“Are you going to join us?” Mandy asks.
“I would, but I’m here with friends and Cate’s here with you. She and I will see each other later.” His eyes are dark on mine and I feel the heat smolder between us. I’m sure everyone else feels it too. “However, I am going to borrow her for a second.”
He glances at Mandy and she nods. Taking my hand, he walks me over to his friends and I get a sober view of Dave.
“Mitch, you know Cate,” Andy begins. Mitch tips a glass in my direction. “You haven’t yet met Dave. Dave, this is Cate.”
Dave stands in all his California dreaming glory. His hair is that pale blonde people call sun bleached or the luck of the gene pool. His eyes are a midnight blue or so they look in the dim light of the bar. His chiseled face could easily grace the cover of any magazine.
His bear hug is brotherly and he looks over my face and pronounces, “I can see why Drew is so smitten with you. I think I could settle down if I found a woman who has your beauty.”
“You’re too sweet,” I say.
“So they say,” he says and chuckles.
His smile is sly and sexy as hell. If I’d been single, I would have drooled all over him.
“And he’s lying. Dave will never settle—at least not with a chick,” Mitch says offhandedly. Dave glares at him. “Don’t worry. I already told her all about you and your antics.”
Dave shrugs and sits casually back in his chair.
Andy shakes his head before kissing me again for good measure. “I should send you back to Scott. He looks like he wants an explanation.”
A quick glance over and I see Scott’s eyes glance away. I sigh. “I never led him on.”
“Sure you didn’t,” Mitch says, dragging out the words in a flippant manner.
“Maybe if you’d get laid you wouldn’t be so grumpy,” I retort.
Dave snorts and Andy laughs. Mitch only glares at me, so I stick my tongue out at him. Somehow I know I can get away with this, considering what he said to me during our first meeting.
“She obviously knows you well, my friend,” Dave banters.
“Oh, yeah. We’re BFF’s. Isn’t that right, princess?” Mitch asks, a smile playing on his lips.
“You wish, hot shot,” I call back to him.
Andy taps my butt. “Go get ’em tiger.”
I shake my head, chuckling, but turn in the direction of my table.
As the night wears on, Scott is gracious and we end up talking politics, of all things. Daniel and Mandy trade unfriendly stares to the point they don’t notice when Jared starts talking to another girl from our office who has showed up with a few other people. Daniel’s redhead and Scott get in a heated debate about the upcoming election when things start to wind down. I finally stand as our group begins to break apart.
“Are you ready to go?” I ask Mandy.
She nods. We wave our goodbyes as Mandy takes a hold of my arm. “You have to introduce me to Thor first,” she says close to my ear.
I sigh because I know Mandy’s into Daniel and he’s into her. I wave Daniel goodbye as he watches us make our way over to Andy’s table. A few girls are standing there basking in the guys’ hotness. One of them leaves Dave’s side to make her way over to Andy and flutters her eyelashes. It reminds me of my college days when I would sit and watch the hot guys I was with, friend or more, get hit on by waitresses. I tamp those memories down, and bring myself back to the here and now. Before I move to introduce Mandy, she grabs my arm and shakes her head. Now I understand. Considering the PDA display Andy did to me earlier, I assume he’ll forgive me for what I’m about to do next.
Casually, I step over and turn to conveniently trip and fall into Andy’s lap. I flutter my own lashes and end up blinking a little too hard and start to laugh. “Sorry. I’m such a klutz.”
Andy chuckles as he has me figured out. With a wide smile, he dips his head to kiss me.
“Subtle, Cate,” Mitch says.
Catching a glimpse of the flirtatious girl, I notice she now suffers from fake eyelash paralysis The girl’s fake eyelashes freeze wide open as her face sours.
“Sorry ladies, we aren’t interested … tonight,” Dave says to the other girls. Out of his mouth, the dismissive words seem thoughtful and sweet. He is good. The women walk away, wondering if they should be offended or flattered.
“Cate, who is this tasty morsel you’ve brought over for us to sample?” Dave asks with a wink.
But it’s Mitch’s eyes that are glued to Mandy as if she were the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Interesting.
“Mandy, this is Mitch and Dave.”
Mandy barely gives Mitch a passing glance as she beams at Dave. Dave smiles back, looking very used to the attention.
Daniel walks by and snags Mandy’s shoulder. “Can I talk to you?”