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6
“I AM FINALLY DOING THIS!” Julie tried to contain her smile as she walked on the sky bridge that led to a popular nightclub in the center of Bellevue. A small group of women walked past her, a blur of chatter and perfume. She glanced out the window but the restaurants, spas and luxury boutiques were also a blur. The window displays and street lights were smears of color in the night. She barely saw the BMWs and Porsches competing for space on the busy street below her. All she heard was the beat of her heart mingling with the clacking of her heels on the cement. “Watch out, world, here I come!”
“Stay focused.” Asia’s voice was faint in the earpiece Julie wore.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t contain my enthusiasm,” Julie replied, noticing yet another handsome man in a designer suit leaning against a wall, obviously waiting for someone. He glanced up from his cell phone and checked her out. “I’m finally a Charlie’s Angel.”
“But better-dressed. Now stop talking to yourself or people will start staring.”
“Ah, that would explain it.” The man’s attention returned to his phone. “I thought I was turning heads because of my general awesomeness.”
“Let’s transfer that awesomeness into the role.”
“Done.” She was going to act as if she were meant for the spotlight. She had no clue how to navigate a nightclub like this, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her. She wasn’t going to pause or hesitate. No nervously biting her lip or hugging the wall.
The nightclub was trendy, which she kind of expected since it was in the epicenter of Bellevue. The rich, the powerful and the spoiled lived around here. They were easily bored and difficult to please. She could act like that.
She approached the double door and frowned when she didn’t recognize the music that pulsed through the walls. That was a problem. She had to acclimate herself to the culture and didn’t know a very important part like music. What if she dressed all wrong? What if she didn’t know which drink to buy?
Don’t borrow trouble. Julie squared back her shoulders and strutted to the door, giving a short nod in the bouncer’s direction.
“Wait.” The bouncer held out his meaty hand and motioned for her to come closer. “Let’s see some ID.”
She was getting carded? She wasn’t the type who went to nightclubs every week, but she was sure she looked over twenty-one. “Are you serious?” she asked.
He glared at her.
Apparently he was. She couldn’t believe it. Julie trudged over to where the bouncer stood. No Charlie’s Angel had to deal with this type of humiliation.
Julie reached in her pocket, where she kept her cash and driver’s license. She felt her face turn bright red as she presented the card to the bouncer.
“Don’t you dare tell Eric,” Julie muttered as Asia’s laughter rang in her ear. She was thankful that Eric didn’t witness this moment. She bet he didn’t get carded.
The bouncer looked at the driver’s license, then at her, then at the license again.
Oh, right. Julie grimaced. The photo on her license was nothing like what she was wearing. “I’m not photogenic.”
The bouncer didn’t disagree. After getting her ID back and her hand stamped, Julie walked into the nightclub. She paused at the entrance and looked around. It was bigger than she anticipated. Sleek and expensive.
“Oh, crap.”
“What?” Asia asked urgently.
“This place isn’t anything like the tequila bar where we hang out.” She noticed the chrome-and-glass décor, the patrons in designer clothes and the large dance floor flickering with multicolored lights.
“Don’t let it intimidate you,” Asia said in a soothing voice, but the static ruined the effect.
She dressed all wrong, Julie decided as her stomach twisted with dread. She should have visited the place earlier. Tactical error on her part, but she had directed all her focus on her seduction techniques.
“What the hell are you wearing?”
Julie whirled around at the sound of Eric’s voice. She didn’t hear him approach. Her heart thudded against her rib cage as she stared at him, noting how good he looked in a black button-down shirt and dark jeans. She barely registered his stern expression. She remembered the hunger in his eyes, the way he was possessed when he’d claimed her.
She blinked and took a step back as desire tugged deep inside her. She wasn’t going to get distracted. Not tonight. Not by Eric, who was waiting for her to mess up.
