The Do Over

We walked into the club, and I couldn't get over how impressive the place was. I'd been to clubs before, but this one was on a whole new level. The club was state of the art, and everything was top of the line.

"This place is amazing. I've never seen so many beautiful people in one room," I told Macy.

She was texting Chris to let him know we had arrived. "Dani, you're one of those beautiful people. Relax and enjoy yourself," she responded. She moved around like she owned the place.

"How can you tell I'm not relaxed?" I asked, worried that my nagging anxiety was obvious.

"I know you. Your shoulders are a little tense right now, and you're sticking to me like a lost little puppy. No worries though. After a Cosmo, you'll be fine."

Cosmos and sex were always Macy's solution to most problems in life.

"What if he's here? You know, this is his scene," I said, putting it out there.

"Are you really going to let that a*shole ruin your glow and evening? Girl, we have your back. So what if he's here? He wouldn't dare come near you."

"You're right! I'm not going to let him ruin our evening," I said with conviction.

She's right. I shook off the awkwardness and embraced the empowerment. After I let go of my fear, I felt energized.

Chris texted her with instructions to go to the VIP lounge and said he'd meet up with her soon. We made our way through the crowd and headed up to the lounge. The music was pumping, and the dance floor was packed. The last time I'd been at a club was with Rick, and it'd been the worst night of my life. Tonight, there was an entirely different energy. I couldn't help but smile. I felt alive.

I looked around, appreciating the wonder of everything, as we made our way to the private area. The music was muted up here, so we could actually hear one another talk.

"Candace, can you go get our table? I want Dani to meet someone," Macy said, grabbing my hand and yanking me away with her.

"Macy, slow down. I haven't walked in four-inch platforms in a long time. I don't want to fall and break my neck," I complained as she led me through the thick maze of bodies. "What's the rush? Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to Chris. I want you to meet him. Be cool about it, and then tell me what you think."

"Be cool? Really?" I stopped her and put a hand on my hip. "How am I going to be cool if I'm out of breath? Or worse, what if I fall on my ass, break a heel, and have a wardrobe malfunction? Slow down. Wait a second...oh my god…you're nervous."

Macy looked at me with an impish grin on her face. "Welcome back, Dani. We're going to take care of your condition tonight. Let's go strut our stuff."

Macy was in her element, and she owned it. She cocked her head and smiled as we passed several guys that would most certainly qualify for book-boyfriend casting material. I had to admit that I was enjoying the attention. Macy was on a mission. While she cast her winks and side glances, she had her eye on one man in particular, Chris Giordano. He was definitely easy on the eyes. He was tall with dark hair and light, maybe green, eyes.

Macy had been secretly, or not so secretly, crushing on Chris. When she spotted him through the crowd, her body language completely changed. Softening, she glided toward him. The look in her eyes went from search and seize to capture and devour. It was fascinating to watch.

As she led me over to meet him, it happened. When I turned my head ever so slightly, my eyes locked with the most beautiful blue eyes I'd ever seen. Standing next to Chris was a six-foot-two man wearing a nicely tailored charcoal jacket over a black button-down shirt with low-slung jeans. He still hadn't shaved. It was a contrasting look—GQ mixed with I don't give a shit—and it was blazing hot.

My smile touched my eyes. Pulling Macy back, I whispered, "That's him."

She glanced at me and gave me a dirty grin.

"Hey, Macy. Don't you look edible tonight?" Chris said with a devilish grin, licking his lips.

I quickly realized that these two were cut from the same cloth.

"I'll take that as a compliment…only if you tell me you're hungry," she responded with a wink.

As I shook my head, giggling, I noticed he was looking straight at me. When our eyes met, my smile widened. I tried to shift my eyes to the side to contain my smile, but I couldn't look away. I'd never smiled like that, and it was making it very hard to feign indifference. What are the chances that I'd run into him here? Suddenly, all the sounds around me became quiet, and it seemed like no one else existed.

I didn't want to make a fool of myself. I needed to keep my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds. Play it cool. He just kept looking at me with a sexy grin. Play it cool! He wouldn't take his eyes off of me.

I was about to go book-boyfriend crazy here, but I couldn't do that. It had a long time since I'd allowed myself to be attracted to a man that wasn't the figment of some amazing author's imagination. I needed to pace myself before I gave humiliation a new name.

"Um, excuse me, do you two know each other?" Chris asked, his eyes shifting between us.

"As a matter of fact, I met this beautiful lady this afternoon." Liam smiled. "It's great to see you again, Ms. Ruiz." Looking straight into my eyes, he extended his hand to me.

I was a goner. It would take everything in me to keep it together. I wasn't sure I had it in me. Damn Macy for not coming to my rescue! Although I didn't really want her to, she should have tried. I was flustered. He called me beautiful. I had to remind myself yet again to be cool. What is it about this man?

I needed to find my calm, cool, and collected voice. I reached out my hand to his. "Hello, Lieutenant Lucas, it's so nice to see you again."

When our hands touched, a tingle traveled up my arm. He held my hand a little longer than necessary. Never breaking eye contact, he raised it as he leaned his head down just a bit. He softly kissed the back of my hand with his eyes still fixed on mine. I was sure he heard my breath hitch, but at least he didn't know about the heat pooling between my legs.

As he straightened up, he let go of my hand. "The pleasure is all mine. Make sure to save a dance for me." He smiled and winked.

I'd been holding my breath. When he let go, I let out a small moan. I tried to play it off by making it sound as though I had something in my throat, but the only thing in my throat was my pounding heart. Of course, his smile got even bigger. Ugh! I stroked his ego. I needed to pace myself and be careful with this man.

As Liam leaned in, his hand came around my waist. He whispered, "I'm not letting you get away this time." His hand slid across my lower back before he walked away with Chris.

"Oh my god, Dani. What the hell was that?" Macy asked.

"Give me a minute. I think I'm about to pass out," I said, standing there in a daze.

"You know, he's seriously hot, and he's definitely into you. What do you think about Chris?"

"Chris? I didn't notice."

Grabbing my arm, Macy led me back to the VIP section. "Next time, I'm bringing Candace. You suck."

Pouting, I found myself disappointed that he wasn't staying. On the bright side, drinks were on the house, thanks to Macy's hopeful hook up with Chris. Next time, I'd thank him for the drinks and maybe do some recon work for Macy.

We met up with Candace and then ordered our traditional Cosmos. We had a ritual of ordering Cosmos, a la Sex in the City, and toasting to new beginnings and happy endings.