Closing The Gap (Dangerous Pasts, #1) (10 page)

Antoine arrived and asked Roberts if he would like something to drink after he noticed the new member seated at the booth. 

“I want the strongest and best tequila known to humanity.  I want it here and I want it now.  Especially, since he’s buying.”  He grinned and pointed at Josh.  “Should we move this party in to the bar?”

“Very good, sir.  I’ll be right back with those.  By the way, all reservations are in for the evening so feel free to stay at this table for as long as you’d like.”  Antoine turned towards the bar and strode away to fetch the drinks.

“I’m not used to drinking this much,” Lake lamented.  “You might need a wheelbarrow to carry me out of here.”

Roberts grabbed her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles in a scene that probably looked to outsiders like something from the Victorian era.  “You, my beauty, are most likely light as a feather and I’d carry you home if I had to walk the whole way.”

“You are so full of shit.  Set down your shovel and stop digging.  Why are you crashing our date and who told you we were here?”  With relish, he imagined beating that loose lipped person senseless but knew that it had been his dad.  His friend’s presence brought on a mild annoyance but that was nothing new.  Why wasn’t he on his own date?  It must have been a bust.

“Chuck let it slip when I called over there looking for you.  You didn’t answer your cell so I thought it might be dead.  Now, after sitting here for a few minutes in this delightful company,” - he gave Lake another kiss to the hand - “I can see why that thing is put on vibrate.”  He sidled up to Lake’s right side again and draped his left arm across the back of the booth and her shoulders.  “Has it vibrated yet, Trash?”

“I have no idea, I haven’t looked at it.”  While giving Roberts a quelling look that told him he better stifle the suggestive sexual innuendo or else, Josh leaned back and glanced at Lake.  Her smile looked bright and genuine.  She enjoyed having Roberts next to her.  Damn that good looking, funny and silver tongued son of bitch.  Black clouds were brewing and there’d be rain on his parade.  Couldn’t Roberts recognize their connection?  No, the only thought he ever held for more than a second was himself.  That’s why he’d busted in here like an unwanted SWAT team member so they could ditch Lake and go hit the town like they used to back in their glory days.  If only he could give him a signal.  Maybe he’d text him the next time he needed to use the restroom and tell him to back the fuck off.

A
fter about an hour of animated and hysterical stories from the two of them, Lake glanced down at her watch and found it was already ten.  Where had the time gone?  This night would go down as one of her most enjoyable in a long time and by far the best first date of her life.  She found herself depressed that the evening would end soon and she’d most likely not see Josh or Ryan in the near future.  Once she’d stopped peering at his shoes and started studying his face, she’d found she didn’t want to stop and she felt comfortable looking.  His wicked sense of humor and blatant sexuality had her nerves standing on end.  She noticed a delicious tension had settled in the pit of her stomach.  Due to the long distance between their homes, further dates couldn’t work.  She knew it and he knew it so she hoped he didn’t ruin their wonderful evening by taking the liberty of bullshitting her.

Positive feelings coursed through Lake due to Ryan’s irresistible presence and raucous sense of humor.  Even though she wasn’t physically attracted to him, he still so strongly resembled her sister in personality that she embraced the immediate bond being created between them.  She would pay admission to see Ryan and Summer together and watch the sparks fly.  Lake didn’t want to predict who would be the winner of that verbal sparring competition.  She found herself yearning to keep in touch with him.  He must have been thinking along the same lines because he pulled his phone out and handed it to her.  Connections that deep and immediate didn’t come along every day so if you encountered one, you needed to do the work to help it  blossom.

“I want your number so in case you ever come to southern Florida for a horse show or to look at horses, you can give me a call.  My brother and I have a band and we play The Keys a few times a month.  I play lead guitar and Ben plays the bass.  I guarantee we’ll show you the best time ever!”

Lake punched her cell phone number into his contacts along with her e-mail address.  “I’d like that.  I don’t get the opportunity to go to Florida much on business but Naples is one of my sister’s favorite places so we go there for about a month each winter and rent a house on the beach.  I’ll be sure to give you a call this winter and we can all get together.  I’d love to hear you play guitar!”

Not to be outdone, Josh wanted to put her contact information in his phone too and asked her if she ever made it up to his neck of the woods. 

“I travel to Chicago quite a bit during the year, once every few months.  There are major Arabian training centers within driving distance and it’s inexpensive to fly in to O’Hare so it’s a hub for horse activities.  Especially, checking out horses for sale,” Lake explained as she typed the same information into Josh’s phone.

Finished, she laid his phone back on the table facing her as she turned to listen to Ryan’s latest and greatest story about the women who follow his band, acting wild and reckless, like out of control groupies.  Apparently, they had a hard time remaining stable while dancing and too much liquor caused their clothes to fall right off their bodies in public.  Like it couldn’t be Ryan and his brother Ben that were causing the deliberate wardrobe malfunctions?  The man possessed razor sharp comic timing along with his crazy good looks.  Some men had it all and she’d never been this close to two at the same time.  It was proving to be agony on the senses.

Josh slid out of the booth to head to the restroom again and Ryan trotted after him.  She understood the side effects of too much liquor although he seemed to hold his with ease and didn’t suffer the symptoms of alcohol in spite of the one hundred proof scotch.  She wondered why they were heading to the restroom together and hoped they weren’t plotting their exit strategy.

The phone in front of her lit up and vibrated with an incoming text.  Distracted by Ryan, Lake hadn’t realized that Josh’s phone still laid on the table.  Knowing she shouldn’t, she still glanced down at it, compelled to read the words when she saw the name.  Lauren.  Aware she’d invade his privacy by looking, a perverse curiosity took hold of her good judgment.  Lauren might be a broadcasting colleague since Chuck had assured her that Josh didn’t have any romantic involvements.

Josh, it’s been so long.  I can’t wait to have your tongue between my legs again until I’m screaming your name.  I’ve never wanted anyone so bad, I’m dripping wet.  I need you, baby.  How soon can I come over?

Lake shoved the phone across the table towards his half empty glass as though she’d touched a hot burner and seared her fingers.  A rancid sensation bubbled up from her gut into her throat.  An awful feeling.  Charging forward, larger than life, galloped an emotion she had no right to feel.  Jealousy.  She inhaled so deeply she saw stars behind her eyes.  Looking around for Josh and Ryan, she didn’t see either one of them.  She had to escape the sudden heat and constriction of the restaurant.  Why did she always make such stupid mistakes?  The room spun violently around her from too much alcohol, its dizzying effects intensified by her own ignorance.  Could she be any more of a complete and utter moron?  She’d just turned thirty-seven years old and that was far old enough to know better.  Ashamed of herself for being such a naïve fool, she grabbed her phone and texted Summer. 

Leaving the restaurant, walking towards FLW.  How soon can u get here?  Need u to pick me up!

In the area, there in 5.

Lake grabbed her purse and fled, her fingers curled around her cell phone in a death grip.  She never wanted to see him again.

****

H
e shouldn’t have broken the bathroom seal the first time.  Now, he had to pee every ten minutes.  He made an immediate decision to cut himself off of liquids for the rest of the evening because he’d become irritated by all the trips to the men’s room. 

Josh thought it was fine Roberts and Lake had hit it off but he wanted her all to himself.  He slid his hand into his pocket to grab his phone and text Roberts to beat it and discovered he had left it on the table.  Shit.  Maybe he would take the hint and leave when the time came to go home.  Josh planned to suggest a nightcap at Chuck’s house as his dad stayed over with Lois on Saturdays.  He wanted to kiss Lake again in a familiar environment rather than in the car or under the front porch lights like a horny teenager.  He was dying to rub his tongue along the hollow of her neck where he’d seen her pulse throbbing.  If he did his best to storm her defenses, he might get the chance. 

As he washed his hands, the door swung open and Roberts appeared. 

“Just checking in to see how things are going.  That’s a great girl you have there.  Mine was a bust, I’m afraid.  I’m just not in to the rich daddy’s girls and I could tell right away she would turn into saran wrap because of her sense of entitlement.  I couldn’t even muster up the inspiration to fuck her.  If I had she would have stalked me all the way home to Florida.  I’m not surprised about Lake, though.  Your dad said something when I talked to him last night about her being a one in a million.  I thought you might need me for interference the way women seem to clamp onto you like leaches but this one seems different.  Should I scram?”

“Yeah, I’m afraid so.  You’re not sliding into this one just to prove that you can.  This is one time where I’m glad your personal tastes run younger.  Can you lay off the charm for the rest of the evening?  I’m really starting to like her.  She’s so different than anyone I’ve ever dated.  It’s so refreshing to talk to a woman with her own thing going on, who doesn’t need my money or fame.  I can tell she’s just trying to get to know me better.  It doesn’t hurt that she’s hotter than hell and put together with curves in all the right places.  I’m going to see if she wants to have a drink at my dad’s.  Spending time with her has been putting thoughts in my head about heading down here for an extended stay once the season ends.  Dad’s with Lois at her house and he said he’s staying over.  I think he’s secretly hoping something develops with Lake.  He thinks the world of her. ”

“Chuckie, Chuckie, that rascal!”  Ryan laughed.  “Glad to see he’s still getting some at his age.”

“Why, you don’t think you’ll be getting any at that age?”

“Trash, I’ll be getting it freely and frequently until I take the dirt nap.  I’m going to say goodbye to the gorgeous and charming Ms. Harrison and then I’ll get out of here and leave you to it.  I had fun tonight.  She has a sexy laugh and it made me want to break out my best material to keep hearing it.  After getting to know her, though, I bet you’re going to be blue balling it.  I can tell that is not a one night stand, first date screw girl or she would have already fallen at my feet like a lamb to the slaughter.  Are we on for golf tomorrow afternoon before you leave?”  The threesome planned on playing a round together Sunday afternoon at Troon since Josh didn’t have to catch his flight until the evening and Ryan flew back to Florida Monday morning.

“Absolutely, Dad and I will see you at the first tee at 1:00.”  Josh ambled towards the door, anxious to get back to Lake.  “See you at the table for your last goodbye.  Are you picking up on the hint?”

“Loud and clear.”

When Josh returned, their booth sat empty.  She must be in the ladies room.  A few minutes later Ryan appeared and slid in across from him.  Antoine approached and asked if they would like anything else for the evening.

“No thanks, Antoine, we’re going to be leaving.  We really appreciate the great service.  Did you by any chance see where Lake went?  It’s been quite a few minutes.”

Antoine shifted from his left foot to his right foot.  “Mr. Adams, I’m surprised she didn’t say anything, that’s not like her.  She left over fifteen minutes ago.”

He handed Antoine his American Express platinum.  “Can you just put the final amount on this card?”

“Right away.”

Ryan glanced up at Josh, confusion lighting his features.  “God, I hope it wasn’t something I said or did.  I can be a little loose with the tongue, especially under the influence of good tequila.  What do you think happened?  She seemed to be having a great time and I can tell she likes you.”

Antoine appeared with the bill and Josh signed the charge slip leaving a huge tip.  Antoine had tolerated a lot with exceptional service and they’d sat at his table the entire evening.  Just as he handed the black leather folder back to Antoine with his thanks his phone lit up and vibrated.  Both he and Ryan glanced down at the same time and saw the name on the incoming text read Lauren, a woman Josh had dated a few times about three months ago.

“Why is Lauren texting you?  I thought you were done with her after you found out she was a dead lay?  I heard through the grapevine that her folks were paying for her apartment because she couldn’t keep her spending under control.  You don’t want to get involved with that hot mess.”

Lauren Kennedy anchored the local news and lived in Josh’s building.  She had a smoking hot body and the personality of a brick.  He’d uncovered the brick part
after
he’d slept with her.  On top of her inability to take care of herself, he’d found her bedroom skills lacking.  Selfish could have been her middle name and she’d just laid there, rigid, expecting him to do all the work to make her come.  In Josh’s world, the bedroom had two lanes.  He loved to give but he also loved to receive.  Lauren’s aloof hands were ice cold.  After Josh had slept with her a couple of times, he wasn’t inspired to want a repeat.  Screwing her was as useless as passion wasted on the dead.