“Like what you see?” he asks, a little too cocky for my liking.
“Nope,” I grumble out as I take another sip of my drink.
“Is this seat taken?”
“Nope.”
He slides onto the stool next to me. “Frank,” he yells, waving to the bartender.
“Hey, T,” Frank says, putting out his hand and pulling Tanner into a hug over the bar. “What can I get you?”
I continue to stare straight ahead.
“It’s good to see you, man. Is Jerry here?”
“No,” Frank says. “He’s out of town until next week.”
“Okay, then I guess I’ll have what she’s having,” Tanner says. Frank moves away from us, and in my peripheral vision I can see Tanner has turned his body so he’s facing me.
“Are you waiting on a date to meet you?”
“Nope.”
“Are the girls coming?”
“Nope.”
“Are you going to say more to me than nope?”
“Nope.” I glance over at him, and a wide smile erupts across his face. His chest rumbles with a loud laugh that makes the blond knot on the top of his head wiggle a little.
“Okay. I take it that means you’re drinking alone?”
Frank slides his drink across the bar and then walks away to help another customer. Tanner lifts the glass to his lips.
“Not bad,” he says. “Amaretto isn’t your usual. Rough day?”
“What are you doing? Isn’t there some other girl here you want to try to convince to sleep with you?” I ask, looking around the bar.
“You think I’m trying to convince you to sleep with me?” He smirks. “Bold of you.”
“No. That’s not what I meant.” I take a sip of my drink before placing it back on the counter. “I think I’m going to go.” I stand quickly, waving at the bartender.
“Wait, don’t go. I was kidding.”
“Whatcha need,” the bartender says, walking back over to us.
“I’m going to close out.”
“Hold on. You haven’t finished your drink. We’ve never gotten to hang out just us. It could be fun,” Tanner offers.
The bartender looks back and forth between the two of us.
“I think you and I have two very different ideas of fun,” I say, turning to face Tanner.
He pats the barstool, looking up at me with the stare of a puppy dog. It’s the look of a man who always gets what he wants.God dammit, it’s working.
“For Christ’s sake,” I huff out. “I’ll finish my drink, just stop looking at me like that.”
