Noting a slight pang of hesitation in his voice, I ask. “Everything alright?”
He nods. “Everything is fine.”
Never the talkative type, his attention returns to the documents on his desk. Lifting my chin in farewell, I spin on my heels and pace out of his office. The battle to keep myself in check ramps up the closer I amble to Ava. All my good intentions are misplaced when my eyes zoom in on the strappy heels on her tiny feet.
When she crosses her legs, the scant hem of her dress edges closer to the pair of lace panties she sneakily slid on earlier. Dirty images of seeing her innothingbut those sexy heels and panties run rampantly through my mind. Shaking off my improper thoughts, I prop my hip on the counter next to her. She flashes me a quick smile before continuing with her conversation.
“So for nearly an hour you watched two guys on stage performgenitaliaorigami?”
Ava’s voice squeaks when she mentions the genitalia part of her sentence, and my brows shoot up into the air.
Rhys laughs a candid chuckle. “Yep. Seriously, it was the most hilarious thing I’ve ever seen.”
Ava’s pupils widen when Rhys adds on, “I also learned a few new party tricks that night too.”
Although his tone fully alludes to cheekiness, an absurd rush of jealousy blackens my veins.
“Tucking your dick between your legs and pretending you have a vagina isn’t a new party trick, Rhys. You’ve been pulling that move for years.”
That’s my half-assed attempt at keeping the conversation light-hearted and out of jealous territory. It is a futile attempt, but it’s all I’ve got.
Rhys’ riotous chuckle gains him the attention of a handful of women milling around the bar. “Hey, no breaking the locker room code. What happens in the locker room, stays in the--”
“Locker room,” I fill in with a laugh as my eyes drift to Ava.
I can’t help but smile at the flushed expression on her face. For a woman who’s off-the-Richter-scale sexiness has instigated a stream of improper thoughts flooding my mind nonstop for years, it astounds me that she can also pull off the appearance of a virtuous saint at the same time.
“Let me get washed up, and then we’ll get this show on the road,” Rhys says with his gleaming eyes staring at Ava.
When Ava timidly nods her head, Rhys moves to the staff room located at the back of the bar.
“Are you going somewhere?” I ask Ava once Rhys is out of earshot.
My eyes shoot up to Jazzy, the bartender, when she places an ice-cold bottle of beer in front of me. After smiling a thanks for her service, I return my eyes to Ava.
Her tongue delves out to lick her top lip before she mumbles. “Umm… I’ve kind of agreed to participate in a dare.” Her face grimaces as a fine layer of sweat beads her forehead.
I arch my brow but remain quiet, waiting for her to elaborate. When we were younger, I never backed away from a dare, no matter how crude it was. But Ava wouldn’t lick a droplet of rain off a leaf, so I’m somewhat surprised she’s decided to undertake a dare in the middle of a bustling nightclub. Perhaps it isn’t just Ava’s shell that’s altered the past few years; maybe her insides got revamped as well?
Ava stares into my eyes and smiles a furtive grin. “If I win, I’ll be living on easy street. Ten freshly printed one dollar bills will be lining my pockets.”
I smirk and shake my head. “What happens if you lose?”
“Not a possibility,” she blurts out.
Unable to maintain my eye contact, Ava’s eyes drift around our surroundings. I swig on my cold beer with the hope of simmering the raging heat coursing through my body from watching her sexy-as-fuck lips wrap around the straw of her drink. Her lips are why fantasies were created. And I’ve fantasied about them in more ways than what could be classed as acceptable the past ten years. In case you are wondering, my thoughts have been anything but pure.
When Ava lowers her cocktail, I thrust my gigantic head into her peripheral vision.
“If you lose?” I query again.
She mumbles something under her breath, but she is so quiet, I can’t hear a word she’s speaking.
I arch my brow. “What?”
“I have to go on a date with Rhys,” she mumbles weakly.
“What?” I ask again.
