‘I’m Steven.’ He offered Grace his hand. ‘And it’s a real pleasure to meet you.’
Grace didn’t take it, her eyes narrowing at him just a fraction, as if she was trying to place him. ‘Oh, hold on… I think I know you.’
Steven hesitated for a moment. ‘Do you?’ His head tilted right. ‘Where from?’
‘I do,’ Grace nodded, her tone calm. ‘You’re one of those blokes who never takes the hint, aren’t you? One of those for whom “no” never means “no”.’
Steven’s eyebrows arched, carelessly. ‘C’mon! You must know that “no” is nothing more than a pit stop on the road to “yes”.Most of the time “no” doesn’t actually mean “no”… it just means “try harder”.’
‘No, it isn’t, and no, it doesn’t,’ Grace replied. There was no play in her voice. ‘It never did… and it never will. “No” will always mean “no”. But you really don’t seem to understand that, do you?’
‘Ooh, feisty. I like that.’
Grace shook her head in an ‘I give up’ gesture. ‘I rest my case.’
‘Hey, mate.’ This was a new voice. Not Steven’s. ‘You heard what the lady said. She’s not interested.’
Grace looked right. Standing a few feet behind Steven was a second man. This one was a couple of inches shorter than Steven and quite a few pounds lighter too. His face, though, seemed fuller and more chiseled. His black hair was tousled in uneven and imperfect waves, which made him look like an Emo kid who had grown up but was still a little reluctant to lose the hairstyle. He was handsome in his own quirky way, which made him uniquely handsome, and Grace really liked that.
Steven turned to look at the man. ‘Sorry, mate, what was that?’ He sarcastically angled his head in the direction of the new arrival.
‘The lady said she isn’t interested,’ the man repeated himself, without backing an inch. His tone was non-aggressive… diplomatic even. ‘So please, just grab a drink and leave her be.’
Steven chuckled before getting to his feet and squaring up to the shorter man. ‘I have a better idea, mate – why don’t you go mind your own business… and leaveusbe?’ His right index finger went back and forth between him and Grace a couple of times.
‘Iamminding my business,’ the man replied, meeting Steven’s stare.
‘Oh!’ Steven seemed taken aback by the man’s reply. He turned to face Grace. ‘Is he the bloke you’ve been waiting for?’
‘No, she’s not waiting for me,’ the man beat Grace to the answer.
Steven looked back at him, intrigued. ‘So how is this your business, mate?’
‘Because this is my bar,’ the man replied, with a single nod. ‘And you seem to be harassing one of my customers, which makes it my business. So please, before I ask security to escort you out, just grab a drink… on the house… and leave the lady alone.’
Steven paused for a fraction of a second before addressing Grace. ‘I’m not harassing anyone, am I?’
‘Mate,’ the man’s voice was a lot firmer this time. ‘I’m really trying to make this easy for you. Take the hint.’
‘Oh, he’s not so good with hints,’ Grace tried to explain, her expression relaxed.
‘It appears so,’ the man agreed.
Steven took another moment before shrugging. ‘Fine, nothing interesting happening here anyway. I’ll take that drink on the house, though.’
‘Not a problem.’ The man gestured at the bartender. ‘Sergio, please serve the gentleman… whatever he wants.’ His stare returned to Steven, and it stayed on him until he finally walked away to the other end of the bar.
‘I’m so terribly sorry about that,’ the man said, turning to face Grace. ‘Some people are just clueless.’ Only his eyes moved right to indicate Steven.
‘Nothing to be sorry about,’ Grace said back, meeting the man’s stare. Other than how attractive he was, she’d also noticed that on his left wrist, he was wearing an F.P.Journe watch.
Over the past two years, Grace and Julia had become a lot more knowledgeable in the lifestyle of the wealthy. To better identify what to take once they were inside the mark’s hotel room, they read about brands, special editions and collectors’ items in jewelry, fashion, watches, handbags, shoes, perfumes, pens… even hats… and they both had a pretty good eye when it came to spotting expensive items.
‘Could I offer you a drink on the house,’ the man continued. ‘As an apology.’
‘No apology needed,’ Grace said back. ‘There was no harm done.’
The man bowed his thanks, placing both hands over his heart. ‘Still, whenever you’re ready, your next drink is on the house. I insist.’ He gave Grace a polite nod. ‘Enjoy the rest of your evening.’
