Wanting Mr. Cane (Cane 1)

While Cane mingled and chatted, I sat with Dad on the front row, right in front of the window. We watched the game together for the most part. Dad made bets with me, and told me who was the best and who needed work.

“Watch him,” Dad said. “The batter. They have to keep a close eye on him. He has a strong arm on him, and he’s as fast as lightning, I swear. He’s had three home runs already, and the season just started three weeks ago. Isn’t that crazy?”

“Three already? Holy crap.”

“Right.” Dad sipped his beer, leaning forward as he watched the batter wiggling his hips and adjusting his stance.

My eyes wandered to the left, where Cane was standing at the bar, ordering drinks for a couple. The woman was mindlessly chatting. I think she was nervous. She was probably an employee. Her face turned beet red when Cane placed a hand on her shoulder and said something. She gave a simple nod, and I saw him mouth the words, “It’s okay. Really.” He said something else and then he excused himself.

When he did, his eyes locked right on mine.

His smile came naturally, and my pulse quickened as he crossed the room to get to me. “You guys having fun?” he asked, sipping the amber liquor in his glass.

“Hell yeah, man,” Dad answered, not even looking at Cane.

I snickered. “He’s really into this game.”

Cane laughed. “I see that. Glad you’re enjoying yourself, D.”

Dad didn’t respond, and Cane and I fought grins. I expected Cane to turn and make conversation with more of his employees, but instead, he sat down in the seat right beside me, placing his drink in the cup holder. His arm brushed mine as he ran his palm over the thigh of his slacks. A hard breath poured out of him, and I kept my gaze ahead, unable to deny my body’s reaction.

My spine straightened, and my heart was beating even faster. My neck and hands felt hot all of a sudden, so I picked up my Mountain Dew and took a big gulp.

“I love my employees and my job,” Cane started, “but if I don’t sit down, they’ll talk my head off all night.”

At that, I looked at him and smiled. “Two hours of talking is good enough, I think.”

“Should be.” He sipped from his glass while looking ahead, not really watching the game, more like staring off in the distance and thinking about something else entirely. “I’ll never admit this to them because I don’t need anyone around here taking a position with my company for granted, but it’s nice to hear how much Tempt has helped their families, and has even allowed some of them to achieve their goals. A few of them are interns, and since they’re working for free, the least we could do is give them a ticket for the game.” He looked to his left and pointed at one of the boys sitting at a table with a can of soda. He was talking to a really pretty blonde-haired girl. “He’s with the graphics department. From what my assistant tells me, he loves it. The girl sitting with him is with our modeling agency. She’s grateful for her position. Being a Tempt model has apparently gotten her a big following on Instagram. ”

My brows dipped. “Modeling agency?”

“Oh, yeah. I have a modeling agency for our adult line. Things you shouldn’t be worrying yourself about right now.” He fought a smile, picking up his glass and swirling the ice.

“Damn right you don’t need to be worried about it,” Dad said, pushing to a stand. “Going for a beer. You guys want anything?”

“I’ll take another Mountain Dew,” I told him.

Cane simply shook his head and pointed to his glass. Dad took off, and I waited until he was out of earshot before asking, “You mean the adult line for the lingerie and edible body oils?”

His eyebrows shot up, nearly touching his forehead. “How’d you know about that?”

I stared at him. “There’s this thing called the Internet. I wanted to know more about the chocolates. Then I saw the lingerie tab. It’s cool, honestly. It all fits into the same thing—wine, chocolate, and lingerie. I’m eighteen, Cane. I’ve shopped for lingerie before.”

He seemed uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading, shifting in his chair and loosening his tie with his free hand. “You’ve shopped for lingerie. For what?”

I shrugged. “It makes me feel pretty, I guess.”

“I see.”

We were quiet a beat. Damn it, I’d made it awkward.

“How are the models chosen?” I asked. He was clearly uncomfortable, and as badly as I wanted him to picture me in some of his lingerie, I wanted him to stay here beside me just as much.

He relaxed, only a little, shoulders dropping. “We do auditions by doing photo shoots. The person auditioning has to be at least twenty-one because in some of the shoots, the women are using other Tempt products, like the wine, depending on the set.”