“If he is, he wouldn’t come to a place like this.” From his vantage point, Ben noticed that the smile on Maggie’s lips seemed forced. “Big celebrities like that rent suites at the Plaza and entertain high-class call girls.”
Ben choked back a laugh. He was tempted to march over there and kiss her senseless for the way she’d covered for him—again. Instead, he waited patiently for another fifteen minutes, then stood up when he heard Maggie tell the blond-haired bartender she’d be back in thirty.
Tucking his book in his pocket, he hopped out of the booth and headed for the door. He breathed in the late evening air. A few moments later, Maggie walked out of the bar. She paused near the streetlight by the curb, the pale yellow light causing her hair to appear redder and brighter. Like a halo of fire kindled by the calm evening breeze.
“Hey,” he greeted her with a smile.
She, on the other hand, stared him down with obvious wariness in her eyes. And there it was again, that annoyance. What the hell was up with that?
“Hi.” She held on to the thick strap of her oversized purse. “I have a half hour for my dinner break. I usually grab a hot dog.”
“Let’s go,” he said easily.
She nodded and then pushed forward, her high heels clacking against the pavement.
Ben fell into step with her and cocked his head. “You look angry.”
She shot him a sideways glance. “What makes you think that?”
He shrugged. “Well, are you?”
“A little.”
“Because I showed up at your place of work?”
Her hands dropped to her hips as she stopped walking. “Yes. Thanks to you, I’ve spent the last three hours as your bodyguard, trying to keep every female in the place away from you.”
He had to grin. “I never asked you to do that.”
“You didn’t have to. You turned white as mayo when I asked who you were, it was obvious you didn’t want to be bothered.” She paused. “Besides, I owe you. Celebrity or not, I still barged into your room last night.”
With a frown, she resumed walking. He quickened his pace to keep up with her, oddly pleased that his celebrity status was an obvious thorn in her side.
It sure as hell was a thorn in his.
“So what do you want?”
She got right to the point, which he suspected she did a lot. Just another item to add to his already growing list of reasons why he liked her.
“I told you, I came to return something.”
They stopped in front of a hot dog vendor, who Maggie greeted by name. She ordered a dog with all the fixings, paid the man, and turned back to Ben.
“So that’s it? You came by only to return my underwear?”
A loud cough sounded. Glancing over, Ben saw the hot dog vendor raising his bushy eyebrows at them.
Maggie waved a dismissive hand. “Just a figure of speech, Joe. Pretend you didn’t hear that.”
She said goodbye and gestured for Ben to follow her. Moments later they were leaning against a brick wall a few yards away, and Ben couldn’t help but be impressed as he watched Maggie eat.
It had been a while since he’d met a woman who dined in anything less than a five-star restaurant, and if he’d even dared to suggest to a date they indulge in some street meat he’d probably get slapped. But Maggie, she looked completely comfortable as she chewed on her hot dog and wiped ketchup from the corner of her delectable mouth.
She didn’t seem to notice the people hurrying by or the sound of cars whizzing down Broadway, and when a cop car sped past, sirens blazing, she didn’t even blink. She acted like having dinner in the middle of a busy street was no big deal.
“Is there a reason why you’re staring at me like that?” she asked, jarring him from his thoughts.
He shrugged. “I like the way you eat.”
One reddish-brown eyebrow lifted. “Is that some weird pick-up line?”
A laugh slipped from his throat. Damn, he liked her. “No, just an honest-to-God compliment. It’s been a while since I’ve met a woman who eats something other than salad.”
Maggie made a face as she swallowed back the last bite of her hot dog. “If my meals consisted of salad, I’d die of malnutrition.” She wiped her mouth demurely with a napkin and then tossed it in a nearby trashcan. “Now, listen up, Mr. Movie Star.”
He couldn’t help but grin. “I’m all ears.”
“What do you want from me?” Her hands dropped to her hips again, and he noticed her fingernails were short and unpolished. “I already apologized for last night and you passed on my offer for a free drink, so why are you here?”
Before he could answer, she narrowed those emerald eyes. “You’re not going to sue me, are you?”
Taken aback, he said, “What?”
“Sue me. For sexual harassment or something.”
“Of course I’m not going to sue you.”
“You better not.” She scowled at him. “It would never hold up in court, anyway.”