“Hell yes,” I said, sidling up to an empty seat at the bar. I reached out over the slab of oak, putting my hand toward Perry.
He looked at me like a deer in the headlights, as if while drinking, he had forgotten he was in a crowded bar.
“Starting the fun early tonight, Chef. I like it,” I said. “Pass it over?”
“You don’t want straight tequila like this, do you?” he said. “I can ask Sam or Red to make you a proper margarita.”
“No. It’s a straight liquor kind of night for me, too,” I said.
He looked down at the bottle as if he knew he was being a bad influence on me.
“Go easy with this stuff,” he said as he finally passed the bottle across the surface toward me. He reached for a clean shot glass and placed it on the bar.
“I will take a lime wedge, if you’ve got one,” I said, pouring myself a shot full to the brim. A little bit of tequila spilled out over the side, and I sucked it off of my thumb.
The minute I asked for it, Perry was off like a rocket. I watched him hastily reach behind the bar and clatter things around. He produced a small plate poured with flaky salt and a fresh lime wedge. He glanced up at me with ice blue eyes, his gaze trailing lower to my biceps before he quickly looked back down the bar.
I saw his cheeks flush a little red.
Fuck.
He’d definitely just checked me out.
I couldn’t stop a smile from spreading over my face. He must have noticed, because in another split second, the blush deepened.
And then something very, very strange happened.
I felt blood rushing to my cock beneath my jeans. Before I knew it, I was hard, and suddenly thankful for the fact that it was hidden by the bartop.
That had never happened before. I must have been hornier than I even realized, because something about blushing, silver-haired Hugh Jackman was making me lose my goddamn cool.
“You’re having second thoughts, aren’t you?” he asked, his blue eyes trained on me, making my erection even worse. How the hell was he reading my mind?
“Second thoughts?”
“You want a real drink,” he said. “Let me make you one.”
“No, no,” I said, finally snapping out of my trance, adjusting on the barstool so that my traitorous cock might be a little less cramped under my jeans. “I definitely want the straight shot.”
He nodded at me once and I was relieved when he turned around, giving me a minute to regain some sense of composure. But even when he was facing away from me, I found my eyes lingering on his body. The way he reached up to the top shelves, replacing a few liquor bottles, was just as appealing as his blush had been.
I certainly was no stranger to admiring other men’s bodies, and he had a fantastic one. He looked like a guy I might see in the gym, maybe ask about his workout regimen for advice. But my dick was still uncomfortably mashed up against my pants. When Perry went into the kitchen and came back out with a few people’s orders, I watched him move around the bar, sliding food in front of customers.
It seemed like he was awkward about everything but his job. As soon as he had a task to do, he did it gracefully and quickly, like an expert working in his element.
I was in a daze as I watched him move around behind the bar, still fixated on the way his muscles filled out his shirt. When he returned, suddenly putting a glass of some ice-cold drink in front of me, it was like I snapped out of a trance.
His eyes were on me again, making me feel very seen.
“Here. Maybe this will be better.”
He reached for the tequila bottle and empty shot glass in front of me, poured a shot, and then took it himself.
I cleared my throat, picking up the glass he’d put in front of me. “Sorry, Chef,” I said. “What is this?”
“That is your margarita,” he said, “because you’re clearly not going to take the shot.”
“Hey,” I protested. “I totally was going to.”
“Right.”
I adjusted my baseball cap on top of my head. I always adjusted it too much when I was nervous, but I wasn’t nervous very often.
My cock stirred in my pants again, but this time, it made me feel bold, rather than strange. What the hell did I have to lose? I wanted to flirt tonight, anyway. So what if it was with Perry instead of a woman? It was just harmless fun.
“Is this how you pick up all the guys?” I said, a smile spreading over my face.
Jackpot. The slight blush appeared on his face, and it was like the tables had turned. Silver fox wasn’t so steely anymore.