Chapter One Tequila Blue
Leah
Why in the hell had I agreed to Jordan's little scheme?
While entering Tequila Blue, I tugged at the hem of my strapless white dress. The gesture was more out of habit than necessity, seeing as how the dress clung to every curve of my body. I inched my way through the crowd to the bar and reluctantly ignored the sultry stares of several fine looking gentlemen along the way. Perhaps my dress would be enough to seduce Jordan’s brother into dancing with me all night.
“Ten shots of tequila,” I said to the bartender, leaning my butt against a bar stool to relax while he worked on my order.
He raised his brow but started to pour the shots. “Whatever the issue is, honey, it can’t be that bad. Why don’t you meet me after work and tell me all about your problems? I’m Joe, by the way.”
Nice pick up line. Although the nightclub was dark, the lights above the bar danced in his gorgeous blue eyes, which were framed by tanned skin and white blond hair. Just my luck. Two months of nada and I finally have a chance to score a hot date, but I’m stuck babysitting Jordan’s brother, Jared, instead.
“I’d love to, Joe,” I said, leaning into the bar and flashing him my sexiest smile, “but I promised my best friend I’d keep her brother occupied for the evening so she can make the moves on his best friend.”
“Ouch!” Joe said with a playful wince. “That’s harsh. So your plan is to get him sloshed?”
I laughed and shook my head, causing my hair to fall off my shoulder and down to the middle of my back. “I’ll challenge him to a drink off. After I win, he’ll be forced to dance with me all night. Two shots each. The rest of the shots are for the others in our party.”
“You sure you can take him?” Joe asked, looking me over with a skeptical eye. “Where is he, honey?”
I turned in my stool and pointed to a large table across the room where a party of seven was seated. “He’s the big, dark haired guy over there, next to the blond...the one in the white shirt.”
“I’ve been in the business awhile,” he said with a slight shake of his head. “No way are you taking him out with two shots of tequila. He’s a big guy.” A smirk tugged the corner of his mouth as he pondered my situation. “I tell you what. I’m going to fill these two shot glasses here with iced tea. See the red rim on them? He’ll never know the difference in the dark. You need beer chasers too. When the race starts, pour your shots in the beer, then chug like hell. If he’s a guy’s guy…and he looks like one…he’ll drink the shots first. He’ll gag as they go down. Should buy you a few seconds and give you a fighting chance.”
A grin spread across my face and I winked at him. “Awesome! Thanks for the advice. I’m Leah, by the way.”
“Well good luck, Leah,” he said with a lazy smile that revealed a deep dimple in his right cheek. “I’ll have a waitress bring the drinks over in a minute. Stop by again another time and have a drink with me.”
“Will do.” I stood and sauntered over to meet my friends, buoyed by my exceptional luck in meeting Joe.
Music blared from the high tech sound system, the couples on the dance floor bumping and grinding. With a bit of luck that would be me in a few minutes. Jordan was counting on me to do her a solid. Truth of the matter was, her brother would do as well as any other guy in the place to satisfy my need to let loose for an evening. Jared was hot with his dark hair and broad, muscled shoulders—hot enough to pretend for one evening that he wasn’t my best friend’s brother and a real jackass most of the time. I snuck up behind Jordan and covered her eyes with my hands.
“I know it’s you, Leah,” she said, pulling my hands away and turning to give me a hug. “I’m so glad you could make it!”
She didn’t mask the ‘what-the-hell-took-you-so-long’ tone in her voice, but I ignored the undertones of her irritation. When you lived in a house with four siblings, things didn’t get done on time very often. As long as I got where I needed to be within a thirty minute time frame, well then, all was good.
“Hey, everyone,” I said with both hands waving in the air to the group before I bent over to give JT a big hug. “Happy Birthday, JT. Were you pleasantly surprised?”
“Surprised, yes,” he said, glancing sideways at Jordan and his brother, Derek, with a frown. Jordan pouted slightly at him so he added, “Very pleasantly surprised!”
“Good deal.” I chuckled and grabbed the open chair next to Jared. JT was no idiot. He was hot on Jordan so of course he would act happy about her throwing him a surprise twenty-fifth birthday party.
Bumping shoulders with Jared, I gazed directly into his chocolate brown eyes with a grin playing on my lips. “You’re dancing with me tonight. I’m sans boyfriend. Haven’t been on a date in two months. Pitiful, I know. But you’ll do as a dance partner for one night.”
“What makes you think I’d agree to dance with you?”
I chose to ignore him. Guess the hot dress wasn’t going to be enough. Why did he always have to be such a cocky bastard? Jordan insisted her brother was an okay guy most of the time, but I seemed to bring out the worst in him. Which is why I knew I had to challenge him to a drinking contest; in order to force him to dance with me. How else was I going to fulfill my promise to Jordan? One thing was certain—Jared was too arrogant to back down on a challenge from a woman.
Especially if that woman was me.
He would think he had the win in the bag. Lucky for me, I had a conniving bartender on my side which almost guaranteed my success. The waitress appeared with my order. I placed two shots in front of Jared with a beer chaser, and then was careful to select the red rim shot glasses for myself, along with a beer.
“If I down these before you, Jared, you have to dance with me all night,” I said, brushing my long auburn locks over my shoulder, staring at him in challenge.
“And if I win?” Jared asked, looking down his perfectly straight nose at me. “What then?”
“Winner’s choice,” I said with a grin. “But don’t waste too many brain cells thinking about your prize, baby, because you’re not going to win. Save ‘em for learning all that medical stuff they’re teaching you in school.”
Jared snorted and prepared for the race as everyone at the table began chanting. The poor sucker didn’t know what I had in store for him. Maybe one day I would tell him the truth. But for now, I needed to concentrate to make sure I pulled off my scam. No use getting too cocky myself.
Everyone at our table shouted my name to Jared’s dismay.
“Jerk.” Jared called out to his best friend JT. “You’re supposed to have my back.”
JT smiled broadly. “This is me having your back. Why wouldn’t you want to dance with a hot babe all night; even if she is your sister’s best friend? Nobody here knows that. They’ll think you’re the bomb. Leah looks fine tonight.”
Jared flipped him the bird and nodded to Jordan to count down. I smiled inside at JT’s words. Was he trying to butter Jared up to the idea of dating best friends? So Jordan wasn’t the only one working to clear the way to their dating openly. Wishful thinking! Getting Jared on board with his sister dating his best friend would require a miracle.
Until the two of them worked out the fine details, I was willing to help them have some time on the dance floor without Jared becoming suspicious. What could he say when they got down and dirty if he was doing the same with me—even if dancing with me was against his will?
“Three. Two. One. Go!” Jordan shouted.
Before Jared had even tossed back his first shot, I was gulping my beer laced with two iced tea shots. The mixture tasted a bit odd but was pretty easy to slam. Jared shuddered through his second shot, as Joe had predicted, then made up time with large gulps of beer. In the end, the winner was a close call, but the table voted unanimously for me. Advantage female.
“You cheated!” Jared slammed his glass on the table. He laughed out loud from the shock of losing. “I want a rematch!”
“I didn’t cheat!” I said with a smirk. “I drank two shots and a beer. We never said what order it had to be in.” Nor did I specify what we were drinking. “Drinking them together gets rid of the gag reflex at the end of the shot. Bought me at least two or three seconds, wouldn’t you say? I needed the edge to beat that big mouth of yours. You’re mad because I outsmarted you. I won fair and square.”
Jared scowled at me and crossed his arms over his chest like a child; a really big, adorable child, with a sexy, pouty lip...but like a child none-the-less. Ha! I bested him in the challenge. Glancing toward the bar, I found Joe smiling with two thumbs up, and I acknowledged him with a sassy grin and slight nod of my head.
“I won fair and square.” I stood and held my hand out to Jared. “Now come pay the piper like a good little boy. No pouting. I want to have fun.”
Jared stood and headed towards the dance floor as I turned to Jordan with a raised brow that said ‘you-owe-me-big-time’.
***
Jared
Why did I torture myself this way? Instinctively, I shouldn’t have let Leah win the bet. Even with her dirty little trick, I could’ve taken her down easily. But the opportunity to spend the entire evening dancing with her was just too good to pass up and probably wouldn’t present itself again. One night of indulging in my crush on her; I would allow myself this one night.
I strolled out on the crowded dance floor, using my shoulders to forge a way into the middle. With a glance back, I ensured Leah was coming along without being jostled too hard. A big meathead stepped in her way, trying to engage her in a dance, so I reached back and grabbed her hand while pushing him gently to the side.
“Not tonight, man,” I said, shaking my head and staring him down. “She’s mine.”
A look of surprise crossed Leah’s face and I grinned. Let her think what she wanted. She was so used to me acting like a complete jackass; it was a mystery why she hadn’t fainted from shock. Tonight I would allow her a rare glimpse into the real me.
After a moment, she recovered and smiled, bringing out those cute little dimples on both cheeks. “You’re taking your defeat better than I expected.”
“I’m not a sore loser. You won fair and square.” I pulled her into my arms and began rocking our bodies to the sexy beat of the music, mimicking the surrounding couples, and relishing her soft curves. Only in my dreams had I felt her full bosom pressed against my chest and known the contours of her hips. Gazing into her hazel eyes, I let myself imagine for a few minutes it was the feel of my body pressed against hers that had her looking so satisfied.
“I’m all yours tonight,” I whispered in her ear, nipping playfully with my teeth. A chuckle rumbled in her chest before she pulled back to gaze at me. Her playfulness was one of the most attractive aspects of her personality, and I desperately wanted to show her that I could be playful too; and not always just a serious medical student.
“Better watch what you promise, lover boy,” she said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “You may be begging for mercy later; two months without dancing has me all fired up.”
My gaze dropped to her pouty bottom lip, still glistening with gloss. I had no doubt what she said was true. After a night of feeling her voluptuous body rubbing against mine, I would definitely be begging the Lord for mercy. Please don’t let me embarrass myself with a hard on when she rubs and bumps against me.
“Bring it on, Leah,” I said with a grin.
My body relaxed as we swayed to the beat thumping through the floors. We must’ve danced for at least an hour straight, laughing and grinding and twirling and bumping. She was graceful and light on her feet for such a tall woman.
Her little white flowered dress clung to her curves and the strapless top showcased her beautiful creamy skin. At some point the others in our group joined us on the dance floor, but I had eyes only for Leah.
I wrapped my hand around the base of her neck and pulled her close to me. “Let’s get a drink at the bar and cool off.”
She nodded and turned to work her way through the crowd. In reality, all I wanted was to sweep Leah off her feet. So my only alternative was to act like a jerk every time she was around, to keep up her defenses and deter her from being nice to me. I honestly didn’t think I would be able to resist the temptation if she showed any signs of being attracted to me.
But now that she was mine for the night, I didn’t want to share her with anyone else. What crappy luck that the one woman who set my soul on fire turned out to be my sister’s best friend? Unfortunately, that was one line I would never cross. Too many of my friends had tried, and the end result was always ugly. So for tonight, I would forget that I had a sister.
I pulled out a bar stool for Leah and waited until she was seated before I motioned for the bartender. He strolled over to us with a lazy smile on his face, and his eyes trained squarely on my date. The pit of my stomach burned with an unfamiliar stinging pain. This guy wanted her for himself. That was plain to see.
“Hey, Leah,” the bartender said, then nodded towards me. “You must be the best friend’s brother. What can I get you two?”
I arched my brow at Leah and gestured for her to order. How the hell did this guy know her first name and that I was her best friend’s brother?
“I’ll have a beer, Joe. Whatever you have on tap is fine,” she said, leaning into the bar and giving him a vibrant smile.
“What? No more tequila?” Joe teased as he grabbed for a glass, then turned to me with a questioning brow. “What about you?”
“Same for me, Joe.” I turned to Leah, effectively dismissing him.
Leaning my forearm against the bar, I watched Leah watch Joe with a silly grin playing on her luscious lips. Damned annoying! What I wouldn’t give to have her gazing at me like that. I bumped her thigh with my knee to grab her attention. She was mine tonight. Let her give Joe goo-goo eyes some other evening.
“Hey,” she said, turning her gaze on me. “You’ve got some moves, Jared. Thanks for indulging me tonight. I’m having fun. Jordan swears you’re an okay guy, but I never believed her until now.”
I took a sip of beer and threw her my sexiest grin—the one that had most women swooning at my feet. “Not a problem. I’m happy to help you through a dry spell. Jordan told me you didn’t score on your vacation. What’s up with that?”
“Guess the guys in Mexico don’t go for redheads.”
“Idiots.” I leaned over to thread my fingers through her blazing red tresses. “Your hair is beautiful, stunning against your fair skin and hazel eyes.”
Her lips parted ever so slightly as she gazed deeply into my eyes. An expression came over her face that was impossible to interpret; yet my heart beat at a furious pace. I wanted nothing more than to lean in for the kiss, but that would be taking my little fantasy one step too far, so I reigned myself in.
“Why don’t you have a hot date with you here tonight?” she asked, reaching for her beer.
I bit back the response that immediately came to mind…because no one is as hot as you. Would Leah want to hear that? Before this evening, I would’ve said no way. But what did she think of me now that we’d danced and laughed together for the past hour?
“I don’t have much time for dating these days. Two more weeks of medical school, then I’ll have a break for the summer before my residency starts in the fall.”
She stared into her glass of beer before taking a sip. “That’s right. I almost forgot you’re in medical school.”
I leaned in towards her. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. Most people find my career choice impressive.”
“Guess I’m not most people,” she said with a smirk tugging at her lips. “It’s probably best you’re not dating. Take my advice and keep your dates casual with the ladies; unless you want to leave a trail of broken hearts behind you.”
I cocked my brow and tried to temper the broad smile spreading over my face. Something fluttered in my stomach. Leah believes I’m capable of breaking women’s hearts? Had I made such a positive impression on her in the past hour—enough to have her secretly crushing on me too?
“Why do you think I’m a heart breaker?” I waggled my eyebrows. “My devastating charm?”
She almost sprayed her beer all over me before she choked the mouthful down, laughing. “I’m sorry. When did you become a comedian? Two hours ago I would’ve said you show all the typical signs of an arrogant doctor who is fully absorbed with himself. Never would I have said you were a charmer.”
I bit my bottom lip to contain the sharp retort sitting on the tip of my tongue, trying to remember I had been going out of my way for the past few years to act like a complete jerk around her. If anyone had the right to believe I was an arrogant jackass, that person was Leah.
“And now?” I asked, my voice hoarse with unspoken feelings. The sick little devil dancing on my shoulder demanded to know if there was any chance she might find me attractive; even though I could never allow myself to act on a favorable response.
“I’m not sure.” She tilted her head slightly, gazing into my eyes for a moment, searching for something in their depths. “Anyone can be charming for an hour with the right motivation.”
I hopped off the bar stool as if the damned thing was on fire and chugged the remainder of my beer. She was way too close to the truth for my comfort, and I wasn’t willing to follow along the path she had started down. My motivation for being nice this evening had to remain a secret.
“Are you ready for more dancing?” I asked, reaching for her hand.
She stood and pressed against me to whisper in my ear. “All night long, baby. Because tonight I’m yours.”
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