Why did I agree to this?

Addy smoothed down her navy blue dress, nervous as Jack steered the Jeep into the only expensive steakhouse in town. She let go of her hair, which she’d loosely braided to keep her rare blowout from turning into a rat’s nest on the drive.

“Ready?” Jack asked.

“I’m nervous,” she said.

“You have to be joking.”

“I’m not!” she said.

She pulled down the little mirror to check her makeup. It had been so long since she’d actually put in more effort than lip gloss and mascara that she was rusty.

“In that dress, you’re making heads turn left and right.”

“What are you talking about? We haven’t been anywhere except home and this parking lot.”

“And in that time you about gave the old man in the corner unit a heart attack, and those two teenaged boys who are always hanging out on the front steps something to aspire to.”

“Great, so I excited an old man and two hormonal teenage boys who would hump a fire hydrant.”

“Wow, learn to take a compliment,” he said.

The valet opened her door and held out his white gloved hand. She smiled up at him and grasped it.

Maybe Jack was right.

The valet’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he took in the extremely low cut of the knit jersey dress. Kenzie had nearly forced it on her, and it was more of a skirt with two really long straps at the waist that lifted up and tied around her neck Grecian-style.

“I don’t know,” she’d whined at Kenzie, and cupped her bare breasts over the fabric. “This is really out there.”

“Well, I know,” Kenzie had said. “Trust me. You know what I’d give for a dinner at Stovall’s?”

With newfound confidence, she took Jack’s hand as he reached for hers and pushed her shoulders back as they walked into the restaurant. Massive chandeliers hung overhead and the rich, red velvet of the booths against the intricate Persian rugs offered a type of immediate, luxurious intimacy.

“Reservations?” the hostess asked.

“Stratton,” Jack said. The young hostess couldn’t have been older than twenty, too young to be able to control the blatant lust in her eyes.

“Is this a special occasion?” the girl asked. She completely ignored Addy.

“Just a night out with my wife and friends,” Jack said.

The waitress shot Addy a look of pure jealousy and looked down to seek out the ring. Addy had to admit it felt good.

If this is what being a power couple is like, I can’t complain.

“The other half of the party is already seated. Follow me,” the hostess said curtly.

Addy gulped when she saw Rosalie. Jack’s ex was seated next to a handsome man with jet black hair combed back.

“Jack, Addy, hi!” Rosalie said when she saw them. She offered up that megawatt grin that punctuated her perfectly lined red lips even more. “This is Theo,” she said as the waitress slapped down two cocktail menus and walked away.

Theo stood up to shake their hands. He was tall, Addy noticed, but not quite as tall as Jack. His sharp face was freshly shorn and when he smiled he revealed teeth so perfectly white Addy wondered if they were veneers.

“I’ve heard a lot about you both,” Theo said. “Glad we could all get together. It sounds like all of our schedules are hectic.”

“Theo’s a producer in Los Angeles,” Rosalie said. “He’s just in town until tomorrow.”

“Wow, that’s … impressive,” Addy said as she sat down while Jack pulled out her chair.

Rosalie smiled at her, and for a moment it looked almost genuine. She looked stunning, Addy couldn’t help but notice. Rosalie’s alabaster skin was contrasted against her aubergine silk top and showed off arms so slender they looked unreal—beautiful in a nearly skeletal way.

She shivered as Jack ran his hand across the bare flesh of her upper back as he took his own seat. As the group began to talk, he wrapped his arm around her like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Jack radiated heat, and she soaked up every bit of it. She didn’t know if the chill in the air was from the awkwardness of the situation or just because this was the first time she’d been in a restaurant without working in months.

Are all restaurants this cold?

Addy coasted in and out of the conversation. Jack asked Theo polite questions about his flight and his work, while Rosalie and Jack had the tendency to get caught up in “hospital talk.”

Theo raised his eyes at Addy and shook his head with a smile when the doctors got too deep into their jargon.

“So, how did you two meet?” Addy asked. “If you’re in California and Rosalie’s here.”

“I actually have a cabin in Tahoe,” Theo said. “It’s a convenient getaway from Hollywood, and I love to ski in the winter and enjoy water sports in the summer. That’s how we met—I reinjured my rotator cuff on my new jet ski, and Rosalie is the one who fixed me up.”

Rosalie laughed.

“Fixed you up is a bit extreme,” she said. “More like ordered an MRI and referred you to a surgeon in Los Angeles.”

The waiter approached with a polite smile.

“Can I get you started with some drinks?”

“Share a bottle of red?” Jack and Rosalie asked in tandem.

They laughed together and shared what Addy swore was a secret, intimate look.

“Sounds good to me,” Theo said, and Addy shrugged at Jack.

“I tend toward Bordeaux blends, but I say Theo chooses since he’s the out-of-town guest.”

“We’ll take the bottle of 2009 Chateau Lafite Rothschild,” Theo said. “To start.”

Addy pretended to peruse the cocktail side of the menu, but searched for the bottle Theo ordered. She nearly choked at the price—over a thousand dollars.

I’m the only one at this table who doesn’t have the potential to make six or seven figures, she realized.

A small part of her deflated. She stared off into space while she partially listened to the conversation around her. Addy didn’t have much to contribute to talks about hospital politics or Hollywood productions.

Her breath caught when she saw Jeremy with a lithe blonde on his arm being seated just four tables away—a blonde that wasn’t Shannon.

What, did the whole town decide they had to have steak today?

Jeremy caught her eye just as he started to sit. With a grin, he rose back up, grabbed his date’s hand, and strolled over to their table.

“What a surprise,” Jeremy said. “Addy, I didn’t expect to see you somewhere like this. This is Melissa.”

“Marissa,” the girl corrected.

She tugged self-consciously at her miniskirt that barely covered her ass.

“What happened to Shannon?” Addy asked.

Jeremy shrugged and smiled.

“I can’t be tied down. Not ready to walk the marriage plank. No offense,” he added, and looked at Jack.

Jack shrugged, apparently unruffled by it.

“Oh, hello!” the waiter said as he appeared with the bottle of wine. “Are we adding two more for dinner?”

Addy opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Jack jumped in with a resounding, “Yes.”

Her jaw dropped and she looked to Jeremy, but he seemed up for the challenge. Before she knew what had happened, the table was shuffled around to squeeze in two more.

Addy squeezed Jack’s knee under the table, and he looked at her with a comforting grin. He settled back into his chair, one arm around Addy while he held the wine glass in his other hand.

Across the table, she saw that Jeremy really piled on the PDA with his date. With his arm across Marissa’s shoulder, he grazed the side of her breast repeatedly with his thumb. Not to be outdone, Addy curled deeper into Jack’s embrace and briefly rested her head on his chest between sips of the admittedly decadent wine.

Rosalie cleared her throat, and it brought Addy back to reality. She’d forgotten about this ex in her quest to make Jeremy jealous.

Rosalie was visibly uncomfortable and jealous, but Addy didn’t have time to focus on her right now.

Besides, it looks like the Jeremy Challenge is working for her, too.

When the waiter returned, another bottle of wine was ordered but the first glass had made her just tipsy enough to no longer care. Addy was grateful that Jack ordered for her—a bone marrow starter to share and petite filet mignon topped with lobster.

“Excuse me,” Rosalie said when the waiter left. “I’ll be right back.”

“Go to the restroom, too,” Jack whispered to her.

“What?”

“Go!” he said under his breath.

“I, um, excuse me,” Addy said. Rosalie was already halfway to the restroom.

She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do as she followed Rosalie’s retreating back. But as soon as she reached the long hallway that led to the restrooms, she felt a firm hand on her waist.

“What—”

She turned to find Jack behind her, a hunger in his eyes she hadn’t seen before. Addy didn’t know what he was doing, but he pulled her close and kissed her in a way that nearly knocked the breath out of her.

She felt herself melt into a puddle against him as he pressed her against the wall. His tongue invaded her mouth and she let out a whimper as he dominated her.

Jack pushed himself against her and she was surprised to find he was hard—and very well-endowed.

It was like she was watching someone else, some other couple. She couldn’t stop herself. Without thinking, she slid her hand between them and felt the outline of his bulge. A growl erupted low in his throat.

“Excuse me?”

They both turned to see Rosalie one foot away from them, returning from the restroom. The hallway was so narrow she couldn’t slip past them.

Jack jumped away from Addy while she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Sorry,” Addy said. Jack grinned at her while Rosalie squeezed by with a scowl and rushed back to their table.

The two of them followed closely. Addy was relieved to find a full glass of wine waiting for her. She downed it in a few swallows. Across the table, Rosalie was red with anger. Addy could almost feel the excitement that emanated from Jack at the sight of the jealousy.

It made him turn up the charm even more. As he refilled Addy’s glass, he leaned into her and put his hand on her bare thigh.

“I want to taste you again,” he whispered into her ear. She squirmed.

His hand was searing on her skin. Every time she tried to move, his fingers gripped her tighter. Twice, she pushed his hand away, but he returned it each time—and every time, it was a little higher up her leg.

Addy looked to him when the conversation at the table was finally somewhat fluid, and he raised his brow. She took a deep swallow of the wine and picked at her dinner when it arrived.

She couldn’t help but notice Jeremy’s eyes on her, amused.

You can’t let him win, she told herself.

Addy scooted her chair closer to Jack. When the table started to finish up dinner, she let out a small yawn and snuggled up to him with her hand on his chest. Addy sneaked a look at Jeremy, who still stared at her. The smirk was gone.

“Can I interest anyone in dessert?” the waiter asked while a busboy discreetly cleared the table and swiped up the crumbs.

Addy elbowed Jack in the ribs.

It’s time to go, she tried to tell him without words.

“Actually, we have to be going,” Jack said.

He dropped a stack of bills on the table and winked at Rosalie. Addy’s vision was swimming just enough that she couldn’t tell how much money he’d left. As they rose, Jack pulled out Addy’s chair once again and helped her up.

He escorted her toward the door, but just before they were out of sight he stopped and pulled her close once again for a passionate kiss. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the eyes that seared into them from the table.

Once they were finally outside, Addy breathed out a sigh of relief while the cool night air enveloped her.

“Thank God we don’t have people to fool at home. Dinner wore me out.”

Jack looked at her questioningly and brushed the valet aside to open the door for her himself.

What is he thinking?