I head to the bar ready for a shot then a glass of wine and to think about my day. Liam is at the top of my list. His sharp green eyes and reddish hair make for a striking contrast. Much like the turmoil, I’m feeling. Because for some odd reason I’m stuck on a question blurted out in the heat of the moment. Marry me. And the fact that he knows my father and still has the nerve to ask me, Harper Price, to marry him, whether in jest or not says a lot about Liam Walsh.
“Uh oh, what happened?” I glance up from my daydream to find Hunter. “How’d the meeting go?”
“Uh, it went.” I drain my glass dry. “How are Titi’s babies?” I talk to her belly.
“Titi’s babies are playing soccer.” She chuckles sitting next to me. “How’d the meeting go?”
“It went. I have a followup with Liam tomorrow morning.”
“Liam?” Her head snaps in my direction.
“I mean, Mr. Walsh.”
“A shot and a glass of wine.” She rocks side to side to get comfortable on the bar stool. “Do I want to know?”
I hate that my friends can read me like a book. “It went well. I made my request…and…and he made an offer. I…” I take a deep breath, in my nose and out my mouth. I hate when I stumble over my words. It makes me feel uncomfortable, ready to keep to myself. And I find myself wondering if people doubt my ability to interact professionally.
“Did something happen?” Her eyes squint in a motherly way.
“I swear you have the mother gaze down.” I laugh.
“I do, don’t I?” Hunter dances in her chair. “Girl we need to find a booth, my butt is too damn big for these stools. “There’s one. Let’s go over there.”
“Are you going into the speed date too?”
“Girl, and have Ben drag me, and the twins, out? No, ma’am. Charlee said she was meeting you here, so I came to check on you.”
“Why?” I ask, my heart dropping.
“Why? We always debrief, and you didn’t call me.”
“You thought I’d blow it?” My heart sinks to a new low.
“No, Harper, or I wouldn’t have asked you to do it. Why would you ask me that?”
“Because I…I don’t know. It’s been a rough day.”
“Hey, Baby Hunter!” Charlee strolls up dressed to kill. “How’d it go?”
Her tone is way too chipper, and Hunter’s eyes swing in my direction. Charlee tips her head towards Hunter in a Tell her gesture. I shoot back my best, Not now!
“I know one of y’all heifas better say something. What is it, Harper? Do I need to find Liam?” The stank she uses on his name is real.
“Hold that thought, let me get a drink.” Charlee runs off.
“Imma strangle her ass.” I reach for my glass, and it’s empty.
“Harper Anne Price!”
“I just need a moment to process it all.” I stare at the glass, not meeting her eyes. Then her hand rests on my forearm. God, I hate her and love her all at the same time. “I blew it.”
“Okay.” She turns in the booth seat. “We’ll find another company. No biggie.”
I look up. “Really?” Scratch the hate, I love her, love her.
“Yeah, we’ll be the hottest company in Austin. It’s his loss. Right?” She squeezes.
“No, there’s more.”
“Harper, you do remember that I can’t drink right?” Her hand rests on her belly.
I smile. “Yes, it’s not that bad.”
“Good, tell me about it.”
“And don’t leave out a single detail.” Charlee slides in the booth across from me.
So I tell them, everything through to him closing my car door. “What are you going to do?”
“Say no, obviously?” I look back and forth between them. These two are yin and yang.
“I don’t understand what makes it so obvious.” Charlee air quotes.
“I can’t marry a man I don’t know.”
“And that’s your only conundrum?” Hunter asks with a smirk.
“Exactly?” Charlee adds eating from her plate of loaded nachos.
“Either y’all are speaking another language, or I’m missing something. You think I should say yes?” I reach for a nacho, flicking off the jalapeño, and popping the cheesy goodness in my mouth.
“Do you think you should say yes?” Hunter asks grabbing a chip too.
“One of y’all heifas better go get us another plate. Because I got dinner for one, not three.”
“Hush.” Hunter chuckles. “I can’t give advice about where and when. I met Ben, married him, and now I’m having his babies in less than two years.”
I can’t look at Charlee. Her I told you girl face is burning a hole in my neck.
“But Ben is not Liam.”
“Tell me about him. What you know, of course?” Hunter asks.
“We’re opposites. He’s brash and arrogant.”
“And loaded," Charlee adds.
“That’s not important," Hunter adds.
“But for our legendary frog kisser, it is.”
“Charlee damn," I say rolling my eyes.
“You hear that," Charlee says to Hunter. “He has her cussing. If you want my opinion, I say go for it.”
“You don’t meet a guy and marry him. You meet a guy and kiss him. You might meet a guy and sleep with him. Where do people meet and marry the same day?”
“Vegas,” they say in unison.
We share a sisterly glance and all burst into laughter. And I’m the loudest as my side aches.
“For the record, when I say go for it, I’m not saying marry him this second. But is there anything wrong with opening your mind to the possibility?” Charlee says.
“And if we’re opening our minds,” Hunter asks, “what would that look like? I wasn’t looking for love or having babies, but it found me. I don’t want to imagine where I’d be if I’d told Ben no. I wouldn’t have this life. And I love my life.” Her eyes fill with tears. I drop my head on her shoulder.
“What type of precautions should you have in place?” I look at Charlee. She’s the most vocal, but I see where she’s going. “I mean the thought of a man bringing more money to the table doesn’t shield you, but it does mean he’s not a Marcel.”
“I’d hope not," I say. “I think planning his roundtable would help me.”
They share a glance then look in my direction.
“Y’all I’m new to all of this. You two are jumping in with two feet, and I never thought I’d be here. I never even thought about getting a job. I wanted to do charity work and raise a family. But in the few minutes of talking…or yelling, he brought something out of me.”
“Like what?” Hunter leans her elbow on the table, resting her chin on her palm.
“I felt challenged and alive.”
“And aroused.” Charlee wiggles her eyebrows.
“Yeah, that too.” I consider the pros and cons. “I could shadow him for these meetings and pick up on the way he handles clients. And he said he’d grant me three wishes once the round table is complete.”
“Three wishes?” they sing.
“What does that mean?” Hunter asks.
“I don’t know. But I’m thinking a year lease for us, listing Platinum Prestige as a sponsor for his roundtable, and I haven’t thought of the last one.” I chew on the inside of my jaw. This is sounding more promising the more I think about it.
“What if he’s some deranged lunatic?” Hunter asks.
“We’ll call in our resident cowboy, Mr. James Price, of course,” Charlee declares.
I laugh. “He’s known my dad for years.”
“How old is he?”
“I’m not sure. But can’t be more than thirty five.” I guess.
“Whatever you decide you have my full support,” Hunter declares.
“Mine too.” Charlee extends a hand across the table.
I smile pleased to have them in my corner. Then a sensuous tingle runs up my spine. I glance up.
Blink.
Blink. Am I imagining?
I see Liam standing at the bar. My mouth drops open, and he’s staring at me with longing in his eyes.
“Is that him?”
I try to nod discreetly, but I’m not sure if my head is moving.
“Hot damn. That man is ready to eat you alive.” I swear she’s hollering and I’d kill her if I could move.
“I agree with Charlee.”
“You can’t," I whine not taking my eyes off of him. His dress shirt is unbuttoned at the neck. He appears relaxed.
“I can’t what honey.” Hunter is talking through her teeth with a smile stretched across her face.
“You can’t agree with Charlee. She’ll have me butt naked screaming the man’s name in the middle of S&J.”
“As if, you’re not thinking about it already.” Charlee waves Liam over, and I’m planning her funeral in my head.
He approaches the table, his gaze locked with mine. “Harper.”
The words lodge in my throat. Why God? Why am I either cursing the man out or a mumbling idiot? This isn’t fair. Then he smiles. “Ladies.”
I swear they stop breathing, and so do I. He is that fine.
“Join us,” Hunter offers sliding over. I turn throwing pin-sharp daggers at her with my eyes. She shrugs.
“I have a few minutes while I wait on my food.” Liam sits next to me. He fills the space, his leg rests against mine. His eyes turn blue-green unsettling me.
Uh-hum. Charlee clears her throat. But I can’t pull my eyes away.
Liam drapes an arm across the back of the booth leaning closer. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?” He pulls back with a mischievous smile on his face.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Breathing and thinking is a chore right now.
“Enjoying your leg against mine, the smell of your perfume, the feel of your—” His hand is on my thigh, and I jump. A smile is tugging on the corners of his lips.
“Liam, these are my best guys.” I glance at them. “Hunter and Charlee.”
He leans over me shaking their hands, brushing his body against mine.
“I’m going to get you for this," I whisper for his ears to hear.
“Promise?” He settles beside me, and it feels like he’s done it a million times.
“So, Liam, since you got my girl all hemmed up. Tell us about yourself.”
I roll my eyes up to heaven. If I’ve ever done anything right in this life, help me. Please control Charlee’s tongue.
“That won’t work. But I think you should change your mind,” Liam says.
“About what?”
“Fate?” I’m frozen in time, and his attention is locked on me, as he said earlier, I had his undivided attention, and it feels incredible.
“We’re being extremely rude right now,” I counter loving the way we play.
Liam flashes his dazzling smile. “I’m sure your guys are ear hustling.”
I burst out laughing, and my defenses begin to subside. Is it wrong to bask in this moment? To let myself feel what I feel because it feels good?
“I like that.”
“What?”
“Your smile. And your attitude is sexy as hell too.”
“Liam!”
“Let me take you out.”
“Take me out?” I’m speechless. He shows no signs of relenting. And I honestly don’t want him to. I feel a slight nudge from Hunter. “And what about your proposal?”
“Which one?”
“Liam?”
“I’m just making sure we’re on the same page.” He shrugs, and I’m not buying it. “But both still stand.”
“Both?” I can’t breathe.
“Both.”
I pull my lip between my teeth and chew. He is disrupting my night of thinking. He is oozing take me to bed vibes. And I am falling for it. I feel it, and I’m not sure if I like it.
Liam leans forward, his lips brushing my ear. “Live a little. Go out with me. I’ll show you that your doubts are unfounded.”
“And if they are?”
“They’re not.” His smile is rubbing off on me.
“You’re awful confident.” And it’s knocking at the door of my heart. Can I trust him?
“I know.” I roll my eyes. There’s only one way to find out. I’ll accept his offer to work on the roundtable. To see him up close and personal will show that I’m right about declining his other proposal. I glance over his arm behind me, his hard body beside me, and I feel softer towards him. I just can’t tell him. His head would probably explode.
“You do know fighting is futile?” I shake my head. This man.
“Says who?” I challenge.
“Says me.”
Chapter 6
Liam
Harper is as stubborn as I’m confident she’ll come around. Her constant refusal had me tossing and turning. And I never toss and turn. But I did last night after hanging out with Harper and her friends. Another thing I haven’t done since grad school, just sitting around laughing, talking, seeing Harper through the eyes of her guys.
I enter my office before four o’clock. I couldn’t sleep so I might as well get ahead of my day. Today, my schedule is stretched to capacity. I have my regular tasks and the event planner duties, which call for meeting with caterers.
Lucky me. Glenda can help, but I need her to manage the office.
I remove my jacket, sitting behind my desk. All systems are on, and I’m in the zone. I make calls, review documents. Sign contracts, drink coffee like it’s a lifeline. Then a soft knock stops me. It’s her.
The woman who kept me awake last night. The woman who finds it so easy to tell me no, in every way imaginable. The woman who exudes a level of peace, even when she’s shaking with nervousness. The woman who has me damn near begging to make her mine and I honestly can’t figure out why. But my heart knows she’s it and I trust myself knowing the details will come when they’re needed.
Harper is a spitfire. I barked, growled, and yelled yet she turned right back around, scared and all.
“May I come in?”
“Absolutely.” I sit the contract I’m reading on the desk, stopping to appreciate the view.
Harper has curves in all the right places. Her hair falls over her shoulders in shiny black waves. Her black suit from yesterday is replaced by a cream body-hugging dress. How am I going to concentrate?
“Liam, you can’t look at me like that all day.”
I smile. “Like what, Harper?”
“You know what I mean.” She sits in the chair across from me.
“I know, but I want to hear you say it.” I lean forward.
“Let me close the door.” She pops up, and the curve of her ass has my hands itching to caress it. “There you go again.”
“Look you might as well pluck my eyes out because I can’t help it.”
“Are you a gawker? Is that what you do?”
“A gawker? What the hell?”
“A guy who watches every ass, hollers at every chick. Is that you?” She pulls a planner out of her bag dropping it on her lap with a deep sigh. Her shoulders slump a little. Then her eyes search mine.
“You’re serious?”
“Dead ass.”
“And that’s yes?”
“Stop playing, Liam. I admit I’m attracted to you. But I’m done with men like you. I’ll accept your offer to help with the roundtable. But—”
“Did I look at a single woman other than you last night?”
“No, but—”
“Who was I with?”
“Me. But, Liam—”
“Who was I damn near begging, last night?” My voice echos off the walls. This woman is crawling beneath my skin, and I can’t take it.
“Me.” Her voice is a whisper.
“How about you stop comparing me to the lame ass guys you dated before?” A muscle quivers in my jaw. The silent standoff is thick with sexual tension and contaminated with her past. And judging by the hard exp
ression on her face I’ve managed to piss her off again.
“What would you like for me to do today?”
“Harper.”
“Liam, I’m here to work.” She opens her planner, making sure our eyes don’t meet.
“Walk with me.” I grab my jacket. I’m too tired to have this conversation and coddle her feelings. “We’re meeting with caterers through lunch.” I stop by Glenda’s desk. “Take care of my calls and reschedule my meetings.”
“Liam.” Glenda places a hand on mine. Her eyes pleading. “Be patient,” she whispers darting a glance towards Harper. She squeezes before pulling away. “I’ll take care of it.”
I take a deep breath. “Thank you.”
I know I’m rough around the edges. But I’m not gaming Harper. I’ve never had someone challenge my integrity, let alone do it in my face. We stop in the conference room. I open the door standing back ensuring no part of my body touches hers.
I have to control my eyes, and my thoughts, and my intense feelings all with no sleep. I turn my head to the ceiling. Stick with safe topics and get the hell out of dodge the moment the meetings are over. This plan is shoddy, but it's all I have.
“The roundtable is a total experience. I want them to leave wowed and begging to partner with WEJ. Food, venue, hotel. All of it is included. Nothing but the absolute best.”
Harper is turned towards me. Her face is intense. “Do you have a particular theme in mind?”
“No. I know I don’t want the same old boring box lunches or grilled chicken with green beans. I want every touchpoint to be an experience with WEJ.”
“Do you have dietary concerns?”
“I’m not sure about that.”
“We can create a survey and send to attendees.” She opens her planner and writes a few notes. “How many people are registered? Is registration still open? Are any of the caterers connected with the venue? Sit down or buffet?”
The next thirty minutes Harper is shooting questions like a marksman. She’s asking questions I didn’t consider, and I can’t recall having this conversation with the other planners.
The companies roll in and roll out. By the time we reached the last few Harper is running the entire conversation. We have one meeting left, and I peek down at her notes. She has pages of them. There are little stars and asterisks. And to think I doubted her. She’s proven her worth in the last few hours of sifting through all the people, menus, and details of feeding these people.
Privileged Love: A BWWM Romance (Blazin' Love Book 2) Page 4