Bad Boy's Sweet Lover

Chapter 3

Shaun surveyed his pants. "It wouldn't have been funny if you got that Smurf piss all over me. These pants are brand new!"

Zander pursed his lips. "Who wears white pants anyway? What are you, Mr. Roarke?"

"News flash, hotshot, it's summertime. People wear white in the summer."

"Yeah, at a wedding," Zander snickered, his eyes subtly gravitating back over his shoulder. The way the brunette's wavy hair spilled over her shoulders made his stomach twist into knots. It was like capturing lightning in a bottle. Her luscious breasts cried out for attention and he obliged, imagining what they must look like naked. The thought of handling them stole his breath. She turned his way, as if sensing his eyes upon her, and Zander whipped around to face Shaun.

"Just go over and say what's up."

Zander wiped a sheen of perspiration from his forehead with a napkin, butterflies swarming in his gut at the mere prospect of approaching such splendor with such simplicity. "And say what? Hi, I'm Zander wanna have a slumber party sometime?"

Shaun adjusted his short-sleeve button down, watching the mystery woman's every move. He ran a hand through his thinning sandy blond hair. "I would. Can you imagine having a pillow fight with that?"

Zander took a stubborn breath and released it back into the wild, unfamiliar with the feelings wringing the air from his lungs. The chatter and bursts of laughter around them suddenly seemed louder. A light breeze tickled his hair. He swept a loose lock back into place and shook his head. "She looks too young."

Shaun's jaw hit the floor. "And when has that ever stopped you before? She looks like Natalie Portman...but with way bigger t**s. Just go over and say hi."

Zander mopped sweat from his upper lip and tried to slow his racing pulse. "I'll pass."

"What?" Shaun cried, drawing some attention from the tables around them. "What is wrong with you? You're Zander Evans! A single successful guy no woman can resist. Now stop fuckin around and go get her."

Zander brushed crumbs from his t-shirt. "Nice pep talk but I don't have my A-game today, man. I'm way too hungover."

Shaun slid Zander's empty cup across the grated table. "Go get a refill and offer to fill hers up on your way inside."

Zander smiled at the suggestion, unable to present a formidable defense, which, for him, was an anomaly.

"What do you have to lose?"

Zander stared at the cup, his heart beating faster just considering it.

A short laugh slipped from Shaun's lips. "Wow, I've never seen you like this before." He leaned forward and spoke in a whisper. "Look, if she says no you'll never see her again anyway so what's the big deal?"

Zander glanced over his shoulder again, blood pumping thickly in his ears. His phone vibrated loudly against the metal table, making him flinch. He cringed, knowing it was Megan, and picked it up. Relief washed over him like a cool Nigerian waterfall on a hot sunny day when he saw the text message. "Jon," he said, answering Shaun's questioning look and silencing the phone. "He wants to know everything about last night."

"You gonna do this or what? I don't have all day."

Zander's forehead creased. "I thought you just said Carrie was at a movie with the kids and you had all day."

"Some of us have yards to mow, Zander."

Zander shifted in his seat and wiped his sweaty palms on his black jeans.

"Don't be such a p***y, man. You're a lawyer, for Christ's sake!"

Zander pushed his shades up his nose and took a deep breath, puffing his chest out. "f**k it," he whispered, carefully sliding his chair back and getting up. "Hey listen, if anything goes wrong over there..."

Shaun held a hand up. "I'll be right outside the back door. We got a helicopter on the roof." He stuck a finger in his ear. "Eyes and ears on the ground."

Zander responded with a shallow nod, before heading across the bustling patio.

"Don't forget the cup!"

Zander turned back around and grabbed the empty cup, flashing Shaun a sheepish smile.

"You got this," Shaun said, folding his arms across his chest.

Zander weaved between the tables with his head held high, his eye on the prize. Even her posture was perfect. The way her sandal dangled from her toes sent an electric current shooting through his veins. A wadded up napkin on her empty tray bolstered his confidence. She had finished her lunch and was probably in dire need of a refill. Little did she know, he was coming to her rescue.

He stopped at her table and glanced back at Shaun, who gave him an excited thumbs up. Zander turned back around to find the brown haired beauty looking up at him with the most stunning pair of green eyes he had ever seen. His heart pounded against his ribcage. He wiped a sweaty hand on his jeans, trying to catch his breath and wondering if he was coming down with the flu.

Her emerald colored eyes narrowed. He swallowed dryly and considered aborting the entire mission as adrenaline spiked through his system. He forced a smile that fought him tooth and nail, and gestured with the empty cup. "Can I get you a refill? I'm going back inside."

Her mesmerizing gaze swept to the cup in his hand, her full lips hanging part way open as if he had asked the question in Russian. He tried to read into the hesitation and figured his boldness teetered upon creepy.

"Umm," she said, her voice as light as a feather. "I'm good, thank you." She flashed him a polite smile and returned her attention to the laptop.

Zander tried his best not to look dumbfounded but it was impossible. His Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed and he couldn't remember the last time someone had shot him down. He glanced back to Shaun, who opened his palms. Zander turned back to green eyes, his muddy mind scrambling for something to say that wouldn't cross into the land of cheese. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath to steady his shaky voice. "You always work this hard on a Sunday?"

Her eyes jerked back to him like he had just called her the b-word, their heavy weight driving the air from his lungs like a blow to the gut.

"Personally, I don't think God would be too happy. This is supposed to be a day of rest." He cringed as soon as the words slipped from his mouth. Welcome to Cheeseville.

She chuckled, restoring his confidence. "You are absolutely right," she said, shutting the laptop.

His entire body tensed. She was going to ask him to join her. The only question was: should he go inside and refill their cups or sit down before she could change her mind? She answered his indecision by sliding the computer into a black bag and getting up.

"That's enough for one day," she said with a quick smile.

He stepped back as she squeezed past, crop-dusting him with a sweet smell that inflamed his desire as she headed for the parking lot. "So no refill then?"

She stopped and turned to face him. Her hair blew in the wind, like she was filming a shampoo commercial as she slid on a pair of big brown sunglasses. "Thanks anyway."

With a quick turn, she trotted down the patio steps, her laptop bag in her hand and a red purse slung over her shoulder. He watched her perfect boobs bounce in slow motion as she sinuously glided into the parking lot. The way her leg muscles flexed with each confident stride drove him mad. She looked his way as she got in her car. Instinctively, he whirled to go inside and collided with a heavyset woman carrying a tray of food with both hands. The woman inhaled sharply. Her drink teetered for a moment before slowly falling like a razed skyscraper.

Zander and the woman dodged the fruit punch as it exploded against the ground. Once again, the patio went silent as Zander's face turned a similar shade of red as the fruit punch. "Oh my God, I'm sorry. I'll get you a new one."

"Thank you, sweetheart," the lady smiled, joining a man and a young boy at a nearby table.

Zander slipped through the glass door and entered a new world of chatter and laughter. The air-conditioning felt good against his skin. He turned just in time to see No Refill girl pull out of the parking lot and disappear down the road. His gaze crept over to Shaun, who just shook his head with his arms folded across his chest. "s**t," Zander whispered, releasing a pent-up breath and wiping his brow with the back of his hand. Shaun would never let him hear the end of this epic fail.