Getting Down to Business. Allison B. Hanson

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ of getting in another throw down, he took a sip of his beer and let it go. His act of bravery hadn’t gone unnoticed by the nearby women. They flirted and batted their eyes at him, but he didn’t have the energy to chase after them.

      He caught Chanda looking at him twice. She was probably considering a two-beer payment for his security skills, but he would take the attention as long as she provided it.

      They made a few jokes about the incident. By the end of the night, she had promised to name her firstborn Doug, regardless of the sex of the child. And she had declared the date National Doug Day.

      What she didn’t know was how every time she said his name he felt his chest tighten up. Maybe it was the stress from the earlier altercation.

      * * * *

      Chanda put the last load of glasses into the sanitizer and turned it on as Mac collected his tips. With a nod to the last remaining patron he said, “Do you want me to kick him out on his arse before I go?”

      “Nah. He’s harmless.” Chanda knew for a fact Doug wasn’t drunk. She’d served him only five beers all night, and he was now stirring the remaining ice from his soda. Besides, he’d come to her rescue.

      She hadn’t told Mac about the incident. No one filed a report, and she didn’t want him to think she couldn’t handle things. She liked this job. It gave her something to do when she wasn’t working her other job. It also gave her a steady paycheck—something sculpting and painting didn’t always offer.

      When Mac was gone, she wiped off the bar and went to stand in front of Doug.

      “Time for me to go, huh?” he said as if it was the last thing he wanted to do.

      “Soon. I have to wait until that’s done cycling. Do you want another soda?”

      “No, thank you.” He pushed the glass away.

      “I can’t help but notice you struck out tonight.” It had been almost painful to watch. His game wasn’t bad, but he came off too desperate.

      He grinned and she noticed how adorable he was when he smiled.

      “It’s quite common.”

      “Maybe you try too hard.”

      He made a show of looking down at his dress shirt and khakis.

      “I’ve got nothing else going on. Not many women are interested in a thirty-three-year-old man who’s broke because he wants to take care of his kid.” Maybe not, but money wasn’t everything. She’d take a nice, broke guy over a rich asshole any day of the week.

      “Why haven’t you ever hit on me?” she asked.

      “I only hit on pretty girls,” he said, letting his shoulders sag. She frowned and let out an irritated noise. So she wasn’t every man’s cup of tea. She looked a little scary with all the piercings and tattoos. But she had nice boobs and she was put together okay. Who the hell did he think he was?

      He looked up at her and his eyes went wide. Probably because she was now glaring at him.

      “Oh, God. No. That didn’t come out right,” he backtracked.

      She crossed her arms, pushing out her nice boobs that a certain someone must not have noticed.

      “How was it supposed to come out?”

      “I hit on pretty girls, because I might have a chance at a pretty girl. You’re in the beautiful woman category. I don’t hit on you because you are waaaay out of my league and it’s a waste of time.”

      She stood up straighter, stunned by his compliment. She didn’t think he’d be able to talk himself out his earlier comment, but she could tell he was sincere. To keep from grinning like an idiot she bit her bottom lip, catching her lip ring between her teeth.

      Doug wasn’t a bad looking guy. He had an adorable smile and nice eyes. He wasn’t buff, but he was solid. She’d heard him refer to himself as chubby, but she didn’t agree. She knew he had a nice sense of humor—and he was obviously brave. Plus he’d just called her beautiful.

      “I thought maybe you weren’t into the Asian thing.” She shrugged.

      “That’s not it. I’m very into the Asian thing. I mean, not to the point of it being a fetish. Just the right amount of interest.” He let out a breath and rolled his eyes. “You see now why I haven’t hit on you?”

      “Well, it doesn’t seem like you have many options left. Maybe you should give it a try.”

      * * * *

      Doug stared at the woman for a moment, unsure what her game was. Or maybe he’d thought about her so much he was having delusions.

      “I don’t even know what I would say. Even when I fantasize about you, we don’t talk.” He closed his eyes when he realized what he’d just said.

      Her only response was a giggle. Great, she was amused. It could have been worse. She could have freaked out and called him a pervert. If she knew the kinds of things he’d fantasized about with her she might.

      He ran his hand through his hair and laughed.

      “Even if I had a chance in hell, it would be difficult to recover from telling you that.”

      “I’ll give you a restart.”

      “Yes. Because a restart will make a world of difference.”

      “Come on. I’m giving you a chance here. You already have hero status. For someone who professes to think I’m beautiful, you seem to be letting the opportunity slip away.”

      “Fantasy you is not so bossy.”

      “Get used to it.” She smiled and his heart sped up. He hated to break it to his heart that this was going nowhere. And his dick…Well, it never listened anyway, so he didn’t have to bother.

      “Okay. Here goes.” He twisted his neck to the side and rolled his shoulders. “Chanda…”

      She looked surprised.

      “You know my name?”

      “Of course, I know your name. I’ve been coming here for like two years. You bring me drinks. I like my fantasies to have names at least. It makes them more realistic.”

      She laughed and then waved her hand.

      “Sorry. Continue.”

      “Chanda,” he repeated and took a breath. “Watching you work captivates me.” At this point, he didn’t even care that he was embarrassing himself. He was a complete ass and this was more than likely going nowhere.

      “Oh?”

      “Are you completely creeped out yet?” He laughed it off, but knew it sounded bad.

      “Oddly, no. Go ahead.”

      “Wow. All right.” He folded his arms on the bar and leaned in closer even though СКАЧАТЬ