“That makes sense,” Jules said with a nod.

 “Yeah, but it’s not like he’s proposing marriage,” Patti pointed out.

 Piper snapped her fingers. “Exactly. What if Poppy sells her house and moves in with him, and then he rolls out of bed one day and decides it just isn’t working out? Then she’s out on her ass without a house to fall back on.”

 “While that’s true,” Lynn piped up, “if you love the guy, you have to be willing to take a risk.”

 Poppy fiddled with her glass. “I know. It’s just hard to leave things up to chance when you don’t know what lies ahead.”

 “Unless it’s a financial strain, why not keep it as a vacation home?” Patti suggested. “You could use it to get away on the weekends. Heck, you could even rent it out to your friends,” she said, spanning her arms open wide. “We could all use a little retreat from the city now and then.”

 “That is a really great idea,” Poppy said. “I think I’ll mention that to Felix and see what he thinks about it.” She smiled widely. “Thanks.”

 “Don’t mention it.” Patti held up her hand, summoning another waiter. “Now that that’s all sorted out, let’s get wasted!”

3

Jon stepped into Carnal with a blonde on one arm and a brunette on the other. Stepping in beside them, his best friend and wingman, Travis, motioned to the dance floor, and then melted into the throng with his own date.


Music vibrated through his body as Jon carved a path through the crowd toward an empty table in the back. He seated the women, and then squatted down between them, motioning them closer so he could speak without shouting. “What can I get you ladies to drink?”

 “Grey Goose,” the blonde told him, smiling demurely with lips so thick and glossy they screamed sin.

 “Martini, dirty.” The brunette seated to his left wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled his face to hers. Their mouths meshed, and she slipped her tongue inside his, wasting no time letting him know where she expected this night to end. 

Jon pulled back with a lazy grin and wiped the excess moisture from his lips with his fingertips. “That’s an order I have no problem filling. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Don’t worry, baby,” the brunette cooed. “The only place we’re going tonight is down.” Her gaze shifted to his crotch and Jon laughed, amused.

“Promises, promises. I’m going to hold you to that,” he swore.

 Striding up to the bar, Jon found a sliver of space and positioned himself there, raising his hand to call the bartender’s attention.

 While he waited, he took stock of the place. The downtown club was buzzing with energy. Colored lighting flashed intermittently over the oblong dance floor. Loud music from every direction pulsed in his ears. There were half-naked bodies everywhere, dancing, groping, and draping themselves over the bar. It was a veritable cesspool of debauchery, and he loved every bit of it.

 The bartender was finally making his way over when the seat beside him opened up and a warm, lithe body slid in alongside him.

 Jon couldn’t help but appreciate the view. Long, pale hair flowed down to a curvaceous backside and lean, tone legs clad in a pair of tight, white jeans dangled from the stool she perched on. From the back, she was enough to stir him to life. He wondered what effect she would have on him head-on.

 When the bartender approached his end of the bar and looked to him first, Jon shook his head and tilted it toward the blonde beside him. “Take care of her first. I’ll wait.”

 The bartender nodded, uncaring of who went first, and shifted his attention to her. Turning on her seat, the friendly smile she wore turned shy when she looked up and met his eyes.

 How cute. “Hi,” he said, deliberately dropping his voice lower.

 “Hi.” She smiled demurely, her long lashes touching her cheeks when she dropped her gaze.

 “What are you having?” Jon asked, using the volume of the music as an excuse to slide in a little closer. He rested one arm on the polished counter and leaned into it, smiling down at her as her mind worked to keep up. He gestured to the man waiting for them expectantly.

 Her cheeks colored and she cleared her throat. “Give me two rum and cokes, a long island and Sam Adams,” she called out to the bartender who was waiting patiently for their order.

 While he hurried off to fill it, Jon took the opportunity to fix her with a wide smile. “You look nice tonight,” he told her, allowing his eyes to make a slow perusal down her lush body. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep his eyes from making a second pass over her chest where her breasts were on full display beneath the simple black tank top.

 “Thanks,” she said amicably. She flipped her long hair over her shoulder, eliminating the soft, silken screen obstructing his view of shapely shoulders covered in perfect alabaster skin. “I’m Patti,” she said, turning in her chair and offering him her hand.

 He took her delicate hand in his and brought it up to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “It’s a pleasure, Patti. I’m Jon.”

 “Nice to meet you, Jon.”

 “Definitely.” They smiled at one another, lost in each other’s eyes, until the bartender returning with the drinks broke the spell. “It’s on me,” he told him, then waved him away. Jon would come back to make his order after he was through with Patti.

 “Thanks, but you didn’t have to do that.”

 Jon helped her gather up her drinks, holding them hostage to keep her around a little longer. “I wanted to,” he said, casually slipping his hand around her tiny waist to guide her through the crowd. She smiled up at him, her pale green eyes sparkling beneath the strobe lights.

 She led him to a round table surrounded by several women, one of whom was very much pregnant. Patti bent to unload the drinks and smiling faces turned to greet her. Their expressions turned curious when they took notice of him hovering behind her.

 “Okay, girls, I believe I got everyone.” Patti slapped her hands together, then jumped around when she remembered he was still there. “Oh! My bad. Forgot the beer.” She snatched the drink from his hands and took a long swallow.

 All eyes were on him, and Jon shifted uncomfortably. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?” asked the one that looked like she was about to rupture amniotic fluid at any moment.

 He watched as Patti’s chest rose and fell, a nervous laugh escaping her as she set her drink on the table. “Piper, Poppy, Jules, Sheila, Lynn,” she said, pointing her finger at each of them. “This is Jon. Jon, this is Lynn, Sheila, Jules, Poppy, and Piper. Thanks for buying the drinks and helping me carry them,” she said quickly. “I guess I’ll see you around?”

 She plunked down in her chair, effectively dismissing him, but Jon had other ideas. “Hi,” he said, stepping forward with his hand out. “It’s nice to meet you.”

 The one named Piper took his hand in hers, her face bright. “Hey, I didn’t recognize you at first. Must be the lighting,” she said brightly, waving her hand at the colored lights hanging overhead. “You grew up with Tate. I’m his wife, Piper. We met in Vegas at the convention.”

 Jon’s smile grew in recognition. “That’s right. I remember you now. Wow,” he said, looking down at her swollen abdomen. “You guys didn’t waste any time. When are you due?”

 She laughed, running her palm over her stomach lovingly. “About five weeks left to go.”

 “And Tate let you out of the house?” he asked, stunned. If she were his wife, he wouldn’t let her within an arm’s reach of a club. They were too unpredictable, too unsafe, too everything.

 “I don’t think I gave him much of a choice,” she said with a giggle.

 “She threatened to serve his balls to him on a silver platter,” Poppy leaned in and shouted. “Hey, Jon. How’s it going?”

 He nodded to her. “It’s going. Where’s Felix tonight?”

 Her eyes clouded over and she sat back, her hand reaching out to fiddle with her drink. “At home, I imagine.”

 Jon’s brows rose at the coldness of her tone, but he didn’t bother to follow up. He was there to have a good time, not be drawn into female drama.

 “So wait,” the one across from him, Sheila, said with her palms facing out in front of her. “You two know each other?”

 “They work for me,” Jon said, making a swiping motion with his finger at Poppy and Piper.

 “And how do you know Patti?”

 “Oh, he doesn’t. We just met up at the bar,” Patti explained.

 “You work fast, huh?” Sheila remarked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively at him.

 He shrugged. “What can I say, when I see something I like…” He trailed off meaningfully. Patti’s eyes lifted from the table and he caught them, holding her trapped in his gaze for one long, intense moment. He wanted her to know he was interested, and judging by the flush of her cheeks, she’d heard him loud and clear.

 His smile fell when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around his neck.

 “Hey, baby, I was wondering where you disappeared to. What are you doing all the way over here?”

 Patti glanced over her shoulder at the sound of feminine voices. It took her a second to assess the situation, and he watched as her nose scrunched in disgust. When her eyes slid back to him, she wore a blank expression and for some reason, that put a knot in his stomach.

 Jon turned his head and found himself looking at two sets of annoyed eyes. “I was just getting ready to head back.” He patted the arm wrapped around his neck and she took the hint, releasing him and moving back a step. “Why don’t you go order the drinks for me and I’ll catch up in a minute?” He gave his dates a small, encouraging smile, hoping they’d leave quickly.