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Where the hell were those drinks? Flirting with a stranger was one thing, but now she had the acute sense that she looked foolish. A fraud. A sow’s ear trying very hard to become a silk purse, or whatever that damn expression was. She pulled nervously at a curl and wondered if she’d already licked all her lipstick off.
“Hey, Quinn!” Molly said, and Lori nearly knocked her bottle of mineral water over.
When he didn’t reply, she couldn’t stand the suspense and had to look up…straight into his hazel eyes. “Lori?” he breathed. Heat climbed up her chest, burning all the way up to her hairline.
“Hey,” she managed to croak. It didn’t help that he looked unbelievably elegant. His dark gray suit was set off perfectly by a white shirt and silver-green tie. He’d seemed like plain old Quinn this morning, but she was abruptly reminded that his life was a world away from hers.
“Hellooo?” Molly interrupted. “I’m Molly, your loving sister.”
“Hey, Moll.” His eyes didn’t leave Lori’s. “What did you do to Lori?”
“Got her horny with my award-winning writing.”
“Gah,” Lori choked, and broke free of Quinn’s eyes to shoot an outraged glare at Molly. Her friend grinned in response, but her mouth got more serious when she looked up to Quinn, then down to Lori and back up again.
“Why?” she drawled. “What didyoudo to Lori?”
He opened his mouth but didn’t say a word, then seemed to shake off whatever shock he’d been laboring under. “You look beautiful, Lori. Really amazing. I’m afraid my new client thinks I’ve got epilepsy now. I choked on a piece of jicama when you walked in.”
“Oh! Thank you.”
“That color is amazing. Like blue steel.”
“I…just…”
Molly tapped his arm. “Quinn, that blonde is waving at you. I think she’s pissed.”
“Shit,” he muttered. “I’d better go. It’s probably not professional to get caught drooling on my mechanic. I’ll see you soon, all right?”
“Oh. Yeah. Okay.”
Despite his words, he stood staring at her for so long that she got dizzy from holding her breath. Then he grinned and walked back to the fancy world where he belonged.
Lori couldn’t help but watch him the whole way, and goose bumps rose on her skin when he turned halfway to his table and winked at her.
“Lori,” Molly said in a very steady voice. Suspiciously steady.
Bracing herself, she turned back to face the scrutiny. “Hmm?”
“Lori, are you interested in being spanked bymy brother?”
Hot and cold rushed over her at the same time; she leaned forward, almost landing her chin in the pomegranate martini she hadn’t even seen arrive. “You are the worst friend in the world!” she whispered. “I can’t believe you’d ask me that!”
Molly seemed unfazed. She lifted her glass and took a sip, eyes unwavering in their focus. “You were just asking me about dirty things, Lori Love. Remember? And then Quinn walks over here and stares at you like you’re a raspberry truffle dipped in honey cream.”
“He…A what?”
“I’m sorry. That was too much, huh? Too erotica-y? Too much creamy goodness?”
Lori wrapped her fingers around the stem of her martini glass. “God, you are strange.”
“Don’t change the subject. Do you want to do dirty things with my brother or not?”
“No!” Her brain seemed to vibrate at the word, like an internal lie-detector test. “Of course not. I just fixed his backhoe. That’s it.”
“Got his engine running?”
“Stop it.”
