“I did, yes. Those are coming in next week along with the stool version of those chairs.” He motions toward the chairs stacked next to the tables. I run my hand along the bar top, a heavy mahogany wood that is smooth and shiny, sexy. It’s the only rustic touch in the space; the base of the bar is a frosted glass with lights that appear to be embedded in its panes. The barstools look like they’re made of thin metal rods, giving them a sleek, modern appearance. The whole back wall of the bar area is mirrored, causing the space to look bigger. The shelves, which will be made from the same frosted glass as the base of the bar, have yet to be installed.
I see Serena heading toward me. Oh, Serena, with the glossy brown hair that flows down to her waist and those long, lean, toned legs that she’s flashed at me enough times in her efforts to entice me. Her eyes never wavering from mine, she saunters over to me like a huntress tracking her kill.
I smile as I take in the red suit that pours over her curves like it was made just for her. With the money she has, it probably was.
Serena is one of the backers of this venture. It’s one of her ‘side jobs’ as she calls them. She made the bulk of her money from the style app she created.
“Austin,” she sings in her Southern accent. “I didn’t know when I got here that my day was about to get a million times better with a visit from you.” She walks right up to me, hugging me close as she tilts her head and kisses the underside of my jaw.
I move away from her and her blood red-stained lips. “Serena, I didn’t know you would be here,” I say over her head and mostly to Denis.
As hot and gorgeous as Serena is, my dick knows that if I go there with her, she’d do whatever she could to sink those bright-red talons into me. Plus, she sucked off Noah and swallowed. So, yeah, I know it’s crazy, but my mouth is never getting near hers. Ever. For those reasons, I haven’t taken even a little sip of what she’s constantly offering.
I disentangle myself from her clutches and look around. “This is going to be a huge success, I can feel it,” Serena states as she continues to eye me up and down with blatant carnal interest.
“I think so, too. Denis, you said you had something to discuss with me, something in the kitchen?” I look at him pointedly, seeing a look of surprise before he finally gets it.
“Right, right.” He nods. “I think the plumber said something about…” He stops talking once we get inside the kitchen and the door slides closed behind me.
“Fuck me, she’s like a vulture.” I try to shake her touch off of me.
“Opening night will be interesting.” Denis knows she’ll probably plaster herself to my side and never let go.
I shake my head, not wanting to even think about it. “What else do we need before the final touches come together?” I ask him as my phone beeps in my pocket. I take it out, looking at the screen and seeing a text from Lauren.
Car will be out of impound as soon as you head down there and fill out a form. Sorry, I can’t do it, because the car is in your name.
I shake my head.
You have to drive me there. This is your fault after all.
She answers in a matter of seconds.
Great, I can’t wait. Good news, I can sing along to the song!
Fuck me, that goddamn song starts up in my head again.
Forget it. I’ll ask Noah.
I text Noah next, asking him to pick me up at my office in an hour. Looking at my watch, I notice that I have to get back or I’ll have to drive the car to Lauren’s house.
“Okay, so when are we doing the photos?” I ask Denis as we walk back out of the kitchen. I scan the area and see that Serena has either left the building or is hiding somewhere, probably ready to pounce.
“I have to talk to Jake at the PR firm, but I’m thinking the night of the opening before everyone comes in would be best.” Denis replies while taking his own phone out to take some notes.
“Perfect.” I say good-bye and head back out into the hot sun. My good mood is short-lived when I see what is sitting there, awaiting me, in front of the restaurant. What I begin thinking of as the vessel to hell, aka Lauren’s minivan, waits to transport me back to the office on a ride filled with the song that will surely haunt my nightmares for a long time to come. Fuck my life.