New Rihanna pulsed through the sound system at Kabin Lounge. The girl grinding into his crotch grabbed his hands and placed them dangerously low on her hips. She was hot with her hair styled into perfect beach waves and wicked coffin nails, microbladed brows and eyelash extensions—but for some reason he wasn’t feeling her. Connor couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I’m going for a drink,” he shouted into her ear.

“Bay Breeze!” she said.

“Right,” he said as he exited the dance floor. There’s no way in hell I’m getting this girl a drink.

Connor leaned against the wall by the bar as he waited for the bartender to slide over a scotch on the rocks. His eyes were drawn to the entrance, and he saw Sam enter, flanked by what was clearly a model on one side and a hot couple on the other.

He squinted into the flashing pink lights. Sam was dressed in a white bandage dress that clung desperately tight to her. It glowed in the club’s lights. The couple was made up of a man who was obvious military stock, though he had at least a decade on Connor. The girl had lush, thick red hair to her waist. Although the redhead seemed to be into the scene, the guy she was with had that telltale expression of boredom most men adopted in clubs when they were over the age of thirty. About ten feet behind them, two men in dark suits with clipped haircuts entered.

Connor took his drink, tipped the bartender exorbitantly, and moved farther into the shadows to watch Sam and her crew. Maybe she wasn’t bullshitting about the model thing after all.

Sam placed her hand on the model’s shoulder, threw back her head and laughed. However, when the model touched her waist and reached for her ass, she smoothly stepped away. The couple they’d come with had disappeared, and it was just Sam and her model.

Her date stepped up right against her and buried his head in her hair. She bit her lip and nodded, but when he went to put his arm around her she moved away. What’s her deal?

Finally, he watched Sam say something to the model as she made her way—alone—to the bar. Connor walked briskly to the other end to cut her off and take her by surprise. He walked up behind her. “What would your husband think if he knew you were here?” he asked in her ear.

She jumped and turned around, her eyes big. “Connor!” she said and slapped him. “You scared me.”

“That was the point. Drink?” he asked.

“Whatever you’re having,” she said.

“Expanding your palate,” he said, “I like it.” He gestured to the same bartender for another. “So, who’s your date?”

“You certainly get right to the point, don’t you?” she asked.

“I have a right to know who my wife is fraternizing with, I think,” he said as he handed her the drink.

She rolled her eyes. “He’s harmless. Mostly. Besides,” she said as she brought the drink to her lips and took a generous swallow, “look.” She pointed to the dance floor, where the model was already dancing with another girl. The same girl Connor had abandoned on the dance floor.

“I know that girl,” Connor said. “Her name’s Bay Breeze.”

“Is that her stripper name?” Sam asked.

He just shrugged. “And who’s the couple you came in here with?”

“What, have you been watching me?” she asked. The DJ segued into a Wale song, with Justin Bieber singing the hook.

“I keep an eye on my surroundings,” he said. “You can’t forget military training so easily.”

“You should talk to Henry about that,” she said.

“Is that your date? Kind of an old-fashioned name, don’t you think?”

“No,” she said. “My ‘date’s’ name is Pierre.”

“Figures,” he said as he rolled his eyes.

“Stop that. Henry is the other guy that came with us. He’s Ellie’s, my best friend’s, boyfriend.”

“Wait, Ellie’s the one who—”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said. “Did you see a couple of guys in suits come in? That’s her security.”

“I saw them,” he said. “They seemed out of place. But then again, so does the Henry guy.”

“Henry’s not much into the club scene, but he does it to appease Ellie.”

“So, what, Henry’s military, too?”

“SEAL, like you,” she said.

“Don’t know him.”

“I think he got out before your time. So,” she said, “who are you here with? Alone, on the prowl for some strange?”

“I love it when my wife talks dirty,” he said. “Actually, no, I came here with some friends.”

“Prove it,” she said.

“What?”

“Prove it!”

He thought about it, even though her challenge was so transparent. What the hell. If they were going to fake an engagement, shouldn’t she know his friends? “Alright,” he said. “They’re at the other end of the bar. But they’re not in on any of this,” he said. “So only meet them if you’re ready to sell the whole engagement thing.”

“Okay, okay,” she said. “I feel like I’m dressed kind of slutty to be doing this though.”

“You’re wearing virgin white,” he said. “What could be more wholesome than that?”

He took her empty hand and began to forge a path through the crowd. Huddled at the end of the bar was his small, but usual crew. His three buds from high school, two of them with their short-term girlfriends. Connor couldn’t be bothered to learn their names, they moved through them so quickly.

“Hey, guys,” he shouted over the music. “This is Sam. My girlfriend.”

One of his friends didn’t even bother to stop his mouth from dropping open. “Girlfriend? But didn’t you just—”

“Didn’t I just what?” he asked quickly.

“Nothing, man. Hey, Sam. I’m Chase, and this is Jay and Dan. We’ve known Connor forever, so feel free to ask us for any embarrassing stories about him. And this is my girlfriend, Anna, and Eve over there.”

“Hi,” Sam said smoothly to each of them. She worked her usual magic with ease. Connor was aware of the girls as they sized her up, on edge because of the clear competition. However, Sam had a way of putting snark to bed and lavished compliments on them.

“I have to say,” Chase said. “You’re, uh, not what I expected.”

“No? What did you expect?” she asked.

Chase downed the last of his drink. “To be honest, Connor’s type is usually blonde and dumb as a brick.”

“Chase!” his girlfriend said, and smacked him on the chest.

“What! It’s a compliment,” he said. “I mean, I don’t know you, Sam, but I can tell you’re a smart girl.”

“Since when is my type dumb and blonde?” Connor asked, honestly confused. Sandra hadn’t been blonde. Was that really what his friends thought of him? He knew Chase could be an ass at times, but he was also brutally honest when he was drunk. And he was plenty drunk now.

“Uh, since THOT was all up on your junk,” Chase said. He pointed to the girl who hanged off the male model. “Don’t worry,” he said to Sam. “Connor walked right away from that trainwreck.”

“He can dance with whomever he wants to,” Sam said with a smile. “It’s who he comes home to that I care about.”

Amidst whoops and hollers, Connor put an arm around her, and felt her stiffen. “You got yourself a good one for once,” Jay said.

“Yeah,” Eve slurred. “You should kiss her!”

Somehow, the little group rallied their thoughts enough to start a chant of, “Kiss her!” over and over. “C’mon, man, we’re doing you a favor,” Dan said.

Unable to think of a way out of it, Connor leaned down to meet Sam’s lips. Why not? She should be expecting this anyway. It’s not like I’m asking her to sleep with me.

He meant it to just be a peck, but as soon as their lips met he couldn’t pull away. Her lips, though he knew they’d be soft and supple, were also magnetic. She tasted like just the faintest trace of scotch and her own sweet, natural self. Sam responded, and parted her lips.

She turned to face him, and he slid his hand from her shoulder to the back of her head. He traced her jaw with his thumb and pressed himself against her. He felt one of her hands on his back, and her breasts squeezed against him. Connor couldn’t help it. He grew hard against her stomach.

Sam pulled back, startled and wide-eyed. His friends hollered some more, but simultaneously turned back to the bar as they realized their drinks needed refreshing.

“Sam!” The redhead, Ellie, was suddenly by their side. “We couldn’t find you. We looked and—who’s this?” she asked, and turned to Connor. Her big doe eyes searched his.

“Um, this is Connor,” she said. Sam dabbed at her lips. “My, uh, my boyfriend.”

“Your boyfriend?” Ellie asked. “Then who the hell was the guy you came—”

“Just a friend,” Sam said.

“He didn’t act like just a friend,” Ellie said suspiciously as Henry approached from behind.

“He’s gay,” Sam said.

“Oh. Well, nice to meet you, Connor,” she said. “This is my boyfriend, Henry.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Connor said to him. It was rare to meet a man in civilian life that matched his height and brawn.

“We haven’t heard a thing about you,” Ellie said. He saw Henry nudge her.

“Sam likes her privacy,” Connor said.

“Thanks for the tip. I’ve only known her for five years,” Ellie said.

“As fun as this is,” Sam interrupted, “I think I’m about to head out. I have a massive headache.”

“Justin Bieber will do that to you,” Henry said, clearly happy for the excuse to leave. “Ready?” he asked Ellie. Ellie looked out to the crowd with a pout.

“I guess. If my boyfriend and best friend are leaving, it would be pretty awkward for me to stay.”

Sam gave Connor a look, said her goodbyes to his friends, and left with Ellie and Henry in tow.

“Damn, Connor, how’d you pull that?” Chase asked as soon as she was out of earshot.

“What, you think she’s out of my league?” Connor asked. He took another sip of his scotch.

“Uh, yeah,” Chase said as Anna rolled her eyes.

“She seems nice, Connor,” Anna said. “Good for you.”

“So are you hitting that, like, on the regular?” Dan asked.

“Oh my God! Could you be any hornier?” Eve asked. “Do you want, like, a play by play or something?”

“More like a blow by blow, if he can be bothered. Everyone here is getting laid besides me. Cut me a little slack!”

Connor remained quiet as his friends continued to talk about how much they liked Sam. “So, hey,” Anna said as she slipped between him and Chase. “What was up with you on the dance floor with that girl, then? I mean, I’m guessing you and Sam are a new thing, but still—”

“Why don’t you worry about your own relationship?” he asked and nodded toward Chase.

“Asshole,” she said, and moved away from him.