FIVE
THEY WERE GOING
DANCING TONIGHT. GAVIN HADN’T been joking when he’d told her he
wanted her to have dresses so he could take her
dancing.
How utterly bizarre.
She knew his mother had been a dance teacher at one time, but she
just didn’t see Gavin as a dancer. He was rough around the edges, a
shot of whiskey and hang out at the bar kind of man. A man’s man.
Not a woman’s kind of man.
But hey, if he
wanted to get dressed up and go to a club, who was she to say no?
She had plenty of guy friends she went clubbing with, though they
were all gay and she usually went with the guys and their
boyfriends. And had a wonderful time doing it. Nothing romantic
about it, of course, at least not for her, but she had a blast
clubbing with her friends.
Guy friends. She had
a lot of guy friends. Girlfriends? No, not too many of those. Okay,
none of those. She wasn’t the type of woman who made female
friends. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because she was in a
man’s business. All her clients were men. She didn’t get friendly
with their wives and girlfriends, at least not on a social level.
Friendly enough that the women knew she wasn’t after their men—just
their men’s careers. But friend friendly? No. Never.
She knew her way
around men, was comfortable around them. Women were strange and
bitchy, and she didn’t know how to relate to them at all. Even in
college she’d gravitated toward the guys, had always had more male
friends than women friends.
What did that say
about her? She had no idea. Maybe she was missing something by not
having girlfriends to confide in all these years.
Then again, she
didn’t reveal her secrets anyway, so she wasn’t missing a damn
thing other than all-night chat sessions that were boring and
tedious, and lots of drama she didn’t want or have time for. Men
didn’t do drama, which was probably why she’d always liked them
better.
She’d spent the day
catching up on work since Gavin had a game and after-game
interviews. They were going out late tonight.
She finished
dressing and came out of the bedroom. Gavin wore black slacks, a
white shirt, jacket, and tie.
“You clean up nice,”
she said.
He turned, scanned
her from head to toe appreciatively, and smiled. “The dress looks
incredible on you.”
She lifted her head
a little higher and turned around for his inspection. She had to
admit he had a decent eye for clothes, which surprised the hell out
of her. She’d never have chosen this dress for herself. Then again,
she mostly wore black. This champagne-colored dress did bring out
the color of her skin and made the red in her hair stand
out.
She hated when
someone else was right.
They drove to an
incredibly ritzy restaurant in Palm Beach, where Elizabeth was
surprised to see they were meeting two other couples, guys that
Gavin played with on the Rivers and their wives.
“Figured you
wouldn’t mind if we met up with a couple of my friends and their
wives, and shared dinner with them.”
She managed a tight
smile. “Not at all.”
She did mind, mainly
that he hadn’t told her. And okay, she’d thought they were having a
night alone.
She shook hands with
Dedrick Coleman and his wife, Shawnelle, and Tommy Maloney and his
wife, Haley.
Shawnelle was
gorgeous, just like her husband. She had beautiful dark skin, the
most unusual whiskey-colored eyes Elizabeth had ever seen, a sexy
modern Afro, and a curvy body with breasts that would no doubt make
Gavin’s eyes bug out of his head all night long. Then again,
Dedrick was six foot three of delicious eye candy himself. So maybe
if Gavin was going to ogle, Liz would, too.
Haley was a petite
little blue-eyed blonde who looked about sixteen. Elizabeth could
only hope she was of legal age. Tommy was one of the Rivers
youngest players, so that explained why Haley looked like jailbait.
She probably was that
young.
Delightful.
This meant the guys
would talk baseball all night, and she’d be expected to
make—ugh—girl talk with the women.
They got their table
and ordered drinks, and just as she suspected, the men put their
heads together and launched into a discussion about today’s game
and the upcoming season. Elizabeth waited to be engaged by the
ladies. It didn’t take long.
“Elizabeth, how long
have you and Gavin been dating?” Shawnelle asked.
Oh, we’re not dating.
We’re just fucking each other brainless until one of us gets tired
of the other.
Probably not a good
icebreaker.
She forced her
sweetest smile. “Oh, we’re not dating. I’m Gavin’s agent and happen
to be in town for some business, so he invited me along to
dinner.”
Gavin pulled himself
out of his guy conversation. “She lies. She’s hanging out with me
at my place during the preseason.”
“Interesting,”
Shawnelle said, her amber eyes studying the two of
them.
If looks could kill,
the one Elizabeth shot at Gavin would have left him instantly dead
where he sat.
Gavin lifted her
hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“Okay, I’m confused.
So are you two dating or aren’t you?” Haley asked.
“Dating? Oh, hell
no. We’re just having sex, honey,” Elizabeth said, profoundly
grateful when her martini arrived.
“Oh,” Haley said in
a tiny little voice.
Shawnelle just
laughed, took a long swallow of her cocktail, and said, “Get it
while it’s good, girl.”
Elizabeth leaned
back in her chair, deciding to tune out Gavin and have some fun.
“It’s definitely good.”
Shawnelle’s gaze
raked over Gavin as she stirred her drink. “Mmmmhmmmm, I imagine it
is with him.” She turned her gaze back to Elizabeth. “What is it
with these guys and their sex drive. I swear to God Dedrick damn
near wears me out every night.”
Haley looked
dumbfounded, like she couldn’t believe they were talking sex in the
middle of a restaurant.
The girl needed some
educating. Much too naïve. This could be entertaining.
“No idea. One would
think they’d be worn out after all the workouts and the games. But
no. They could go all night long. All afternoon long.”
“And the mornings,
too,” Shawnelle added.
“Yes. They wake up
hard and they stay that way.”
Shawnelle laughed
and patted Elizabeth’s hand. “And we like them that
way.”
Elizabeth chanced a
glance at Haley.
Yup. Deer in the
headlights look. Probably appalled. The poor kid.
Gavin leaned over
and brushed his shoulder against hers. “What are you three talking
about?”
“Sex. We’re
horrifying Haley.”
Gavin shook his
head. “Tommy, you’d better rescue your bride. I think Elizabeth and
Shawnelle are corrupting her.”
Tommy laughed and
rubbed Haley’s shoulders. “They corruptin’ you,
darlin’?”
She shook her head.
“No. I’m learnin’ a few things though.” She waved her hand at
Tommy. “Y’all go back to talking to each other and leave us ladies
alone. There are some things I need to learn.”
Elizabeth sipped her
martini. So, maybe Haley wasn’t as revolted as she thought. Or as
naïve.
It turned out that
talking with women wasn’t as bad as Elizabeth thought it would be.
Throughout dinner Elizabeth learned that Shawnelle was an absolute
riot with a bawdy sense of humor. She and Dedrick had been married
seven years. Shawnelle was a lawyer, worked for the district
attorney in Saint Louis. And Haley, though barely twenty-one,
wasn’t naïve at all. She had a natural curiosity, was open and
honest, and wanted to learn . . . everything. Including everything
about sex. She and Tommy had only been married six months, but
young Miss Haley loved sex. She’d lived a sheltered life in
Mississippi, and she loved Tommy with every breath she took.
Marrying Tommy had been her ticket out of her repressive small
town, and she never wanted to go back there.
But Tommy, Elizabeth
found out, was a little unpracticed in the sex department, so Haley
wanted to soak up some knowledge about the art of seduction and
getting her man to open up a little bit.
Shawnelle and
Elizabeth looked at each other, nodded, and decided they could
definitely help Haley out.
The dance club was
away from the beach and private. Gavin had snagged them an
invitation since the owner was a fan of the Rivers. The ambiance
was dark, moody, and low-key, unlike the loud beachtype laser bars
that blasted your ear drums out. Elizabeth was profoundly
grateful.
She loved dancing
and hot, up-tempo music, but she also wanted to be able to have a
conversation without screaming herself hoarse. She was way too old
for that nonsense.
They were shown to a
VIP table against the wall. Private, with an attentive waitress.
Just the way Elizabeth liked it. They ordered drinks and settled in
against the cushioned booth.
“You enjoy dinner?”
Gavin asked.
“I
did.”
“Sorry I was
occupied with Dedrick and Tommy. I really didn’t bring you out to
dump you on Shawnelle and Haley.”
“I’m a big girl,
Gavin. This may come as a shock to you, but I can take care of
myself.”
“I’m sure you can.
You were probably born not needing anyone.”
Their drinks arrived
before she could shoot a retort to his smart-ass comment. As soon
as the music started, Shawnelle was ready to dance. Dedrick wasn’t,
so Shawnelle stood, smoothed down her dress, and looked at
Elizabeth and Haley.
“Come on, girls.
Let’s go rock the dance floor.”
“Oh, I don’t think
so.” Elizabeth shook her head.
Haley grinned.
“Sure. I’m game.”
Shawnelle put her
hands on her hips and stared down at Elizabeth. “You. Up. Dance
floor. Now. No excuses.”
Elizabeth was about
to object, but the steely look in Shawnelle’s eyes and the fact
that the music was pretty damn good made her shrug. “Okay, fine.
We’ll dance.”
“Yay!” Shawnelle
took her hand and dragged Elizabeth out of the chair and toward the
dance floor.
It didn’t take long
for the music to get her moving. Plus, Shawnelle and Haley were—she
had to admit—a whole lot of infectious fun. It was obvious
Shawnelle was comfortable with her body and didn’t mind shaking it.
Haley was simply in love with her life and enjoyed the freedom she
had now, so the two of them danced around Elizabeth while she moved
her hips from side to side.
When she twirled
around, she found three sets of male eyes staring at them with rapt
interest.
Which gave her an
idea.
She flipped around
and moved toward Shawnelle. “I think we can help Haley with her sex
life while we’re out here on the dance floor.”
“Oh, yeah? How’s
that?”
Elizabeth motioned
toward the VIP table, and it didn’t take but a few seconds for
Shawnelle to make the connection.
“I see your point.
Haley, honey, sandwich yourself in between Elizabeth and me, and
let’s do a little dirty dancing.”
Haley’s eyes went
wide. “Huh?”
Elizabeth moved in
closer to Haley. “You want your man to want you,
right?”
“Yes.”
“Then you gotta turn
him on,” Shawnelle said.
“Men love to see
women together,” Elizabeth explained.
Haley looked up at
her. “They do? Why?”
Elizabeth shrugged
and bumped her hip against Haley’s. “No clue. Something about the
fantasy of girl-on-girl action gets their motors
running.”
“Which means that
you and me and Elizabeth are going to give your husband something
to fantasize about. And when you get him in bed with you tonight,
you’re going to ask him just how hot he thought it
was.”
Shawnelle slipped
her arm around Haley’s waist, and Elizabeth did the
same.
“What do I do?”
Haley asked.
“Look at us like you
want to eat us for breakfast,” Elizabeth said.
“And move your body
like you do when you’re in bed,” Shawnelle added. “Tommy’s
imagination will do the rest.”
“Oh, okay. I can do
that.”
Haley was a quick
study. Though petite, she could move her hips. She tilted her head
back, turned on her charm, and gazed at Elizabeth and Shawnelle
like they were goddesses and she wanted whatever they were
offering.
The three of them
undulated against each other to the slow, sexy beat of the song;
snaked their hands up and down rib cages, waists, and hips; rocked
crotches against asses; and put on quite a show for the guys. By
the time the song finished and Elizabeth headed back to the table,
it was patently obvious that Tommy wasn’t the only man at the VIP
table turned on. Gavin’s dark gaze latched on to hers. He stood and
held out his hand for her. She caught the telltale ridge of his
erection. She took a couple sips of her drink and started to
sit.
“Not yet. Let’s
dance.”
“Okay.”
He led her out onto
the dance floor and pulled her into his arms. As she suspected, he
was a very capable dancer.
“We’ve never danced
together before,” she said as he moved her into the center of the
floor.
“We
haven’t?”
“No.” She’d been to
parties with him before, events where there had been dancing. He’d
either had a companion already, or she avoided getting that close
to him.
“I guess I just
never noticed that before.”
She shrugged. “No
reason for you and I to dance together, was there?”
He scrutinized her
with a look. “Guess not.”
Shawnelle and Haley
were both dancing with their husbands. It gave Elizabeth a great
deal of pride to see Tommy’s hands on Haley’s ass. Haley looked
like she’d just reached nirvana. Her eyes were closed, and she laid
her head against Tommy’s chest. Elizabeth wouldn’t be at all
surprised if Haley ended up having dynamite sex
tonight.
“Enjoy that show you
put on?” Gavin asked.
She turned her
attention back to Gavin. “Immensely. Did you?”
He snaked his hand
down her lower back to the top of her butt and pressed in, making
sure she could feel his erection. “A lot. I take it you’ve bonded
with Shawnelle and Haley.”
She grinned. “You
could say that.”
“I had no idea you
were into women.”
She tilted her head
back and laughed. “I’m not. That was for Haley.”
He frowned. “I don’t
get it.”
She pressed against
him to whisper in his ear. “She’s trying to sex up her husband a
little more. Things in the bedroom haven’t been exactly great for
the two of them. We were helping out.”
Gavin leaned back.
“Oh. Well, after your performance on the dance floor, that should
do it.”
She slid her fingers
over his goatee. “Worked for you, didn’t it?”
“You saying I need
sexing up?”
She pressed her
thigh between his legs, rubbed against his erection. “Honey, any
more sexing up and you’ll kill me.”
He brushed his lips
against hers. “Glad I’m able to satisfy you.”
Butterflies danced
in her belly. Gavin was dangerous to her in so many ways. She
should have turned around and run like hell back to Saint Louis
when he asked her to stay with him.
But it was just sex.
At least to him. He had no idea how she felt about him. As long as
she remembered that, she could survive this.