The Billionaire Next Door (Billionaire Bad Boys #2)(24)

It wasn’t hard to see why. Gold carpeting and wide chandeliers, cozy leather furniture in nooks, and a sprawling area in the middle made for an inviting third space. There were plenty of small tables interspersed with seating where one could rest a drink and coaster from the in-house bar.

She’d never been in a place this ritzy before and wondered how she’d acclimate to non-luxury living when she was done with her dog-sitting gig.

“Dimples.”

She stopped in her tracks on the way to the elevators. The deep, sexy voice had come from her right. Tag was sitting on an armchair, papers spread over a low table in front of him, in a nook with another matching armchair and a couch. He was the only one in the tiny area and took up most of it.

But then he took up space wherever he was—even when he was in his massive top floor penthouse threatening her personal space.

Touch me.

“Hi.” She sidled over to him, hands in her coat pockets so he couldn’t see the slight shake that worked through her as she remembered touching him. “What are you doing down here?” Then her smile fell as she put two and two together. “Oh, no. Not Adonis. Is he…?”

“He’s fine.” Tag was quick to shake his head. “I needed a change of scenery. I’m not really an office kind of guy.”

“Do you have an actual office?” she asked, unable to picture him behind a desk.

“A big one.” He gestured to the chair next to him. “Join me. I’ll buy you a drink.”

“I should…” She pointed upstairs. “The dog.”

“Fair enough.” He turned back to his spread of papers and a little ping of regret zapped her when he didn’t argue. Where he was concerned, she couldn’t decide what she wanted. Did she want him to leave her alone or pursue her? Ignore her completely, or continue offering her drinks and flirting?

The ride up to Oliver’s apartment didn’t deliver an answer.

She made quick work of changing, tugging her hair from a for-work bun. She slipped into a pair of black yoga pants and a thick fleece, and pulled her coat on. By then, Adonis was dancing by the door, ready for his after-hours jaunt around the block.

Because she was a lost cause, she brushed her teeth and touched up her lip gloss before heading downstairs. When she strolled by, Adonis ahead of her, she casually turned to smile at Tag only to find he was no longer sitting there. But then had she expected him to wait when she’d turned him down?

The next day, she recounted the story to Bree in between flinging drinks to eager customers. Bree’s fiancé, Dean, was at the bar to visit, nursing his beer as he listened with half an ear.

“So you like him,” Bree said.

“I don’t know.” Rachel was exasperated by him. Conflicted by the idea that he should be the last person on earth to draw her interest, yet he snagged it without trying. But did she like him? Not like Bree meant.

Again the thought, Too much, flitted through her brain. Even in the lobby, casually leaning over a wide coffee table, he was too much for her to handle. She’d grown nervous thinking about walking past him with the dog.

Oh, no. Maybe she did like him.

Another hour passed, Dean now lounged back on his barstool, yelling at a basketball game on the television overhead. Rachel, her back to the room, counted the tips so Bree could get out of here. She was first cut tonight, but Rachel was in it for the long haul, which was fine, because she had plenty of bar-back and a burning desire to make a lot of money. Apartment deposits didn’t pay themselves.

“Rach,” Bree said.

“Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen.” Rachel finished counting the ones aloud, then added them to the stack of two hundred dollars and handed it to Bree. “There you go. Pleasure doing business with you.”

Bree’s wide-eyed, barely contained excitement stopped her cold.

“What?”

“You have company.” Bree stuffed the cash into her pocket and waggled her eyebrows.

Rachel turned to find Tag leaning between a few empty seats on the bar, his eyes serious. She took in his expression and her heart hit her stomach. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Adonis has been barking for going on an hour. Thought I’d borrow your key and take him out. You close tonight, right?” His eyes flitted to Bree. “I’m assuming since you split your tips.” A friendly smile for her coworker, then his eyes were back on her.

“Yeah, I’m here until close,” Rachel answered.

“Key.” He held out a hand.

“Tag, you don’t have to—”

“Adonis is one unhappy pup, Dimples. I’ll take him out, walk him around. The exercise will be good for both of us.”

“Miss?” a guy at the far end called to her.

“Be right there,” she called back. With little time to debate and no other option, she pulled her keys out of her pocket, twisted Oliver’s house key off the ring, and pressed it into Tag’s hand. “Thank you.”

“No worries.” With a wink, he turned and was gone.

Rachel tended to the man at the edge of the bar, cashed out a couple next to him, and served refills to seats two and three. By the time she was heading to the other end, she was surprised to see Dean and Bree staring at her.

“I thought you two had plans. Were you hanging out?” Rachel asked. “Need something to drink?”