Page 11 of The Mating Fire
Incredulous, he studied the ordinary male, clad in ordinary dress, approach the table. Guy looked like a professor, but he detected an air of pure arrogance. Nothing special.
Jared snorted. “This won’t last long.”
Xavier tilted his head as if listening to a distant call. “I must leave you. Remember Jared. Be charming.”
The wizard waved a hand and vanished. No humans at the bar seemed to notice, but the bartender, a tall, leggy blonde woman looked surprised.
He blinked and the bartender’s shape-shifting form appeared – a troll. Figures. Good hires, actually. They had the stamina for long nights serving mortals and could break up a nasty bar fight.
Jared ordered another whiskey, flashed a knowing smile at the bartender, who nodded back. He swiveled on his stool and sat back to observe.
This should be good.
Chapter 6
Finally! Her date had arrived. Safe. Predictable. Not the burning passion she’d sensed from Tall, Dark and Bourbon, who had turned around to watch her.
Though her peripheral vision could see him, she ignored him.
Her date paused at the hostess stand, scanned the room. His gaze landed on Harper. Smiling, she waved at him.
He looked around again, and then looked back at her. The welcoming smile on his mouth slipped a little, like car tires skidding on ice. Harper felt an equally icy chill race down her spine.Get ready for disappointment again.
He strode forward, with the air of a military man headed out to accomplish his duty – or face a firing squad. Chet, his name was Chet. Database architect.
Charlotte at the hostess stand shook her head and made the letter L with her hand. Loser.
Well, let’s see. He can’t be that bad.
Medium height, brown hair thinning on top, but pleasant features and he’d dressed in a sports jacket, turtleneck and dark trousers. He resembled the professors who taught English at her college. Nothing remarkable. Ordinary.
Safe.
“Hi, I’m Chet.” He didn’t bother sticking out a hand, but sat down across from her. “You must be Helen.”
“Harper.”
“Harper. Does that make you a harpy?” He laughed at his own insipid joke.
Gritting her teeth, she forced a smile. “Only when I must become one.”
His gaze kept whipping around the room. Sheesh, barely met him and already he seemed disinterested.You’re no hot ticket, buddy, but you seemed pleasant enough on the internet.
Chet waved down their waitress and ordered a whiskey. Harper shook her head at the offer of alcohol.
“Just water, please. No ice. Room temperature if you have it.”
Their waitress hurried over with two glasses of water.
“Your internet ad said you work for a Fortune 500 company.” Harper sipped her water, glad the flush from her earlier bout of arousal had faded. “Tell me about it.”
He began talking with animation about his work. Harper tried to focus, but felt her eyes glaze over. Why did dates always being like this? Men prattling on about themselves as if their careers held a vast deal of importance, more than hers.
When his whiskey arrived, he gulped it down, making little slurping sounds. She hid her annoyance.
When he surfaced for air, she managed a smile. “Sounds like you’re on a fast track with your career.”
Chet squinted, as if trying to see her properly. “What do you do?”
