any lines with you. Plus, I’m a mom.”
“So? I’ve heard rumors that moms get lives, too.”
No, they didn’t. Not really. Not when there was no dad in the picture, two jobs, and a kid with special needs.
She barely resisted rolling her eyes. “Come on, Pike. I know we don’t know each other yet, but why in God’s name would you come barking up this tree? The groupie business running low? You’ve got to have women with much simpler lives who want to play the hookup game with a big-time drummer.”
His jaw tensed, expression darkening.
She sighed. This was probably about ego, challenge, and all that male bullshit. If she let him take her to the bathroom and do what he suggested, he’d be over it by the time he got home. And then everything would be weird between them for the rest of the project. She needed to clear this air and move on. Tessa had told her this afternoon that there could be a promotion in her future—project coordinator. A job that would allow her to quit the night gig. But it hinged on how well she did on this major project. She wasn’t going to let some misguided attraction on her part or bruised ego on his part thwart that.
“Look, Pike. Yes, there’s attraction. Maybe an inappropriate thought or two crossed my mind, but this has to stay professional. I don’t have time or interest in anything outside of that.”
Especially with a musician. Hell. No.
His gaze held hers for a moment longer, and she almost got lost in the mix of ambers and greens in his hazel eyes, but finally he dropped the eye contact and slid out of her side of the booth. “Okay, then. Let’s get back to hammering out a rehearsal schedule. I have to be honest, your drummer needs more than a little work.”
Oakley seemed startled by his quick acquiescence and shift in subject, but he’d heard the message with ringing clarity. If he’d learned anything in life, it was how to not linger where he wasn’t wanted. And really, Oakley had been one hundred percent right. What business did he have chasing a woman like her?
She lived a normal life, had responsibilities, and a child to worry about. She’d want some guy who fit into that—a nine to fiver with a steady job who played golf on Saturdays and went to church on Sundays. A guy who wouldn’t show up at her place and make all the people in suburbia whisper about his weird haircut and his inked skin.
This was why he tended to stick to the twentysomethings who hung around after shows. Those women knew what they were getting into with him—sought it out. He was the thrill. The dare. The shocking story to tell to their girlfriends after they’ve settled down behind their white picket fences and are remembering those crazy days right out of college.
Oakley was a grown-up. She knew he had nothing to offer her beyond a hot night or two. Smart.
Didn’t make him want her less.
“So just like that, you’re going to drop it?” she asked, not answering his question about rehearsal schedules.
He shrugged. “I always respect a no.”
Her gaze shifted to her food. “Well, that’s something.”
The words had been muttered to herself, but he’d heard them well enough. He frowned. “I’m not going to force anything, Oakley. Contrary to popular belief, I’m pretty harmless.”
She glanced up, sardonic smile returning. “Now there’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one.”
He pointed at her. “Nope. I’m a lot of things. But not a liar.”
“Oh, really? Mr. Honesty, huh?”
“Try me.” He took a bite of his calzone.
Her Bellini must’ve been fully settling in because she asked him something he never would’ve expected. “So have you really done it in a public bathroom before?”
He smirked. “A few times. Taking a chance in a place where you might get caught can be really hot. Though, bathrooms aren’t my preference. And never, ever try in one of those portable ones at music festivals. Learned that one the hard way.”
She blanched. “I don’t even want to pee in those.”
“Wise girl. So what about you?”
“Me?”
“Ever in a bathroom?” He picked a pepperoni off his plate and popped it in his mouth.
Her gaze skated away. “Once. But it was one of those private single ones.”
Based on her tone that was not a pleasant memory. “If there’s no chance of discovery, you only get partial credit.”
Her expression turned grim. “Believe me. That whole relationship was about trying not to get discovered. I should get all kinds of points.”
He wiped his mouth on his napkin. “How so? Married guy?”
“God, no. I would never.” She looked back to him, guarded. “I was young. He was a lot older.”
“Ahh. I’ve had one of those, too.”
Her mouth flatlined at that. “How nice for you.”
The shift in demeanor surprised him. Only after a few seconds did he catch why she’d sent such a cold front his way. “Oh, shit. No, that’s not what I meant. I haven’t been with too young of a girl. I’m not a creep. All I meant was that I had one of those forbidden relationships when I was young. Lost my virginity to one of my high school teachers.”
She lowered her glass without sipping. “Seriously?”
“Looking back, I realize it was a pretty messed-up thing on her part. But at the time, I was all for it.”
He’d been young and dumb and horny as shit. His history teacher had been hot and still in her twenties. And he’d much preferred stopping by her house on the way home to get his education on the female form instead of going back to his own family’s chaos.
He laughed when he saw Oakley’s still-shocked expression. “And hey, let’s pick Things You Shouldn’t Tell Complete Strangers for five hundred, Alex.”
A small smile finally broke through. “Sorry. It’s just, I’m a mom. I’m horrified at the thought of a teacher taking advantage of a child.”
He shrugged. “Like I said, I know now it was screwed up. Back then, I thought I was the man.”
“I see life hasn’t cured you of that last condition yet.”
He cocked an eyebrow, enjoying this relaxed version of her. Alcohol was good for the uptight receptionist. “Touché, Ms. Easton.”
“See, now you say the Ms. thing and it sounds dirty.”
He smirked. “She let me call her by her first name. But be warned, I can make anything sound dirty.”
“I’m noticing that.
