Trouble

4. Audrey-2

“Wow, that’s… a bit intense,” I said, arching an eyebrow at the offering.

He smiled that disarming smile, shrugging as if there wasn’t a date r**e d**g-kit on the table between us. “You seem the type who likes to know she’s in control. I own a couple of nightclubs—we hand them out to all our patrons. Don’t worry, they’re leftovers from last night. It’s not that I carry them around as a pulling technique.”

Right, then. At least that answered the “what do you do for a living” question.

“I don’t know, ‘Hey honey, wanna see if I’ve slipped you a roofie’ might be a great ice breaker with the kids these days. Would go well with the zip-ties you have handy in your jog pants.”

Liam barked a loud laugh, his eyes twinkling as he looked at me over his wine glass. “That’s quite a bit of sass from a bird who’s still running around with said zip-tie holding her shoe together.”

I glanced down at my shoe. The tie was thankfully discreet enough no one would notice unless they stared at my heel. “Hey, I’m not knocking it. I’m just saying it’s not every twenty-something who feels the need to stock his pockets with zip-ties and d**g test kits.”

He shrugged with a nonchalant move that seemed to emphasize the width of his shoulders. “What can I say? In my business, it’s best to be prepared.” His tone was light, but the small twitch of his soft lips almost looked like regret.

Then he smiled at me, and I was too busy ignoring the responding buzz low in my stomach to pay that flicker of emotion any further mind.

Damn, but that man was bursting with an almost tangible energy. It seemed to radiate off him, nearly overwhelming me when he so much as quirked his lips. His smirk brought to the forefront of my mind the condoms in my purse, and I hid my hefty blush behind my glass of wine as I gulped down a couple of mouthfuls to settle my embarrassment.

Eileen may have had a point about it being too long since I was intimate with a man, if all it took to wind me up was a couple of smiles from a handsome guy. Especially one almost a decade my junior.

The arrival of our starters saved me from that particular train of thought.

“So, your nightclub business… did you start it on your own?” I asked, opting to steer the conversation toward topics that hopefully wouldn’t have my mind running wild with inappropriate scenarios.

“No, it’s a family business,” Liam said, shoving a cheese-covered tortilla chip into his mouth. “We run several different places. I mainly work with my brothers, but my father’s the head honcho.”

“That must be nice, working with family,” I said, nibbling at my own nacho even though I kind of wanted to follow Liam’s example and just shovel them in. I hadn’t eaten since lunch, and my stomach was twisting angrily. Still… even though this wasn’t a date, there was no need to shock the poor guy.

“What made you follow that path? Money, or…?”

“Or a deep interest in watching over drunk people bumping and grinding?” He grinned. “It was never really a choice. All of us just kind of grew up knowing we were going into the family business. It’s all right, though. Dunno what else I’d do—I never had the patience for school.”

“Oh.” I didn’t quite know what to say to that. Since I went to university, it seemed like I’d only ever met people who strove after grades and promotions as single-mindedly as I did.

Judging from Liam’s playful smile as he watched me trying to find a response, he knew what I was thinking.

“I’m more of a spur-of-the moment kind of guy. I don’t do well with suits and reports. The family business allows me a lot of freedom. But what about you, Miss Waits? Your card said Business Consultant. That sounds several shades of serious.”

“Yes, well… I guess it is.” That warm, teasing tone of his made me feel so completely out of my element. I hid my once-again warm face by taking another sip of my wine. “I’ve always been interested in the business world. I was recruited to Caslik Consulting right after my Masters.”

“Always?” He arched his eyebrows at me. “How about when you were a girl? What did you dream about then? ‘Cause I’m almost certain it wasn’t being a business consultant.”

I couldn’t hold back my own wry smile at his teasing. “Well, what do you know? I’m sure there are many little girls out there who dream of business suits and spreadsheets.”

He chuckled, and for some reason my chest heated up. I drank another gulp of wine.

“No, I wanted to be a famous equestrian. Or a ballerina. Which, perhaps, is a bit on the silly side, since I never took any dance lessons.”

“But you rode horses?”

I sighed, not realizing how wistful it sounded before I saw it register on Liam’s face. I shrugged, trying to play it off.

“When I was younger. But I never did find the time to pick it back up after I went off to uni.”

“If that’s the case, then you work too much, love,” he said, not taking his gaze off me. “Tell me, what was it about riding that you miss?”

“I don’t miss it, as such. Sure, it was fun, but—” I tried, but Liam’s snort interrupted me.

“Bullshit. I saw that look on your face just before. That was pure longing. You gave it up to focus on work, sure, I get it, but there’s something you’re missing about it even to this day.”

I honestly hadn’t thought about it, not until tonight, but as I looked at him and at the earnest glow of pure life in his eyes, I found myself nodding.

“The freedom,” I admitted. “Being utterly and completely free, just me and the horse and the wind in my face.” I laughed, a little embarrassed when I realized how open I’d been. “I know that probably sounds really silly—”

“Nah, love. It doesn’t sound silly at all. What it does sound like is that maybe somewhere along the line, you forgot that there are other things in life than work.”

He was right, I realized. Maybe it was the wine, or the way my entire body felt warm and relaxed in Liam’s company, but for the first time since I’d started working toward my career, I let myself think the thought that maybe there was something missing in my life. Though what exactly that something was, I wasn’t entirely sure.

The rest of the meal went by in a blur of cozy chatter. Liam steered the conversation toward lighter subjects, and by the end of it, my cheeks and stomach hurt from too much laughter.

He was excellent dinner company, apart from nearly making me choke on my chocolate tart with his rendition of the stuffy businessmen he usually saw on his morning jog in the park we’d met in. I hadn’t had this much fun in… well, my head was too foggy from the laughter and wine to remember a time I’d ever enjoyed myself quite this much.

Only when Liam asked for the bill did it dawn on me that I still hadn’t fulfilled my end of the bargain for our dinner.

“Wait! I haven’t bought you that beer yet,” I protested when the waitress walked off, leaving behind a tray with the bill and two complimentary mints.

“I thought maybe we could find a bar for that. If you don’t mind?” Liam fished up his wallet from his back pocket and threw a couple of bills on the tray. It more than covered both our meals, plus a very generous tip.

“No, don’t be silly,” he said, waving my hands away when I tried to put down money for my half. “This one was on me.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he just quirked an eyebrow at me. “Let go of the reins, Audrey. You might just enjoy it.”

I stared at him. “I’m not… I just want to pay for my part.”

“Guess you’re out of luck then, huh?” he teased, snatching the tray—with his money still on it—before I could make another attempt at tossing any notes at him. “Let me know what you think of that beer when I get back, love.”

I pinched my lips at his retreating back. It was starting to dawn on me that perhaps Eileen hadn’t been entirely wrong when she’d dubbed my meeting with Liam a date.

But maybe that was just what he was like—he seemed like a nice person, underneath all the swagger. I mean, who asked a woman out on a date without even letting her know?

When Liam returned, smile still in place, I’d convinced myself I was being ridiculous.

“What’s the verdict on that beer, then?” he asked, eyes twinkling with something that looked an awful lot like mischief.

“Well, I can’t very well have you rescue me and pay for my dinner, then not buy you that beer I promised,” I said, glancing down at my phone to check the time. Nine o’clock. I was usually on my way to bed at this time, and I had work in the morning, but… I gave Liam’s grinning face a glance, feeling that still-unsettling warmth nestle into my chest when his eyes caught mine.

Apart from it being rude of me to decline after he’d paid for dinner, I found I didn’t want the night to end just yet.

“Where would you like to go?”

The bar he took me to was up a cobbled side road a couple of blocks away, and from the looks of it, it was a real, old-fashioned pub that someone had attempted to modernize within the past decade. The lighting was pleasantly dimmed and the clientele just the kind of artsy hipsters you’d expect to find hanging out among artisan draft beer on a Monday evening. I stuck out like a sore thumb in my dressy office wear.

“All right then, what’ll it be, Mr. Steel?” I said and grabbed my wallet. “What can possibly do just p*****t for your masterful craftsmanship on my heel?”

Liam’s eyes glinted with amusement at my posturing. “Any lager will do.”

I arched an eyebrow at him. “Really? You take me to Hipster Haven and don’t want a micro brewed, oak-seasoned hop-sensation? How disappointing.”

“Fine, surprise me, then,” he said, jerking a thumb at an empty booth on the far end. “I’ll grab us a table while you order.”

To Liam’s credit, he didn’t even wince when I five minutes later put a pint of Midnight Wheat, Warming Spices, and a Hint of Vanilla down in front of him, along with my own chocolate-caramel ale.

“The bartender assured me it would turn your deadened taste buds around to real beer,” I said, sliding in next to him when he moved over to make space for me. It wasn’t until I was already sat down I realized the small manipulation in getting me to sit next to him rather than on the other side of the table.

“… Liam?”

“Yes, love?” His tone was light as he took a sip of his drink, grimacing at the first taste.

“Is this… this isn’t a date, is it?” I asked, taking a drink of my own beer as I glanced at him out the corner of my eye.

“Why? Would you mind if it was?” he asked, as nonchalantly as if I’d just asked him about the damn weather.

I nearly choked on the ale. “I—you—I’m much older than you.” Okay, so the emphasis on “much” was probably going a bit overboard, but it was the first argument my tipsy brain grasped onto.

Liam arched an eyebrow at me. “Yeah? How old are you then, Grandma?”

“Thirty-two,” I said, narrowing my eyes at the grandma comment. “What are you, twenty-one?”

This time, I got a full laugh.

“I’m twenty-five, love. Plenty old enough.” Without hesitating for even a moment, he let a fingertip brush over the back of my ale-free hand resting on the table between us. It sent a warm rush of sensation up the length of my arm. “When did you last take the time to just enjoy a man’s company, Audrey? If I were the betting sort, I’d wager you’ve let your damn work consume so much of your life, you don’t even remember when you last shared a drink with a bloke not on your company’s client list.”

I opened my mouth to protest—but even as I racked my brain, I knew he was right.

“Look, I’ve enjoyed the evening. I think you have too. Doesn’t have to be anything more than that, if you don’t want it to be.” Liam flashed me an easy smile and took another swig of his beer, without moving his hand from mine.

I hesitated, eying his fingertips as he drew lazy circles on the back of my hand. Did I? Want it to be more than just a nice evening? My mind flashed back to Eileen’s comments about my cobweb-infested v****a, and the way just being around Liam seemed to warm me in the most pleasant way. Twenty-five might be better than what I’d initially shot him to be, but he was still undoubtedly an absolute player.

I knew his type, from when I was still in uni—devilishly good-looking, charming as hell, and completely uninterested in anything serious.

But it had been so long since I last had even a halfway decent flirt with a guy. Who said it had to be serious, anyway? I wasn’t going to see Liam again—we both knew that—so why the hell shouldn’t I cut loose for once in my boring, career-focused life?

Liam’s fingertips danced up the length of my arms, raising goosebumps with their feathery brushes. “Of course… if you do want more, I’m going to screw you until it hurts to come. I’ve been fantasizing about shagging you since I first laid eyes on that sweet arse of yours.” It was a low, rich growl, so completely different from his normal, carefree tone of voice—and it went straight to my clit.

The fervor with which I lunged myself at Liam surprised even myself.

He just managed to set down his beer before my mouth crashed against his. He grunted, either from impact or surprise, but parted his lips and wrapped both arms around me as I clambered onto his lap and kissed him like I’d never kissed a man before.

Everything was heat and burning need down low in my belly, pulsing through my blood for every beat of my over-excited heart, and then there was the taste of beer on Liam’s tongue as I parted my lips for him with a needy moan. He kissed me expertly, meeting my crazed assault on his mouth with long strokes of his tongue and those deviously soft lips cushioning my wild urge for more, more, more. More of his kiss, more of him.

When I grabbed for his c**k and found it hard and eager inside his jeans, he chuckled into my mouth and pulled back just enough to breathe into my ear, “Your place or mine?”