The redheaded goddess I saw from across the room turns toward me like a skittish deer, moving back a little, putting a few more inches between us—the exact opposite of what I wanted her to do. Her lips fall open, like she can’t believe I interrupted her little sobriety speech by offering to buy another round of pure alcohol, but there’s no denying it. 

“Tequila shots and a round of Fireball for these ladies!” The cocktail waitress that has been following me around all night jumps to do my bidding,  weaving her way back through the crowd to the bar, hurrying as fast as she can on her six-inch spiked heels.

I turn back to admire the redhead, who has crossed her arms over her chest in a protective stance. Fire is blazing hot in her eyes, even though her friends are still cheering me on. She’s even more gorgeous up close than what she seemed when I first caught sight of her from across the club fifteen minutes ago. My friend Adam had punched my shoulder and pointed her out to me, straight across the dance floor from us.

“That’s the one.”

“That’s the one?” I’d taken another shot of whiskey and put the glass down in front of me on the table. “The love of your life?” Then I’d made a show of squinting across the sea of people. “Or are you talking about our cocktail waitress?”

He’d smirked at me. “I should have been more clear. She’s the one. That redhead over there—the one who’s been camped out at the table all night like they don’t have security watching the booth—she’s the one you have to convince.”

I took a second look.

From across the club, she looked good. Deep red hair glistening darkly under the club lights, her lithe curves offset by a form-fitting black dress…yeah, she was hot. It took me another minute, though, to see why Adam thought she’d be able to resist my charm.

The girl wouldn’t dance.

She wouldn’t do anything except eye her friends like a hawk, even when they tried to convince her to join them on the dance floor. She might have a flawless complexion and a tight, slender body that made me want to take her back to my penthouse right this instant, but there was no way she was going to let that happen. I could see it in the way she held herself, her back straight as a board, daring the world to step in her way.

Not that she seemed to be doing anything, other than looking unbelievably sexy under the club lights.

Up close, she’s a thousand degrees hotter, radiating a kind of erotic blend of irritation and surprise that sends goose bumps racing down the backs of my arms. My heart picks up inside my chest, beating hard when I catch the look in her eyes. This is the thrill of the chase, and the glare that she’s giving me makes me twice as determined to show her that standing around by the booth like an unpaid security guard is not how she should be spending her evening.

Adam must see it in my face, because he nudges me with his elbow, interrupting the standoff we’ve been having. Red’s friends are gathering closer, leaning in, and at least one of them knows who I am. I’m betting, by the expression on her face, that it’s the bachelorette herself.

“Sorry. My manners are for shit.” Every single one of them reacts to my signature grin except for Red, who breathes out through her nose and shifts her weight to the other side. “Congratulations on your upcoming wedding vows…”

I let the sentence hang in the air long enough for the bachelorette to come forward and extend her hand to shake like a high-powered businesswoman. “Leah Morgan…but not for long!” she cries, and her friends throw their hands up in the air and let out another ear-piercing cheer. “Thanks for the shots.”

“We really don’t need them,” Red interjects, her mouth pressing back into that same thin line.

“Don’t worry.” I lean in like I’m telling her a secret, but I don’t lower my voice. “I can afford it.”

She raises her chin in the air. “I know you can.”

“Oh?” I turn toward her, catching a glimpse of her grinning best friend out of the corner of my eye. “Without me even having to tell you?”

She smirks a little. “You’re in this club, and cover isn’t cheap. Plus, I’ve seen your face plastered all over the gossip sites.”

“And you remembered my name? How flattering.”

Her pretty lips part again, but before she can speak, her face floods with color, and her chin drops a few inches. “I—” Clearly, she remembers my face, and the fact that I’m a member of New York City’s—and the world’s—ultra-wealthy, but my name has escaped her.

I lean in close to her again. “It’s okay. We’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other tonight.”

She draws herself up to her full height and straightens her shoulders defensively. “I don’t think—”

I don’t get to hear what she was going to say, because the cocktail waitress reappears right then, her tray teeming with shots, and we’re caught up in another shrill cheer from the rest of the group. Red steels herself as the other women grab shot glasses off the tray, Adam playing the real gentleman and waiting for everyone else to take theirs before he accepts his.

“Adam Zeller. Which of you beautiful ladies aren’t about to get married?” His voice floats over my shoulder while I commit to locking eyes with Red. There’s a palpable energy zinging through the air between us, and I don’t want to—no, can’t—tear my eyes away. 

I take two shots off the tray, never breaking her gaze, as Adam launches into the pitter-patter of his tired pick-up routine, which from all the giggling, seems to be going over pretty well with Red’s friends. With all their attention focused on him, it’s like there’s only the two of us in the club.

“I got one for you.” I hold out the shot glass to her, but she squares her jaw.

“I’m not drinking.”

“I’ve got a driver, if you’re supposed to be DD.”

“I’m not drinking. Even if you have a million cars and a million drivers. I don’t drink at clubs or parties.” She grips the glass she’s holding in her hand a little tighter. “This is Coke.”

“Up to you.” I shrug, and as Adam and the rest of the group count to three and down their shots, I follow along, feeling the burn of the whiskey as it hits the back of my throat. Then I abandon both glasses on the table behind her.

“That was nice of you,” she says, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, her eyes focusing on a point behind me. “I’m sure there are other women who are dying for you to buy them a drink, so I won’t take up any more of your time.”

I laugh. “That’s where you’re wrong.” She frowns a little. “You don’t want to drink? That’s fine. But now…now I’m intrigued.” I step a little closer to her, and I’m close enough to breathe in the scent of her hairspray and coconut shampoo. “Why would a stunning woman like you be standing here by herself by this table all night? I want to know. But more than that…” I edge in, farther than I have before, until my lips are only inches from her ear. “I want to see if I can convince you to dance.”

She inhales sharply, and it almost sounds like a gasp, and then she opens her mouth to reply.