Avoiding Decisions (Avoiding #1.5)(12)
Her shocked face was enough to make him smile as she stormed out of his hotel room and slammed the door to his suite. He finished his drink, and then stood and phoned downstairs for a town car.
CHAPTER 2
PIE
Ramsey had a friend from Atlanta working at a club nearby, and it seemed like the ideal place for the interview that he was doing for his father’s company, Bridges Enterprise. Ever since he had acquired his own clubs, he had become a complete and total night owl and frequently grew anxious as daylight dragged on. He loved his job working and managing the nightclubs and strip clubs that he had forced into prominence in the Atlanta nightlife.
Primarily, he had decided to come to New York because his long time friend, Matt Hammond, was in the city from Las Vegas for the weekend. He hadn’t seen him in about six months and Ramsey found it easier to fly to New York than to visit him in Vegas regularly.
Then he had got suckered into helping Bekah out. How did she always manage to do that?
The lobby was bustling as patrons filtered in and out of the massive extravagant hotel. Ignoring the crowd, Ramsey passed through the mass. He caught the eye of an attractive brunette talking to the bellhop and smiled like she was going to be dessert. She noticed him, looking him up and down appreciatively, and smiled back. Yep, Armani had been a good choice.
The drive to the club wasn’t that bad. He had wanted to be there early for the interview anyway so that he could meet up with his friend, Lacy. He hadn’t seen her in a couple months, and the woman knew how to pour drinks. He had been sad to see her leave Atlanta, but bartenders came and went.
A line had already formed in front of the club, which was a good sign for Ramsey. His name was already on the list as well as the guy that he was supposed to be meeting to interview. He approached the bouncer confidently, ignoring the long line of annoyed people staring him down.
“Ramsey Bridges,” he offered. The guy ran his hand down a list, checked his name off, and then let him inside. The Bridges name held weight everywhere that he went.
His eyes easily adjusted to the flashes of light ricocheting off of the mirrored walls. The club was intricate and he took note of some easy adjustments he could make in his own place. He assessed the room with an eye for detail, paying little attention to the crowd or the noise. He was used to both.
The winding set of stairs dropped him off at the VIP section. He told the bouncer his name again. He was really getting tired of this. New York didn’t belong to him the same way that Atlanta did. It was a mild irritation, but an irritation nonetheless. After clearing him, the bouncer pulled back the rope and allowed him into the exclusive upstairs bar.
He hated being impressed, but this place was high end. The next one he purchased would have this flare. It managed sleek, modern, and classy without going over the top in any of them. Bottle service was provided at client’s requests, but a full-length bar was still accessible on the far wall.
That’s where he saw her.
A charming smile broke out on his face, and he crossed the room. He leaned forward against the bar and snapped his fingers twice in the most annoying manner. “How do I get good service around here?”
“Sir, I give good service to anyone who doesn’t snap at me,” the woman responded cattily never turning around as he snapped again.
He tried to keep the smirk from his face. She had always been a petite girl with straight hair down to her shoulders. He nearly angled his head to appreciate the tiny ass hidden behind her too short shorts.
“If you snap at me one more time,” she said turning around angrily. Her mouth dropped open. “Holy shit!”
“Hey Lace,” he said letting that easy smirk fall on his lips.
“Ramsey f**king Bridges! You didn’t tell me you were going to be here!” Lacy said, leaning forward on the bar and ignoring her clients. Her purchased br**sts fell forward out of the black corset top she was wearing as she smiled up at him.
“I like surprises,” he said with a shrug.
“I like your kind of surprises.” She immediately grabbed a bottle off of the back wall and started pouring into two shot glasses. Pushing one across the bar, she raised it for him to toast.
“Can you drink on the clock?” he asked condescendingly.
“Nope,” she said clicking her glass against his and downing it in one clean sweep.
He followed suit appreciating the top shelf tequila. He set the glass back down and smiled at Lacy. “When do you get off?”
“Is that a trick question, Mr. Bridges?” she asked, waving her hand in the air. He shrugged. He would let her come to her own conclusions. “Oh fine. Probably four. If I’d known you were going to be here, I could have been done earlier.”
“Four works for me. I have some work to do anyway,” he told her. Lacy handed him another drink, remembering his preferences like a pro. “You know a good pie place around here?”
“Sure. Pie at four in the morning? Only in New York,” she said, rolling her eyes and moving on to help her other needy customers.
Ramsey checked his watch. Perfect timing. His interview should be here any minute. He pulled up the guy’s resume on his cell phone and scrolled through it absentmindedly. Pretty impressive until the company he had been working for had gone under, and he was originally from Georgia. That was always a positive in hiring new people from out of state. Hopefully this guy had some people skills; Ramsey was easily bored.