Seduction - Chapter 4
Friday
Rob waved at us as the hostess led us toward their table.
“This place is insane,” I said when we got to the huge half-circle booth.
“Isn’t it perfect?” Rob said. He was at one end of the booth, his arm was wrapped around Daphne’s shoulders.
Mason and Bee were already there too…smushed together in the middle of the booth.
It was actually kind of funny seeing Mason sitting in a booth.
He was still wearing his expensive suit from work and he stuck out like a sore thumb here.
All the employees were dressed in bright, floral Hawaiian shirts.
The vibe was chill and laid back and not at all what Mason was wearing.
James slid in beside them because he knew I’d want to be close to the end so I could go to the bathroom. I was barely showing and I already felt like I needed to pee every few minutes. I didn’t want to think about what it would be like in a couple of months.
Bee leaned forward. “So is the food really good here or something, Rob? Why’d you choose the weirdest place in the city?”
He laughed. “It’s not weird. It’s perfect,” he said again and looked over at Daphne.
She grabbed her glass of water and downed half of it without making eye contact with anyone.
I looked over at James. He was already staring down at me. And we shared the “what the hell is going on right now?” look with each other.
“They don’t even have darts,” Mason said. “How are you expecting to con me out of all my money tonight?”
“No kicking your ass tonight,” Rob said. “Just a memorable night with my favorite people. Speaking of which…where is Matt?” Rob rolled up his sleeve to check his watch. “He’s five minutes late.”
James and I both looked at each other again. Rob never wore a watch. And now that I thought about it…he was always late for our weekly dinners, usually the last to arrive. What the actual hell was going on right now?
“He said he’d be a few minutes late,” Mason said. “Speaking of being late…nice watch. Please tell me you’re not dying or something.”
Rob laughed. “Nope, I’m very healthy. Virile, actually. But I’m a grownup now and grownups wear watches.” He pushed his sleeve back down. “I’m a freaking adult.”
Oh God, is he dying? “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?” I asked. I couldn’t help but worry. He was acting very strange.
“He’s fine,” Daphne said and elbowed him in his side.
He smiled down at Daphne.
They’d only been dating a few months so they still had that thing where everyone else faded into the distance when they were together.
James placed his hand on my thigh. I looked up at him and he was staring at me the same way Rob was staring at Daphne. I guess we still had it too. I felt my cheeks flush. This was the look I was worried would fade though. Once I was the size of a blimp.
His hand slid farther up my thigh, his fingers absentmindedly playing with the hem of my dress that had risen very high. His fingers gently dipped below it.
Oh my God, what is he doing?
But his fingers froze a little farther up.
I breathed a sigh of relief. If this man was thinking about touching me in a booth surrounded by our friends, he was out of his damn mind. It wasn’t like I could scooch in my chair to hide it better. Because we were in a booth, and it was nailed to the ground.
“Sorry I’m late,” Matt said and slid into the booth next to me. “Hey, Penny.”
“Hey. Long day at the office?”
“Yeah.” He adjusted his collar.
I was pretty sure he was hiding a hickey or something. Okay…not a late day at the office then. Well, maybe. And I couldn’t exactly fault him for mixing business with pleasure. It sure worked for Mason and Bee.
I was just about to ask Matt about Halloween when James’ thumb slid closer to where I needed him most. God, was this how he was going to torture me?
Just tease me all night, inching closer but never touching me?
And why the hell did I want him to touch me right now?
We were in the middle of a crowded restaurant.
“I’m so glad we’re all here tonight,” Rob said. “Together. All my favorite people. I want to make a toast.” He drummed his hands against the table. “We need more than water though. Where is our waiter? I swore I just saw him over by that palm tree a second ago.”
Okay, something was definitely up with him.
“He’s probably dry humping a parrot,” Matt said under his breath.
I laughed and Matt smiled at me.
But my laughter died in my throat when James’ hand rose higher up my skirt. I looked over at my husband and hoped he could tell what I was thinking – that Matt had a clear view of my lap…and his hand under my skirt, only an inch away from touching me now.
James’ eyes dropped to my lips, sending a chill down my spine.
Oh God, he is going to touch me, isn’t he?
He lowered his eyebrows.
Yeah, he was definitely going to. That was what the wink in the elevator was about. He was going to torture me slowly beneath the table all night.
Rob waved his hand in the air to get our waiter’s attention.
The waiter hurried over. “I see that your whole party has arrived. Welcome to the Parrot Palace. I’m Randy, and I’ll be your Parrot Palace party person this evening. What can I get y’all to drink?”
Parrot Palace party what now? I pressed my lips together so I wouldn’t laugh. His southern accent didn’t really fit the vibe of the restaurant. And for some reason that was the final straw for making this place crazy. Seriously…where were we?
“We’re going to need champagne,” Rob said. “And…” he turned toward the table like he was counting us even though there were always seven of us “…six glasses. Yeah six. And what do you want to drink, Penny?”
“Iced tea, please.”
“Champagne and iced tea,” Rob said. “And make it snappy.”
Daphne touched his shoulder.
“Make it two iced teas,” Rob said. He looked over at me. “My sister-in-law looks thirsty.”
Excuse me? What the fuck does that mean?
Matt laughed.
I looked over at James. “Did your brother just call me a thirsty bitch?” I whispered.
Mason started laughing now too. “He definitely did.”
The waiter hurried off.
James shrugged. “Do you think he’s high or something?”
“I don’t know.” I turned to Rob. “Seriously, Rob, is everything okay?” I was just wearing a sundress. I didn’t look that thirsty. I wasn’t even taking any selfies! He was usually very nice to me. And a little inappropriate.
“What? Yeah. We’re good. I’m just excited.” He looked at his watch again.
“When did you buy a watch?” Matt asked. “I thought you didn’t believe in the concept of time?”
“I’m an adult, Matt. Of course I believe in the concept of time. And I need to make sure I’m not late to anything important. Like important life events. It’s an adult thing. You wouldn’t understand.”
“He’s definitely high,” Matt whispered to me.
James’ hand rose higher on my thigh when Matt leaned in to whisper to me.
Jesus. “Do they have dinner rolls or something here?” I opened up my menu.
“I’m starving.” I needed a reason to unroll my napkin and place it on my lap before the whole table saw what James was up to.
He was inches away from touching me. And if I was a woman with less restraint, I would have shifted on the booth so his fingers would finally reach me.
As it was…I was used to him torturing me.
Instead, I crossed my legs. But that somehow just moved his hand closer. I swallowed hard. I will not moan in front of our friends. I will not moan in a crowded parrot restaurant. I will not.
A waiter was walking by with exactly what I was looking for. “Excuse me,” I said. “Could we have some rolls too?”
“No problem. I’ll be right back with those.”
Thank God. Now I had an excuse. I’d just asked for food, so getting my napkin right now was normal, right? I didn’t even care. Un-normal was better than being kicked out of the restaurant for indecent exposure. I unwound the fabric from the utensils and draped the napkin over my lap.
Apparently James had been expecting me to do that, because his fingers finally slid up, brushing his fingers against my bathing suit bottom.
Fuck.
“Eating for two,” Rob said and smiled at me. “The miracle of life. It’s been really fun the last few months watching my nephew grow inside of you.”
James’ fingers stopped.
Yeah, this was super weird. I didn’t want Rob saying weird things about the miracle of life when James was touching me. “Rob…”
“Where is our champagne?” Rob said.
“Maybe he snorted cocaine,” Matt whispered and tilted his head to the side to study Rob.
Rob fidgeted with his watch again.
Matt nodded. “Yeah…it’s probably cocaine.”
I stared at Rob too. I wasn’t sure if Rob was on drugs.
He just seemed…nervous or something. Which was weird.
Because I’d never seen Rob nervous. Maybe none of us had, which is why we thought he was high out of his mind.
Rob was confident in everything he did. Including his decision to not wear a watch. What the hell was going on?
“Huzzah!” Rob yelled a little too loudly when the waiter came back with our drinks and the basket of bread I’d awkwardly asked another waiter for.
Oops. It was fine if two baskets were coming though. I really was hungry.
Rob grabbed the champagne bottle and opened it with a satisfying pop. He barely spilled a drop before catching it in one of the flutes.
“Did you want me to pour those, sir?” Randy our Parrot Palace party person asked.
“No, I got it.” Rob grabbed another glass and hurriedly poured the champagne.
He handed a glass filled to the brim with champagne to Daphne. And she looked just as confused as the rest of it. She quickly set the glass down.
“Are you ready to order?” Randy asked.
We all said yes, except for Rob, who said no. When we all stared hungry daggers at him, he shook his head. “Fine. But make it quick.”
But we all knew it couldn’t be quick…because Daphne was here. And Daphne was very slow at ordering food. She passed after Rob ordered and lifted her menu a little higher.
The Parrot Palace party person took all of our orders, collected our menus, and then went back to Daphne.
I grabbed a roll and slathered it with butter. This was going to take a few minutes. I bit into my roll. So good.
But I almost choked on it when James’ index finger slid beneath my bathing suit bottom, sliding against my wetness.
His breath was hot in my ear. “Are you wearing a bathing suit?”
Damn it, he was ruining his surprise! “No.” It came out airy and weird.
“Are you sure about that?” He gently circled my clit.
Fuck. I almost squashed the bread in my hand.
“Because it certainly feels like a bathing suit.”
I shoved a piece of bread in my mouth to stop the moan that wanted to leave my lips.
He traced my wetness again and now I was worried I’d moan and bread would fly out of my mouth. What was he doing? I’d be lucky if we made it through the night without getting arrested.
Rob was high or something and James had clearly lost his mind.
“I can’t wait to get you back home alone,” James whispered. “Because I’m only hungry for one thing.” His eyes landed suggestively on my lap.
“Maybe we should go to the bathroom,” I whispered back. It wasn’t like it would be the first time we’d fucked in a bathroom stall. At least we’d have a little privacy there.
“I think I’d rather take my time with you right here.” His finger slid inside of me.
A small moan escaped my lips but I covered it with a cough.
Yeah…we were definitely going to get arrested.