“Well, I don’t want to get in the way of whoever the lucky lady may be,” I retorted but I sat down next to him anyway.
“Be nice to me and maybe you’ll get lucky,” he shot back. The look of fury on my face must have amused him because he burst out laughing. Well, if I wanted someone who created a reaction in me, I certainly got my wish.
“You’re too good to me, Adam,” I said dryly.
He took me by surprise by leaning in close to me and speaking directly into my ear. As I inhaled deeply, I knew I would be buying some Acqua Di Gio to spray on my pillow for those moments of personal exploration with my big girl toys.
“Do you want me to be good to you, baby? Because I could make you feel really good.”
The bastard was obviously going to amuse himself by trying to get me all flustered. His breath felt warm against my neck, and it sent shivers down my spine, but I concentrated hard on keeping my breathing steady. He pulled back and I saw that he was watching me very closely. Even though I could feel the heat in my face, I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing how he was affecting me, so I steadied my nerves and leaned in to answer him in exactly the same way.
“You’re such a player, Adam. I’ll bet that line works with all the little club girls, doesn’t it?” I taunted in a throaty voice.
I made sure that my lips grazed his ear as I pulled back, looking him directly in the eye. He wasn’t the only one who could break out some sexy. I knew it was probably a very unwise decision, but this was an example of his bad effect on my good judgment.
I could see desire in his expression and I knew that I had gotten to him. Our gazes locked for a moment or two, neither one of us willing to back down and look away. Then he leaned in again, and this time, he also placed his hand lightly on my thigh. I felt the warmth through the fabric of my pants, and my muscles immediately tensed up. By now, my heart was beating in time with the fast dance music.
“Maybe I should challenge myself more.” He didn’t pull back like he had before. Instead, he waited there for me to respond. I turned my head slightly so that I could oblige him.
“Why start now?” I was so close, I was sure that he could feel me smile. He moved his head slightly in response and the stubble on his jaw rubbed against my cheek, making me shiver again. Obviously, he noticed.
“Are you cold, Lily? I could warm you up,” he said seductively, brushing his soft lips over the skin that his beard had just made tingle. My breath caught and I swallowed hard as his fingers began gently stroking my thigh.
I was preparing a snarky comeback when I sensed movement beside me. I sat back and looked over at Mark Patterson from the Defender Association, who was at that moment sitting down next to us and placing a beer down on the table.
He was a very sexy guy too, with a little bit of edginess, a naughty boy charm and gorgeous gray eyes. Supposedly, he was a really good lawyer, one of those public defenders who really believed in what he was doing. If he weren’t one of Adam’s closest friends, I would be tempted to flirt with him myself. I certainly wouldn’t have kicked him out of bed.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” he said, looking absolutely cheerful as he leaned back in his chair and raked a hand through his light brown hair.
“But yet, there you sit interrupting,” Adam replied sarcastically. Mark laughed and took a swig of his beer. He didn’t look like he was planning to leave, which was fine by me.
“You’re not interrupting,” I replied as I removed Adam’s hand from my leg.
“So, Lily, how’s the writing been coming along?” Mark asked with a smile.
“It’s been great. I finished up another legal thriller and I recently published an erotic romance that’s been doing really well.”
“Well I’d be happy to help you with research.” Was he flirting with me?
“For the courtroom scenes, of course,” Adam said sarcastically.
“Of course,” Mark agreed.
I looked from one to the other suspiciously. I didn’t quite understand what was going on here, so I decided to take control of the conversation by changing the subject.
“The friend who gave me a ride here had to go take his partner to work, so Adam offered to drive me home, but I was about to tell him that I could take a cab. You wouldn’t want to be at my place at night,” I added, looking at Adam.
“Why not? Do you steal the covers?” It was Mark who responded, and there was no missing the flirtatious tone of his voice this time.
I sensed Adam tense up beside me. What in the hell was all of this about, I wondered? It felt like they were competing over me, but I couldn’t picture either one of them caring that much. After all, there were at least a dozen women there who would be willing to fall to their knees for them at a moment’s notice.
“I meant you wouldn’t want to be driving near my apartment. I live in Newbold, but close to Point Breeze,” I answered. “He’s probably put some of my neighbors in jail and you’ve probably gotten a few out.”
“I live in South Philly too, in Bella Vista,” Mark said. “I could give you a ride.” I watched as he gave Adam an almost wicked grin.
“You do?” I asked, surprised.
“So do I, in Queen Village,” Adam cut in, giving Mark a very unhappy look. “And I feel like getting out of here anyway, as opposed to Mark, who seems to be enjoying himself.”
“Adam’s obviously very concerned about me having fun,” Mark said with barely contained mirth. Adam glared back, clearly not amused.
“Uh, okay, then,” I said looking at them both strangely. “Thanks, I guess. My back is starting to hurt from dancing in these heels.”
I stood up to stretch, arched my back and rubbed my neck to try to get the kink out. I sighed and looked down to find Adam was watching me intently. Mark, in turn, was watching Adam with a highly amused grin.
“You know, Lily, I’ll even bet that Adam would be nice enough to rub your back for you if you wanted him to.”
“He’s already reached his quota of nice by giving me a ride. Why are you being so nice to me anyway?” I asked suspiciously.
“Our friends are married to each other now. We should try to be friendly.”
“Fine, you show me your friendly and I’ll show you mine,” I said cynically. “I’m ready to go whenever you are.” Adam stood up and threw some money down on the table.
“We’ll talk tomorrow,” he said, smiling at Mark.