The Critic (10 page)

I woke up and decided to go for a longer run than I normally did. Five miles in the fresh air should help clear my clouded brain. Sleep had evaded me for most of the night after his weird texts. All I could think of was Bentley and how he made me feel as if I were Mount Vesuvius. The way he spoke and kissed me . . . I shook my head to get rid of the images, but that didn’t work. My mind went back to the previous night. The way he’d just left and made me want more of him . . . well, that was rude, but I shouldn’t have been surprised.

The trees swayed as I ran through the crowded city park. My earbuds blocked out the sounds of traffic. I ran to my favorite instrumental playlist, which I listened to as I practiced my lines. Now I needed it to clear my head—too bad it didn’t work.

When I’d heard Bentley as Jake last night, I knew I’d never forget it. Maybe he should have been an actor. My heart faltered a little when I had the fleeting thought that maybe I shouldn’t.
Nope, get that out of your head.

I looked at my watch and saw that I had run over three and a half miles already. I was so lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed running farther than I’d wanted to before I turned around and ran home. Fantastic, I’d just tacked on another mile. I needed to take a break, so I ran to the park bench near the statue of a man carved out of an old oak tree that had been dying. I stared at the intricacy of the carving. The shaded areas under his eyes caught my attention. I wondered what the artist’s feelings had been when he’d created this. I walked around the entire statue, trying to figure out the artist’s motivation. Naturally, Bentley came to mind, the way he pushed me and motivated me. Had I been missing that all along? Was it possible to miss something you’d never had or even realized was missing? All I knew was that he got under my skin. I grabbed my water bottle from the holster around my waist and took a sip before running back home.

Memories of the night before replayed in my head. Would I ever forget the way his lips had made mine feel or the way he brought something out of me? My steps grew faster. I couldn’t wait to get home and talk to Gina.

I sent Gina a text telling her I wanted to talk to her. I stripped off my clothes and hopped in the shower. I needed to get cleaned up and talk to G. Thank God I had her in my life. She was the least judgmental person, and she always had my best interests at heart. She was like a sister to me, and her take on what had happened between Bentley and me was important.

Once I was dried and ready to go, I grabbed my phone. Two text messages: one from Gina and the other from Bentley. I stared at the green bar and wondered which to read first. I had to go with my girl.

Gina:
Hey. Lunch. Twelve thirty at Tornatto’s? I’ll pick you up.

Andi:
I’ll take a cab and meet you there.

I didn’t want her to go out of her way since she lived closer to the restaurant.

Gina:
Okay if you’re sure, but I’ll drive you home. I can’t wait to see you.

I smiled at that text. It was just about noon, so I needed to get moving after I read my other message. I swiped the green bar to the right.

Bentley:
Hi. I’d like to see you. If you’re not busy tonight, can I come over?

My heart raced at the thought of having him here again. I didn’t know what was with him, but I was starting to feel like a pet project. Then my eyes went to the spot where we’d had our moment, and my decision was made.

Andi:
Yes.

Bentley:
Great. On my way to a meeting. I’ll call you later to set up a time.

Andi:
Fine.

With my purse in hand, I left to meet my friend. What would she think of all this?

Gina waved to me from a table in the rear of the restaurant. She was so pretty. I needed to figure out a way to get her and Seth together. They knew each other of course, but both were shy about hooking up.

“Hi!” I pulled her into a hug.

“Wow! What’s with you? Is everything okay? Is it Mr. Chambers?”

A loud sigh escaped me as we both sat. “Something happened last night.”

Before I could say anything, the waiter approached to take our drink orders. G ordered a soda, and I ordered a glass of chardonnay.

“Okay, if you’re drinking wine in the middle of the day, something had to have happened.” She put her index finger in the air and called to the waiter, “Sir? I’d like a glass of merlot instead please.”

The waiter nodded.

She leaned forward. “Okay, spill it.”

“Well, Bentley came over yesterday.”

Gina’s eyes widened. “Excuse me? Bentley?” Her lips quirked into a snarky grin. “Hmm.”

I smiled from just hearing her say his name. “Yes, Bentley.” The temperature in my cheeks rose as I thought of him.

“Oh my god! You didn’t . . . did you? Was he good?” She bounced up and down in her chair as if her ass were on fire. Her voice grew louder as she continued her inquisition. “Was he big?”

My nose crinkled, and I tossed my cloth napkin at her. “I did not sleep with him if that’s what you’re thinking. Geez, G, calm down.”

The waiter set down our wine and grinned at me. “Ready to order?”

I let out a huff and shot Gina a look before she dove behind her menu. I was sure she was laughing. “Yes, I’ll have the grilled chicken Caesar salad please.”

He turned to Gina, who cleared her throat and smiled as if nothing had just happened. “I’ll have the pasta marinara please.” She handed him the menu, and he took mine before he walked away.

“Honestly!” I rolled my eyes.

She laughed. “What? He’s smokin’ hot, and by the look on your face, I know more went down than just a hug.”

“Well, yeah. If I tell you what happened, can you try not to shout it across the restaurant?” My brows rose, and I waited for her reply. I knew she was ready to come out of her skin in anticipation.

“Yes, sorry.” She giggled some more and handed me my napkin.

“So he came over yesterday then forgot his backpack, so he needed to come back.”

Her head tilted. “He forgot his bag? Intentionally?”

My brows lowered. “I don’t think so.” I shook my head and shifted in my chair. “Anyway, that’s not the point. When he was at my place, I was so upset with him that I just wanted him to leave. We had argued before he left the first time.” I took a sip of my wine. “After he came back, we had a few more heated words about his review, and he wanted me to go over my lines with him. He picked the scene where Jake tells Katie to kiss him.”

Gina placed her hand on her chest, and her body sagged a bit. “I love, love, love that scene. It’s so sweet and sexy.”

“Sweet. Well, it wasn’t last night.” I tried to quash the thoughts flooding my memory.

“It wasn’t? What was it?”

The waiter brought our meals and smirked at us. Boy, he’d been getting an earful.

After he’d left, I said, “Intense. Bentley made the scene so different from the one you’ve seen that it scares me.”

“Why?” Gina’s scowled as her cheeks lost a bit of color. “Did he make you do things you didn’t want to do?”

“No, not at all. I was scared because he made me feel things. He brought emotions out of me.” I shrugged. “I’ve never felt them before. Have I been doing this all wrong?” At that point, I wasn’t sure if I was talking about acting or my life.

Gina’s eyes went wide, and she shifted in her chair as her smile grew. I was about to turn around to see what she was looking at, but there was no need.

“Intense emotions are a wonderful thing. You should embrace them.” His husky voice made the tiny hairs stand up on my neck.

My mouth dropped open as I looked up to see Bentley standing next to me.

He stretched his hand toward Gina. “Bentley Chambers.”

“Gina Russo.” She eyed him up and down. “So you’re him.” Her lips curled into a shy, crooked smile as she regained color in her face. “It’s a pleasure.”

I just stared at my friend in disbelief. There it was, her full-watt “let me be in a toothpaste commercial” smile. Wow, she was really turning on the charm.

He released her hand. “Yes, apparently I’m him.” He glanced at me then refocused on Gina. “And the pleasure’s all mine, Ms. Russo.”

“Please call me Gina.”

What the hell was going on? One look at this man, and Gina had turned into a blushing schoolgirl.

“My apologies for the interruption, but when I saw you, I wanted to say hello. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” Bentley smiled.

“Would you like to join us?” Gina motioned toward the empty chair next to me, and my jaw dropped in shock.

“Thank you, but I’m waiting for my brother, Brett. He’s in from the city, and this is his favorite place.” He looked at me. “Just in case you thought I was following you.” He turned back toward Gina. “Maybe another time, Gina.”

She nodded.

“Andrea, I’m glad I ran into you. I’ll bring dinner over around seven. How’s that sound?” His voice was friendly, as if we hung out and shared meals all the time.

“That’s fine, but you don’t need to bring dinner.” Being cool and nonchalant wasn’t in the cards for me, since I couldn’t stop staring at his lips when he spoke. The memory of their softness on mine replayed over and over in my head.

He bent down to my ear and whispered, “I’ll bring dinner. You’ll need your energy.” He softly kissed me behind my ear and stood, leaving me wanting more. The warmth of his breath and the scent of his cologne made my spine tingle. “Have a nice lunch, ladies.” And just like that, he was gone.

“Holy shit.” Gina took a sip of her wine and licked her lips. “He’s stunning. I hate to say this, but he really doesn’t seem like a jerk.”

I watched him walk away. His body was just perfect. I sighed. “Yeah, I know. Although I wish he was.” The tartness of my wine lingered on my tongue as I finished the glass.

“So why do you think he’s doing this?” Gina glanced at me before eating.

The sauce’s aroma drifted across the table and made me sorry I’d ordered a salad. “I don’t know exactly. He says that I’m better than how I performed the other night, and let me tell you, when he kissed me, it felt phenomenal.”

“Look, if this guy isn’t a nasty-ass ogre, which he obviously isn’t, and he truly wants to help, then let him. If you think that you guys can have more than a working relationship, and he definitely acts as if he’s interested, then what do you have to lose?”

After we finished eating, I pushed the remainder of my salad aside. “I know. It scares me, ya know? He doesn’t even live here.”

Gina shook her head as she polished off her wine. “Doesn’t matter. Once you get to Broadway, you’ll be living near him, and it’s not like Jersey is far away. Stop making excuses.”

“Are you ready to get out of here?” I grabbed my purse.

“Yeah, let’s get our bill.” Gina signaled for the waiter to come over.

When he reached us, he informed us that Mr. Chambers had taken care of our tab and tip. From his smile, I bet his tip was huge. I closed my eyes and pictured Bentley’s hands on my body. I shook it off and looked at my friend.

“See. He is a nice guy.” Gina batted her beautiful eyes and smiled.

At that point, I had no idea what to think. “Yeah, I suppose we should go thank him.” I turned to look for him and saw him sitting with an extremely handsome man I assumed was Brett.

As we walked toward his table, Gina grabbed the back of my blouse, making me stop in my tracks. “Andi, that guy he’s with is gorgeous. Do I look okay?” She pressed her lips together. “Is my lipstick still on?”

I loved Gina. “Yes, you look beautiful. Come on.”

When we were near their table, Bentley looked up then stood. “Andrea and Gina, I’d like you to meet my brother, Brett. Brett, this is Andrea and Gina.”

He stood and shook our hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Andrea, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

My bright smile faltered, and my pulse quickened. “You can call me Andi. I hope you’ve heard all good things.” I glared at Bentley, who let out a low laugh before covering his mouth as if he were stifling a cough.

Brett beamed. “Of course. Would there be anything else?” He winked and sat down, as did Bentley. Apparently both brothers had sexiness down to a science.

“We just wanted to come over and thank you for lunch. You didn’t have to do that.” Every time I talked to Bentley, our eyes locked, and I melted a little more, as if I were an iceberg that had just landed on a tropical island.

“My pleasure.” His smile was captivating.

The expression on Gina’s face told me she was enchanted. The way this man made me feel with just his voice or the look in his eyes was so foreign to me. I wasn’t sure how to deal with it, except to avoid it.

“We’re going to go. Thanks again.” I looked at Brett. “Great meeting you.”