“Well, now that that’s settled, I’m going to go find that boy toy I came with. Go and make daddy proud.” And with that, he pushed me off toward Ben with a swift swat to my behind. I turned to glare, but he was already halfway across the room, his date in his sights.
I made my way to the bar in search of some liquid courage before I tried my hand at seducing Ben. I persuaded the bartender to pour me a shot of tequila even though shots weren’t technically allowed at the venue. I downed it, relishing the burn as it slid down my throat. I slammed the shot glass down and debated asking for another.
I grabbed the bartender’s arm as he turned back toward me. Batting my lashes, I looked up at him with false innocence. “One more shot? Please?”
He glanced to the side at the bartender working on the other side of the bar. “I could get fired for this,” he mumbled, pouring one more shot. “This is your last one.”
I beamed at him. “Last one. I swear.” I swallowed the tequila, humming in response to the pleasant buzz that was tearing my walls of self-doubt and indecision.
Brian was right about me and Ben. We just needed a night to release all this tension.
“Breaking the rules, I see.” I looked over as Ben sank onto the stool next to me. He nodded toward the shot glass.
Think of the devil...
I smirked as I slid the shot glass back to the bartender so he could dispose of the evidence.
“Some rules are made to be broken,” I said.
He gave me a half-cocked grin. “I suppose that’s true. But how’d you get the bartender to break them so easily? Did you bewitch him?”
“Maybe I just asked nicely.”
I looked over at the bartender who had poured me my tequila to find him staring at me, a clear look of longing on his face as he continued to take stock behind the bar.
Ben barked out a laugh. “Oh, he’s definitely under your spell, alright.”
I bit back a smile and feigned a sudden interest in the few people left on the dance floor.
“So, what has you needing something stronger to drink than what they’re offering?”
I studied his face, trying to decide if I should answer that question or just let the silence swallow it up. He met my stare, cocking his head to the side. His gaze drifted down to my mouth before snapping back up again like he’d just remembered that he shouldn’t be thinking about my mouth at all.
My tongue darted out to wet my lips, and I turned toward him, my knees bumping into his. “I needed some liquid courage.”
“For what? I would think you’d need the liquid courage before the speeches, but those are done and over with and you didn’t seem nervous a bit.”
I laughed. “Did you forget what I do? I’m used to getting up in front of hundreds of people and speaking.”
He nodded and sipped his old-fashioned, not pressing me to answer his question.
I looked away, catching Brian’s eye from where he was giving me an emphatic thumbs up.
I rolled my eyes and shifted my attention back to Ben, who was studying me curiously.
“What was that all about?” he asked, glancing back toward Brian, who was now staggering towards the elevators with an arm thrown around his date. I hadn’t even bothered trying to remember his name. Brian would have someone new next week.
“Just Brian being Brian,” I said, trying for a casual tone.
Ben stared into his glass, tipping back the last of his drink and pushing his tumbler to the bartenders as they organized the glasses and cleaned off the bar top. I half expected him to get up and walk away after that, but he stayed seated, furtively observing me.
I leaned into the weightless feeling that the two shots of tequila left me with, resting my chin on my hand, my eyes trailing down his body. His shoulders were broad, but the rest of him was long and lean in his well-fitted gray tux. God, he looked good in that tux.
“Like what you see?” he asked. I pulled my wandering eyes up to his goddamn cocky smirk.
His fingers drummedthe bar top like he was having a hard time sitting still, but the rest of him looked composed.
I kept my eyes on his fingers, the same fingers that had been inside of me that night before everything went to hell and I’d stormed out on him. The memory stirred up my desire to feel them again, to have his lips on me and to melt into his touch.
