by Tina Martin
Placing the menu on the table after deciding on the fried shrimp dinner, Preston glanced around the restaurant. There were a few couples having dinner. Probably tourist. Near the entrance, he saw his waitress. Apparently, in addition to being a waitress, she was also the hostess. She’d just seated a party of about eight on the opposite end of the restaurant and now she was heading back to the front to seat a woman.
Preston squinted his eyes. This woman looked familiar. Her hair was styled in a short, curly cut. Her skin was pecan brown, body shaped perfectly in the sundress she had on – he knew a woman who fit that description, but it couldn’t be her, could it?
His eyes followed the woman until she made a turn that gave him a full view of her entire face and sure enough, it was her – Tamera Alexander. What was she doing here? He decided he would find out for himself.
“Sorry about that,” the waitress finally said, standing next to his table again.
“They have you pulling double duty this evening, I see,” Preston said.
“Yes. Our hostess called in sick, so I’m filling in for her. Have you decided on what you want to eat tonight?”
“Not yet, but let me ask you something. That woman over there you just seated…” He tilted his head forward to show her the woman he was talking about.
The waitress looked over at her.
“Did she come alone?” he asked.
“She did.”
“By chance did she say if someone was joining her?”
“Nope. She just asked for a table for one, so I assume she’s dining alone.”
“Okay.” He stood up. “I’m going to join her. Give us about five minutes before you ask to take our orders.”
“Okay. Will do.”
Preston zeroed in on Tamera as she studied her menu. She wasn’t aware he was there. Even better as far as he was concerned. Blindsiding her would make for a better reaction on her part. Already tickled, he couldn’t wait to see what that reaction would be.
“Excuse me. I was wondering if I could join you?” he asked, taking a seat at her table before she could respond.
Tamera looked up to match that familiar, smooth voice with a face and that’s when she saw him – the very man she thought she’d gotten away from – Preston Michaels. Disbelief washed over her face and reddened her cheeks. Her confused eyes met his dark, penetrating ones.
“What are you doing here?” she asked after she could relieve the tightness in her throat. Irritation consumed her entire being. Her body went motionless, but that didn’t prevent her from feeling the chill that ran down her spine as she looked across the table at him, anticipating his answer.
“Why do you look so angry?” he asked with a satisfied smirk on his face.
Her eyes narrowed to slits. “I know you did not follow me here to pester me about that review.”
“No, I didn’t. Actually, Tamera, I had no idea you were here until I saw you walk in a moment ago, looking beautiful I might add.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“That you’re beautiful? I’m sure you know that already.”
“No, not that,” she said beyond irritation. “You expect me to believe you didn’t follow me here to talk about my article.”
“I can’t tell you what to believe. I’m just telling you the truth. Whether or not you choose to believe it is purely up to you, Tamera.”
She closed her eyes and blew a breath. Maybe this was her imagination. When she opened her eyes again and saw the sexy smirk on his lips, those dark eyes beaming back at her and smelled the scent of his cologne, she knew it wasn’t a dream. He was here in the Outer Banks when he was supposed to be in Charlotte.
He’s supposed to be in Charlotte!
“How did you find out I was coming here, Preston? Have you been watching me?”
“No, I—”
“Because that’s a crime,” she said, interrupting him. “I’m sure a man as smart as you is aware of that.”
He grinned. “I told you I didn’t know you were here. I’m here on assignment.”
“You’re here on assignment?”
“Yep. Doing a story on A Taste of the Beach for Charlotte Recreational.”
“I’m doing a story on A Taste of the Beach for Charlotte Magazine,” she said and immediately began thinking that maybe her boss at Charlotte Magazine, Damien Kimbrough, was behind this. Surely, the men knew each other.
“A little healthy competition never harmed anybody, has it?”
No, but hyperventilating and losing my mind around you and all your gorgeousness may harm me…
She frowned more. “Did Damien put you up to this?”
He laughed. “No.”
“But you know him?”
“I do. I’ve known him for years, but haven’t spoken with him in quite a while.”
“Then how did you wind up at this particular hotel. Of all the hotels in the Outer Banks, you’re at the same hotel as me. What are the odds, Preston?”
“Maybe it’s fate.”
“Maybe you think I’m stupid.”
“No. I think you’re beautiful,” he said, glancing at her quivering lips.
She pulled in an angry breath. “If you think, for one minute, you’re going to pester me about that review, you’ve got another thought coming.”
“I didn’t bring that up. I didn’t say a word about the review. You did.” When he glanced up and saw the waitress approaching, he said, “Let’s just try to calm down and enjoy our dinner.”
“You calm—”
“Good evening,” the waitress said, unintentionally interrupting Tamera in the process. “I’ll be taking your orders if you know what you want to eat.”
“Ladies first,” Preston said, watching Tamera intently as he put her on the spot.
She broke an anger-filled gaze with him to look at the menu. “I was thinking about trying the fried shrimp.”
“Okay. One fried shrimp platter. Fries, slaw and hush puppies okay?”
“Yes. That’s fine,” Tamera said, handing the waitress the menu.
“I’ll have the same,” Preston said. “And bring two glasses of water, please.”
“Will do.” The waitress collected their menus.
“I cannot believe you did this,” Tamera said right back on the attack.
“Okay, let me make it clear for you.”
“You don’t have to make anything clear. I can clearly see what’s going on here.”
He blew a frustrated breath, brushed a hand across his mustache and said, “Are you done?”
Tamera snapped her head back. “Am I done? Who do you think you’re talking to? You invited yourself to my table and you think you’re going to talk to me like a child?”
“I’m not talking to you like a child, Tamera. I wouldn’t dare disrespect the woman I plan on marrying.”
She scrunched up her face. “What’d you say?”
“Do I have your attention now?” he asked with his brows raised.
She sighed. What kind of way was that to get a woman’s attention? The sad part is, it worked.
Continuing, he said, “I came here in place of one of my writers. She’s pregnant. This was her assignment. She’d completely forgotten about it, and when I reminded her of it, she made me aware that she couldn’t do it. She had some appointments or something. At any rate, I didn’t have anything else to do, and I needed the break. Needed to pop my knuckles and write again. So, here I am. The fact that I’m here at the same time you’re here is simply a coincidence.”
Tamera still didn’t believe him. It didn’t sound feasible. “So what now? You’re just going to invite yourself to my dinner table?”
“Yes. You’re here alone. I’m here alone. We may as well enjoy each other’s company.”
“I don’t need company.”
“Yes, you do. I saw the way your eyes lit up when I came over.”
“That was pure, unfiltered anger. You really need to learn how to read people.”
He grin
ned. He doubted it was anger. Maybe shock. He’d give her that. Watching her twiddle her thumbs, he also sensed her nervousness. He made her uneasy. He’d noticed it before, but now, since she was out of her element, he saw it clear as day. And she said he needed to learn how to read people…
He was reading her pretty good already.
The food arrived shortly thereafter. Tamera tasted the shrimp right away since the smell of it made her stomach cinch. That’s how hungry she was. She wondered if a hungry person could write a good review or if hunger made anything taste good. She grinned to herself. The things writers think about…
“I’ve never seen food drive someone to laughter,” Preston said.
“No, I—never mind.”
“What?”
“I was laughing because I think it’s funny how I sit around and think about food reviews. I just tasted the shrimp, and it’s delicious. So, I’m wondering if it’s good because I’m extremely hungry, or is it really just that good?”
He cracked a half smile. “You like to eat, don’t you?”
“I write reviews on restaurants. What do you think?”
Preston nodded. “Are you always so tightly wound?”
She lifted a brow. “Excuse me. I’m not tightly wound.”
“Then loosen up a bit. Should I order wine or something?”
“How ‘bout you order some for yourself?” Tamera said. She stuffed more shrimp inside of her mouth.
Preston tossed back a few shrimp, watching her chew. He loved the way her mouth moved as she ate. Why he found the sight of her eating sexy was beyond him. Her attitude, however, was anything but…
“Are you originally from Charlotte?” he asked.
“No.” Tamera took a sip of water. “I’m from Chesapeake, Virginia. My parents still live there.”
“And Tyson lives around here, right?”
“He does. You know he’s married now,” Tamera said, thinking it was much easier to talk about someone else other than herself.
“He is?”
“Yes. With two kids.”
“That’s awesome,” Preston said. “Married life works for some people I suppose.”
“Are you saying it didn’t work for you?” she inquired.
He smiled uncomfortably, but quickly recovered with a confident tone when he said, “I’ve never been married.”
“Oh. Well, anyway, you’re right. It works for some people, but it’s not for everyone.”
“I’m not ruling it out, though,” he said. “I think there may be a woman out there for this old man.”
Tamera grinned. “You’re not old.”
“Guess how old I am.”
“No.” She laughed. “I’m not playing that game.”
“Live a little, woman. Take a guess.”
“No, because if I guess too high, you’re going to be upset.”
“Men don’t have those kinds of problems. Now, guess.”
“Well, since you’ve twisted my arm…um…I would say that you are about…thirty-seven.”
He beamed, leaned back in his chair. Crossed his arms.
Tamera cringed. “How bad did I do?”
“You hit the nail on the head. How’d you know that?”
“It was just a guess.”
“Sure it was…”
She laughed. “I promise it was.”
“If you say so.”
“So, anyway, as I was saying, Tyson is married now, and he’s happier than I’ve ever seen him. And his wife is such a down-to-earth woman. I’m close with my brother so I didn’t want anyone to come between us in a negative way, you know.”
“That’s understandable.”
Preston took a sip of water. Silence separated them for a moment before he asked, “So, what are your first impressions?”
Tamera raised a brow. “Of you?”
Tickled, he said, “No, not me. The shrimp. I’m curious about how you’ll describe it.”
“It’s good. Crunchy. If it was soft-breaded shrimp, it would definitely get a bad review from me.”
“What about the flavor?”
“It’s good, too…a bit spicy, though.”
“Really, because, in my opinion, it’s not spicy enough.”
Tamera smiled.
“Wow. She smiles. I don’t have to order dessert now. Seeing you smile is sweet enough.”
Tamera tried to stop smiling – more like beaming – but she couldn’t. She only kept looking at him. It was only when she broke their gazes and took a sip of water that she was able to get her focus back on food – not the charming man sitting across from her.
“Since you brought it up, what are your first impressions of me?” he asked.
“Why does that matter?”
“Just conversation. Besides, I know you have an opinion. I can sense it.”
Sure you can. “Um…I don’t know. When I first saw you, I thought you were a handsome guy. Then you started talking and annoyed the crap out of me.”
He laughed. “You couldn’t just leave it at a compliment, could you?”
She smirked and ate more shrimp.
“Well, I thought you were beautiful the first time I laid eyes on you,” Preston said.
“And when was that?”
“When I spotted you from afar in my sister’s restaurant.”
“Yeah…staring at me like a madman.”
“It’s hard for me to break my focus when I see something I want.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’ve been saying some pretty bold things to me. Like, are you not aware of the words that are about to leave your mouth?”
“I’m well aware of them, and I’m even more aware of our attraction to each other.”
“I’m not attracted to you, Preston.”
“Liar.”
A sensation slithered down her spine. “Why should I be attracted to you when you’re blackmailing me?”
“We agreed not to discuss anything relating to the review while we’re here, remember? So what are your plans after dinner, Tamera?”
Plans after dinner.
From the look in his eyes, he wanted whatever plans she’d made to include him. And then there was the way he said her name. She swore she felt a vibration flow through her body.
“Didn’t particularly have any plans,” she said.
“I have plans, and I want them to include you.”
“And what plans are those?”
“I was going to take a dip in the pool.”
“Oh. This place has a pool?”
“It does. I went swimming earlier.”
“You could’ve just gone to the beach,” she said.
“Is that where you were?”
“Yep.”
“Then you’re right. I should’ve gone to the beach.”
Her face flushed.
“Come with me to the pool tonight and I’ll come with you to the beach tomorrow evening,” he said.
“Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“We hardly know each other, Preston.”
“That’s okay. We like each other, attracted to each other and that’s half the battle.”
She shook her head. “Okay, but I must get something clear to you.”
“Okay,” he said, attentive. “Get something clear to me.”
“I don’t do relationships. Short or long term.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Wonderful. We’ll get along just fine,” he said. Miriam had been the only woman he’d ever had a long-term relationship with and he intended to keep it that way. “So do we have a deal?”
Tamera thought it over. She was here alone. He was here alone. There was no reason why they couldn’t enjoy each other’s company for a day and a half. On Sunday, she’d planned on visiting her brother before returning home to Charlotte. “Sure. That’s fine.”
When the waitress came by to leave the check on the table, Preston took it, stood up and Tamera followed his lead. She unzipped her purse.
�
�What are you doing?” he asked her.
“You took the billfold so I’m assuming you’re paying. I can leave the tip.”
“Zip your purse. You don’t pay when you’re with me.”
“It’s not a problem. As a single woman, I’m used to paying my own way.”
“When you’re with me, you pay nothing. Enjoy the perks of being with a boss, baby.”
Tamera grinned, zipping her purse in the process.
Preston took his wallet from his back pocket, slid a credit card into the billfold and handed it to their waitress. When she came back with the receipt for him to sign, he left her a ten dollar tip, then scribbled his name on the signature line of the receipt. Looking at Tamera, he said, “Ready.”
“Yep.”
Passing through the lobby, they walked to the elevators together. When they stepped on, he pressed number three, then asked, her, “What floor?”
“I’m also on three,” she said. “And you want me to believe this is a coincidence…”
The elevator doors closed, and he slid his hands inside of his pockets, turning his attention to her as she stood in the opposite corner in the elevator. Maybe it was a nervous thing, he thought. They’d just shared a table at dinner, now she was as far away from him as she could get.
“I assure you it has to be,” he told her.
She nodded but didn’t believe a word he said.
“So how are we going to do this? You want to meet me downstairs?”
“That’s fine.”
Her stiffness made him nervous. He rotated his arm to glance at his watch. “Let’s say, eight o’clock. It’s a quarter ‘til right now.”
“All right,” she said. “Eight o’clock.”
When the elevator doors opened, Preston gestured for her to get off the elevator and when she did, he followed her down the hallway. She walked swiftly to get to her room and felt every muscle in her body tighten with him trailing so close behind her. Taking her keycard, she unlocked the door and turned around to look at him. He was unlocking the door right across the hallway from her. Unbelievable! Same hotel. Same floor and their rooms were opposite of each other.
She stepped inside of her room, closed the door and rested against it, taking deep breaths. She was pushing herself to talk openly with him. And she was enjoying his company. What she didn’t like was the way he made her feel. Nervous, jumpy and uneasy. Heart rate unsteady. Now she was having second thoughts about meeting him by the pool. Besides, he’d be in there without a shirt. Just some swim shorts. She knew he had muscles, and she didn’t want to subject her eyes to his muscled frame. She needed to stay away from Preston Michaels.