Page 6 of Scarlett and the Big Bad Billionaire
Gandalf, AKA Greg Tolkan, was strong and had good reflexes, but like the rest of my buddies, our platoon commander was pretty well pickled himself. Even if our SEAL training had included drunken barfly mid-air catches, he probably wouldn’t have done this girl much good tonight.
We never drank while deployed or even in the pre-deployment period—General Order Number One banned alcohol use for SEALS. But my squad and I were enjoying a few days of post-deployment R and R. We’d just carried out an operation in Syria where we’d conducted a hostage rescue of a team of global aid doctors.
Insertion and extraction had gone according to plan, undetected, and that wasalwayscause for celebration. Sometimes blowing off steam was the only thing that kept us sane.
Apparently Red, as I’d come to think of her, needed to let off a little as well. She was going for some kind of record in the umbrella drink Olympics.
And the twirling competition. She spun in a circle, her beautiful curls swinging out around her head like one of those county fair chair swing rides.
Coming to a stop as the song ended, she gave me a half-lidded assessment. “You changed your hair. And your clothes.” She blinked and craned her neck forward. “And your face.”
“Yep. And my name.” I offered my hand. “I’m Wolf.”
“Wolf,” she repeated as she shook my hand. “That’s a fake name. Gandalf… Badger… all of you are using fake names. It’s obvious. If you’re not military or secret agents, you’re all married and cheating on your wives.”
I chuckled. “None of us are married. Andyou’rethe one who instituted the ‘no names’ rule. How about stopping for a glass of water, Red? You’re gonna be pretty dehydrated in the morning.”
Thankfully, she agreed and allowed me to lead her back to the bar where I ordered two waters.
“I’m not red. I was very careful not to get sunburned.” She wagged a beautifully manicured finger at me. “Always wear sunscreen with SPF fifty or higher—especially in the Greek islands.”
“I’ll remember that.” I chuckled. “But that’s not why I called you Red.”
My gaze dipped to the plunging neckline of her clingy red knit dress, and I forced them back up to safer territory.
Although her eyes were dangerous as well—almond-shaped with long lashes, they were the color of the Mediterranean sky.
Whoa there, cowboy. Not this one. Not tonight.
“Why then?” she asked.
Badger leaned over to us. “Because you’re a red-hot fox. Hey, get it? Red Fox?”
“Better watch out for the big, bad gray wolf, little Red,” Volt warned in a teasing sing-song. “He might steal all your goodies if you’re not careful.”
The rest of my squad except for Wilder, who was in deep conversation about American footfall with the guy next to him, cackled like hyenas.
“I apologize for my friends,” I said. “They’re actually great guys when they’re sober. I’d trust any one of them with my life.”
Red pointed a finger at me, her thumb raised as if she held a pistol. “I knew it. Youaremilitary, aren’t you? Special forces, right?”
“We’re all salesmen here for a convention,” Badger said, insinuating himself back into the conversation.
She narrowed her eyes. “Whatkindof convention?”
Great.I knew why Badger had lied—we weren’t supposed to own up to being a SEAL team when we were this close to the operation area. We’d all signed non-disclosure agreements, and besides, none of us wanted to find ourselves under investigation for sharing classified information.
But now I was involved in his stupid cover story, and I didn’t know the first thing about being a salesman.
Glancing down at the colorful printed drink coaster on the counter, I said, “Promotional products. You know, stuff that’s printed with company logos? Like napkins and t-shirts, and hats, and pens?”
“Uh huh. And what ‘promotional product’ doyousell?” Her tone was incredulous. “Embossed bullshit?”
She was actually pretty funny in that wasted, super-honest way some people get when overserved.
Sharkbait literally snorted with laughter. “Good one. Actually, we sell imprinted condoms.”
“And sex toys,” Badger added helpfully.
