Page 7 of Whatever Lola Wants

Simon propped his feet beside Grant’s. “Work’s been keeping me busy.”

“It’s been busy, but not that busy,” Grant said. “You forget I work there too?”

Simon shrugged. “I guess I just haven’t been too interested lately.”

“No one there you like to play with?”

“Plenty of pretty ladies to beat on.” He drained his beer and set the bottle aside. “Just none I want to spend any time with outside the dungeon. Which is your fault.”

Grant choked on his beer. “Me?”

“I find I envy your domestic bliss.”

Grant chuckled. “I can give you the name of our real estate broker.”

Simon glanced over his shoulder at the house. “Not the part I’m envying, pal.”

“So, come back to the club. Maybe you’ll meet someone new.”

The image of a five-foot-nothing platinum blonde popped into his mind. He shook his head to dispel it. “Maybe.”

The patio doors opened, and both men turned to watch Anna walk out with a covered platter in her hands. Lola followed close behind with a tray full of drinks.

Anna set the platter on the counter beside the grill. “Is this thing ready or what?”

“Woman, are you questioning my grilling prowess?”

Simon didn’t bother to hide his chuckle at Grant’s mock growl. Anna’s eyes widened, innocence shining in their velvet depths. “No, Sir. I would never do such a thing, Sir. You are the Master of grilling, Sir.”

Lola snickered, then folded her lips when Anna hissed a warning.

“Sorry.” Lola cleared her throat dramatically and carried the tray of drinks over to the fire pit as Grant stood and stalked to the grill. Simon forced himself to stay relaxed as she slid into the chair next to him. Her sleeveless shirt was open at the throat, displaying a shadowy hint of cleavage, and the glint of gold nestled in the hollow of her throat when she bent to set the drinks down.

She settled back in the chair with her wine, tipping her face up to the setting sun, and he took advantage of her inattention to study her. Her face was all angles, blade-like cheekbones and a sharply angled jaw and an equally sharp nose but for the tip. It turned up, just a bit, as though whoever had sculpted her features had given it a gentle, affectionate tap. But that wasn’t what drew the eye.

Amid all the sharp planes and angles of her face, her mouth was a lush, plump oasis. She’d painted it red, bold and bright against the white of her skin, and with thoughts of what he could do with that mouth running through his mind, she opened her eyes and caught him staring.

Those pouty lips curled into a smirk. “Why are you staring at me?”

“I’m trying not to stare at them.” He picked up a fresh beer from the tray and gestured with it to the other side of the patio, where Anna and Grant were still locked together. “It’s like animals at the zoo. They won’t mate if they know we’re watching.”

A choked gasp sounded from the grill, and he turned to see Anna glaring at him. Grant had his face pressed to her neck, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

Lola snickered into her wine. “Want to lay odds on when the engagement announcement comes?”

Simon nearly choked on his beer. “They’re engaged?”

“No, but it’s only a matter of time. My money’s on six months or less.”

He glanced back at Grant and Anna, at the quiet joy on his friend’s face as he gazed at the woman held tightly in his arms. “That's a sucker bet.”

Lola snuck a glance over her shoulder. Her smile when she turned back was wistful. “To our friends,” she said and raised her glass.

He watched her for a moment, wondering why the slight hint of sadness in her eyes should be so compelling, before tapping her glass with his beer bottle. “To our friends.”

They drank and settled back in their chairs and very carefully looked anywhere but at each other.

CHAPTER TWO

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