Page 7 of High Seduction
Time for the next move.
He showered and dressed, tempted to call Erin. Drop by her house and get the next awkward conversation over with. The shock in her eyes upon seeing him had been real, but then so had the desire. There’d been a split second when she’d been unable to hide her body’s response, melting into his when he’d pinned her against him.
He would offer his apologies and they would go forward. She was stubborn, but he was, too. She had to fight him and her inner cravings.
That shifted the odds in his favour.
***
Erin adjusted her corset one final time and straightened her skirt before heading back into the bar area. The flash of admiration in the familiar bouncer’s eyes as she stepped out of the ladies’ room settled over her like a soft blanket.
Soothing and comforting. Safe, because she knew he wouldn’t attempt to touch her. The sweet taste of power slipped up her spine at the thought, but today instead of continuing to buzz in her veins, unease washed her. Something was off, but she couldn’t see a reason why—
Timothy.
Damn him anyway. She eased a hip onto a tall bar stool and smiled across at the owner of the bar-slash-club known as The Wild. “You’re pouring drinks, Phillip? Not often I see you back there.”
“It’s a special night. I have a guest coming in later, and I want to see his face when he walks in the door.” Phillip moved easily behind the counter, pulling a bottle from the shelf and adding ice to glasses. The gentle clink as they bumped together merged into the soft music playing in the background.
Nothing rowdy or wild here, no matter what the bar’s name. Erin liked the place more than the Rose and Crown, where the rest of the Lifeline team tended to hang out on nights off.
It gave her a place of her own. Something different from spending her time working and playing with the team. Because while she admired them and trusted them in the field, this part of her life was her own and she didn’t want them mixed in it.
Which made the idea of Tim joining Lifeline all the more dangerous to consider.
Phillip slid a drink toward her, and she accepted it readily. He would give her the usual. Not much alcohol—just enough for the taste—and the rest mix. Not only did she have to keep her wits about her in case she got an emergency call-out, but a place like The Wild was no place to get sloppy.
Drunk was far too uncivilized, and Phillip was all about being proper. About maintaining control, a sentiment she agreed with one hundred percent.
A pair of strangers took the bar stools to her left. The nearest man stared unabashedly down the front of her corset before smiling at her. Erin returned the smile, careful to stay on the edge of inviting. She didn’t want to encourage him, but there was no fun snuffing a guy’s hopes before he’d even gotten started.
She turned to her host. “A guest who’s important enough to make you hit the counter. You have guests all the time. What makes this one special, or do I not want to know?”
Probably something to do with the upper rooms, an area she’d put off limits for herself for so many reasons. Didn’t mean Phillip didn’t keep trying.
Sure enough, Phillip eyed her closer. “You have a standing invitation to explore.”
Erin tilted her head to the side. “You trying to talk me into walking on the Wild side again, Phil? I do love your determination.” She lifted her glass in salute and turned her back, facing into the room to observe what was happening.
The gathering this evening was smaller than it would be later in the holiday season, but enough people strolled the bar to make watching interesting. Dancing, flirting, mischief—a little of everything.
More than a few eyes turned her direction, gazes lingering on her legs, her breasts. She would readily admit she enjoyed being admired, but there was nothing else to entice her tonight to do more than observe the crowd.
The man to her right leaned in closer. “Can I buy you a drink?”
She indicated her glass. “Already have one, thanks.”
He held his beer bottle in the air to match hers. “Then, bottoms up.”
The guy was so darn earnest Erin wanted to laugh, at least until he snuck a hand around her uninvited, talking loudly as he introduced himself.
Erin glanced wordlessly at Phillip.
Phillip motioned with his head, and a moment later a bouncer was there, gently guiding her next-door drinker and his buddy to a private table. The offer of preferential treatment distracted them even as they were conducted away.
Erin leaned on the bar, amused by the interaction. “Am I causing problems, Phillip?” she asked.
He shrugged. “You would enjoy yourself a lot more upstairs than down here pushing my patrons’ buttons for whatever small edge it knocks off your itch.”
