MITCH WASN’T DRUNK. Tipsy, OK, but not drunk. He’d had a couple of shots with Alex before the others arrived, and three or four beers since, a fair bit for two hours, but it had been a long day.
No, he wasn’t drunk, so that wasn’t why he was pissed off. Or it was only part of it. The real reason was that he’d finally caught his moment, and then the asshole had come over.
It was the guy Alex had gone to see. Mitch didn’t recognize him but guessed he was some sort of a bigwig, because Alex had nodded a lot and then disappeared into the back room and hadn’t returned. Which was perfect, because a few minutes later, Ian excused himself. The guy was famous for long bathroom breaks-they had a running joke that he must be restocking the toilet rolls-and so it had been just him and Jenn.
They had made small talk for a couple of minutes, Mitch still polishing lines in his head. When the conversation dropped off, he’d finished his beer and leaned forward. Now or never.
“So, I was thinking.” He wanted to meet her eyes but couldn’t, stared at his empty beer glass instead. Spun it on the edge. “You know, it might be fun sometime-”
“Hello, beautiful.” The voice that smooth tone of someone used to getting what he wanted. “How come I’ve never seen you in here before?”
Mitch had looked up to find the guy standing between him and Jenn, right between them, giving Mitch his back like he wasn’t even there. A shiny silk shirt and sharp cologne.
Jenn said, “Maybe because you haven’t been here before?” She turned slightly on her chair, legs crossed at the knee and then recrossed at the ankle, a tangle of dark jeans and soft leather boots.
“No, couldn’t be that. Must be I’ve been in the office most of the time,” the guy said. “I own the joint.”
“Yeah?” She said it with a slight challenge, but Mitch couldn’t help but notice that her arms weren’t folded.
“That’s right. This one, a couple others. Keeps me busy. But if I’d known you were out here, I wouldn’t have worked so hard.” The guy held out a hand. “John Loverin. People call me Johnny Love.”