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She gave him a lippy smirk before turning to make his old fashioned.
“What’s up, man?” he asked, patting me on the back. “I saw the papers…”
“Yeah,” I grumbled.
“Tell me you’re not really back with her?”
I glared at him, incredulous. “You’re not serious.”
He shrugged. “I never know with you and Kiera. You guys have always been complicated.”
“No, that hasn’t been a thing in a while.”
“Good. Because honestly, Daniel, she is the worst.”
“I know.”
I slid my hands down my face and felt the stubble against my palms.
Danielle was back and slid over Freddy’s drink. He lifted his glass to her and took a long sip before turning to me.
“It will blow over,” he said. “Don’t worry.”
“Yeah…”
But it wouldn’t really. The only thing that would make that headline go away was another one with me and a different woman. I glanced at Danielle, wondering if she could be the one to make all this go away and to show everyone I wasn’t really with Kiera. That would be a big blow to her ego. I took a satisfying sip of my drink just thinking about it.
Bringing the honey-haired bartender home with me would be easy, but I realized she was not who I wanted. Ever since I met Addison two days ago in the garden, she hadn’t left my mind. She was not like anyone I’d ever met, and I hardly even knew her. I just had this feeling about her.
I mean, most of the women I knew were rich or just trying to be rich. Addison was different. She actually cared about something other than herself, rather than chasing the dollar, or someone else’s dollar. She was too good for me, and because of that she was a challenge. Maybe that was why I couldn’t get her off my mind. Once I found a conquest, in business or with women, I had to win.
I had to find a way to see her again. It shouldn’t be too hard, since I’d be giving her nonprofit hundreds of thousands of dollars. She wouldn’t be able to refuse a meeting with me, even though our last one went so poorly, thanks to Kiera. I decided to check my phone calendar to see if another meeting had been scheduled, but I saw nothing.
Disappointed, I signaled for Danielle to bring me another drink. Freddy looked at my empty glass.
“You really are pissed about this whole thing.”
I shrugged and took a look around the bar. The whiskey helped, but I needed a distraction. Just for tonight. Most of the tables were filled with businessmen and women half their age. I noticed the door open and did a double-take. Talk about wishful thinking.
Addison stood at the hostess stand. She wore a strapless black dress that she tugged at as she looked around with uncertainty. Her hair was down and parted to the side, flowing just past her shoulder blades. The hostess gestured to the bar and Addison walked to the opposite end of the bar from me. She sat on a barstool, the hem of her black dress riding up as she crossed her legs. I noticed strappy heels that tied at her ankles. She looked sexy as hell.
I thought to myself,game on.
Chapter 9
Addison
I sat stiffly in the wooden barstool and looked around for a drink menu. I wondered if it was happy hour, or if they even did that sort of thing at this type of place. When my coworker, Shelley, suggested coming to Bemelman’s for birthday drinks, I was surprised. It wasn’t like we made an exorbitant salary to be able to shell out $40 for a single cocktail, but we had chosen a different spot for dinner. Somewhere far cheaper, so I figured one drink wouldn’t hurt.
I tried to find a comfortable position. It’s not my seat, it was the damn dress. I swear, I just needed to accept that I was a size up and buy some new clothes. Squeezing into dresses and skirts felt like a workout each morning. I practically rearranged my insides to fit in this black dress. It felt far too sexy for drinks with my coworkers, but I wasn’t sure of the dress code here.
As I looked around, I saw other women wearing similar attire, all cozied up to men twice their age in suits. It made me feel even more uncomfortable. I pulled at the hem of my dress to cover more leg, but ended up showing more cleavage. I couldn’t win. Giving up, I signaled for the bartender to come give my self-consciousness some relief.
She was stunning with her light, warm hair and tiny cocktail dress. I couldn’t help but stare and when she was in front of me, I realized I didn’t even know what I wanted to drink. I just knew I needed one.
“What can I get you, hun?” she asked.
“Ummm…I-I’m sorry. I didn’t get a chance to look at a drink menu.”