not the dress he’s enamored with.”
One of the girls gathered around The Bandit actually moaned.
Emma resumed looking disgusted. “How could you do this?”
“I had my fingers crossed when I promised. You know I do that sometimes.”
“So it’s my fault because I didn’t look at your damn fingers? Is this part of the I-don’t-understand-how-friendship-works problem? Or is it about your recent troubles with your social life?” Emma looked really upset and worried.
Tina’s gut rolled, and she didn’t know if it was from the alcohol or the hurt look on Emma’s face. Emma was a good friend, one of the few people Tina trusted, and she’d gone and blown it because…well, for no good reason. “I’m sorry. I’ll take him away in a few minutes.”
“What are we going to tell the girls? And how much did you pay? I mean, I don’t want you to be out a lot of money…” Emma’s eyes widened as she saw him caressing the leather shield in front of his groin. “He can’t be built like that? It’s padding, or something. Right?” Her voice rose.
“Watch out, honey. You’re drooling, and Tony’s watching. Don’t worry about the money or that equipment going to waste. I have every intention of taking him to my room and stripping him down to the bare essentials. I’ll give you a blow by blow in the morning, so to speak.”
“Tina, you can’t have sex with a stripper. What are you thinking?”
“Of course I can.” She looked toward the corner.
Emma noticed right away. “I’m sorry. I had no idea Sheila would hook Tyler for the evening.”
There was another half scream, half sob from the women watching the stripper. Tina saw one of the paralegals from work stuff a bill in his thong. “Why would I pine for a regular man when I can have a little party of my own with The Bandit? I’ve been thinking about this guy since he came to my friend’s party last month. Now I’m gonna put all of my curiosity to bed, and let that fantasy throw me over its shoulder and carry me away.”
Emma shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. But I have to admit, I’m glad he’s not going to be staying for the whole party. I think Tony’s going to have a fit. He wouldn’t have minded if I had a stripper. He’s just not comfortable watching, and neither am I.”
“Just think how desperate he’ll be to please you after seeing the competition. He’s gonna put both hands down into that dress.”
Emma blushed. “I’m still not pleased that you broke your promise. But I’m not going to tell Tony anything except that the girls at the office insisted we invite a stripper as a joke, so long as you get him out of here so it’s not obvious that you brought him along for the evening. You know The Bandit may not sleep with you. He’s a stripper, not a prostitute.”
“I’ll be very persuasive. I’m sure I’m not the first client who wanted a little something extra.”
Emma shivered. “Be careful. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.” She shook her head as if to clear it. “I’d better get back to Tony.”
Tina started breathing again. Miraculously, Emma was going to forgive her, again. “You do that. I’m gonna get another drink and let the girls have just a few more minutes of The Bandit’s time before I whisk him away to be my own little plaything.” Tina headed for the bar where one of her favorite judges was waiting in line. They did a little verbal sparring—it wouldn’t have been sporting otherwise. And then Tina wandered to the outskirts of the group worshipping The Bandit.
Let them grope him.
She could afford to be generous when she was the one who would be with him at the end of the night.
The girls were giving him a good time, but the stripper gave her a wink as she settled on a chair. She knew it was part of the act but she was prepared to offer him quite a sum. And while she’d never paid for sex before, she didn’t think a stripper would protest too much.
TYLER WALDEN finally escaped Sheila’s wandering hands, and then made his way to the balcony where he could look out over the tree line. He took a deep breath. It was difficult watching Tina drooling over the stripper. He wiped his brow. Funny how he could maintain icy control in the courtroom, but have Tina waltz into any other room and he couldn’t think straight.
“Tough, huh?” His best friend, Nelson, joined him after carefully shutting the French doors behind them. Perspiration dotted the bald spot on Nelson’s head and his fine blond hair. “It’s hot in there.”
“In more ways than one.” Tyler smiled halfheartedly.
Nelson took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. “If only she’d look at you like she looks at him. Instead, she’s staring a hole right through you.”
“No chance of her looking at me that way.”
“That’s because you’re not prancing around in leather. But I bet you’re just as fit as that guy—now that you spend all your time at the gym instead of out having a beer with me.” Nelson patted his overflowing middle.
Tyler smiled at his buddy, but the grin quickly faded. “I think she’s actually contemplating sleeping with that stripper.”
“Naw, women only look at strippers. They don’t touch.” Nelson made a motion like that of the gyrating stripper.
“She has a very determined look in her eye. I know that look.”
Tyler had never felt jealous in his life, especially jealous of some low-life stripper. But the green monster was alive and kicking inside him now. “Apparently, it’s really over between us. She isn’t interested in me. She’s interested in…” Tyler gestured toward the room where they could still see the women and the stripper through the glass. “Maybe I need a change of scenery. I could go home to Georgia. Then I wouldn’t have to see her so often.”
“Wait a minute, pal. Before you contemplate a change of state, I think you should know that she’s going to be disappointed if she finally gets into his pants. The guy’s obviously heavily padded. She’s going to be paying a fortune to spend her evening with a cotton lining.”
“Why should I care?” Tyler turned his back on the doors.
“You could have her tonight.” His friend’s blue eyes were earnest behind his glasses.
“I’d have to knock her out and carry her out of the room. The only way she’d let me touch her again is if she were unconscious.”
“Naw. That would only aggravate your old football injury. Let’s face it, guy, you’ve got a bad back. I’ve got a better idea.” Nelson’s face suddenly turned mischievous. He punched his friend in the shoulder and said, “You should switch with the stripper. Then you can hook into this fantasy. If it’s good enough, she might take you back. And if not—” he shrugged “—then you nailed her one last time.”
“Nelson, you’ve got to be kidding me. That’s damn desperate, not to mention disgusting.”
“Yeah, and what are you if not damn desperate? You’ve been crying over her for months now, ever since just after the cruise.”
“I am not crying.”
“You do everything but. What about the woman has you so tied up in knots?”
“She wanted me on the cruise. We had a great time. Conversation, chemistry, sex, we had it all. Then we come back, we have a few great dates, and then bam, she literally slams her door in my face. No reason. It’s just over. She doesn’t do relationships. No foul, it’s just over.” He shook his head. “But it’s not over for me.”
Nelson just looked pointedly at the stripper.
“I’m not that desperate.”
“Okay.”