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Once all that was settled I whistled for Bear to follow as I left the warehouse and headed straight to my female.
9
Kayla
Iwouldn’t have been surprised if Salvatore thought there was something seriously wrong with me in choosing Sinner as our non-date/first-date destination. Because who the hell picked a nightclub for that?
We’d arrived at the same time, waited in line for only ten minutes, and now here we were, at the bar and waiting for drinks after we’d woven our way through the club.
Honestly I shouldn’t have come out tonight, but I had this awful habit of feeling bad about things I had no control over, and things that I didn’t need to feel guilty about. And flat out turning down Salvatore, not only with him being Sasha’s cousin but with him being genuinely nice during the small amount of time we’d spent together, and me trying to change the way I thought and how I felt… I knew I had to do this.
And as we kept glancing at each other and me giving awkward smiles—or maybe that was just me that thought they were awkward—the more I sat here, the more I wished I would’ve just told Sasha to politely decline.
Salvatore leaned in, and just as he was about to say something, his warm breath brushing against my ear, the bartender set our drinks down in front of us. I had opted for something nonalcoholic, a Shirley Temple of all things.
I took a deep breath. “I?—”
“I know you’re not interested,'' he said before I could get one word out. I lifted my glass and took a long drink, but it went down the wrong pipe at his no-nonsense tone, causing me to sputter for a moment.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, my eyes slightly watering. He gave me a tight smile, not one that was judgy or uncomfortable, but one that seemed accepting.
“Caught you off guard.” He chuckled and lifted his beer up, taking a long pull. He set the bottle down but kept his fingers around the base, and for a moment I didn’t know how to respond.
Had he been able to read me that easily? Had I made things that weird and uncomfortable in the twenty minutes we’d been inside the nightclub?
He leaned in close again, and the scent of his cologne, which was pleasant and subtle, filled my nose and masked the slight aroma of sweat and alcohol that permeated the air.
“Thank you for humoring me though. And this was probably for the best anyway, seeing as I won’t be staying in the States long.” He pulled back, and his smile was genuine and gentle. He shrugged. “I guess all I saw was the moment and not the bigger picture, and guarding your heart is understandable.”
I didn’t respond to that, because I didn’t want to burst his bubble and say it wasn’t as deep as me guarding my heart. He clearly thought that was the case. And although Salvatore seemed like a good guy, he also had an air of arrogance that surrounded him. He probably wasn’t used to getting turned down.
So I had to assume that me declining any romantic situation between us automatically had him assuming it was because he wasn’t staying in America very long, and not because I had my own issues to deal with.
So I smiled and inclined my head, the only response I could muster. And for the next half hour, we talked about neutral things, about Sasha and memories he had of them growing up, of his home in Italy and how one day I should visit and experience authentic pasta and pizza.
He talked about his olive oil and wine import and export business, and how he did come to the US frequently but for short bursts of time for business but mainly pleasure, as most of his company dealings were in his home country.
I finished my drink at the same time he did, and the expression he gave me told me he knew this non-date had reached the end. “I really am sorry if I wasted your time,” I said automatically, and he lifted his hand as if to brush away my comment.
“How can it be a waste of my time when I spent part of my evening enjoying a drink with a beautiful lady?” He flashed me a blinding grin I was sure had the effect of dropping panties all around. But for me, there was… nothing.
I stood and smoothed my hand down my dress, the outfit nothing revealing and certainly not something I’d probably wear to a nightclub, as it was modest. But I hadn’t wanted to give Salvatore the wrong impression, even if I’d picked Sinner for a very specific reason.
“It was a really nice time, even if things went in a different direction.”
He stood as well, and the scent of his cologne filled my nose once more. “Can I walk you out to your car?”
I shook my head and gestured toward the back hallway. “I actually have to use the ladies’ room, but thank you.”
He nodded once. “Then I’ll wait for you and walk you out.”
I was shaking my head before he could finish. “Really, I’m fine. I parked right in front of the nightclub.” I made my tone a little firmer, because I could see on his face he wanted to argue, but after a second he exhaled and nodded once.
“English might be my second language, but I certainly can understand when a lady needs her space.” He gave me another blinding grin and turned to leave.
I watched his retreating body for a second, feeling a little rude that I’d blatantly lied to him. Because I didn’t have to use the restroom. But I also didn’t feel bad enough to dwell on it.
And then I looked around the club, searching for one particular man, the reason I’d come here. The reason I stayed behind.
