The hostess narrows her eyes. “As in the manager?”
“Yes,” Finn says, trying his best to curb his annoyance.
Overworked and dealing with endless customer complaints, the hostess matches his annoyance. “He’s in his office, but there’s nothing complaining will do for you. We’re overbooked. We’ll let you know when your table is ready.” She all but hisses at Finn.
Pulling his wallet out of his back pocket, Finn produces a one hundred dollar bill. He folds it between his fingers and holds it out to the hostess. “Will you please take a moment to tell Angelo that Griffin Harvey the Third is here, waiting at the bar, and would really like to say hello before I leave?” He wiggles the bill at her. “Can you remember all that or do you need me to write it down?”
Snatching the bill from his fingers, she grumbles something under her breath.“I’ll let him know,” she says clearly before disappearing into the back of the restaurant.
Finn places his hand on my lower back and leans down to whisper into my ear. He smells intoxicating. His rich cologne is sweet and earthy, with a touch of sandalwood. “Will you do me a favor?” Finn asks.
“Sure.”
“Don’t order any more drinks.”
I immediately shrivel in place. How insensitive of me. Actually, I’m all sorts of confused. On one hand, Finn’s business is struggling, hence our deal, but on the other, he just tipped the hostess one hundred bucks to simply deliver a message. I haven’t been to Finn’s house yet, but I know it’s much smaller than Dex’s. Then again, I saw Finn’s truck and either his car payment is more than his mortgage or he stole the damn thing.
“I’m sorry. I got carried away. These are expensive,” I say, nodding toward my whiskey sour on the bar. “Let me at least pay for my drinks. I insist.”
Confusion briefly flashes over his face until he realizes what I’m insinuating. He chuckles. “Oh, no, Avery. It’s not the money.” He leans in closer, dropping his tone. “All I want to do right now is rip off that dress, get you soaking wet for me, and then bend you over. You have no idea what’s coming for you tonight. But I can’t fuck you if you’re drunk.”
“Oh…” My breathing kicks up. When Finn says stuff like this in private, I know it’s part of the game. But in public? It feels dangerously sincere. Like he actually wants me all of his accord.
“That’s another lesson, by the way.” Finn winks at me.
“Huh?”
“Flirting in public. It’s good for your sex life.”
I nod in a hurry, hoping no one can hear us over the sea of chatter at the bar. “Got it. Public flirting. Noted. Um…but I’m not drunk, just so you know. Not even close.” Partial lie.
“You sure? Spell hippopotamus backward.”
I give him a deadpan stare. “I couldn’t do that completely sober, Finn.”
His laughter is playful as he rubs his palm from side to side across my lower back. I never remember Mason touching me like this in public. He’d open doors and pull out my chair like a gentleman, but he never touched me like this, at every opportunity, just because he wanted to.
“Mr. Harvey?”
We whip our heads around to see the hostess from before, back, with a tucked-tail expression on her face. “Angelo wanted to apologize for the delay. He’ll be out a little later to say hello. In the meantime, we have the VIP table ready for you.”
“Thank you,” Finn says expectantly. I’m incredibly impressed, but Finn nods like he knew exactly the card he played and what the end result would be.
“I’m sorry about before,” the hostess says, obviously nervous. “I’ve been getting yelled at all evening…but anyway, I didn’t realize who you are.”
“It’s fine. No apologies necessary. Thank you.” Finn smiles at me. “You ready, Queen?” He holds out his hand.
“Yes.” In perfect timing, my appetite hits me like a freight train. I’m starving. “Oh, we need to pay for our drinks, though.” I spin to try and flag down the bartender, but the hostess interrupts.
“No need. They’re comped. Right this way.” She gestures away from the bar, and my hand is almost in Finn’s until I notice the rude blond woman giving me a nasty stare with her lips pursed. I almost ignore it, taking a few steps behind Finn, but I suddenly change my mind.
“One second,” I say. “I forgot something.” I double back to the bar and grab my now watery whiskey sour. Making a point to brush up against the blond woman, I clear my throat. Her eyes, full of contempt, snap down at me. I take in a deep breath as I do something I’ve never done before…
Maybe it’s the drinks, maybe it’s Finn’s energy, or perhaps it’s the fact that I actually fixed up, went out, and am feeling damn good about myself tonight. You have no right to take that away from me. I won’t let you. So I proceed to put this bitch in her place.
“Your jealousy is warranted,” I say before I take a small sip of my drink. “His dick is huge, he fucks like a god, and he’s also the kindest man I’ve ever met.” I flash her a cocky smile. “Enjoy your evening.”
Spinning on my heel, I don’t bother to stick around for her reaction. But I hope her jaw is dropped and she’s shocked at my audacity.
“All good?” Finn asks. He’s waiting, his hand still outstretched for mine.
I lace my fingers in his. “All good.”
15
Finn
I think I’ve figured it out.
The reason I’m so drawn to Avery is because she can’t help but be herself. She embarrasses easily but can laugh at herself. She startles like a buck during hunting season but recovers so quickly with grace. She’s shy yet forward all at the same time. Shy enough to feel like a fish out of water in the bedroom but forward enough to ask me for help with her insecurities.
“Do you mind if I order for us?” I ask Avery, sitting on the other side of the booth. This table could seat at least eight. It’s completely unnecessary for just Avery and me, but I’m assuming Angelo’s pissed at his staff and a little worried about his job at the moment.
“Not at all,” she says as she taps away on her phone.
“You sure? It drives some women crazy.”
She lifts one eyebrow but doesn’t look away from her phone screen. “I’m assuming you know this restaurant well?”
“I do.”
“Then you know what’s good.” She finally looks up at me and tucks her phone away in her clutch.
“Work emergency?” I ask.
She shakes her head, causing her long hair to jostle. I’m not used to seeing her thick, dark hair down. It’s hard to picture Avery without the sloppy bun. The woman in front of me is almost unrecognizable.
“No. I was Googling how to spell hippopotamus. To be honest, I wasn’t one hundred percent sure I could spell it forward, let alone backward.”
“For shame, Avery. College educated and can’t spell hippopotamus? What were they teaching you?”
She points both fingers at me. “You know something? College was useless for me. Everything I’ve learned that’s helpful for my job, I taught myself. All college got me was a mountain of student loan debt.”