Jack’s hands curled into fists, crumpling the files he was still holding.
That slimebag fake-cop loser actually thought he stood a chance of getting Pepper into bed?
Not if Jack had anything to do with it.
Pepper’s temper was still raging by the time she crawled out of her cab at the restaurant, carefully adjusting the skirt of her little black dress over her knees as she exited. She did up another button on her jacket, breathing out slowly in an attempt to blow out the rest of her frustrations. Her smile had to look forced, but Billy didn’t seem to mind, his admiring gaze taking in every inch as she approached the door of the restaurant.
Unfortunately, his admiration lingered a little too long on her chest, and that after she’d deliberately made sure to wear something that covered most of her assets.
Talk about awkward situations. Pepper had been within thirty seconds of calling the big evening off. Then Jack had to go and screw things up.
She didn’t really want to be here tonight. She’d had her phone in her hand to call and cancel, when he called instead. At that point there was no way she could back down, and now she felt like a creeper for being at one of the most expensive places in town when she totally planned on telling Billy she never wanted to see him again.
Damn Jack Hunter. Damn him to hell.
“You’re gorgeous.” Billy managed to pull his eyes above her neck level briefly, flashing his pearly white smile that now made her think of cannibals preparing for a feast.
It wasn’t his fault that she’d gotten cold feet. Or shoes of ice. He hadn’t done anything specific to make her leery, but after the debacle at the end of her road trip, maybe her spidey senses were tingling. A little too hard, and not in the way of good tingles.
Still, time to make the best of it. “You look pretty good yourself.”
And he did. The man cleaned up nice, in a sharply cut suit she wondered how he could afford. Even that was a thought she had to thank Jack for putting in her brain, along with Suz, if she were honest, because cops were notoriously underpaid. Pepper would hate to know what a parking jockey pulled an hour.
“If you’ll follow me to your table, please.”
Small talk was cut off as she wove between small tables in pursuit of the ma?tre d’. Billy snapped to attention and pulled out her chair, his hands lingering a little too long on her shoulders before he made his way to his own seat.
A flurry of attention hit their table as water was poured and silverware rearranged, their napkins laid in their laps. By the time the waiter returned with menus in his hand, Pepper was ready for something to hold onto to stop herself from fidgeting.
Only Billy beat her to the punch, waving the menus off as he caught her hand in midair and laid it on the table under his. “We won’t need those. I’ve already decided what we’re going to have.”
Oh really? echoed very loudly in her head, but Pepper managed to cling to a smile. She wasn’t sure what kind of a smile though, because her teeth were locked together and the muscles in her neck had all turned to iron.
“I’d like a bottle of the Asti Spumante, and we’ll have bacon-wrapped scallops for an appetizer. Followed by the chef’s special.”
Their waiter hesitated. “One order or two?”
“Two, of course,” Billy snapped before turning his attention back on Pepper.
At this point Pepper hoped the special was steak and lobster that had been hand raised by royalty in the Caribbean Islands then paddled all the way to San Francisco in long boats. She didn’t give a damn how much it cost, because Billy had stepped over a line that he never should have approached.
She’d worked restaurants while going to school. It was hard, often thankless work, and the jackasses had always made themselves known. She glanced around the room, seriously considering excusing herself to the washroom then outright leaving.
Billy still had her fingers locked in his grasp. “You look amazing. And are you wearing contacts? I don’t remember your eyes being that vivid emerald green before. It’s so unusual with your black hair.”
Pepper grimaced before she caught herself. She did have colored contacts. Pale green ones she used to hide her real eye color. Jack had gotten her so riled up she’d forgotten to pop them in. “Good catch. They are different tonight.”
“I look forward to staring into them,” he said, stroking his thumb over her hand. “All night long.”
The noise she made must have been close enough to a sneeze he let her go, and she scrambled in her purse for a tissue. Pretending to have to blow her nose was better than gagging.