The VIP Room(138)

I felt a slight wave of embarrassment pass through me, but I quickly dismissed it, instead moving around to the opposite side of the table and pulling the chair out. I then gestured for Andrea to have a seat and gawked helplessly as she approached. “After you,’ I managed, offering her a smile.

Andrea returned my smile, a slight sparkle igniting behind her eyes, and stepped toward the chair, turning and taking a seat. I gripped the chair and slid her up to the table, doing my best to not stare down the top of her dress and into the valley between her luscious breasts. It was all I could do to walk away and return to my seat, a slight bulge beginning to tighten against my pants. Thankfully, the dim lighting hid my forming erection.

“You look incredible,” I said as I sat down, my eyes still tracing every curve and detail of Andrea’s body. There was no doubt that my bear wanted her, wanted to take her and claim her right there and then. More importantly, I found that I wanted her just as badly as the bear. Fortunately, though, I’m a bit more civilized.

Andrea glanced at the table, raising a menu to hide the early onset of a blush. She obviously hadn’t expected me to be so forward, but I didn’t dare back down now.

“Honestly,” I said. “You look stunning.”

“Thank you, Chase,” she murmured from behind the menu. “You look quite handsome yourself.”

I scoffed at that and waved a hand dismissively. If anything, I looked like a mess. I’d returned to the cabin after leaving the hospital, but had spent the majority of the time dodging phone calls from Sarah and cleaning out boxes of old junk that my parents had left behind. I’d managed to throw on a clean pair of clothes - some dark jeans and a black button-down shirt that I’d rolled the sleeves up to my forearms on - but my hair was a complete mess, and I knew that I smelled of dirt and sweat. To be honest, I hadn’t expected Andrea to show up dressed like that.

The waitress showed up then and took our order. The restaurant had a an old, southern style menu, and I was more than willing to try something new. Andrea recommended the battered barbecue brisket, and I took her up on the suggestion.

“So,” I said after the waitress had left, “How does it feel to be alive?”

Andrea snorted, catching me off guard, and reigniting the flushed appearance in her face. This time, she didn’t have a menu to hide behind, and I couldn’t help but smile at the change in her complexion. Even embarrassed, she looked absolutely ravishing, and it seemed like every twitch and move she made had my bear ready to spring into action.

“Gracious,” Andrea said finally. “I still can’t find the words to thank you enough. I don’t know how or why, but I am completely in your debt.”

“Well,” I said with a wink, “I think the extent of your debt depends on the quality of the brisket.”

“Oh. In that case, you’ll be owing me by the end of the meal.” Andrea shot back with a smile.

I honest to God liked this woman. Not only was she unbelievably sexy, but she was quick-witted and smart. Not only that, but if her previous endeavors in the mountains were any indication, she had a bit of a wild and adventurous side to her. That, in and of itself, had my bear absolutely groveling for her affection.

“So,” Andrea said, mocking my tone from earlier. “What’s a guy like you doing in a dump like this?”

Ah. There it was. I’d wondered how long it would take before she brought that up.

“Family stuff,” I said. “My parents had a cabin out on the Parkway. Due to work, I’d never been able to find the time to get down here and clear the place out.”

Andrea arched an eyebrow at me, and the look in her eye told me that she wasn’t buying the half-truth.

I growled inwardly at myself then. This woman was, as best as I could tell, absolutely perfect. It wouldn’t serve her justice to lie to her face. And besides, what harm could the truth do?

“Well, there’s that,” I continued. “And the fact that my company is falling apart and I needed some time to decompress and clear my head.”

“Oh,” Andrea started. She hadn’t expected that. “I didn’t know. Is everything going to be okay?”

I shook my head and shrugged. “Not unless I can figure out a way to stop Hammer Industries from digesting itself. Too many moving parts, not enough brains to run them.” I thought back to the encounter with Collin at the board meeting, and felt my bear beginning to seethe beneath the surface.

“My parents seem to think you’re Frankenstein’s monster,” Andrea said, changing the subject.

I cocked my head to one side and stared at her for a moment to see if she was joking. She wasn’t.

“Depends on who you ask.”

The waitress arrived then, stilling the conversation for a moment as she sat our plates down on the table. The aroma from the brisket had my mouth watering almost instantly, and I quickly dug into my meal. We ate in silence, each of us savoring the deliciousness of the meal. I had almost finished my plate when my phone chirped obnoxiously in my pocket.

“Excuse me,” I said, rising from the table and pulling the phone from my pocket. Sarah’s name lit up on the screen along with a notification of thirteen other missed calls from her. Sarah was intelligent and a great secretary. She knew, more than anyone, that when I needed alone time, I needed alone time. The fact that she’d been calling me so persistently meant something was wrong, and alarm bells started screaming in my head. “I have to take this,” I told Andrea apologetically, and she gestured for me to go.