And grasping at Gage, too, apparently, if the flashes of memory that kept showing up at inopportune moments were anything to go by.
“I don’t believe it.”
This would be one of those inopportune moments. Jeff.
“You actually went ahead with this. What were you thinking, Lara?”
She stood up, this time not about to smooth her curls back. Her ex-husband had always hated her hair when it was wild and free.
“Hello, Jeff.” It took everything in her to be civil, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being a weeping, crying mess in front of him. Been there, never doing it again. Bastard.
“I can’t believe this is what you’ve been reduced to. You shouldn’t have gone ahead with the divorce, Lara.”
“You cheated on me. I didn’t have a choice.”
“We always have choices, Lara.”
“And you made the wrong one when you made a move on her.”
“She meant nothing.”
“Which makes the fact that you ruined our marriage for it even more pitiful.”
It was the same old argument and it could have been any one of a dozen or more women. They’d seen a good-looking, wealthy attorney and hadn’t cared that he was married.
Neither had Jeff.
But Lara had. “Is there something you need or did you just come by to mock me?”
Jeff ran his hand down his abdomen. It was an affectation of his, trying to convey old world charm and sophistication, but she saw through it. Jeff was proud of his abs.
They were nothing compared to Gage’s.
Great. Not what or who she needed to be thinking about when dealing with her ex-husband.
“Actually, I came to hire you.”
“No way.” Cara showed up out of nowhere and practically glued herself to Lara’s side. “We’re booked that day.”
Jeff arched an eyebrow at Cara. They’d never gotten along. “You don’t even know what day it is.”
“Doesn’t matter. For you, we’re booked.”
Lara loved that her cousin was trying to protect her, but the reality was, they did need jobs, and taking Jeff’s money for doing what she’d wanted to do was actually something that made her smile. “When is it, Jeff, and what did you have in mind?”
“Lara—”
She squeezed Cara’s hand. “Let’s hear him out.”
The event was exactly what she’d expect of Jeff. All his lawyerly types over for a fancy buffet on the back terrace. He actually called his patio a terrace. It wasn’t the house she’d lived in with him—with his partnership had come a new address. But she’d googled it. Saw the landscaped terrace and the pool. A big mausoleum for one man—because, of course, the flavor of that month had never moved in. Lara had heard from a few mutual acquaintances that he’d moved on. Several times. If there was one consolation in the fact that he’d cheated, it was that he hadn’t cared about the woman any more than he’d cared about her.
“We’ll work up a quote and get it to you this week, Jeff. Thank you for your business.”
“Just make sure it’s special, Lara. Like that party we had catered when the Garretts got married. I can’t have my own engagement party eclipsed by a past one.”
“Engagement?” Shit. He’d done that on purpose, trying to catch her off guard.
It’d worked, dammit, but she wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction. She would not cry. It would not bother her.
And why should it? The poor woman he was marrying should be the one to be pitied. And warned. In that order.
“Yes. I’m getting married again. You didn’t think I was going to sit back and wait for you to come to your senses, did you?”
Cara growled. Actually growled. “Look, you pompous ass—”
Lara grabbed her cousin’s arm. “Car, it’s all right.” She looked at Jeff. “I guess congratulations are in order. Do I know her?”
“Hardly. You don’t travel in the same circles anymore.”
She filed the dig away. Jeff was a master of digs. “Well congratulations anyway. Would you like me to talk to her about what she wants before I give you the quote?”
“Right. Like I want to give you the chance to poison her against me.”
“We ought to poison you,” Cara muttered.
Jeff glared at her.
Lara shook her head. “Knock it off, you two. Jeff, are you certain you don’t want me to speak with her and get her input? It’s her engagement party, too.”
“She’ll be fine with what I pick.”
Of course he’d think that. Because Lara had been. Nothing had changed for Jeff except the name.
“Fine. Like I said, I’ll have a quote to you by midweek.”
“Good. And I expect you to be on-site. Not your cousin.” He sneered over the last word before he left, not even looking at Cara. Thank God, because she looked like she was ready to go for his jugular.
“What was that?” Cara rounded on her the minute Jeff was out of earshot. “Are you out of your mind? What do you think you’re doing working for him? The guy’s scum. Didn’t you go through hell learning that?”
“Of course I did, Cara. But this is a great opportunity.”
“To get hurt again.”
“Not that. Think about it. We need jobs; Jeff has one. And he wants me to do it. He thinks he’s insulting me by putting me to work, but he doesn’t get it. We can charge him double and he’ll willingly pay it. So who’s the one getting used now?”
It took a couple of seconds, but the light dawned in Cara’s eyes. “Why, you devious little thing. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Neither does Jeff. That’s what makes it so great. And even better would be if we got more jobs from his so-called friends. That’ll horrify him. He hasn’t really thought this through. He thinks he’s degrading me by having me work for him, but he’s not going to like other people seeing me there, not when I used to have his name. He’s not going to be able to stand the shame.”
“Can you?”
“The thing is, I was on good terms with a lot of his co-workers, and there’s nothing shameful in working his party. I’ll be fine. I’ll be more than fine, actually. I’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.”
Chapter 11
“I’ll have the rib-eye, a baked potato with all the fixings, a side of onion rings and a side of slaw.” Lara shut the menu and handed it to the waitress.
Cara’s mouth dropped open. “You’re seriously not going to eat all of that.”
“Yes I am. I’m famished.” She’d worked all weekend after the benefit to get ready for this week’s deliveries and had skipped lunch to put the finishing touches on the McBrides’ anniversary cake they’d dropped off before treating themselves to the special at Donegan’s.
“I’ll have a house salad.”
“Ah, come on, Cara. Weren’t you the one telling me to live a little? Be adventurous?”
Cara smacked her hand with the menu before giving it to the waitress. “I doubt anything on Donegan’s menu could be considered adventurous.”
“Oh, I don’t know, those Rocky Mountain oysters aren’t for the faint of heart.”
“And they’re not for me, either, so don’t even think about it. But maybe we should get some wine or something.” Cara fiddled with her straw in her soda. “Today was a good day, Lara. We had two more orders and a commitment from the senior center for their open house. It’s happening. Our name’s starting to get out.”
Lara took a deep breath and sat back in the booth. Just the news she needed. Seeing Jeff over the weekend had brought up all the crap she’d been through once more. She’d tried not to, but had ended up watching a sappy chick flick Saturday night, trying to figure out how she A) hadn’t been able to make her marriage work, B) had been stupid enough to marry him in the first place, C) had given up what she’d given up for someone who hadn’t appreciated it, and D) still had to cash his alimony checks.
She’d re-thought his job offer. A
lot. It’d been on her mind all weekend. But she wasn’t going to cut off her nose to spite her face. The engagement party was a paying job and the bakery was too new to be selective about customers, but someday, she’d love the opportunity to turn him down. Who knew? Maybe she’d get enough business out of his guests that she could.
Ah ,well, she could always dream.
“Hey, Joe, how’s it hangin?”
And there would be the guy she’d been dreaming about. Gage had entered the building.
She’d known it even before he’d spoken. It was as if the air changed. Shifted. Her senses became more heightened.
She choked on a snort. Yeah, and little fairies fluttered around her head sprinkling pixie dust and love potion number nine all over the place. God, she had it bad.
“Well helloooo.” Cara, of course, would hone in on him. “Do you see that, Lara?”
Cara would be surprised to know exactly how much of that she had seen. “Uh, yeah. Nice.”
“Honey, that’s more than nice. That’s some prime real estate.”
No, he was prime beefcake, but Lara wasn’t going to share.
Lara ran her wrist against her cool soda glass. “So what are we doing for the senior center? Cake or cupcakes? Theme?”
“Seriously? You want to talk shop while there’s a gorgeous guy over there sitting all alone?”
Lara picked up the soda. “Since when are you on a manhunt? Does Nick know? And besides, this isn’t a pick up joint; it’s a restaurant. Who’s to say he’s not meeting someone?”
Oh, God, that thought hadn’t even occurred to her until right now. It should have. Gage was, as Cara had so crudely put it, a prime piece of real estate. No way was he going to be single for long. Probably had a dozen women lined up, one for every night of the week and two on weekends.
Of which she’d been one.
She took a big gulp of the soda. And proceeded to choke on a piece of ice.
Cara jumped out of her seat to whack her on the back. “You okay?”
The darn ice was stuck. And it didn’t help that half the restaurant was looking at her.
And, of course, he was in that half.
Gage was out of his seat and yanking Lara out of hers quicker than it took her to realize she was in trouble.
He wrapped his arms around her, dug his fist into her diaphragm, and jerked upward.
The ice cube flew out of her mouth.
He turned her around in his arms and she got an up-close-and-personal view of the sexiest pair of eyes she’d seen in a long, long time.
“You okay, Lara?”
“I am now.” God, he looked good. A hint of five o’clock shadow, his hair mussed, and those lips of his within kissing distance. He wore a golf shirt and khakis, and somehow, that look was just as sexy on him as the cowboy get-up and what he’d worn to the benefit.
And the nudity.
She so didn’t need to think about that. Not when Cara was watching them like a hawk.
Actually, she didn’t need to think about it period. Not because of Cara, and not because of Gage. But just because.
Cara cleared her throat and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Cara Cavallo. Thanks for saving her life.”
It took Gage three heartbeats to look at Cara. Lara counted.
“Gage Tomlinson.” He nodded at Cara, but he didn’t let Lara go. “I’m just glad I was here to help.”
So was Lara.
“You want to join us for dinner?” Cara asked.
Lara wanted to kill her. She hadn’t been able to drink a soda when he’d been clear across the room at the bar; no way was she going to be able to eat with him at their table.
“That’d be nice. Thanks.” Gage unwound one arm from her waist, but kept the other firmly attached. “Okay with you, Lara?”
She nodded. What was she going to do, say no? Cara would never forgive her.
Though from the looks Cara was giving her, she was going to want an explanation of how Gage knew her name.
Which would lead to how Gage knew her.
Which she hoped wouldn’t lead to how well Gage knew her. As in the biblical sense.
Well, technically, she didn’t know him in the biblical sense. She’d seen the glory that was Gage, but only from a distance. A short distance, to be true, but enough to prevent biblical knowledge.
Great, she was babbling in her thoughts. Again.
She scooched into the booth, then scooched some more when Gage sat beside her.
Cara slid onto her side with her wide-eyed “you will tell me everything” look.
Lara smiled. Sort of.
“So, Gage.” Cara made a big production out of opening her napkin and putting it on her lap. “How do you know Lara?”
Gage didn’t take his eyes off her. “We met at the bridal expo.”
Lara wanted to kiss him. He really was a gentleman.
Well, she wanted to kiss him for more reasons than that, but it was a start.
“The expo?” Cara tapped her fork tines on the table. “You’re getting married?”
One side of Gage’s mouth kicked back to a smile. “Not yet, no. I was one of the vendors.”
“Really. What were you selling?”
Lara rolled her eyes. Here it comes…
Gage’s grin went full on. “Bachelorette party services.”
That was one way to put it.
Cara got it immediately. “You’re one of the strippers?”
That finally got Gage’s attention focused on Cara. “The official term is exotic dancers. What the guys take off or don’t take off is entirely up to them. And no, I don’t dance.”
Oh yes he did. He’d offered to give her a private viewing, too.
Lara could feel the heat steal through her bones—though having Gage plastered to her side could have something to do with that also.
She reined in her happy hormones before Cara got any more interested than she already was.
“I bet that place was a bonanza for you if you did as well as we did with referrals. Lara said it was overrun with women,” said Cara, back in business mode, thankfully. Cara was passionate in everything she did, whether it was running the business, or being serious about a guy—or cursing one out. If she was focused on the business side of the event, she might forget about grilling Lara later. Unfortunately, after listening to her cut Jeff to verbal shreds all weekend, Lara wasn’t counting on it.
“It went well,” said Gage, linking his fingers together on the table.
Strong hands. Capable ones. That could have been all over her if she hadn’t had that last Zambuca shot.
“I’m glad we attended. The organizers gave us a hard time at first, but in the end, it was worth the hoops we had to jump through.”
“Hard time?”
“Yeah. People hear what we do and immediately think the worst. I actually had to sign a clause that basically said we wouldn’t charge for any private services on site.”
Cara set her fork down. “You’re kidding.”
“My thoughts exactly. Talk about objectification. But I get it. A lot. People hear what our guys do and immediately think escort service and all the baggage that goes with that. Most don’t realize it’s a job the same as being a waiter or a check-out clerk. Most of my guys are students who see dancing as a way to pay for school. I did and came out with very little debt, kept my integrity, and earned money doing something fun. No one should have a problem with it.”
Cara raised her hands. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I’m all for free enterprise.”
And naked dancing guys. Cara was definitely all for them.
The waitress returned to their table with a menu. “Can I get you something to eat, Gage? Their meals are almost up.”
“I ordered at the bar, but if it’s all right with the ladies, you can bring it here.”
“Fine with me,” said Cara.
Lara just nodded. She still didn’t trust herself to speak. How was she supposed to eat with him mashed up ag
ainst her? Her hormones were singing and she doubted she’d be able to hold a utensil with any degree of stability.
“Hey, Gage!” Joe, the bartender yelled across the room. “Phone call.”
Gage pulled his cell out of his pocket. “Damn. Battery’s dead. Will you ladies excuse me for a second?”
“Sure,” said Cara-the-verbal.
Lara-the-not just nodded. Again.
Then took a deep shuddering breath when he slid out of the booth.
Cara fiddled with her fork. “You know, choking to death isn’t a way I ever would have thought of to catch a hot guy, but I have to say, the idea’s growing on me.”
Lara rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. I risked my life on the off chance he’d know CPR. Get real, Cara.”
“Honey, they don’t come any realer than Gage. Did you see his muscles?”
Yes. She had. Especially his glutes.
“So why didn’t you feel the need to share that you’d met the owner of the beefcake factory when I’d asked you about them?”
“I meet a lot of people at those shows. Do I tell you about every one of them?”
“Do any of them look like him?”
“Well, no, but—”
“I rest my case. So why didn’t you?”
Lara tucked her hands under her thighs. “It’s not a big deal, Cara. We met, we chatted, we exchanged business cards. It’s a professional thing.”
“I didn’t see his business card in the stack you gave me.”
“He’s not a potential client.”
“Lara, everyone’s a potential client. And some are just potentials.”
“That’s why. That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. I knew you’d react like this.”
“Can you blame me? I mean, he’s gorgeous!”
Beefcake & Cupcakes Page 7