“Leo?” Teegan’s eyes bug out of her head.

“Why are you at my table?” I look over to her friend. “Nice to see you again, Sophie.”

“You, too.” Sophie’s voice is meek and from what I witnessed standing across the room, I don’t think it’s her usual personality.

“Go dance. I got Teegan.” I slide in to the booth until my leg touches Teegan’s. A current of electricity courses up my leg and straight to my groin. Bad idea.

“I’m sure you do, but—” Sophie stands at the edge of the table.

“Go, Soph, I’m good.” Teegan gives her friend the go-ahead and Sophie runs toward the dance floor. “Are you here with Oscar?” Teegan asks.

“You know Oscar?” If she knows Oscar, she should know that he’s my business partner. I use that term loosely since he only owns ten percent of the company, but his work with the appliqués and beading—not my forte—were worth it.

She shakes her head, her brain still working overtime putting all the pieces together. “No, I just asked him to hold my purse while I danced.”

“You do love dancing.” The memory from earlier today of her tight ass swaying in my store hits me like a freight train.

She smiles and my guess is she’s remembering the same. A second later she’s bouncing in her seat and reaching for the champagne. “Hey, I get to celebrate with you after all!”

I cover my glass with my hand. “Nah, I’m not drinking tonight.”

“Why?”

I tilt my head, staring at her for a second. She’s so damn beautiful. “Early morning tomorrow.” I don’t mention that I never drink when I’m out with Oscar because I’m usually the one carrying him home. He asks me why I’m straight and I ask him why he’s gay. He says he loves dick and I say I love pussy. From the bar to his apartment it’s like going around and around on a carousel.

“Oh.” She puts the champagne Oscar purchased back down on the table.

“Please, go ahead.” I reach for the bottle, but she picks up her water bottle.

“I wasn’t here when it was opened, so…” She lets her sentence trail off at the end.

I’m glad to know she looks out for herself. “Have you seen Oscar?” I ask. Usually he’s on my heels all night, but when my mom called I had to step out to answer it. She’s still upset with me not making it home for Christmas this year and is demanding I get my ass home for Mother’s Day in a few weeks.

Teegan glances around to the other tables, mostly filled with couples making out. “No. Not since I went dancing.”

“I’m sure he’s somewhere.”

She inches away from me, crossing her legs and straightening her back. As she gulps down more water, her gaze remains on the dance floor.

“Don’t let me stop you from dancing.”

She shakes her head. “No. I need to rest my feet anyway.”

“Why are you here?” I ask the question that’s been plaguing me since I first caught a glimpse of her on my way back to the table.

“Soph. She didn’t want to be hit on tonight, so here we are.”

Should have realized it was the crazy friend’s idea. “You do know not everyone who comes into a gay bar is gay, right?” I eye her, my gaze dipping to her tits and then back up to her face. Her short dress clings to her body and she’s displaying more skin than I’ve ever seen her show, although she’s still wearing more than she is during my beat-off sessions when I’m imagining her every night.

“I doubt there are very many straight guys here.” She sips her water.

I slide closer. “What about you?”

“What about me?” She’s yet to look at me while we’re talking.

“Did you come here to get hit on?”

Her eyes move to mine like a raft in a lazy river, slow and leisurely. “What?” Her voice is low and unsure, but she’s staring into my eyes.

She has to feel this pull between us. The one that I’ve felt since she first walked into my shop. It’s half the reason I wasn’t going to hire her. My attraction was immediate, my lust out of control. Visions of her bent over my counter, ass for my taking, overtook my mind. Doesn’t she feel it?

Surely, she doesn’t think that I’m…no way.

“Teegan, you do know—”

“There you are.” Oscar falls into the booth, his hand grazing down my bicep as he does.

Every time I leave him alone in this place he comes back high. He leans lopsided against the plush back of the booth, mouth hanging open and his eyes half-closed.

“Whoa, you have your hands full.” Teegan’s gaze pings between the two of us.

I help Oscar into a sitting position. “Early night for Oscar.” I glance at him and then to her. “Do you want to come with me? We can drop him off and then I’ll take you home.”

Her lips are tight and her eyes have a strange quality about them, almost like they’re filled with sadness. “No.” She swallows. “I have Sophie, so I should make sure she gets home okay. I’ll be fine.”

I stare at her for a moment. Her friend. Right. Stupid of me to suggest taking her home.

“I can take you both home if you need a ride.”

Her usual smiley and happy self disappeared once Oscar came into the booth. Actually, maybe she’s been this way since she saw me. She seemed happy before I came to the table and even happier when she first saw me, but now…

“Thank you, but we’ll be okay. You have enough to handle.” She looks to Oscar, who’s now reaching for my hair. Looks like déjà vu once again and he wonders why I cancel on him every chance I get.

“Yeah, I guess I do.” I push Oscar out of the booth and he falls down to his ass.

“Hey,” he says to another guy walking past him. “Watch it.”

The guy glances down.

“Sorry, he’s going home now,” I say to the stranger.

The guy bites his lip while studying my crotch. “Lucky him.”

Teegan coughs out a laugh, cascading a stream of water all over the table. “Blunt.”

I nod. The stories I could tell her. With Oscar slung over my arm, I stand on the opposite side of the table, waiting for what, I’m not sure. I just don’t feel like leaving her presence. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yep. We’ll go over the plans for the interview and our travel arrangements.” Her smile is about as genuine as the fake Louis Vuittons they sell in Chinatown.

“Great. Thanks again for working on this.”

“Let’s go, Leo. I think I’m going to be sick,” Oscar says.

“You better get going.” She eyes Oscar one more time.

“Yeah. See you.” I take a few steps away, Oscar’s feet dragging next to me. I want to tell her to call me if she needs to. I’ll come and get her, but from the look of her she doesn’t want that. From the look of her she wants me as far away as possible.