Not well done of him, he thought and groaned. Time to focus on the gathering around him and his workers. He clapped his hands. “Okay, everyone, eat cake, be merry, and head home for the day. My way of showing my appreciation for the party.”
That pronouncement earned him a round of applause. Even if it was already four p.m. on a Friday, leaving early was leaving early, and cutting his employees some slack was good for morale.
He waited until he’d spoken to and thanked everyone, and made certain he was the last to leave the office before heading out, locking up behind him.
Then Austin, Bri, and Marcus met up for a steak dinner. Afterwards they settled in at Allstars for a drink and well-deserved relaxation. The dark oak walls of the bar, the low sconce lighting, and the comfortable club chairs settled him.
“Hello, Austin, long time no see.” Marnie, a cocktail waitress at the bar, sidled up close to him.
“Hi, yourself. How are you?” he asked.
She batted her lashes. “How do I look?” she asked flirtatiously.
He chuckled at the way she deliberately was fishing for compliments. They had history, he and Marnie, as in he’d fallen into bed with her once before.
With her auburn hair that hung long and wavy around her shoulders and a killer body, she was easy on the eyes. She didn’t do it for him like a certain green-eyed assistant, but she was off-limits. Marnie wasn’t.
He dragged his gaze up her long legs in black pants up to her silk camisole, also black. Her breasts were perky and her smile welcoming. “You look pretty damn fine from where I’m sitting,” he said.
Marnie grinned, gripping her round cocktail tray in her hands. “So what can I get for you?” she asked in a husky voice.
“The usual.” Actually it was his old usual as he didn’t drink often since his kidney donation. But a Don Julio would sit well right now.
“And maybe a little something later? My shift ends early tonight,” she offered, leaning down so he could see her lush cleavage.
Austin grinned because he’d just found his willing woman to take home for the night.
* * *
Quinnlyn Stone walked into Allstars with her brother, Matt, by her side. Although she’d wanted nothing more than to go home after work, he’d insisted they needed to meet and talk in person. Worried about him because she was the oldest of four siblings and it had always been her job to watch out for the others, she’d agreed but insisted on going someplace quiet. After the party at the office and being around people for an hour in a small room, she wanted some peace.
These days, crowds and loud noises made her a little anxious. She likened it to a mild form of PTSD, similar to her cousin who had been an extremely colicky baby. Even a decade later, she couldn’t listen to an infant crying without being transported back to the intense feelings of failure and frustration of those days.
Allstars was on the top level of an exclusive hotel, but she waited in the lobby for her brother because it was hot and humid in Miami in August. She hadn’t seen her brother in a while because he’d missed last month’s Sunday dinner at her parents’ house.
When he walked in, she grinned. “Matty!” She ran up and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight before releasing him and taking him in. His jet-black hair was combed, his glasses with black frames sat on his face, and his sport jacket was perfectly pressed. “Look at my baby brother in his college professor attire.”
He chuckled but rolled his eyes. “You’re twenty-eight. I’m two years younger than you. Jeffrey’s the baby.”
At twenty-one, yes, he was. But so was Matt. “As long as you’re younger, you’re the baby, so humor me.”
“I am humoring you. I’m letting you bring me to a place where jocks hang out, aren’t I?”
She wrinkled her nose. “That’s a snobby, elitist thing to say. Now, come. Let’s go have a drink and you can tell me why you wanted to see me.” She clasped his hand, led him to the elevator, and hit the button for the top floor.
They walked out, and as they waited for the hostess to lead them to a table, she heard a familiar laugh that sent tingles down her spine and a jolt of pure awareness through her veins. After hearing his voice all day, she should be immune to such a typical feminine reaction. Quinn always knew when Austin Prescott was nearby.
“Your table is ready,” an attractive waitress with blonde highlights in her hair said.
“Thank you.” They started for the table when Quinn heard her name. “We’ll be right there,” she said to the other woman.
“Matt, come say hello to Austin.”
“The jock boss,” he said low enough that only she could hear.