Chapter Four
Oscar leaned on the end of the bar and surveyed the club. It was a typical Saturday night. The drinks were flowing, and the dance floor was starting to fill up. People were having a great time. He sighed. He knew TJ was right. This wasn’t him. Well, it was him; he loved to party, and he loved to have fun. But he needed to have more going on in his life. He needed to be building a business, pushing boundaries, overcoming challenges. He wasn’t getting any of that here. He smirked when he spotted Kendra Parson weaving her way through the crowd toward him. He could get some of that, but she wouldn’t present any kind of challenge.
“Oscar,” she purred when she reached him. “Is it my lucky night? Have I managed to find you all alone?”
“Kendra.” He leaned in and allowed her to peck his cheek. Her hand rested briefly on his shoulder, telegraphing her intent through his body as a little shiver, which surprised him when it managed to elicit some interest from his cock. He straightened up with a smile. Maybe it was her lucky night. “I have some company.” His words had the effect he’d expected. She pouted a little and the site of her bottom lip sliding out confirmed that, yep, his cock was interested in some playtime. He shook his head at her. “Now, don’t look like that. I have family in town. I have to visit with them for a while. But maybe later …”
Her smile returned on full beam. “Oh. In that case.” She flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “You can look for me later. I might still be here.”
Oscar nodded. He didn’t call her out on it, he was too much of a gentleman, but they both knew that, if he didn’t go to find her, she’d be here when the doormen threw out the last of the stragglers.
He glanced over her shoulder. He wasn’t lying, he really did have family visiting, and they’d just arrived. He raised a hand to wave at them before excusing himself.
Kendra reached up to kiss his cheek again. He was a little disappointed that the spark of interest seemed to have fizzled out, but maybe it’d return later.
“Hopey!” he exclaimed as he reached her and her husband, Chance. She wrapped him in a hug, and he held her close for a moment. His cousin was one of the few people whose mind he respected and whose company he enjoyed. When she let him go, he reached out to shake with her husband, Chance. As they shook, Oscar grinned and pulled him in for a man-hug. He hadn’t known what to make of Chance at first, but they’d clicked and were building a kind of unique friendship that Oscar truly valued.
“You know we can’t stay for long,” said Hope.
“I know you could stay as long as you want, but you don’t want.” He winked at Chance. “I know it’s not your scene, but I wanted us all to have dinner together.”
Chance smiled through pursed lips. “I can endure it, for you.” He turned and scanned the dance floor. “But we get to eat in the quiet room upstairs, right?”
“Chance!” Hope slapped his arm, but Oscar just laughed. “We do. Come on. The table’s ready.”
“Is TJ coming?” asked Hope.
“No. He said he’d come to lunch tomorrow if you want to meet up, but this isn’t his idea of fun.”
Chance smirked at him but spoke to Hope. “I think TJ’s going to be my favorite of your cousins.”
Oscar laughed, but then a thought occurred to him and he met Chance’s gaze. “You might be right about that. I think the two of you might get along. I think you’ll be able to connect with him on a level I can’t.”
Chance’s smirk disappeared, and his eyes narrowed. “Hope’s told me a little about what he’s been through. I don’t know that I can be of any use to him and there’s no point me sticking my nose in. I’ll talk to him if he wants to talk to me.”
“Yeah, that’s all I meant.”
Hope gave him a warning look, and he changed the subject as they made their way upstairs to the quieter restaurant area. “How’s the baby doing?” He led them into one of the private dining rooms while Hope chatted away about the little one. Once they were all seated, he realized that Chance was watching him intently.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing. I’m just trying to figure out what you’re going to say.”
“About what?”
“We want you to be his godfather!” Hope beamed at him.
“You do?” Oscar wasn’t too sure what that entailed, but he didn’t think it was anything like the Pacino version.
“We do.”
“If you want to,” added Chance.
“I’d love to. It’d be an honor.” He nodded at the waiter. “I think this calls for champagne.”
~ ~ ~
Grace surveyed herself in the mirror. Louise had performed some kind of miracle. She peered at her face; it didn’t even look like her. She rarely wore makeup, and now she was covered in the stuff, but it didn’t feel bad—and it looked fabulous, she wasn’t going to lie about that.
Louise beamed at her. “What do you think?”
“I love it, Lou. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, and what about the dress, are you comfortable? You look fantastic. You should keep it. It doesn’t look right on me, but it’s as if it was tailor-made for you.”
Grace couldn’t stop smiling. The dress was gorgeous. It was the stereotypical little black dress, but damn. It fit her in all the right ways in all the right places. Even if there wasn’t enough room in it for her to take deep breaths. She turned around to check out her rear view, and Louise laughed.
“Is it wrong of me to say I love your booty? I never knew you had such a great ass!”
Grace laughed with her. “Neither did I. I always thought it was this round thing that followed me around and needed to be hidden under long shirts, but damn, that thing is big and beautiful!”
“It is. You know people spend hours in the gym trying to make their ass look like that; some people even get implants and butt lifts and everything. And you? You just hide in your tunics and then when you need it, you unveil the best booty in all of LA.”
“Ha. I wouldn’t go that far.”
“I would. Anyway…” Louise checked her watch. “We should get going.”
Grace checked the clock on the wall. “It’s only eight-thirty. I thought we weren’t going until nine.”
Louise didn’t meet her gaze.
“Oh no. You’ve got a date, haven’t you?”
Louise gave her a half shrug. “Not exactly a date, no.”
“Then what?” Grace knew she looked the part but getting dressed up like this and going to some fancy club wasn’t exactly in her wheelhouse. She’d been glad that Louise was so eager to go with her. She didn’t need her, or anything, but …
“I said I’d meet Graham in there. I thought you’d get busy talking to Mr. Davenport and I’d be at a loose end.”
Grace blew out a sigh. “More like you’ll get busy with Graham, I won’t be able to get near Davenport, and I’ll be at a loose end.”
“No. I won’t abandon you. Whenever you’re ready to leave, you come find me, and we’ll share a cab home.”
“What, you, me and Graham?”
“Maybe,” Louise gave her a coy smile.
“Thanks, but I’ll do what I’ve got to do and get out of there. You just get me in.”
“We’ll have no problems there, not with you looking like that.”
“And you looking like that.” Louise was so pretty, she was wearing a deep blue dress that was simple and elegant and sexy as hell. She gave a little twirl. “Thank you, but I’ll be in your shadow tonight.”
Grace laughed. “As if that’d ever happen.”
“I’m serious.”
“Whatever. Can I just practice walking in these shoes a bit more? I don’t want to fall off them and make a fool of myself.”
“Okay but hurry up about it. I’m going to call a cab.”
When the cab pulled up outside Six, Grace stepped out and straightened her dress. She turned to wait for Louise and almost fell, forgetting that she was wearing the stupid heels.
Louise caught her arm. “Careful.”
“I told you I needed more practice.”
“You’ll be fine. Here. Link arms with me and we’ll just sashay straight up to the doormen.”
Grace took in the long line of people waiting. “You mean, walk right by all of them and expect Muscles at the front there to just lift the rope for us? No, thanks. I’d sooner go to the end and wait in line.”
Louise sighed and took her arm, steering her toward the front. “Have a little faith in me, would you? I know I’m not much in the practical world, but you’re in my world now.”
Grace reluctantly teetered along beside her. If she’d been in her own shoes, she might have pulled away, but in these heels, she didn’t dare. She relaxed a little as Muscles, the doorman on the left, caught sight of them and smiled.
“See,” said Louise. “It’s Brandon. He goes to my gym.”
“Of course he does,” said Grace with a chuckle. She should have known. Her seemingly air-headed roommate had friends all over the city—people she’d met at the gym, on the bus, in the grocery store, anywhere and everywhere.
“Lou-lou!” Brandon, formerly known as Muscles, grinned as they reached him. “How’s my favorite girl?”
“Wonderful, thanks. How about you? It’s so nice to see you.” She put her hands on his shoulders and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. Grace was shocked to notice that he was checking her out over Louise’s shoulder. She dropped her gaze and fumbled in her purse.
Louise turned to her. “Grace, this is my friend, Brandon. Brandon, I’d like you to meet my roommate, Grace.”
Grace lifted her gaze and held her hand out to shake with him. He grinned at her and before she knew what he was doing, he’d wrapped her in a bear hug. “I gotta say the pleasure is all mine, Grace.”
She might have to disagree with that as she caught her breath and stepped back, teetering on her heels again. Wow. “Nice to meet you, too.”
Brandon lifted the rope and let them pass. She was aware of the indignant grumbles coming from those at the head of the line. She wanted to apologize; she knew how it felt to be where they were. She wasn’t used to being on this side.
Brandon rested an arm around her shoulders as he walked them through the foyer. Louise raised an eyebrow at her and grinned. Brandon was a big, good-looking guy, and normally Grace wasn’t shy around men like that, but tonight he was a distraction. She was here on important business. As Brandon slid his hand down her arm before leaving them, she did a double take, she’d swear she’d just seen Big Cat from the elevator, weaving his way through the crowd. She needed to get a grip. He’d featured in her fantasies the last couple of nights, but she couldn’t start imagining him when some other guy touched her. That wasn’t healthy—not healthy at all. She turned to look back at Brandon and smiled. If she wanted to ditch the fantasy man and come back to the real world, Brandon wouldn’t be a bad place to start. He grinned at her and nodded. She knew where to find him when she was done here.
“Oh my God, Gracie. Brandon took a real shine to you. Should I give him your number?”
“No, but you can give me his.”
“Oh, of course. I love the way you do that; you’re so empowered.”
Grace laughed. “Empowered?”
“Yes. You never give a guy your number, but you take his. Then you’re the one in control, and you don’t ever sit around by the phone wondering if he’ll call. You call your own shots.”
“It’s just sensible if you ask me.” She looked around. The place was crowded. “So, what’s the plan?”
“I said I’d meet Graham out on the terrace at nine-fifteen.” Louise checked her watch. “We’ve got time to get a drink first.”
“I didn’t mean that. I mean what we came here to do. I can’t believe that we got so carried away with all the hair and makeup and dresses, that I forgot one crucial detail.”
“Oh, no. What?”
“I didn’t make you show me a photo of him. I can’t leave you to your night with Graham until you help me find this Oscar Davenport.”
“Oh, shoot! How about you get us a drink, and I’ll wander around, see if I can spot him.”
“Okay. Meet me back here in five minutes.”
Grace returned to the pillar to meet up with Louise after getting their Cosmos—two very expensive Cosmos. She took a teeny sip of hers. It was heavenly, but she was going to have to make it last all night. Louise came hurrying back to her.
“Did you spot him?” She handed Louise her drink.
“Yes, but I think he was leaving!”
“What?” That hadn’t been part of the plan. The guy was supposed to be here in his club. It was Saturday night. “You think he was, or you saw him leave?”
“He might have just been walking some people out. He was with a couple. I think it was Hope Davenport and her husband. Have you seen him? The cowboy from Montana?”
Grace shook her head impatiently. She didn’t give a rat’s ass about some cowboy. She needed to catch up with Oscar Davenport before he left. “Which way?”
Louise pointed toward the foyer.
“Hello, beautiful.”
Grace groaned. Just at the worst moment, Graham had shown up. Louise wasn’t going to be any use now. “What does he look like?”
“What? Oh. Sorry. Gorgeous! He’s good-looking. Dark-hair, broad shoulders, he’s got a light beard, and he’s wearing a navy suit.”
“Thanks.” Grace set out across the foyer. There was no point trying to get anything more from Louise. She was already in happy, smiley, chatty mode with Graham. She stopped when she neared the doors. There were plenty of people milling around, but none who fit Oscar Davenport’s description. Awesome. She’d give it five minutes, and if she didn’t find him, she’d down her Cosmo and leave. She took another sip. Or maybe she’d stick around a while and have another. They were so good.
She leaned against a pillar and observed the comings and goings. She felt bad as she saw the couple who’d been at the front of the line come in. She hated that some people got a free pass in life while others had to stand and wait. She was used to having to stand and wait, but she still hated the inequality when she was on the other side for once.
So, this was how the other half lived, huh? She watched them talking and laughing and smiling. Mostly it was people coming in, some standing around, presumably waiting for others to join them. They all looked so wealthy. It wasn’t just that they were dressed up; it was more than that. They had that air about them. And good luck to them. She might hate random inequality, but she didn’t begrudge anyone what they made of their lives. Live and let live.
She looked over at the entrance where there were three sets of double doors. Had Oscar Davenport already left through one of them, or was he about to walk back in? She looked down a hallway that ran off to the left away from the main entrance. There were three people standing there talking. The woman was beautiful; she had long, honey-blonde hair and the figure of an athlete. Grace pushed away from the pillar and stood up straight. There was her first clue. Louise had said she thought she’d seen Hope Davenport. She used to be an athleticwear model—Grace knew that much. And, given that she shared the last name, she must be related to Oscar. The guy standing beside her, his arm slung around her shoulders, didn’t look like he fit in totally. He was dressed the part—and he was hot—but he had a rugged look about him. Maybe he was the cowboy husband. The guy they were talking to had his back to her, but he had dark hair and was wearing a navy suit. She set out toward them. She had to take her chance.
She watched as he hugged the woman and shook hands with the guy, and then they left. She hurried as best she could to the entrance to the hallway, so the guy would have to pass her when he came back in.
He turned around, and she stopped dead, almost falling off the stupid shoes. Big Cat? It couldn’t be the guy from the elevator? It was! She leaned against the wall to catch herself, and he looked up. All the air rushed out of her lungs as he met her gaze. He recognized her, she could see it in his eyes. And she knew it for certain when the arrogant prick winked at her.
He strode toward her, closing the distance between them far too quickly for her to catch her breath. Big Cat was Oscar Davenport? The guy she’d been fantasizing about was the same guy she’d been hating?
He stopped when he reached her and stood way too close, looking down into her eyes, even though the shoes made her three inches taller than usual. “We meet again.”
Damn. Even his voice was sexy—just as deep and rich as she remembered. “We do.” She considered telling him she was just leaving. She could go home, get her head around this turn of events and find him again when she wasn’t so thrown off balance—by the shock or the shoes.
He was looking deep into her eyes; his smile was wicked—there was no other word for it. She stared back, unable to drag her gaze away. No guy had ever affected her like this. Her breath was coming low and shallow; her nipples had stood to attention; she could feel them—she just hoped he couldn’t see them. He reached out his hand, and she automatically responded, offering hers to shake with him. The moment those long, strong fingers wrapped around hers, all the electricity that had hummed in the air between them in the elevator zapped through her body. Every nerve ending tingled. His eyes widened. Did he feel it, too?
“Have a drink with me?”
She nodded. What else could she do? He took hold of her hand and led her through the crowded main room. Part of her wanted to pull away; part of her was grateful for something to hang onto. Most of her was just reeling with shock and something else … desire? Was that what it was?
As they made their way up the stairs, she tried to shake herself out of this trance he’d put her in. She was here to talk to the guy who was going to take the center away—not to get it on with the guy from the elevator.