Page 22 of Reckless Encounters

“What are you doing here?” I practically growl at a smirking Parker, who is currently leaning against the bar right beside me.

“I’m enjoying the luxuries of a club I pay good money to be a part of, Miss Pierce,” he answers smoothly, trailing his eyes from my mini skirt to my knee-high boots before ordering a Johnny Walker Blue Label. The blush that spreads up to my cheeks has me suddenly wishing this wasn’t a maskless event.

I shake my head at him, so annoyed that he’s here. “I just figured an event like this was beneath you. It’s not like you have a whole lot of personality to offer a woman in general, much less during a five-minute speed date.”

He chuckles at that. “I can be very charming.”

“Well, I’ve certainly never seen it.” I roll my eyes and take a sip of my pinot noir.

“Yet you’ve let me eat your cunt. I must have done something right.”

I almost sputter my wine all over the bar at his statement, but I recover quickly.

Refusing to let him have the upper hand, I snark back, “Don’t flatter yourself so much. I was horny… Any stranger would have done.” I love the way his eyes get stormier with every word, so I keep going. “Which is exactly why I’m here tonight…for a stranger.”

When I turn to move away, he reaches out, grabbing my arm, pulling me to him until his lips touch my ear. “We will see about that, little brat.”

My whole body shivers and my pussy pulses just thinking about the first time he called me that.

Stick your tongue out and open wide, little brat. I can’t wait to fuck that smart mouth.

I twist free of his grasp as Cass, Sloan’s bar manager, greets the crowd.

I wasn’t horny when I arrived, but I sure am now.

So this speed dating thing is actually pretty fun. I haven’t met anyone I’ve had undeniable chemistry with, but they have all been handsome and fun to talk to. Cass set up tonight’s event with cards on the table that have preloaded questions. It’s perfect because it takes the anxiety out of knowing what to say.

“Okay, next question…” my current date, Daniel, says as he flips over the card. “If you could take a red eye tonight, where would you take it?”

“That’s easy! Either Paris to visit with my aunt or North Carolina to visit my best friend.”

“I love that your response is about seeing loved ones. Most people would say something extravagant, like the Maldives.”

“Well, I mean, Paris isn’t too shabby, but thank you. I love my people.”

He chuckles. “I agree I love Paris. My company partners with a business based there, so I go several times a year.”

Honestly, he would so be Aunt Samantha’s type, but that may be weird to tell him in the middle of our date.

Before I gush about my favorite places to eat in Paris, the timer goes off. Daniel picks my hand up, placing a soft kiss to the back of it, and I will my body to feel something.

And I do…but it’s a set of grey eyes watching me as he moves to his next date. Little Miss Yellow Dress devours him when he sits down in front of her. Parker’s eyes are still on me, and he raises his eyebrows suggestively from his table to mine. That’s when I realize this is my last round of a reprieve.

“Hi, I’m George,” my next date greets, sliding into the chair across from me. He’s an attractive man, definitely a bit older, with a little salt and pepper in his well-trimmed beard. But there is something very familiar about him.

“Hi, I’m Ava.” I give him a smile, and he studies me the same way I am him, trying to determine where we know each other from.

“Wait, Ava Pierce?” he asks, eyebrows pinched.

When he says my last name, it hits me. “Oh my gosh, Mr. Thomas.”

He chuckles. “Yup, but please call me George here… Even though I feel quite strange sitting across from you at one of these events, but I know you are an adult now.”

George is a business associate of my family. My father took him under his wing when he first got into investing, and now he’s created his own empire.

Thank God for the NDA that is non-negotiable with the membership. My parents heard about Sloan opening this exclusive club, and I got to hear all about their thoughts on the matter. I definitely don’t care for them to know I come here occasionally to get laid by a stranger.

“Please don’t be worried about me seeing you here, Ava. I promise. How have you been?”

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