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“Trust me when I say college romances are overrated.”
“Oh…no, we didn’t date. I mean, it’s not like I didn’t think about it, but—” He stopped when he looked up at me and waved his hand. “That was a long time ago.”
“Well, I can promise you, you’re better off than he is. I can’t imagine he’ll get much out of that emotionless disaster he came with.” As the bartender came to a stop in front of us, I said, “Can I get four shots of tequila and a couple of margaritas, heavy on the salt, please?”
An open bar was the sole reason most of us could endure these events, and I planned to be nicely inebriated by the time I took James home. I’d gone out with him once before, but I was hoping tonight wouldn’t get cut short by food poisoning the way the last night out was.
So drinks, not food, were on the menu this evening.
As the bartender set the shots in front of me, I pushed two toward James.
“Bottoms up,” I said, tapping his glass with mine before downing the liquor in one swallow. Sure, I could’ve kept it to wine for a professional event, but a little somethin’-somethin’ stronger never hurt to loosen up.
I quickly took the next shot just in time to chase it with my margarita while James was still puckering his face over the first. Once he emptied the second one, he sidled up to me, his hand moving to my waist again.
“Did I mention tequila gets me hot?”
“You don’t say.”
“My clothes might come off.”
“I’m all in favor of that, but let’s wait until we leave, shall we?”
A pout crossed his lips, but he nodded and reached for his margarita.
I leaned in by his ear. “Don’t worry. Be a good little date for the next hour and I’ll make sure both of our clothes come off.”
That seemed to do the trick, and as he sipped on his drink, I scanned the room, making a list of everyone I wanted to speak to. I did a pretty good job of meeting up with many of them through happy hours and catch-up dinners because for me, that was the fun part of the business. The social aspect. I had a feeling that was something Hudson couldn’t care less about, unless it led to getting something he really wanted. That frustrating man kept his cards close and his circle even closer.
My gaze landed on him where he stood at the edge of the dance floor. He was laughing for once, something he no longer did for my benefit. It was wild to see his face lit up in an easy smile and not in his standard scowl, and I wondered what his date had said or done that was so damn funny.
I rubbed my chest absently as I watched Ronnie what’s-his-name try to pull Hudson out on the dance floor, but he wasn’t having any luck. Hudson kept shaking his head as his date busted out a number of moves, but where he failed at getting him to join in, at least he’d succeeded in keeping the hard-to-get man’s attention.
What, was that his boyfriend or something? Not like I cared—I mean, who would put up with such an uptight ass and enjoy it anyway?
“We should go out there,” James said suddenly by my ear, and I flinched, realizing I’d almost forgotten he was there.
“Uh, nah, I’m good.” Ordinarily I’d be the first one on the floor, but staying within a hundred yards of Hudson tonight wasn’t a good idea.
“But you told me last time you like to dance.”
“I do. I’m just not really in the mood.” The look on James’s face made me feel like I needed to further explain, but I wasn’t about to go into my sordid history with Hudson. “I have a strict ‘no grinding in front of colleagues’ rule. They’d discover my sex appeal, and I’d never get any work done.”
A grin tipped up his lips. “I believe that. You’re hot as hell.”
“Likewise.” Okay, so maybe I wasn’t telling the whole truth, but he didn’t have to know that. To be honest, James didn’t look anything like his profile picture on the app where I’d found him, which I’d normally be annoyed about, but he was a nice guy and kinda cute in an eager-puppy-dog sort of way. There was no way I’d show up alone to one of these events, not when Hudson would be here, and James had jumped at the chance to make up for our last night out.
It was a win-win for us both.
I took a long swallow of my drink and found myself looking back at the dance floor.
Well, not the dance floor.
Or the other people on it.
Just one person. Standing off to the side watching his date.
Was that Hudson’s type now? What did he see in that guy?
