But when I raised my eyes to look at the man, all my frustration disappeared. I caught his eyes, deep blue like I’d never seen before, and then his smile, bright and warm in this sea of fakeness. He did step aside, claiming the seat next to me.
Good lord he was sexy. His muscles bulged under his suit. His dark hair against tan skin, like he’d been in the sun.
I had forgotten about the stage and the dance floor. The man kept looking at me and smiling, and I couldn’t help but smile back. It was sincere and so simple, that I turned away from the room and towards him, my elbow on the bar, as if I was the bartender.
“May I help you?”
“You might.”
It was at that moment that I decided that whatever happened after this, the night wouldn’t be wasted. Just this small interaction with this absolute hottie was better than anything I’d had in month. I already imagined going out with him.
Going on a romantic picnic somewhere in the country, away from the busy city, from all the noise and the troubles. We could spend a nice weekend at a resort or on the beach, if the weather allowed…
A girl could dream, couldn’t she?
I wasn’t sure why he was here. His suit was fresh, but it would’ve looked more at home at a business meeting than at a nightclub. I caught a glance at his watch, and it was an expensive one, but not ostentatious, and he didn’t make a point of showing it to anyone.
Was he here for the auction? It didn’t seem like it. He certainly didn’t look like the type to bid on a girl, he could have anyone in here.
And then, like it always happened with me, I began convincing myself not to get my hopes up. How many times have I fallen for a nice guy who had turned out to be just another asshole? Now, I fully expected him to deliver some cheesy pickup line. What’s a fine girl like you doing in a place like this? The oldest one in the book.
Yet, he didn’t. He was still smiling at me, as if I was the one who had called for him, and he was all ears.
It took me another moment to finally shake the spell, and I said, “So, Mr. Blue. You want to buy me a drink or something?”
He only narrowed my eyes, looking straight into mine. I felt like we were talking without saying a word. He was drumming my fingers on the bar, thinking.
“Mr. Blue?”
I laughed. “Yes, Mr. Blue in the club with a drink. Probably a good start to a murder mystery don’t you think?”
“Interesting.” He was silent for another moment and my palms started sweating. What the hell was I talking about?
Finally, he said, “I don’t think so. Do you want to buy me a drink?”
Ha! Ballsy. I bit my lip. What was my play here? If this was some trick, I had to admit I was falling for it. I was intrigued.
I laughed. “Okay, I’ll buy this round. What’s your poison?”
“Whiskey rocks. A finger.”
“Just one?” I uttered out of nowhere, feeling my cheeks turn red.
“Let’s start with one,” he winked. I wasn’t sure if he was playing along with the dirty subtext or didn’t catch it. Either way, I waved the bartender over and recited the order. When it was delivered, I handed him the glass.
“Your whiskey on the rocks, sir.”
I took my own glass, there was still some wine in it, and we toasted.
“I’ve never served drinks before. How did I do?”
He licked his lips, swallowed his first sip, then responded. “Pretty good. Minus the fingers comment.”
I laughed out loud, and he joined me. “Well, thank you for your feedback!”
“You’re welcome.” He winked at me and I felt like my skin was on fire. What was I doing? Having a drink with some random millionaire, him not knowing that I was nobody special.
“I’m Owen, Owen Hayes, and you are?”