The O Intention(9)

“It’s those books you read.” she points out, sticking her long, slender index finger in my face. “Who are you reading about now? A rich man in a suit?”

She will not win this. “No.” I lie and she rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. I warned you about those novels.” She flicks her hand at me. “Cover the bar, I need to pee.”

Sadie always needs to pee. It’s her thing. Some people smoke and eat when they’re nervous or stressed, but not her. She pees. Her body is so petite and tiny that her bladder fills up quickly. On second thought, I don’t know how she’s managed to pop out four kids. She has a frame the same size as a young teenage girl.

Sadie disappears into the back room while I wait patiently at the front. For a Tuesday, it’s super quiet. I contemplate wiping the bar down again, but there’s a small nag at the back of my mind, I just can’t shake. It’s telling me to google Jesse. I glance down at my black handbag that’s tucked nicely under the bar, then, quickly avert my attention. No. I’m not going to google him. Who am I, Bella Swan? I don’t need google to find out something that I, and everyone else, already knows. A heavy blanket of dread settles in my stomach. I slept with my boss, didn’t I? Oh, boy.

With nothing else to do, I tap my uncolored nails against the wood. Stupid thoughts and ideas swirl in my head, but I know I shouldn’t worry so much. What are the odds of running into him again? I’ve seen him once. Only once.

“Holy hell…” Sadie gasps as she pushes through the door and steps back into the main bar. In her hands, she clenches her iphone and holds it close to her face. “That’s him?”

The dread in my stomach curls into massive balls of stress and begin squeezing into other organs.

“Give me a look.” I surge toward her and snatch the phone from her hands. Sure enough, there he is. In the bright light, his brown eyes are vivid and framed by thick, dark lashes. His smile is quirked on a sexy angle and a dimple barely shows, while his shoulders still look as broad as I know they feel.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone approaching the bar. Not wanting to serve them, I drop low and hide, keeping my eyes glued to the screen. How can a man so… delicious, be so terrible at sex?

“Alix.” Sadie whispers, nudging me with her foot.

I ignore her. I’m far too fixated on the photos I hold in my hand. It’s a shame… really.

A rather deep sound reverberates around my skull as someone clears their throat. Again, I ignore it.

“I’m certain there’s a rule about having handbags and phones in the bar area.”

Oh, shit. That’s a familiar voice. With a squeak, I fall back on my ass and land on two, large and uncomfortable shoes. Clutching the phone to my chest, I slowly peer up to see the face of the shoes I’m sitting on. Please be Sadie or Marise. As I tilt my head back far enough, the face I meet is not feminine, nor are there any bangs crafted perfectly against his forehead. Just my luck, the shoes I sit on belong to, quite possibly, the worse lay of my life and my boss, Mr. Jesse O’Ryan…

I knew I should have called in sick this morning.





Chapter Three





Alix



I remain still and stare up at him in disbelief. Well… this wasn’t supposed to happen. It was supposed to be one night and then nothing. We weren’t meant to see each other again. Still, as I look at him, my mind can’t help but wander back into naughty territory—even though it recalls last night’s disappointment perfectly.

“Comfortable?” He asks, frowning down at me.

This moment can’t possibly get any worse so, unable to stop myself, I shrug. “I’ve been in more uncomfortable, unsatisfactory situations.”

Sadie’s breath hitches as her brows knit together and it sends a wave of sobriety surging over me. He’s my boss—the man that can fire me at the drop of a hat. I need to get my shit together and show a little respect. Besides, it’s not his fault he’s super vanilla.

“Sorry.” I mumble, pushing myself to my feet.

Avoiding his face, I extend my arm for Sadie to take her phone, but she promptly shakes her head and purses her lips. “That’s not mine.”

I turn her phone over and on the back, her four children are smiling up at me. I give her a pointed look. Clearly, I’m in enough trouble already. I don’t need to take heat for her phone too. Sadie’s cheeks blush pink and she quickly takes the phone from my hands and stuffs it into the pocket of her black slacks.

“Sadie,” Jesse says, his voice calm and even, “Do you mind taking control of the bar while I speak to Alix in private.”