Page 30 of Infatuated as They Come (Sinful Trilogy #2)

Holly

I had been sitting alone at a booth in some restaurant called The Gidlow for nearly an hour. Sawyer was beyond late and I was pretty sure one of the waiters was going to kick me out any second now.

I tapped an impatient heel against the floor, my chin in my hand, sitting all by myself like an idiot. I felt stupid in my red dress and salon fresh hair—all that effort just to sit at a table alone while the waiters sent me awkward little stares.

My eyes fell to my phone again. To Sawyer’s words.

Can’t wait to see you tonight. I miss you.

Just gonna be running a tiny bit late. Work got crazy today.

I’m sorry, will be later than I thought.

Will be there soon.

I blew out a breath of air and tossed some of my hair over my shoulder.

The music in the restaurant was soft and gentle, the kind that was supposed to help keep you relaxed, but the sound of the violin just put me on edge.

My nails toyed with the napkin on my unused, bare plate, the spot across from me just as empty .

“Hey.”

There was a voice to my right, and I peered up to see a man looking back at me with a grin that I instantly didn’t like.

“Uh, hi,” I said flatly. If he was about to flirt with me, I was not in the mood.

“I saw you sitting alone. Do you mind if I join you?”

“I’m—”

But he slid into the booth before I even had the chance to utter out my next words.

I held in a scoff, watching as the man sat right across from me, his blue eyes lighting up.

He was older than me, at least forty, the strands of his grey hair all neatly swept back as he adjusted the sleeves of his suit jacket.

“I’m waiting for my boyfriend,” I said pointedly.

“You’ve been waiting for a while. I’ve been watching you all night. Me and my buddies have.”

“Buddies?” I asked, and he nodded over to the side, to one of the other booths where I saw a whole crowd of suited up men old enough to be my father. They were all sending me grins, a couple of them tipping their glasses my way. “Oh, how fun for me.”

“I don’t think your boyfriend’s showing up, honey,” he said.

“Don’t call me that please.” That word sounded gross if it was coming from anyone other than Sawyer. I was trying to be polite, but I still grabbed the menu again so I could bury my face in it, eyes stuck on it like I hadn’t already read it a hundred times since sitting down.

“What should I call you?”

I kept my lips firmly pressed together. “Look, could you please just—”

“That’s the part where you tell me your name. My name’s Grant.”

“Cool. My boyfriend’s gonna be here really soon.”

“You’ve been sitting here for nearly an hour.”

“He’ll be here.”

“Well, in the meantime, why don’t you and me talk?” He pressed a hand to the top of the menu, dragging it down so that I was forced to meet his eyes. “Do you wanna eat? Get whatever you want, I’ll pay for it.”

“My boyfriend’s going to pay for my meal,” I said. Sawyer wouldn’t even let me pay for our meals when we went out. There was no way he was going to let some other guy do it.

“He’s not coming.”

“I’m nineteen ,” I said firmly, hoping my age would finally deter him.

His grin just widened. “That’s even better.”

“Ugh.” I couldn’t hide my disgust anymore. “Can you please go before I call someone over here to get you away from me?”

He got his wallet out, sliding a card out with his thumb and forefinger.

Then he put it on the table with a smack and pushed it across the table towards me.

With his far too glittery and gold Rolex on display—that was all part of the show, I could tell—I watched a full-grown adult man try and impress me by showing me his ever so exclusive black card.

As if I hadn’t ever seen one before. As if I didn’t have one in the purse sitting right next to me.

“If you want something off the drinks menu, I can arrange for that too,” he said.

“I’m nineteen,” I repeated, wincing as he pushed up his sleeves some more.

“You like it, huh?” He tapped at his watch. “Eighteen carat yellow gold. Thirty-six trapeze-cut diamonds. I can let you try it on if you want.”

There were very few traits that I got from my father, but there was one he had instilled in me from an early age, and that was the ability to smell new money from a mile away.

I had met plenty of guys like the one in front of me, and they all had the exact same formula they followed after they hit it big and found sudden success.

They’d tug at their sleeves to show off their expensive cufflinks or rest their car keys in a spot I’d be sure to see, desperate for me to eye the logo of whatever tacky sports car they just bought.

What the man sitting across from me didn’t know was that I very much preferred my boyfriend’s messy hair and ripped shirts and beat up truck.

“What drink do you want?” Grant asked.

Pressing a firm finger to his stupid little card, I pushed it back over to him. “I don’t want a drink and I don’t want you to sit next to me. Please go. ”

He slid the card over again. “Your guy isn’t coming.”

I slid the card right back. “He’ll be here.”

“You and me can hang out until then.” Once again, he moved the card my way. “Until then, I can buy you anything you want on that menu.”

“I don’t need you to buy me anything,” I said, pushing the card his way.

But he wasn’t giving up as he once again slid it towards me. “You see this card? This card—”

“My parents gave me my own one when I turned sixteen.”

He chuckled “I believe you. That’s why I came over here. I love rich girls. They’re always so much fun…”

“Ew.” I rubbed my fingers against my forehead, using my other hand to wave over a waitress or waiter. And of course, they were all busy, their eyes on their iPads as they took orders or their hands stacked with plates. “Please just go. He’s gonna be here soon and you’ve already really annoyed me.”

“I was trying to be nice.”

“You’re trying to be pushy.”

“I’m not scared of your boyfriend.”

I snorted and grabbed my glass of water, taking a quick sip. “Please just leave.”

“Just let me buy you one drink, honey.”

“What did I tell you about calling me that?” I asked. “How many times do I have to tell you that I have a boyfriend? I’m not interested. Just leave me alone.”

It all happened so fast after that. Grant was suddenly yanked right out of his seat and I turned to see a frowning Sawyer standing there. Oh, thank God.

Grant’s eyes suddenly lost all of that spark as Sawyer’s hand stayed locked on Grant’s collar, and I could have laughed at the sheer difference between the two of them: a guy who knew how to fight versus a guy who didn’t know the first thing about getting his hands dirty.

Sawyer was all tall and broad shoulders, hands fisting at Grant’s shirt with that hardened stare I was used to. Grant was giving me a panicked look, his too smooth, too uncalloused hands raising in defense.

“Sounds like she wants you to leave her alone,” Sawyer said, voice deep and rough.

“I was just… I was just messing around, man,” Grant said. “Come on.”

Sawyer’s eyes found mine and I finally felt at ease. He had a way of always making me feel comforted. Nothing was scary with him. Nothing could hurt me when he was there. There was a look of concern on his face as he stared at me, but that glare came right back when he looked over at Grant.

“She looks annoyed, actually,” Sawyer said. “Looks like she doesn’t think you were messing around.”

“Well, I was. Honestly.” Grant looked at me. “Tell him.”

“Don’t look at her,” Sawyer snapped, and Grant quickly followed that instruction. “How long were you sitting next to my girlfriend?”

“I just got here, man. I swear. Like, ten seconds ago.”

“It was more like five minutes,” I chimed up. “Felt like five hours.”

“And you couldn’t take a fuckin’ hint?” Sawyer asked.

“Look, I was just—”

“Yeah, I know what you were tryna do.” Sawyer kept his voice low as he gave Grant a firm push. “She’s not fucking interested.”

“Okay, can I—”

“No,” Sawyer cut him off.

“But—”

“No.”

“My card is—”

“Leave. Now. Move it.”

“But—”

“You need to fucking leave before I make you.”

“I’ll just order another one,” Grant squeaked out.

My eyes rolled, taking a sip of water as Grant scurried back to his table with his hoard of fellow creepy businessmen.

“Are you okay?” Sawyer asked with a deep frown, settling into the opposite side of the booth.

“I’m fine,” I muttered .

“Are you sure? You look upset.” His hand grasped one of mine that I had resting on the table. “Did he do something to you? What did he say to you?”

“Nothing that will keep me up at night.”

“Who the hell was he?”

“Grant something. I don’t know.” I waved a careless hand at the card the man had left behind. “Throw that thing out.”

“Guy’s lucky this is such a classy establishment.” Sawyer picked up the card before tossing it to the floor. “What’s with rich assholes not leaving you alone?”

“I don’t know. I’m cursed or something.” I rubbed my fingers against my forehead. “Where were you? I’ve been here for nearly an hour.”

He let out a long breath. “I got held up at work.”

I nodded once. “Right.”

“This whole day I was looking forward to having this dinner with you, and then…”

“Then what?”

He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I honestly didn’t think the car I was working on would take that long.

But one thing led to another and then it was a rush back home and then I had to get changed and…

But I’m here now,” he offered, squeezing at my hand.

“And you must be hungry, so order whatever you want.”

My eyes lowered to the table. “I thought you weren’t gonna show up.”

“Of course I was gonna come. I wasn’t gonna miss this. I just… got here extremely late.”

“It’s not just tonight. It’s…” I cut myself off before I could spill my guts to him. “Never mind.”

“It’s what?” Sawyer asked.

My head shook. “Nothing. It’s nothing. It’s fine and I’m okay and you’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”