.

Чтение книги онлайн.

       Chapter 2

      Christian Chandler sailed through The Reserve wine bar and headed toward the back offices, taking in the tempo of the jazz music that flowed through the sound system. Inside his office, he tossed his car keys on the desk, one of three in the rectangular room. The other belonged to his partners, Kent Adams and Raymond Gray. Chris looked at his watch. Kent would be walking in any moment, but Ray would be late as usual.

      Picking up a pile of mail, Chris sorted through it absentmindedly, as the music faded into the background. Last night’s date moved to the forefront of his thoughts. He wished it had gone better. He was sure the curvaceous beauty had a lot going for her, but the only thing he remembered being on display were her voluptuous boobs. He’d grown enough in his years since grad school to desire more than just a set of impressive curves. The old Chris would have continued dating her, but recently he found himself wanting something different.

      Chris placed the mail back on the desk, when their restaurant manager knocked on the door. Sitting down, he called for her to come in.

      “Hey, babycakes.” Trina was also the establishment’s equal-opportunity flirt. Her tall, shapely frame made it easy for men to receive her harmless advances. She always had an ego-enhancing compliment handy. “How’s it going?” Trina sat on the edge of his desk.

      “Pretty good. What about you?”

      “Just marvelous. I’d be even better had my date ended well last night.”

      “You too? That seems to be going around.”

      Trina rolled her eyes. “It’s getting harder to find good ones these days. I’m glad Ray found someone that he seems to adore. You and Kent are the last two great catches standing. Too bad I don’t date my bosses.” Her snicker made Chris laugh. “Anyway, I didn’t come to complain about my dating misadventures. A gentleman stopped by to ask about playing a live set. He’s a violinist.”

      Chris narrowed his eyes.

      “I know. I told him that we focus on jazz, but then he whipped out his instrument...” Trina paused and let the innuendo hang in the air. She smirked, obviously amused with herself, and then continued. “His violin, that is,” she said, winking. “He proceeded to play the most beautiful rendition of the latest release of that hot new R&B artist, Champagne. I had him leave his contact information and then looked him up online.” Trina handed Chris the musician’s card. “He’s a-mazing!” Her eyes rolled back, emphasizing her appreciation for the man’s work. “He’s pretty popular for his creative renditions of songs, from pop to jazz to classical. I’d love to have him come in and give us a preview, but I wanted to run it by you guys first.”

      Nodding his head, Chris turned the card between his fingers. “Thanks. Set it up. How’s everything else?”

      “Outstanding! Also, I received another call from that magazine editor. She’s scheduling interviews and photo shoots with the honorees and wanted to get the three of you on her calendar.”

      “Really!” Chris’s brows lifted, and a smile swept across his face. “Check with Kent and Ray, and let’s settle on a date soon.”

      “Cool. You deserve the recognition. You three are doing a great job at making The Reserve a hot spot. It happened so fast.”

      “Thanks, Trina!” He grinned with a modest amount of pride.

      Tilting her head, Trina gave Chris a delightful smile. “Seriously. I’m very proud of you guys.” She patted his hand. “And I’m happy to be a part of the team.”

      “You are part of this. Thanks for all you do.”

      “You’re welcome, babycakes. See you at the staff meeting. This girl has some real work to do. I can’t just stand around being pretty.” She blew a kiss as she left the office.

      Things were going well for Chris—the family business, their foundation and this fairly new venture with his longtime friends. Every area of his life seemed to be thriving with a flowing momentum. Dating was the only aspect that was still uncertain. Recently he hadn’t met women he was interested in seeing beyond the first few dates. His access to beautiful ladies was still plentiful, but lately most seemed interested in his pedigree. He was over women who wanted him to be attached to the Chandler legacy. Something was changing, and Chris wasn’t sure if it was the women or him.

      Ray entered their office with the force of a hurricane. “What’s up?” His energy charged the room.

      “You’re here early,” Kent kidded, walking in behind him.

      “It’s three o’clock.” Ray’s brows furrowed.

      “Yeah. On time is early for you!” Chris jumped in on the joke, sharing a laugh with Kent.

      “Ha!” Ray clapped his hands. “Let’s get this party started.” He removed his suit jacket, tossed it on the back of his chair and sat down with his feet up on the desk.

      Kent plopped in his chair and swiveled to face Ray. “You seem happy. What’s good?”

      “Everything!”

      Chris laughed, shaking his head. “How’s Brynn?”

      Ray’s smile nearly split his face at the mention of his girlfriend’s name. “Brynn’s good. I just left her.”

      “I still can’t believe you two met online. I’ve always been skeptical of that.” Chris shrugged, reaching for a notepad.

      “Me too, man,” Kent agreed.

      “I was too, until I found Brynn. I can’t believe our paths never crossed before—especially after discovering that we knew so many of the same people. I keep telling you guys to give this online thing a try.”

      “Maybe I should!” Chris said jokingly. “Do you think it would stop my mother from trying to hook me up with her friends’ daughters?”

      “Dates chosen by mothers never work out well.” Kent chuckled.

      “Try it. What can it hurt?” Ray asked.

      “It’s just not for me.” Chris sucked air through his teeth.

      “Sounds to me like regular dating isn’t working out so well either.”

      “Very funny, Ray!”

      “He’s got a point, Chris. We’re the ones who are still single.”

      “By choice,” Chris said pointedly, with a lifted index finger.

      “Exactly! That’s because you’ve already dated most of the women you know, player!” Kent howled. “Save some for the rest of us, man.”

      Laughing, Kent offered Ray a high five.

      “I can’t help it if I’m in demand.” Chris gave his collar a smug tug.

      Kent and Ray looked at each other and burst into laughter once again. Chris couldn’t help but СКАЧАТЬ