Page 48 of Praised
But instead of following him toward the corner where his friends had set up shop, I slipped into the back and locked myself in the bathroom. I knew time was short, so I splashed some cold water on my face and fiddled with the collar of my shirt until it felt like I could breathe without struggling.
“You can do this,” I told my reflection. “They’re no one to you.”
I repeated the mantra to myself, hoping that even though the urgency of Flynn’s arrival had thrown me off-guard, that I’d be able to regain a hold on my usual level of casual banter that paid my rent and kept me employed.
But as soon as I stepped back onto the restaurant floor, I could feel all of their eyes on me, Flynn’s included. I made sure I was quick to flash them a bright smile that portrayed all of the confidence I wanted them to think I was feeling. And it wasn’t that rich and handsome men—which they all were—always threw me off-balance the way they had. It was that Flynn and I had been…
Dating?
I don’t know.
Whatever we’d been doing, and I’d been on the verge of breaking up with him and he’d just shown up at my job with all of his friends. It was my first time meeting them, first timeseeingthem, and I had no idea what he’d told them about me or what their impressions of me were. They couldn’t have been good, considering the five of them looked like they’d crawled out of a centerfold spread inGQor something and absolutely slummed their way down to the still very overpriced restaurant where I worked.
Even if I hadn’t been two breaths away from calling things off with Flynn, this was not how I’d want to meet his friends for the first time. I wouldn’t want to be in work clothes with my hair a little too greasy to be presentable and my face a little scruffier than I normally liked it. But I hadn’t intended on seeing Flynn. I hadn’t thought to dress up or use some dry shampoo in my hair.
And with all of those very self-conscious thoughts bouncing around my brain, I reached the table and prayed that my voice didn’t crack.
“Hey, guys. My name is Rose and I’ll be taking care of you tonight. Can I get you started with some drinks?”
CHAPTER17
FLYNN
As soon asRose left to get water for the table, four sets of amused and inquisitive eyes landed on me.
“Don’t,” I warned.
“He’s young,” Rob whispered.
Dalton rolled his eyes. “Like you’re one to talk.”
“That man”—Rob pointed at the direction Rose had walked off in—“is younger than Grayson.”
“How old is he?” Archie asked, leaning back in the booth and crossing his arms over his chest.
“I honestly don’t know,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Barclay muttered, glancing toward the kitchen, his voice low.
“Thank you.”
He shrugged.
“Why did you drag us here, though?” he asked, turning his heavy stare toward me.
“I didn’t drag any of you anywhere,” I reminded the bunch of them.
We’d been out for drinks, as was our Thursday tradition. Archie had been a little nervous about leaving Owen alone so soon after his move to California, with Frankie back on the East Coast and everything. But Grayson had been quick to offer himself and his best friend Wesley up as chaperones for the night. It was clear to me Archie hated the idea, but much like the lot of us, Grayson could be persistent when he knew what he wanted.
“You can’t just leave a meeting of the Trophy Doms Social Club early,” Archie interjected.
Hearing the nickname that Rob’s boyfriend Grayson had teasingly given our friend group had the hairs on the back of my neck spiking on high alert. It was too close to the judgement I’d received from Rose about the state of my house for comfort, and I hated to even entertain the idea I wasn’t anything without my bank account.
“Will you please stop calling us that? Grayson isn’t even here to smack you over it.”
“Grayson knows better than to smack any of us, I think,” Archie countered.
“He just smacks Rob around.” Dalton laughed.
