Page 15 of Power
“Why? Based on your body language, you totally looked into him,” she challenged.
“I’m not into him.”
As if to call my bluff, he rolled up his sleeves, revealing tanned forearms. Damn it.
“Liar.” Her voice dropped into herI know you better than you know yourselftone. “You know, it’s okay to have fun sometimes, Scar.”
“I have fun,” I retorted.
“When’s the last time you did something impulsive?”
“Saturday. I bought that new purse. Didn’t even do any research ahead of time or anything.”
She rolled her eyes. “Go have that drink with him.”
“I’m not interested in getting into a relationship.” My fingers tightened around my glass as memories of my last relationship surfaced. “In case you forgot, I tried having a boyfriend once. Reluctantly and against every screaming instinct I had.” When you grew up with a father like mine, you didn’t exactly have optimistic expectations of the male species. “And the only thing that got me was a thorough reminder of why I should’ve trusted my gut. Three months of manipulation and control later, I swore boyfriends off. Forever.” Who needed that? Certainly not me and certainly not now, with my career hanging by a thread.
“So, you want to be celibate for the rest of your life?” Dakota leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Never want to feel a man’s kiss again? Never want to feel his hands on your body? Or feel the heat of him on top of you?”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “Why did you have to put it that way?” My vibrator was probably threatening a strike from overuse, and sure, it did the job, but not like a man could. My inner thighs quivered to bring home the point.
She chuckled. “You don’t have to marry the guy. Just have a drink with him and see where it goes. If he’s interested in relationships, then you just be honest, but, Scar, for God’s sake, you think some hot guywouldn’tbe okay with a casual night?”
“You’re talking like we’d have sex.”
“I’m just … covering all the possible bases.”
“Sure you are.”
And now she’d put those naughty bases all up in my head.I wonder what he looks like without a shirt.
“Look, you were just saying how you’ve given everything to your career,” she pushed. “You haven’t had a date in forever. Now’s your chance. Let loose. Because come Monday morning, you’ll turn into a pumpkin with a bucket of stressful career problems.”
“Thanks for the reminder.”
“I’m just saying, let your hair down.”
I eyed him in all his glory, trying to hold on to my thread of resistance. I didn’t normally throw caution to the wind, but, hell, he wasn’t just wind. He was a tornado, ripping all my logic and reasons up from the floor. It was like some kind of polar vortex or something.
A group of women in cocktail dresses sashayed past him, their heads turning in perfect synchronization to eye our mysterious stranger. One of them, a leggy blonde, actually stopped walking.
“You need to take him up on his offer before it’s too late,” Dakota warned, nodding toward the blonde, who was now “accidentally” dropping her clutch near his seat. “Look at this place. Every single woman here is eyeing him like he’s the answer to all their prayers. Right now, he only has eyes for you, but if you don’t make a move soon, someone else might win his attention. Or he might leave, and you’ll never see him again.”
Why did that thought make my ribs tighten?
I swirled the drink he’d bought me, watching the ice cubes clink against the glass. Anything to avoid looking directly at him, though I could feel the weight of his gaze. In my peripheral vision, I could see the blonde was now perched on the barstool next to him, but I noticed his body was still angled in our direction.
“I have more important things to focus on right now,” I decided. “Namely, salvaging my promotion and my career.”
“Which you can do starting Monday morning. For the weekend? You deserve to let loose and forget about all this bullshit.” She paused, watching as the blonde tried, and failed, to capture his attention. “Look, here’s all you need to know: He’s hot. He’s into you. He bought you a drink. You need something to take your mind off your career crisis.” She spread her hands wide. “Do you not see how perfect this is? Plus, I know you. You’re not trying to convincemethat spending time with him is a bad idea. You’re trying to convince yourself.”
Fine, I was totally imagining things I shouldn’t be imaginingshortly after meeting him. Dare I say, I was intrigued by the idea. But this wasn’t me. I was in control. Thoughtful before my moves. And, hello, I had a no-men rule.
“I think we should finish this drink and go,” I decided, even as my traitor heart skipped when I caught him checking me out again in the mirror behind the bar.
“Not happening.” To my horror, Dakota stopped trying to convince me and started heading right for our witness.
“Dakota! What the hell are you doing?”
