Tags:
Contemporary Romance,
australia,
Romantic Comedy,
friends to lovers,
Category,
Entangled,
bad boy,
opposites attract,
Bliss,
Lovestruck,
wrong side of the tracks,
bartender,
good girl,
The Rules According to Gracie,
Stefanie London
skin.
“Give a girl a bit of room, why don’t you?” she muttered.
“That was much more pleasurable than giving you room.” His wolfish smile made her heart thud an erratic beat, her palms slick around the handle of her bag. “See you for a drink later?”
“Only if you’re lucky.”
She stepped into the restaurant, the dim lighting making everything warm and cozy. Deeply colored wood panelled the walls and candles flickered at every table. The space was intimate, sensual. Or perhaps she connected the place with Des, and she associated him with those words? Shaking her head, she looked around until she found the man in a suit sitting by himself. He wore a purple tie, as he’d said over the phone.
“Barkley?” His name was almost as obnoxious as his suit…almost. The dark gray wool was patterned with thick, white stripes, and the shirt he wore underneath was louder still.
“Lovely to meet you, Gracie.” He extended his hand. Clammy flesh slid into her palm and Gracie swallowed.
Perhaps breaking a heel wouldn’t have been the worst thing to happen to her that evening. Her date smiled, his reptilian lips spreading thin.
“Nice to meet you, too.”
“I don’t usually do this,” he said, retracting his hand and appraising her openly.
“Date?”
“Specifically, blind date. I’m serious about finding someone to settle down with, and like all good investments, I like a thorough opportunity to do my homework before making any commitments.”
Did he call me an investment?
“Of course,” she said slowly, careful to keep her facial expression neutral. When she didn’t continue, Barkley motioned for the waiter.
“A bottle of the De Bortoli Reserve Chardonnay, please,” he said.
Gracie opened her mouth to respond but quickly snapped it shut when her date relieved the waiter with a, “That will be all”.
“You’ll like it, Gracie. It’s an excellent wine.”
“I don’t drink chardonnay,” Gracie replied, stifling a smile at the shocked look on his face. “I’m quite capable of ordering my own drinks.”
“Excuse me for being a gentleman.”
Gracie seriously doubted he understood the first thing about being gentlemanly. She flagged down another waiter passing by.
“I’d like to order a drink, please.” She used her most charming tone and delighted in the red flush that swelled in Barkley’s cheeks. “A Bellini, please, with a cherry on the side.”
…
Des sat in the back office of First, clearing his head. His literal brush with Gracie had left him irritated and…horny. With a single glance, a flick of her lashes, a glimpse of a smile, she made his blood roar and his hands itch to be on her. It wasn’t healthy how much he wanted her, especially since she brought loser after loser into his bar.
Was she trying to torture him?
He stared at the unfinished staff roster. Lately he couldn’t seem to concentrate on the most basic of tasks without getting distracted by thoughts of her.
Paul walked into the office and winked at him. “Your lady friend is here. Looks like she’s on another date.”
“Don’t start,” Des warned him.
Paul held up his hands. “All I’m saying is that you might want to, you know, grow some balls and ask her out. It’s obvious you like her. What’s with the silent act?”
The last thing he needed was his younger brother berating him. The Gracie thing was… Well, it was complicated and Paul wouldn’t understand. He changed girls more frequently than he changed his underwear. He didn’t know what it was like to harbor feelings for someone in the unattainable zone.
“Besides, she’s hot. Why wouldn’t you ask her out?”
“Enough,” Des growled.
“Des?” The trainee barman poked his head into the office and thrust an order docket in Des’s direction. “I got a strange order from table seven. Where do you keep the cherries again?”
He smiled and plucked the piece of paper from the young man’s hand. “I’ll take care of this