Page 19 of My Sweetest Temptation

“Hey, Ana!” Tabi replied with excitement.

“And you must be Winter,” the woman said, releasing Tabi from the hug. Her face lit up with an infectious smile that seemed to cut through the club’s pulsating beats. “Tabi has told me all about you. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” I replied with a smile.

Ana glanced down at my and Tabi’s drinks. “A vodka cranberry, Tabi? Really? Is that what you’re starting with tonight?” she asked, raising one perfectly shaped eyebrow.

Tabi lifted her glass in a cheer-like motion and took a sip. “Yep.”

Ana rolled her eyes. “Come on. Let’s get you something stronger.” She signaled the bartender, her diamond earrings sparkling under the strobe lights.

“Nuh-uh.” Tabi waved off the bartender before he made his way over.

“What?” Ana asked.

Tabi turned to me and said, “Her description of stronger leads to waking up butt ass naked, hungover, and sandwiched in bed with two male strippers in a hotel room and getting my ass smacked with a flogger!”

My jaw dropped. “Seriously?” A tiny laugh bubbled out of me from shock.

“In Vegas!” Tabi added, her eyes widening. She reminded me of one of the Disney characters with their big eyes.

Ana rolled her eyes and a playful smile tugged at her lips. “Don’t be so dramatic, Tabi. Your inner freak was begging to come out and play. I didn’t see you lock it away when they took you again in the shower.”

I choked on my drink, sputtering as it went down the wrong pipe. “Tabi! Did that really happen?”

“Don’t let this one fool you,” Ana said, bringing the glass to her cherry-red lips and gesturing toward Tabi with a finger. “She is freaky,” she sang teasingly.

Tabi shrugged and smirked. “That was the old me. I can’t be fucking around like I’m on spring break anymore.”

“Yeah, fucking right,” Ana said with a snort. “Stop making excuses, Tabi. Being a mother doesn’t change your inner freak under the sheets. We both know you’re itching to hop on a good D.”

Tabi’s cheeks flushed, and her smile turned impish. “Well, duh. I’m not dead. Just a little more.... cautious now.”

“Cautious, my ass. You just haven’t had a good threesome for a while.”

Ana’s laughter rang out, and she wrapped an arm around Tabi’s shoulders. “Winter, there are so many stories I can tell you about this one and her promiscuous ways, stories that would make a nun break her vows to have a little taste of Tabi’s sex life.” She turned to Tabi, her arm still draped affectionately around her shoulder. “But what happens on our girls’ trips stays on our girls’ trips. Right, Tabs?”

“Oh, please,” Tabi scoffed. “Just remember, I have stories about you, too, and they would put my shit to shame.”

I shook my head, still processing that Tabi had a wild side. “You two are something else.”

Ana clinked her glass against Tabi’s. “Damn right, we are. Here’s to Tabi and all the dicks she has yet to taste!” Ana raised her drink and yelled, “Happy birthday, girlfriend!” and laid a wet, sloppy kiss on Tabi’s cheek.

“Happy birthday, Tabi!” I joined in, raising my own glass.

“Come on. Let’s go get a booth,” Ana yelled before requesting another round of drinks.

While carrying our new drinks, we followed Ana to a plush booth in a dark corner, sinking into the cushions. Just as I started to relax, a man with striking gray eyes and a swagger approached us. He looked like he just stepped out of a celebrity news magazine. He flashed a bright smile, revealing deep dimples.

“Well, hello beautiful. I’m Preston,” he said, extending a hand toward me. His grip was firm, and his touch lingered just a beat longer than necessary. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Winter.”

“I like it,” he remarked, taking a calculated sip of his drink, his silver eyes never straying from mine. He swallowed, then licked his lips slowly as if savoring either the taste or my reaction.

My breath hitched, his boldness catching me off guard.

“Come on, beautiful,” he drawled as he leaned in closer, his cologne wrapping around me. “I don’t bite.” He paused, a mischievous glint igniting in his eyes. “Not yet, anyway.”

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