“You know Anita?” asked Anna, barely keeping the growl from entering her voice. Jaxxon had told her before they left for France all about what had gone on with that nutcase.
“It was so sad how things ended between her and Connor.” Lotti shook her head. “But I had warned her that it was the only way it could end if she pushed things with him.”
Jaxxon forced a dramatic yawn. “Oh sorry, it’s just that people who don’t just say what they really mean bore me so easily.”
For a moment Lotti was lost for words. It wasn’t often that people weren’t intimidated by her beauty, and Jaxxon Carter certainly wasn’t. Now that her eyes had that famous, feral gleam Lotti was feeling even more ruffled. Finally she collected her thoughts and straightened to her full height. “I just think you’re foolish if you’re anything like Anita and think that you and Connor are really anything serious. People like Connor McKenzie and Dane Andrews don’t change. Take it from someone who’s just like them.”
“Hmm.” Anna crossed her arms. “Funny you should say that…Dane’s actually married now. Did you not know?” If she recalled rightly, his wife’s name was Niki. Jaxxon had told Anna about how Dane and his wife had Anita staying with them where they could keep watch over the living time bomb.
Lotti sneered but before she could think up a smart retort Jaxxon was speaking.
“Sorry, hang on,” said Jaxxon. “You think you and Connor would be a perfect match – is that what, in so many words, you’re trying to say?”
“Oh no,” giggled Lotti. “I’m not looking to get involved with anyone, but I’ll be honest with you, I’ve got every intention of using him for a while once you and him are done.”
“You’re very confident he’ll want you,” commented Anna.
A snicker popped out of Lotti. “Oh he’ll want me.”
Vanity always made Jaxxon wince. “Well don’t let my presence stop you from making your intentions clear to him.” She swept a hand out in the direction of the door.
“I’m sorry?”
“I’ll head over to Kev and Lorraine with Anna, that’ll give you undisturbed time with him.”
“He’s not exactly going to do anything with you here.”
“You obviously don’t know Connor if you think that. He does what he wants: The End. If he wants you as much as you say, you’ll be taking him home with you tonight, won’t you?” Jaxxon held back her instinctive reaction to slap the tramp. If she hadn’t held back, it would have looked as though she was intimidated by Lotti and insecure about Connor, giving weight to everything Lotti was saying. In truth, Jaxxon was a little intimidated. Lotti was beautiful, even if a high percentage of her was silicon. And Connor, as Lotti had pointed out, preferred his sex life to be the epitome of ‘simple’. So, yeah, of course a part of her was panicking that he would take his out now, that he would say ‘It was fun while it lasted, Jaxx’.
“You’re giving me permission to come onto your boyfriend?”
“Don’t tell me you’re not as sure of yourself as you say.” As Jaxxon fully anticipated, Lotti didn’t back down. She gave a carefree shrug that said ‘You brought this on yourself’.
As Anna watched a hip-swaying, arse-wiggling, hair-flicking Lotti stroll out the door heading for an unsuspecting Connor, she knew that whatever he did now would decide whether he was allowed to keep both his bollocks. Oh Jaxxon wouldn’t castrate him if he chose Lotti. No, she would say all’s fair in love and war and wave him off. But Anna…if he hurt Jaxxon, Anna would castrate the bastard.
“Hi.”
The seductive, sickly sweet voice came from behind Connor where he was stood at the bar with a bloke who used his hands a lot when telling his story. He swerved to see the sexy blonde from earlier licking her bottom lip and eyeing him as though she was a chocoholic and he was a Cadbury’s Dairy Milk bar. Lotti Something-or-Other.
“I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself before. I’m Lotti, Lotti Rivers.”
Rivers? No, he wouldn’t have guessed that was what it was. When she held her hand out he just glared at it. Why did Americans always like to shake hands? He might have taken it just to humour her but her expression, the tone of her voice and her body language all made perfectly clear what she wanted. “I’m with someone. Which you already know.”
Lotti dropped her hand but refused to drop the issue. “Yes, I’ve met Jackie.”
He didn’t bother correcting her. He would bet she knew what Jaxx’s name really was.
“I was just telling her I’m a good friend of Anita Donovan’s.” It was impossible to miss the flicker of pure hatred that passed over Connor’s face. “I told Anita not to expect anything from you,” she quickly added. “But she was convinced there was more to things.”
Her voice was like liquidated seduction and it was slithering over him. Her finger played across her impressive cle**age, drawing his attention to it. “If you have a point, make it.”
She didn’t let his abruptness put her off. Instead, she stepped closer to him, making sure she rubbed her br**sts against the arm he was holding his beer with. “My point is that I know you like things simple, so do I. The way I see it, you and I can help each other out.”
He now had a perfect view of those plump br**sts. Very plump br**sts. The word plump couldn’t apply to anything else about her. She was tall and slender and was a woman who obviously kept in shape. And yet he wasn’t interested. If there was no Jaxx he definitely would have been. Lotti was extremely attractive and exactly the type he usually went for, but compared to Jaxx she was as ugly as sin. There was no one who could compare to Jaxx, could ever even come close. “Like I said before, I’m with someone.” He gave Lotti his back.
Had he really just dismissed her? Lotti gawped. No one had ever done that before. Was this what it felt like to be ordinary? She wasn’t being rejected, she assured herself. He must be under the impression that Jaxxon will fly into some sort of rage. Lotti had heard she was temperamental like that. “You don’t have to worry about her. She sent me over here.”
That had Connor swiveling around. “What?”
“I told her I was interested in you and she encouraged me to tell you and let you decide for yourself who you wanted.”
“Oh she did?” A smile crept onto his face. He could believe that. Jaxx wouldn’t show weakness, plus she’d find some kind of morbid enjoyment in the discomfort this would put him through. After scanning the room he spotted her chatting to Anna. Without removing his eyes from her he began edging through the throngs of people toward her. As though she sensed his gaze she looked right at him, and that was all it took to send a fierce, primal need rocketing through his veins demanding release, demanding her. Not any woman, Jaxx. There was no denying that she had utterly ruined him. She was without a doubt the most amazing creature…and he had no idea how he would give her up. That wicked smile of hers had his dick hardening to massive and painful proportions. He crowded her body with his. “I’ve just had a very uninteresting conversation with a blonde who swears you gave her your blessing to come onto me.”