to fix you? All I want is to take you to fucking dinner.” He sounded insulted.
Our voices had risen, so I backed off and said, “Can we finish our drinks and go somewhere private to discuss this?”
“To what end, Alexia? You’ll only refuse me again. I think we finish our drinks and call it a day.”
“You’re right.”
We sat there in silence sipping away. I felt like such a jerk, but I knew it was the right thing to do. This slut didn’t need to get involved with a nice guy.
The waitress came with our check, and I offered to pay for the wine. He shook his head and said not to worry about it because I probably couldn’t afford it anyway. I stiffened at his comment and stole a glance at the bill but decided instantly he was right. That stupid bottle of wine cost one hundred and sixty dollars. No wonder it tasted that good!
We left the bar, and I regretted this moment. I wanted nothing more than to latch on to his neck and kiss his lips. I wanted to feel his arms tighten around me and hold me closely against him, like I meant something to him and not just a sleazy chick out for a night of sex. My throat tightened, so I bent my head down and stared at my bright pink toes.
“Thanks for the wine. It was delicious.”
“You’re welcome, Alexia. If you ever change your mind about dinner sometime, you have my number.”
“Okay,” I choked out. I shoved my hands in my pockets. I dared not look up because he would see the glistening tears in my eyes, which had punched their way past my lids onto my cheeks. Damn them.
I moved quickly down the sidewalk, past the shops I usually inspected.
Would I ever get past being afraid to get involved with anyone? Of all the guys I’d met since Peter, this one had me rattled. He’s out of my wheelhouse, thus there was no use getting my hopes up. When he found out about my past, he’d run faster than an Olympic runner going for a gold medal. This whole situation scared me too. It was totally hopeless.
I dashed all the way down King Street and hung a right on Queen. I kept going, not really seeing anything, not paying attention. Until I heard a scuffling when I was jerked from behind and an arm went around my neck, putting me in a chokehold. I felt my head swim from lack of oxygen, when a harsh voice whispered in my ear.
“Do as I say, and you won’t get hurt.”
The panic escalated then because at first, I didn’t realize what was going on. I began to struggle. I elbowed my assailant in the gut as hard as I could and then brought my foot down on his. Flip-flops aren’t exactly the best for fighting, nor do they make great getaway shoes. I tried to run but he just stepped on the back of my flip-flop, and it halted me for a second, which was long enough for him to smack me upside the head. My neck snapped back, and he hit me again, but this time it was with his fist. The lights went out in Georgia, South Carolina, and the rest of the Southeast.