A Slow Burning Fire - By J.F. Jenkins Page 0,8

away from her before she could get any further.

He shook his head. “Food will be here soon, and I'm meeting friends.”

“Dinner isn't for another twenty minutes. That's more than enough time to get acquainted.” She winked.

Cringing inwardly, he grabbed her hand before she could touch him again and gently placed it onto the bar counter. Under the influence or not, he still had some self-control left. “Let me be straight with you. I'm not interested.”

“How about another rum and Coke then?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” He wanted it for different reasons than she, he was sure. When he got his next drink from the bartender, he took a bigger swig and slouched. He tapped his hands on the counter impatiently as he waited. The nameless blonde model continued to fawn over him, but everything she said went in one ear and right out the other.

When he noticed Arial pushing her way through the crowd, he sat up quickly. As she got closer, his breath caught in his throat. He'd never noticed how truly stunning she was before. Her pale yellow dress accented her features perfectly and put her on a level high above the other women there — including the model, who may have had a flawless body in her revealing little black dress but lacked in class. Arial projected an image and confidence that reminded him of old Hollywood. A time when it was preferable to be glamorous over seductive, regal even. She could have been a princess with all of her grace and natural beauty.

Why did she look so angry, though? While the furrowed brow and pouted lips were indeed sexy to behold, her temper could be a force to reckon with.

****

Arial forced a smile onto her face when she arrived at the bar. Even if she didn't want to look happy, she pretended for Bryce's sake. She didn't want to make him angry by acting out in a jealous rage. He wasn't hers to be jealous or protective over to begin with.

“Bryce, sweetie, thank you for waiting. I hope you weren't too bored,” she said, opening her arms to hug him.

His green eyes rose to look at her, and she saw the pure, joyful glimmer in them. Bryce had never been a guarded drunk. Some people put their walls up higher while under the influence. Alcohol had the opposite effect on him. The walls fell down and the extra security he had carefully put around himself was disabled, leaving him open, vulnerable, and easy to read. When his gaze met hers, his smile widened. He was absolutely smoking hot in his black suit as well. When he cleaned up, he did it nicely. His sand-colored hair was neatly combed and his face clean-shaven. The suit added a smooth confidence to his persona.

Without any hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her tightly. “I managed. Thanks for coming.” He rose from his stool and stumbled slightly, using her shoulders for support. The sudden weight on her almost caused her to fall.

She picked up the nearly empty glass. “How many of these did you have?”

“Three and a half.”

Arial groaned. “You're kind of a lightweight,” she teased in an effort to hide her disappointment. Getting openly upset with him would only push him further away. She'd save the lectures for when he was sober.

“Bars aren't my thing,” he mumbled. “I'm not as far gone as you think.”

“The fact that you said that like a toddler makes me think otherwise.” She pulled him to the side of the restaurant and grabbed the sides of his face, forcing him to look at her. “Be honest with me. Do you want to be here right now?”

He shook his head. “I didn't want to come at all, to deal with all the questions and speculations. I don't want to talk about her all night with people, but it would have been bad not to show up. Unprofessional.”

“More so than getting yourself wasted within the first hour?”

“I'm not that drunk!”

“But drunk enough, and one or two more of those things and you'd probably be blacking out.” She sighed. “Come on, I'll take you home.”

Bryce shook his head and pulled away from her. “At least let me have dinner, take a few photos, and try to sober up. Once I eat, I'll be fine.”

Arial wasn't sure she believed him, but she was willing to cut him some slack. They went to share a table with the cast. Dinner came and everything seemed to be going