Elena didn’t believe it and was still in hot pursuit, even though he’d turned her down.
“I don’t want to be rude,” he’d said when she’d climbed into his bed the night of her arrival, “but maybe we should leave things where they were when I left L.A.”
Shrugging faintly, she’d moved away. But only to the edge of his bed, where she’d surveyed him with a lazy smile. “Is it about that blonde who left in a huff?”
“Nah. It’s a Zen thing.”
“So this Zen thing requires celibacy?”
“Let’s just say it does right now.”
Her brows rose. “You
are
burned out.”
“Something like that.” He must be burned out. He’d never been selective about his fucking. It had always been anyone, anywhere, anytime.
“Would you mind terribly if I just slept here tonight?” She nodded at his crotch. “If I promise not to attack your spiritually converted cock?”
“Be my guest.” He could be tactful; he wasn’t completely off his nut. Other than not wanting to fuck Elena, who had always been eminently fuckable. But he wasn’t joking about the Zen thing. He just wasn’t in the mood.
Had he been less secure in himself, he might have been shaken by his sudden volte-face. But self-confidence had never been an issue, and right now he didn’t feel like fucking anyone.
Oh really,
a damnable voice inside his head had snidely intoned.
“I need a drink. How about you?” Swinging his feet over the side of the bed, he’d quickly risen. No way was he going to lie in bed and obsess over
her
.
In the following days, the frantic construction schedule aside, they all spent hours in the kitchen working on menu choices for the River Joint. They cooked old favorites and far-out fusion dishes, they experimented with drinks and desserts, baked a variety of artisan breads, constantly tasting and discarding, agreeing and disagreeing, choosing finally the bare-bones items that would be regulars on the menu. To those would be added seasonal dishes, creative whims, and frequently asked-for foods from customers.
Each day brought Jake’s dream of a neighborhood joint closer to fruition.
Each day he tactfully evaded Elena’s advances. He even understood her persistence. They’d known each other a long time.
Each day he put up with kidding about his new virtue from his male colleagues.
And each day he had to force himself not to make the call he wanted to make.
He actually drove all the way up to Liv’s place twice in the wee hours of the morning and then just parked out on the road. Both times he couldn’t quite bring himself to drive in. That reluctance was either testament to his self-control or lack thereof.
A therapist would have to figure out which.
Thursday night or not, the club was crowded. For
most people, the evening started at one of the bars with couches, easy chairs, and quiet jazz, but later on, everyone was at one of the bars like Quantum, where the music rocked, the vibe was hot, and getting it on was the name of the game.
When Liv and Shelly entered Quantum and moved toward the roped-off section, one of the slowly rotating spotlights caught Liv in its tinseled blaze. Her beaded chartreuse silk dress shimmered under the brilliant luminescence, her pale hair glowed, her long, shapely legs under her short skirt lured every male eye as did her barely there halter top that left little to the imagination.
Maybe Jake inadvertently moved when he saw her, or maybe his banquette in the VIP section was directly in her line of vision.
Who saw whom first was uncertain.
But their eyes met through the flashing lights and raucous din.
Liv came to such a sudden stop Shelly walked into her.
Jake went rigid, his conversation left off midsentence.
Elena took note of his intent gaze.
Then the drummer’s solo riff came to an abrupt end with an ear-shattering frenzy, and the room went silent. A second later, the crowd erupted in clamorous applause.
And Jake and Liv recovered.
Jake finished what he’d been saying, as though nothing had happened.
Liv quickly turned and detoured to the bar. She wouldn’t be sitting in the VIP section tonight.
“Did you see him?” Shelly hissed loudly enough to be heard through the din.
“Yes, I did. It’s no big deal.”
“Is that the Peruvian beauty sitting next to him?”
“In the flesh.” They’d reached the bar, where a crowd of men had made room for them. “Could we please talk about something else?” Liv said, lifting her hand to gain the bartender ’s attention.
Not that her gesture was necessary; Sonny himself appeared as though from nowhere.
“What can I do for you ladies?”
My Lord, Shelly was right,
Liv thought. His long, dark lashes were amazing, his upper body visible above the bar, the glorious consequence of months and years in the gym. “I hear you make some special drinks,” Liv said, liking his warm, open smile and direct gaze.
“For you ladies,” Sonny said, his blue eyes focused on Liv, “we’ll do something extra special. Tequila or vodka base?”
“Tequila, Patron Silver,” Liv said. She almost said,
Straight up
, but didn’t want to be uncivil when he was noted for his creativity.
“Vodka,” Shelly said. “Something healthy for mix,” she added with a grin. Shelly came from the same Nordic ethnic background as Liv, and while Liv may have been a cover model, Shelly was tall, blonde, and beautiful as well. A veritable swarm of men immediately surrounded them.
In contrast to Liv’s glittering chartreuse dress, Shelly’s club finery was a jewel-tone magenta organza that showed off her long legs and toned body. Shelly was not only consumed with work, she pumped iron with equal zeal.
Over her second drink, Shelly caught Liv’s eye in the midst of flirting with their admirers and grinned.
Liv grinned back. She didn’t have to say,
You’re right
. Shelly knew it.
And really, for up to ten minutes at a time, Liv was able to forget that Jake was sitting across the room with his newest bed partner. Okay, honestly, maybe it was more like five minutes. And she wouldn’t actually swear on a Bible about the accuracy of that five-minute thing.
As a result of her stubbornly irksome resentment, Liv drank a little more than usual trying to dismiss the image of Jake looking sexy and gorgeous—and even more so, the picture of Miss Peru looking totally smug.
She swore the bitch had smirked.
The only sensible recourse was for her to decide which of these really great men she’d prefer to have serve as surrogate for Jake Chambers tonight. Shelly was right, of course. She really
did
have to move on, get back in the game.
Maybe she’d just have to shut her eyes and point.
Or maybe Sonny was available?
If he was as good in bed as he was at concocting fabulous drinks, she could look forward to a potentially gratifying diversion.
Speaking of drinks, she’d had so many, she had to pee. Tapping Shelly on the shoulder, she nodded her head toward Quantum’s famous powder room. “I’ll be right back,” she semishouted to be heard above the din.
Every new club in town was competing to have the most innovative, glamorous, or bizarre restroom. These fabrications ran the gamut from mirrored Art Deco splendor to rustic facsimiles of cabin outhouses. Quantum’s fell somewhere in between. It was arty, colorful, semiretro, and had the added advantage of soft, comfy chairs for those who needed a five-minute nap. Right now, one of those chairs was luring her tush. She’d rest for a few moments, try to come to some decision in terms of getting back into the dating game, then return to the bar and do the deed.
Jake saw Liv walk toward the restrooms.
As did Elena. Quickly coming to her feet, she murmured, “Order me another drink.”
Jake grabbed her hand. “Don’t.”
“What? I have to go to the bathroom.” Shaking off his hand, she slid from behind the table and followed Liv.
Eduardo gave Jake a resigned look. “There’s trouble on the move.”
He could have stopped her, Jake thought. Then again, what for? “Maybe Elena will let it go.”
Sam snorted. “Yeah, right. And world peace is right around the corner.”
Jake shrugged. “It’s not my problem. They’re old enough to take care of themselves.”
“You’re throwing that blonde to the wolves,” Gunther murmured in warning. “If Elena’s not back in ten minutes, someone better go and stanch the bloodshed. Don’t look at me like that. Remember Carla?”
“I thought that was an accident,” Eduardo noted.
Gunther rubbed his bleached buzz cut, slouched lower in his chair, and looked at his companions with a jaundiced gaze. “Maybe it was, and maybe it wasn’t.”
“Elena doesn’t have a knife this time,” Jake pointed out. “Consider that a plus, but okay—maybe you’re right.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ll give her ten minutes.”
Forty-one
Quantum’s powder room was extra large, so there weren’t the usual long lines outside. But it was busy
inside
. Definitely too busy, Liv decided, when she walked out of a restroom stall and saw Elena stationed like a sentry near the door into the lounge. Damn, she’d been thinking longingly about resting in one of those comfy chairs. Not likely now.
Liv was hoping to brush by with just a quick nod.
No such luck; Elena grabbed her arm.
“We have to talk.”
No we don’t,
Liv felt like saying. But she was pretty sure she wouldn’t get her way with Elena’s steely grip on her arm. “Look, I don’t have anything going with Jake. I’m not in your way, if that’s what you want to talk about.”
“If that were true, I wouldn’t be here now, would I? You
are
in my way.”
“We’re holding up traffic for sure,” Liv said, even as a little voice inside her head was screaming,
What did she mean, “You’re in my way?”
As Elena pulled her toward the lounge, Liv debated making a scene. She could break away if she wished. Farm work built muscles, too. On the other hand, in a few moments she could just explain to this woman as simply as possible that she wasn’t interested in Jake. A few succinct words would clear the air, Miss Peru’s issues would be resolved, and they could get on their way. More or less politely.
Elena came to a stop in a quiet corner, and Liv pulled free. Figuring the sooner she made her case, the sooner this embarrassing situation would be over, she immediately spoke up. “Seriously, I have no interest in Jake. I’m not in your way—or anyone’s way. I don’t know how to make it any clearer.” She turned to go.
Elena quickly stepped in front of her, the large red stones on her necklace and earrings sparkling like fireworks as she moved. “You must have done
something
to him,” she said, bitterly. “He’s into some Zen celibacy kick. And, that’s not Jake.”
Here’s where it was
real
tempting to say something bitchy like,
Maybe you don’t turn him on
. But a “Hallelujah Chorus” had just started up inside Liv’s head, because Jake was about the last person in the world she would have pictured celibate. In fact, the idea was so preposterous, Liv blurted out, “You’re kidding!”
Crap—she should have said something mature and noncommittal instead—like
Maybe you should find him a therapist
. And she might have, if the choir in her head had stopped singing so she could concentrate.
“I’m
not
kidding.” Elena leaned in, the brilliant scarlet of her mouth set in a sullen pout. “And
you’re
pissing me off, because it’s your fault.”
Liv didn’t back up an inch, even with Elena’s breath on her face. “Don’t blame me,” she muttered. “I haven’t seen him or thought of him in weeks.” So part of it was a lie. But she’d never get this woman out of her face if she said she was missing him—like twenty-four/seven.
“Then tell him it’s over.”
“I already did.” Even her perfume was fabulous. Did she have any defects at all? Outside her bitchiness, of course, which was pretty much out there.
“I don’t believe you.” Elena’s black brows came together in a scowl. “Obviously, you didn’t make it clear enough.”
“Believe me, I did. This
is not
my problem.” How many ways could she say this? More important, how could she get the hell out of this worthless conversation? “Look,” Liv said, speaking very slowly and carefully, “whatever you two have going has nothing to do with me. Nada. Zip. Diddly. Okay?”
“You fucked him up
some
way. You must have cast a spell over him,” she hissed.
The look in Elena’s dark eyes was a little alarming. But Liv calmed herself by noting that a crowd of women was within earshot. “Listen, I wouldn’t know a spell if it wrapped itself in gold lamé and knocked on my door,” Liv firmly noted. “Maybe Jake has a virus or something. Maybe he’s overworked getting his restaurant open. Maybe some bad karma dropped in.” Oops, that bitchiness slipped out. “I gotta go,” she quickly added and walked away before she said something rude.