"You want a Corona, right?" I asked reaching into the cooler and pulling out the drink he'd ordered last time.
"I think I'm in love. She's gorgeous and she remembers what beer I drink. Then she opens the damn thing for me." I could tell he was teasing as he stuck a bill in my hand and took the beer from me. "Change is yours beautiful."
I noticed the fifty as I stuck it into my pocket. These guys really didn't mind throwing money away. That was a ridiculous tip. I felt like telling him not to give me so much but I decided against it. They probably tipped like this all the time.
"What's your name?" one asked and I turned to see the dark haired one with an olive complexion waiting to give his order and hear my answer.
"Blaire," I replied reaching into the cooler for the fancy beer he'd requested. I popped the top and handed it to him.
"You got a boyfriend, Blaire?" he asked, taking the drink from me while running a finger along the side of my hand in a caress.
"Um, no," I replied, not sure if it might have been better to lie in this situation.
The guy took a step toward me and held out his hand with the payment and tip inside of it. "I'm Woods," he replied.
"It's, uh, nice to meet you Woods," I stammered in reply. The intense look in his dark eyes made me nervous. He could be dangerous and he reeked of expensive cologne. Expertly bred. He was one of the beautiful people and he knew it. What was he doing flirting with me?
"Not fair, Woods. Back off, bro. You're going all out with this one. Just 'cause your daddy owns the joint doesn't mean you get first dibs," the blond with curls kidded. I think he was kidding.
Woods ignored his friend and kept his focus on me. "What time do you get off work?"
Uh-oh. If I understood them correctly then Woods daddy was my ultimate boss. I didn't need to be spending time the owner's son. That would be a very bad thing.
"I work until close," I explained and handed the last of the four his beer and took his money.
"Why don't you let me pick you up and take you for something to eat?" Woods said, standing very close to me now. If I turned around he would be only a breath away.
"It's hot and I'm already exhausted. All I will want to do is get a shower and crash."
Warm breath tickled my ear and I shivered as beads of sweat rolled down my back. "Are you scared of me? Don't be. I'm harmless."
I wasn't sure what to do about him. I wasn't good with the flirting and I was pretty sure that was what he was doing. No one had flirted with me in years. Once I broke up with Cain, my days had been consumed with school and then my mom. I had no time for anything else. Guys didn't bother with me.
"You don't scare me. I'm just not used to this kind of thing," I replied apologetically. I didn't know how to respond properly.
"What kind of thing?" he asked curiously. I finally turned around to face him.
"Guys. And flirting. At least, I think that is what is happening." I sounded like an idiot. The smile that slowly stretched across Woods face made me want to crawl under the golf cart and hide. I was so out of my league.
"Yes, this is definitely flirting. And how is it that someone as f**king unbelievably hot as you is not used to this kind of thing?"
I tensed at his words and shook my head. I needed to get to the sixteenth hole. "I've just been busy the past few years. If, uh, you don't need anything else the golfers on the sixteenth hole are probably angry with me by now."
Woods nodded and took a step back. "I'm not done with you. Not by a long shot. But for right now I'll let you get back to work."
I hurried back to the driver's side of the cart and climbed in. The next hole was a bunch of retired men. I had never looked more forward to being leered at by old guys in my life but at least they didn't flirt.
When I walked out to my truck that evening I was relieved to see no sign of Woods. I should have known he was just teasing the help. I had made a couple of hundred dollars in tips today and I decided that treating myself to an actual meal was okay. I pulled into the drive-thru at McDonalds and ordered a cheeseburger and fries. I ate them happily on the way back to Rush's. There was no car outside tonight.
I wouldn't walk in on him having sex tonight. Then again, he might have brought someone here in his car. I walked inside and stopped in the foyer. No television. No sound at all, but the door had been unlocked. I hadn't had to use the hidden key he'd told me about.
I'd sweated too much today. I had to have a shower before I went to bed. I stepped into the kitchen and checked the front porch to make sure it was free of any sexual escapades. Getting a shower would be easy.
I ducked into my room and grabbed the old pair of Cain's boxers and a tank top that I slept in at night. Cain had given them to me when we were young and silly. He'd wanted me to sleep in something that was his. I'd been sleeping in them every since. Although now they were much tighter than they had been then. I'd developed curves since the age of fifteen.
I took a deep breath of the ocean air as I stepped outside. This was my third night here and I had yet to actually make it down to the water. I'd come home so tired that I hadn't had the energy to go out there. I went down the steps and put my pajamas in the bathroom before slipping off my tennis shoes.
The sand was still warm from the sun's heat. I walked across it in the darkness until the water's edge rushed up to meet me. The cold startled me and I sucked in a breath but let the salt water cover my feet.