chapter Four
Shelly was standing in front of her mirror, inspecting her reflection, when she heard the intercom peal through her condo. Quickly, she dashed over and hit the enter button.
Lena had called her the other night and asked if she wanted to go out dancing. At first, Shelly had hesitated, thinking it was a set-up, until Lena had told her to bring a date.
Enter Paul Worthington, a man that would most certainly prove my father’s theory on my dating skills wrong. Enter a successful, stable, reliable man.
Shelly had called him back when she’d gotten home Monday and was surprised when he told her he wanted to get together and maybe even give things another try. Not having any other interesting offers available, she hadn’t seen the harm in giving it one last shot, even though she had a rule about repeats. Never repeat bad words you hear, never repeat bad dates you had, and never ever repeat a bad sexual experience.
In all fairness, Paul hadn’t been bad at anything. He just never followed through. He’d told her over and over that he wanted to wait so it would be special. Wait for what? Marriage? It wasn’t like I was saving myself since those days were long gone. So, what was he waiting for?
Before she talked herself out of the date, she slicked her lips with gloss, tugged down the hem of her black dress, and made her way to the front door. Pulling it open, she found Paul standing with his back facing her.
He was dressed in a dark brown sports coat and cream-colored slacks. When he turned, his green eyes shined as he smiled at her, looking her over. She reciprocated, looking at the blue button-up shirt that was tucked neatly in at his waist. She finally pulled her gaze up to land on his.
“Paul, it’s so nice to see you again.” Reaching out her hands, she watched as he took them and squeezed her fingers.
“You, too, Shelly,” he told her as he moved into the condo. She turned away to grab her bag and coat as he said softly, “You look fantastic.”
Smiling over her shoulder at him, she took his hand in hers. “So do you. Ready to go dancing?”
He tensed a little, and Shelly got the impression that he was not looking forward to it at all. Ahh, prayers answered—a boring suit, a nice man, and a personality that I can predict. That’s what I want, right?
***
The music was pumping through the club and bodies were gyrating when Rachel dragged Josh through the doors. The dim lights were a welcome relief from the bright floodlights outside where they’d been waiting in line. His eyes scanned the sea of people, looking for his friend, but he was coming up empty. Man, I could use a beer, he thought as they pushed through the crowd. When they got to the bar, Rachel turned and rested her back against it.
“Man, I love this place!” she shouted over the music.
“Really?” he queried, looking at her as she scanned the crowd.
Josh was starting to get the impression that Rachel’s outlandish hair and outfits were all part of some kind of bigger picture that he and everybody else may be missing, and he wanted to see if she would confirm it. She turned her head, facing him, and grinned.
“Yeah, really.” She paused, and then looked back out at the dancing crowd with that same almost sad look on her face from the other day. Then, she brightened again and nodded as if confirming her first thought. “You can totally lose yourself here. I love it!”
Josh looked at her, smiling. Now, that statement is completely Rachel.
She was dressed in a tiny pink PVC tank top and leather pants tonight. She looked like a tiny little dominatrix that had been spray-painted with Pepto-Bismol.
The bartender came down and took their orders. Josh watched the crowd as they shifted and swayed to the throbbing of the music.
Rachel turned around when the bartender came back and grabbed her drink. Josh was about to ask when Mason and Lena were supposed to meet them when Rachel started waving her hand in the direction of the door. He turned around and that was when he saw her walk in.
Even from where he was standing, he could see every curve of her spectacular body, but that probably had something to do with the skintight black dress she’d painted on herself. She had her perfect blonde hair pulled up into a tight high ponytail. As she stepped forward through the crowd, he noticed her feet were flaunting a wicked pair of heels that looked so sharp they could be deadly.
Josh took a deep breath in, letting his eyes follow her naked legs up to the long stretch of creamy white thigh that was then cut off by the black dress. It hugged her thighs, hips, and all the smooth lines between before tightly clinging to her spectacular breasts. The sexy little dress ended in a halter fashion, held up by two strips of material tied around her neck.
The woman looks f*cking amazing. No matter what his brain had told him the other night, he couldn’t help but want her. Want. Her.
He was about to make the dumbest move possible and go over there when his sanity was restored in the form of a man stepping inside the club behind her. He was dressed in what looked like a sports coat and a pair of slacks and looked like he belonged at a business barbecue, not at a nightclub and certainly not with her.
Josh shook his head. Turning back to the bar, he picked up his beer. Thank God for men in sports coats because that schmuck just saved my ass from being a total dipshit.
***
Shelly let her eyes adjust to the dimly lit club.
Looking around, she couldn’t see Mason or Lena anywhere, but suddenly, she spotted Rachel over by the bar, jumping up and down and waving her hand erratically. Shelly grinned and turned to grab Paul’s arm.
“They’re just over this way,” she shouted, pulling him into the crowd with her.
Pushing her way past the bodies, she noticed a man standing with his back to them. Must be Rachel’s date, she thought, looking him over.
As her eyes worked over his relaxed form, Shelly felt a stab of guilt for the jealous thoughts entering her mind. Damn, Rachel’s date has one fine ass.
He was bent over leaning on the bar, wearing jeans that clung to his thick thighs and the posterior she was currently admiring. Stretched snugly across his huge shoulders was a black leather jacket that Shelly wanted to stroke.
God, that’s hot, she thought as she stopped in front of Mason’s sister. Stop looking at him and start paying attention to your friend, Shelly chided herself, and then tacked on the end, and your own date.
“Hey, Shelly. Mase and Lena aren’t here yet,” Rachel told her with a grin.
Nodding, Shelly looked over her shoulder at the crowd, and then back to Rachel and her mystery boyfriend. Shifting toward Paul, she figured introducing him would in turn get Rachel to encourage Mr. Sexy to turn around.
Hey, if I can’t date these guys, I can at least look and drool.
“This is Paul,” she said, gesturing to him.
Paul leaned toward Rachel, holding out his hand. Shelly watched as Rachel looked at him with a confused frown before she grabbed his hand and pulled him forward into a huge hug. Shelly tried to stifle a laugh at Paul’s stiff posture.
“Hi, Paul. I’m Rachel, and this here is Josh.” Turning to the guy beside her, Rachel whacked him on the back before he stood and turned to face them.
Shelly felt her stomach tighten as butterflies started to take flight in her belly.
Josh Daniels! Just my damn luck.
She let her eyes wander down his jeans, and then back up over the tight black T-shirt that molded to every muscle he had.
Delicious. There’s that stupid annoying word again, but holy cow, he looks edible. His shaggy brown hair was falling down around the collar of his leather jacket, and a few stray strands were flopping into his eyes. Those sexy chocolate-brown eyes were currently making no secret that they were unmistakably devouring every inch of her. When they finally got to her face, he winked.
“Dr. Monroe,” he said in a voice that licked all over her naughty bits. “So nice to see you again.”
Gripping her purse in one hand and Paul in the other like he was her lifeline, she answered, “You, too. Still no bald patches, I see.”
Shelly watched as a wolfish grin appeared on his mouth. “Not since the last time I checked. Would you like a closer look?”
Returning his slow grin, she shook her head and squeezed Paul’s arm, trying to reassure him that she was with him tonight. “No, I’ll take your word for it.”
Looking over Josh’s shoulder, she caught the bartender’s eye and ordered, “One Cosmo.” She then turned to Paul, who was looking around as though he’d never set foot in a club before. Poor guy probably hasn’t.
“Paul? What do you want?”
He turned his head to her and smiled. “I’m driving, Shel. That means water.”
Turning back to the bartender, she rolled her eyes and heard Josh chuckle. Her eyes moved to his as he picked up his beer, toasting her with a mocking look.
“I just saw Mason and Lena walk in, Rach. I’m going to go get’em,” he said as he turned and walked away, leaving Shelly at the bar muttering under her breath.
***
Why on earth would a woman like her be dating Paul the Bore?
Josh shook it off as he finally got to his friend. He smiled, looking at Mason who had a proprietary arm wrapped around Lena. Josh had to admit he could see why. Lena looked smoking hot tonight. She’d left her hair out in a riot of curls and was dressed in a corset top and tiny skirt with tall boots.
“Hey,” Mason said, reaching out to shake his hand.
It reminded him of Rachel a minute ago, and he grinned.
“What?” his friend questioned.
Shaking his head, Josh laughed and answered quickly, “It’s nothing. I was just thinking about something that happened a minute ago with Shelly’s date.”
Lena tried to look around him but obviously didn’t succeed in what she was trying to see because she then peered up at him.
“Shelly ended up bringing a date?”
Josh nodded, lifting his beer to take a sip. Lowering it, he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and nodded. “Yep. He’s a real winner, too. Paul, I think his name is.”
“Oh god,” Lena sighed, rolling her eyes.
“Oh, I see you’ve met Paul, too.” Josh laughed.
“Ah, well…technically, no, I haven’t. I only saw him once as he was exiting her office after being ‘kicked to the curb,’ I think is what Shelly called it.”
Josh took another swig of his beer as Mason tugged Lena in against his side.
He looked down at her asking, “Isn’t that the guy that wouldn’t put out?”
Coughing, Josh lowered the bottle, and he felt his eyes widen.
Seriously? The guy is holding out? On her?
He watched as Lena nodded.
“Geez, she must be hard up then. She doesn’t do repeats.” Mason chuckled.
Lena whacked his chest. “That’s not nice.”
“Well, it’s true! I mean, I tried to get Josh to take her out.”
Raising his bottle, Josh interjected, “That woman is hotter than hell, but I’m not touching her. She’ll burn me to a crisp.”
Lena’s eyes widened, and then she smiled slowly.
Josh shook his head. “No.”
“Oh, come on, just dance with her. That’s all.”
Rolling his eyes, Josh looked at Mason for help.
His friend shrugged. “Don’t look at me. You’re on your own.”
Josh saw Lena smiling with her bottom lip caught between her teeth, looking so adorable he knew he was about to cave.
“Do you ever win an argument, Mason?”
“Only when she’s close by, and I can shut her up.”
Whacking him again, Lena protested, “Hey!”
Rubbing his chest, Mason grinned down and leaned in, whispering against her mouth, “With kisses.”
“No other way with a hot woman,” Josh replied softly as he turned and made his way back to the bar.
***
Shelly was starting to think that reconnecting with Paul had been a terrible mistake.
He was sitting beside her drinking water. Water in a bar. He was asking her how her day was when she really just wanted to dance. She wanted to lose herself in the music and forget about her long day—not rehash it.
She felt slightly guilty, too, because she knew she was being overly judgmental with Paul this evening. But, in all fairness, she had dated him before, and on those dates, she’d given him the benefit of the doubt. Now, she knew it didn’t get better than this. Why did I call him back? Because I’m a lonely and confused moron apparently.
She turned to look at Paul, and that’s when she saw Josh take the seat on the other side of her date. And that right there is another reason why I had called Paul. She’d known that tonight had been a not-so-subtle way for Lena to try and set her and Josh up. Really, the idea was extremely appealing to all of her bad decision-making neurons. The good decision-making neurons were trying in vain to push her to Paul, who had now turned and was asking Josh what he did for a living.
Not wanting to listen to “work” talk, she turned and saw Lena walking toward her, dressed as she had been many months ago when she’d been trying to seduce Mason. Judging by the death stares he was shooting at everyone glancing in Lena’s direction, he planned to put a big “do not touch” sign on Lena. And, the grip he had on her said that later he’d let her seduce the hell out of him.
Sighing, Shelly smiled when they got to her, noticing Lena’s eyes stray to the back of Paul’s head.
Mason grinned like a bad schoolboy, and then asked loudly, “So, Shelly, who’s your boyfriend?”
Glaring daggers at him, she grimaced as Paul turned, and then she forced a smile as she introduced Paul to her closest friends. “Mason and Lena, this is Paul. A friend of mine.” So she happened to stress friend a little more than she probably should have, but she wanted it to be clear.
Mason released his grip on Lena and held his hand out for Paul to take. Standing, Paul shook it as Mason shouted over the music, “Nice to meet you, man. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Paul turned to Shelly with a questioning look, and she just grinned at him, watching as he turned back and told Mason he hoped it was all good. She almost died when Mason replied.
“Oh, yes, Shelly told me you’re nothing but respectful and treat her like she’s very special.”
Shelly heard a chuckle from down the bar and turned to see Josh’s eyes on her as he tried unsuccessfully to conceal his laughter. Raising a brow at him, she tipped her chin up and watched as he lifted his beer to take a sip. His throat mesmerized her as he swallowed, and she felt her thighs twitch.
Stop looking at him, she ordered herself.
Turning back to the three in front of her, she was about to stand up and ask Paul to dance when Rachel bounced out of the crowd and over to them.
“Come on, Paul! You look like you could use some fun! Come dance with me.”
Paul looked over his shoulder to her, and Shelly nodded, trying not to laugh at his worried expression.
“Go, you’ll have fun. I’ll be here when you’re done.”
Rachel grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the sea of people.
Mason moved closer to Shelly and leaned down, asking her with a devious grin, “So, has he put out yet, or is he still making you feel special by waiting?”
Shelly turned her head so her mouth was right over his ear when she promised, “I’m going to kill you if you don’t shut it.”
Standing up straight, he nudged her under her chin, and then grabbed Lena’s hand, who grinned at Shelly as she was tugged into the crowd.
That left her and—oh, terrific—Josh Daniels sitting at the bar.
***
Watching her closely, Josh noticed the minute she realized she was stuck with him. He almost laughed out loud as he watched her turn on the bar stool to face him. Picking up his beer, he finished it as he stood and moved down to sit on the stool vacated by Paul.
He’d told himself over and over that he would not get involved with her. As he slid onto the seat, their knees brushing against one another, he also convinced himself sex did not require involvement.
She turned and picked up her drink, bringing it to her shiny, wet lips to take a sip.
Oh yeah, you don’t need to be involved to hit the sheets.
She watched him over the glass, and her blue eyes lowered in a slow, sensual blink as she seemed to size him up.
“What are you looking at?” she asked boldly.
“There’s only one thing in front of me,” he returned, deciding to forget about his brain and all of its flashing neon warning signals for a minute.
She put the glass down on the bar top, and then made a show of licking her bottom lip. He knew she was one-hundred percent aware of her own sensuality and how to use it to draw his eyes to her mouth as she finished the sexy move by biting her bottom lip.
“And do you like what you see?”
Feeling a grin pull up on his mouth, he nodded. “You certainly aren’t hard to look at.”
Leaning an arm on the bar’s counter, she crossed one of her bare legs, flashing him more of her thigh. His eyes drifted down to look at them, and then came back up to meet her fiery gaze.
“So, why aren’t you dancing, Shelly?” he questioned teasingly.
She let her eyes roam all over him, and he felt them as if they were her hands, stroking over his suddenly very aware body.
“There’s no one to dance with,” she answered him in that sexy voice of hers.
He tilted his head to the side as she reached for her glass again. He watched while she lifted it to her mouth and noticed for the first time how perfect the skin was on her neck. It was a perfect shade of creamy white that he suddenly wanted to suck.
“And what am I?” he finally asked her.
***
Shelly looked at Josh as he sat there with his legs spread and booted feet on the floor, facing her with one arm on the bar while the other rested on his knee.
The man was pure temptation, and she was finding him hard to resist. So hard in fact that she was trying to think of a way to have him—at least for a night.
“You are not an option,” she replied.
His eyes narrowed, and she watched him as he very carefully slid off the stool and took a step closer, still resting his palm on the bar.
Not one to cave to a man, Shelly looked up at him with a questioning expression. To anyone looking, she knew it just looked like he was asking her to dance, but that was so not the case.
“Why? I can tell you want me. Your eyes are all over me, and your breathing is just a little too hard for some woman sitting at a bar. Come on, Shel, you can admit it. Just like I can almost guarantee you’re getting all hot and bothered down between—”
“Okay,” she interrupted before he voiced what she knew was true.
Looking up at him, she had to admit that the man was sexier than anyone she’d ever met. He attracted her like a bee to honey, and as she locked gazes with him, she knew she was going to have him between her legs at some point in the very near future.
“Okay, what?” he asked as he stood still, barely making a move with each breath.
Not into self-delusion, Shelly always went after what she wanted—and want him she did. She raised her eyes to his, speaking loud enough for him to hear, “You’re right. I do want you.” She watched that panty-dropping smile appear on his face. “I’ve wanted you since the moment I turned around in Mason’s bar. Happy?”
***
Josh couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of this woman’s mouth. He didn’t understand why he was so surprised. He’d known from the get-go that she was sexy, confident, and the kind of woman to eat a man alive. But to hear her stating so bluntly that she wanted him? Well, that sent all the blood left in his head straight to his cock.
Trying to remember what she’d just said, he leaned down until they were almost nose to nose, and then moved at the last second to her ear.
To someone watching, he looked like he was just trying to talk to her over the loud music, but to the hot woman in front of him and to his out-of-control body, they both knew it was more like adding a spark to a stick of dynamite.
“I’m horny, not happy. You’re so f*cking sexy that all the blood in my body is in my cock. But you already know that because you keep aiming your eyes down there to check.”
Leaning back, he looked down at her as she smiled and licked her lips again, which automatically made him think of her mouth and his cock. Together. Right now.
“That’s true, too.” Blinking big blue eyes up at him, she asked, “So, do you want to make a deal?”
“A deal?” he asked, suddenly a little confused, either from the lack of blood to his brain or the way the conversation was going.
“Yes, a deal. You know, an agreement that is forged between two individuals.”
Shaking his head slowly, he muttered, “Smart ass.”
“So, do you want to?” she pushed.
Josh looked her over, sitting there with her legs crossed and her thighs so close that he wanted to reach out and touch them.
Then, he answered the only way he knew how. “Hell, yeah. What’s your deal, Shel?”
With a smile touching her lips, she looked out to the dance floor. When she was happy they were in the clear, she replied, “This stays between us. I’m not looking for anything other than—”
“Sex?” he interrupted.
Raising a blonde brow, she dipped her head once, conceding, and quickly added, “Hot, sweaty, great sex. Which I’m assuming, you can deliver.”
Josh was completely amused and turned on by the woman. He found himself battling to keep his hands off her, and at the same time, he wanted to burst out laughing.
“Oh, and why would you assume that?”
She let her eyes travel down his chest, then to his jeans where he was sporting a major hard on, and then brought them back up to his face.
“I guess I’m not assuming. I’m hoping. Because, if not, I think I may have to just go ahead and end my life,” she sighed dramatically and looked at the dance floor. Then, she turned back to him as she continued, “Let’s put it this way. If I found out Paul wasn’t a firecracker after dark, it wouldn’t be such a surprise. If I found out you weren’t, I’d want to find a short pier and hurl myself off it. You have a body that’s made to pound a woman into her bed. So, I’m really hoping you can live up to that.”
Josh clenched his fist on the bar top and gritted his teeth as he shifted his feet where he stood, painstakingly trying not to reach down and rearrange what was pushing hard against his zipper.
“What’s the deal you’re offering, Monroe? Spell it out to me before I pick you up and haul you and your dirty mouth out of here.”
Grinning like she’d won some kind of battle, she uncrossed her legs and slipped off the stool, standing so close to him her breasts brushed against his chest. He continued to stand where he was, refusing to give in to her aggressive stance.
Raising a hand, she reached out with a finger and traced a line around one of his nipples that was pressing hard against his shirt. She looked up at him from under her dark lashes, and her hot blue eyes locked onto his.
***
Shelly was about to explode as she stood close enough to Josh she could smell his cologne mixed in with his own scent. She raised her eyes to his and grinned at the hot primal expression on his face. He looked like he wanted to attack her, and quite honestly, she wanted to be attacked.
“The deal is this. No one knows about us. This is sex. Hot sex, but just sex. I want a nice, sweet everyday man to settle down with. And, honestly, you scream complicated and not so sweet. So, the deal is you, me, and sex. No one knows. Not Lena and definitely not Mason.”
She watched as his scorching eyes melted away all her resistance. When he finally moved, he lifted his hand from the bar and took hers that was tracing his chest.
He brought it down from his body, almost as though he couldn’t control himself while she was touching him, and then he held his hand out to hers as if they would shake on it.
Oh no, Delicious Daniels. We’re going to seal this my way.
Smiling, she stood on tiptoes and whispered, “We’ll seal the deal tonight when we come all over each other.”
She heard him groan softly as she took a step back and smoothed her hands down her dress. She’d gotten herself so worked up that she could feel her damp panties sliding against her aroused flesh.
“So? Deal, Mr. Daniels?”
She could have sworn she felt his eyes as they tracked down her body, and then came up to rest on her face as he nodded.
“It’s a deal, Miz Monroe.”
Smirking at his sexy delivery of her name, she went to step around him to go and find Paul, but then stopped when she was beside him, shoulder to shoulder.
“My number is in Lena’s phone. I’ll let you work out how to get it,” she paused as he turned his head to look down at her. Raising a brow, she ended with, “No strings, Josh. Not one. Unless, of course, it’s to tie me up.”
He nodded, and she winked at him before she walked away.