“I apologize, gentlemen. I didn’t realize my daughter and niece were fans.” Mr. Ruiz said sending an embarrassed and stern look at the women.

“Oh, it’s no problem. It happens all the time.” Lance said with a laugh. Mr. Ruiz joining him before looking up at the two women.

“Have a seat, Ladies.” Mr. Ruiz said.

“Please do.” Lance said looking at Noemi whose expression was blank as she stood before them. Her black dress was long but he could see skin peeking out of the side, up her left thigh. She looked dashing.

“Daddy, will you excuse us for a moment?” Noemi asked her father before pulling Kayla by the arm toward the ladies room.

“Are they okay?” Trace asked innocently. He’d been waiting and playing along with Lance’s ability to charm the man, all night just to see her reaction and it angered him that Kayla had stood there, both arms on her hips, as if getting ready to go off on him. So, what if he’d been the one that hadn’t called. At least he hadn’t called because he had a girlfriend stashed away in Florida. How she thought that she had the right to be angry with him was beyond him. And although he was angry at her little game plan, he couldn’t fight the butterflies he felt in his stomach as she stood there away. She was completely decked out for a night of wining and dining. She looked gorgeous and the stilettos he’d seen her walking away in made her look irresistibly sexy. He should have known that a woman that beautiful wasn’t single. She should have worn that to class, then maybe I would have known, he thought.

“You have to excuse my niece and daughter. Please.” Mr. Ruiz apologized. “My daughter has been running around chasing after my grandson all day. My niece just flew in from Florida a few hours ago. I think they are both a bit tired.”

“No need to apologize, Mr. Ruiz.” Lance said charming the man even more than what he’d done so far. As far as Lance was concerned, the business dinner had officially just become dinner with a business partner five minutes before. Lance agreed to invest a few million dollars on any of the projects Mr. Ruiz saw fit. “Congratulations, I didn’t think you were a grandfather at such a young age.” Lance said causing Trace to roll his eyes.

“I knew I liked you the moment you sat down. Your associate too.” Mr. Ruiz said with a chuckle.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Mr. Ruiz. Is Noemi your only daughter?”

“Yes, she is. Noemi and Sean, that’s my grandson, are what keep me young. They keep the house livened up.”

“She and her husband live with you?” Trace asked only to receive a rigorous look from Lance.

“Oh no, Noemi is a single mother, unfortunately but I would love a son-in-law soon.”

Interesting.” Lance said giving Trace a ‘you were wrong’ look.

Ladies Room

“I’m not staying.”

“You are not going to leave me to deal with daddy and them by myself. So get that straight.” Noemi said folding her arms over her chest. “What exactly do you think they are up to? I can’t believe he’s playing games with dad. Does he think that lying to my dad is going to get me to be interested in him? Why did he bring Juan with him?”

“He’s such and asshole.” Kayla simply stated as she lifted herself on top of the sink countertop.

“Who? Lance or Juan?”

“He’s doing this to prove a point, that only makes sense in his little deranged head. Well I’m better at this than he is and if he thinks he can play with me then he can forget that shit because now I’m pissed, crampy, bloated and drunk.” Kayla said venting.

“Are you talking to me or yourself?” Noemi snapped.

“What?!”

“What do we do?”

“We? I told you I’m not sticking around. You deal with this because I think Lance is the mastermind of this whole thing and it has nothing to do with me.”

“What makes you think it was Lance? Why couldn’t it have been Juan, Trace, or whatever his fucking stupid name is?

“Are you defending him?” Kayla asked in shock. “Jesus Christ!! You like him!! What the hell happened while I was home?”

“What? I don’t like him. What are you talking about? If this is anyone’s fault, it’s yours. You’re the one that brought them to the diner.”

“I didn’t bring anyone. And if you don’t like him that I’m not one of Justin Timberlake’s dancers either.” Kayla said wound up.

“What?!! You’re one of his dancers? Since when? What the hell are you doing? Now I know this is all Juan’s doing.”

“I doubt it, Noemi. Juan may be rolling in the dough but Lance uses bills as toilet paper. Your boyfriend is trying to get your attention. Open your eyes, Noemi.”

“Open my eyes? What about you? What is Juan doing here? He’s not here to see me, that’s for sure.”

“He’s here to intimidate me with his bitch ass self. He thinks I’m gonna quit because of him? Yeah right. He obviously didn’t get the message because I could care less that he thinks I owe him something.”

“Why are you talking in codes, bitch? What are we going to do? And don’t say you’re leaving cause it’s not happening. We could mess with daddy in many ways but being unprofessional in not an option.”

“Unprofessional? News flash! How do you think we looked out there?”

“I need another drink.” Noemi said pulling Kayla off the countertop by the arm.

“Stop dragging me around. I’m not Sean.”

“Let’s go play with the big boys, Kayla. If these bastards want to play for real, who are we to stop them?”

“You’re such a bitch. I love you.” Kayla slurred adjusting her dress and following Noemi out of the restroom.

As they approached the table, both women accelerated their step. Without one word to each other, they’d both noticed that Mr. Ruiz was no longer at the table with Lance and Trace. The alcohol they’d been consuming while getting dressed, making them excited as they realized that if Mr. Ruiz wasn’t at the table and they could forget about the play along. They could go right down to telling both the men off.

“What are you doing here?” Noemi asked taking a seat across Lance to avoid attracting attention.

“You really are an asshole.” Kayla stated matter-of-factly to Trace as she took a seat. “What are you two doing here?”

“One at a time, Ladies.” Lance said.

“Kayla doesn’t know what that means, Lance,” Trace said. “She prefers two at a time or maybe three. I’m not really sure.”

“Threesomes are fun.” Kayla said nonchalantly. “I expected this type of behavior and game playing from the piece of shit you call a friend but I thought you were a nice guy.” She said to Lance.

“I am a nice guy, Kayla.” Lance responded taking a sip from his wine. “Ask you uncle.”

“You’re full of shit.” Noemi said across from him. “Where did my father go?”

“He got a call from one of his other restaurants with an emergency. He excused himself from dinner but said his daughter and niece would be happy to join us for dinner. Right, Trace?”

“Whatever. I’m not happy.” Trace said drinking the last of his Martini.

“Well God forbid. What are you trying to prove? You’re a pathetic, sorry, lonely man.” Kayla said to Trace.

“Do you two think you can stop the insults? So that we could enjoy dinner?” Lance interjected.

“I’m not having dinner with her.” Trace said in disgust. “She can go have dinner with her boyfriend, Shane, in hell instead. I’m out.”

“Shane?” Noemi questioned in disgust herself. “Shane’s not…”

“Shut up, Noemi.” Kayla said elbowing Noemi in the ribs. “yeah I think I will do that tonight. At least I know he won’t leave me hot and bothered at my doorstep. You know because he’s not scared of performing. If you know what I mean.”

“Shit.” Lance whispered putting his head down on the table in agony.

“Payback’s a bitch, Kayla.” Trace said with an malevolent laugh that Lance had never heard before, getting up and walking away from the table.

“Are you ready to go?” Kayla asked as she stood from the table angrily.

“Get the driver, Kayla. I’ll be right out.” Noemi said causing Lance to lift his head to look at her.

“Five minutes or I’m fucking leaving your ass, Noemi.” was all Kayla said before walking away.

“You’re not fleeing?” Lance inquired.

“I want to know what this is all about?” Noemi asked.

“I told you I was investing.”

“In one of my father’s restaurants?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It’s always been an interest of mine.”

“Bullshit. What do you want?”

“I don’t want anything, Noemi. I’m investing in a  restaurant, that’s all.”

“That’s all?”

“Sure.”

“You’re lying. What do you want with my father?”

“Mr. Ruiz is a very nice man. Knows the business really well. I’m sure our partnership will be grand.”

“You honestly expect me to believe that load of shit?”

“It’s not a load of anything but the truth. Ask your father. In fact I would like you to be present when I sign the check next week, if that will make you feel better.”

“So this whole thing has nothing to do with me?”

“Aww, now you’re asking the right questions, Noemi.” Lance said with a bright smile.

“What do you want with me? You know, in return for your big ol’ check? Because you’re obviously thinking there’s a price tag on my head. I have to hear this because I’ve heard a lot of pick-up lines in my life, this one takes the cake.” she asked leaning over the table toward him.

“I don’t like that you’re insinuating that I want to purchase your time.” Lance said looking her in the eyes and leaning closer across the table. “That’s not the case. My investing money, lots of it, has nothing to do with my wanting to invest time with you.”

“Most guys wouldn’t go through all this trouble just to get a date.” Noemi said.

“It’s no trouble at all. And I don’t want a date, Noemi.” Lance said a whisper away from her lips.

“You don’t?” Noemi asked in a soft whisper, intoxicated by his cologne.

“I want a million of them.” Lance said closing the space between them a bit more.

“That was lame.” Noemi smirked.

“Stop pretending you don’t want to kiss me, and do it.” Lance said with a sly smile.

“You haven’t won.” was all she said as she moved forward and placed her lips on him softly causing a low moan from Lance.

The contact was soft and powerful. Neither one moved, merely the brushing of lips because Kayla was now standing a few feet from them.

“Noemi!! Let’s go!!” she yelled.

“Jesus!! You’re lucky my dad owns this place!!” Noemi yelled back as she stood from her seat.

“Have a good night, Ladies.” Lance said resting back on his seat once again. He watched as Kayla stomped away ahead of Noemi as they left the restaurant. “You’re wrong, Noemi. I did win.”