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You’re welcome, Cisco.
Once she was finished with them, she turned to Mike.
“You’ve made quite a hit of yourself tonight,” she quipped. “Not so much with Wendel, but with these ladies, here.”
Mike looked over at the bevy of beauties, as did Joe, and sure enough, he was getting finger-waves from the group. He chin-lifted back, then turned all his attention to Joe.
“I hope you don’t mind that I showed up here tonight.”
Joe grinned. “Are you kidding? I love it. But after that display with my boss,” she lowered her voice, but not by too much. She wasn’t beyond titillating her audience. “I’d rather take you into the back room and jump you behind the liquor cases.”
“I’m not averse to that. That southern accent…, he whispered, his eyes smoldering. “When’s your break?”
Joe practically melted under his simmering scrutiny, but quickly deflated. “I don’t get one,” she groaned. “I’m the only one on tonight.”
“Well, that’s a damned shame.” He shook his head and looked up at her from under his thick lashes. “But…maybe I’ll get lucky and you’ll ask me back to your place?”
Everything inside Joe lit up. “You’re invited,” she choked out. “You are so invited,” she repeated a little louder, and the table of female revelers broke out into spontaneous applause.
Mike’s grin matched hers.
“That’s good. Because—” Mike’s mouth stopped, and his face suddenly turned hard as he stared at something just beyond her.
“What is it? What’s the matter?” Joe’s eyes went immediately to Wendel, but the man was behaving himself. It wasn’t?—
“Fuck. Don’t look now,” Mike ground out his next words like crushed glass. “Mellie and her friend just walked in.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Goddammit. It figured that Mellie would show up. But now that she had, Mike was going to make the best of it.
“Mike,” Mel’s incredulous voice rang out across the bar. “What are you doing here?”
He looked up, pasting a smile on his face, then stood, indicating the free chairs at his table. He hoped his grin didn’t look as sour as his gut felt. “Would you like to join me?” he offered as the pair got closer.
Melanie and Cameron looked at each other in a moment of silent communication, then Mellie nodded. “Sure. Why not.”
Mike waited until the pair approached before he sat down again. He gave a slight nod to Joe, who’d been watching the exchange, letting her know he’d indicate when it was okay for her to come over. He needed a few minutes to ponder how to spin things.
Knowing Joe, however, Mike figured the savvy agent was probably already way ahead of him; plotting what to say, and how she’d handle the unexpected arrival of his ex.
“So Mike. What brings you to our neck of the woods?” Mel asked once she was seated, clearly calling him out for “invading” her portion of the county.
Cameron just grunted, but that was par for the course when Mike ran into the man. The guy was either a noncommunicative sort to begin with, or was completely intimidated by Mike. He hoped it was the latter.
“What? A man can’t have a drink where he chooses, these days?” Mike countered to Mellie with a raised brow.
“Don’t bullshit me.” She pursed her lips. “I know you. First of all, you never go for a night on the town unless you have your teammates with you. And second, you don’t have a glass or a bottle in front of you because you don’t drink during a work-week.” Mel frowned, but after a moment of thought, she also preened a little. “How did you know I’d be here?”
Leave it to Mel to think that everything was about her. Well, she was about to have her ego-bubble popped.
“I actually had no idea you frequented this place,” Mike lied, not in the least bit repentant. “I’m actually here because of a…friend.” He said the last with a tinge of innuendo, wondering if Mel would pick up on it.
“Phht,” she scoffed, looking around. “I don’t see any of those testosterone-laden goons you call pals.”
Aaand, it went right over her head, as Mike had expected, while in the same clueless breath, she’d managed to denigrate the group he hung with. Melanie had always been jealous of his teammates. It had never been a good look for her. Even now, after a year of having a life away from him that she’d decided she wanted, her mouth pinched up in envy at the mention of his team.
“Not one of those friends,” Mike stated patiently, having counted to five, slowly, in his head. “I have a new someone I’m seeing.” He silently signaled for Joe to come over while Mellie let his words settle.