Page 12 of My Super Sexy Spy
I was thin, a hangover from months of surviving on not much food. The habit of snacking instead of eating full meals kind of stuck. So it meant I had a relatively flat chest and ass, but there were guys out there who liked the waifish look.
That was pretty much my vibe. Badass waif. Don’t mess with me…or do mess with me.
I popped another peanut from the dish in front of me and casually leaned over the bar to pick up my martini glass, ever so slightly checking to see if he was still looking at me.
Except someone stepped in between me and Charlie Hunnam, and now he was all I could see.
“Hi. You’re an American.”
I looked up at the tall guy in front of me. He was lanky with ears I noticed, which meant they were probably too big for his head. Dark-framed, rectangle glasses filled up his narrow face.
Somewhere around thirtyish. He was wearing a Dodgers baseball cap, which basically announced his American citizenship. That and the white sneakers he was sporting with his jeans and black T-shirt.
“Sorry to bother you, it’s just nice to run into one of my own. I overheard you ordering your drink a few minutes ago. Debated whether I should come over. Then I said, fuck it. I’m Ted.”
He reached out with his hand. If he hadn’t looked so damn eager, I might have told him to go pound sand. Instead, I took it. His grip was surprisingly firm.
“I’m Beth.”
“Cool. Can I sit down?”
Ugh. This guy was not going to help me break my habits. He wasn’t going to make me plunge into danger. In fact, the opposite; he reeked of safety. His entire vibe screamed,nodrama here. Just a totally normal dude. Someone I would have considered good boyfriend material.
But that’s exactly what Ididn’twant. I didn’t want to find someone I thought I needed. I wanted to find someone Iwanted.
So I could figure out who I really was.
What I wanted was to talk to the Charlie Hunman lookalike with the mysterious eyes. Mr. Dangerous, who was wearing slacks and a button-down shirt with gold cufflinks, not jeans and a T-shirt. Who shouted sophistication with a dash of intrigue. Who was probably really good in bed, too.
Not a nice guy. A nice guy was what I’d left behind. Or rather, left me behind.
Still, I didn’t have it in me to be intentionally rude.
“Sure,” I said, and added, “It’s an open bar. You can sit anywhere you want.”
“Yeah, but you know how it is. Sit too close to a girl and she’s not okay with it, and suddenly it’s all you’re-harassing-me and shit.”
The bartender approached him, and he put his empty beer bottle on the table. At least it wasn’t a Bud, but something local. “I’ll have another, and I’ll get her next one on me.”
“Presumptuous,” I said. “What if I only wanted one drink?”
“Can’t fly on one wing.”
“What?”
He laughed. “It’s something my grandmother always used to say. Can’t fly on one wing, dearie. She used to call all her grandchildrendeariewhen she couldn’t remember our names. It means you’re wasting your time with only one drink. Although now that I think about it, maybe that’s why she couldn’t remember any of our names.”
I laughed in spite of myself.
I wasn’t supposed to be entertained by this guy, not if I still had a shot with Mr. Dangerous. Ted felt like my comfort zone and I wanted out. I needed out if I was going to break free of the prison I’d created for myself.
Just as I had the thought, Mr. Dangerous got up and started to leave the bar.
I couldn’t stop watching him as he walked away. Then, just as he made it to the end of the room that led to the hotel elevators, he gave me a smile, a wink and a two-finger salute.
Fuck! Hehadbeen watching me.
“Seriously? That guy?”
