Player: Stone Cold MC Read Online Free PDF Page B

swinging from side to side as she walked was a reward in its own right. And I was going to have dinner with her.
     
    I pushed my hands into my pockets and watched her until she disappeared through the doors. She didn’t nod at the security guys. They didn’t acknowledge her. Low profile. I liked that.
     
    And assertive, too. She told me where and when—even though I’d been the one to issue the invitation. Working with her might just work out.
     

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    I had to admit she had damn good taste. Cisco’s was a classy joint, the kind of place that anyone could go to; the food and drink wasn’t too expensive, and when they were in there, they felt like a million bucks.
     
    I arrived a bit early because I liked to think that I could be a gentleman if I really wanted to. I got a table in the back, and I watched the people coming in, sitting down, laughing, drinking, and eating. It was comfortable. It was warm and fuzzy.
     
    I hated it. I wanted to run a mile. This was the kind of place that reminded me of Emmett and the attitude he’d had toward the world. Since I’d lost him, I tried to avoid everything that was warm and fuzzy and full of life.
     
    Cisco’s was all that.
     
    The décor was a bright green with dark wood and gray finishes instead of cream. It gave the place a modern, fresh look, not the drab every day kind of feel that most restaurants sported.
     
    At eight on the dot, she walked in. She wore a stunning version of the little black dress, with capped sleeves and a plunging neckline that showed off the swells of her breasts. The dress was short, too. Just halfway down her thigh, and it accentuated her curves perfectly.
     
    Her hair was in a loose ponytail, emphasizing her sharp features.
     
    “You’re early,” she said in the same tone I imagined she would have used if it was late.
     
    “I wanted to make sure we got a table. Place looks busy.”
     
    She nodded, glancing around. The waitress noticed the addition to my table and brought two menus. She smiled at us.
     
    “Give us a minute,” I said, and her face fell. She turned and walked away. I glanced at Alex over my menu. Her eyes moved as she read over the options. She seemed guarded, cautious. I didn’t blame her. She didn’t know me at all. I was hoping we could change that. If there was one thing we needed for this to work, it was trust.
     
    “So, you want to tell me what this is all about?” she asked, not looking up at me.
     
    “I thought we could order something first, wind down, and get used to each other.”
     
    She looked up at me with a poker face. I couldn’t read what she was thinking or feeling at all, and I liked to think that I could read people well enough. Man, she was good. If we could pull this off…
     
    “Fine,” she said. “I’ll have white wine…and the chicken.”
     
    Quick decisions. No waffling. She had so many pluses. I nodded and lifted my hand to flag a waitress. She was at our table a minute later, taking our orders. I ordered Alex what she wanted, chose the same main course, and asked for a beer instead of wine. When the waitress left, Alex looked at me.
     
    “I hope you’re not eating the same meal as me to suck up to me,” she said. I wasn’t sure why I’d chosen the chicken. The steak had looked better. I shrugged.
     
    “I hope you’re not questioning my choices like you’re in charge.”
     
    She leaned back in her seat, hands in her lap under the table. I was nervous when a man did that, leaving space for a gun to aim at my balls, but I trusted that she was clean and she came here because she genuinely wanted to know what I had to say. I was hoping that I could go by my gut on this one.
     
    “So, you’re telling me you’re in charge?” she asked. The conversation was still a power play, but a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, and I got the idea that it wasn’t so hostile anymore.
     
    “I have all the ideas. You haven’t even heard what I have to say