Love Discovered in New York (The Washington Triplets) (3 page)

I kept my eyes focused on Nicks’ office door until I got closer to Colton’s table. When I was only ten feet away, I glanced to my left. My nipples hardened as his eyes slowly and unapologetically roamed over my body. I bit my lip to keep from smiling and looked away from him. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I felt his eyes on my ass the entire rest of the walk to the office.

“Hey, Stephen wants you,” I announced as I pushed the office door open all the way. “I think something’s wrong.”

Nicks rushed out the door and ran over to Stephen. I took my time heading back to the bar because I couldn’t get enough of Colton’s watchful gaze. When I neared his table, two of the four men were gone and I heard a voice that wasn’t Colton’s.

Slowing to a stop beside their table, I answered coolly, “Yes?”

“My name is Vinnie,” the guy offered drunkenly. “And it’s my birthday.”

I gave a short laugh. I wasn’t sure if he was serious or not, but the drunken expression on his face amused me.

Leaning down a little closer to him so he could hear me, I tucked my hair behind my ear. “Well it looks like you and your boys know how to celebrate a birthday,” I said, gesturing to the bottles on the table. I willed myself not to look to the left even though I could feel Colton staring me down.

“It’s my twenty-first birthday and my uncle and his friends are taking me out all weekend since I’m in town for my birthday,” Vinnie explained, pointing to the abundance of alcohol.

Straightening back up, I acknowledged, “Sounds like you have a nice uncle, handsome.” I winked before taking a step back. “Do you need anything? Or are you all okay?”

“We’re good. My uncle’s tab needs to be closed though. We’re calling it a night. They cut me off. And it’s my birthday!”

“Okay, I’ll close it out and get it to your waitress to bring over here. You need anything else?”

Vinnie looked me up and down, a glazed look in his eyes. “Well…”

A hand lightly touched the small of my back and the heat sent a tingle up my spine. “That’s enough, Vinnie,” Colton interjected sternly.

Just the sound of his voice alone was enough to cause a quiver in my belly.

“Get your shit together and wait outside with Mike and Terrance. I’m going to close my tab,” Colton continued.

Vinnie got up and followed suit, no questions asked. Colton closed his eyes and ran a hand down his face and across his chiseled features.

“You’re a demanding one, aren’t you?” I asked as soon as we were out of earshot of Vinnie.

“You have no idea.”

A smartass remark got caught on the tip of my tongue when he opened his eyes. For the second time that night, he made my breath hitch. We slowed to a stop and just stared at one another.

“I’m sorry to stare,” Colton started, “but you are…” He shook his head before he finished his thought. “Gorgeous.”

The tension between us was building. With each word, each look and each minute that passed by, I was being seduced by him. The magic was happening—we were definitely sexually compatible.

Suddenly, Nicks yelled for me from across the bar.

Great timing Nicks,
I thought sarcastically as my boss emphatically waved me over as if the back of the bar was on fire.

“Stephen can close out your tab for you,” I said, pointing at Stephen as he flirted with a Duke & Duchess regular.

“I’ll wait for you,” Colton said. It was an innocent enough statement, but a look that I couldn’t quite distinguish flickered in his eyes.

We stared at each other for a beat before I responded, “You have three people waiting for you outside.”

He shrugged with a self-assured half-smile. “Let them wait.”

Holy shit,
I thought as my stomach coiled into a knot.

“So how about I—”

“Colt! Come quick! Your nephew just went at a cop.” A tall, lanky guy popped up out of nowhere, shouting at Colton, pulling at his arm.

“Dammit, Mya! We need your help!” Nicks interrupted from behind me, startling me.

Prepared to tell him to give me a minute, I looked over my shoulder to find my panicked boss. His wide eyes and terrified expression made my stomach sink.

“I have to go,” Colton and I said simultaneously.

“Add a tip to my bill,” Colton called out to me as he was pulled backward toward the exit. “I’ll come back for the receipt.”

I didn’t respond as I whipped around and ran to the back of the bar, toward Nicks.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” I asked looking around frantically.

“Jillian needs a tampon,” Nicks answered, his hands twisted in his shaggy hair in sheer panic.

“What the hell, Nicks?!” I yelled, pushing his shoulder as I made my way to the employee break room to check my locker for tampons.

Magic was happening with Colton Davis. Sexy, chemistry-filled, sexually compatible, get-me-out-of-my-months-long-sexual-drought magic was happening,
I thought as I grabbed a tampon from my locker.
And I was just cock-blocked…for a tampon!

LEANING AGAINST KELSEY’S WINDOW FRIDAY
night, I read Marisa’s email. I started to respond when Kelsey burst out of her room. Closing the email application, I locked my phone and turned toward my best friend.

“Whoa,” I said with my eyes wide. “You look awesome!”

“Right?” Kelsey said as she spun around in a circle, showing off her skin-tight green dress against her dark brown skin. “I had to change when you walked in here looking like a sex kitten.”

I laughed at her mention of my sexy, backless dress. The black dress had a sweetheart neckline that accentuated my small waistline and showed off my cleavage. But the exposed back was my favorite part of the dress. “You were with me when I bought this!”

“It didn’t look like that on the mannequin,” Kelsey pointed out, grabbing her clutch. “Now let’s find us some man candy for tonight. I’m so excited to fix you up.”

Shaking my head, I grabbed my clutch and headed to the front door. “You are not going to fix me up!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah… chemistry, magic, blah, blah, blah.” Kelsey rolled her eyes as we made our way down in the elevator. “But I want to fix you up with someone. You promised!”

“No, I didn’t! And I’m so over men right now,” I sighed, looking down at my sexy four inch heels.

“You’ve been in a ‘I’m boycotting dating because men suck’ funk for the last six months. And since your dad’s wedding invitation, you’ve been unusually cynical about dating.”

I forced a laugh. “Just because I don’t want you to hook me up doesn’t mean I’m boycotting dating or that all men suck. Although,” I reasoned in a knowing tone, “my dad marrying his whore definitely puts things into perspective.” I paused for a second before continuing, “Anyway, don’t change the subject! I don’t remember telling you that you could fix me up!”

“Remember when I wanted to hook you up with Sean’s friend and you said you were good with your arrangement with Graham? Well, you said after Graham, I could fix you up.” She bounced up and down, poking me in my side as she yelled. “I promise I’ll pick someone good. I promise! Sometimes all the chemistry you need is a hard body and a hard di—”

I laughed as Kelsey’s words stopped short when the elevator doors opened and an old woman stood looking shocked. The disapproving look she gave us could’ve been due to Kelsey’s loud mouth or our sexy outfits. Either way, once we left the building, I gave Kelsey shit about it for the next five straight minutes. As we walked and joked with one another, I was able to push away all lingering thoughts of Marisa’s email or my father’s upcoming wedding.

We were within one block of our destination when Kelsey’s phone rang loudly. Pulling it out of her small clutch, she groaned, “It’s Nicks.”

I looked at her expectantly, waiting to see if she was going to answer it. He was the only boss I’d ever gotten along with, and Duke & Duchess was the only job I’d maintained for longer than six months. Although we argued with Nicks and gave him hell, we always had his back if he needed us.

And if he’s calling at almost nine o’clock on a night we have off, he needs something,
I thought, watching her stare at the phone in her hand before putting it to her ear.

“Hello?” Kelsey answered, slowing to a stop in front of a busy Thai restaurant. I turned to watch the guests arrive and leave the elaborately decorated restaurant. My eyes gradually skimmed the crowd, taking in everything and everyone I could see until I stopped abruptly.

Hello,
I thought, intrigued. My interest suddenly peaked when I found myself staring into a pair of chocolate brown eyes inadvertently.

Cocking my head to the side, I eyed the good looking man in his dark grey suit. When he smiled and his dimple showed, his features looked hard and soft at the same time, giving him a boyish charm. He looked sexy and well put together.

And unavailable,
I finished my internal assessment as a petite woman came up from behind to hug him. He quickly shifted eye contact from me and I pursed my lips in annoyance.
Men!

“So…” Kelsey dragged the word out slowly and scrunched her face up as if she were in pain. “Apparently Duke & Duchess is slammed tonight and it’s just Nicks and Stephen working the bar. They called Devin but he’s out of town…”

“So that just leaves us,” I said, finishing her sentence. I gave her a small smile and shrugged. “Once the new bartenders start, Nicks will owe us.” I flagged down a taxi. “We could pretty much get whatever we want.”

“How is that any different than now?” she joked with raised eyebrows.

Taking the forty minute subway ride to Brooklyn, we debated if it was a good idea to wear our ‘going out’ attire to work. We didn’t give a damn about what people thought of us in our revealing dresses. Our concern was comfort.

As we approached Duke & Duchess, we could see the long line that had formed over the course of the night. We realized quickly that we didn’t have time to run to my apartment to change into something more comfortable.

“Hey, Riker!” Kelsey and I called in unison as we approached the security guard.

Riker did a double take. “Damn, ladies…” he responded, gawking at us.

We laughed, patting him on his back as we bypassed the front of the line and headed into the packed place. Nicks and Stephen were so busy that they didn’t even notice us walk past them. After navigating through the crowd, we made it to the break room to lock up our purses.

“Let’s do this!” I said as we walked behind the bar.

“Oh my God,” Stephen said, his eyes traveling up and down my body. “What are you wearing?”

“A dress,” I answered, brushing past him to the end of the bar I generally occupy.

“Put your eyes back in your head Stephen,” Kelsey quipped as she followed behind me.

“Thank you guys so much for coming in. I swear I’ll make it worth your while. I’m sorry I ruined your night. But look at this place,” Nicks apologized, as he handed a man his change.

“It’s cool, Nicks. We are a team,” I said with a smile. “But you will definitely make it up to us.”

“I’m thinking a raise,” Kelsey theatrically mused out loud.

“I’m thinking part ownership,” I added before turning my attention to the customer in front of me.

We worked well together. Although the crowd was bigger than ever before, we worked efficiently to get every customer served quickly. The nonstop flow of people entering the building didn’t slow down until midnight, but there wasn’t a lull at the bar until almost one o’clock. The time had flown by and once the adrenaline of handling the crowd drained from my body, I realized that my feet were throbbing.

“I can’t do much more, Nicks. My feet are killing me,” I informed him when he returned from bringing up a second vodka crate.

Nicks looked down at my feet and winced. “I didn’t even think about the shoes you two have on. I’m sorry,” he apologized profusely. “You want to go sit down?”

“This should help,” Kelsey announced, pouring us two shots each. Kelsey pushed mine to me. Quickly taking both of them, I let the fiery liquid coat the inside of my belly.

“What? They get a break and I don’t?” Stephen jokingly called out as he mixed a couple of cocktails.

“You try standing in four-inch spiked heels at work, jackass” I muttered loud enough for him to hear as I walked by him, but quiet enough that the customers could not. He laughed in response.

I looked to see if Kelsey was behind me, but she wasn’t. She was at the other end of the bar chatting with a man who looked oddly familiar.

Walking first to get my clutch out of my locker and then to the closest available VIP section, I plopped down on a couch. As I relished in the instant relief of not being on my feet, I watched Kelsey flirt with the man in the khakis and plaid shirt. Although I couldn’t see his face, I knew he was good-looking because Kelsey was giving him her undivided attention. I smiled watching her in action.