AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I laughed. “Nothing, just that you’re acting perfectly so far.”
He looked around. “OK, so… what do we do now? Something tells me that none of these guys would take it too well if we marched up to them and started asking about Kat.”
“That’s why we’re not going to do that. Go back to watching the girls, I’ll keep my eyes and ears open.”
His attention occupied, I sipped my drink and scanned the area. The air was thick with smoke, men puffing on cigarettes and cigars, clearly not too bothered by the state-wide indoor smoking ban. All of the men seemed to be cut from the same cloth; dressed in fancy, tailored suits they gave the impression that they could be extras on the set ofPeaky Blinders. Some were alone, drinking their booze as they watched the women. Others were in groups of two or three, leaning in close to each other and speaking in low, hushed tones. There was a door located behind the stage, some of the men vanishing through it now and then. It was, of course, guarded by another pair of hulking security guards.
What the hell was I thinking?I got so caught up with this silly little plan of mine that I didn’t even consider how it was going to actually go down. None of these men are going to let me hear a word they’re saying. And even if they did…
At that moment, I caught sight of someone who sent my train of thought careening off the tracks and into a damn ditch.
The man seated at the bar was handsome and suave. Actually, handsome was an understatement. He was tall and broad, dressed in a sharp, dark suit, his hair currant red and wavy. His chiseled, gorgeous face was dusted with dark scruff. He was built solid—even with the suit I could tell that he had a powerful, athletic body. His lips were sensual, his eyes such a brilliant shade of ice blue that I could make out the color even in the low light of the bar.
And those eyes? They were on me.
He caught my gaze, not flinching or breaking. The way he regarded me was unusual; not staring but more like observing. And he didn’t seem to give a damn that I noticed. Hell, the hint of a smirk on his face suggested that he was amused that I’d caught him.
The song ended, the two women making their way off the stage and catching my attention for a few beats. I turned away from the man, and when I looked back, he was no longer looking in my direction. He casually nodded to the bartender, tapping the rim of his glass, wordlessly asking for another. There was something about the way the man moved, slowly, languidly, as if the world spun onhistime.
I found him irresistible. I couldn’t stop staring.
When his fresh drink was in front of him, the man turned his gaze in my direction once more.
The world fell away around me, leaving only the two of us.
I had no idea what was going to happen next. Something told me, however, that the handsome stranger was going to be at the center of it.
Chapter 6
Connor
Damned if I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
She was stunning—curvy and fit, with wild, curly red hair that would’ve allowed her to fit in anywhere in Ireland. Her eyes were a deep green, a dusting of freckles on her small nose and cheeks. And the way her body looked packed into that tight, black dress was enough to practically make me feel pain.
I wanted her. I had to have her. However, I had no idea who she was.
Her looks were distracting, enough so that it took me a moment to see past them to how strange and out of place she appeared. She was there with some guy, an average Joe dressed in ill-fitting slacks and a button-up shirt that I could tell hadn’t seen much use outside of the rare special occasion.
I didn’t care for him. Not because of his clothes, but for the way he was fortunate enough to be seated with possibly the most gorgeous woman in Boston but couldn’t take his eyes off the dancers. What a damned fool. If that girl were mine, wasting the evening at a strip club rather than in bed, making her come over and over again, would be the last thing on my mind.
While the man watched the girls dance, his tongue practically draped over the table like a horny teenage boy who’d never seen a pair of tits in person. The woman, however, clearly had other matters on her mind. She’d glance around here and there, as if on the lookout for something. Now and then, she’d paint a big, eager smile on her face, grabbing the man’s arm and pointing to the stage clearly an act all for show.
I sipped my drink, watching her without staring. There was something more to her beyond her stunning beauty. I wanted to find out what it was. Perhaps most importantly, neither the woman nor the man wore a wedding ring. The whole situation grew more interesting by the moment.
All the same, I had paperwork in front of me to take care of. I wanted to finish it up and get home, where I’d much rather be sipping whiskey than here at the club.
“Something else, Mr. O’Leary?”
I glanced away from the woman, back toward Emerald, the young blonde working the bar.
“Hm?”
She tilted her small, pert chin toward my drink. “You’re about due for a refill.”
Sure enough, she was right. As I glanced down at the glass, nothing remaining inside but half-melted ice and traces of amber-colored booze at the bottom, I realized that I'd gotten so wrapped up in the mystery woman that'd I'd polished my drink off without realizing. Another glass sounded like heaven. But not at work.
“Just a cup of black coffee,” I said. “I’m fine on the booze for now.”
