Lead (16 page)

“It’s fine. I didn’t give them a time.”

Great. “Jimmy, read between the lines. It’s time for you to go.”

He turned a truly pained look heavenward. “Can’t a man finish his soda? Is that really too much to ask?”

“Yes. Please leave.”

“You don’t have a problem with me being here a bit longer do you, Ben?”

“Not at all, Jim. So … Lena.” Ben finally put down his cell and picked up his beer, giving me an easy smile. “Catch the game last night?”

With a groan, Jimmy rubbed a hand across his face. “She just told you we watched a movie. Plus, she hates sports. You’re boring her, this is a disaster.”

One of the great things about this restaurant was the small tables. I could easily kick Jimmy in the shin, I hardly had to stretch at all.

“What the fuck was that for?” he griped, reaching down to inspect his pants leg. “This is a custom-made suit, Lena. Have a little respect.”

“Oops. Sorry,” I lied with a grimace, thus displaying my brilliant acting abilities. “Did I accidentally catch you with my boot?”

“No! You kicked me on purpose.”

My lips pressed tight together. “Oh, you asshole. I lied and covered for you the other night at Ev’s.”

With movements sharp and angry, Jimmy snatched up a napkin and carefully brushed off his pants. Threats of revenge shone bright in his nasty, beautiful, beady, little eyes.

Yeah, bring it on, baby.

“Why are you two always kicking each other?” Ben asked, interrupting the heated looks. “Just out of interest?”

Jimmy shrugged. “Everyone has their hobbies, Ben.”

“Right.” Amusement lit his face and fair enough really, this date was a farce. His phone pinged again. “Sorry.”

“Seems you’re pretty busy with whoever keeps messaging you. Maybe we should try this another night, unchaperoned, even.” I gave Ben a sweet smile. The one I gave Jimmy was distinctly less so.

“No, Jim’s right, I’m being rude. I’ll put this away.” He gave the cell one last longing look before placing it screen side down on the table. “Ah … what shall we order?”

With a flourish, he passed me a menu. “Anything catch your fancy?”

Jimmy sipped his Coke in silence. He may or may not have been pouting, I refused to check.

“Mm, everything looks good.” It also looked wildly overpriced. I always went Dutch on dates, but this time, it might very well kill me. Trust Jimmy to pick the most expensive damn place in town. I was tempted to kick him once more, just for fun.

Ben’s cell pinged again and Jimmy reached over, picking it up. His brows rose high as he checked out the screen. “Fucking hell, man. Do you have a death wish?”

“None of your business.” Ben held out his hand.

Jimmy placed the cell back in it. “Right. Good luck with that, I’ll make sure your funeral’s real nice.”

Ben did not reply.

“I might just have an entrée,” I said, interrupting whatever was going on between them. “I’m not all that hungry.”

“What’s wrong? You don’t know what to try?” asked Jimmy, stealing the menu from me. He took his time looking it over. “Why don’t you have the ginger chicken, it’s got a caramelized sauce. You like sweet stuff. And … vermicelli with Asian greens. That’ll be good, I think you’ll enjoy it.”

“I can order for myself, thanks,” I bit out. “I’m just not that hungry.”

“You haven’t eaten since lunch. Course you are.” His face creased up in confusion. “C’mon, the chef here is great or I wouldn’t have chosen the place.”

“Just a soup or something, will do. Can I please have that back, please?”

“No.”

“Jimmy.”

He held the stupid thing out of reach. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Ben said nothing and hid behind his own menu. Coward. We were through. I could never date a man who didn’t stand beside me in the face of mindless oppression. Also, he was just too tall, I’d have constant neck aches trying to get high enough to kiss the guy.

“You are wrong,” I said, face warming in anger. “You are behaving all sorts of wrong. You shouldn’t even be here.”

He cocked his head and studied me. Still didn’t pass the damn menu. I swear I saw red, endless expanses of it. Though that might have been the scarlet silk lining the restaurant walls.

I clicked my fingers in demand. “Give it to me.”

A moment later his features relaxed, and finally, at long damn last, he handed the stupid thing over. “You’re worried about money.”

I followed Ben’s good example and hid behind the thick black folder.

“Lena?” Jimmy hooked a finger in the top of the menu, pulling it down so he could see me. “Me or Ben will pay. Why the hell are you worrying about that? Just enjoy yourself, eat what you want. That’s why I brought you here.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, searching for a calm happy place. It eluded me. “Jimmy, I pay Dutch when I go out on a date. It’s my way and I expect you to respect that. Also, you didn’t bring me here. Well, you did, but … never mind, I’m supposed to be here on a date with Ben. You are supposed to be somewhere else. Not sitting here, worrying about what I’m ordering for dinner or who’s paying or what we’re talking about.”

“And if I was somewhere else you’d wind up eating soup you don’t even want and going home hungry having been bored shitless while Benny played with his phone. So it’s just as well I am here.” He rested his chin atop the back of his chair. “Right, Ben?”

“Right, Jim.” Ben rose to his feet. “Guys, I’m just going to use the bathroom. Won’t be long.”

“Sure,” said Jim, eyes still on me.

With a brief smile, Ben turned to go. Then stopped, collecting his cell off the table. “Better take this with me. Seriously, I’m having a great time hanging with you two. We should definitely do this more often. See you soon.”

I watched the big man wander into a hallway. The broad expanse of his back disappeared into the dimly lit tunnel. Going, going, gone.

“He’s not coming back, is he?” I asked.

“Nope. He’s probably out the back door already.”

“I’ve never actually run off a guy on the first date before. What an achievement.”

“Don’t.” Jimmy looked up from the menu, pinning me with his eyes. “It’s Ben’s loss. You’re great.”

My mind reeled and my insides turned to mush. “No, you see? This is the problem with you. For every thoughtless assholish move you make, you then turn around and do or say something wonderful it just makes everything all right. I can never find my balance because I never know what’s going to come next. You’re impossible.”

He gave me a long look. “You finished?”

“Yes.”

He stood and returned his pilfered chair to a nearby table. The he sat in the one the bass player had so recently vacated. “I’m thinking the sugarcane prawn rolls, ginger chicken, BBQ pork buns, and a couple of the vegetable dishes. Sound good?”

“Sure.”

“I don’t know that you and Ben would be good together after all. Not sure what I was thinking there.” He didn’t seem particularly bothered by the failure. But then again, deep down where it mattered, neither was I. A big
meh
now sat where any upset regarding the situation should have been. With Jimmy sitting opposite me, watching me, happy hormones flooded my brain proving yet again just what an idiot I was when it came to him.

“Oh, well. It wouldn’t have gone any better if I’d picked someone,” I said with a smile. “I have the worst taste in men.”

He said nothing.

“Sorry. No offense meant.”

“None taken.”

“My collection of past boyfriends is not something to be proud of.”

“That bad, huh?”

“You have no idea. I have in my time dated a cheater, a thief, a repressed homosexual, a foot fetishist, and various men who just wanted a chance to meet my sister.”

“Why’s the foot fetishist so bad?”

“Always with the strappy high heels. My toes were killing me.”

“Ah.”

“Anyway, this is no longer a date.” I needed to say it out loud, just put it out there for the universe to hear. Let’s not explore why.

“No, of course not,” he agreed immediately with great conviction. It only stung a little. “It’s a business meeting between me and my assistant. I’m paying, order whatever you want.”

I swallowed a mouthful of soda water. “Thank you. Did I damage your suit?”

“No, just needs cleaning. I’m pretty sure you bruised me though.”

“You bruised my toes,” I said.

“We’re even then.”

I set aside the menu and slumped back in my seat while Jimmy ordered dinner. Poor, Ben. Also, how embarrassing, I hope he didn’t tell the others. Though they all knew we’d been planning on going out so the story was bound to get around. They were going to laugh their collective asses off. Mal in particular would never let me live it one down. Sometimes, having friends was a pain in the butt.

It was nothing less than the truth. They were important to me. Somehow, despite my best intentions to keep to myself, I’d failed miserably. For the first time in a long time I did have people I thought of as friends. People who came over to the house and hung out. People who invited me to things and genuinely wanted me to be there. As crap as I’d been at accepting invitations.

It was nice.

Before the waiter could slip away, I handed him my untouched gin. “I’m finished with that. Can you take it, please? Thank you.”

Jimmy watched in his usual blasé manner, completely unruffled. “You could have drunk it. I wouldn’t have minded.”

“I could have,” I said. “But it wouldn’t have felt right. And while it’s great that you have opinions on everything I think, wear, and do, I’m not going do something that doesn’t feel right just to please you, Jimmy.”

“You’re not drinking it because of me, so that actually makes no sense.”

I shrugged, gave him a half-hearted smile. “Sometimes things that make the least sense are the most true. Such is the mystery of life.”

He cocked an eyebrow at me, then looked down at his menu shaking his head. “You got that out of a fortune cookie, didn’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“You never said your sister was getting married soon.”

“What are you doing in here and how do you know about that?” I asked, carefully applying a last coat of mascara. Hair done, heels and dress on, round two of dating other people was a go. Hopefully, with more success tonight because it could hardly be with less. Jimmy and I needed to have a stern talk about boundaries with possible butt kicking involved.

Our day had been normal mixed with bizarre on account of the sushi chef showing up to give me lessons before lunch. Another little surprise from Jimmy to cover point four on the list. It’d been fun, though I doubted I’d be moving into the hospitality and catering industries anytime soon. Jimmy had taken one look at my attempts at sashimi and announced he’d be having a protein shake for lunch. Mr. Nakimura had just given me a sad sigh. To be honest, the disappointment hadn’t hit too hard, raw fish really wasn’t my thing.

But back to Jimmy’s latest bedroom invasion.

“This got mixed in with my stuff.” He threw the glossy ivory invite onto my bathroom counter. Without my glasses on, he was just a sexy smudge in the mirror. “You dressed up this time.”

He bent over, apparently checking out my legs or the knee-length hem of my skirt. Whatever. I refused to be lead astray by his false attentions. He wasn’t interested in me, not in any way that counted toward my vagina or my heart getting what they wanted.

“Nice,” he said. “Red looks good on you.”

“Thanks. Now get out.”

“Put these on. You need to see something.”

My glasses came at me. Carefully, he positioned them on my nose. I had my usual reaction to seeing him, having him standing so close. A certain lightness in my head, fluttery feelings in my chest and loins, that sort of thing. I wasn’t proud, but the warmth and pull of his body was undeniable to my girl parts. Then, from behind his back he produced a bouquet of flowers, arranged in a glass vase.

Oh my god.

“You bought me dahlias?” Color me stunned. My heart gave a hopeful overexcited throb. “They’re beautiful.”

He snorted. “Course I didn’t buy you fucking flowers. Read the card.”

“‘Sorry about taking off. Let’s just be friends. Ben.’” I laughed at me, him, and the universe. It seemed the best possible response. “You told him to send me these, didn’t you?”

“Hmm,” he uttered cryptically. Then he placed them on the counter while I put the final fix on my attempt at putting my hair in a bun. He stood there and stared which was not helpful for the pre-date jitters. I did my best to ignore him. Hard given the way he watched me, his gaze doing a slow circuit of my body, no curve left unnoticed. The man was the king of mixed messages. I didn’t know whether to kick him or jump him, this was ridiculous. All of a sudden, balancing in my high heels seemed a test of great dexterity and conviction. The man made me quiver.

“Jimmy?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re staring.”

He met my eyes, blinked. “How much time you going to need off for the wedding?”

“None,” I said, searching his face for some sign, some acknowledgement of what he’d been doing. But he just gave me the scrunched-up face of disapproval, brows tight and eyes narrowed.

No, come on. He had to know he’d been looking me over like a sex thing. I mean, like I was a person he wanted to have sex with.

Yes.

God damn it, my heart and hormones. Both were being stressed right the fuck out.

“I’m not going,” I said, concentrating on re-arranging the clutter on the counter. If I could just have a moment to pull my shit together I’d be fine.

“Why not?”

“Next few months before the tour are going to be out. I’m too busy. You can’t possibly do without me here.”

“Bullshit. I can spare you for a few days.”

“Ah, but they don’t know that. Move, please.” I tapped him on the nose with the tip of my finger.

He stepped back, frowning. “So you got family issues? I wondered when you didn’t ask to go home for Thanksgiving. I take it this is about that sibling hate you mentioned when I was having issues with Dave?”

“Indeed it is. But I get on fine with the rest of my family. I call my mom a couple of times a week, chat with my dad too.”