Page 114 of Stolen Hearts

“I…” My mouth twists. “I’d love to, honestly. But I really should head home.”

“To your fake husband?” Stavros smirks.

I shoot him a dire look and he grins as he shakes his head and pats my shoulder.

“C’mon, I’m just giving you a hard time, Callie. But we’d honestly love to have you with us.”

I sigh. “It sounds tempting, seriously. But I’m…” I glance down at the formal blouse and pencil skirt I wore for the interview. “I’m also not really dressed for dancing.”

“My place is on the way,” the same girl says with a grin, sticking her hand out. “Michelle, by the way, hi.”

“Callie, hey.”

She smiles again. “Are yousurewe can’t convince you? You and I are like the same size. I’ve gotta change, too. And I’ve got tons of stuff you could borrow.”

Shit.

This issucha bad idea.

“C’mon, Callie,” Stavros grins. “You crushed your interview and deserve to blow off a little steam. Let’s fucking celebrate!”

A really,reallybad idea.

I glance down at my phone.

Castle

Where the fuck are you? This isn’t a fucking game, Callie

Congratulations, Callie. So proud of you for nailing the interview, Callie.

I scowl before I shake it off and look up with a grin on my face, shoving my phone away.

“You know what? I’d love to.”

* * *

Two hours,twenty more missed calls, and maybethirtytexts from Castle later, I amdrunk. But I’m also having an absolute blast.

For one, I’ve been cooped up in that damn apartment for two weeks like a shut-in. On top of that, the fact that I seriously just aced that interview has my adrenaline humming and a smile on my face.

Well, that and the four strong cocktails I’ve had. And the eighties themed dance night,obviously.

The dress I borrowed from Michelle is, admittedly, a little much—a bright purple, ultra-tight bodycon thing with just two thread-thin straps and a hemline that isdefinitelyturning more heads than I intended.

But I’m having a blast with Stavros and his friends, two of whom are actually first years in the MBA program, and who have been giving me all sorts of fantastic tips about professors to seek out, and the best study groups.

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”is starting to blast over the sound system as I fling myself back onto the dance floor. Three of the girls we’re with, Stavros, and one other guy start dancing again, too. I throw my hands in the air, feeling the sweat drip down the small of my back as I lose myself in the music and the vibe.

The guy we’re with slides up close all of a sudden, ready to dance with me. But suddenly Stavros is yanking him back, hard. I frown, because, fuck, it’s just dancing, and it’s not like he even touched me or anything. I watch as Stavros pulls him close and mutters something into the guy’s ear while pointing at his ring finger.

I sigh. Right,that.

The guy’s eyes snap to my hand and then up to my face. He smiles politely, then turns abruptly and starts dancing with Michelle instead.

Whatever.

I keep dancing my ass off solo, throwing my head back and letting out a whoop as the music really takes hold of me.

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