“Well, well, well. Youdohave some female companions to keep us entertained tonight, Donner.” A large, middle-aged man in an expensive suit eyes me up as he takes a puff from his cigar.
Henry winces, just a few steps behind him, but I expected something like this.
“Is it just the one?” The man looks around the room. “Well then, I guess we’ll have to share, won’t we?”
“Aspen Holly. Nice to meet you …” I extend my hand, waiting for him to introduce himself.
He looks down at my hand and laughs, shoving his free hand in his pants pocket.
Prick.
He blows smoke up into the ceiling before speaking. “The name’s Rollins, sweetheart. But you can call me King.”
Yeah, I’m not going to do that. “Pleasure, I’m sure.”
“Aspen, this is Peter and Jamie.” Henry steps forward and gestures to the other two.
I don’t bother holding out my hand this time. I just force a smile and nod at each of them.
“Aspen is a friend of mine who goes to Columbia with us,” Henry adds.
“And what are you going for, Miss Holly?” Peter asks, adjusting his glasses as he drags his eyes away from my breasts.
“Psychology,” I say.
“That’s an interesting degree to choose.” Peter nods.
Rollins chuckles. “Worthless, if you ask me.”
I don’t hesitate. “I could say the same thing about your hairline.”
The room falls silent.
I’m scared to see what kind of face Henry is giving me, so I maintain eye contact with the entitled asshole who decided to share his opinion with me when I hadn’t asked for it.
Jesse and Luke snicker, which causes the rest of the men to burst out laughing, and the tension in the air dissipates.
Jamie’s squinty eyes brighten. “I like this one. She’s feisty.”
Rollins pats his belly and grunts as he walks around the dining table and takes a seat at the very end. I can’t help but notice it’s the farthest away from me.
We all sit down and quickly start passing around plates of food. Marta went all out for tonight. Roasted pear salad, prime rib, garlic and rosemary potatoes, caviar with crème fraiche, sautéed asparagus, and more that hasn’t reached my end of the table yet.
I focus on loading up my plate while the guys talk business and whatever else. It’s easy for me to zone out their conversation after my first few bites.
I peek up at Baylor as he spears the meat on his plate and brings it to his mouth. There’s something sensual about the way he chews that makes the world around me slow. My gaze is fixed on his lips when he leisurely wets it with his tongue. I drag my eyes up to meet his and inhale sharply.
His tense brows and dark stare are set on me in a scowl-like expression, but a smile softens his eyes when he flicks his gaze down to my lips.
You look really pretty, Baylor mouths.
My cheeks flush as I smile back.
Silverware clink against our empty plates as we finish up dinner, and we all thank Marta for the meal. Well, most of us. I’m not surprised when Rollins looks inconvenienced when she goes to clear his plate from the table.
Henry touches my arm and leans in. “Did I say how sorry I was yet?”
“Don’t worry about it, Henry.” I thread my fingers through his and give him a reassuring squeeze.
