“Want a beer?” Josh asked.
“How about a cognac?”
Josh chuckled. “Of course.”
After putting the order in, he looked back to his lawyer and friend. “Another long day?”
Cole reached up and scratched his chin. “Yes. Very long and tedious.” He paused as the bartender passed him the lowball, and then he turned back to Josh and gave him a thoughtful look. “However, I think it just got interesting.”
Josh raised an inquiring brow. “Oh? Because of the party?”
Cole scanned the room, and then turned back to Josh.
Without answering Josh’s immediate question, Cole asked, “Do you know the three women who were over there?”
Josh stiffened, immediately feeling the ugly green-eyed monster creeping into his gut.
“Yes. Why?” he asked in a tone much shorter than he had intended.
Cole must have caught that because he turned narrow eyes on him, raising his glass to take a slow sip.
“No reason,” he told him smoothly. “I thought I knew one of them.”
Automatically, Josh started to think the worst until Cole continued.
“The one in black. She’s not there anymore.”
Suddenly, Josh’s heart slowed to a normal rate. “Rachel?” Then, he found himself laughing. “I doubt you’d know Rachel. She’s a pastry chef slash florist. Not really two things you have a lot of use for since you’re married to your job.”
Cole nodded slowly, tapping the side of the glass with his finger. “Perhaps I’m wrong.” He paused and then asked, “Maybe you could introduce me?”
Josh nodded, suddenly thinking this would be great. After all, look how good his set-up had turned out—well, almost turned out.
“Sure, let me go and get her.”
Cole nodded, and then muttered quietly, “I’ll just wait here.”
Shelly turned to Lena. “Okay, who’s the guy with Josh?”
Lena shrugged the best she could. “Why don’t you ask him? He’s coming over here.”
Shelly turned her head and saw that Josh was in fact making his way toward them. When he stopped, Shelly felt all the nerves from earlier come fluttering back.
Forget the stranger at the bar, here was her man. The man I want to spend the rest of my life with.
“Hey there, Zuko,” Shelly sassed, trying to hide her nerves.
He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. “God, you’re sweet.”
“Hmm,” she hummed, and then asked, “Can we talk?”
Josh grinned against her lips. “I’d love to talk to you.” He paused. “But first, where’s Rachel?”
Shelly pulled back and told him, “She left.”
“Oh, that’s a shame. My friend, Cole, wanted to meet her.”
Shelly looked over at Peaches and widened her eyes in the universal sign of holy shit.
“That guy at the bar?” Shelly asked, turning back to Josh.
She watched him nod, and then he reached out to twirl her ponytail.
“Who is he?” Shelly asked before she lost all focus.
“He’s my lawyer and friend.”
“Oh,” Lena squeaked behind them.
Josh looked over Shelly’s shoulder.
“What?” he inquired.
“Nothing,” they both answered in unison.
So subtle.
Shelly knew that she needed to distract him from getting Rachel. For some reason, this Cole guy was determined to meet the Super Domme, and Super Domme wanted nothing to do with him.
Shelly stood and Josh backed up a little.
“So? Can we talk?” she asked again.
Josh nodded and held a hand out to her. Shelly gripped it and was about to walk away with him. Before she did, he turned back to Lena.
“If you get a chance, go ahead and introduce the two of them. I think Cole is interested. It’d be funny to watch.” Josh said to Lena.
Lena gave them a strained smile, and when Josh turned around, she looked at Shelly panicked. Yeah, Shelly heard her loud and clear. That would be one big hell no.
Josh had taken Shelly’s hand and tugged her into the newly renovated and empty space. He knew he had to leave soon if he wanted to make some good time tonight, but as he stood with her in the silent room, he was finding it difficult to walk away.
“I love you,” Shelly blurted out.
There was no gentle delivery and no build-up. Just straight to the point, like the bold, brave man-eater he had first met.
However, this time she was standing with her hands balled together in front of her in a dark room, illuminated only by the passing taxicabs.
She looked sweet, innocent, and full of the love she spoke, and Josh was trembling with how much he wanted to believe what she was saying.
Taking a deep breath, he took a step closer, reaching out to cup her face.
“Don’t play with me,” he told her as he looked down at eyes shining with nothing but pure emotion.
“I’m not,” she whispered, licking her lips. “I want everything you talked about. I’m ready.”
Josh shook his head, not believing he was finally getting everything he wanted. He stroked a hand down her neck and cupped the back of it, tugging her closer to lean his forehead against hers.
“You really mean it, Georgia?”
She blinked her eyes, and he felt her eyelashes against his skin. Then, she looked back at him.
“Every single word. I want everything you said you wanted. I want to wake up with you in the mornings and fall asleep with you every night. I want you to stay,” she whispered.
Josh felt his heart clench. “I still need to go back tonight, Shel.”
She stepped back from him and shook her head. “I don’t understand.” Pausing, she asked softly, “You still don’t believe me?” Then, she reached forward and gripped his hands. “Because I mean it,” she told him almost desperately. “I really mean it. With everything inside of me. Just thinking about you leaving...”
She sniffed a little, and he realized she was actually crying.
He reached out and pulled her into his arms. “You crazy woman,” he spoke against her head, hugging her tight. “I have to go. I have responsibilities. But, Georgia, I believe you.”
Pulling back from her, he tipped up her chin and wiped away a tear from her cheek. “Where’s your brave face?”
Shelly laughed a little and tried for a smile.
“Still pathetic,” he commented and leaned in to kiss her.
His lips were so sweet and so very gentle that Shelly felt her heart crack even wider when he pulled back.
“I need to go. But, Georgia, if you mean everything you said tonight—”
She nodded, confirming quickly, “I do.”
She watched as a big grin crossed his face.
He squeezed her hand. “Then, will you do me a favor?”
Shelly nodded before he even finished. He looked so sexy standing there, eyes and mouth smiling at her.
“If you mean everything you said tonight, next Saturday at 4 p.m., meet me.”
Shelly cocked her head to the side as he dropped her hand. She frowned at him. “Does that mean you’ll finally tell me where you’ve been staying?”
She watched as he walked backwards toward the door, and Shelly literally felt her heart gaping wider apart the further he moved away from her. Saturday will take forever to get here.
“Where, Josh?” she demanded.
She almost afraid he would vanish before she knew where to find him.
Giving her the biggest grin she had ever seen, he shouted back, “Saturday! Four o’clock! Where I once wished for you on a penny!”
Shelly thought for a moment, and then gave him a huge grin of her own. “I’ll be there!”