He answered Wright when the man seemed to require Sean’s participation, but his eyes rarely left Grace. He would be good for her. She was very lonely. She needed someone to shake her up a little. Sean would be good to her in and out of bed. When the time came, he would gracefully leave her. He would keep it light and fun. She wouldn’t regret sleeping with him.
Grace smiled at him as the waiter took the check. Sean couldn’t help the little hitch in his breath.
It was almost four when he helped Grace up from her seat. Matt stumbled a little. They made it to the car and stuffed Matt in the back. Grace tried to get in with him, but Sean held the passenger door open. After the barest of hesitation, she slid in, and he shut the door.
“I guess I’ll drive him home.” She looked out the window as they drove back toward downtown from the Stockyards.
“You could leave him in the lobby.” It was an eminently logical solution to Sean’s mind. Matt Wright had been all business at the start of the meal, but he’d ordered drink after drink. It was completely unprofessional.
“I’d just have to deal with him in the morning.” She sighed, and he sensed a deep tiredness in her. She turned her hazel eyes on him. “He’s a good man.”
Sean doubted that. “I’m sure he is. Is he a good boss?”
Now there was no hesitation. “He’s a great boss. He was the only one willing to take a chance on me. My husband died a few years back. I hadn’t had a job the whole time we were married. The insurance paid for a lot, but I still needed to go to work. Matt was my thirty-first interview.”
“That must have been a relief.” It explained her loyalty to the idiot.
“You have no idea.” She glanced into the backseat. Matt’s head was back. “He can’t handle his liquor. It’s the bane of my existence. I keep hoping he’ll get married, and his wife can deal with him when he’s drunk.”
“Just give me his address, and I’ll make sure he gets home.” It would serve a dual purpose. He could help out Grace and potentially search the bastard’s house.
She shook her head vigorously. “No, I’ll do it. I appreciate the offer, but it’s my responsibility. Maybe next time, don’t let him keep ordering drinks. We could have moved the meeting back to the office two hours ago.”
He gave her a rueful smile. “I promise to give that great consideration. I have to say, though, that it tends to slide the scale in my favor.”
“Not really. He never signs anything until he’s sober. Trust me, I’ve been around him long enough to know not to ask him for a raise after a couple of martinis.”
Sean pulled the borrowed Benz into the parking lot. He found a space a row over from Grace’s little Honda hybrid. Of course, he didn’t let her know he knew which one she owned. She pointed out her car and started herding Matt toward it.
“You won’t regret working with us.” Matt’s words were firm even as he wobbled on his feet a bit. He leaned heavily into Grace, his arm winding around her waist. “You’re so good to me, Gracie. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Matt slumped forward into her passenger seat. Grace closed the door, and a wan smile crossed her lips. “He really is a good man. Don’t let this affect your opinion of him. He’s alone in the world. He lost his parents and then his brother.”
Sean allowed his eyes to go soft and sympathetic. So Matt had told her his brother was dead? “Really? He’s young to have lost a brother.”
“His brother was the only family he had left, and from what I can tell, they weren’t very close. Matt told me his brother, Patrick, travelled a lot. He was killed in Europe. Anyway, it affected Matt.” Grace opened her trunk and placed her briefcase inside. She slammed it shut and awkwardly put her hand out. “It was nice to meet you. Thank you for lunch and everything.”
A thousand questions perched on the tip of his tongue, but he decided to play it cool. He would only lose her if he pushed her too fast. He took her hand in between both of his. He stood very close so she had to look up. “I enjoyed it, Grace.”
Her voice was a little bit breathless as she stared up at him. It wasn’t anything like the sure, flirty voice she’d been using before. “I did, too. And I’ll get those numbers ready for you. Anything you need, just give me a call.”
“I promise.” He intended to call her a lot.
Sean let go of her hand. She started to walk around him to enter her car when a motorcycle roared through the parking lot. It came out of nowhere, a bullet on a path to destruction. The loud rev of the engine blasted through the quiet late afternoon. The scene played out in his mind like a little movie. The motorcycle was on a direct, unwavering path. It would hit Grace, and her body would strike the concrete at an alarming rate. Listening only to his instincts, Sean launched himself at Grace, placing them in a roll that threw them into the car parked beside her Honda. Grace didn’t fight him. Her arms wound around his chest. She was soft and compliant against him. It made it very easy to maneuver her the way he wanted to go. He twisted as hard as he could so his back took the brunt of the impact.
The motorcycle sped off without stopping, an angry insect pissed off that it hadn’t stung someone.
Sean turned to try to get the license plate number, but Grace’s voice stopped him in his tracks. Her hands were on his chest, her fingers like little butterflies caressing him through his shirt.
“Thank you, Sir.”
Everything inside him stilled at that one word. Sir. It wasn’t polite. It wasn’t the kind moniker one placed on a stranger. This “Sir” was breathy and held a singular promise. It was the habit of a submissive to honor her dominant partner. Every ounce of blood in Sean’s body rushed straight to his cock.
Grace laughed. It seemed to break the spell. “What a jerk. He didn’t even stop to see if we were okay. Thanks again.” Grace pulled out of his arms before Sean could protest. Her alabaster skin was flushed a vibrant red as she quickly got into the Honda and pulled out of the space.
Sean was left with an aching hard-on and the knowledge that the next few weeks were going to be anything but dull.
Chapter Three
Three hours later, Sean slid into a booth at the back of the dive bar where he was set to meet Adam and Jake. He selected a booth at the back corner that gave him a view of the room. Brewski’s was just the kind of crap bar one would expect in the suburbs, but then he wanted to drive by Grace Hawthorne’s house later tonight. He’d already driven past Matthew Wright’s. It always paid to know the lay of the land.