Real Men Don’t Drink Appletinis
Liz Matis
Little Hondo Press
Contact:
[email protected] Real Men Don’t Drink Appletinis
Copyright (c) 2013 Elizabeth Matis
Digital ISBN: 978-0-9840098-4-8
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, scanning, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without permission in writing from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Also by Liz Matis:
Playing For Keeps – print, eBook, and audio book
Love By Design – print, eBook, and audio book
Going For It – eBook and audio book
Praise for Liz Matis:
Love By Design
RT Book Review: Readers will get a kick out of these characters as they walk through a world of fashion and celebrities and soak up all the glitz and glam that a wild child and a bad boy could possibly provide.
Love on the Book Shelf: Don't hold this book too tight-you-you'll burn your fingers. Recommendation: It's also the perfect just-before-bedtime reading, if you'd like some nice, sultry dreams.
ReRead: Totally worth it.
Playing For Keeps:
RT Book Reviews: Playing For Keeps is entertaining ... an engaging storyline will keep readers turning the pages ... readers will enjoy the unfolding relationship and anticipate the sequel featuring the secondary characters
Book Junkie: In Liz Matis' latest from Little Hondo Press, Playing For Keeps you will get a wildly sexy romance with depth and laughs. A page turner, bring on the sequel.
Going For It:
RT Book Reviews: Readers will wholeheartedly enjoy the cat-and-mouse game the main couple plays. Expect a large dose of spice, surprises, and a story that's perfect for the front page of a tabloid. The sequel to Playing For Keeps is a touchdown!
Book Junkie: I loved GOING FOR IT because falling hard and fast for two witty, feisty and completely honest characters that do nothing if not capture your heart and take you on the wild ride that is their love story.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
About the Author
Chapter 1
Ava shielded her eyes. “He did not just order an appletini.”
“James Bond likes martinis.”
“He holds the fruit.” Her friend probably thought she was picky but not every girl could star in a hit interior design show and land a hot Aussie hunk for a co-host then tame the bad-boy all the way to the altar like Victoria had.
Sweeping Ava’s hand away from her face Victoria argued, “Come on he’s cute.”
“At best he’s gay, at worst he’s metro-sexual.” And God save Ava from them. Not that she didn’t like a man who clipped his toenails, but when a man’s grooming bordered on primping then he wasn’t the one for her. There was something so fundamentally wrong about a man’s shoe budget exceeding hers. And while it was perfectly normal to be jealous of a woman’s walk-in closet or silky hair it was quite another when she found herself competing with a man in those departments.
Ava liked a man who rolled out of bed as sexy as he jumped in. No fuss and all muss.
With this thought in mind she scanned Martini Madness, the hottest bar in New York City, for possibilities. None. The typical Friday night crowd of stock traders mixed in with young women who looked like future candidates for a season of Real Housewives. She’d grown tired of the bar scene. Only thirty she easily was the oldest female here, which made her feel ancient.
But here she sat because her happily married friend under the guise of needing a girls’ night out was trying to hook Ava up with her own happy ever after. She’d settle for happy-from-great-sex-after.
At that moment a 6’3”, blonde, with a yet to be determined eye color, but definitely handsome male approached the bar with a commanding stride. Ava doubted the crowd was aware of how they parted to let him through.
His tight jeans looked worn from hard work and not from a two hundred dollar price tag. The blue button down shirt was probably his attempt to dress up. The shaggy but clean hair and gruff beard reminded her of a golden retriever.
Ava’s fingers itched to rub his belly.
She couldn’t hear him order over the noise, but with her gaze now concentrated on his mouth she read his lips that were full enough not to get lost behind the facial hair.
Black Label Scotch.
Clearly a man’s man.
As he sipped from the glass she pictured bringing her naked breast to those lips, imagined the warmth of his breath, the tickle of his beard, and the numbing effect of the scotch on her nipple. Suddenly parched she downed her appletini, but it did nothing to quench the rising thirst for his kiss.
“Wowsa,” said Victoria. “He’s a fine specimen.”
Ava agreed. He looked out of place among the suits. Women dressed in short skirts and high heels eyed him like he was a new shiny bauble to play with. “I should go save him.”
“Oh yeah, give him some mouth-to-mouth,” Victoria cheered on.
Ava smiled. “Go home to your handsome hubby and baby girl.”
“I’ll finish my drink and watch the fireworks.”
Ava slipped from the stool and slid next to her target. “You know this is a martini bar?” She held up her empty glass. Despite the number of people waiting for drinks, he only had to nod at the bartender to order her a refill.
His gaze then captured hers. “I’m a rebel.”
Ethereal green. That was the only way to describe his eyes. Almost lost in the depth of his stare she forced herself to speak. “So you’re looking for a girl who can belt back a scotch?”
A smile appeared on his face. “That would be asking too much. I’d settle for a girl who liked a cold beer.”
“Wine?”
Still smiling he shook his head. “High maintenance.”
“You came to the wrong place then.”
He handed her the drink and said, “From where I’m standing I’m in exactly the right place.”
His gaze not only undressed her but made love to her. In his expression she read every touch he’d bestow, how he would kiss her long and slow, and witnessed their naked bodies melding together in a soft glow of heated passion.
Victoria was getting quite a show. Fireworks? Try the Sun exploding.
Being an agent she was used to going up to gorgeous men but this man stood apart in his own category. Exuding confidence without arrogance, he’d make the perfect action hero. Unfortunately, she had one rule that she had broken only once with disastrous results—she didn’t mixed business with pleasure.
Pleasure. He hadn’t even touched her, yet her body hummed with anticipation. Nervous she reverted to work mode. “Have you ever done any modeling or acting?”
He threw back his head and laughed.
“I’m an agent,” she quickly explained. Even if the sound of his laugh caused goosies to skitter along her body she didn’t like that it was at her expense.
He leaned in closer. “Is that the real reason you approached me or is there something else you want?”
No fancy cologne, just the smell of man surrounded her and th
e goosies turned inward and pooled between her legs.
Want? No. Need? Oh, yes.
Chapter 2
Navy SEAL Grady O’Flynn wasn’t often knocked back on his heels but the bombshell in front of him knocked him back and rocked his world. She reminded him of a movie starlet from the Forties. All curves and all sass. And those baby blues? Man, they nearly had him babbling like an infant.
“So what do you do for a living?”
Amused by her obvious deflection, he’d decided to let his question go unanswered since he couldn’t be an open book either. He didn’t want to lie but he couldn’t reveal who he was or why he was in New York City. “I’m on extended leave.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m between assignments.” He took a sip of scotch.
“Am I going to have to waterboard you for information?”
Grady nearly spit out his drink but recovered quickly with, “There are far more pleasurable ways to get information.”
“Ooo.”
God, he loved the way her ruby lips formed an O. He wouldn’t take the thought a step further and fantasize about what that mouth could do to him. Christ, he didn’t even know her name. “Like for a kiss I’ll reveal my name.”
Her mouth curved into a grin. “A name for name. Even trade.”
Yes, plenty of sass. He sighed with pretend disappointment. “Grady O’Flynn.”
“Ava Gardner.”
Despite how close they stood she held out her hand as if they sealed a business deal. He’d rather seal his lips over hers and watch her eyes flutter shut. So why was he suddenly reluctant to touch her? Grady’s large hand closed over her delicate one and a flow of hot energy interchanged between them like they were connected in some cosmic way. By the way her eyes widen he’d say she felt it too. The timing couldn’t be worse but that didn’t stop him from asking, “Want to get some coffee?”
“Co-ffee?”
He shouldn’t have asked. This mission might be unsanctioned but to break protocol by taking an innocent civilian on a stakeout was irresponsible. He assured himself that another boring night of surveillance laid before him. Raul had been a model citizen since being admitted to the States, but Grady knew better. Though it could be weeks until Raul played his hand. “There’s a diner down the street.”
“Ok.”
He had walked into the bar for a drink, to act normal if only for a few minutes before taking his post for the night. Asking her out for coffee came as natural as breathing and with their hands still clasped he knew he couldn’t let this woman walk away. She’d provide a good cover in case Raul was getting suspicious and although he doubted he’d been made, his neighbors were probably wondering what their nocturnal neighbor was up to.
As they approached the diner Raul passed by on the other side of the street on schedule. With his head down he didn’t spare a glance at the couple. It seemed all he did was work and sleep. To some that might seem harmless enough but to Grady it only heightened his suspicions.
He guided his date to his normal table.
Ava slid onto the vinyl seat of the retro Fifties diner, ordering a coffee without looking at the menu. The waitress, a thick waisted, full busted, sharp-tongued woman turned to Grady.
“And what about you honey bun? The usual?”
Grady nodded yes and conversed with the waitress while Ava furiously typed on her Blackberry. Even under the harsh lights she was beautiful.
“You sure you don’t want anything to eat, sweetie?”
‘No, thanks. Sorry that was a client,” Ava said to both of them as she placed the phone on the table. The waitress shrugged, sliding a pencil behind her ear as she sashayed back to the counter.
“Actor or model?” He glanced up at the third story window. The light still hadn’t come on. Shit.
“Worse. A model who thinks she can act.”
Distracted, he didn’t respond and he heard Ava tap the table with her fingertips. The window illuminated with brightness causing an inner sigh of relief.
“Okay, what exactly do you do?”
He looked back to Ava, once again giving her his full attention. “What do you mean?”
“Oh come on. You took this specific table, that seat, so you could watch the door and you keep looking up at the 3rd window to the right.”
“So much for the dumb blonde theory.”
“I’m not a real blonde.”
Grady knew that. There was no way that shade of honey existed outside of a bottle. Not that he cared but he was pleased she was honest about it. Something he couldn’t be right now.
“So are you a cop? FBI? Oh, oh, Homeland Security?”
“Something like that.”
Christ. A text from his partner and former Navy SEAL Giordano, bleeped on the screen of his phone. Who’s the hot blonde?
“So we’re on a stakeout of some sort?”
“Unofficial,” said Grady as he typed NOYB.
“Oh, the in-between assignments thing.”
“Look, I’m sorry. It’s just...” Grady debated whether to answer back to Giordano’s crude comeback.
“What?”
Leaning forward he allowed himself to be caught up in those innocent blue eyes, reminding him of what he was fighting for. “You intrigue me.”
Ava leaned back against the seat. “If you don’t want to act, I could get you a job as a movie consultant.”
Grady knew an evasive tactic when he saw one. Did the magnetic pull between them scare her? “Don’t you ever stop working?”
“Look who’s talking.”
Grady laughed. “Well played.”
The phone twilled and he expected her to answer it. After taking a glance at the screen she ignored the call. Why? She was an admitted workaholic. Curious he asked, “Another client?”
“Ex-client. Ex-boyfriend. He’s a serial cheater.”
“You deserve better.”
With a disarmingly shy smile she said, “I do.”
Overseas for months at a time and even when home his mind wasn’t present and accounted for. A woman needed a man by her side. He decided long ago that he wouldn’t marry until he was out of the service. “Which is why I shouldn’t have asked you out for coffee.”
“What? You’re a cheater?”
“No,” he laughed. Grady couldn’t remember a woman who made him enjoy the here and now—who made him at ease. But in combat or in love it was dangerous to let down your guard. “I’m married to my job.”
“I understand.” She waved her phone in the air.
He nodded as his breakfast arrived. He wolfed it down as Ava nursed a cup of coffee.
“Do you sit here all night?”
“No, my apartment is upstairs.”
“Upstairs, huh?” Ava raised an eyebrow and erotically stirred the coffee with a spoon.
God, she was all shades of sexy. “You should go home.”
“In real life you’d ask me up,” stated Ava.
He leaned forward. “In real life we would’ve skipped the food and I’d be making love to you right now.”
Chapter 3
Ava drew in a slow breath. She should feign shock at his words, however, he was so right about making love. And had several orgasms by now. “Well, who says this isn’t real life?”
“That light across the street.”
What if this was some sick scam to get women up to his room like that movie True Lies; only he didn’t need to use deceit for women to fawn over him. All it took was a lazy smile and a cup of coffee.
The waitress stopped by to fill up the near empty cup. “So where did you two meet?”
“The bar down the street,” stated Grady.
‘Well, it’s about time. Not natural for a handsome man like you not to be getting any.”
Grady laughed up at the waitress, but Ava’s cheeks flushed. “Hello. Who says he’s getting some or anything for that matter.”
“Oh sweetie, don’t take it the wrong the way. If I were twenty year
s younger I would’ve wedded and bedded Grizzly Adams here by now. You’d be back at the bar with those useless pretty boys.” The waitress ripped the bill off her pad and placed it by Grady with a wink before walking away.
Ava leaned across the table. “Who’s Grizzly Adams?”
Grady shook his head. “Google it.”
She typed in the name into her Blackberry and bit back a laugh at the handsome but scruffy man who popped up. Dan Haggerty. Scrolling down further a picture of Robert Redford as Jeremiah Johnson appeared. In his current state Grady was a cross between the two, “It was a T.V. show back in the 70’s.” She showed him the phone screen.
“Whoa.” A fleeting look of horror crossed his face. “I need to schedule an appointment with a barber ASAP.”
“You don’t look quite that homeless yet.” Ava laughed.
“Thanks.” Grady reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty and flipped it on to the table.
“Nice tip.”
“Why do you think she flirts with me?”
“Because she has a werewolf fetish,” teased Ava.
Grady’s laugh bounced off the walls of the diner and the patrons turned to stare as they walked out into the street. But once at the curb Grady turned silent and serious. “You should go home.” His eyes told a different story.
“We don’t want to disappoint Shelley.”
“The waitress?” He glanced back to the diner where she peered out the window. “No we wouldn’t.” Grady’s still unsure gaze returned to Ava.
“And wouldn’t it blow your cover if you sent me home? Not very believable.”
“Not at all.” His fingers grazed her cheek and his eyes deepened into a fairytale forest green. “Let’s go.”
As they wound their way up the stairwell she wavered. So maybe the guy didn’t need a scam to get women into bed but it could still be a game to him. Or worse, perhaps he was stalking someone. Just because he was handsome didn’t mean he wasn’t delusional. God, he could be an escapee from an institution for the criminally insane. That would explain all the hair.
If this wasn’t a game then was he the good guy in this scenario? It would be her MO to pick up the bad guy.
They entered the apartment and after locking the door, Grady led the way into a back bedroom. Ava stopped at the doorway as he drew back the curtains and checked the window across the way. An expertly made bed took up much of the small space. One lone chair sat by the window. No pictures graced the walls. No personal items what so ever.
What was she thinking?
She should escape while she had a clear route to the door but then he turned from the window. His hand swept through his hair in a nervous gesture. Was she the reason? Was she a chink in his armor? The earlier rampart dissolved; replaced by a sudden awkwardness and a deafening silence filled the room.