Page 22 of Mister Cowboy
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January followedMichael to a private table in the VIP area of Sensual, a club that was as notorious for being hard to get inside as it was for its drinks and music. The décor was white and pastels set against metallic, and mirrors hung everywhere she looked.
“How did you guys pull this off?” she shouted above the music and looked around the private area for her party. It was filled with appetizers that claimed to be aphrodisiacs and a variety of drinks, which were more likely responsible for getting people laid than the food
Their friends, an eclectic mix of past co-workers and friends they’d kept in contact with since college, had arrived and they were all mingling and laughing. January took it all in – grateful and happy. This was how her actual birthday should have turned out.
The club was busy by the time she had a nice buzz and was ready to hit the dance floor. Carrie and Trinity, friends she’d known from her days living in the dorm, flanked her on each side, linking their arms with hers as they fought through the crowd toward the middle of the dance floor.
“That guy is checking you out,” Trinity whisper-shouted in her ear over the noise and pointed to their left.
January kept her eyes closed but added a little more sway to her hips in a more exaggerated motion, knowing she had an audience. She stripped away all inhibitions as the alcohol and the beat took over. She wasn’t a senator’s daughter or a woman who hadn’t quite figured out her life plan. She was just a girl in a dress dancing like everyone was watching.
10
Brecken
Ah, hell. What was I doing here?
Clubs. Dancing. He may have pushed through his introvert and nerd ways in a lot of areas for the sake of the company. But watching January dancing in the center of the dance floor had him reverting right back to the skinny kid with big glasses who couldn’t string together enough words to form a sentence when there was a girl around.
He should walk right back out the door and let her enjoy a night out with friends, but God help him, he couldn’t bear to end the day without seeing her. He watched the men around her as they waited for an opening, all observing her with the same greedy and wanting stare he was sure was on his own face.
All waiting for the same opening he’d been waiting for.
All too damn stupid to realize they had to make their own opening with a girl like her.
Well, almost all of them were.
Before his brain could talk him out of it, he moved forward in the crowd. There wasn’t a plan, and he sure as hell didn’t have any intention to dance, but he didn’t have any intention to let her dance with anyone else, either.
Her eyes were closed when he approached, the friends she’d been dancing with eyed him curiously as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to his chest. Her eyes snapped open, and she snatched her hand back with a small yelp. He smiled as she stared at him for a beat before throwing her arms over her head and pushing her warm body flush against his.
She yelled something that sounded like, “What are you doing here?” and he pulled her off the dance floor and to the VIP area he’d reserved for the party. Minor details she needn’t be privy to.
She clutched on to him so tightly her curves were flush against him. His teenage self would be so damn cocky and jealous, too.
“You’re really here,” she exclaimed once they were seated at a table overlooking the dance floor. Maybe it was the alcohol or the atmosphere, or a combination of them both, but she looked happy to see him. Ecstatic even.
“I couldn’t miss celebrating your birthday again. The first one was pretty memorable.”
She kept smiling. A smile so big he added it to the list as the absolute favorite. Brecken grabbed two flutes of champagne and handed her a glass, keeping one for himself. “This one has better drinks.” He raised his glass, and she followed suit. “Happy birthday.”
Her friends joined around them, and she made the appropriate introductions, though, she did refer to him as her boss. He squeezed her closer every time she said it until she was sitting practically on his lap. He’d show her how bossy he could be.
Her face was pink and her body warm as she huddled up to next to him. “I’m so glad you came. I wanted to invite you, but I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate.”
“You’re very hung up on this whole boss thing. I paid you out of my personal account, so there are no ramifications for my company.” He shrugged. “You can deal exclusively with Tina on work stuff if it makes you feel better.”
She scrunched her face for a moment and then nodded slightly. “Okay.”
“Okay?” he asked, surprised but pleased by her answer.
He bent down to kiss her, but Michael extended two shot glasses in their direction, effectively stopping him. “All right, you two, time to join the rest of the group.”
“Jägermeister?” he asked as the smell of black licorice assaulted his nose.
“It’s a tradition,” January said and lifted her drink in Michael’s direction. She mouthed along as Michael said the toast. "May all your ups and downs be between the sheets."
