He touched his tie. A couple years ago, when he’d started meeting with potential investors, he’d dropped a lot of money he didn’t have to get this suit custom made. It was part of his visualization, projecting a certain image.
Hannah came closer. “It fits you like weapon.”
He narrowed his eyes, pulling back a little. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. It just came out. I guess, like, you could really hurt someone looking that good.”
“All right,” Brigitte said. “Time to move along. We’ve seen enough. We’ll call you.”
Hannah’s brows gathered as she looked at Brigitte. “What?Are you, like,auditioninggirls to sleep with him?”
Brigitte knocked back another shot and slammed the glass on the bar. “No. I was k—”
“Wait.” Hannah’s eyes widened. “Isthis an audition? Because I’m actually an actress—”
“Hannah.” Beau couldn’t tell if she was embarrassed, but he was embarrassed enough for all of them. “Excuse us. Please.”
She frowned, her bottom lip out. She walked a few steps away, still close enough that he could call her back without raising his voice too much.
Brigitte grinned at him. “I knew you were bluffing. You never like them easy.”
“And you know everything I like?”
“I do. I could find you the right thing for tonight, but I won’t. You know why?”
He invited her to keep going with a nod of his head.
“Because the right thing is to hang with me. You have the rest of your life to get laid.”
He shook his head in disbelief, glancing at Hannah as she idled near by. “I knew it would be easy, Brigitte, but that? That was nothing. I literally made no effort.”
She nodded sympathetically, like this was a huge problem. “A lot of things are going to be like that for you now. You have to be careful who you tell. Look, why don’t we head home for the night? Blockbuster’s still open. We can grab a movie.”
He set his elbows on the bar. “You go ahead. I’ll come home soon. I just want to sit and enjoy this feeling a little longer.”
She rubbed his shoulder. “It’s huge, Beau. This might be the best day of your life. Although, I think you have a lot of those ahead of you.”
He smiled gently at her. He really had no one else to share this with, so he was glad she was there. But he’d had a couple drinks, and he was feeling pensive. “I hope so.”
She didn’t move right away. “I can sit with you,” she suggested.
“I think I want to be alone a little bit.”
“What’s wrong, am I—what’s that word again?” Her accent thickened when she asked him for expressions—on purpose, he was sure. She requested this one frequently. Also on purpose, he was sure, just to hear him say it.
“Cockblocking. And no. You were right—I have the rest of my life for that. Tonight will be known as the night I became a millionaire and tasted the best liquor of my life.”
“All right,” she said, somewhat reluctantly. She offered her cheeks, and he kissed them each. “Come home soon, all right? I’ll wait up.”
When he was alone, he ordered his third Macallan of the night, third Macallan of his life. This time last year, he’d been neck-high in code for the website he’d just sold. He’d spent four straight weeks on it, looked up and thought—where did August go?
Beau still had to quit his two part-time jobs. Since the deal that’d fallen through last year, he’d been trigger shy. He worked construction in the valley on the weekends, because otherwise, he’d never get outside. Not with the manic way he worked. The second was as a temp developer for a software company. He’d worked temporary jobs for years, jumping around companies in Los Angeles, soaking up anything he could. He’d learned a lot about management and corporate structure that way, and now that he was capable of creating his own company, he was going to put it to use.
Beau got up and paid for his drinks. His card went through, and he still had another hundred-and-fifty dollars in his wallet. Hannah had been lingering, making eye contact with him, but he went for the door instead. He still had the urge to get off—he had it bad, actually—but not with someone who’d practically gotten on her knees right there in the middle of a bar. Despite what he’d thought about making tonight easy, that’d never do itfor him. He’d rather go home alone.
Beau walked along Sunset Boulevard, half-assing his attempts to grab a cab. It was a nice night, and the Strip was busy, even though it was Tuesday. Some of the bars had live music and he’d catch a few seconds of it as he walked by.
He checked his watch and did a double take. It was 11:58 P.M., later than he’d thought. And two minutes until his new life began. Beau stared at it, swallowing dryly, the alcohol making his head swim. He kept walking, glancing at the time every few seconds. This was a moment he’d never experience again, no matter how much money he made in his lifetime. And he knew this was only the start.
