Chapter Two
Eric
I walkedbeside Maddie as I took her to Magda's office in the back of the house and couldn't deny how gorgeous she was, even though she wasn't anywhere as polished as the women I usually preferred. That I even wanted to show her where to go was out of character for me. Normally, I would have pointed toward the hallway and sent her on her way.
But something in the way she seemed so candid intrigued me. Again, that was unlike the women I usually spent my time with. I'd gotten used to hearing lie after lie coming from the lips of beautiful women, so when Maddie answered my questions honestly, something inside me came alive.
As we approached Magda's office, I stopped so I could get a look of Maddie from behind. The view didn't disappoint. My cock strained against my boxers at the sight of her perfectly round ass and shapely legs making that boring business skirt look better than I had ever seen it look on any other woman.
She turned around when she realized I wasn't beside her anymore and caught me checking her out. Lifting my gaze from her beautiful ass, I smiled.
"You'll find Magda right in there. Come find me if you need anything today. I'll meet with you tomorrow morning bright and early before I leave for the restaurant to tell you what I want. Enjoy your night, Maddie."
"Thanks, Eric. I appreciate how welcoming you've been. I won't let you down," she said with an earnest look in her eyes I believed was real.
I headed back to my office to get ready to go to work with that gorgeous ass of Maddie's on my mind. I hadn't even wanted a cook, but now that she was here, I was happy Louis DeVille had talked me into hiring a cook for my personal use here at the house.
It was like the man knew what I needed even before I did.
Walkingthrough the main dining room of The Cask Room, I smiled at the last of the night's guests as they began to walk toward the exit. It had been a good day of business for the restaurant, much like every other day since opening a few years ago, and after glad-handing customers for hours, all I wanted to do was relax with a glass of scotch and soda with my friend and business partner.
I had the bartender Sheila pour me my drink and settled into a comfortable leather chair in one of the private rooms where Jack was already a full glass of whisky ahead of me. With his feet up on one of the coffee tables in the middle of two chairs, he grinned wide and gave me one of those Irish smiles that never failed to make women fall at his feet.
He tilted his glass up until the last drop of alcohol slid into his mouth. Running his hand through his dark hair, he groaned. "Man, this day has been a bitch. I needed this night to end about twelve hours ago."
"It wasn't too bad," I said as I took my first drink of scotch since the day before.
Jack set his glass down on the table and leaned back in his chair. "What's with you today? You've been like some motherfucking Pollyanna, all happy and shit. Even when that party of eight wanted to argue over every fucking thing they ordered, that damn smile never left your face. What's going on? You want to share with class, Eric?"
"What are you talking about? Just because I don't chew customers out when they have a problem doesn't mean I'm a fucking Pollyanna. Man, a guy is anything but miserable one goddamn day and he gets this kind of grief."
I tipped my glass up and let the scotch slide into my mouth before it went on its way down my throat. Jack wasn't the type of guy to just let something go, though, so I waited for him to continue to pry into why I seemed happier tonight.
A few seconds later, he leaned forward and stared at me, narrowing his eyes like he was studying my behavior. "What's with all the damn smiling tonight? Something is definitely up with you."
I realized I was smiling and pressed my lips together for a moment to stop my grinning. "Why does something have to be up for me to be happy? Fuck. Nothing like working all day and then being subjected to an interrogation. Just get yourself another drink and stop worrying about my mood."
"You've been downright pleasant, Eric. That's not your style. Did you get a blowjob on your way into work today? At least that would explain you being in a good mood, although I'd need about five blowjobs to be as happy as you are today. Let me guess. That blond who came in last week to talk about going with that produce company she works for. Fuck, I'd do her."
I thought back to the woman he was talking about and had to admit I had liked her. Halfway through our discussion about produce, all I could think about was bending her over the desk in my office and burying myself balls deep inside her. That I didn't make a move on her was only because our meeting got interrupted by half a dozen problems that suddenly cropped up just as she and I were getting friendly.
Fucking servers and their issues.
But the sexy produce saleswoman wasn't the reason my mood had taken a turn for the better that day.
"She was hot, wasn't she? A hell of a lot better than the usual produce salesmen we get here."
Jack laughed, throwing his head back. "So is that why you're so fucking happy today? Did you get with her last night?"
I shook my head and smiled. "No. Didn't even make a move."
His eyebrows shot up into his forehead and his eyes grew wide to show his disbelief. "You're crazy, man. If you aren't planning on going after her, I will the next time she comes in to talk celery stalks and melons. Hey, that sounds like code for sex. I'm going to fuck her wild with my stalk and come on her melons."
Sometimes Jack acted like a sixteen year old with a perpetual hard on. Well, most of the time. And at the moment, he looked like he was about to come all over himself.
"Settle down. You might want to try to make yourself sound older than an adolescent if you want to get into that woman's pants."
He pointed at me and grinned. "Now there's the curmudgeon we all know and love. But I still want to know what was making you all happy and mellow tonight. If it's not the melon lady, was it that bartender you used to sleep with? Is she back in town? I thought she got married, though."