SocialPreyAllRomance (7 page)

Not because she welcomed it or looked for it, but just because she seemed to have
some of the worst bad luck in the world.

“There you are,” Sharon said as she embraced her in a hug. As she pulled away, she
waved her hand toward the other three. “You remember these girls from the party planning
business, right?”

Kiley looked at them and nodded. “Yeah. Hi, guys.”

Lydia, Theresa, and Angela. They were Sharon’s employees and had started tagging along
to some of their nighttime haunts.

They all said their hellos and headed to the door. Inside, the club’s low lighting
cast the room in a reddish hue. Designed to look like an old, eighteenth century bordello,
the club had a very unusual vibe.

They grabbed one of the corner tables and quickly ordered a round of drinks. Kiley
needed this.

She needed the numbing effect to help her not think about Scott. Hopefully, if she
drank enough, maybe she wouldn’t think about anything at all.

Just as she was about to lift the glass to her lips the waiter had set in front of
her, she spotted the last person in the world she wanted to see over by the bar.

Scott.

He stood with two other guys, drinking beer and talking about God knows what. As she
stared, several women walked past him, giving him looks that very clearly said what
they wanted.

Kiley frowned as Scott began to talk to one of those women.

Why should she care, right? She took a huge sip of her drink then started to set her
glass down but changed her mind. Lifting it, she started to take another.

“Hey, is that Scott?” Sharon asked as she raised her hand to wave.

Kiley grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand back down. “No!”

Sharon gave her a confused look. “Why not?”

Kiley shook her head. “Just—“

She saw Scott walking toward them and inwardly groaned. Too late. He’d already spotted
them. “Damn.”

Sharon frowned at Scott, then her. “What’s going on, Kiley? Are you mad at him or

something?”

“Or something,” she mumbled and gulped down another huge sip of her drink.

God, he looked good—jeans, t-shirt, wide shoulders, narrow hips, beer in hand, smile
on his handsome face. Sighing, she lifted her glass to down the remaining contents.

Lydia grabbed her elbow and whispered, “Slow down, hon.”

Kiley could already feel the effects. Warmth spread through her limbs. Fog penetrated
her brain to leave her feeling slightly disoriented and way too loose with her tongue.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she snapped as Scott came to stand by their table.

Scott raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Someone’s a mean drunk.”

“I’m not drunk,” Kiley argued as heat flooded her cheeks. “I’m just surprised to see
you here.”

“I came with the guys,” he waved toward the bar. “The dark haired guy, Shawn, wanted
to know if I would introduce him to the platinum blonde…” He gave Lydia a pointed
look.

Lydia smiled slightly and replied, “Married.”

Scott’s scrunched his nose into a pained expression. “Shawn will be disappointed to
hear that.”

“Well,” Lydia said with a chuckle. “Tell him I appreciate the interest.” She looked
at Kiley and her grin widened. “Makes me feel good to know I can still attract a cute
guy.”

Kiley returned her smile but when she turned her gaze back to Scott, her smile faded.
“I guess you can go back to your friends now.”

Scott lifted his lips into the devilish grin Kiley recognized. She doubted he was
going anywhere.

Matter of fact, he proved her right by grabbing a chair and turning it around. He
straddled his thick thighs over the chair, then sat down.

“Sounds like you’re trying to get rid of me,” he purred.

“Then I guess it’s exactly as it sounds.”

Sharon moved her gaze between the two of them, her intelligent brown eyes not missing
anything. Kiley knew after this little performance, Sharon would be all over her for
what was behind it.

“We hang out all day together,” Kiley reasoned. “Do we have to hang out at night together,
too?”

“I don’t know,” Scott replied as he studied her so intently she felt the urge to squirm.
“Might be kinda fun to hang out at night. Besides, if I recall, we had dinner together
at night recently.”

“That was a peace offering and if you don’t leave, you’re going to need to bring me
another one.”

“Maybe I’ll stay so I have a reason to.”

Kiley sighed and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “You are such a-“

“Relax, sunshine. I’m leaving.” Scott stood and turned the chair back around, then
pushed it under the table. “If I didn’t know you as well as I do, I would get a complex.”
He pouted, making Sharon and the other women feel sorry for him. “See how bad she
treats me.”

“Ah,” Sharon said. “Poor baby.”

“I know. It’s awful.” He turned and began walking away, but as he left he threw over
his shoulder. “Just awful.”

Sharon and the other girls chuckled, but Kiley frowned. The more time she spent with
him, the more she wanted him—the more she loved him. What the hell was she going to
do?

“Okay, now that he’s gone…” Sharon began as she spun in her chair to face Kiley. “You
want to talk about what the hell all that tension is about?”

Kiley waved and got the waiter’s attention. Holding up her glass, she indicated she
would like another drink. He nodded and headed to the bar. “Do I have to?”

“Well, we can just make up our own minds about how you have the hots for Scott and
use a surly demeanor to cover it up, albeit it badly.”

Kiley dropped her head in her hands. “Oh, God.” If she was that obvious to them was
she that obvious to Scott? “Is it that obvious?”

“To me,” Sharon replied.

“Us, too,” Lydia added as she put her arm around Kiley’s shoulders and gave her a
squeeze.

“It’s not so bad. He’s gorgeous. I would have the hots for him too if I were you.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Is Keith still trying to run your life with that whole stay away from Scott thing?”
Sharon asked.

Kiley lifted her head and nodded. “I understand why. I do. Scott and I work together.
If it didn’t work out, which it probably wouldn’t since he’s such a womanizing prick,
then things at work would be rough.”

“Oh, and the way things are now is so much better?” Sharon argued.

Kiley snorted. “Most days I can avoid him or hide things. Most days Keith is there
so it’s easier.

Now that Keith is in Istanbul and Scott’s bored because all the guys are gone, he’s
been spending more time with me.” Kiley squeezed her temple tiredly. “And, it’s getting
so very hard to keep my hands off him.”

“I don’t think getting drunk is going to help that situation any,” Theresa said with
amusement.

“Your drink, hon,” the waiter said.

Kiley smiled her thanks and took the glass from his extended hand. “I think the not
getting drunk thing is a matter of opinion,” Kiley said as she took a big sip of her
drink.

Scott sat at the bar, watching Kiley on the dance floor. Kiley’s toned, tan body swayed
and moved to the music; the hot pink mini dress emphasizing every luscious curve to
perfection.

Her brown hair had begun to curl from the moist air created by the fog machines stationed
at the four corners of the dance floor. Several men gathered around her, dancing along
with her.

She seemed oblivious to their presence, lost in her own world—in the almost tribal
beat of the music.

He loved watching her dance. She was good. She knew exactly how to move her hips to
attract a man. Scott frowned as one of the men dancing with her got a little too close.
He stood and started to intervene, but Kiley seemed to have things well in hand.

Without even looking at the guy, she shifted positions, putting more space between
them.

Maybe she wasn’t quite as drunk as he’d initially thought. She seemed actually pretty
observant for someone who’d downed four drinks that he knew of.

There was a slight change in the tempo of the music, and Kiley stumbled. She caught
hold of Sharon’s arm and laughed at her own clumsiness. Nope, Kiley was drunk. It
really showed as she slowly and quite wobbly left the dance floor with Sharon following
her.

Scott set his drink down and started over to their table. As he got closer, he heard
Kiley say, “I need to get home. I have to be at work tomorrow.”

“You’re part owner. You can stay home if you want. Besides,” Sharon said firmly as
she reached for Kiley’s keys. “You’re in no condition to drive home.”

Kiley jerked her hand back with surprising speed for someone under the influence.
“Then how am I supposed to get there?”

“I’m driving you.”

“What about my car?”

Sharon put her hands on her hips. “One of the other girls will drive it.”

Scott stood back and let Sharon handle it. Kiley appeared to be thinking it over,
then handed her keys to Sharon. “Fine.”

“Good,” Sharon said with a nod. “Let me go get one of the girls, then we’ll head out.”

Kiley nodded and dropped into the chair facing the dance floor. Scott caught up with
Sharon as she headed toward Lydia, who stood at the far side of the bar talking with
another group of girls that had come in.

“Sharon,” he called.

She stopped and turned to look at him. “You still here?”

Scott shrugged good-naturedly. “Nowhere else to go. I can take Kiley’s car home.”

“What about your car?” she asked over the loud music.

“I didn’t drive here. I came with one of the other guys, but I think he’s got some
girl he wants to take home. They don’t need me as a third wheel, so taking Kiley’s
car works out great. I’ll follow you back to her place, then sleep on her couch.”

“Kiley will have a cow,” Sharon said, grinning.

Scott returned her grin. “That I drove her car or that I’ll sleep on her couch?”

“Both.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time for either one of them.”

Sharon pursed her lips and studied him much too closely. “What’s your thing with Kiley?”

“My thing?” he asked.

She crossed her arms. “You know what I mean.”

Scott sighed. “She’s my best friend’s little sister. Keith would kill me if anything
happened to her. He’d also kill me if he knew I was here and didn’t stop her from
getting that drunk,” he added as he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “What
brought that on, anyway?”

Sharon rolled her eyes. “If you don’t already know, I’m not about to explain it to
you.” She handed him the keys. “I’m in the maroon Pacifica.”

Scott nodded and watched as Sharon made her way back to Kiley. What in the hell had
she meant by that? What was it he was supposed to already know?

Keith strolled carefully through the halls of the prison complex. They’d used the
two door key cards their contact had given them to get in. Two of his men were with
him, the others placed in strategic areas around the exit just in case they ran into
trouble. They just needed to wait for the explosion that was scheduled. Nothing like
a convenient diversion.

So far, so good, but Keith refused to breathe a sigh of relief just yet. He knew getting
out of here would be more difficult than getting in. He fingered one of the guns he
had hidden under his jacket. He knew at some point they would have to shoot their
way out, he just hoped they were close to the exit before the shooting started.

All the way to the exit would be the best scenario. That way his men could offer cover.
If they got caught inside, it would just be the three of them and their chances of
success would be more limited. Not impossible, but certainly in question.

They kept their heads down and their faces hidden from the cameras. Dressed as prison
guards, the only thing that would give them away was their lighter coloring. Especially
Keith, but he wanted to be there for Paula. This would be terrifying for her, especially
if they had to shoot their way out.

Keith and his men turned to the right at the end of the hall. Paula’s door was the
third on the left. He glanced at his watch and waited. Right on time, an explosion
rocked the building. John glanced at him as the walls around them shook from the blast.

“That was close,” John said.

Keith nodded as he reached into his pocket for the key his escort had given him. As
quickly as possible, but also not trying to raise suspicion, he unlocked Paula’s door.

He pushed it open and stepped into the tiny room that Paula had called home for the
last several days. She stood quickly and stared at him, at first with fear in her
eyes, then relief as she realized who he was.

He held his hand out. “We need to move fast.”

Paula nodded and put her hand in his. Keith put Paula between himself and John and
walked her down the hall as though escorting her to a new location.

“What was that noise?” she asked. “Did something exploded?”

“Yes. Keep your head down,” Keith murmured as they walked through the halls.

Paula lowered her head and kept her hands clasped in front of her. He could tell by
how stiffly she walked she was scared to death, but she did everything he said without
question.

Several guards rushed past them, heading to the other side of the building, no doubt
in response to the explosion. Keith swept his gaze over the hallway, then turned to
check behind him.

So far, so good. He just hoped their luck held.

* * * *

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I brought your car home.”

He held his hand out to her, but instead of taking it, she stared at it blankly.

“You can go home now,” she murmured.

“Not until I see you inside.”

She climbed from the car, ignoring his hand. “I can see myself inside, thank you very
much.”