As it was, he was more interested in watching Betty interact with these people who lived in her hometown. The hometown she claimed to hate.
“Do you want to know a secret, Deirdre?” Betty asked, her voice coated in enough sugar to make a sane person gag.
Deirdre lifted her chin, her eyes narrowed in dislike. It was obvious she didn’t care much for Betty Jo, but then, Betty Jo didn’t make it easy for anyone to like her.
“If going to hell meant that I wouldn’t spend eternity running into stuck up bitches with asses wound so tight they could pop the top off this here beer bottle, I’d be cool with that.”
Jackie glared at Betty, before turning to Beau with an embarrassed smile. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Simon. Betty Jo is just…”
He nodded. “I’m well acquainted with the Betty Jo factor.” He smiled and watched her blush. “And call me Beau. Please.”
Jackie nodded before turning to Betty. “I’m sure Duke needs you in the kitchen or, I don’t know…maybe serving customers? You’re not here to look pretty and cause trouble.”
“You sure about that?” Betty said sarcastically.
Betty licked her lips and leaned on the bar, the deep V of her halter-top leaving not a lot covered up. Her butt stuck out at an angle that had him thinking things he probably shouldn’t be thinking and for some reason, her blatant display of sexuality bugged him.
“Actually, Jackie, Beau and I were just leaving.”
Beau arched an eyebrow.
“Really.”
She nodded, tossed her rag onto the countertop and reached under the bar to grab her purse.
“Yes, really.”
She ducked underneath the end—giving him another very nice view of her ass—and looked at him expectantly.
“Are you coming?”
Beau finished his beer, tossed a five-dollar bill on the counter and nodded to the ladies. “It was nice talking. Glad End Zone, worked for you.”
“Are you making another one?” Deirdre asked, her boobs still way too close for comfort.
He thought of his current project and the direction he wanted to go and shrugged. “Only time will tell Ladies.”
With another smile he was out the door, following Betty’s steps until she stopped in the middle of the parking lot. He thought he heard her mutter something like, ‘what the hell am I doing,’ before she whirled around to face him.
For a few seconds, they stared at each other, the air crackling between them, heavy with a whole bunch of stuff he wasn’t interested in. Stuff he knew he couldn’t act on. Hell, it wouldn’t be professional and since they didn’t like each other all that much…what was the point?
She bit her bottom lip, tucked some hair behind her ear and he glimpsed the soft skin beneath her lobe. For a moment he was hit with an unbelievable wave of lust as his mind went to a place it shouldn’t go.
An image of his mouth nibbling along her neck. Her body bowed to his, breasts crushed to his chest, hips beneath him. Her lips open and wet. Vulnerable. Passionate.
Those noises she made. Animalistic. Frenzied.
Painful.
Jesus. Beau gave himself a mental shake and shoved his hands in
to the front pockets of his jeans. He needed to stay focused.
“Betty, I—“
“Beau…”
They both started at the same time and Beau shrugged. “Ladies first.”