by Tiffany Snow
“Don’t change on my account,” he teased.
I laughed. “Hmm. Riding a motorcycle commando doesn’t seem like a good idea.” I swiveled my chair around for a little more privacy.
He groaned. “Stop putting these images in my head. You’re killing me.”
A thrill of pleasure went through me. It felt good to be wanted, especially by a man like him.
“So you just called to check on the status of my panties? Or lack thereof?” I asked.
“No,” he sighed. “Actually, I called because I need to postpone our dinner.”
A sharp sting of disappointment at that, but I kept it out of my voice as I said, “That’s fine. I understand. Some other time.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
There was silence for a moment.
“I can maybe come by later,” he said. “When I get off.”
I felt a flash of anger at that. No time for dinner, but he had time to screw. “I’m busy later,” I said.
“Oh.”
More silence.
“So what are you doing then?” he asked.
“I’m … going out,” I said, thinking frantically. “With some girlfriends.” Yeah. That sounded legit.
“It’s awfully sudden,” he said. “When you were planning on having dinner with me.”
“Yeah, well, they asked but I said I had plans, but now I don’t so …”
I was proud of my ability to make my bullshit sound so incredibly authentic, until he asked, “Where are you going?’
Okay, I had no clue what to say on that one, so I blurted the first place that popped in my head. “The Underground.” I winced.
“Really? I wouldn’t think that was your kind of place,” he said, still sounding suspicious.
“Drinks, music, and dancing, what’s not to like?” I’d never been there in my life and was just going off what Monique had said. And if Parker had taken her there, it had to be at least a little on the nicer side. For a club.
“Okay then, I guess I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he said.
“Yeah, sure.” Don’t sound anxious. Go for whatever-I’m-not-going-to-wait-around-for-your-call.
“Have fun,” he said.
“I’m sure I will. Bye.” I ended the call.
I was pissed off and hurt. I thought we were moving forward in our relationship, but I hated that he thought he could just tell me he loved me then expect to drop by for sex like I was some booty call girl. Not that he’d said the words I love you, but he’d implied them.
And now I had to put together a Girls’ Night Out at the last minute.
Hurrying to Megan’s desk, I caught her just as she was hanging up the phone.
“What’s up?” she asked. “Did Monique make nice and offer to split an M&M with you?”
“Doubtful,” I replied. “It goes straight to her hips, you know.”
We both grinned, amused at ourselves.
“No, seriously, I have to go out tonight,” I said. “Well, actually, we have to go out tonight. Me and you.”
“Go out? You mean like out out? On a Wednesday?”
“Yeah. And can you round up a couple other girls, too? Maybe Maggie and Kelly? They’re both fun.” Both women were single and worked in the Marketing department.
“I’ll text them,” she said, pulling out her cell. “And tell me again why we have to go out tonight?” she asked, her finger swiping over the tiny keyboard.
I sighed. “Because. I got pissed off at Ryker for cancelling our date. So I told him not to come by later because I was going out with friends.”
Megan raised an eyebrow as she glanced up at me. “And is there a reason you don’t want to have toe-curling sex with tall, dark, and dangerous?”
“It seems like I’m just the late-night booty call,” I said. “He’s too busy to take me out, but not too busy to come by, have sex, and fall asleep?” I shook my head. “I don’t want that.”
“I agree, that’s total bullshit,” Megan said. Her phone buzzed and she read the text. “Maggie and Kelly are in,” she said. “They want to know where and when.”
“Tell them The Underground at eleven.”
Megan groaned. “I am going to regret this tomorrow, aren’t I.”
I grinned at her. “You bet. Meet me at my place, nine o’clock. We’ll get ready together.” I headed back to my desk as she groaned again. “And don’t forget to hydrate,” I called back to her.
“The things I do for you,” she said.
I blew her a kiss and turned the corner.
A night out with the girls had been impromptu, but it sounded great. Maybe just what I needed to blow off some steam.
* * *
“No, don’t use that. I’ve got some with glitter.” I dug in my makeup bag, producing a stick of cream eye shadow and handing it to Megan. “It’ll go perfect with that dress.”
I loved Megan’s cocktail dress. Turquoise and black beads in varying sizes were sewn on the fabric, creating a gorgeous combination. It had elbow-length sleeves, a wide neck, and was made out of a stretchy material that clung to her.
I’d chosen a champagne-colored tulle cocktail dress with a scoop neck and cap sleeves. The fitted bodice and mini-length skirt were wrapped in glittering beads sewn on in various patterns. With a cutout back, it was elegant and sexy.
“Need a refill?” I asked, talking over the music playing.
“Sure.” She handed me her empty glass.
I headed into the kitchen, giving us both fresh margaritas before returning to my bathroom, where every inch of counter space was covered in makeup containers, makeup brushes, perfume bottles, curling irons, and cans of hair spray. Most of the time, my favorite part about going out was getting ready. It wasn’t like glitter and smoky eye were really appropriate for the office, so it was fun to get all dressed up and go full out with the makeup and hair.
“Can you curl the back?” Megan asked. “It’s hard for me to reach and make it even.”
“Yeah, sure.” I set down my margarita and took the curling iron from her.
We were quiet for a moment, listening to Taylor sing about having style, then Megan met my gaze in the mirror.
“I haven’t told you something,” she said.
Uh-oh. “That sounds serious,” I said. “What is it?”
She winced. “I kinda … slept with Brian.”
My jaw dropped. “Are you kidding? And you didn’t tell me!” I was loud enough to even overpower Taylor. “When did—how—I thought you weren’t speaking?” I moved on to the next curl.
“I told you Todd and I got in a fight about his ex,” she said.
“Yeah …”
“Well, he came by my desk last night around six, trying to explain, and I thought things would be fine, but he still refused to stop talking to her. So I said we were through. And Brian was walking by at the time, so when Todd stormed off, Brian stopped to see if I was all right.”
I moved to another curl, listening avidly. “And …?”
“And we got to talking and he asked me if I wanted to grab something to eat. So I said yes, and we went to eat and had a few drinks, then back to his place. One thing led to another …” She shrugged, her cheeks turning pink even as a little smile curved her lips.
I laughed aloud. “Holy shit!” I crowed. “I cannot believe it! So? How was it?”
Megan’s face got even redder and she nodded. “Oh yeah.”
“That’s awesome! I’m so glad he lived up to your expectations.” I was still grinning. “So … what now? Are you two seeing each other or what?”
Her smile faded a bit and she gave a little shrug. “I’m not sure. We didn’t really talk about it, you know? We both had to be up early this morning, so I was up and leaving when it was still dark so I could get back to my place. I thought maybe he’d come by today, but he was too busy, I guess.”
Internally, I frowned, but I kept my outward smile in place. “I’m sure that’s what
it was,” I said. “I think there was some kind of server problem today. He was probably dealing with that.” And that had better be the reason, because if he thought he could just toy with my best friend like that, then he had a serious wake-up call coming, courtesy of me.
Megan had been half in love with Brian for months now. If he wasn’t planning on more to their relationship than a one-night stand, she’d be devastated. Then KLP Capital would be looking for a new IT guy because I was going to kill Brian.
“I say we go out tonight, forget about men, and have an awesome time.” I finished the last curl and used my fingers to fluff her hair. “Hold still. Cover your eyes.”
Megan carefully covered her face with her hands as I sprayed the hair spray until her head was immersed in a thick aerosol cloud.
“That’s enough, don’t you think?” she asked, coughing. “You want these curls to stay or not?” I retorted, giving one last spray for good measure.
“I wish I had your hair,” she sighed. “It’s always got that perfect shampoo-commercial wave. Plus it’s shiny and soft—”
“All of which can be replicated with a few select salon products and a curling iron,” I said. “See?” Grabbing one more pump bottle, I sprayed a light mist of the contents over her hair. “Shine from a bottle. They think of everything.”
“Okay then,” she said. “Ready?”
I grabbed a bottle of perfume and did two sprays to my neck and one for my hair. “Ready.”
It was cold outside the club and I shivered, wrapping my arms around my torso to try and keep warm. We hadn’t wanted to deal with coats inside. Maggie and Kelly were already there, waiting in line. When Maggie saw us, she grabbed my arm.
“C’mon,” she said, dragging the rest of us up to the front of the line.
“Hi,” she said to the doorman, smiling widely at him. “My friends and I would really like to get in tonight. Do you think we’ll be able to?”
The doorman took in her sleek bobbed blond hair, tight black minidress, and sky-high heels, then he gave the rest of us the once-over as well before giving her a nod. Unhooking the velvet rope, he let all four of us pass.
Music accosted our ears the moment we walked in, immediately making it impossible to talk. The bouncer charging covers let us in for free and we made our way through the crowd to the bar.
“I’ll get the first round,” I said. “What do you guys want?” I took orders for two cosmos and a margarita (no salt).
“We’ll look for a table or something,” Megan shouted over the music. “They have some that aren’t VIP only.”
I nodded. Divide and conquer. It was the only way to get drinks and a place to sit. And considering the heels I had on, standing for the next three hours was out of the question.
Kelly stayed with me to help carry drinks, then we searched the crowd until we spotted Maggie waving at us from a table in the corner.
“Sweet!” I said when we got close. She’d scored a place to sit somehow, but that was Maggie. If you wanted to go clubbing, she was the girl you wanted to go with. Somehow, she just knew where to go, how not to have to stand in line, and all the ins and outs.
I downed my Grey Goose and tonic pretty quick and signaled a cocktail waitress for another. I was a decent dancer, but it was so much easier when I’d had a few drinks first.
We were talking a little, laughing as we people-watched, and bouncing to the beat. Another quick round later and Megan was pulling me onto the dance floor.
“This is my jam!” she said, bouncing and gyrating her way through the mass of people. Swirling neon lights lit up the dance floor in splashes of color amidst the shadows.
I was real relaxed now, and moving to the beat was a heck of a lot easier without being self-conscious. The dance floor was crowded, but there was still room to move.
Megan and I were having a good time, then a couple of guys started dancing with us. They were both well-built and good-looking and Megan didn’t seem to mind, so I let one of the guys put his hands on my waist.
“What’s your name?” he said, speaking loud enough so I could hear him.
“Sage.”
“Paige?”
“Sage.” Now I remembered why meeting guys at clubs was so irritating.
“What a great name!” he said with a grin.
“Gee, thanks.” I fake-smiled back, wondering if he still hadn’t caught my name.
“Can I buy you a drink?” he asked.
Free booze? “Sure.”
I followed him to the bar, though, because I wasn’t dumb enough to let some stranger bring me a drink, and watched as the bartender poured me another Grey Goose and tonic.
“So what’s your name?” I asked, sipping my drink.
“Lucas.”
“Nice to meet you, Lucas,” I said. He seemed generically nice enough, and very easy on the eyes. His T-shirt was tight and his biceps tattooed. He wasn’t quite a pretty boy, not with what I was pretty sure was a knife scar alongside his jaw and a glint in his eye that made me think I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley. “So what do you do?”
“I race cars,” he said.
I may have choked a little on my drink. “You race cars?” I asked, sputtering only a little. That was one I hadn’t heard before. Wow.
He nodded, his lips twisting in a slight grin. “Not like NASCAR or some shit like that. Stock cars. I’m in town for a race.”
“Isn’t that illegal?” I asked.
Lucas just smiled. “It’s only illegal if you get caught.”
Another song came on and he took my drink from me and set it on the bar. “Let’s dance, Sage,” he said. “Because that dress is hot and you look too good not to show it off.”
He took my hand and we squeezed our way back onto the dance floor. I saw Megan with the other guy and she was smiling, so I relaxed.
Lucas put my arms around his neck and his hands on my waist, which surprised me, but I couldn’t back up. There was nowhere to go. I smiled stiffly as we danced, then started to get irritated at how close he wanted to be to me.
After I was sure I’d been violated at least a dozen times by his roving hands, I decided I’d had enough.
“Thanks for the drink, and the dance,” I said, trying to extricate myself from his grip. “I’d better get back to my friends.”
“Don’t go yet,” he said, gripping my arm and pulling me back. “We’re just getting started.”
“Actually, we’ve already started and now we’re done,” I said, yanking my arm free. I spun around to leave before he could grab me again and came face-to-face with Ryker.
Well, shit.
CHAPTER SIX
In his jeans and leather jacket—which I knew concealed his badge and weapon—with the gray T-shirt stretched tight across his chest, Ryker made Lucas look like a little boy playing grown-up badass. Ryker was the real thing. And he looked none too pleased to see me, though his expression became downright dangerous when Lucas decided to slide his arms around my waist.
“I love the playing-hard-to-get thing,” Lucas said in my ear.
Oh, please. “Will you take the hint,” I said, exasperated as I tried to shove him off me. I was through being polite. “I’m done dancing with you.”
Ryker gave me a look of long suffering and sighed. “I just got off work,” he said. “I really didn’t want to get into a bar fight tonight.”
“Then don’t,” I snapped. “I can handle this on my own.”
“I can see that,” he said, nodding to where Lucas was clasping my hand and tugging me backward.
“Dude, I saw her first,” Lucas said, having spotted Ryker. “Go find another girl.”
Ryker smiled, but it had an edge that made a shiver crawl up my spine. “But I like that one,” he said.
“Tough shit.”
Okay, yeah, I could see where this was going. A quick trip to Nowhere Good.
“Lucas, I’m done,” I said to him. “Now let me go. Look over there,” I pointed. “That li
ttle blonde is watching you. I’d bet she’d love a dance.”
Like a kid shown another pretty toy, Lucas headed that way. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“See?” I said to Ryker. “Told you I could handle it.”
“Why are you dancing with some tool like that anyway?” he asked, pulling me into his arms. It felt much better to have his arms around me than Lucas’s and I melted against him like warm butter as he moved us to the music.
I shrugged. “Because he asked. He seemed nice enough. Just a bit … persistent.”
“Guys like that come here looking for one thing.”
I’d had enough booze to loosen my tongue. “Then I guess you found me at the right place,” I snapped, “since that’s obviously all you’re looking for, too.”
Ryker’s eyes narrowed and he stopped dancing. “What?”
My brain had caught up with my mouth and now I wanted to take back what I’d said. Sort of.
“The only time we see each other anymore is at night. Specifically, when you come by my apartment to get laid.” Jeez, Drunk Sage, why don’t you tell him what you really think?
“You think that’s why I come?” he asked.
In for a penny … “Isn’t it? You barely talk to me about your job, you work all the time but I never know what you’re doing, and any dates we talk about going on usually get cancelled. But somehow you find time to fit me in for—”
“A fuck,” he interrupted, finishing my sentence.
My anger and bitterness had washed away now that I’d said what I’d been thinking, and I just looked at him. “Am I wrong?” I asked. “Because from my perspective, that’s what it looks like.”
“I just told you last night that I’m in love with you,” he said. “Did you not believe me?”
“Yes … No … I don’t know … Maybe.” I heaved a sigh. “It’s just so hard to believe, that’s all.”
“Hard to believe what?”
“You and me,” I said, looking at him as though hello? Wasn’t it obvious? “A guy like you and a girl like me. You’re the bad boy all the girls swoon over and I’m just … well, I’m just me.”
“So that’s why you’re so quick to think I’m using you for an easy lay?” he asked.