He flashed a bemused smirk and guided me to one of the small metal bistro tables near an outlet. It was far enough from the pre-party atmosphere so I could work undisturbed and that was good enough for me.
“Try and stay out of trouble, Cover Girl.”
“I make no promises, Golden Boy.” I watched his ass, snug in worn denim as he walked away. Tate was one fine man, and the fact that he stood up to help me, meant he was also a good man. I’d met so few of those in my life, it’d taken me until this moment to realize it.
But I had work to do. Fleshing out the final details for the upcoming wedding this weekend and making sure that everyone had the final schedule. With a big ass camera crew stomping around everywhere, I needed everyone to arrive at least thirty minutes earlier than scheduled and send out individual and mass emails to get my point across.
With that done, I turned to my file on Jana and Max’s wedding. Between the two of us, Tate and I had gotten a lot of information from the lovebirds and I decided on a surprise engagement party at the clubhouse. But before I could set a date, I made a note to talk to Tate.
“Hey beautiful, why are you over here all by yourself?” The voice was gruff and when I looked up, my eyes met a pair of sea green ones lit with charm and sex appeal. And youth, because he couldn’t have been more than twenty years old.
“Working while I wait for Tate.”
Shoulders slumped, he shook his head. “Damn, Golden Boy still has all the luck with the ladies. I’m Zig,” he said and held a hand out to me.
“Teddy,” I told him and took it, appreciating his strong handshake free of any smarminess. “Nice to meet you, Zig. What’s your role here?”
“A little of this and that. Mostly agriculture.”
“Interesting. Did you grow up on a farm?”
“Ohio,” he said with a mile-wide grin and held his arms out wide, showing off a wide chest and ripped arms filled with tattoos. “Born and raised. Though this gig is much better than mucking out stalls and stepping in pig shit.”
I laughed at that, appreciating his candor. “Much better product too?”
“Definitely. If you need anything Teddy, I’m on the bar for another few hours.”
“Thanks, Zig.” He was nice, just like the guys who worked the tattoo shop with Tate. Sure they were all big as shit, with big muscles and bodies covered in tattoos. The leather vests stating their identity only added to the badass persona they perpetrated, but so far they were all nice guys.
Charming, even.
But the women who draped themselves over tables, men playing cards and even the pool table at the center of the room. They wore pretty much the same outfit, same kind of skintight denim, black shoes and skimpy tops that showed off tons of cleavage, midriffs and plenty of tattooed arms. And each and every one of them had a dirty look for me, like I was some kind of threat.
That was fine with me. Women always treated me like I was some tramp out to steal their men, and nothing I said or did ever changed their minds. So I didn’t even try. I stood and stretched my stiff back before stepping outside. Head tilted toward the sun, a smile crept over my face, a genuine smile despite the shit show my life had become.
“Now that’s a smile I’d kill to have.”
I jumped at the voice, so close to me, yet I hadn’t even noticed anyone. That kind of awareness would do nothing to keep me alive. I turned at the sound of the voice to see a petite woman with hair so blonde it was practically white and cut in the most adorable pixie style. She had big green eyes that made her look like an anime character. “You can have the smile, it was as phony as a two dollar bill.”
She laughed. “Mandy. I’m just visiting, not here to steal anyone’s man.”
I laughed at her words and her hands up gesture. “A woman after my own heart. I’m Teddy and I’m only here because my babysitter made me come.”
She frowned. “So you’re not a Reckless Bitch?”
“A what? I’ve been called reckless and I’ve been called a bitch, but I didn’t realize there was a club.”
Mandy shook her head. “No, it’s what the club women are called. The ones who hang around and fuck the guys when they need it. They hook up hoping to become someone’s old lady.” She pulled a joint from her back pocket and sparked it up. “You look way too classy to be one of them. You have a kid with one?”
That pulled another laugh from me, a long hard laugh. “No. I’ve got a stalker. One of the guys inside,” I thumbed over my shoulder. “Tate? His brother is engaged to my best friend, which means Tate got stuck babysitting me until shit blows over.” I accepted the joint and took a long pull, letting the smoke filter through my veins until my body relaxed. “Thanks.” I handed it back to her. “What are you doing here?”
She sighed as shadows fell over her face, and that haunted look I knew so well dominated her delicate features. “I just got back to town about six months ago and took a job over at Knead,” she said, referring to the most coveted pastry shop in all of Vegas.
“Damn! I knew you looked familiar, but in the photo you looked more...mature. You’re the hottest damn chef in the city!” I didn’t fan girl over much, but Mandy was a big deal, and in my business, she was the holy fucking grail.
Her fair skin flushed prettily. “I will be, if I can keep my job.”
“Well I’m always looking for a skilled pastry chef. Do you do wedding cakes?”