Page 47 of Catch and Release

“Careful. I might just get used to that nickname,” Amanda grinned. “Now, look at him.”

“I’m looking.”

“Just wait. He’ll feel your gaze in a second.”

Willa felt like an idiot.

“This is dumb.”

“Trust the process.”

Willa continued staring at him, feeling herself wonder why Amanda didn’t tell her to just go over there and say hello. Her eyes started to water, and she felt the desire to look away. The guy was good-looking, but she didn’t want to study him the way she wanted to study Shawn.

“Much better, keep that smolder going,” Amanda said. “You looked like you wanted to murder him for a second there. Now you look like you’re thinking about sex.”

Well, fuck. Of course she had fuck-me eyes when she was thinking about Shawn. Suddenly, Buzz Cut turned to face her.

“Smile at him,” Amanda whispered out of her mouth, then amended what she said after Willa gave him a toothy grin. “Damn girl, take it back a notch. I meant a soft smile. Like a come hither look. It’s a good thing you have great tits because you’re shit at this.”

Willa softened her smile and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Amanda. Buzz Cut smirked at her and said a few words to the people he was with before making his way toward Willa.

“Hey, Red,” he said. “Wanna dance?”

God, she hated when people came up with unoriginal nicknames for her. Especially Red. She was teased for her red hair when she was little. She’d been called everything in the book, and of course, disgusting men loved to ask if the carpet matched the drapes. Willa loved her red hair, but people’s fixation on it tended to air on the weird side.

But this guy was hot, and the goal was to dance and maybe make out with a stranger. So she nodded, and as he turned around, she whispered to Amanda, “Is it always this easy?”

“Everyone’s easy at this place,” Amanda said with the sage wisdom of a practiced seductress.

Willa followed after Buzz Cut, and as they got to the center of the dance floor, they started swaying to the rhythm of the music. She had to admit, he was a good dancer. He knew what he was doing, which was nice for her, because as a yoga instructor and former ballerina, she did, too.

After the first song ended, he came behind her and started grinding. Even though it made her feel like a horny teenager, she had to admit, it was honestly kind of fun. She continued sipping her drink and grinding with him. She closed her eyes to the music and lifted her arms in the air, feeling her buzz get stronger. Several songs passed, and he got more bold: putting his hands on her hips, running them along her sides, burying his face in her neck. It felt nice to be touched by a man, even if his fingers were too soft for her to pretend like it was Shawn touching her.

A few songs passed and she looked at Amanda, raising her brows in question. Amanda only smirked back at her—extremely unhelpful. So she excused herself and told Buzz Cut she needed to run to the restroom, realizing she still didn’t know his name.

Willa tossed a beckoning look toward Amanda and felt her and Layla follow as she headed to the bathroom. There were a few other women in there—some waiting in line for the bathroom, a couple touching up their makeup, and one girl who was running her hair under the sink.

“Someone spilled their bushwhacker all over my head,” she said miserably as Willa gave her an inquisitive glance.

“Damn, that sucks,” Willa said, then turned toward the rest of her trio. “So what now? Are you two just going to watch me all night?”

“I don’t do dancing with strangers,” Layla said, her cheeks reddening. “Not since college, anyway. I’m perfectly happy to watch you.”

“And I’m afraid if I don’t supervise, you’re going to overthink it like you are now and not get what you need tonight,” Amanda said. “Look, are you having fun?”

“Honestly?” Willa thought about it for a minute. “Yeah. I am.”

“Do you feel safe?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to go back out there?”

“Yes, I just?—”

“Have you stopped thinking about your hot neighbor?”

Willa pressed her lips together. “Mostly.”

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