Page 15 of Million Dollar High

He slammed his door and stalked to the back entrance that led inside Red’s. Inputting the code, he entered. He heard Leia’s heels clicking on the asphalt as she followed him.

Passing two storage rooms and the kitchen area, he walked into the large bistro, which during the day and evening teemed with customers looking for the best lobster bisque and crab club sandwich in Miami.

“I thought that was you.”

He turned toward the voice and saw Rita Mancini, or Red, as her customers called her because of the flame-red short, spiky mane she sported. She nodded at the security camera above the bar that showed the parking lot and other parts of the bistro.

“Hey, Red. You’re closing?” he asked when he saw the stacked chairs on top of tables.

She raised an eyebrow. “It’s nearly midnight, buddy. I’ve been shut for over an hour, and I have to be up in four hours to open up again.”

Leia entered, and he heard her footsteps slow. Red looked from her to him, a question on her face.

“Can I trouble you for two of your best coffees? If you need to go, I’ll make sure the place is locked up tight before we leave.”

“Firstly, all of my coffees are my best. And secondly, you own a huge chunk of this place, so you don’t have to reassure me that you’ll secure it.” Again, her shrewd eyes darted to Leia and back to him. “Two coffees, extra-large, coming right up.”

“Can you throw in a bottle of water, too? Thanks.”

He knew his smile missed its target by a mile. Red nodded anyway and set up a table by the middle set of French doors that led to a wooden deck, which served as an extra seating space during opening hours. Beyond the doors, the waters of the marina glinted under the lights strung up along the walkway.

When Red went to get their coffees, he pulled out the nearest chair for Leia and took the seat opposite. “Sit.”

She sat, her arms resting on the table between them. Tense silence stretched, broken by the hissing of the industrial-sized coffee machine Red had switched on.

Eventually, Leia cleared her throat. “So, you part own this place?”

Noah nodded.

“I thought your investments were much larger and riskier than a bistro?”

“Red and I… we have a little history,” he replied and shrugged. “But sentiment aside, this is still a good business that earns a healthy profit.”

Red had left her birthplace of New York under a cloud, just like him. An ex-attorney with a client base that included senators, media moguls and rock stars, she’d wielded more power than some people deemed wise. A couple of people had done something about it. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that his kinshipwith her past had been the drawing power for him choosing to invest in her business.

“How far back do you two go?” Leia asked.

He watched her fingers playing over the hair above her ear. He gritted his teeth. “You want to make small talk, here’s a question for you. I seem to be missing a T-shirt. You know anything about that?”

A guilty blush crept over her face and leaked down her neck. “I… I didn’t think you would miss it.”

“You thought wrong. I’m aware that we weren’t together long enough for you to know that it’s more than just a T-shirt to me. Maybe if you’d stuck around, you would’ve found out. Or maybe I should be counting my lucky stars that I got a clean escape.”

Her flinch made his jaw clench harder. “A clean escape?”

“You’ve proved so far that not only are you a faithless liar, you’re also a nifty little thief.”

She glared at him. “I’m neither of those things! I realize you’re upset?—”

He laughed.

She glared harder and raised her chin in cute defiance.

Noah shook his head. “You realize I’m upset? Why would I be upset? You had a chance to be mine. You promised me you were mine, but you walked away the moment things got a little sticky. Well, now I’m free to fuck any woman I choose. Hu-the-fucking-ray to me.” He looked at his watch. “In fact, there’s a little club I know not far from here. Once we’re done with our little chat, I might swing by, find a willing, baggage-free piece of ass for the night. While you’re lying in your cold, faithless bed, you can think about me, pounding my cock into another woman’s pussy, making her scream as loud as you did?—”

“Stop!”

“Is that too much for you, baby?” he asked softly.

---