“But…” I said, moving my fingers to the other side of the menu and smiling up at him, “my personal favorite is the barbeque pulled pork sandwich.”
He smiled back and handed me the menu. “Then I’ll take that with a side salad and French fries and any ale you’ve got on draft.”
Damn, that smile looked good on his mouth. It’d probably look good on mine, too.
“Coming right up.”
Yeah, this sexy man in front of me was just what I needed tonight. Distraction via flirting.
Customers were starting to clear out, as it was nearing ten o’clock. This gave me a chance to focus more attention on my newest customer, since I didn’t have to bounce back and forth between many others.
I set his beer down in front of him before tilting my head to the side, pretending to get a better look at his face. “You look a little over eighteen, so I’m guessing you aren’t a recruit at thereserve base. This means you’re either a lost tourist or my new favorite customer.”
He gave me a small smirk, and I watched a small dimple pop in his cheek. “What makes you think I’ve never been here before?”
“I’ve worked here for six years, and I’m good with faces,” I told him bluntly but politely.
It was the truth. I was very good at remembering faces and names. But also, this man was smokin’ hot, so I definitely knew I’d remember his face.
“That’s a long time,” he said and then leaned forward, his muscular forearms resting on the bar. “My name is Ray, and no, I’m not from around here. Just got off my flight from Texas not that long ago. Glad I decided to come here for a bite to eat instead of grabbing something at the hotel. The view and company are much better.”
Was that a compliment?
I believe we may have just entered mutual flirtation territory.
Alright, Ray. Let the fun begin.
“Texas, eh? What brings you all the way here?”
“Visiting an old friend from the Army for a little while. He’s got a problem he asked me to help with, so here I am,” he said, as if it were no big deal to drop everything and come help a friend.
That was a good quality in a man and brought his sexy factor up yet another notch.
“Ah, so you’re an Army guy. Good to know you’re at least from the smartest military branch.”
His lip twitched at my comment. “You come from an Army family?”
“I do, but I also served myself. I did my twenty and retired a few years ago.”
“Ahh, so you’re not just gorgeous. You’re also smart and a badass, too.”
There was that grin again, those dimples popping right out and beaming like the bat signal, pulling me in closer to him in order to get me to make bad decisions.
Bad, but very fun, decisions.
I had great hair and great boobs, but I was getting older and my face was definitely starting to show it. I swore I woke up every day to find either a new wrinkle or a new chin hair. I had Native American and Italian blood in me, so waking up to a few dark hairs on my upper lip was also not uncommon, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed seeing them.
“Gorgeous, huh? Is that what you say to your wife or girlfriend?” I knew there was no ring, but sometimes men didn’t always wear them, especially in the military. Plus, he could be attached to a woman and not married, so before I took this any further, I needed to confirm.
“No wife or girlfriend.” His answer was simple, and he didn’t elaborate, but there was only truth in his eyes, so I nodded.
I was a chatty person by nature, and I loved talking it up with most customers, but this man seemed to bring out a different side of me.
“I’m just hoping I can keep the conversation going as long as possible tonight,” he added.
“As long as possible, eh? What kind of girl do you think I am, mister?”
“A beautiful one.” That slick smile was definitely a dangerous one.
