Chapter 1 #3
“Good evening, may I help you?” the girl at the stand asked. Numerous people were standing around waiting to be seated, but I didn’t see Haven or Tinker. Perhaps they were running late or had already been seated.
“Good evening, and yes, you may. I’m meeting friends for dinner at seven thirty. Their names are Tinker and Haven,” I informed her. I hoped they hadn’t used Tinker’s real name. I didn’t think they used that in public.
She scanned her list, then smiled. “Ah, yes, there it is. They’ve already been seated. If you come with me, I’ll show you where your party is.”
Snatching up a menu, she sashayed her butt to the rear of the restaurant.
The lighting was dim due to the tables being lit with centerpiece candles.
As we got closer to the tables against a far wall, my footsteps faltered.
Christ, what was he doing here? I felt Mayhem’s blue eyes pierce me as he stared into my eyes.
Why hadn’t anyone told me that he was planning to join us?
If they had, I would’ve found an excuse not to come.
There was no way I’d be able to remain calm and carry on a coherent conversation with him sitting with us.
But it was too late to bail. Not only had Mayhem seen me, but so had Haven and Tinker.
She was waving at me. I slowly lifted my arm and returned it.
Come on, you can do this, Astrid. He’s just a man like any other.
Get in and get out. Two hours max. How hard could it be?
It felt like it took me an eternity to make it to the table. By the time I was there, both men had risen to their feet. I plastered a fake smile on my face.
“Hello. I hope I’m not late,” I murmured.
“You’re right on time. Please have a seat,” Tinker said.
However, my chair was pulled out not by him, but by Mayhem. As I sat down, he pushed my chair closer to the table. I swore his thumb caressed the back of my neck as he pushed me in. A shiver went through me, but I fought to downplay it. As both men retook their seats, I smiled over at Haven.
“Hello again. And good evening, gentlemen. It’s been a while since I saw you. At the wedding, wasn’t it?”
I was rambling, trying to think of something to cover up my unease with Mayhem being here.
“It has been. I can’t tell you how psyched you have Haven. She told me your news. Congratulations,” Tinker said.
“Thanks, Tinker. I have to say, I’m excited. I need to tell you again how happy I am for you and Haven. You’ll both be wonderful parents. She looks so gorgeous. Pregnancy agrees with her.”
He beamed with pride as he looked at her. I watched him pick up her hand and kiss the back of it. “Thank you, and you’re right. She is gorgeous, but then she always is.”
“My brother is a lucky man. You’re looking magnificent this evening as well. How have you been, Astrid?” Mayhem’s deep voice resonated within my bloodstream. I gave him a vague smile.
“I’ve been good. It’s nice to see you again, Mayhem. I didn’t realize you’d be joining us tonight. Don’t you work nights at your club?”
“I don’t work all the time, and I have good people to manage it in my absence. When I heard you were back in town and going to dinner with these two, Tinker took pity on me and invited me. I hope you don’t mind.”
The way he looked at me told me he was aware of my discomfort with his presence. I’d be damned if I’d prove him right. My smile grew as I waved my hand dismissively.
“Not at all. You’re welcome to join us. I’m looking forward to trying the food here. I checked it out online, and it came with high praise. Have you been here before?” I asked as I spread my linen napkin over my lap.
“All three of us have been on a variety of occasions. I feel confident that there’s nothing on the menu that’s not enjoyable,” Mayhem answered. My stomach chose that moment when he lapsed into silence to growl.
Playing it off, I laughed. As the others joined me, I prayed it would be a swift meal. “Well, I guess that tells you how starved I am. I got busy between the drive and then researching after I went to see Haven, I totally zoned out on eating anything.”
“We’ll get you fed before you go savage, then. How about we look over the menu and order an appetizer or two? I could handle that,” Tinker suggested.
Haven and Mayhem murmured in agreement, so we opened our menus. I was perusing the list, which was extensive and had lots of delicious options, when Mayhem interrupted my study of it with a question.
“What kind of research were you conducting that made you forget to eat?”
“Oh, oh, tell him,” Haven eagerly said.
“I’ve decided it’s time to stop being a rolling stone and to settle down in one place. The one that has given me the most feeling of being at home is Bristol. I was looking online at possible places to rent or buy.”
I watched something flicker in Mayhem’s eyes for a moment, then disappear. I wasn’t sure if it was satisfaction or something else. Though why he should be satisfied with my choice made no sense. It had to be the trick of all the candlelight in here.
“Which do you prefer? A house or apartment? Do you want to rent or buy?” Tinker asked.
“I’m not sure which to be honest. There’s an appeal to being outside the city, where fewer people live close by. I find that crowds make me jumpy. However, rental houses seem to be scarce. And owning one means all the upkeep and repairs become my responsibility.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you should own. Why give all that money to a landlord and end up with nothing to show for it? If you find a house you like, let us make sure before you make any kind of offer that the place is sound and not in need of anything major done to it,” Tinker offered.
“And I’ll help you decorate whatever you get,” Haven added.
“Thank you both so much. I’ll likely take you up on your offers. Tinker, if Iron’s Rehab is available, I’d love to pay you to give a place the once-over rather than giving money to strangers that I don’t know if I can trust not to screw me over. And I love Haven’s designs, so no hardship there.”
It was that moment when the waitress came to the table, so we paused our conversation.
She was a woman in her thirties. She was dressed in the restaurant’s standard uniform.
The women wore black skirts and, for the most part, comfortable dress shoes.
Their tops were white button-downs. The men were in black slacks, dress shoes, and white button-down shirts.
However, our waitress caught my attention.
It seemed that she had gotten her uniform a size too small.
The top and skirt were skintight on her.
The stress on the buttons made them one breath away from becoming projectiles.
It made her figure stand out. I couldn’t argue that her thin body and big tits weren’t noticeable and probably got her bigger tips.
Whatever she had to do to make a living.
Her practiced smile was in place. “Good evening, I’m your waitress tonight. My name is Georgia. What would you like to drink? Do you need any help with the menu?”
There was a brief conversation among the five of us about the specials before Georgia not only had our drink orders, but also an appetizer platter. As she walked off, I was sucked back into the conversation we’d been having when Georgia arrived.