Mr. Irresistible

Unedited/Unproofed

The minute their hands touched, Kate felt a strange vibe. His eyes locked with hers. Gage gripped her hand firmly with his callused hands. That surprised Kate since he seemed to be the business type. She should’ve known different when she saw the work boots. Kate preferred blue collar men to white collar, any day. Of course, she’d only dated a few men in her life. She thought it would keep her out of trouble. In her opinion, relationships were nothing but distractions.
“Please call me Gage, Kate.” He slowly let go of her hand and rested his on the back of the bench seat behind her then leaned in closer. “Can I get you more…water, is it?” His gaze fixed on her perspiring glass.
Kate looked at the empty goblet. “Actually, I’d love a Margarita.” She smiled again. “Thanks.” She wanted to see what he’d say.
He nodded. His stare traveled down her face and stopped at her lips. Next they lingered a little on Kate’s neck. She couldn’t help but squirm under his gaze.
“Sasha said you used to work here, too. You helped out on the weekends some, right?” he asked her.
Thank you, Sasha! she thought. Sasha had been a very good friend to Kate while they worked together at Loony’s. Kate loved her to death and now wondered just what Gage was up to. “Yes, I worked here full-time for four years while I went to college, then on the weekends after that.”
He stared at her a moment like he contemplated something. “Would you be interested in helping out again? I need another waitress and you come highly recommended.”
Surprised, Kate pondered the idea. She definitely could use the extra cash to pay on that pesky school loan that wouldn’t go away. She’d begun to doubt she’d get it paid off in her lifetime, which meant her poor kids would have to pay for their mother’s student loans.
Kids? What kids? she wondered, laughing inside. Kids were so not going to happen. She just wasn’t a mommy-type woman. In fact, Kate actually thought of herself as self-absorbed.
“Hmm, can I think about it?” she asked.
“Sure. Can you let me know by Monday? I need time to find someone by next weekend.”
“Okay, I’ll get back to you.” She wiped the moisture from her glass.
“Good,” he smiled. “I’ll be right back with your Margarita.” He walked back toward the bar.
“What the hell was that?” Jess asked as soon as he’d made it out of listening distance. She leaned toward Kate with wide eyes.
“What was what?” Kate gave her a puzzled look. She honestly didn’t know what Jess meant.
“Kate Simon, you were flirting with my new boss. You had that look in your eyes.”
Oh that!
Brian laughed at her. “She’s right. I saw it too, Kate.”
“I did not have any look in my eyes. It was a simple conversation about a job. Quit trying to make something out of nothing. I am not looking for love.”
Kate replayed the conversation in her mind. She’d honestly forgotten Jess and Brian were there, which seemed strange. Gage had her undivided attention. She gave Jess a sneaky smile. Maybe she had flirted, a little, but it hadn’t been deliberate. He’d been easy to flirt with. He flirted back, in his own mysterious way, which made it that much more intriguing.