“I’ll rephrase then. You are not cute at all, in fact, you are quite beautiful with an equally beautiful name.” He held out his hand and I shook it. His hand was warm and firm around mine, and when he held onto it a little longer than necessary, I found myself nervously glancing around in search of Decker.
“Keep your office boy hands to yourself, Fabian.” Decker’s familiar growl immediately made me feel at ease, and Fabian finally let go. Decker placed our drinks on the coffee table in front of us before shaking Fabian’s hand. His smile wasn’t particularly friendly though. “Been a while.” Fabian’s smile didn’t falter under Decker’s unfriendly stare. They shook hands and then Decker sat down beside me, the gap that had suddenly appeared with Leah and Cindy’s arrival gone. His leg was pressed against mine, his hand resting on his thigh, so close to mine that his pinky brushed my skin. Talk about whiplash. Following this man’s moods was tiring.
Fabian continued to stand, his hands casually in his pockets. The silence that engulfed us was awkward, to say the least.
“So, ya’ll work together?” I asked, trying to ease the obvious tension.
Fabian laughed and shook his head. “Hell no. I’m the kind of man who prefers to explore my women behind closed doors. I’m an accountant. I look after their finances. Well, not Decker’s anymore, but Cindy and Leah’s.”
Decker’s hand that rested on his thigh clenched into a fist.
“Oh, so you’re probably a really great lover,” I said with a grin. My usual fallback for an uncomfortable situation was humor. Decker, Leah, and Cindy all turned their attention my way, and I shrugged. “You know, because you’re good with figures and all.” The sound of crickets could have filled the silence before Cindy began to giggle.
“I get it, figures, not like numbers, but a woman’s body.” The blonde porn star laughed with appreciation.
Decker rolled his eyes before looking away, a small smile on his lips. Leah began laughing, though I wasn’t sure if she was laughing at my joke or at me. Fabian’s smile seemed genuine and surprised.
“Well, as it turns out, I’m an excellent lover.”
Decker gave Fabian his best death stare which didn’t seem to affect Fabian at all.
“I love your accent. Are you from Texas?” asked Cindy, oblivious to the male stare down currently in play.
“I am.”
“Is it true what they say?” Leah whispered, leaning forward in a conspiratory manner. I found myself leaning towards her.
“About what?”
“That Texas cowboys have denim in their veins and wear it well?”
I laughed. “The men wear denim like they were born in it, and for the most part, the cowboys are wicked angels on horseback that you just wanna take for a test ride.” Leah and Cindy’s eyes lit up while Fabian and Decker both rolled their eyes. Cindy sat back with a sigh.
“I want to do a cowboy scene.”
“Me too,” confessed Leah with a cheeky wink my way. “I’d let a hot cowboy take a riding crop to my ass any day.”
Finally, Decker let out a laugh. “Leah, I watched Rick take a crop to your ass more than once and you hated it.”
Leah waved Decker’s comment off. “Trust me, Deck, if he would have been a hot as hell cowboy with his denim around his ankles while riding me hard, I would have loved every stinging second of it.”
I wasn’t quite sure how to fit into this conversation, but thankfully Fabian came to the rescue.
“What brings you to New York, Andi?”
Ahhhh, safe territory. A conversation I could be a part of without blushing. “I opened a second hand bookstore in SoHo. Well, it’s kinda a coffee shop come book store and it has a studio apartment over it, so I guess it’s my home as well.”
Fabian seemed surprised. “Wow, good for you. It’s pretty damn brave starting any kind of business in today’s financial climate. I have to admit, I am a sucker for a good book and coffee, not to mention a pretty girl.”
Fabian’s forwardness was a little intimidating, and the tension wafting from Decker was giving me a headache. I reached into my bag and pulled out a business card, handing it to Fabian.
“Then you will have to come visit sometime.”
“How could a man resist such a tempting offer?” I wasn’t exactly sure how to answer so I simply smiled and stared like a dumbstruck fool. “We should get going girls,” Fabian said casually as he slipped my business card in his pocket.
Leah and Cindy both gave me friendly smiles as they stood. “We should have a girl’s night,” Leah said. I passed her a business card too.
“I’d like that; call me anytime.” Cindy gave me a wave before sauntering after Fabian who had graced me with one final smile before leaving. Leah glanced back in Decker’s direction.
“Don’t let it slip away, Decker, and don’t you dare let someone else take it.” Cryptic much? She didn’t wait for a reply as she turned to leave. I slumped back into the chair, relaxing for the first time in twenty minutes. Putting on a brave, composed, confident front was tiring.
“Be careful with Fabian,” Decker whispered.