Page 19 of Captivated

“Just try to sit all the way back in the booth and keep the conversation to neutral topics. But I’m not gonna lie, Cash… watching you squirm like this and fulfill your terms of the bet is worth every penny Clara spent,” he laughs and I fight the urge to slug him. “I hear you, though. I think after this, all bets should cease. I’m engaged now, man. I need to knock this shit off.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Karma’s a bitch, ain’t it though, Williams? You generally think of women as nothing more than a warm body to fuck, but here you are being treated the same way, and you’re not liking it very much, are you?”

I throw daggered eyes at him while I stew on his words. Again, I’m never disrespectful to women, although Birdie would argue that I am disrespecting Misty right now—but yes, the sole basis for keeping their company is generally so it will lead to sex. But let’s be real here. Misty isn’t company that I would ever entertain the idea of willingly.

“Fuck, I need to get back out there. You better be ready to dial my number the minute that clock strikes eight, Walsh,” I say while pointing a strong finger into his chest.

Cooper pats my back before he retreats from the bathroom. “I’ve got you. But I’m going to relish in watching you fidget until then,” he winks and then leaves.

I take a piss and then wash my hands, preparing to return to the excruciatingly uncomfortable situation when a voice behind me in the hall makes me turn on a dime.

“Your date seems like a lot of fun.” The pleasant gleam in her eye tells me she’s been watching and is enjoying my misery as much as Cooper has been.

“Oh yeah, she’s a hoot. But, hey, why do you care? Have you been watching us this whole time? Are you jealous, Piper?” No matter how many times I see this woman, her beauty still knocks the wind out of me.

A slight tilt of her head and a squint of her magnetic blue eyes tells me I’m holding her interest too. “When are you gonna understand that I don’t get jealous? Especially from a woman throwing herself at a man whore…”

“Whoa, hold the phone! You don’t even know me,” I throw my hands in the air and then wonder why the hell I care about her opinion of me in the first place. I’ve done casual for so long, it’s part of who I am now. But Piper makes me feel something the opposite of casual—a foreign feeling for me, that’s for sure. I know I want to fuck her. That idea is obvious. But ever since that first day when I pulled her over, something else about her has drawn my thoughts and attention to her, and I don’t know how to handle it.

“Really? I don’t know you? Weren’t you offering to show me your dick and balls while you were in a hospital bed from a concussion? Or how about the fact that your phone was blowing up non-stop with texts from women wanting to take you for a ride? I may not know you personally, but I know who you are.”

“Don’t act like you weren’t interested,” I smirk as I watch Piper fight her reaction to smile back at me.

“Believe me, I’m not,” she skirts around me, but I grab her arm before she can fully get away.

“Hey,” I start and then blow out a breath, releasing her arm slowly while I savor the silkiness of her skin against my palm. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? We’ve obviously gotten off on the wrong foot… but can you blame me? It’s hard not to flirt when I see a beautiful woman, especially as memorable as you.” The slight drop in her shoulders tells me I may have chiseled away at her armor a bit just now. “You’re breathtaking, Piper. And maybe I didn’t show that in the most eloquent of ways, but it’s true.”

She glances back to the main room in the bar where I notice a group of women sitting around a high-top table in the corner, one of them being the raven-haired nurse that pulled Piper from my room in the hospital that night.

“Is it ladies’ night?”

Turning to face me head on, I take a moment to appreciate the entirety of her standing before me now. Piper is tall and slender, but not without curves, the kind you want to hang on to while fucking. Great, now my dick is getting hard. A dark grey tank hugs her torso, showing off just the right amount of cleavage to keep you interested, but not give anything away. Misty should take pointers from her. Black jeans stretch across her thick thighs and lead down to her dainty feet perched in black wedges. Delicate gold bracelets and matching hoop earrings adorn her porcelain skin and ears, barely peeking out from beneath her golden waves framing her face.

This is sexy—when a woman can highlight her body in a tasteful way, showing off the slopes of her voluptuous figure without baring it for everyone to see. A man like myself loves the idea of the surprise I’ll find when I strip a woman naked, like opening a present that’s been taunting you under the Christmas tree for weeks. The smooth skin and every hidden freckle I would discover would be for my eyes only. And I can’t help but wonder what freckles or birthmarks Piper has on that perfect body.

“Yes. It’s been a long week and we all need to blow off steam every once in a while.”

“I can think of a better way to blow off steam than drinking.”

She shakes her head. “See? There you go again… are you capable of talking about anything besides sex? Or are you afraid that actually having a real conversation would be too much work?”

I stand tall and stare her down as she matches my confidence with her own. The sexual tension is sizzling between us, the hard swallow I see in her neck indicating that she’s fighting the natural instinct to crash into me the way I am with her.

“Why don’t you give me the opportunity to show you then? You know, since you think you know me so well,” I challenge, hoping she’ll give me the opportunity to prove her wrong. For the first time in my life, I’m genuinely concerned with how someone else besides Birdie views me as a person. She’s the only person I’ve ever answered to, but Piper makes me want to shove her cliché’ opinion of me down her throat, along with my tongue.

“No thanks. I have my friends to get back to. But good luck with your date. Remember, always use protection,” she winks and then turns on her heels, giving me the perfect view of her ass as she marches away from me. Now I’m supposed to go back to the woman who makes my dick want to crawl up inside of my body while the one he wants saunters away? My poor dick—he’s so confused right now.

Walking back to the booth where Misty sits scrolling on her phone, I notice the eyes of other customers drawn to the corner where Piper sits with her friends. They are all beautiful in their own way, and a few of them I’ve seen around town or in the hospital when I need to question a patient about an accident or case.

But none of them hold a candle to Piper. Her smile is electric, her confidence is sexy, but not over the top. She seems genuine and real, which is such a contrast to the type of women I’m used to meeting. And I definitely know she’s not afraid to stand up for herself or speak her mind—so fucking sexy. Normally, I don’t care so much about what’s in a woman’s mind, just what’s between her legs. But Piper strikes this match for me that lights up a need to know everything about her—a need I’veneverfelt before.

“You’re back.” Misty throws her phone in her purse as I take my seat again, leaning over the table and reaching out for my hands.

“Yeah, sorry. I ran into someone I know and got caught up in a conversation,” I shrug as I reach for my beer. Taking a sip, I wonder if Misty would be the type to slip me a roofie. On second thought, maybe I’m done drinking for the night.

“No worries,” she shrugs and then her face lights up again. “So, where were we? Ah, yes… whose place are we going to tonight, yours or mine?”

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