“I give you my word that within the week I’ll be working at Manning Motors and on hand to snoop from the inside.”
“See that you keep it,” he says before hanging up.
“Ugh.” I take deep breaths to calm down as I slip my cell in my purse. I can’t show up at the restaurant in a foul mood because my father is a giant jerk.
Twenty minutes later, I pull into a parking space on the street just across from the Mexican restaurant where I’m meeting my new friends for dinner. I add another layer of vibrant red lipstick to my lips before slicking some gloss over them and dragging a comb one final time through my hair. I styled it straight, and it falls in glossy sheets over my shoulders and down my back. I chose a plain fitted black dress with black and gold heels for tonight, wanting to look classy without having tried too hard.
I know I look good. Let’s see if my date thinks so.
Grabbing my coat and my purse, I get out of the car and head across the road.
I’m struggling to contain my grin as the maître d’ leads me through the busy restaurant toward the table by the wall where the other five people in our party are already seated. I can’t wait to see his face when he sees me. This is technically my first ever blind date, but what Abby doesn’t know is it’s not really blind because I already know and have met her brother.
“Here she is,” Demi says, noticing my approach. She turns around in her seat to smile at me.
Three, two, one.
Drew’s sultry brown eyes whip to my face, and I’ve got to hand it to him; he’s got one hell of a poker face. Apart from the slight twitch to one eye, one would think he’s completely indifferent to my appearance. His gaze rakes me from head to toe, lingering a little on my hair, and his eye twitch worsens, but it’s subtle, and only someone watching closely would spot it.
“I’m so glad you could make it,” Abby says, standing and leaning in to hug me. I bend down and return her embrace before we break apart. “This is my husband, Kai.” She points at the hot guy sitting across from her whose features I’m already familiar with from my research. “And this is Demi’s husband, Charlie,” she adds, jabbing her head at Barron who is seated on Kai’s left while the man of the moment is seated on his right across from the only empty chair at the table.
“It’s lovely to meet you both,” I say, claiming the vacant seat as Abby sits back down to my right. “Your wives have been very welcoming since I moved to the area.”
“Stalker much?” Drew says, drilling me with a dark look.
“What?” Abby’s brow puckers as she looks between us.
“Well, isn’t this a surprise,” I lie, smiling graciously at him, and it’s taking huge effort to contain the smug grin dying to run free.
Drew snorts. “At least own it, Athena.”
“Wait. You two know one another?” Demi asks.
I look down the table at her. “I pitched for a contract at Manning Motors a while ago. Drew turned me down.”
“Desperation is never a good look on anyone,” Drew replies before raising a glass of red wine to his lips and drinking from it. His gaze flips to my hair, and he seems to zone out for a few seconds before snapping out of it.
The way his throat works as he drinks shouldn’t be hot, but it is. And I’m not imagining how those long slim fingers would feel caressing my body. The Manning Motors CEO looks good enough to eat in a crisp black shirt and pants. The top few buttons of his shirt are open, showcasing the ink on his chest. He’s made an effort to tame his hair, but it still falls sexily across his brow. The stylish layer of stubble on his chin and cheeks is a little heavier than the last time I saw him, only begging for my fingers.
“I know what you’re implying, but you’re wrong. I don’t have a single desperate bone in my body, and I don’t play games to get work.”
“Names weren’t exchanged, Drew. You know that.” Abby sends a warning look her twin’s way.
“It’s good you two are already acquainted,” Demi adds, curling her fingers around her wineglass. “Cuts out that initial awkwardness.”
Anderson and Barron are staring at me with narrowed, suspicious eyes, and protectiveness practically oozes from their pores. I can’t help but admire them for it.
“Remind me, Athena, how you know my wife?” Barron asks in a chilling tone.
“We met at yoga class,” I coolly reply, smiling at the waiter as I gesture for him to pour me some wine.
“And when exactly did you move into the area?” Kai asks.
“A month ago,” I confirm before raising my wineglass to my lips and taking a sip of the lush full-bodied wine.
“Right after I rejected you.” Drew runs the tip of his finger around the rim of his glass while he attempts to intimidate me with another dark look. “That isn’t shady at all,” he drawls.
“Not that I owe you an explanation, but I won a new contract with a pharma company. They have their HQ a few miles outside Rydeville. They need me at the office regularly, so I have moved temporarily to the area.”
