Page 17 of Reckless Kiss

Chapter 6

After a lot of swearing and pacing Marie and I came up with a plan to address the unexpected invitation into the den of the wolves.

That was what Marie called it.

The den of the wolves.

I really wish she’d just lay it all out on the table for me. She was trusting me with information but notallthe information and that always made me feel insane.

Regardless, we decided it would be poor form and not a good move for our athletes if we turned it down. The invite was for all of Bancroft Sports but we were going to keep it to upper management and the agents with the corner offices, so to speak. In short, the people Marie trusted most.

The party was in eight days.

Between the game and the dramatics that accompanied the invitation, I needed a night out more than ever. So as planned, I’d made my way over to Rusty’s, planted myself at the bar, and was surveying potential options over a glass of Blanton’s.

There were some very nice options to be had.

The leggy blonde wearing a glittering minidress was my favorite at the moment. She glanced my way as soon as I sat. Glanced in that interested, flirtatious way. So even though I was also checking out the brunette laughing with her giggling troupe of friends, and the redhead looking rather bored with her twosome, my gaze kept coming back to lady number one.

And sure enough her glance kept coming back to me.

My blood heated for the first time in ages, flooded with adrenaline and hormones, making me feel alive again. It was as if I’d been asleep since Esme, sleepwalking through life. No woman could compare so why bother?

Except Esme was now, firmly, no longer an option.

I’d not have her hips in my hands again. There would be no licking of her delicate neck as I made my way to nibble her earlobe, all while I pumped my cock inside her. She would not moan my name again.

I shot the rest of the Blanton’s and went to the blonde.

“Your legs are my favorite part of the night so far. I hope you don’t mind that I ogled them.” I always found it was best to be blunt but not crass. If the woman recoiled at a comment like that then she was not the kind of woman to go home with a stranger anyway, so best to figure that out right from the jump.

The blonde smiled. “That’s why I’m wearing a skirt. If I didn’t want them ogled I’d wear black pants.”

I highly doubted that would mask the unmistakable line of muscle.

I stuck out my hand. “Leo. Agent.” It was customary to identify who you were at Rusty’s. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“Hope. Family. And yes.”

I waved the bartender over and ordered us both a refill. “Whose family?” Rusty’s was a safe haven for athletes, agents, and reporters to mingle in a social environment without the pressures. What happened at Rusty’s stayed at Rusty’s. No deals were made here. Everything was strictly off the record. Anyone who broke the code was banned for life—and frequently blackballed outside the restaurant as well.

Family members of all the above also frequented the restaurant because it was safe. They didn’t live the life but they lived amongst it and sometimes the secrets they held made them live bait for reporters. They enjoyed having a space to freely socialize as much as the rest of us.

She nibbled her lower lip. “Brian Thomas is my ex.”

Brian was one of the most famous sports anchors in news today. “Divorced?”

She took the drink from the bartender and sipped. “Separated for the last year. Divorce official as of yesterday.”

Definitely available. Especially since everyone knew that Brian was currently living with his girlfriend of the last two years, supermodel Lilith Jane.

I held up my fresh glass of bourbon. “Congratulations on the signed papers.”

She clinked the tip of her drink to mine. “Thank you. And you? Is there anyone at home?”

“No one at all.” But for some reason I couldnotfathom, my mind conjured up the image of Esme in my bed, tangled up in white sheets, her dark hair spilling over her naked breasts, smiling up at me as I came in for the night.

What the fuck was that?

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