Page 17 of Knockout (Whiskey Dolls 2)

“Okay, Drill Sergeant. I’m ready.” I held my hands out at my sides and turned in a slow circle so my friends could get the full effect. “What do you think?”

I had way too many little black dresses in my closet and had spent the past half hour trying to whittle the selection down to the perfect one. The black sheath dress I finally chose hit me just above the knees and had a flattering V-neck with short ruffled sleeves. It looked classic and sophisticated from the front but had a hint of drama in the back with a triangle cut-out that started between my shoulder blades and extended halfway down and around to my ribs. I paired it with my gorgeous nude, pointed-toe, patent leather pumps with four-inch heels. I kept my jewelry simple with just a pair of stud earrings, choosing to make a statement with smoky eyes and a fashionable messy ponytail loaded with volume.

I might not have been all that excited about being strong-armed into a blind date with a man I’d never seen, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to put in some effort to look nice.

He was taking me to The Groves, after all. It was a bold move for any first date, especially a blind one. I had to give the dude props for that. The Groves was the absolute best steakhouse in the entire state, and the prices reflected that fact. The very least I could do was look nice and try to make the best of the situation—and pray this guy didn’t end up to be some sort of whacko who’d leave me locked up in his attic for two weeks, forcing me to lotion my body three times a day so he could eventually turn me into a skin suit.

Asher let out a whistle and waggled her eyebrows. “Damn, babe. You look hot.”

“For real.” Sloane nodded in agreement. “This guy isn’t going to know what hit him. You’re a freaking knockout. Sexy as hell but total class too. It’s a really good combination, and you pull it off to perfection.”

I placed my palms on my belly and pressed in as I blew out a steady breath and counted to three. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. After Marin’s blind date, I swore there was no way in hell I was going down that road.”

“You mean after Marin’s blind date thatyouset up,” Asher specified before lifting the glass of wine she’d pilfered from me and taking a drink while Sloane munched on the cheese board she’d made herself from ingredients in my fridge. The freeloaders!

“Yes,” I said dryly. “Like any of you would let me forget that little detail.”

Sloane spoke through the cheese-topped cracker she’d just shoved into her mouth. “Look at it this way, even if the night’s a bust you still get to have a steak that’ll melt like butter in your mouth. If this guy turns out to be as awesome as Nona and Gypsy say, you can bring him back here, have loud, acrobatic sex all night long as a way to really stick it to the walking turd who lives above you. It’s a win-win no matter which way you look at it.”

At the mention of Jude, the blood in my veins sparked, giving me a jolt like I’d just been touched with a live wire. In the week that had passed since that odd encounter in the mailroom and on the elevator, I’d done everything in my power to avoid him. Since that last run-in, I’d started having these...dreams. Hot, sweaty, skin-burning dreams. Every. Freaking. Night. And it never failed that I’d shoot awake before getting to thereallygood part, a panting, frustrated mess with the sheets tangled around my legs.

I didn’t have the first clue if the real Jude was as good as Dream Jude, but to say those dreams left me unsettled would have been the biggest understatement in the world. Unsettled and constantly—painfully—aroused.

It had been a difficult week, to say the least.

The last thing I needed in that moment was to think about the man who’d been plaguing my every damn thought—even in sleep—when I was supposed to be going on a date with someone else. Or, you know, likeever.

“All right, you moochers. I need to leave soon, so put down the wine and food you stole from me and get the hell out so I can get this night over with.”

Sloane shoved a handful of cheese cubes and my expensive prosciutto into her mouth at the same time Asher chugged back the rest of the wine in her glass.

“Have fun, babycakes!” Sloane said cheerfully as she placed a kiss on my cheek. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“There’s nothingyou wouldn’t do,” I teased.

“True words. I guess I mean doeverythingI would do. It’ll make the night exciting.”

Asher took her turn giving me a hug goodbye. “Ignore her. Just try to have a good time, babe. Order the most expensive steak and don’t forget dessert.”

“You’ll have to put out if you do that,” Sloane sing-songed at the door.

“Okay, you two. Out,” I ordered on a laugh.

A second later, my friends were gone, and I was left alone, a bundle of nerves. “Oh well,” I breathed out as I stared at my front door. “Might as well get this over with.”

* * *

Jude

One of the biggest regrets of my life—aside from what would go down in history as my worst mistake ever: asking Leah to marry me—was teaching my grandmother to FaceTime. If I could go back in time and undo that decision, I gladly would. But I hadn’t managed to find a time machine, so I was currently dealing with the fallout of that mistake as I tried to finish getting ready for my blind date so I could get out the damn door.

“Is that the shirt you plan to wear?” Gram squinted her eyes and brought the phone so close to her face I could practically see up the woman’s nose, trying to get a better look through the screen at my clothes.

“Yeah. What’s wrong with it?” I asked defensively as I looked down at the charcoal-gray button-down I’d chosen for the evening.

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.” She gave me a smile that told me she was full of shit. “You just always look so handsome in blue. It brings out your eyes. Are you absolutely sure that’s the shirt you want to wear?”

For fuck’s sake. Well now I wasn’t. “I’m absolutely sure I’m not changing. I’m out the door just as soon as I can get you off the damn phone, so there’s no time to change.”

---