Danni gripped the phone tightly. “I take it the meeting didn’t go well.”

“The meeting?” He spit out a laugh. “The meeting was a fucking joke. They sent some lackey to talk to me in a show of feigned interest. I don’t know who you talked to or why they bothered, but this is clearly a dead end. What did you do? Call in a favor with some guy you know at Topaz Industries and get him to send someone to talk to the old man to shut your mother up? Was this guy even a lawyer like he claimed? If so, I bet he was just one of their interns. You don’t give a shit that you got your mother’s hopes up, as long as you come out looking like a shiny coin. And it doesn’t hurt that I come out looking like some ass who can’t even close a deal.”

Danni’s lips compressed as anger steamed through her. There was no point in talking because he wouldn’t hear anything she had to say. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to defend herself for doing something nice for him that she hadn’t even wanted to do in the first place.

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” she said through clenched jaws. “I’ll see you at the party.”

She ended the call.

She sat down and sucked in deep breaths, trying to calm down. Trying to blink back the tears welling in her eyes. Goddamn it, she wouldn’t let Jerrold of all people hurt her feelings. She was used to his belligerence.

But as she stared at her dinner, she realized her appetite had dried up. She took the food into the kitchen and put it in the fridge, then went back and slumped on the couch.

It was a long evening, and had been an even longer week. She still hadn’t heard anything from Blake or Evan. She was tempted to text them, but what would she say? Just tell them she was thinking of them? That sounded so needy. And they might interpret it as her pushing to find out about the meeting with her stepfather.

She had hoped one of them would call her and arrange for her to come over. That they would just feel they’d done what she’d asked—given her stepfather a chance—and now let that whole thing slip into oblivion, while the three of them moved past it.

But now she worried that they were done with her. They might have considered her fun and sexy to be with, but if she was going to start pushing them for favors, she wasn’t worth it.

Her heart ached. She was used to her stepfather telling her she was worthless, but she’d never expected Blake or Evan to make her feel that way.

* * *

Danni stared at her very shiny red nails. She’d had them done at the salon and had decided on a simple manicure with no design on top in a color to match her dress, but the woman had talked her into a pedicure, too. And it wasn’t just nail polish. Apparently, it was something called gel polish and it needed to be cured under a special lamp. The manicurist told her it would last two to three weeks.

Given the kind of work she did, Danni would believe that when she saw it. As long as it lasted the evening, she’d be happy.

She wiggled her toes with a smile, admiring the red nails.

What would Blake and Evan think when they saw them? She could just imagine Evan taking off her shoe, his hand caressing her ankle, then the look of surprise on his face when he saw her shiny, cherry-red toenails. A shiver danced through her at the thought. And the images of what would come next.

She hadn’t been with the two men in days and she was really looking forward to tonight. They’d dance and talk at the party, then they’d invite her back to their place afterward. If they seemed at all reluctant, then she’d make this dress work for her. She remembered how they’d looked at her the first time they’d seen her in it in the store . . . and how quickly they’d gotten it off her again.

She was determined that tonight she’d show them the best sex of their lives. After that, there was no way they’d want to give her up.

* * *

Danni stepped from the limousine and walked up the steps to the country club with her mother and stepfather. The ride over had been tense. For her anyway. Her mother had chatted with her stepfather all the way over. Danni, however, was intensely conscious of her stepfather’s sour gaze every time he glanced her way.

Now that they were at the party, she could mingle with other people and ignore him.

They stepped into the ballroom filled with people. The women all wore dazzling gowns and the men elegant tuxedos. She noticed that men turned and gazed at her as she went by. Women, too, but the flickering heat in the men’s eyes was disconcerting. She stayed close by her mother’s side as she walked across the ballroom, scanning the crowd for Blake and Evan, but she couldn’t see them.

A waiter stopped and offered them drinks from his tray. Danni took one and sipped it. Mom took her arm and led her to a group of people and introduced her. Danni didn’t really get all the names, but Mom made a point of subtly repeating the names of the two young men in the group—Frederick and Don. They both smiled and told her how lovely she looked. She thanked them, trying to hide her discomfort.

Mom told her Frederick was a partner at Michelo, Smith, and Burns, which Danni knew was a very prestigious law firm. Don was the owner of an up-and-coming brokerage company. Mom headed off their questions by saying Danni was involved with Annex, a large architectural firm, which was not technically a lie since the construction company she worked for did a lot of work for Annex.

Frederick and Don continued the conversation with her and Danni noticed that somehow along the way, Mom managed to draw the other people in the circle to another conversation, leaving her alone with the two men.

“Your drink’s empty,” Don said. “Would you like something from the bar?”

She’d love a beer, but her mom had insisted she order cocktails or wine so she would look more ladylike.

“Yes, that would be nice.”

“What would you like me to get you?” he asked.

She smiled. “Why don’t you surprise me?”

“Of course.”

Don headed toward the bar and Frederick took that opportunity to move in closer.

“I’ve never seen you at one of these affairs before,” he said.

“I usually don’t have the time,” she said.

“Yes, it is difficult to meet all of one’s social expectations while spending the long hours needed to build a successful career.”

She just nodded and wracked her brain trying to remember any of the topics Rhett and Marcus had suggested she discuss. Fortunately, Frederick asked her what she liked to do in her spare time and as soon as she mentioned she loved to go swimming, he told her about his house on Lake Tahoe.

“Maybe I can show it to you sometime. In fact, we could fly out there on my private jet next weekend.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t really get away.” She couldn’t believe his audacity at asking her away on what he probably assumed would be an intimate getaway when they’d just met.

Then she remembered that day by the pool with Blake and Evan and her cheeks heated. Luckily, Don returned with her drink and she took a sip of the fruity cocktail.

“Thank you, it’s very nice,” she said to Don and he beamed.

She asked them what books they liked to read, but when they both started on about thrillers and political suspense, she just listened halfheartedly.

“Excuse me, gentlemen,” her mother interrupted, “while I borrow my daughter.”

“What’s going on, Mom?” she asked once they were out of earshot. “I thought you wanted me to meet men here.”

“Yes, but you’re clearly not interested in either of those two, so let’s not waste time.”

Danni had to smile at her mother’s single-mindedness.

Mom introduced her to a group with several young men, then did her subtle disappearing act again. Danni held up her end of the conversation well enough for a while, until one blond man turned the conversation back to jobs and asked her what she did at the architectural firm.

She tried to be vague, but when he asked her if she was an architect, she didn’t know how to answer. She wouldn’t lie and say she was, but had no idea how to describe what she did in a way that wouldn’t embarrass her mom.

She glanced down, trying to think, then noticed a piece of fluff on her red dress. She leaned forward to brush it away and suddenly realized this was exactly what Marcus had suggested she do.

She straightened up again and every man in the group was staring at her, their eyes glittering in the soft light from the chandeliers. They all seemed in a daze.

“Excuse me,” she said, “I see a friend.”

Their eyes filled with disappointment as she moved away.

She placed her empty glass on a waiter’s tray and picked up a full one. She sipped as she walked through the room looking for Blake and Evan. She glanced at her watch and realized almost an hour had gone by. Her heart compressed as she wondered if they had decided not to come after all.

She spent another hour chatting with various men her mother introduced her to, her anxiety level rising as she fretted about Blake and Evan, trying not to fall into despair that they weren’t coming. That they had decided to drop her completely.

She used the move Marcus had suggested several more times. A couple of times it didn’t work and she used the follow-up trick and wound up on the dance floor, but she was uncomfortable dancing with these strangers. Especially since most of them seemed to think she’d be willing to fall right into their bed, or join them on some weekend excursion.

Then she found herself with one man named Webster who, although giving her an appreciative gaze when she leaned over, wasn’t distracted from his questioning. He was very interested in architecture, so she knew she could easily get caught in her mother’s lie. Even when she tried to prompt him to ask her to dance by saying she liked the song the band was playing, he didn’t seem to notice.

“There you are, Danni.”

Danni glanced at the tuxedoed man stepping to her side.

It was Marcus. Webster seemed a little uncomfortable at the sight of him. Although the tuxedo was well tailored and quite elegant, Marcus still had that rough edge, with the tattooed vines visible above his collar, the large insert in his ear, and his cropped black hair.

“I’ve been looking for you to collect on that dance you promised me. I’m sorry, Webster, but I’m going to steal her from you.”

Without waiting for Webster’s answer, Marcus took her hand and led her to the floor.

“You looked a bit desperate, so I thought I’d save you.”

“Thank you,” she said as he drew her into his arms and swept her around the floor. Of all the men she’d danced with this evening, she found she was most comfortable with him.

“Are you enjoying the party?” he asked.

“It’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” she said as they glided past another couple. “Thanks to you and Rhett. Your advice was very helpful.”

Marcus smiled, then drew her closer. “Happy to help.”

As she danced, she felt the tension of being on all evening slipping away. But as that happened, she started to fret about Blake and Evan again.

“What time is it?” she asked.

His eyebrow arched. “Tired of spending time with me already?”

She smiled. “No, of course not. It’s just that . . . well, Blake and Evan told me they’d come to the party after all. I expected they’d be here by now.”

He glanced at his watch. “It’s after nine. If they’re planning to show up it’s getting pretty late.”

Her chest tightened.

Oh, God, they aren’t coming.

He frowned as she stiffened in his arms. “So tell me. Which one have you fallen for? Blake or Evan?”

She gazed at him, then pursed her lips.

“Both.”

“Really?” He laughed. “Again, you really are my kind of woman.”

Her eyes started to well with tears.

“Hey, I’m not hitting on you. Look, the fact they’re late doesn’t mean anything . . . except maybe that they’re idiots for making such a pretty lady wait around.”

“You don’t understand. Something went wrong this week,” she confided.

“What kind of thing?”

“I . . .” She sucked in a breath. “I asked them for a favor. I think they weren’t happy about it and . . .” She shook her head. “I wish I’d never done it. It wasn’t worth losing them over.”

“If those two idiots walk away from a sexy beauty like you because you asked them a favor, they’re complete losers.” His lips quirked up. “And Blake and Evan are anything but. I’m sure that’s not why they didn’t come.”

She gazed at him and he must have been able to tell she wasn’t convinced because he took her hand and led her from the floor, then out to the atrium. He guided her to a quiet area and then tapped on his phone. He put it away and turned his focus to her.

“Okay, we’ll just sort this out right now. Why don’t you call them?”

She shook her head. “It’d be too awkward. They must not want to talk to me or they would have called and explained.”

Rhett appeared with two drinks in his hand. He gave one to Danni. She smiled her thanks then took a sip.

“I got your text. So what’s up?” he asked Marcus, his concerned gaze on Danni’s face.

“Blake and Evan told Danni they were coming tonight and they haven’t shown. Danni figures she’s been stood up and is none too happy about it.”

Rhett slipped his phone from his pocket, opened his contact list, and dialed. She could hear a single ring on the line, then someone answered.

Rhett glanced at her. “Voice mail.” He disconnected, then flipped through his contact list again. “I’ll call them at the office. Maybe they got held up in a meeting. If so, their secretary should still be there.”

He made the call and then pursed his lips. He slipped the phone back into his pocket.

“I’m sorry, Danni. Their message says they’re out of town until Monday.”

She felt the blood drain from her face. “So they really aren’t coming.”

Rhett shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”

Her stomach clenched and she felt ill.

“Sweetheart,” Marcus said. “I know you think you’ve done something wrong, but you haven’t.”

She just nodded. And he was right. It didn’t matter whether she’d asked a favor of them or not. That might have hastened the end, but this relationship had been doomed to fail from the beginning. She had known that deep inside. Blake and Evan were totally out of her league. As nice as they’d been to her—and as hot as the sex was between them—they weren’t going to fall for her.

Even though she’d totally fallen for them.

Her stepfather was right. She was a loser.