The spandex dress was black, tight, and it molded to her body like liquid pouring over her. Callie zipped her up. She couldn’t breathe, but she knew it was nerves, not the clothes.

  “We should go into business doing this,” Blair said, offering up a smug smile.

  “I agree,” Callie replied. “Look, Abby.”

  Abby turned and faced the mirror. Clearly, her friends were geniuses. Callie had pulled her hair back and up, leaving pieces falling over her neck and against her cheek. Kind of a messy, incredibly seductive look. Blair had done her makeup in a smoky, sultry way that wasn’t at all overdone but definitely brought out her eyes. They sparkled like sapphires.

  The dress hugged her breasts, the bra doing the trick of pushing them nearly over the top of the bodice, which held onto them securely enough she didn’t feel like they’d pop out. Tiny little straps of rhinestones were for show alone, since the bodice was snug enough to hold the dress in place. The waist crisscrossed and then flared out at the hips, the fabric swishing around her as she twirled from side to side.

  She felt alluring as hell. Looked it, too. And she was never one to dress up or feel seductive. But she did tonight.

  “Thank you. You are both incredible.”

  “We know,” Blair quipped with a wink. “Now, we’d better get dressed. You go find earrings. Oh, and one bracelet. No more. And those shoes that make your legs look a mile long. I’m jealous as hell and wish I was taller. I’m going to have to wear stilettos tonight just to compete.”

  Abby laughed and went to her jewelry box after Blair and Callie left to get dressed.

  This was like high school again, all of them gathered together to get dressed before a dance. Only this was her house, and they were long past high school, though it was a big night.

  She was just glad they’d both agreed to go with her. Of course when she’d told them that Mike and Seth had invited them, too, Blair said she wouldn’t miss this night for all the money in Bill Gates’s bank account. And Callie was giddy with excitement.

  Abby still wanted to throw up.

  “Maybe I read the whole conversation wrong,” she said to Blair and Callie in the car a little while later. “It’s possible they just wanted to throw this shindig because they’re nice and wanted to congratulate me. They probably aren’t even interested in me . . . that way.”

  Blair turned around in her seat and arched a brow. “You’re kidding me, right? How many times do we have to go over this? You’re gorgeous. They’re hot. They both want to fuck you. Now shut up, or I’ll have Callie stop the car and I’m coming back there and slapping you.”

  She couldn’t help it. She giggled at the visual of Blair climbing over the center console in her skintight dress and wrestling with her. And once she started giggling, she couldn’t stop. Blair started to laugh, then Callie joined in. By the time they reached the front entrance of the country club, she had at least relaxed enough to stop hyperventilating.

  But now they were here, and she had to actually get out of the SUV and walk in there like she knew what she was doing. Like she was some worldly woman who did this all the time.

  Right. Some worldly woman. She didn’t even date—hadn’t had a date since . . . Chad.

  “Why did I agree to this stupid bet?” Abby asked as she stepped out of the vehicle.

  “Because you desperately need to get laid,” Blair whispered, wrapping her shawl around her tight red dress.

  “We all do,” Callie added, stepping up on the other side of Abby. Abby glanced over at Callie, her one calming presence. Blair was flash and fire. Callie was serenity and common sense. Just looking at her made her feel better.

  “I’m going to lose you as soon as we walk in the door tonight,” Abby said, eyeing Callie’s cream silk dress that clung to her generous curves like a second skin. “You look so damn beautiful.”

  Callie grinned. “I’m so excited to be here. Hell, honey, we all work so damn hard. This is our chance to party. And your chance to shine, to shake off the remnants of Chad and all that hard work you’ve put yourself through. Go strut your stuff.” She pushed Abby ahead of her, and she and Blair took up right behind her.

  Steeling herself, Abby sucked in a breath and stepped through the doors of the club, feeling the strength of her girls behind her.

  She could do this. She would. She wanted it and needed it. If nothing else happened tonight, she was at least going to party her ass off.

  Silverwood Country Club was the it place in town. The elite belonged here, and it showed. Elegant, tasteful, yet ritzy as hell, from the marble floors to the crystal chandeliers to the brass handles on the doors and the dark paneling on the walls. Everything spoke of money, money, money.

  Abby felt out of place. She knew Chad frequented the club, but this just wasn’t her thing. She wasn’t a party girl. She was a sundress or blue jeans and tank top and no shoes, sit on a swing on the front porch and sip iced tea and watch the stars kind of girl. Not dress up and be someone she wasn’t.

  She stopped dead in her tracks and turned around.

  “I can’t do this.”

  Blair hit her with a determined look. “Yes you can.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t. This isn’t me. You know me, Blair. This isn’t me.”

  “Abby. Look at me.”

  She turned to Callie. “I can’t, Callie. Please. You know.”

  Callie nodded. “I know, baby. He hurt you. He made you believe you were worthless, but he was full of shit. You wear that dress like you were born to walk a runway in it. And you might not feel like yourself in it, but you look like a million bucks.”

  “But it’s not me, Callie. You know it’s not me. I feel like a fraud.”

  Callie grabbed her hands, her fingers warm and comforting. “You know what? Sometimes it’s okay to play the part of the fairy princess. Just for one night.”

  “Abby! Just in time!”

  Oh, God. Seth’s voice. Her heart just about exploded out of her chest. She cast a look of abject panic at Blair and Callie, who grinned. Callie’s fingers slipped away, and she backed off. Abby had no choice but to turn around.

  Some friends they were, deserting her in her time of need.

  Seth came toward her dressed in a dark gray suit, light gray shirt, and midnight blue silk tie. His eyes widened.

  “Wow,” he said with a wide grin. “You look incredible.”

  Instead of shaking her hand, he wrapped one strong, warm arm around her waist and pulled her against him for a hug. Oh! He was damn firm, too, his body all chiseled muscle as she instinctively grabbed for his bicep. The last guy she’d been held against had been Chad, and he didn’t exactly work out. But Seth definitely worked on his body. And for the love of God he smelled so damn good her knees nearly buckled. Not cologne, either. Just . . . man.

  She really needed sex. If it felt this good just to have a man wrap one arm around her, she might not live through a night of really good fucking.

  When he pulled back, he gave her a look unlike any look he’d ever given her at work. “You look . . . damn, Abby. I’m speechless.”

  She felt the heat rise up her neck at the compliment. “Thank you. You look great, too.”

  “Let’s go party. And who are your friends here?” He glanced away and offered up the friendly Seth Jacobs smile to Blair and Callie.

  Which meant she had to find her voice. “These are my best friends, Blair Newcastle and Callie Jameson.”

  He shook their hands. “I’m so glad you came tonight. I’m not sure Abby would have come without you two.”

  “Oh, I think she would have,” Callie said.

  “Party’s in full swing. Can I escort you lovely ladies into the ballroom?”

  “Honey, you can escort me anywhere you’d like.” Blair winked and slipped her arm in Seth’s, nodding at Abby to do the same on Seth’s other side. She did, and grabbed Callie’s hand for support. They walked into the ballroom, which was wildly noisy, since a band was playing.

  And dark. Good thing Seth was leading. Abby was having a hard enough time walking on the stupid high heels Blair had insisted she wear because they “made her legs look a mile long.” Whatever. Her legs wouldn’t look sexy when she broke one and ended up in a cast.

  The ballroom, which doubled as the dining room, was packed, individual tables set up for people to enjoy dinner with their families and friends. White tablecloths, elegant china, multiple forks. Everything screamed class and money. Abby looked around to see if she knew anyone—okay, she was looking for Chad. But she didn’t spot him, and she was simply too awed by her surroundings to keep searching.

  “We’ve got a corner spot set up a little bit apart from all this,” Seth said, pointing to several tables near the double doors by the balcony.

  She nodded, smiled, and tried to focus on remembering how to walk in heels.

  Most of the staff from the clinic had made it, greeting her with congratulatory hugs. She was really going to miss working with these people. They had helped her more than she could ever tell them. She wound her way through the crowd, making sure she stopped to individually talk to and thank every one of them. The one person she didn’t see was Mike.

  “Where’s Mike?” she asked Seth after she’d finished visiting with the staff.

  “Doing his hair, probably,” Seth replied with a cocky grin.

  Abby snorted. She seriously doubted Mike had to do anything other than step out of the shower and look like a god. He was probably busy doing something else. Maybe he wouldn’t even come tonight. It’s not like he was required to be there. And why was she obsessing over this, anyway?

  She wondered if Blair and Callie would feel out of place, but by the time Seth had put a glass of champagne in her hands, her friends had wandered off, mingling with some of the staff members and laughing their assess off at a joke one of the vet techs, Dave, was telling.

  Ah, yes, Dave, teller of ribald jokes. No wonder they were laughing. She should have known not to worry about her pals. They could find their own amusement.

  “Hungry? There are plenty of hors d’oeuvres.”

  Seth’s voice over her shoulder sent chills down her spine. “Not really.”

  “Good. Let’s dance.” His hand slipped around her waist, and she felt the burn of sensual heat singe straight through her clothes. He turned her around and reached for her hand, leading her onto the dance floor.

  Don’t fall on your ass, Abby. Kicking her shoes off in the middle of the dance floor at Silverwood Country Club would probably be unseemly. This wasn’t exactly Whisker’s Bar, and she wasn’t in jeans.

  Seth pulled her close and rested his hand at the small of her back, pressing in with an intimate gesture that put her pelvis in contact with his thigh. Her pussy responded with a twitch of recognition. Oh yeah—man. Something she hadn’t been around in far too long. He twirled her around to the melody of one of her favorite slow songs. Though other couples were dancing, she felt as if everyone was watching them.

  “You’re nervous as hell, aren’t you?” he whispered against her ear.

  She tilted her head back to look at him. “Me? No. Not at all.”

  “Bullshit. You’re stiff as a board. Relax, Abby. Nobody’s watching us. This place is packed. Everyone’s here for their own party. The staff is drinking and eating up the free food and drink. You’re not on display.”

  She didn’t know why she was so edgy, but Seth was right. As she scanned the room, she realized no one was paying the slightest attention to the two of them. “Sorry. You’re right.”

  “Then lean into me, let me enjoy your company, and loosen up, babe.”

  God, he was sexy. His voice was soft and gentle, coaxing the tension right out of her. His hand on her back molded to her skin like a warm blanket, and she let him guide her across the dance floor as she stared into his chocolate brown eyes. She always felt so comfortable with Seth.

  “Better. Your muscles aren’t so tight now.”

  “Thanks. I feel stupid for acting so skittish.”

  “Don’t be. It’s a little nerve-racking to be here the first time. Though isn’t your ex-husband a member?”

  She nodded. “He never brought me here, though.”

  Seth shook his head. “Asshole.”

  She grinned. “An adequate description.” She liked Seth even more now. The way he held her close, but not too close, was non-threatening, nothing untoward, not pushy at all. And their bodies fit together perfectly. He was tall, built like a piece of solid rock. Her nipples hardened, imagining what it would be like to be pressed naked against that wall of muscle, to be able to rub against him, run her hands over his body—

  “Okay, you’ve had her long enough. My turn.”

  Abby’s head shot up to see Mike holding out his hand. She looked to Seth, who smiled. “If I have to.” Seth kissed her hand and delivered her into Mike’s arms with a “Later, Abby.”

  “Later, Seth.” She stepped into Mike’s arms, and it was completely different. Gone was the respectable distance. Mike pulled her intimately into his embrace, and it was like a thousand degrees of heat enveloped her. When he wrapped his arm around her back, resting his palm against her bare skin, she felt every lick of flame along her nerve endings. Her throat constricted, her nipples pebbled, and her panties flooded with moisture. Holy hell, did he fire up her libido in a hurry.

  He was dressed in a black suit, white shirt, and silver tie, his blue eyes a stark contrast to his tanned skin. She’d never been this close to him before other than passing instruments and files back and forth at work. He smelled like thunderstorms and spring rain. She wanted to lick him all over.

  “Sorry I’m late. We had a complication from a surgery today, and I was dealing with that.”

  She struggled to find something remotely coherent to say. “Everything all right?”

  “It is now. I’m just glad I made it in time. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss tonight.”

  She looked away, searching for Seth. He was over keeping Blair and Callie company, standing in between them, laughing. Of course Blair could capture any man’s attention and hold it for hours. Possibly days. And Callie was so gorgeous she could hold a man enraptured forever. And Seth was fabulous for making sure her friends didn’t feel left out.

  “I make you nervous, don’t I?” Mike asked.

  She tore her gaze away from Seth and turned it back on Mike. “Pretty much everything tonight is making me nervous. I’m a little out of my element here.”

  “Quit worrying about Seth when you’re with me. And don’t worry about me when you’re with Seth. We’re grown-ups. We’ll figure this out.”

  “Whatever ‘this’ is.”

  “This is whatever you want it to be, Abby. Nothing is going to happen tonight that you don’t want to happen. Just relax and have fun. It’s a party with the staff and your friends. If more comes of it, so be it.” He twirled her toward the open balcony doors and straight through them, then tucked her arm in his and walked her toward the balustrade. The moon was full, the stars out en masse, the summer night achingly beautiful. Sweetly scented gardenias overflowed their containers beneath her feet. She couldn’t have asked for a more perfect setting.

  She wanted to freeze this moment in time and not move either forward or backward. But Mike turned to her, and she knew she had to respond in kind by giving him her attention.

  Something was going to happen out here. She could feel the anticipation humming through her like a vibration.

  Threading his hand through her hair, Mike held her mesmerized. “If tonight turns out to be something more than a simple party, then we’ll take it one step at a time.”

  When he leaned in, she stopped breathing.

  “Okay?” he whispered, his lips hovering a fraction of an inch from hers.

  “Okay.”

  He pressed his lips to hers, then deepened the kiss, and she damn near fell off her stiletto heels.

  five

  When mike leaned her over his arm, she felt like the heroine in a romance movie, and Abby finally understood what the word swoon meant. Holy shit, this was romantic as hell. And hot, as his tongue pressed insistently between her lips, invading the recesses of her mouth to sweep against hers. Things like this didn’t happen to people like her.

  Mike was almost too much for her senses, and she was already on maximum overload just being held against him. To feel his hand threading through her hair, his mouth insistent over hers, his tongue plunging in and out was like having her mouth fucked, like a tease, a promise of great sex to come. It was a good thing he was holding her, because her limbs were trembling. When was the last time she was kissed like this? Hell, she’d never been kissed like this! It made her want to search out Chad and kick him for all he’d lacked. She grasped Mike’s arms, felt his strength, his heat, and wanted to strip him down right out here on the balcony, then explore every inch of him with her tongue.

  When his other hand began to move along her leg, sliding upward toward her thigh, inching inside the hem of her dress, she shuddered. Her pussy quaked with need. Shock mixed with desire, and she didn’t know whether to stop him or open her legs wider and beg him to fuck her right there.

  But he lifted her upright and pulled his mouth from hers, breaking the spell. She was dizzy, disoriented, and damned turned on.

  “Sorry,” he said, his voice thick with desire. “Lost control for a second. We’d better stop before I end up with my fingers inside you.”

  She shuddered and let her eyes drift closed for a second, wrapping herself around the visual. And that would be a bad thing? Reality had been stripped away, and she was in a fantasy land right now. Of course, he would have to be the one to think logically. She breathed in and out to clear her head. She could only imagine what she must look like: her hair a mess from his caresses, her lips swollen from his kiss.

  Okay, time to get a grip. She glanced down, her gaze zeroing in on his magnificent cock outlined against his pants. And holy Christ, it was huge! So much for gaining control.

  “Sorry. I was kind of lost there for a second, too.” She lifted her hand and tried to fix her hair.