below her waist.
"You'll kill them coming and going in this," her friend said, triumphantly.
CK's eyes widened. "I'll feel half dressed. And what about a bra?"
"I added self-adhesive bra cups to the order. If you don't jump around too much, you should be okay. Also...." Farley fished around the bottom of the garment bag and pulled out a pair of red Prada slingback sandals. "Three inch heels. A lot better for dancing."
"This is crazy," CK said, feeling a little ill.
"It's either the leather dominatrix number or this. Just think of how much fun it will be to see Ryan's face. If he even recognizes you."
CK reached out and tentatively touched the soft material of the dress, again. The memory of Anderson's mouth briefly pressing against hers rose up and a secret, quiet longing sprang to life deep inside her.
What would it be like to be the kind of woman who could wear an outfit like this? A woman with a classy kind of daring? One who was confident she could attract and hold any man she wanted? Even a man like Ryan Anderson.
An exciting, determined defiance welled up inside her. She'd show him just how innocent she was and rub his face in it.
CK drew in a deep breath and took the dress from Farley. "I'll do it."
* * *
The blue and red lighting of Crazy Tom's washed over the crowd of people, all of them so obviously trying to be something they weren't so they could get laid. Ryan lounged back in his chair, his glass of ale cold against the palm of his hand.
Idly, he watched the ebb and flow of the sophisticated club's beautiful predators. Despite the tasteful groupings of tables, the fish tank, the DJ, and the high-end beer, this place wasn't all that different from the bar last night. It just had prettier wrapping paper.
That was a good thing, he told himself. If the dress he'd sent CK didn't scare her off, the jungle-like atmosphere of Crazy Tom's would. And if that didn't work, he'd brought a table full of horny bachelors to finish the job.
Brad leaned toward him, his gray eyes sharp with annoyance. "How long are we waiting for your ugly Ball Blaster to show? I'm getting hungry."
Ryan shrugged. "So order something."
"Not that kind of hungry."
A blonde wearing a dress that left little to the imagination purred past their table, catching everyone's attention for a moment.
"Pink is making a come back," Ajax observed, solemnly, as her undulating hips passed by him.
"Good lines. Nice color. Drapes beautifully, is that what you're saying, A?" Jackson said with a perfectly straight face.
Ajax brightened. "You read the article, too?"
Jackson let out a sigh and shook his head. "I worry about you, man."
Brad's gaze followed the woman until she was lost in the crowd. "Why don't you have a friend like her that we can meet?"
"He used to have friends like her. Haven't seen any, lately." Todd commented.
"Yeah, what's up with that?" Jackson asked.
Ryan scanned the club for any sign of CK. "I've been busy."
The swirl of people parted for a moment, revealing a tall woman coming through the door, followed closely by Farley. A tug of recognition hit him in the gut. He paused, his beer halfway to his mouth, and tried to get another look, but the crowd had closed up around the stranger.
His friends noticed him staring and switched their attention to the front of the club.
"I know that look. He's got a bead on the prettiest girl here," Brad said, turning around in his chair.
Todd smiled. "The master is back."
"I thought I saw my assistant." Maybe CK had sent Farley to tell him the deal was off, Ryan wondered. He frowned. That didn't make sense. She would have just called or texted him.
"Farley the pretty brunette coming toward us?" Todd asked.
"Yeah."
"And the Ball Squasher?" Brad wondered. "I'm so bored I'm getting curious about her."
The crowd parted again, and all the air sucked out of Ryan in one, clean blow.
The world slowed and dimmed and all he could see was the woman coming toward him, her
"You'll kill them coming and going in this," her friend said, triumphantly.
CK's eyes widened. "I'll feel half dressed. And what about a bra?"
"I added self-adhesive bra cups to the order. If you don't jump around too much, you should be okay. Also...." Farley fished around the bottom of the garment bag and pulled out a pair of red Prada slingback sandals. "Three inch heels. A lot better for dancing."
"This is crazy," CK said, feeling a little ill.
"It's either the leather dominatrix number or this. Just think of how much fun it will be to see Ryan's face. If he even recognizes you."
CK reached out and tentatively touched the soft material of the dress, again. The memory of Anderson's mouth briefly pressing against hers rose up and a secret, quiet longing sprang to life deep inside her.
What would it be like to be the kind of woman who could wear an outfit like this? A woman with a classy kind of daring? One who was confident she could attract and hold any man she wanted? Even a man like Ryan Anderson.
An exciting, determined defiance welled up inside her. She'd show him just how innocent she was and rub his face in it.
CK drew in a deep breath and took the dress from Farley. "I'll do it."
* * *
The blue and red lighting of Crazy Tom's washed over the crowd of people, all of them so obviously trying to be something they weren't so they could get laid. Ryan lounged back in his chair, his glass of ale cold against the palm of his hand.
Idly, he watched the ebb and flow of the sophisticated club's beautiful predators. Despite the tasteful groupings of tables, the fish tank, the DJ, and the high-end beer, this place wasn't all that different from the bar last night. It just had prettier wrapping paper.
That was a good thing, he told himself. If the dress he'd sent CK didn't scare her off, the jungle-like atmosphere of Crazy Tom's would. And if that didn't work, he'd brought a table full of horny bachelors to finish the job.
Brad leaned toward him, his gray eyes sharp with annoyance. "How long are we waiting for your ugly Ball Blaster to show? I'm getting hungry."
Ryan shrugged. "So order something."
"Not that kind of hungry."
A blonde wearing a dress that left little to the imagination purred past their table, catching everyone's attention for a moment.
"Pink is making a come back," Ajax observed, solemnly, as her undulating hips passed by him.
"Good lines. Nice color. Drapes beautifully, is that what you're saying, A?" Jackson said with a perfectly straight face.
Ajax brightened. "You read the article, too?"
Jackson let out a sigh and shook his head. "I worry about you, man."
Brad's gaze followed the woman until she was lost in the crowd. "Why don't you have a friend like her that we can meet?"
"He used to have friends like her. Haven't seen any, lately." Todd commented.
"Yeah, what's up with that?" Jackson asked.
Ryan scanned the club for any sign of CK. "I've been busy."
The swirl of people parted for a moment, revealing a tall woman coming through the door, followed closely by Farley. A tug of recognition hit him in the gut. He paused, his beer halfway to his mouth, and tried to get another look, but the crowd had closed up around the stranger.
His friends noticed him staring and switched their attention to the front of the club.
"I know that look. He's got a bead on the prettiest girl here," Brad said, turning around in his chair.
Todd smiled. "The master is back."
"I thought I saw my assistant." Maybe CK had sent Farley to tell him the deal was off, Ryan wondered. He frowned. That didn't make sense. She would have just called or texted him.
"Farley the pretty brunette coming toward us?" Todd asked.
"Yeah."
"And the Ball Squasher?" Brad wondered. "I'm so bored I'm getting curious about her."
The crowd parted again, and all the air sucked out of Ryan in one, clean blow.
The world slowed and dimmed and all he could see was the woman coming toward him, her
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