You, Me, and Forever (Blushing)

My company had taken ownership of the Seaside Inn a few days ago, and the current owners had negotiated with me to rent back the place for a month so they could see through some obligations for weddings and other events they’d scheduled.

This was also their personal residence, and they couldn’t get into their new home for another couple of weeks. I knew that it would take me that long to get permits in place. I’d decided to fly in and speak with the contractor in person, as we’d only met via Zoom thus far, but he’d come highly recommended. I’d spend a few weeks here getting everything ready to go before I bulldozed the place down to the studs.

I’d bought this property sight unseen, because when I saw a diamond in the rough, I went after it. My company had purchased a hotel in Anchorage last year that was thriving, but Blushing was all over the news, and everyone and their mother was talking about it.

I didn’t like to miss out on opportunities. This bed-and-breakfast could be accommodating far more people than it was currently serving. The place had eight rooms and a restaurant that was apparently very popular. But it was the land that was the real gem. It sat on an acre of oceanfront property, and I planned to build a much larger structure once I’d torn it down.

I’d spent my afternoon talking with Howard and Lydia Barnes, who’d owned the inn since it opened over thirty-five years ago. They were well past retirement age, and they were ready to be done working so hard.

So I’d made them a generous offer.

I walked the property, and the views were unbelievable. The place was even better in person than it was in the photos. I’d sent my assistant, Connor, out here to scope things out after we’d made the offer, and he’d been impressed.

But even that hadn’t prepared me for the potential here.

I spent the rest of the day crunching numbers, jotting down ideas, and taking a few calls for other projects we currently had going on.

I’d rented a house a few doors down from the inn, and I’d be staying there for a few weeks and working remotely. Now that I was in Blushing, I had some new ideas about expansion that I’d need to run by my architect, Jackson, before we took our final plans back to the city. He also happened to be my best friend, and the best in the business, and I knew he’d work his magic to maximize the potential.

My phone buzzed, and I picked up when Connor’s name flashed across the screen. “Hey, how did the closing go?”

Connor Wilkes basically organized my entire life, and the dude didn’t miss a beat. I trusted him immensely.

“As smooth as always,” he said.

My family owned one of the largest commercial real estate companies in the country. My grandfather had inherited it, and I’d taken over a few years ago. I’d expanded quite a bit since then.

“Great. I’m calling it a day over here. It’s getting late, but you wouldn’t know it because the sun doesn’t fucking sleep here.”

It was almost 9:00 p.m., and you’d think it was the middle of the day.

“Yeah, the first few days are going to be tough to get any sleep until you adjust. When I was there, I found a great place for a quick drink and some good food. It’s a tourist hangout, so everyone was on vacation.”

“I hate that. That means there’s going to be a lot of sloppy drunks.” My tone was dry.

“Nah, it was a big enough spot. You can get a booth in the back or sit at the bar. The party was outside, because it sits right on the water. Let me check my notes,” he said as he paused. He was the most efficient guy I’d ever met aside from myself.

“I don’t need you to check. This place is the size of a postage stamp. I live in Manhattan, for fuck’s sake. I can just walk the mile-long downtown here and find a place.”

“Here it is. It’s called the Moose Brew,” he said, and I knew he was using his cough to cover his laughter.

“‘The Moose Brew’? Seriously?”

“Dead serious. And the food was amazing. I’ve already warned you that there’s a moose that cruises around town, so be careful when you’re out at night,” he said.

“Well, that shouldn’t be hard, since it never gets dark. It should be fairly easy not to miss a goddamn moose.”

“Go get a cocktail and a steak. You’ll thank me later,” he said.

“All right. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

I hadn’t had time to grocery shop yet since arriving earlier today, so going to the Moose Brew was probably a good idea. I walked the short distance to the main drag with all the restaurants and shops, and I quickly deduced which one was the Moose Brew because the place was going off when I walked up. I could see how packed the back patio was. That was clearly where everyone wanted to be.

I was in the mood for a good meal and a little peace and quiet, so I decided to sit inside at the bar. There were fifteen to twenty people in the bar area, and the restaurant had a fair amount of people as well, but it was large enough that I could keep to myself.

“You don’t want to venture outside to the chaos?” the bartender asked as he set a napkin down in front of me. “There’s a DJ out there.”

“Nah. I prefer it in here at the moment,” I said.

“I’m Benji. I own the place.” He extended a hand.

“Myles. Nice to meet you.” I hoped that would be the extent of the conversation. I had some emails to go over, and I wasn’t big on small talk.

“What can I get you?” he asked as I perused the menu. I appreciated his ability to read the room that I wasn’t looking for a friend.

“I’ll take an old-fashioned and a T-bone steak, cooked medium, with a Caesar salad on the side.”

“You got it.” He tapped on the wooden bar top.

I spent the next twenty minutes sipping my bourbon and responding to emails. I’d sent a list of things for Jackson to look into, insisting that he get his ass to Blushing in the morning to walk the property with me. I took a quick call from my brother, who I spoke to every day, even though he worked long hours as a brain surgeon. Benji set my steak down in front of me, and I ended the call and dropped my napkin in my lap.

I looked up to see two women smiling at me from the other end of the bar. I gave them a curt nod and turned my attention to where the music was booming from the patio. A woman with long dark hair and golden tan legs caught my eye as I cut into my steak. I couldn’t make her face out from here, but her shoulders were notably tense, which kept my attention. There was a man hanging all over her, and it was obvious she wasn’t interested.

I took another bite and looked back down at my phone to see a message from Jackson that he’d be here tomorrow. I looked back up to see the woman holding her hands up to the man, who was clearly inebriated. It appeared that she was telling him to step back with her body language.

I was moving to my feet, ready to get involved, when she forced a smile and walked inside toward the bar. She wore a white fitted tee and a denim skirt with a pair of cowboy boots, and she looked sexy as hell.

Her cheeks were flushed, eyes dark, and lips plump.

Her gaze locked with mine before she quickly looked away. She moved past a group of people sitting at the bar, and she turned to stand just a foot from where I sat. The bartender appeared to know her, and they both laughed before he stepped away to make her a cocktail. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

She startled when the asshole who’d been harassing her outside came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, locking them around her chest. She quickly turned and pushed him back.

That was all I needed.

I was done watching this jackass hang all over her.

I was on my feet, and my hand gripped his shoulder firmly. “She’s made it clear she’s not interested.”

Her dark eyes shot up to mine, and I saw the surprise there, but she also appeared relieved.

“Who the fuck are you?” the drunk asshole said, his words slurring as he wobbled on his feet.

I leaned close to his ear. “I’m the guy you don’t want to piss off. The only way this ends well for you is if you walk the fuck away from her right now and don’t come back.”

He blinked a few times and then held his hands up. “Yeah, yeah, fine, dude. I wasn’t that interested anyway.”

I didn’t speak another word. I just stared at him till he tucked tail and got the fuck out of there.

I moved back to my seat and took a sip of my drink without saying a word to her. She walked toward me, martini in hand, pink lips parted as her gaze locked with mine.

“Thank you,” she said as she stood in front of me.

“Not a problem.”

“Is this seat taken?” she asked, and I didn’t miss the way her hand shook the slightest bit, and she held her chin up as if she was trying to appear confident. The type of business that I did required me to read people.

Read their body language.

Find obvious tells that let me know if they are nervous.

She’s definitely nervous.

I shook my glass, moving the ice from side to side, before taking the last sip and motioning for her to sit. “I take it you didn’t appreciate that asshole hanging all over you.”

“Yeah. He wasn’t taking the hint. I think he was pretty loaded.”

“Not an excuse to push himself on a woman,” I said. I held up my glass when Benji made eye contact with me to let him know that I’d like another. “Get one for the lady as well, please.”

Her eyes widened, and she smiled. “Oh. I just got one, but thank you. I don’t think my friends will be ready to go anytime soon, so I can sit in here and enjoy these cocktails. What’s your name? I’m guessing you’re from out of town?”

She acted like she wasn’t used to getting hit on, which seemed impossible to believe, especially considering I’d just had to get involved with the last dude who’d taken his shot.

“Yes. I’m Myles, and just visiting. How about you? Are you a local?”

She smiled, and it was clear she was thinking her answer over as Benji walked over with our drinks.

“I’m Dominique Venezuela,” she said, quirking a brow as if she was proud of her answer, which was clearly bullshit because no one said their name with that kind of thought or excitement. “I’m just here visiting as well.”

Benji was smiling at her, making it even more obvious that she was bullshitting me.

I picked up my glass as she held hers in her hand. “Nice to meet you, Dominique Venezuela.”

“Nice to meet you, Myles.” She clinked her glass to mine and took a sip. “What do you do for a living?”noveldrama

“I do a whole lot of things. How about you?”

“I’m a . . .” She paused to clear her throat. “I’m a diamond dealer.”

I chuckled, because she’d piqued my interest, which was rare. She was clearly full of shit, but undeniably charming.

“Nice. That’s a solid business. So what exactly is involved in that?”

She finished off her martini and set the glass down. “You know, imports and exports. We’re very busy with all the ports, Myles.”

“I’m sure you are. And you’re just visiting Blushing as well?”

“Yes. I’m here on a girls’ trip with my two best friends. I head back to Chicago tomorrow. So I’m just here for the night.”

“Then I guess I’m lucky that you’re just here for the one night, and I happen to be in the seat next to you at this bar.”

She chuckled and shook her head before reaching for the cocktail that I’d gotten for her. “I guess you are.”

We spent the next hour making small talk, which I normally despised. But this woman was witty and funny, and for whatever reason, I was enjoying myself. I ordered us another round and asked Benji to bring a couple of waters, because I got the feeling that she didn’t drink often by the way she gulped her drink and how her words were slurring the slightest bit.

Two women walked our way, and it was clear that they were intoxicated—they were shouting her name and shaking their hands around.

“Dominique, we couldn’t find you,” the blonde said, raising a brow as she perused me from head to toe. “Hey there, good looking. I’m Marilyn Monroney. The pleasure is all yours.”

For fuck’s sake.

This one was clearly using a bullshit name, too, but she owned it and had zero hesitation.

I extended my hand to her. “Myles. Nice to meet you, Ms. Monroney.”

“Myles. That’s a cool name,” the other woman said before she proceeded to hiccup a dozen times as she laughed. “Sorry about that. I’m Dr. Pamela Pepper. Are you here on business or pleasure?”

“Dr. Pepper, huh?” I looked at the woman sitting on the stool beside me, and her teeth sank into her bottom lip like she knew they were busted. “That’s quite a name. What type of doctor are you?”

“I’m a penguin heart surgeon.”

“Wow. I didn’t know that was a thing,” I said. “You both seem to have such interesting careers.”

“Dominique, you weren’t bragging about your diamond business, were you?” the blonde asked.

“You know, I just told him about all the imports and exports that I do,” she said with a smile.

“Yes. Our girl is quite the savvy business lady,” Dr. Pepper said, and I did my best not to blatantly laugh.

“We were going to head out,” Blondie said. “What are you going to do?”

A look passed between them that I couldn’t quite read.

“I, um, I’m having a good time, actually.” Dominique turned to look at me in question, as if she was asking if I would stay with her.

I couldn’t help but smile and nod. I wasn’t in any hurry to leave, which was saying a lot because I normally liked to get in and out of a place.

“Myles, is it?” Marilyn leaned forward, eyes all business now.

“Yep. That’s my name.” I smirked.

“Well, Myles . . .” She glanced over at her friend and then back at me. “I track this girl’s location on my phone, and you should know that I’m the chief of police in the Big Apple. Yep, you heard that right. I run the show in New York City, so I’ve got everything about you right here in the vault.” She tapped her temple, and I laughed.

Partially because I lived in New York, and I knew the current chief of police, and it was most definitely not the woman standing in front of me.

And partially because Dominique was looking at me with the most mortified look on her face, and I fucking loved it.

At the moment, I didn’t even care that she’d given me a fake name.

We were just having fun, and she was sexy as hell, and I wasn’t ready for this night to end either.

“I wasn’t planning on breaking the law, Chief Marilyn Monroney. Just enjoying some drinks with my favorite diamond dealer.” I winked at the dark-haired beauty sitting next to me.

“Wow . . . he’s so gorgeous,” Dr. Pepper whispered incredibly loud, which made them laugh.

They kissed their friend on the cheek, and Marilyn turned toward me one last time.

“Myles,” she called out.

“Yes.”

She just held up two fingers and pointed them at her eyes and then back at me. “I’ve got eyes everywhere.”

“I’m begging you to stop,” Dominique groaned as she took the last sip from her glass.

Once they were gone, we just stared at one another. I didn’t normally take random women home with me from a bar. I had women in the city that I took to dinner or spent time with. I hadn’t been in a serious relationship in a few years. My last one ended poorly, with Gigi throwing a bottle at my head and calling me a selfish bastard when she’d wanted to move in together and I wasn’t ready.

Hell, she was probably right. Maybe I was a selfish bastard. Relationships were big distractions, and I didn’t do distractions. I was always honest about who I was. Gigi had been fine with our arrangement when it started, but she’d changed her mind somewhere along the way. That’s when problems usually arose.

When one person wanted to change the rules and the other didn’t.

For me, there was no gray area when it came to relationships.

I had my life set up exactly the way I liked it.

I dated plenty, and sure, I liked the company of a beautiful woman—going to dinner, light conversation, a good fuck—and then we’d part ways.

No drama. No complications.

But for whatever reason, this woman had my attention.

And I always trusted my gut.

“So,” she said. “Do you do this often?”

“Do I do what often?”

“Go to a bar and pick up a woman.”

“Is that what I’m doing, Dominique? Am I picking up a woman in a bar?”

She sighed. “I don’t know. But I kind of hope so.”

I took the last sip from my rocks glass and set my credit card down for Benji to close out my tab. “I’ll take the check.”

Because she didn’t need to ask me twice.