The music is pulsing as we walk into Baciamo e L’amore, one of the hippest, most exclusive clubs in Venice. You have to have some real pull to get in here, especially with the long lines that extend around the street corners.

Fortunately, my name carries a bit of weight in the world of glitz and glamour, and I’m able to easily get us in.

The decor is swanky, with red, velvet booths, ornate chandeliers, and a chic bar setup with top-notch liquor and baristas that are easy on the eyes and come with a whole lot of tricks up their sleeves.

The dance floor is bustling, with men and women dressed to the nines. Some come to land a conquest for the night, while others simply want to enjoy a night out on the town in fashionable style. I tip my hat to all of them.

If the girls are impressed, they hide it well. But this isn’t about impressing anyone.

My main goal is to keep Nicole’s mind off Ryan, but I also want to get to know her better. I slip one arm around each of their waists, keeping them close to me while we head to the VIP section upstairs.

I must look like a real fucking Don Juan strutting through the club with a gorgeous chick on either arm—and yet the only one I have eyes for is the blazin’ brunette that’s betrothed to my fucking asshole of a best friend.

What shitty luck.

Allison is already sashaying to the music as we enter the lounge, nudging me with her hip while Nicole’s eyes are everywhere, taking it all in.

Nicole is dressed in a hot-to-do sparkly silver number that makes it damn near impossible to keep my eyes level. They keep gliding down her backside, following her perfect curves to her sexy derriere.

All this on display, and no fiancé to be found. Pity.

Nicole takes a seat on one of the plush couches, crossing her long, lean legs in such a seductive manner that I feel like I’ve got a front-row seat to my own version of Basic Instinct.

I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t an inkling of arousal happening in my pants.

I sit next to her, and we order drinks, which come in record time. It’s just one of the many perks of being a VIP.

“Not bad for a night out, huh? Aren’t you glad you came?” I raise my glass to the girls in a mock salute.

A Negroni for me and a Bellini for the girls—typical Italian cocktails that go hand in hand with any night on the town.

“I’ve never been here before, but it’s quickly becoming one of my favorites!” Allison chirps up from her high-back chair, clearly feeling the vibe in the club.

“But of course, my lady. I’m the envy of all the men here. A gorgeous girl on either arm, you can’t beat that,” I smile my best roguish smile and wink at Nicole.

She chuckles, and her smile makes my heart jump. She’s stunning as it is, but her face really lights up when she smiles.

“You’re a real tomcat, aren’t ya?”

“You wound me, bellissima,” I dramatically throw the back of my hand over my face while clutching my chest.

Cocking an eyebrow, she laughs. “Am I wrong, though?”

“Tonight’s not making a good case for me, is it?”

“Ya think?” she grins.

“Curse my good luck with the opposite sex…so which one of you am I taking home?”

That gets her, and she laughs a beautiful laugh. A song to my ears, and it’s not long before all I see is her.

Allison is preoccupied with chatting up one of the camerieres, and I’m quite relieved, because now I can devote my attention the only place I want to.

It’s so weird, this effect Nicole’s having on me. Since I laid eyes on her, she’s occupied so much real estate in my head that I could literally own half of fucking Manhattan by now.

Allison begs off shortly after our first round of drinks, waxing poetic about an ex-lover that she’s just found again.

“Not a problem,” I say. “Leave Nicole to me, I’ll make sure she gets back safe and sound.”

Somehow, our conversation drifts to university, and I discover that she was an art major, too. Granted, I only took art because I didn’t want to fucking study, but evidently, Nicole has a real passion for it.

“Ryan never told me that you went to school for art, let alone that you were good at drawing.”

“Well, he thinks it’s childish and doesn’t like it when I do it, so I haven’t in a while.”

What the actual fuck? Who is this guy?

How dare he tell Nicole what she can and can’t do? The longer we talk, the more I’m convinced that she’s too fucking good for him.

“Well, I’d love to see something sometime.”

She’s more than happy to oblige and grabs a pen from the table, her fingers brushing mine. A brief charge of electricity makes us lock eyes before mine drift to her red-stained lips.

She quickly looks away and sketches a picture of the canal on the back of a napkin.

I watch her intently, taking it when she’s done.

The details are so vivid, from the graceful arches to the shadowing, you’d think she was staring at the canal as she drew. The fact that this is all from memory is mind-blowing.

“Holy shit, that’s amazing,” I blurt out as I look between her and the sketch. I can swear I see the hint of a blush on her cheeks.

I normally prefer my women to be bold and feisty, but there’s something so fucking sexy about Nicole’s shyness that I want to take her in my arms right here, right now.

Ah-ha!

There’s one way I can do that without committing the ultimate fucking faux pas.

“Ooh, they’re playing my song.”

I’m lying, but she doesn’t need to know that this is all a ruse to get her close to me.

“Care to dance?” I get up and extend my hand to her.

“Umm…”

The hesitation on her face speaks volumes, but if I’m not mistaken, there’s a certain heat in her eyes.

“I don’t bite…hard. Unless you ask me to, of course…that’s a totally different story,” I wink.

“Okay, okay, let’s go,” she smiles as she takes my hand. “Ryan doesn’t like to dance, so I want to get it out of my system!”

More shit Ryan doesn’t like. Is there anything the prick does like? Come to think of it, I don’t want to answer my fucking question.

But seriously—what the fuck does she see in him?

I lead her almost to the center of the floor, and to my surprise, she immediately lets loose. Her hips are shaking in time to the music, and she’s got her arms up in the air, pulsing to the beat.

Not only is she a fox, she can really get down on the dance floor. She’s standing with her ass to my groin, and it’s taking every ounce of self-control to not pull her close and show her the chaos she’s thrown my cock into.

“You’re pretty fucking good at this,” I lean down and whisper in her ear.

She pulls her hair over her opposite shoulder and leans in.

Down, boy.

“What was that?” she yells, so I can hear her over the music.

“I said, you’re really fucking good at this!”

At that moment, her sexy ass grazes the front of my pants, and I’m powerless to stop the soldier attempting to stand at full mast. I can feel my cock pushing against the confines of my slacks, and I attempt to think of several sad things to make it stop.

It’s no use. He’s got a mind of his own, and right now, he’s ready to take a dip.

Nicole looks over her shoulder at me as she sways, and the passion in her eyes matches exactly what I’m feeling right now.

It’s almost like she knows what she’s doing to me.

I move closer to press my chest against her back, and my hand brushes the curve of her waist.

Instead of moving back right away, I wait for her reaction. A seductive smile plays on her lips, almost like she knows what I’ve done and has no plan to chastise me for it.

All she has to do is push me away, and I’m more than happy to oblige.

I’m a gentleman, after all.

When the back of her hand brushes up against my thigh, I start to think that this is happening too much to be coincidental. My body is thoroughly heated up, and not because of the crowd on the dance floor or the exercise I’m getting.

There’s only one reason I’m on fire, and her name is Nicole.

I lightly take her hand, leading her off the floor.

“I need to cool down, too hot out there,” I lie.

Truth is, if we keep going like this, my lips are going to claim hers no matter how many fucking people are watching.

She’s got a light sheen of sweat on her face and arms, but she’s all smiles, and I know that she’s enjoying herself.

We enjoy one more drink together before deciding to head back to the hotel.

I hire a gondola to take us down the canal, and it’s painstaking sitting next to her and not being able to do a damn thing about it.

“That was so much fun, thanks for the night out,” she smiles at me.

“Anytime. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. A beautiful lady like you has no business being cooped up in a hotel room all night when there’s fun to be had.”

I make the mistake of looking up at her. Her face is dangerously close to mine. Our eyes connect.

“We’re here!” the gondolier says, snapping us both back to reality.

We walk to the front of the hotel, and the silence between us is deafening.

“Um…”

“Okay, well…”

We talk at the same time.

“Heh,” I chuckle, “have a good night.”

“Yeah…good night.”

We both head to our rooms.

Holy shit.

I was seconds away from kissing her.

What the hell is wrong with me?