Chapter 5
5
“ H ow did it go at the other bank?” Brogan sat on the edge of his desk. After the first bank declined their loan yesterday, he'd sent Cathal to two more banks. Same answer from both. Securing a loan with the expectations of future profits and nothing tangible such as property, was risky.
Cathal kicked back on the long, leather sofa, a glass of whiskey in his hand. The top line at their bar. And he'd paid for it. No free drinks. They all agreed on that when they first opened, mainly to prevent Cathal from running their profits into the toilet.
“They're considering it, but this banker seemed more interested than the others. Filing our tax returns Monday helped. Showed our profits even higher this year.” Cathal rested his ankle over his knee. “Rian said the banker in Ireland agreed to provide a loan against our property there. That lowers the amount we need here if it comes to that.”
He never wanted to involve the land, but the more he thought about it, the more he knew his Ma would want them to keep the Pub. She'd have loved it there. “Good. That's good.”
“Now, for the important question.” Cathal leaned forward. “How did it go last night with Selena?”
Brogan pushed off his desk. “I've tried to forgive you and Rian for that.” And forget about how good it felt to touch her because it was still hell to keep his distance at nine in the morning.
“Forgive me? You'd have had my head if we'd seen her and not called you. And after she mentioned getting a cab. Alone.” He shook his head. “No. Don't turn your A-type personality around to be my fault. Or Rian's. You forget that he was the one who actually suggested you come and give her the ride home.”
“You realize that nothing can happen with Selena. Yes, I appreciate you watching out for her, but don't think that it's some lead-in for me to start seeing an employee. Despite what you and Rian will allow.” Not that Brogan hadn't thought of it. Constantly. But he needed to focus on keeping his business open, not how he can manage to date an employee in secret. The four lawsuits from his past still haunted him. No woman would ever have a reason to accuse him again. He already slept like shit the night before.
Selena had innocently gripped his shoulder to take her shoe off. Holding onto her waist to keep her from swaying and possibly falling was out of instinct. Then she'd looked up at him with those eyes and heart-shaped face, and he couldn't let go. And for that brief second, he'd forgotten about his rules.
Cathal huffed. “This is ridiculous.”
“It's fair.”
“Fair? You've given her extra work. You promoted her to a management position. ”
“Exactly. If I turned around and tossed her in my bed, the entire staff would talk, not to mention she could throw a big sexual harassment suit my way.”
“It's not nice to brag. Who are you tossing in your bed?” Rian entered the room without knocking, closing the door behind him. “Selena? What did I miss last night?” He smiled. “Did you finally take your younger brothers' advice and make a move?”
“No. And I won't.” Brogan walked around his desk, putting himself back where he was comfortable. In charge. “Nothing happened or will happen.”
“Two hundred he doesn't make it to Christmas.” Cathal tilted his head to the side. “Three hundred that she invites him to a home-cooked, Thanksgiving dinner.”
Rian scoffed. “I'm not going to bet you.” He pointed at Brogan. “That man has never gone against his word a day in his life. A pretty face and nice—smile won't change the very fiber of his being. Strict and straight. That's what Ma called him, wasn't it?”
Cathal nodded. “Yup. By the book, old Brogan is.”
“Shut up and drink your whiskey.” Brogan sat down at his computer. The spreadsheet Selena had made was open on his screen. She'd help with the reviews, organizing them into praises and improvements, and still sugar coating it, so she doesn't hurt his feelings.
“Fire her.” Rian lifted a shoulder. “Fire Selena. Then ask her out.”
“She needs the job. And she's good at it. I know you think I promoted her because of whatever reaction you saw from me—”
“Lust,” Cathal said.
“Longing,” added Rian .
Brogan pinched his nose. They were making it worse. Which, if he knew his brothers, was their main objective.
“Whatever. Selena is the best employee I have. Especially now that I have her coming in early. She's only been late a couple of times, but she's still on time for her shift.”
“And you get to spend a little more time with your pretty waitress. Win-win.” Rian took a long sip. “It won't go away, you know. The attraction. You might as well give in to it.”
“You two have the luxury of giving in. I don't. I just listed out,” he paused. They'd never listened to him. “Never mind. I'm done talking about it. Go away. Both of you. I'm ready to call it a day.” Brogan had been there for eleven hours. He rarely drank, but tonight, after his brothers' nice, annoying reminders about Selena, he needed a beer.
“We still need to talk about—”
“No!” Brogan barked at Rian. “I'm done talking about her. You both know what happened the last time I had an employee make it seem as though she was interested. A fat lawsuit. Right now, the last thing we need is another Crissy. I can't risk it.” His own feeling didn't matter in the decision. He'd never thought Selena would be like Crissy. But he never thought Crissy was going to be like Crissy.
He was young. Dumb. Inexperienced. Now he knew how vindictive one person could be. And how easily they could destroy everything he worked for.
Rian snagged Cathal's whiskey from his hand, tossing the rest of it back before setting the empty glass on the coffee table. “I was actually going to ask about the last bank Cathal went to, but obviously your mind is still stuck on Selena.” He held out his hands. “We date.” He motioned between him and Cathal. “We see women. We ask women out. We have a social life outside this place. You don't. It only makes sense that you'd be attracted to one of the women you employ.”
“Doesn't mean I have a right to act on it.”
“Just,” Rian said, leaning back in his chair, “push it a little and see. If the opportunity presents itself with Selena, then move in slowly. Test the waters. We're not saying to jump in feet first like with Crissy. You're old now.”
“Older.”
“Semantics,” Cathal added with a wink.
“ Older then, if you must,” Rian continued. “You'll be able to tell if that woman likes you or she's playing you.”
It was tempting, moving in on Selena. Just a little. Enough, like Rian said, to test the waters. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but it made him nervous. He'd misjudged Crissy so badly, costing them all money, that he questioned even his own intuition on women.
“I'll grab more napkins.” Selena shifted around a table and walked to the back of the restaurant. Rolling silverware wasn't the most glamorous part of the job, but it needed to be done. It gave the waitstaff a moment to relax off their feet. Talk about the weather. Gossip. Anything to help make their short break feel a little longer.
The supply room wasn't large, but it was stacked floor to the ceiling, with additional shelves lining the walls. Organized, of course. Her boss wouldn't have it any other way. Her polite boss that had kept his polite hands to himself when taking her home from the bar. And Monday morning, when she arrived for work, he was right back to square one.
Aloof. Bossy. She groaned with frustration and flipped the switch for the fluorescent light in the supply room. It flickered, crackled, and went out.
Great. Just awesome. She pulled a box of toilet paper from the corner and propped open the door. She'd tell Brogan later about the light after she got a stack of napkins to Katie, who was on silverware rolling duty for the time being. It kept Selena from having to sit with Trey. He was nice, but he constantly wanted to talk about video games and how many points he’d scored.
She squeezed past the shelf with the condiments and to the corner. Paper towels and more toilet paper. She didn't blame whoever did the ordering. It was hell when the bathroom ran out of TP.
The light vanished, and the door shut with a solid bam .
Crap. Some good employee who had no clue she stood in the back corner just closed the door. Feeling with her hands, she grabbed the one box of napkins she'd spotted. Now, to make it back out.
Her shoulder bumped the tall shelves. She reached out, steadying it. The entire puzzle of boxes would crash down on her if she weren't careful, burying her under paper products and ketchup until someone noticed her missing.
She tripped over the box of toilet paper she'd pulled out and whoever closed the door had shoved back in, stumbling forward.
The door opened as she reached to brace herself on the table left of the door. Her legs stumbled over a few smaller boxes, and she ducked trying to avoid the shelf she knew lined the wall at head height.
Strong hands gripped her shoulders, keeping her from face planting into the box of squeeze packets of hot sauce she recognized the second before the door shut again, leaving them in darkness .
“Are you alright?”
Her breath lodged in her throat. Chill bumps ran over her skin from Brogan's rich voice in the dark. The heat from his body and the smell that floated around his office after he showered in the morning enveloped her.
She leaned back against him to keep from knocking her head on the overhead shelf. His stiff body held still.
“I'd rather not clean up whatever is in these boxes stacked around us.” She shifted to the side, her hand touching hard muscle along his waist for balance.
He hadn't released her shoulder. His fingers tightened.
But she was stuck halfway under a shelf, her feet feeling like she was about to lose a game of Twister. “Without a light, I'm not sure how to untangle myself without the entire mountain of boxes crashing down on us.”
Slowly, his hands slid down from her shoulders until they gripped her waist. “I'll pick you up,” he said, pulling her closer until their bodies touched for the first time.
Neither one of them moved for a long second.
His chest rose with a deep breath like he might use it to heft her out of the corner. But he didn't do anything.
“Let me set the napkins down.” She tried to toss them toward the door, but they hit another box, and it fell. Along with two more. “Sorry. I'll clean it up.”
“Hold onto my shoulders, and I'll pick you up and out.”
She did as he asked but misjudged in the complete darkness. Her hands landed on the top of his chest, and since she'd already established her body didn't listen to her rational mind, they slid along his body until they gripped his shoulders.
Again, he didn't move. If there had been any daylight, not an ounce of it would shine between the tight way they held onto each other. Her fingertips brushed across the back of his neck, loving the feel of his hair. In the dark, it didn't seem so wrong for him to hold her. No rules. No lines designating designer suits on one side and second-hand stores on the other.
“Ready?” His voice was soft, deep.
She was, but probably not for the same thing. She nodded and then rolled her eyes in the dark. “Yes.”
He picked her up and turned, setting her down at his feet. His hands never strayed from her waist, but he didn't release her immediately. She threaded her fingers through the back of his hair. “Brogan?” His name sounded breathless from her lips.
His hands didn't shift, but his thumbs skimmed along the bottom edge of her ribcage.
She needed him to say something. Anything. What did he think of her? She'd practically latched onto him at this point.
Did he think she did this to work her way up in the company or something? She half-laughed. Only if he was an idiot.
“What's so funny?”
“Do you think I did this on purpose?”
“How would you have known I would come by and close the door?” His voice held a touch of suspicion that riled her up. He straightened and put a few inches between their bodies. The man didn't have a shred of humor in his personality, but she wouldn't let him get to her. Brogan needed something light and happy in his life.
“If you really thought that, Brogan, then you're an idiot. I was making a joke.” His brothers seemed so happy. What happened to cause him to be so serious?
“I'm not sure I like my employees calling me an idiot.”
She skimmed her fingers along the side of his ribs .
He jerked away, breaking their connection. “Stop that.” He tried to sound mad, but the laugh in his voice told her otherwise.
“I was worried for a moment.”
The door opened a second later. He reached up, adjusting the bar at the top, so it stayed open. His expression remained cautious. “Worried about what?”
“That you weren't even ticklish.” She wiggled her fingers his direction. “I don't trust someone who isn't ticklish. A lack of a sense of humor I can work with.” It was big words, covering up her insecurity. Had he really thought she put herself in that situation to trap him? He tried to keep himself distant, but he looked just as nervous as she felt.
Katie's face appeared in the doorway. “Did you find...whoa. What happened?”
The floor was covered in paper straws from the boxes that fell in the dark.
“I was clumsy as usual.”
Katie shook her head and gave Brogan a wide berth when she came into the room. “I can help. Don't worry.”
Brogan scowled.
Selena returned the look, but with a little more exaggeration. She'd get the man to smile at some point. Laugh. Have a freaking good time.
He stalked away.
“Moody much?” Katie moved into the room, beginning to pick up the straws. “Of course someone, as put together like him, would be peeved to see straws all over the ground.”
Selena had the wicked thought to dump the straws all over his desk to see if that pissed him off or made him laugh. Instead, she bent down and helped clean up her mess. She'd end up dying of sexual frustration instead of old age at this pace.