A Modern Love Story

by Jolyn Palliata

  “Alrighty.” Robbie stood, wobbled.

  “You okay there, Squirt?” Luc took her arm as he wrapped his around her shoulder.

  “Yup. Just not used to Mai Tais, I guess.” She giggled and swayed. “Once I get moving, I should be okay.”

  They walked up together, arm-in-arm, as Robbie continued to needle him about the sex talk. They stopped in front of his door.

  “Here’s your room, Stretch. I’ll just leave you here, head on up to my own.”

  “Naw, I’ll walk you. You shouldn’t—”

  Robbie’s ears perked. “Is that…?”

  Luc pressed his ear to the door, and Robbie matched his position.

  “Conrad and Lizbeth,” they said together.

  Robbie snickered, and slapped a hand to his chest. “Looks like you’re bunking with me, pal.”

  “Looks like,” he said with a funny little smile Robbie couldn’t quite figure out.

  “Oh,” Robbie gushed, slipping her arm around his again. “I can show you the suit I’m wearing tomorrow. If you thought today’s was non-existent then wait until you get a load of this one.”

  Luc shot her a glare as she shoved him into her suite.

  “Just wait right there. Let me go get it.” She ducked into the bedroom to yank it from her suitcase. “Ta dah!”

  He slowly turned from his position on the couch, and then smiled. “Very nice, Rob.”

  “Ha!” She held up the navy one-piece. “Thought you’d like that.” She tossed it on the end table and joined him on the couch. “God. I’m exhausted. Too much sun today.”

  “Go ahead and crash. I’m just gonna stay up, watch some TV.”

  “You sure?”

  “I’m good.”

  “All right. The couch pulls out into a bed, and I saw some extra blankets in the closet over there.” She looked at his expression. “But…you already knew that ‘cause your room is exactly the same. Got it.”

  “Go to bed, Squirt.”

  “Will do.” She stood and, without really thinking about it, kissed him. Normally, a kiss on the cheek was standard, but this time, for whatever reason, she kissed him right on the lips. And not just a quick peck, but the kind that lingered for just a second longer, crossing the line from platonic and eeking toward intimate. Damn, Mai Tais.

  His gaze locked on hers as he tilted his head, tension washing through his features and the tips of his ears turning red.

  She issued a nervous chuckle and patted him on the shoulder before backing away. “So, yeah,” she said. “Goodnight.”

  “Night, Rob.”

  She backed off another step, shook her head and turned. “Sleep tight.”

  “Wait.”

  Robbie froze, slowly looking over her shoulder. She had never seen Luc at a loss for words, but it was as if she could see right into him, watching as he mentally rummaged around trying to find the ones that fit.

  He opened his mouth, closed it, then shrugged with an all-together different expression: Confusion. “What does that mean, anyway?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Sleep tight.”

  Robbie’s breath let out with a whoosh and she groaned—partially in relief, partially in frustration. “Goodnight, Luc.”

  “I know you know what it means, Squirt,” he called after her.

  “Another time, Stretch. Another time.”

  Chapter 6

  Twenty-two years old (Present day)

  “Luc. Glad you could make it in.”

  Luc looked up to see his attorney cutting through the reception area. He stood to greet him with a handshake. “Hey, Bryan. I just wanted to drop off these papers.” Luc smacked the manila envelope against his palm before handing them over.

  “All signed and ready to go then?” Bryan pulled out the documents. “Sure you don’t want to come on back to my office while I look these over?”

  “Naw. I have to get back.” He jerked his chin towards the papers. “You know how to reach me if there’s anything else, but that ought to do it.”

  “All right.” Bryan held out his hand. “I’ll let you know if there’s anything else.”

  “Sounds good.” Luc gave Bryan’s hand a firm pump.

  Someone calling Bryan’s name had Luc turning towards the strong, feminine voice.

  A woman with platinum blond hair, pulled back in a smooth twist-thingy, and piercing ice-blue eyes, approached. Sensible pumps brought her close to Luc’s height, a prim skirt showcased her never-ending legs, and a professionally-cut, though form-fitting, jacket completed the picture. High-powered business woman in high-powered gear, Luc decided.

  “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure,” she said, holding out her hand.

  “Luc Cintrone, may I introduce Payten Carmichael,” Bryan gestured as Luc took her hand in his. “Miss Carmichael is one of our heavy-hitters around here.”

  “You’re just saying that because my father signs your paychecks.” She laughed—a polite, musical sound—as she shook Luc’s hand. “Mr. Cintrone. It is indeed a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Likewise,” Luc said, giving her another discreet once over as he let go of her hand. He could probably go for some of that, but most likely she’d turn it into some kind of fucking legal issue when he rolled right back off and walked away. Not worth the hassle, even with legs like those.

  “Luc here owns Hooligan’s down on Summit,” Bryan said to Payten.

  “Oh, yes, I do believe I’ve seen it.” She nodded as she folded her hands in front of her, not hiding the once over she was now giving him. “I’ll have to stop by sometime.”

  Luc heard the little alarm bells going off in his head, and took a mental step back. “I’m thinking it won’t be your style. Look, I gotta take off, Bryan. Catch ya later. Payten. Take care.”

  She smiled, halted him with a hand to his arm. “I’ll stop by anyway. I’m always looking for someplace new.”

  He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  *****

  Luc was wiping down the bar when Conrad walked in from the back.

  “Delivery’s been signed for. He’s unloading now.” Conrad shoved a case of beer on the counter. “I’ll get these into the cooler.”

  “Sounds good.” Luc glanced over at his friend. “Just so you know, you are now officially half owner of Hooligan’s.”

  “Really?” Conrad grinned as he clapped Luc on the back. “That was fast.”

  “Ran the papers over this morning.” Luc smiled and jerked his thumb towards the back. “Now get to work.”

  Conrad laughed. “Nothing changes, huh?”

  “Not true. You’ll get a bigger paycheck.”

  “Which Lizbeth will insist I spend on her.”

  “That’s your own fault for getting involved.” Luc shook his head. “And staying involved.”

  “Hey, I heard that!” Lizbeth called from the back.

  “You could have told me she was here,” Luc mumbled, looking over at Lizbeth as she walked in.

  “Just for that, I might not help you stock.” She slipped an arm around Conrad’s waist. “Congrats on the raise. Where’re you taking me?”

  “Anywhere you want, gorgeous.”

  “Oh, Jesus.” Luc said, eyeing up the couple. “Don’t you two ever let up?”

  “Why would we?” she asked, popping open the case of beer. “We enjoy each other’s company, we’re in love, and the sex is amazing. Why walk away from that?”

  “She’s got a point, especially about the sex.” Conrad patted her ass before ducking in the back room.

  Luc tipped his head. “Is Robbie back there too?”

  “Nope. She ran out to get a DVD for tonight.”

  Luc froze. “She what?”

  Lizbeth started unloading the box. “You heard me.”

  “She was supposed to wait for me.”

  “Well, I guess she got sick of waiting on you.”

  “Shit.” He tossed down his towel and made his way behind the bar, scooting around her in
the process. “Last time she picked one out by herself, I was stuck watching Moonstruck.”

  “Ya know, you could avoid all this if you just took her out on a real date.”

  He stopped and turned. “It’s not a fucking date. We’re just hanging out.”

  “And maybe that’s your problem.”

  What the fuck? “Look, I don’t have time to play guess what the crazy female is thinking. I have to go stop another female from subjecting me to The Sound of Music or some shit.” He grabbed his jacket by the back door and shrugged into it. “You’re on your own, Conrad. Go control your woman. She’s getting some crazy ass ideas again.”

  *****

  Luc set the huge bowl of popcorn on the table and settled into his overstuffed couch. “You’ve got that interview tomorrow, right?”

  “Yup. I hope I get it, too. Give this college education a ride.” Robbie chuckled as she stretched out, her head on the pillow in his lap. “Five years of slinging pizza slices is enough.”

  He stroked her hair, watching the way the silky strands cascaded against her milky neck. “You’ll get it.”

  “We’ll find out. I’ll stop by the bar afterward and let you know how it went.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Ready for the movie?” she asked, grabbing the remote.

  “Sure thing, Squirt.” He slung his arm around her and kicked back. As the opening credits flashed across the screen, he took stock of their position. They always cuddled like this, for as long as he could remember. But why was it this could feel so comfortable, they could fit together so right, but have no elements of intimacy? He supposed, though, that the intimacy was there, just not the getting-down-and-dirty kind. His belly tightened. Jesus, he thought, don’t even go there. Think about something else. And for the next hour and forty-seven minutes, he managed to successfully do just that.

  Robbie stretched and did a sexy little wiggle as she looked up at him with sleepy eyes. “Next time we get something with more action.”

  “Deal.”

  “Is it okay if I crash here tonight?”

  “That’s cool. You can take my bed.”

  She got up and he could feel her eyes on him as he shifted. “Don’t be an idiot. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

  “Robbie, I’m not gonna have you sleeping on the couch.”

  “Enough, Luc. We have this same damn argument every time one of us crashes at the other’s, and it always ends up with you on couch cushions on the floor, and me feeling enormously guilty. So just cut the crap, and go to bed.”

  “Bossy little thing, aren’t you?” He snickered, tugging on her hair.

  “No. Just practical. You don’t even fit on the couch, and I do, so why argue with me about it?”

  “Because—”

  “Rhetorical question, Stretch.” She pointed to the bedroom. “Now, go to bed. I know where the sheets are.”

  “Like hell.”

  “You’re really not going to budge, are you?”

  He shook his head.

  She crossed out her arms, stuck out her hip. “Then we share a bed.”

  “We…what?”

  “I think I can trust you to keep your hands to yourself.”

  Don’t be so sure, he thought. “Not the point.”

  “Then what is?”

  “Just…” He sighed, pulling his hands through his hair. “Look, Robbie. I’m tired. Can we just go to sleep and have this argument next time.”

  “Fine.” She stormed into the bedroom, flipping the light off behind her.

  “Thank God,” he mumbled, pulling the cushions to the floor. After grabbing the heavy blanket off the back of the couch, he snuggled in and tried to fall asleep. He was nearly there, when he felt a pressure against his back.

  “What the hell?” He jerked and looked over his shoulder. In the moonlight, he could see Robbie as she eased closer behind him.

  “If you’re sleeping on the floor, then so am I.”

  “The hell you are.” Pushing to his feet, he scooped her up from under the blanket. He clenched his jaw when he felt her bare thighs against his arms—she had taken off her fucking pants. The discovery quickened his stride and he dumped her off on the bed. “Stay.”

  “No way.” She scrambled to get to her feet, flashing her pink panties as her shirt rode up while she scooted across the bed. God give him strength.

  “Robbie. I’m tired. Just… Dammit, just stay.”

  “And what are you gonna do about it if I don’t?” She smirked, raised a brow. “Tie me up?”

  Jesus Christ, what was she trying to do to him?! No mortal man had the strength he had in that very moment. “What the hell do you want from me?!”

  She jerked back as if he’d just slapped her. “Nothing.” She swallowed, regained her composure. “Why can’t you just accept that I have your comfort in mind and don’t want you sleeping on the couch. It’s not right.” She threw up her arms and grabbed her pants off the end of the bed. “Fine. If it’s that big a deal, I’ll go home and sleep. Then you can have your bed, and no one sleeps on the damn couch.”

  He grabbed her arm, rubbed his temple. “It’s late, Rob. Just stay here.” He shifted his gaze. “We’ll share the bed.”

  *****

  The next morning, Robbie trudged through the door of her apartment and stumbled straight to her bed. Falling face first, she let out a groan as she sunk deep into the plush bedding. Sleeping in the same bed as Luc was a huge mistake. She didn’t sleep a wink. Correction. Couldn’t sleep a wink. She was too hyper-aware of him, mere inches away, the entire night.

  Turning her head, she glanced at her clock. She had a few minutes before she had to get ready for her appointment. Closing her eyes, she blanked Luc out of her mind, and tried to gather the energy to focus on a game plan for her interview.

  She jolted when the phone rang, startling her right out of her own head. She pushed off the bed and darted into the living room to grab the phone.

  “Hey. Just wanted to wish you luck before you go,” Lizbeth said.

  “Thanks. I might need it.” Robbie glanced at the clock on the wall. No problem.

  “I was afraid I was gonna miss you. When do you have to be there?”

  “Three o’clock. I have plenty of time yet.”

  “Robbie. It’s almost three now.”

  She made a snorting sound and glanced at the clock again. “It’s only one.”

  “No. Check again, sweetie.”

  Robbie strode into her bedroom, took one look at her alarm clock, and nearly dropped the phone. “Shit. I must have fallen asleep. I gotta go!” And with an uncharacteristic string of profanities streaming after her, Robbie sprinted into the bathroom.

  *****

  Payten tugged the heavy wooden door open, and strolled into the cozy, dimly-lit atmosphere of Hooligan’s. She immediately zeroed in on the bar, and there he was, tall and commanding, behind the thick mahogany barrier, chatting with a few customers.

  “Luc. So good to see you again.” She slid onto the deep-red, vinyl bar stool.

  He straightened and studied her, then sauntered over. “Payten, right?”

  “Good memory.”

  “Or not so much considering we just met yesterday.” He pulled down the towel slung over his shoulder and wiped at a wet ring on the counter.

  “I’ll give you that.” She unbuttoned her suit jacket to show the v-cut blouse she had underneath, and then leaned forward on her elbows. “I told you I’d stop by.”

  To her delight, he had to break his gaze from the cleavage she knew she was showcasing. “Shit, you don’t waste any time.”

  Not sure if he meant the stopping by part or the hitting on him part, she chose to go the safer route. “I’m always on the lookout for a nice, quiet place to unwind after work.”

  “Quiet place, huh? Well, you best keep looking then. It’s not called Hooligan’s for nothin’. Give her about an hour to warm up and she’ll lose her appeal real fast.”

  “Are yo
u trying to get rid of me, Luc?”

  “Now, why would I do that, Payten? I just don’t think we have anything here for you.” He locked his eyes on her, making his true intent very clear, then gestured towards the bar as if indicating he was speaking of her taste in drinks instead.

  She loved a man who played hard to get. Especially one as dark and rough as this one. “I’ll take a beer. Whatever you have on tap.”

  He held her in his gaze a moment. With a shrug, he said, “Lady’s choice.”

  Payten watched as a cute dirty blond with hazel eyes walked behind the bar.

  “Hey, man.”

  “Hey Conrad. Get this lady a beer.”

  “Sure thing.” Conrad winked at her, then looked to Luc. “Luc. You look like hell. What happened to you?”

  “Nothing. Just didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “Hung out with Rob, right?” Conrad asked, pulling a frosted mug from somewhere behind beneath the counter.

  Guy’s night would do it, Payten thought, flashing Conrad a smile. If this Rob looked like these two, she’d have to hang out here more often.

  “Not that kind,” Luc said, nudging Conrad in the arm as he was about to fill her glass with a light beer. “Give the lady a dark one.”

  “Thanks, Luc.” She folded her hands on the bar, grinned, and tried not to curse out loud. “That’s just what I wanted.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “So, Luc,” Conrad’s gaze shifted from her back to his friend. “Uh…why didn’t you get much sleep? You two make it a late one?”

  Payten was getting the distinct impression he was feeling Luc out for information. Not too casual about it, but just enough to slip under the radar, apparently.

  “No. Ah…yes. I don’t know.” He scrubbed his hands down his face. “She crashed at my place, and I just didn’t get much sleep. Why? What gives?”

  She? Though Payten’s interest piqued, she pretended not to be listening by scanning the rest of the room, and sipping her nasty beer.

  “Nothing, nothing. Just curious is all.”

  “Be less curious, and more busy. We’re gonna get slammed soon.” Luc glanced at the clock. “I’m gonna get shit set up in the kitchen. Handle things.”