Pay Me, I'm Yours

Chapter 11 - The Art Of Combusting On Spot

Chapter 11 - The Art Of Combusting On Spot

It was already two in the afternoon when I woke up, still high from the beer. I went in search of food to counteract the alcohol and maybe catch up with October. The big glassed-in dining room was crowded when I found it.

Instead of seeing my daughter, I saw Connor already seated at a table for two. He immediately spotted me and motioned for me to join him.

"Had a late night, sweetheart?" he joked as soon as I neared him.

There was something homey about the way he welcomed me that I found myself smiling when I joined him. Although he annoys me almost every time I'm with him, his sense of humor doesn't fail to make me relaxed and comfortable.

"No hot blond to entertain you Con?" I countered, grinning wickedly at him.

Connor shook his head. "I'm already sitting with a very hot woman."

I laughed. Changing the subject, I asked. "Where's Tobie and Aubrey?"

"Haven't seen them since this morning. Why?"

I shrugged.

Connor smiled at me like he was keeping a secret I shouldn't know. I was thinking about what it meant when the waitress brought Connor's salad.

"You want a salad too, don't you Kei?" Not waiting for a reply, he continued sweetly, "Sally, could you be a honey and hurry another salad over here for my friend?"

"You bet, Connor." The waitress beamed at him and shot back to the kitchen.

I whipped up my table napkin and put it on my lap. "Another one of your groupies?"

He shot me a killer smile. "Can't blame a guy if he's close to a woman's heart."

I laughed loudly at his ego, though I must admit that he does have a point. Six feet tall with a lean, muscular body, and a ruggedly handsome face that always sports a bad boy grin, Connor was very much the beautiful sin personified.

"So, how's you and Gale coming along?"

"It's still going good," I answered vaguely.

"Anything happened between you?"

"None that I know of."

"Funny," Connor scoffed, pinning me with his intense gaze.

"Con," I sighed. "He's sleeping in a different room."

"Didn't stop him from going out of yours," he muttered as he speared his food and took a bite.

Sally spared me from further conversation as she served me with a plateful of salad. It was a little funny how she never took her gaze off Connor. I was even forced to guide her hand from keeping the plate from sliding into my lap.

"Thanks," I said.

"Would you like anything else?" She asked off-handedly.

"Lunch."

"Oh, right." Sally peeled her eyes from Connor and regarded me with slight irritation. "What would you like?"

"A menu," I drawled insolently. "And a couple of hot studs to go with it."

"Right." Sally ignored my last tirade and stole a menu from the other table, giving it to me. Her eyes immediately strayed back to Connor, her expression so blatant I was about to choke.

If I was another woman who dated him, I would've bitch slap this girl by now.

Good thing I'm not one of his many groupies.