Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
DOGGONE IT, PEOPLE LIKE ME
There’s nothing I can do to prepare for the date except run to the restroom and regroup.
I’d love to splash my face with some cool water but Lauren would kill me if I messed up my make-up.
It’s nearly five o’clock, and I’m so, so nervous.
How did any of this even happen? One minute I’m wrapping his necklace, the next we’re kissing.
Damn, that man can kiss. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves.
If I can’t get myself under control, this date is going to be an epic fail on my part. A real shit show.
When I exit the mall restroom closest to the shop, I nearly run over Bobby. “Hey, MacKenzie. How are you doing tonight?”
“Oh, good. How are you? Did you have a good day at work?” I ask him distractedly.
“Yep. Sold that new Magic Car toy today.”
“Wow. Wasn’t that the really expensive one?”
“Yes. It’s twelve hundred dollars.”
“Who would spend that much on a toy?”
Bobby rears his head back and spits, “Lots of people. We carry the best toys you can buy.”
“Oh, I, um, I didn’t mean anything by that, Bobby. It’s just that’s serious money for someone on a budget.” Like me.
Bobby takes a breath and calms down. “Oh, sorry, MacKenzie. I know. They are expensive but well worth it.” He puts his hands in his front pockets. “So, do you have plans tonight?”
“No, not really. Just, um, getting ready to go home.”
“You want to go get a burger somewhere?”
“Maybe some other time, Bobby. I need to get home tonight.” Yeah, I’m lying to him, but he already asked me earlier today, and I told him no then. He’s getting more and more persistent.
“Oh, okay. I’ll see you Monday then. Bye, MacKenzie.” He turns to leave but turns back. “Be careful out there, MacKenzie. Be alert.”
“Uh, okay. Thanks. Bye, Bobby. Have a good night.” I watch him walk back toward his store. Be alert? Confused, I walk back to my store and see a tall blond hottie chatting with Diane. I smile at him as he turns to me. “Hi,” I squeak.
“Hey, MacKenzie. Ready to go?”
“Just need to grab my purse and coat.” Oh, crap, my coat.
Oh well. I need Pops with me tonight. Courage.
I grab my things from the back room and move toward him as he chats with my coworker.
When I get there, his head is turned to me, but I can see Diane biting her palm.
She mouths silently, “Oh. My. God.” I giggle.
Sam is gorgeous in his dark jeans, blue button-down shirt, black boots, and leather jacket.
As I get close to him, I can smell him, too.
He smells like musk and hot-as-sin man. I want to lick him.
Shaking those dirty thoughts from my head, I hear him ask, “Ready?”
“Ready. Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” He places his palm on my lower back, leading me out the door.
I turn and wave at Diane, who’s still smiling. I’m sure she’ll have a few questions for me the next time we work together. “Are my clothes okay for this secret place?”
“Of course. You look beautiful. Perfect.”
Perfect? Not possible. “Oh, okay.” We take the escalator down to street level.
His hand is on my lower back until we get to the revolving doors.
That’s when he takes my hand and pulls me into the same tiny wedge he’s in.
My back is pressed up against his front.
He looks down and smiles at me but says nothing.
Once we’ve spun out of the doors, we’re on the street.
I lift my coat out of my arms and slide the old trench coat on.
He says nothing about it. His hand returns to my lower back as he guides me to a parking garage just over a block from the mall.
We still haven’t spoken since leaving the store.
Taking the elevator up a few floors, we exit and walk toward a silver SUV.
Not just any SUV, though. This one is sleek and shiny and expensive.
The color resembles the platinum that I use in my jewelry.
When we pass the back of the car, I see the symbol: BMW X5 M.
The doors chirp, and he reaches around me and opens my door.
I slide in and take in the smell of leather and him.
“Man, this car is amazing,” I whisper before he’s had a chance to get into the driver seat.
When he does slide in, he looks at me and smiles.
“Nice wheels,” I say nervously. Oh, jeez, that was a stupid thing to say.
“The dashboard kind of looks like a cockpit of an airplane.”
“You like it?”
“What’s not to like? The color reminds me of some of the metals I use in my jewelry. It’s beautiful.” I smile back at him.
“I’m glad you like it, MacKenzie. Now buckle up.”
I reach behind me and pull the seat belt around me. He takes hold of the buckle and clicks it into place. He presses the start button, and we’re off. “So, you’re not going to tell me where we’re going?”
“I’ll give you a hint. It serves my favorite food group.”
I blink at him and wonder why he thinks I’d know that tidbit of information. Then I recall his shirt. “Tacos?”
He chuckles. “Yep. You remembered. This place has a lot of different things to choose from, so you should, hopefully, be able to find something you’ll like.”
“Oh, I’ll eat anything. Look at me,” I say, pointing to my body.
“You’ve got a great body, MacKenzie. It’s womanly.”
I snort at his description. “Yeah, I guess. If womanly means a big butt and thighs, I’m certainly womanly.”
Sam stops the car abruptly. He turns to me.
“MacKenzie. You’re beautiful. I love your ass, what I’ve seen of it.
I’d like a closer inspection, though.” He winks and continues to drive south down Michigan Avenue.
The drive takes a little over twenty minutes even though the restaurant, Frontera Grill, is only blocks away.
Traffic at this time of night is insane.
We pull up to the valet parking; Sam jumps out and runs around to my side of the car. I’ve already opened my door, so he reaches in and takes my hand. I’m careful not to step in the slushy snow as he guides me to the door. He tosses his keys to the valet and gives him a pointed look.
As soon as we enter, the sweet smells of this Mexican restaurant hit me.
I’m taken by the décor. It’s warm and inviting while still having that sense of fun with colorful paintings all around the space.
At the hostess stand, a gorgeous brunette woman smiles at Sam.
“Hey, Sam. I’ve got your table ready,” she says, leading us back.
Our table is in the back corner of the restaurant. It’s private for us, but I can still look about the place and take in all the creative little touches everywhere. “This place is beautiful. I love all of the artwork.”
“I thought you’d like it.” He smiles.
Our server approaches with our menus and asks us what we’d like to drink. “Water, please.”
“Aren’t you going to have a drink? Would you like wine?”
“Oh, um, yeah. Can I look at the menu first?” I ask our waiter.
“Sure, not a problem. And you, sir?” our waiter asks, turning to Sam.
“I’ll wait as well.”
“Wow, this all looks amazing.” I have no idea what to pick. Shit. Everything is expensive. I’m not going to order a thirty-dollar entrée. I stick with the appetizer menu. Spring tostadas are only ten dollars. I’ll get those. I close the menu and wait for Sam.
“You find some things that sound good?” he asks with a smile.
“I think so.”
“Me, too.”
When the server returns, he starts with me. “Um, I’d like a Modelo and the spring tostadas.”
“And for dinner?” he asks, looking a little confused.
“Oh, no, that’s it.”
I smile at the waiter and then turn to look at Sam. He doesn’t look happy. “MacKenzie. You can have anything you want on the menu. Hell, you can have everything on the menu if that’s what you’d like.”
“I’m fine with what I picked.”
Sam lets out a slow sigh. “I’ll have a Modelo as well. I’d like the Oaxacan carne asada, the shrimp local ramp mojo, and the classic puebla-style enchiladas, and two plates, please.”
“Wow, you must be hungry,” I say with a giggle.
“I am. Starving,” he growls. His eyes are darker than normal, and they look sort of predatory but not in a creepy way. Sexy.
After the waiter leaves, neither of us says anything for several minutes, although it seems like an hour. When I can’t take it any longer, I say, “So, what do you do at the security company?”
“What do I do there?”
“Yeah. Do you always work functions like the one on New Year’s Eve?”
“No, I do all sorts of things. I do work at functions like those occasionally, but my main job is to plan the security for VIPs from start to finish.”
“Wow, you must be high up in the company. That sounds important.” I take a sip of water just as our server delivers our beers.
I skip the glass and drink straight from the bottle.
When I see that Sam has started pouring his into the glass, I feel heat hit my cheeks.
My manners are terrible. He stops pouring and then decides to drink straight from the bottle as well. Thank goodness.
“I am pretty high up, I guess you’d say. I own the company.”
I choke on my drink, coughing and attempting to breathe. Sam jumps up from the table to help me, but I gather myself before I make a total jerk out of myself. “I’m fine. I’m fine.”
“That surprises you?”
“Um, no. I guess not.” Lauren said the company was major; her dad paid a lot of money for their services.
He must be good at what he does. He looks like he’d be good.
Oh, crap. My mind just took off in the dirty direction.
“My friend’s father hired you for something, and she said that company was pretty major. ” Major? Jeez, I’m a dork.
“You asked your friend about me?” he says with a smirk.
“Well, yeah,” I reply hesitantly.
“Smart. You should always check on people who hit on you, MacKenzie. Safety first. Now, I’ve got a question for you.”
“Okay.” Uh-oh, what could he possibly ask me?
“Tell me about your coat.”
“My coat?”
“Yeah, it’s not your typical winter coat.”
I don’t want to start talking about Pops on our date. I’ll cry, and tears won’t be a good first impression. “Oh, no biggie. I’ve had it a long time. I like it. It’s comfy.” I take a drink of beer to hopefully end this conversation.
I think he takes the hint, because he asks me, “How long have you worked at the shop?”
“Oh, let’s see,” I say, looking up. I really haven’t thought about it. “I guess it’s been about three years. I started off as part-time and moved to full-time about two years ago.” I hope I don’t bore the heck out of this guy.
“Have you sold a lot of your own pieces?”
“Not a lot. A couple here and there.” I’m not about to confess to him that I’m a failure and that he was my only sale.
“I’m surprised you don’t sell out as soon as you have something there. Your pieces are stunning. My mom loved hers, and my sister will, too.”
I smile my brightest smile at him. I don’t get the feeling he’s just stroking my sensitive art ego. I think he really feels that way. “Thank you. I’m really glad your mom liked hers.”
Before the conversation dies a slow death, the food is served. Sam ordered three meals, and now I see why. He hands me a plate and says, “Dig in. We’re going to share.”
I hesitate, but there’s enough food here for five people, so I take a little bit from each plate. “Mm, so good,” I moan. The food is delicious. “I’ve only had Mexican food from a taco truck or from more of a fast-food establishment. This is wonderful.” I moan again.
“I’m glad you like it. Chef Bayless is a friend of mine.”
I nod. Am I supposed to know this guy? His name sounds familiar, but I refuse to look like a dummy here, so I shove more food in my mouth and drink more beer.
A second beer appears before me without even asking.
This place has excellent service. After dinner, I pull on my coat as Sam leads me back outside.
I turn to him, raising my hand to shake his, and say, “Sam, I had a great time. Thank you for dinner.”
He chuckles. “Are you leaving?”
“I thought I’d grab a bus. Then you don’t have to drive me home.”
He takes my hand and pulls me along the sidewalk to a more secluded spot.
He wraps his hands around my waist and gently moves me back until I’m in the shadows and against the brick exterior.
He leans down and gives me a soft kiss on my lips.
“MacKenzie,” he whispers, “I’m not going to let my date hop on a bus.
I would like to drive you home. Walk you to your door.
And hope for an invitation inside so I can do more than kiss you. ”
“Oh,” I sigh. “Okay.”
We walk to the valet and wait for his fancy car. As we wait, he holds my small, cold hand in his big warm one. My mind wanders to my apartment. He’s not going to like my neighborhood. His car could end up on blocks while he’s in my place. Oh, and shoot, is my place even clean?