Page 25 of Seductive Nights

"Did you notice?"

"Oh yeah. I noticed. She's been watching you. When she isn't glaring at table six, that is."

He took a deep breath. Table six was Grace and Hanna's table. Hopefully, the redhead wasn't going to start something with either of them.

He hustled out to the table with their order. "Here you go, ladies."

He set their drinks in front of them and turned when a hand grabbed his shirt and spun him around. He was face to face with the redhead, and she had her arms wrapped around his neck. She was shimmying her body against his to the rhythm of the song the band was playing. He froze.

"Hey, I have to get to work."

"You can't have one sexy dance?" She purred.

"Ah, no. I have work to do."

He pulled his head back to look into her eyes. "What is going on here?"

"I just wanted to dance with you. You're so handsome."

Her voice was low as she channeled her Marilyn Monroe impersonation. A couple of the male clients whistled and yelled. "Got yourself a live one now, Jace."

No. He didn't want this reputation at all. He didn't want the Town Council to think this was some sort of sleazy joint where he picked up women.

Another man he'd seen in here before brushed past to go to a table. Jace grabbed the redhead's arms, lifted them off his shoulders, and put her arms on the other man's shoulders. "There you go, dance with him. He needs to dance a little."

The man laughed. "Well, thank you!"

Jace whisked by Hanna and Grace's table and grabbed his tray without stopping and hustled back to the safety of the bar.

He wasn't going to let anybody, certainly not a stranger, ruin his chances with the Town Council. Absolutely not.

14

Margo's jealousy rose to new highs. Just watching the redhead pawing at Jace, gyrating against him, moving with him. It irritated the shit out of her. She didn’t understand why she felt twitchy. The need to crawl out of her skin was real. It was disgusting.

Carley leaned over to her. "It doesn't look like he's enjoying his time with her very much."

Margo turned to her sister. "I don't care what he does."

"No, I'm sure you don't," Carley said, "but he looks very uncomfortable. Margo, you have to admit that."

"Well, he can excuse himself. He doesn't have to take it."

Hanna looked over and smiled. "He owns a business. He doesn't want to make a scene. He's having a hard time here. Maybe I should go help him out."

Just then, she saw Jace grab each of Sierra's wrists with his hands, pull them off his shoulders, and put them on the shoulders of a man passing by. Jace nodded and said something to the man, who laughed, and then Jace strode away. He quickly came toward their table, grabbed the tray he had left there, and took off toward the bar.

Grace watched him hurry to the bar and frowned. "He's embarrassed. She embarrassed him. Who is that woman, anyway?"

Margo met Grace's eyes. She let out a deep breath. “I think that's my late husband's mistress."

Both Grace and Hanna's jaws dropped open. Margo stared at them as they stared at her, none of them knowing exactly what to say.

Finally, Hanna said, "I'm so sorry, Margo. I had no idea."

"I didn't either until the day of the funeral," Margo responded.

Carley leaned forward. "While Logan was in the hospital, I noticed that his phone was chiming a lot, and I used his fingerprint to open the phone and saw all the texts from Sierra to Logan and back."

---