She shook.“Lainie.Good to meet you.”
“You come here often?”He laughed.“That sounds like a lame pick-up line.It’s just I’ve been here a few times and I’ve never seen you.”
Lainie straightened, recognizing the interest in his eyes.His smile was warm and welcoming.He leaned closer and she caught the clean scent of soap.
“I’ve been here a few times.”Three to be exact, but the one didn’t count since she’d been running to Christien for help and he’d swept her through so fast she doubted anyone saw her.
“It’s a cool place,” John said.
He had red hair.Lainie liked redheads.He had freckles on his hands too.How cute was that?
“Yeah,” she said.“Cool.”She stuck with the one-word answers because suddenly she couldn’t get her tongue to work.
“What are you drinking?”He lifted his chin toward her drink.
Lainie held up her nearly empty glass and peered into it.Hadn’t Ken just filled it?“Blueberry martini.”
John smiled again.“You’re hammered.”
Lainie shook her head.The lights swirled.She lost her balance and had to grab hold of the bar to keep from falling off her stool.“Nah,” she said with a wave of her hand.
“Want another?”He motioned to Ken.
“Sure.”
Ken approached, saw Lainie talking to John and his smile faded.“Another for the lady,” John said.“And I’ll have a beer.”
Ken eyed Lainie warily, but turned to fill their orders.John swiveled his body fully toward hers.Their knees brushed.He was wearing jeans and a three-button shirt.Not clubbing clothes.She liked him even more.
“You from around here?”he asked.
“No.Yes.”
He laughed again.He had a nice laugh.Very friendly.“So which is it?Yes or no?”
“No, I’m not from here originally.Yes, I live here.”Lainie concentrated on her words, making sure she pronounced each one distinctly.
Ken appeared with their drinks.John ignored the mug Ken gave him and drank the beer straight from the bottle.Lainie liked that.He was a man’s man.
“You wanna dance, Lainie?”
She looked at the dance floor, at the people packed tightly together yet moving fast.Her legs felt a little numb.“No.But thanks.”
“Hammered,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
She liked the twinkle.It made him very approachable.
“Got a girlfriend?”She clamped her lips together.Totally the wrong thing to say.He would think she was interested and she wasn’t.To hide her mortification she took a big gulp of the martini.
“You applying for the position?”
She smiled.“No.It’s just you’re such a nice guy I figured some lucky girl would have scooped you up by now.”
“No lucky girl,” he said.“What about you?Got a boyfriend?”
“You applying for the position?”Oh, man.What the heck was she doing flirting with this guy?Yet it was fun and carefree and Lord knew she hadn’t had any fun or carefree moments since she’d walked into this place that first night.The martini—martinis?How many had she had?—drowned her inhibitions and loosened her tongue.No harm in talking to the guy.It wasn’t like she was going to go home with him.The only one she wanted to go home with was Christien.
“Maybe.”He winked at her.“The position open?”
