Free The Naughty List by Tiffany Reisz Page A

onions. He approached the burger with precision. His first bite made my mouth water.
    Rachel gently tapped my foot under the table with her boot. I could practically read her mind.
Yeah, if he takes this much time eating a hamburger… good hell almighty.

    Suddenly, a loud, slurping sound from a straw desperately in need of more soda redirected my attention onto Ben.
    Ben jabbed the bottom of his cup with his straw. Colorful confetti and “Happy New Year” was printed on the plastic tumbler. Anytime he shook his drink, it looked like Times Square at midnight. Of course, Ben didn’t seem to notice. He tightened his lips around the straw and his face pulled together. Despite his chiseled good looks, he suddenly resembled a pucker fish.
    Lovely.

    He cocked his head toward me. “Are there free refills?”
    I nodded and looked back at Scott. He was mid-way through his burger. A napkin was at the ready, but he rarely reached it for it.
    Ben pushed back from the table and left a pile of crumpled napkins in his wake.
    Amazing. It’s like watching Greg Brady and Zack Morris.

    “Anyone need some more soda?” He stood and shook his cup. Ice rattled. “Or ice. Anyone need soda or ice?” A silly grin crossed his face and I smiled.
The guy’s an idiot, but…
Ben placed his boot on the edge of his chair and his jeans outlined his best features. He fished an ice cube out with his mouth and tongued the hollow center until it dangled from his lip.
    Oh, my.

    He wore the cube like a tongue ring and wiggled it back and forth in rapid succession. Suddenly, I found myself oddly attentive to his gyrating tongue.
    Hmmm.
Rachel nearly side-swiped me with her foot. I pushed it away and surveyed the two cowboys in front of us.
Decisions, decisions.

    Ben crunched down on the ice. It cracked like shattered glass and a spray of ice crystals misted me in the face. Startled and disgusted, I returned to reality.
What was I thinking?

    “Great dinner. Amazing burger.” Rachel nodded toward Ben. “Thank you.”
    He shrugged. “I couldn’t very well carry your bags because you don’t have any.” He eyed me. “And Red there checked all of hers. So burgers seemed to fit the bill.”
    “Don’t call me Red, but thanks for the burger. I was hoping to have one last In-N-Out before I left,” I said.
    “Oh, I think you may have at least one more in and out before you depart,” Rachel said under her breath.
    I pressed my foot against the tip of her boot.
    “Eh, the burger was nothing,” Ben said. “I had to pin karma.”
    Pin karma? Does he know that’s not just a gal’s name?

    Rachel reached into my purse. I thought she was getting my lip gloss or a breath mint, but when she pulled out my boarding pass I tried to snatch it out of her hand.
    “What the heck? It’s your plane ticket, not your diary.” Rachel winked at me and then across the table at Scott. “Though that’s a much better read. Her diary makes
Fifty Shades of Grey
seem like a box of hair color.”
    Both Ben and Scott smiled and I felt my cheeks ignite with color.
    I turned to Rachel. She was pulling the ticket out of its sleeve.
    Crap.
I waited while her eyes scanned the printed information.
    “What? This can’t be right,” she said, shaking her head. “It says this is a one-way ticket.” Rachel’s blue eyes searched my face for answers.

    My emotions jumped to my throat and lodged themselves there. I couldn’t speak.
    “It’s one-way?” she said.
    I nodded.
    “You’re not coming back?”
    “Not right away. I…” Tears pulled at the corner of my eyes.
Damnit.
I cleared my throat. “You know I signed a one-year contract at this hotel.”
    “It’s actually a resort.” Rachel’s finger glided over the boarding pass.
    I sat beside her and respected her sudden silence.
I should have told her.

    “Well,” she finally said, “it looks like you have an hour layover in Denver.” Her tone subtly shifted and my best friend had switched into work mode.