“So, you really think that Mr. Player over there might agree to date me?”
“Anything’s possible. Take off your jacket, by the way.”
“Why? The air conditioning is set to subarctic.”
“Just do it. All the booze you’ve been drinking should keep you warm.” I slid my suit jacket off, hanging it on the back of my chair. I was a little self-conscious because the white sleeveless shell I had on underneath was snug, and it made me look like a waitress at Hooters, but the beer and tequila were really kicking in and so my self-consciousness was diminishing rapidly. Alcohol will do that too.
“What if he still isn’t interested in anything but a one night stand though?” I asked. I had a quick flashback to my humiliating college experience. “I sense much awkwardness on the horizon.”
“Then he isn’t interested. You didn’t ask him out. He asked you to hook up and you turned him down but said you might consider dating him. Big deal. Now let your hair down.”
“What, am I going to bed?”
“Maybe – depends on what they come back with. Don't question it, just trust me.” I sighed and reached up to do it. It felt good to take my hair down out of its elastic band and I shook it out and let it fall freely down my back and over my shoulders. Then I ran my hands through it to straighten it out a little.
“Anything else while I’m undressing?”
“Nope. That will do,” she said with a smirk. “I think he's adjusting himself under the table.” I noticed that at the angle she was sitting she could see the other table out of the corner of her eye.
“Braden? He was watching me do this?”
“Yep. Now that you've announced that he's man enough to handle your mouth he’s barely looked anywhere else. He probably wants to throw you down on that table and make you see God.”
“Well, at least we have that in common. He’s not talking to Mark?”
“He’s listening to Mark while watching you. It looks like they’re engaged in some pretty intense discussion. It should be interesting to see if he’s going to go for it.”
Before I could ask her what she meant we were descended upon by herds of semi-drunken guys in business suits who had caught sight of us sitting alone. (Sometimes the hungry lions came to the baby gazelle.) One by one, and sometimes two by two, a steady stream of males smelling of beer, scotch, rum and various other potent potables, were stopping by to say hi and introduce themselves. They attempted to chat us up, buy us drinks, and stare at our boobs. I needed a whip and a chair. I was afraid that the whip might attract more of them, though, or at least the kinky ones. In between fending them off, we continued to talk.
“The problem is that I don’t know what to say to him beyond making snarky comments.” I was starting to sound panicky.
“What are you so nervous about? It's not like you've never attracted a guy before, Gabrielle. At least ten have tried to pick you up since Mark left the table”
“He's so sexy, Jess. He probably dated entire sororities in college.”
“More likely they just blew him in the bathroom. If he asks you out on a date, Gab, then he seriously likes you. He doesn’t date. He f**ks.”
“So, why are you encouraging me here?” Get it On by the Power Station was playing and I was tempted to start drunk dancing but nobody needed to see that.
“Because I think that he does seriously like you.”
“Do you know more about this than you’ve shared?”
“Look, I don’t know anything for sure, but I have a gut feeling and my gut’s usually right. I’m also not sure that he’ll do anything about it, even if he does like you, but he might now he knows that you’re interested too.”
“He doesn’t even really know me, though. This is the first time he’s seen me outside of court.”
“Do you feel like you’ve gotten to know him by being in court with him practically every day for the past six months?” She had a point there. It was something I had thought about myself.
“I guess that I have gotten to know a lot about his personality.”
“Well, he’s gotten to know a lot about yours too. You guys do know each other well. You just don’t know all the details.” She looked up. “Uh oh. I think we’re being summoned now.”
That feeling I had before? That wasn’t panic. This was panic. Even a bit boozed up I was nowhere near ready for a face to face flirt. Flight seemed out of the question, though, as Jess was already up on her feet and I didn’t want to be left alone to face the horny drunken businessman brigade. I took a deep breath, grabbed my jacket and followed along. Several prosecutors had moved on and there were plenty of empty seats. Thanks to Jessica's decision to throw her body across three of them, though, I found myself seated directly across from Braden. This wasn't getting any easier.
“Was there something that you wanted?” I asked Adam, hoping that I just sounded saucy and not like my clients who worked the corner outside the Triple X Theater.
“Why don’t you tell her what you want, Braden?” Adam laughed. I had a feeling that I could guess. Braden was giving me a really heated look. I had never seen him look at me like that, but then I had only ever been with him in court. It would be kind of odd to glance over in the middle of a carjacking case and see opposing counsel looking at you like he was picturing you naked. And I was pretty sure that’s what he was doing. Although he wasn’t being openly rude, he seemed to really like how I looked in a tight shirt in a cold room, if you know what I mean.
“We figured we would save you from having to turn down any more guys trying to buy you drinks,” Mark said, tossing a peanut into his mouth.
“It’s the least you could do, since thanks to you I actually am under the influence now, Mr. there are people going to bed sober tonight all over the world.”
“Hey, it’s not my problem you’re a lightweight,” he teased. “I didn’t force you to chug those two cups of beer, Animal.”
“I can’t wait to hear what she has to say when she’s been drinking,” Adam joked.
“Perhaps I’ll just sit here quietly and be entertained by your sparkling wit,” I said and started torturing a napkin in a way that it had done nothing to deserve. Suddenly Braden, who had been quiet up until this point, reached down and picked up my hand. He held it up to examine it more closely and my pulse shot into the stratosphere. At this rate I was going to need a cardiologist soon.