Page 97 of When Annika Met Thom

“Me? Really?”

“Of course, you. It should be in September.”

“Keep your dance card open,” Nate advised.

“Honey, my dance card isalwaysopen,” Meesha said and they laughed together. A limo pulled up at the curb and Pierce emerged from the back, giving Jax his hand. There was another guy with them, a big blond guy got out of the car on the other side. He surveyed the street like a commando and Meesha would have bet he was carrying a gun.

“Well, hello sunshine,” she said under her breath.

“Jared Peters,” Nate informed her. “One of Pierce’s team. They call him Angel though he’s anything but.”

“I like him already,” Meesha murmured. He was obviously working, because he followed Pierce and Jax at a slight distance, keeping an eye on their surroundings with a wariness that Meesha found really hot.

Jax always looked wonderful when she dressed up, though Meesha was used to seeing her at work every day. They hugged and admired each other’s shoes, then she and Pierce headed toward the festivities. Angel followed, but only after his gaze flicked over Meesha. She blew him a kiss and he smiled slightly, his cool blue eyes thawing just a bit, before he got back to work.

Meesha was prepared to wait for him to get off work.

Damon, the fifth partner of the club, stepped out of a cab next, offering his hand for Haley, his wife. Meesha checked the view with approval. Their daughter Natalie, who was two and a half, insisted upon walking to the club herself. Damon held her hand, while Haley carried their son, Thomas, who wasn’t yet a year old. He was sleeping, too, at least for the moment.

“Another tux,” Meesha said to Damon when they entered the club. “Did you all get a team discount?”

He smiled. “I wish.”

Haley was wearing a fitted navy dress with white trim and looked great, like a taller Audrey Hepburn. “My hat!” she cried when they had the kids and their gear inside. Damon darted back out to the cab, which hadn’t yet pulled away. Her white straw hat was still on the back seat and Damon returned with it in triumph. He held the baby while Haley put on her hat, then nodded approval at the result.

“What’s the future for F5F?” Meesha asked. “Is the re-opened club still going to be a haven for mixing and matching, or will it become the number one location for baby swim classes?” She was joking, but in a way, she was worried. One of the things she loved about F5F was the hum of sexual energy and she really didn’t want that to go away. It made coming to work a serious pleasure.

Damon chuckled. “I hear those classes are pretty booked up.” Meesha nodded agreement. “But F5F has the classes and the amenities for everyone who wants to work out. I think with the dance club finally reopened, we’re going to see a new wave of membership.”

“Do you think there are people still looking for love?”

“Of course! Always, and this would be the right place for that,” Damon concluded. Meesha cued up a segment of that gallery of photos of members. Meanwhile, Damon turned and pointed to another cab pulling up. “There’s the lady who can tell you about love conquering all.”

“Lauren!” Kyle shouted, striding across the lobby with obvious delight. People turned to look, because they always did when Kyle turned up. He loved the spotlight and Meesha knew he’d give her a good soundbite or two.

“Who would have thought it?” Meesha asked. “Everybody’s favorite man-whore in love for the duration. Who would have guessed that the one-who-got-away would come back here and grab him forever?”

“Probably because she wasn’t even trying,” Damon said with a smile. “Lauren wanted the one thing from Kyle he was willing to give, but then he wanted more.”

“Got to love that she made him work for it,” Meesha said and the couple laughed before heading down the purple carpet.

“Baby baby baby,” Meesha murmured, watching out the door as Lauren handed a sleeping baby to Kyle. “How many babies can there be at F5F?” Jeffrey was a year and a half old. Kyle tucked their son into his elbow and practically lifted Lauren from the cab. Her baby-bump was unmistakable and she was at the stage that she looked ready to pop. Their three-year-old daughter was an adorable chatterbox as determined to have center stage as her father. Ariel stood on the sidewalk, telling her father everything that had happened since his departure earlier that morning, and her thoughts on each incident. Lauren and Kyle exchanged a smile and Meesha saw Kyle lean close to kiss Lauren and whisper in her ear. She nodded, but he put his hand under her elbow and shouldered the entire load of gear as well as their son.

“Schlepping kid stuff is the new HIIT,” he told Meesha with a grin. “I’m thinking we should start a new class. There will be stairs and escalators and obstacle courses, along with more stuff that anyone can believe possible. Maybe it should be a competition.” He snapped his fingers. “An Iditarod for new parents. You have to take it all, every time, then we’ll add a sleeping baby and, at intervals, a screaming one, maybe one that needs to be fed or changed STAT. It’ll keep everyone nimble. What do you think?”

“Sounds like something you’d ace.”

“Experience,” Kyle said, shaking a finger at her. “That’s the key.”

“So, tell me the truth,” Meesha said.

“Always.” Kyle’s grin made him look less that trustworthy.

“Do you all have some kind of competition going on? Whoever can pop out the most kids in a hurry wins?”

“I’ll let you in on a secret,” Kyle said in a stage whisper. He looked around as if checking that they weren’t being overheard, but he knew Meesha was filming him.

“I’m listening.”

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