Page 26 of Imperfections Seduced
Chloe looks at Isabelle, combing her fingers through her short, black hair that has a streak of blue framing her face. “That’s not what you told me when you hooked up with Kevin at a frat party the first time you met. He really got to know your insides first, while you were bent over the bathroom sink.”
Isabelle’s face turns beet red. “Chloe, I told you that in secret, big mouth.”
“Who here hasn’t hooked up and had a one-nighter in college? At least you married yours and you’re happy,” Chloe says, looking around the table at us.
Everyone here except for me. Couldn’t bring myself to do a one-night stand, that’s just not me. I came close with one or two guys, but I couldn’t.
Tapping her fingers on the table, Chloe whispers, “Ohmigod, don’t look, there is a hottie looking over here.”
“Where?” Isabelle says, looking in the direction of the guy by the door.
Chloe cringes. “I said don’t look. I think he’s walking over here to our table. If I wasn’t in love with my husband—”
“Well, I sure as hell don’t have a husband. I’m willing and able to fulfill all his fantasies. He is smoking hot!”
“You’re acting like you’ve never seen a man before.” I turn to see the smoking hot man, and I can’t believe my eyes. Ava. I know she has something to do with him showing up here. She picks up her glass of water to take a sip and I mouth to her, “I’m going to kill you.” My back is turned to him, and I feel him walk up behind my chair. I can see Isabelle and Chloe practically drinking him in from head to toe. I hear his deep rich voice roll over me and my body tenses with nervous energy.
“Good afternoon, ladies.”
That’s all Chloe needs. She springs to her feet and leans over the table so he can get a look at all herperkiness. I can barely keep my eyes from rolling back in my head; she has no shame when it comes to men. I want to yank her back down in her chair and zip her sweatshirt up under her chin.
“Hello, my name is Chloe, is there something we can do for you?”
“Hello, Chloe. The gorgeous young lady you’re sitting next to is my cousin.”
She smiles, sits down in her chair and turns to Ava. “Ava, why didn’t you tell me you had a cousin this handsome?”
I don’t need to turn around to know Nick is smiling at Chloe. I can hear it in his voice. Ava gets up from the table and puts her hand around Nick’s arm. Looking at Chloe, she brings him over to stand between me and her. Damn, they are right; he looks really good in his suit and tie. A designer suit, tailor-made for his body. On another man it would look good, but on Nick it looks downright sinful.
“You have enough handsome men already swirling around you. I don’t think you need another one, Chloe.”
“You can’t have too many of those. I’m starting to see that quality is better than quantity.”
“Hmmm, I’m sure you are.” Ava presses her lips together, bats her eyelashes at Chloe, and flips her hair over her shoulder. “Nick, you can take my seat on this side next to Cat, and I’ll sit next to Chloe.”
Nick gives Chloe a dazzling smile before he sits down. Ava takes a chair from the next table and forces it between Chloe and Nick, and that’s when Isabelle stops staring and introduces herself.
“Hi, I’m Isabelle.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Isabelle, I’m Nicholas, but you can call me Nick.”
Looking at Nick and Ava side by side would make anyone feel like they are lacking in the looks department. “What an amazing coincidence that of all the restaurants in Manhattan, you just happen to come into the same restaurant we’re at,” I say, looking at Ava. Coincidence my ass; this has Ava written all over it. God, when he smiles at me like that it drives me crazy, especially when I want to give him and his cousin a piece of my mind.
“It’s not a coincidence at all, Catherine.”
“Catherine?” The only time he calls me by my full name is if he’s introducing me to someone I don’t know.
“That is your name, right? When I spoke to Ava she said she was going to be with three friends, and one of them, if I’m not mistaken, is named Catherine.”
Oh, he wants to play?
“Nick, are you going to join us for lunch?” Chloe asks.
“Unfortunately, I can’t. I have to get back to work. I only have time to grab something to go.”
Isabelle rests her arms on the table and twirls a lock of her blonde hair around her finger. “Where do you work, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Leaning back in his chair like he doesn’t have a care in the world, he gives her his full attention. I can see Isabelle is caught off guard, looking directly into his unusual, gray-blue eyes. I know how she feels; those eyes have had the same effect on me for years. All he had to do was look at me, and I would give him anything. Poor Isabelle is blushing from his full attention.
