Take Three (The Jilted Bride #2)(26)

No man should be allowed to be that attractive…It’s not even fair…

“Um, I should probably attend to the other customers.”

“What other customers?”

I looked over my shoulder: No one else was there. No one else had been there all day…

“Okay, but only for two minutes.”

“That’s fine,” he took a sip of his coffee. “If you don’t mind me saying, you look a lot better in person than you do on TV.”

“So you have seen some of my work before?”

“A couple of episodes. My intern—I mean, my internet. I saw a couple of them on the internet the other day after I looked up ‘all the magazine covers’…What are you doing Saturday night?”

“Straight to the point, are we?” I tried not to smile.

“I’m not good at small talk.”

“Well, I’ll be working all day.”

“Would you like to go out with me whenever you get off?” his eyes brightened. “Dinner?”

YES! Wait…no….Could I date a normal guy? A non-celebrity? Perhaps… A guy from Fayetteville? I don’t think so…

“I can’t.”

“Are you seeing someone? I’m sorry I didn’t ask that first.”

“No, it’s not that, it’s—”

“Then I insist.”

My heart fluttered at the way he said “insist” and I almost said “Pick me up at nine,” but I came to my senses in seconds.

“Look, you’re really attractive—really really attractive,” I could feel my cheeks reddening, “and you seem like a nice guy but...I don’t think you’re my type.”

“Oh really? What’s your type?”

Someone who can afford me…

“Someone…with a high profile career…”

He burst into laughter. “You mean someone with money? I never knew Selena Ross was a gold-digger.”

“Apparently you didn’t know who I was at all,” I rolled my eyes. “Anyway, that’s not exactly what I meant. I meant…Yes, someone who can afford me. He doesn’t have to be rich or over the top wealthy…just established.”

He took another sip of his coffee and smirked. “What makes you think I’m not established?”

I didn’t answer. I just stared.

“Great answer. Are you implying that I would have to pay you to go on a date with me?”

I sighed. “I’m saying that even if you could afford to take me out, you would probably—”

“How much?”

“What?”

“If I was at a charity function and a night with you was up for bid, how much do you think it would go for?”

More than you’ve seen in your entire life…

I crossed my arms. “You know what? I’m going to pretend that this charity event has a low minimum for entry. So, the bidding for a date with me would probably start at a hundred thousand dollars.”

His eyes widened and he shook his head.

“That’s exactly what I mean,” I stood up and adjusted my apron. “See?”

“See what?” he pulled a checkbook from his breast pocket and wrote for a few seconds. He stood up and strolled over to me.

He tilted my chin with his fingertips and stared directly into my eyes.

“I’m not opposed to a cheap date every now and then Miss Ross,” he whispered as he pressed the check into my hand. “I’ll pick you up from here at closing. See you Saturday.”

What type of regular guy writes out a hundred thousand dollar check without breaking a sweat? What does he do for a living?

I must have looked at that check a million times. The sexy stranger guy actually had a name: “Ethan Reynolds.”

No one in my family had ever heard of him or seen him around, so they assumed he was another Wall Street guy who was here on vacation. They’d seen plenty of those types admiring our town’s lakes and grassy golf courses from time to time.

For days, I incessantly dreamt of me and him having an amazing night out on the town. I floated through my shifts at Sweet Seasons, envisioning the two of us laughing as we strolled through the downtown streets, kissing passionately at the end of the evening, having nonstop sex in my hotel suite. But on Friday, the day before our date, something in me snapped.

I didn’t want to date anyone else yet, no matter how sexy and charming he seemed. With the exception of Matt Sterling, all my recent experiences with men ended terribly.

Bradley Cooper, my former co-star, dumped me at the movies. At the movies!

We’d only been hanging out a few weeks when he said he wanted to take our relationship to the next level. He took me to the set of his newest film—introducing me to everyone as “someone special,” flew me to an amazing restaurant at a Floridian resort, and held me close on the private flight back to New York.

We spent the night in his apartment that evening—our first time having sex together, and the next day he said he wanted to take me on a simple date to the movies. He said he wanted to treat me to his own private box on the balcony level.

Right before the film started, he left to get us some popcorn.

Thirty minutes later, I wondered why he still hadn’t returned, but I figured he was busy signing autographs for fans who might’ve spotted him at the concession stand. Yet, as soon as the previews began to roll, I received a text from him: “Yeah…Sorry I couldn’t do this in person, but I don’t think me and you are going to work out…Good luck with your career :-) Tell me how the movie was later, okay?”