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I groaned. “The last thing I need is a man.”

“Lillian, you haven’t had sex in so long you’ve probably got cobwebs up in your coochie. We’ll put on some fancy clothes, do some flirting, and if the opportunity presents itself, you’re gonna get yourself some action.”

“I don’t have any fancy clothes,” I reminded her. “The last time I wore a dress was for my wedding.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything. You just get down here.”

Martin

“I’m not really up for a whole New Year’s Eve thing.”

“I don’t care,” Maria told me, her tone stubborn. “You haven’t gone out to do anything fun in forever, and I need a wingman. You, big brother, are my wingman for this party.”

I let out an exaggerated sigh, but the truth was, I couldn’t deny my sister anything. She did so much for me, in many ways putting her life on hold to help me with the kids, and it wasn’t like asking me to go to a New Year’s Eve party was that big of a request.

“Fine, but I’m not wearing a tux.” The last time I’d worn a tux was for my wedding, and we all knew how that had turned out.

“You don’t need a tux,” Maria said. “Just wear a suit and a nice tie. Something bright and festive.”

“Fine. I’ll wear the tie with the Christmas trees on it.”

Three hours later I was pulling into the Houston Ambassador Hotel. The stately old hotel reeked of money and status and was the site of tonight’s hot ticket event, an invitation-only New Year’s Eve party. It was hosted by a group of friends who owned one of the city’s most successful tech companies, and you had to know the right people to get in. My sister knew the right people – she was a contractor for the company, working on their social media accounts.

As I walked around the lavish ballroom at my sister’s side, I realized that the wingman argument was just a ploy to keep me from sitting home alone on New Year’s Eve. Maria did not need me to accompany her, not when she seemed to know half the people here.

“You tricked me,” I whispered as we waited in line for the bar. “You didn’t need me to come with you at all, did you?”

Maria sent me a smug smile. She looked adorable in a red party dress with a skirt that flared out around her thighs. I’d seen several men giving her appreciative glances, but I had a feeling that her on-again off-again boyfriend was going to be the lucky one tonight. They’d been eye-fucking each other ever since we got here.

As if I’d manifested him, Scott joined us at the bar.

“These shoes are so uncomfortable,” someone whispered behind me. “I don’t know why I let you talk me into wearing them.”

“Because you can’t wear steel-toed boots with such a sexy dress,” her companion whispered back. “Quit being such a baby.”

Subtly I turned around, as if I was checking out the crowd, then my breath sputtered in my chest as I saw her. She had long brown hair that was pulled into some kind of fancy side swept ponytail. In the light, I could see glints of red in the strands.

Her dress fit her like a glove, silver and sparkling with an asymmetrical design that provided a tempting flash of pale skin courtesy of a mesh cut-out right over her right breast. Her arms and legs were strong and muscular, her stomach flat between her curvy hips. My eyes traveled upward past long sparkly earrings and a mouth that was a little too wide for her face to meet amused brown eyes.

“Like what you see?” she teased. Her voice was smooth like velvet.

“I do,” I said honestly. “Very much.”

She seemed surprised at my response. I reached out a hand. “Hi, I’m Martin.”

She shot a quick look at her friend before taking my hand. “Lillian.”

I heard a little gasp as our skin touched. Clearly she’d felt that tingly feeling the same way that I had. We stared at each other like we were in some old-time movie.

“Lillian, I must know you. Can I buy you a drink?” I finally asked.

She held up a half-filled glass of wine. “I’m good. But I’d love a dance if you’re up for that.”

I grabbed her drink and mine, shoving them both at my sister, then took my new love’s hand.

“I think they’re playing our song.”

The woman I was going to spend the rest of my life with laughed as we made our way towards the crowded dance floor.