Page 7 of Something that Could Last

“This is Jacob,” Abby introduces, motioning to me with her hand. “And this is-”

“Luke,” Luke interrupts excitedly, throwing his hand out to shake hers. Oh, boy. He sees something he likes. This girl better watch out.

“I'm Tiffany, but my friends call me Tiff.” She accepts his proffered hand and they shake, both of them grinning deviously. The look on her face tells me she’s used to players like Luke. I may be wrong.Hemight be the one who needs to watch out. There's something wild and uninhibited about Abby's friend.

“So, about that drink... Where can I buy you one when you won't get in trouble?” I return my focus to Abby, hoping I won’t get shot down again.

“The Red Stallion,” Tiff interjects. “They're open 'til two and there’s no cover. Hell, half the time they don’t have anyone at the door checking IDs. Good thing, considering how many times we’ve snuck in there.”

Shit. How old are these girls? They look young, definitely younger than us, but not too young to be in a bar.

“Surely that won’t be an issue. You ladies are old enough to party, right?” Luke asks casually. I’m glad because I’m sure I would have made an awkward mess out of asking them their age. The last thing I need right now is to get involved with some jailbait. The tabloids would go nuts. And so would my parents.

“Oh, yeah. We’re both twenty-one,” she assures us. “We just haven’t been for very long.” She shoots Abby a knowing, mischievous grin. “We’ve spent the last four years sneaking into places we shouldn’t have been. Haven’t gotten used to getting in therightway yet.”

Without thinking, I let out a sigh of relief. Neither of the girls seem to notice, but Luke does. I can tell by the shit-eating grin on his face. We’ve had our share of fun with the ladies, but we both draw the line at underage girls.

“What time is your shift over?” Luke asks. He's awfully interested in spending more time with these two all of a sudden. I’m just glad his attention has shifted to someone besides Abby.

“Ten-thirty,” Tiff replies, her lips pulling into a pout. I check my watch to see what time it is now. Only nine-fifteen. When I look up, Abby is watching me, her brows slightly furrowed. She relaxes her features and forces a smile when our eyes meet.What was that all about?

“Hey, we can stick around for a little bit and have a few more beers. Then we can all go to the Red Dragon.”

Both girls laugh at Luke's error. “RedStallion,” Tiff corrects.

“Oh, so you think it's funny, do ya?” Luke teases and reaches over to grab her waist. She giggles and playfully swats his hand. Ah, fuck me! We've been in this town nine hours and he's already getting started. It's going to be a long two weeks.

“So, what do you say?” Luke asks, his gaze settling on Abby. “You in?”

All eyes turn to her, awaiting her response. She hesitates for a moment and then shrugs, her relaxed posture contradicting the apprehensive look on her face. “Sure. Why not?”

Abby

HOLY CRAP, WHATdid I just agree to? I don't go to bars with strange men I just met. Then again, most of the men I meet don't look like they just stepped off the cover of GQ. Or a movie set. This guy is from a whole other class. It's obvious, judging by the watch he’s wearing, that he’s used to the finer things in life. I'm almost positive it's a Cartier. I may be broke but I recognize designer when I see it. That thing probably cost more than my truck. I know he must have seen the look on my face when I saw it, even though I tried to conceal it. I'm not used to that kind of extravagance and it shows. This guy definitely has money. There's no doubt about that. Everything about him screams “wealth,” and I must admit I’m a little intimidated by that.

He looks damn good, though, in his Armani jeans and light grey t-shirt. Those jeans hang deliciously on his hips when he stands up. His shirt sleeves cling to his muscled biceps, his arms flexing as he pushes up from the table. Somehow, he manages to make this simple motion look incredibly sexy. His shirt is just loose enough on his torso that I can't quite make out the definition of his flat abs, but my imagination is running wild. I force myself to turn and walk back into the kitchen so he doesn't catch me ogling him like a horny school girl.

It's almost time for our shift to be over and, quite frankly, I'm surprised Jacob and Luke actually stayed. I figured they would get bored and duck out, but they kept their word and are sitting at the bar, sipping their beers. Tiff and I retrieve our purses and freshen up our hair and makeup in the bathroom before heading back out into the dining area.

As we approach the guys, Luke unabashedly stares at Tiff, eyeing her from head to toe. “So, are you ladies ready to have some fun?” he asks.

“Definitely,” Tiff replies with a bashful, flirty smile. She really seems to enjoy his appreciative gaze. I’m sure these two will be hot and heavy before the night is over.

“Do you guys just wanna follow us there?” I ask before anyone suggests we all ride together. I may feel relatively safe around Jacob, but he and Luke are still strangers and I'm not about to get into a vehicle with them. I’ve seen too many episodes ofCriminal Mindsfor that. There will be no Derek Morgan to save us if these guys end up being charismatic serial killers.

“Yeah, we can do that,” Jacob replies. “We're parked out front. We’ll meet you out there?”

“Okay, we'll pull around.”

Tiff and I make our way out the back entrance to my truck. I wave goodbye to Aunt Ros as I pass by. Her hands are busy drying a glass, so she gives me a wink and a smile. It's getting late and there are only a few cars left in the parking lot. I know right away which one is Jacob's. The luxury SUV is parked on the farthest corner of the lot. Of course. A freaking Range Rover. Because I wasn't intimidated enough already.

Maybe this is a bad idea. We shouldn't be hanging out with guys like this. They probably have trust funds and Ivy League educations and spend their summers in The Hamptons. We're just two country girls trying to make a living in West Virginia’s shitty economy. We are way out of our league here. I let my apprehension get the best of me and stop the truck halfway across the parking lot.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Tiff looks at me worriedly.

“I'm not so sure about this,” I reply.

“Why? What do you mean?”

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