Stan’s gaze dropped briefly to the deep V of Roxy’s bodice as he tossed back the rest of his drink. “Any time, honey.”
The “honey” and breast ogling were new, an unflattering glimpse at the next layer of Stan’s personality. Roxy figured it was a result of the alcohol he’d been ingesting. In her experience, the more a guy drank, the more “real” he became.
She maintained her smile as she asked Allison, “You ready for some fun?”
Allison’s brow furrowed. Her eyes brushed over Stan and Bob as though to say, Seriously? With these guys?
Before she could ask Roxy what she meant, Roxy was jostled from behind, sending her straight into Allison. Allison gasped and threw a hand out as though trying to steady herself, but there wasn’t a solid surface near her. Just as quickly as the bump happened, a strong arm reached around Roxy’s waist to steady her and another arm stopped Allison’s forward momentum.
“Sorry about that,” a deep voice said near Roxy’s ear. “It’s awfully crowded in here.”
The tone of that voice, the intoxicating scent of his cologne, and the sensation of his warm breath along her neck sent her pulse racing. She was grateful for his hold around her waist, wondering if her knees were steady enough to support her. Drawing a centering breath, she slid into her role and looked back at her rescuer as though surprised by the contact.
A mischievous smile played with the corners of his mouth as he put some distance between them. “I lost my balance,” he said. “I’m sorry to say I spilled a little of my drink on you.”
“Oh, no,” she said with mock dismay. “Is it on my dress?”
“I’m afraid so. You’ll have to let me help you get that cleaned up.”
Roxy watched Allison turn to see who had just kept her from falling. She stared up at the second of their rescuers, the tall, clean-shaven blond guy wearing navy blue pants, a white T-shirt, and a casual navy-blue blazer. Her slow, approving smile reinforced Roxy’s instincts.
“That’s a good idea,” Roxy responded. “This is dry clean only. I wouldn’t want it to stain.”
“But we’ve got drinks coming,” Stan said with obvious annoyance.
He was focused on the man standing behind Roxy, who nodded and reached for his wallet. “Sorry about that, man. How ‘bout this? The round is on me.” He pulled out a hundred and handed it over to an open-mouthed Stan. “It’s the least I can do for putting a damper on things.”
Stan automatically took the money. He and Bob looked at each other, then back at the two newcomers. Neither of them said another word.
Roxy felt the stranger’s hand on the small of her back. The strangest combination of awareness, contentedness, and desire rushed through her at the light contact. It was almost as though she already knew him.
Well, that’s interesting, she thought as she turned to meet his gaze.
He smiled and held a hand towards the bathrooms. “Shall we?”
“Absolutely.”
After thanking Stan and Bob and offering them flimsy apologies, she and Allison turned with the other two men. Allison pressed herself against Roxy’s side as they started walking.
“Holy shit, Rox,” she breathed, her voice barely audible over the music. “These guys are walking fantasies. My panties are already halfway down. Think you can work your magic on them?”
Roxy let out a laugh and pulled her friend into a sideways hug. “Allie, my friend, something tells me you’re about to get really lucky.”
Chapter Three
Callan loved the sound of his mystery woman’s laugh. It was rich and vivacious, hinting at a fiery spirit. Her voice, too, was just as he’d envisioned based on her appearance. Smooth and sensuous, with a hint of southern charm.
After exchanging a few more words with her companion, she turned her bewitching smile to him and said, “We’re not really going to the bathroom, are we?”
It took a moment for his brain to register her words with those spectacular eyes of hers settled on him. God, they were even more arresting up close. He was a sucker for a woman with dark hair and light eyes.
When his brain caught up with the conversation, he shook his head. He hadn’t actually spilled anything on her, which he suspected she knew. It amused him that she had slid right into his fabricated scenario.
On his way across the club to get to her, he had caught Damian’s attention and signaled that they were ready for a table. The club’s manager immediately said something into the communicator he used, then nodded at Callan to indicate they were ready for him. Callan noticed a couple of the club’s bus staff clearing some signage off an unused table that must have been reserved for potential big spenders like him and Christian. He led Christian and the two women to that table now, stepping aside to allow the women to get into the rounded booth first.
“Wow,” the blonde said as she slid across the booth’s padded seat. “I’ve never been able to get a table here. You guys must be good luck.”
Callan saw no reason to correct her. “Must be,” he said.
A server stopped by their table just as Callan and Christian sat down. They all placed their drink orders and the server hurried off, leaving them in the relative privacy of their rounded booth. The padded wall behind the booth dampened the sound of the music, making it easier to hold a conversation.
“So,” his mystery woman said, drawing all eyes to her, “this is typically the part where we all make our standard intros to each other. But I have a suggestion to keep things a little more interesting.”
“Go on,” he said.
“All right. Let’s have some fun.” She winked at her companion, who nodded and let out a bubbly laugh. “My friend and I will each provide three brief bios of ourselves. First names only with some standard intro tidbits. You guys have to guess which is correct, then we’ll do the same with you.”
“What do we get if we guess right?” Christian asked.
The blonde gave him a suggestive wink. “Use your imagination, Hot Stuff.”
Callan sensed his friend wouldn’t have to guess the correct bio to win the prize the blonde was hinting at, which meant this evening was already a success. The look on his mystery woman’s face told him she agreed with him, and she was just as satisfied over a winging job well done as he was.
“And my prize?” he asked her.
The corners of her mouth lifted. “You win our everlasting awe and admiration.”
Guess birthday sex wasn’t likely for him, at least with his mystery woman. That knowledge didn’t disappoint him.
“Challenge accepted,” he said.
She smiled and leaned towards her friend, murmuring something into her ear. The blonde nodded and laughed again.
“Okay, here we go,” the blonde said after a moment of collecting her thoughts. “Option one: my name is Natalie, I’m a thirty-two-year-old divorcee, and I work for a law firm in Midtown. Option two: my name is Allison, I’m thirty and single, and I work for a marketing firm in Buckhead. Or option three: my name is Jessica, or Jess for short, I’m a single thirty-one-year-old, and I’m an elementary school teacher in College Park.”