“Can I record your answers this time?”
I laughed. “If you’d been that ingenious last night when you showed up without a notebook you might have kept your cover for why you were really knocking on my door.”
She scowled at me.
“Go for it, you only have nineteen minutes now.”
Sophia slowed her stride as she asked me her first question about my hopes for my first pro season. We talked the whole way to The Cohen Club about how I’d trained with various Bruins programs early on in my time as a player, what I would have done if I’d been drafted by another team, if I had any regrets or fears about going pro, and what I thought my life would look like next year.
“What do you think will be the hardest part about being a pro player?” she asked as I stopped in front of our destination.
I shook my head and reached for the door handle. “Ah, ah, Hawaii. That’s it. The only way I’m answering questions now is if you’re asking for you and not for your article. Leo Harrison is officially off the record.”
She sighed and stopped the recording on her phone. “Fine.” She held it up to show me before sliding it into her back pocket.
“Oh, I’m sorry, do you not want to know anything about the guy you’re about to fuck?” I pulled the door open and admired her ass as she walked in ahead of me. Her jeans were dark and her ass looked firm. I wanted my hands on this girl more than I could handle right now.
She turned to look over her shoulder and smiled at me, making my heart skip a beat. “Does the full Leo experience start right now? Or hasit already started and I missed it?” Her smiled morphed into a proud smirk and I stepped closer, pinching her ass a little, figuring I had her permission to touch her given what we were about to do. She also seemed like the kind of girl to tell me if I didn’t.
“It starts now, Hawaii. Sit down.” I gestured to a cozy two-person booth in the far corner of the room and waved to Mark, the bartender working tonight.
She started to slide into the booth and halted when she saw the reserved sign on the table.
I smirked and reached for the small of her back, urging her to sit. “That’s for us.”
Her eyes shot to mine. “Well, so far, I am impressed with the Leo experience. What else have you got?”
Chapter Ten
Sophia
The Cohen Club wassmall and dark in a way that instantly felt intimate, or maybe it seemed that way because of how Leo’s hand grazed my back as he urged me to sit.
The tables were all small and private, made of dark mahogany. The lighting was as dim as possible while still being able to see your surroundings and came from industrial-style, open bulbs that hung above the tables and the dark wood bar on long, narrow, black pipes. The entire wall behind the bar was filled with various bottles of liquor—some of them looked old and collectible—mixed with modern bottles and everything in between. Leo’s parents certainly had a knack for designing their establishments to create unique vibes. It made for an easy first topic of conversation while I looked at the drink options.
The small parchment menu featuring signature drinks and appetizers made it feel like we were really in an old speakeasy and all the options sounded so good it was impossible to choose. After confirmingthat I’d eat his favorite apps, Leo ordered us roasted brussels sprouts and truffle fries to share while I tried to decide between a peach-flavored old fashioned calledThe Flapper Yapperand a passionfruit-pineapple drink with gin that reminded me of something I’d find back home calledThe Island Temptation. Leo ordered his drink, and I felt his eyes on me.
I lifted my head to see him smirking next to me. “Can’t decide?”
“I’ve narrowed it down to two,” I said proudly.
“Get ‘em both.”
I cocked my head in indignation. “Trying to get me drunk?”
“Definitely not,” he said, sounding genuine. “If you want to try two, try them both and drink the one you want.”
“That’s a waste of money,” I said.
“Then it’s a good thing we’re not paying for this. On behalf of my mother, try both drinks. She worked very hard on their names.”
I snorted. “Fine. I’ll have The Flapper Yapper and The Island Temptation.”
“Excellent choices,” the bartender said with a smile. “I’ll be out with those momentarily.”
“Whiskey, Hawaii?” Leo said with a hint of amusement.
“My dad’s favorite. Stole a handle of sips over the years and developed a palate for it, I guess.”
