“I can have her removed from your booth, Mr. Dalton,” the manager said. “Just say the word and I’ll have security remove her ASAP.”

“I’ll move her myself,” I said, watching her sit down again. “Can I have a Jameson first, please?”

THE PUBLICIST

PENELOPE

I was going to kill Sean if he didn’t get to this club soon. After taking me out to buy a thin, backless blue dress this afternoon and watching his sister perfect my make-up for over three hours, he’d promised that he wouldn’t leave me hanging for my first attempt at a one night stand.

Where the hell is he?

I sat through two more songs before finally pulling out my phone and calling him.

“Hey there!” he answered. “Where the hell are you?”

“Me? Where the hell are you? I’ve been here for two hours.”

“Two hours?” He was yelling over the music. “Where are you sitting?”

“On the couch in the reserved section.” I stood up so he could see me. “One of the waitresses let me sit in VIP when I told her my heels were killing my feet. How lucky am I?”

“Very lucky, since Club Water doesn’t have a VIP section...Seriously, Pen. Where are you?”

“Club Water?” I shook my head. “Sean, you said Club H2O. It’s in every single text message you sent me, and all day today you kept saying Club H2O.”

“Ohhh, damn...” He laughed hysterically. “Sorry about that.”

“You don’t sound too sorry.”

“I’m really not.” He laughed again. “You want me to come there or do you want to come here? Sundays at H2O are pretty hit and miss.”

“I’m just going to go home after the next few songs,” I said. “I promise I’ll try this again next weekend, but it’s already one o’clock and my feet are practically dead anyway. Please don’t hate me.”

“I would never.” He sighed. “I’m going to hold you to that promise next weekend, though. Text me when you make it home.”

“Will do.” I ended the call and requested another glass of wine. If Sean was right about this place being “hit or miss,” tonight was definitely the latter. Even though quite a few men approached me on the dance floor earlier, every single one of them reeked of desperation. That, or they gave off the questionable vibes of a potential serial killer.

“Nice section you have here in VIP, Miss.” A grey-haired man who looked old enough to be my dad sat down next to me. “Mind if I take a breather with you?”

“Not at all.” I smiled at him.

“Are you here alone?” he asked.

“I am,” I said, figuring he was simply waiting for his partner. “Where’s your date?”

“I don’t have a date.” He licked his lips. “Until now, that is. Tonight must be fate for the two of us. How lucky are we, huh?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Fate.” He smiled. “I don’t want to be alone tonight, and you don’t look like you want to be alone either.”

My brain couldn’t process my thoughts fast enough for me to respond. He scooted even closer to me and lowered his voice.

“I saw you on the dance floor earlier,” he said. “I was keeping my eyes on you because you’re a really good dancer. And the way you moved those hips, I think I would like to watch you forever.”

Get the hell up and run, Penelope. Get the hell up and run right now...

I ignored my brain, selfishly thinking of how badly my feet were still hurting. I looked away from the man and stared at the people who were still on the dance floor, hoping he would get the hint.

He didn’t. He touched my bare shoulder, forcing me to look at him again.

“So, why is someone like you alone?” he asked. “You’re way too beautiful for that.”

“Oh, wait. Did I say I was alone?” I shook my head. “I must have thought you asked me something else. I’m not alone at all. I’m here with someone.”

“No, no, no.” He moved even closer, looking as if he could see right through my lie. “You definitely said you were alone. I’m harmless, I swear. I’m here for the exact same reason you are.”

“What reason is that?”

“Sex with someone who can handle me, of course.” He licked his lips in the most disturbing way I’d ever seen, letting a string of saliva drip onto his chin in the process. Then he picked up my heels and set them in the small space between us. “I can play your little game if you want, though. If you’re not here alone, who are you here with?”

I glanced around the room, looking for someone—anyone, that would help get this man the hell away from me. I spotted a man staring at me from the bar, but before I could motion for him to walk over, a man sat down on the other side of me. He was scrolling through his phone—looking completely oblivious to the club scene, so I turned around to face him.

“Oh, there you are!” I said loudly. “I didn’t even see you sit down!” I pulled his head close to mine and kissed him, damn near gasping when he began kissing me back. When he forcefully commanded my tongue with his and bit my bottom lip before slowly pulling away.

Catching my breath, I felt my eyes widening when his striking blue eyes settled on mine. When I realized that he was sexier than any man I’d ever met in my life.

I could literally stare at you all day...

“Ugh. Okay, you’ve made your point.” The older man groaned and stood up to leave, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the stranger I’d just kissed.

“Is this normally how you greet men you don’t know?” he asked, a slight smirk on his lips. “Just so you’re aware, the word ‘hello’ is more than enough.”

“Um...” I was absolutely speechless. His eyes were gleaming beneath the bright lights and he had dimples in both of his cheeks. The custom fit of the navy blue suit he was wearing made it perfectly clear that there were perfectly toned muscles beneath it, and the cut of the diamonds in his designer watch let me know that he had to be from Wall Street.

“I was just trying to get another guy to leave me alone,” I said, finally finding my voice. “He didn’t seem like the type I wanted.”

“How unfortunate.” He gazed at my lips. “What type do you want?”

I hesitated before answering, watching him set a shiny placard on the VIP table. “My usual type,” I said finally.

“Your usual?” He raised his eyebrow and that sexy smirk returned to his lips. “What does that mean?”

I tried to remember what Sean and his sister said about striking up conversations with sexy strangers. Something about not coming off shy, something else about seeming confident and experienced.

Think of something an experienced person would say...

“I’m saying that I do this often enough to know exactly what I like in a guy that I’d want to um...A guy I’d want to—”

“Fuck?”

“Yes...” I could already tell that this man was beyond cocky. That he knew just how damn attractive he was and he knew how to use his sexiness to get exactly what he wanted.

“I see.” He let out a low laugh and brought his glass to his lips. He took a sip and signaled for the waitress.

“How may I help you?” A woman in a black dress walked over immediately.

“Since my new friend here took over my usual, private VIP couch for longer than she was supposed to, can you bring over a bottle of whatever she’s having?”

I wasn’t supposed to sit here that long? My cheeks flushed pink.

“I can do that,” the waitress said, eyeing me with disdain. “What were you drinking, Miss?”

“It was just Moscato,” I said softly. “I’m a lightweight.” I heard the stranger letting out another low laugh as she walked away and I turned to face him. “I’m so glad I could be your entertainment tonight.”

“As am I,” he said, his eyes locking on mine. “I’m Ryan.”

“Rachel.” I quickly gave him my “one night” name per Sean’s instructions.