Chapter 6
Hayes~
It was Friday night again, and the only reason I had waited this long to come back to the club was because I knew that Chamber had tomorrow off, and I was here to shoot my shot.
Yeah, the odds of her going home with me were slim, but I hadn’t ever been a man intimidated by the odds.
Plus, call me superficial, but she was just too damn beautiful to not give it a try.
So, walking into the club, I headed straight for the bar, knowing that any of the bartenders on shift tonight would know where Chamber was or how to get a hold of her. Yeah, I was probably being a bit presumptuous, but cowards rarely won at the game of life, so here I was.
As soon as I approached the bar, one of the bartenders was already presenting himself to help me out, and when he asked me what I’d like, the answer was one of the easiest that I’d ever given in all my life.
“Is Chamber available?”
He eyed me for a bit before asking, “And you are?”
“If you would please tell her that Hayes Rainier is here to speak with her, I’d really appreciate that,” I answered as diplomatically as I could.
While the look on his face conveyed the opposite, he said, “Sure, I’ll be happy to let her know that you’re here.”
As he reluctantly went to go get Chamber, I realized that ambushing her at work might not have been the best plan of action, but it was too late to turn back now.
The place also seemed to be in full swing, even though it was still fairly early for a Friday night.
Looking around the room, The Fantasy Factory really did have its own signature appeal, and Lyle was out of his mind if he thought that he could bully Chamber into selling or buying into his franchise plans.
“Mr. Rainier, what a surprise,” Chamber drawled out, making me turn from the room towards the woman strolling up to the bar. “To what do we owe the honor?”
I grinned, quickly realizing that I must be into sadomasochism because I loved what a snarky asshole she was. “Are you too busy to talk?”
She cocked her head at that. “Still trying to convince me to sell?”
“God, no,” I chuckled as I waved that question away. “I can recognize a lost cause when I see one.”
Her lips twitched a bit before asking, “Then what is it that you want to talk about, Mr. Rainier?”
“Well, while we can talk about it here, it’s kind of loud and offers no privacy,” I told her, making her lips twitch again.
“And we need privacy for whatever it is that you want to talk about?”
“Privacy would be good,” I replied pointedly.
Chamber’s mercury-colored gaze regarded me for a million eons before she finally said, “We can talk in my office if you find that more agreeable.”
“You really are an asshole, you know that?” I laughed.
“I’m aware,” she grinned.
“Well, just like last Friday night, lead the way, and I will follow dutifully,” I quipped.
“Then by all means, follow me this way, Mr. Rainier,” she retorted.
“Hayes,” I immediately replied. “Call me Hayes.”
Chamber just smirked before turning to meet me at the end of the bar.
Once I caught up with her, she led me towards the back of the club, and I was surprised at just how sizeable the rest of the place was.
For some reason, I’d been expecting some closet-sized offices and breakrooms, but it was clear that Chamber had considered everyone’s comfort level when designing this place.
Of course, if her plan had been to make this place something more than just a sleazy sex club, then it made sense that she’d design the entire building with class.
Once we finally reached her office, she opened the door to a room that looked professional and efficient, and it surprised me how asexual the décor was.
For whatever reason, I had imagined an I-am-woman-hear-me-roar vibe, but no.
Instead, Chamber’s office was just as classy as the rest of the place.
“Nice digs,” I remarked as she shut the door behind me.
“I don’t need much,” she replied conversationally. “Besides, a person doesn’t have to spend every cent that they have just because they have it. How does having a crystal chandelier or Monets on the wall help me do the books?”
I grinned as I turned towards her. “You really are a delight, you know that?”
Chamber arched a brow. “I thought I was an asshole?”
“You’re a delightful asshole,” I amended, making her smile.
Laughing good-naturedly, Chamber made her way behind her desk, then sat down as she gestured for me to make myself comfortable in one of the chairs that were positioned near the very functional piece of furniture.
“So, what did you need to speak about with me that required privacy, Hayes?” she asked, and it really was a bit pathetic at how I was happy that she was using my first name.
Rather than dick around, I said, “I want to take you to dinner.”
“Why?”
My brows immediately jumped at such a direct question. “Why?”
Chamber nodded. “Yeah, why?”
Okay, this was new.
“Why does a man usually ask a woman to dinner?” I countered. “I find myself attracted to your dickishness, and so I’d like to take you to dinner to get to know you better.”
The woman let out a deep breath before saying, “Hayes, I am not what you think I am.”
“What in the hell does that mean?” I scowled.
“It means that I’m not some...” She stopped to let out another sigh.
“Some what?”
“Despite the purpose of this club, I’m too old and tired to be anyone’s sex goddess, Hayes,” she said, flooring the shit out of me. “So, while I definitely want more than missionary with the lights off, dating me wouldn’t be as exciting as you might believe, considering.”
It was hard not to wonder if she insulted everyone like this, or if it was just me who brought out the best in the woman.
*****
Chamber~
Now, while I had suspected that Hayes might be interested in me, I really hadn’t expected him to ask me out.
Not only was it a huge conflict of interest when you considered how he had just tried to talk me into selling my club, but I had pegged him for a blonde-long-legs kind of guy.
He just had that perfection-is-a-must look about him.
I also wasn’t ignorant of how men might perceive me, owning this club and all.
Regardless of what people thought, I wasn’t a sexual deviant.
My desires weren’t unconventional, nor did they require any special sort of acrobatics.
I also wasn’t interested in being any man’s porn star.
I worked a lot of hours and had a life outside this club, so I just wanted to enjoy a good bout of sex, then go the hell to sleep afterwards.
I wasn’t interested in getting piped all damn night long; I was forty-four-years-old for Christ’s sakes.
Plus, it wouldn’t be long before menopause popped into my life, and I could only imagine what a nightmare that was going to be.
Now, while I understood that every woman was different, I’d seen my mother have to go through that hell, and if any of that shit was hereditary, then I was expecting the worst, though still hoping for the best.
All that to say that Hayes was probably expecting too much out of me, and since games outside the bedroom weren’t my thing, it was important to be honest with him about that.
Besides, I had already spent twenty years of my life in complete silence, scared to rock the boat, so I was not about to do that again for anyone.
“Is it just me, or do you just not have a high opinion of men in general?” he asked, and the tone in his voice surprised me. He didn’t sound upset or mad, more like he was interviewing me or something. “Because you keep insulting me like you don’t realize that you are.”
That had my head rearing back a bit. “How so?”
“Well, first off, just so that we’re clear, I’m forty-six,” he replied.
“If the expectation is for you to be a sex goddess, then that would mean that I’d have to be a bull stud, and I’m forty-fucking-six-years-old, Chamber.
” That got a bit of a laugh out of me. “Now, while I don’t quite need a prescription for any blue pills just yet, if you’re expecting me to screw you all night long, then I’ll at the very least need an inhaler or a couple of protein shakes. ”
“Hayes-”
He immediately put his hand up to shh me.
“I also have a better opinion of women than you’re giving me credit for,” he went on.
“Yes, I appreciate women and tend to have a dirty mind whenever I’m with one who interests me, but do I think that pleasing me is a woman’s only purpose in life? No...no, I don’t, Chamber.”
“My apologies,” I replied, realizing that I was lumping him in with the rest of the male population. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“Then make it up to me by going to dinner with me,” he said, making me wonder if I was being played.
“That’s blackmail,” I pointed out.
“That’s how badly I want you to go to dinner with me,” he replied unabashedly, and those dimples of his really were hard to resist.
“Okay, so we go to dinner, and then what?” I asked candidly.
“As you’ve pointed out, you’re forty-six, and at forty-four, I have no desire to play guessing games myself.
So, what are you looking for, Mr. Rainier?
Are you looking for someone to just warm your nights?
Play Yahtzee during snowstorms? Or are you looking for something serious? ”
“I’m not looking for marriage,” he replied just as candidly.
“I’ve already been down that aisle, and I have a wonderful son as proof of that historical jaunt.
As for someone to just warm my bed, that’s available on a lot of street corners if you know where to look. As for Yahtzee, I can hold my own.”
“So, does that mean that you’re looking for something serious?”
He gave me a pointed look, and it was easy to see that he was becoming frustrated with the conversation. “It means that I want to take you to dinner, get to know you better, and if you’re game, then take you out again.”
Eyeing him, I asked, “And what if I just want sex?”
“Don’t do that to me,” he replied seriously. “That’s an unfair question, and you know it. If I say okay, then I’ll be reduced to nothing but a jackass that just wants to get his dick wet. If I say no, then I’ll be nothing but a liar.”
Given the fact that I was attracted to the guy, and that Ben was the last man that I’d had sex with, my hormones were wanting to reward Hayes for being so honest. However, we still had one glaring obstacle standing between us.
“How do I know that this isn’t some...some ploy to convince me to sell my club?” I asked. “How do I know that you’re not just trying to-”
“Yeah, okay,” he said, interrupting me as he stood from the chair. “I think we’re done here.”
Okay, not good.
With those blue eyes of his blazing with clear indignation, he said, “I get that you don’t know me, and that the way we met is legitimate enough for you to think that, honestly.
However, I’m not a fucking asshole, Chamber.
I’m also not unconscionable. I’d never lead a woman on just to steal her life’s work out from under her.
I mean, who does that kind of fucked-up shit? ”
I stood up. “Hayes-”
“No, I don’t want to hear it,” he practically spat. “And whatever I’ve done to make you think that I’m the kind of person who would do that, I apologize.”
Hayes turned to leave, but I knew that I couldn’t let him go like this. I didn’t think that he was that kind of man, but the question had still needed to be asked. While I felt bad for offending him, I wasn’t going to apologize for trying to protect myself and all that I had built.
Nonetheless, racing around my desk, I made it to the door before he could open it to storm out. Now, I wasn’t going to hold him hostage or anything like that, but I wasn’t going to let him leave without making it clear that I hadn’t been trying to offend him.
“Hayes, wait,” I said as I placed my hands on his chest. “Just...wait, please.”
“Wait for what?” he bit out. “For you to insult me some more?”
“No,” I quickly rushed out. “For me to explain.”
“I’m listening,” he replied rather rudely, but I could hardly blame him.
Looking into those storming blue eyes of his, I said, “You’re the first man that I’ve found myself attracted to since my divorce. So, I’m just trying to make sure that I can get through this unscathed.”
His face immediately softened. “You’re scared.”
“Hell yeah, I’m scared,” I huffed seriously.
“Good,” he replied, and wasn’t that a bitch.