“That is horrible,” I say, then put my hands in my pockets. “Are you ready?”
“For?” She looks at me and moves just a touch, and I can see her long smooth leg come out. A leg that I’m going to hook around my hip right before I slide my cock into her.
“I don’t know about you, gorgeous.” I get closer to her, and I can see her swallow. “But I know how this story ends.” I’ve been chasing her for the past four fucking years. Everyone I meet falls for my charm, but not Layla. She’s hated me since we first met, and it kills me that nothing I do changes her opinion of me.
“Really?” She crosses her arms over her chest, pushing up her tits.
“Really?” I nod.
“Is it with you catching chlamydia?” She laughs. “Don’t worry, I heard all it takes is four pills, and you’ll be back to normal.” She turns then and starts to walk away.
“Is that so?” She halts. “In my story, it ends with you …” Walking closer to her, I look around to see if anyone is watching, then my voice goes low. “Naked under me.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” she says. She storms away from me, and I can see that I almost got to her.
“Just a matter of time,” I tell myself right before the blonde comes up to me. Her Southern accent hits me right away.
“Well, hey there,” she says with a smile, and I swear my cock hides. “I’m Darla.”
“Miller,” I say although I know that she knows this. “Are you having a good time?”
“Not as good as I’m going to have tonight when I take you home,” she says. I can already tell she’s a stage five clinger. “So tell me, Miller …” She comes closer, trailing her manicured index finger down my suit jacket. “What do you like for breakfast?”
“Um,” I say, and then I step back so her hand falls, “if you will excuse me, I think I see someone I have to say hello to.” I smile as I lie, walking away from her. I turn to my right, and my eyes meet Layla’s. She is shocked that I caught her staring, and she turns her head away so fast I’m surprised she doesn’t have whiplash.
“It’s game time,” I tell myself. For the past four maybe even five years, I have tried and failed miserably to get her to date me. But I was never a quitter, so I’m not going to start now.
Chapter 3
Layla
My eyes lock with his, and the smirk on his face is making my blood boil. So what if I was caught looking at him? It’s a big room, and my eyes were just wandering. No one who is that arrogant should also be that good looking, I think to myself as I finish off another glass of champagne. Besides, every time I look around the room, I find him flirting with another woman. Each of the women hangs on to his every word and then pretends what he is saying is so funny, making me roll my eyes. I can just imagine which one he’s going to slide out of here with. Just the thought has me taking another glass of champagne.
“A penny for your thoughts.” I hear from beside me and look over to see Candace holding a glass of champagne in her hands.
“I was just thinking that I hate dressing up and that half these people are fake.” I look around the dimly lit room, I mean arena. I’m still always shocked when I attend functions here, and it’s not hockey. The wooden floor put over the ice, and the tables scattered everywhere so people can sit. “Actually, more like seventy-five percent of the people are fake.”
“I think more like ninety percent of the people are fake,” Candace says to me, taking the last sip of her champagne, and just like any great event, there is always a waiter there to take your glass and offer you another one. I down the rest of the champagne and grab another glass. “Did you drive here?”
“Negative,” I tell her, taking a sip. “You didn’t think I would attend this thing and not drink?” I smile at her. Ignoring the flutters in my stomach, I look around the venue again and spot Miller talking to yet another woman. Why the fuck do they flock to him? Fine, he’s good looking—I’ll give him that—but he’s an asshole. Okay, fine, he’s also not that. I think it’s just because he’s cocky. It’s as though he knows he’s good looking with his perfect hair and brown eyes some women have called bedroom eyes. And then you have the scruff on his face that surrounds his perfect lips and his perfect fucking abs. God, he’s the most annoying person I know. He’s been on my ass to date him forever, and the more I deny him, the harder he pushes. I know his type. He’s after the chase, and once he gets it, I’ll be just another notch on his bedpost. From the way people talk, the bed frame already needs to be replaced.
Candace takes a sip of her drink. “I will say that your dress is fucking stunning.” She looks me up and down, and I have to admit when I tried it on, I knew it was made for me. The black dress hugs my every single curve, and it’s almost like a corset by the way it brings in my stomach and enhances my hips. But my favorite part is the slit that looks like it goes all the way up to my hip bone but only goes to my upper thigh.
“Isn’t it?” I take a sip and roll my lips. “By the way, nice dress.” I wink at her, looking down at the tight black dress she’s wearing. “That isn’t the one you bought.” I point out. When we went shopping, she got a green off-the-shoulder dress that was short in the front and long in the back. It was perfect for her.
“I know that, asshole,” she hisses at me, making me laugh. Candace and I met at an event for the hockey team, almost like this one, four years ago. Her brother, Evan, was playing for the Dallas team. The two of us struck up a conversation and just clicked. Ever since then, we’ve been best friends. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her, and I know that if I was arrested or stranded somewhere, I couldn’t and wouldn’t be able to call her because she’d most likely be with me. “Ralph ‘accidentally’”—she uses her two fingers as quotations—“ripped it when he was zipping me up.” She shakes her head.
“That’s fucking gross.” I look at her. “And hot AF.” I wink at her. “I was going to say you had that glow.”
She puts one of her palms on her cheek right when Ralph comes over and puts an arm around her waist. “What are you two talking about?” he asks before leaning forward and kissing Candace, then taking a sip of his drink in his hand.
“I was just telling Candace she has the ‘I just got fucked’ glow,” I tell him. He coughs, and I roll my lips to keep from laughing. I hold up my glass to him as he tries to catch his breath. “Good job.” Candace throws her head back and laughs while Ralph tries not to choke.
“She does not have the glow. It’s all the glam she did,” Ralph finally says. “I told you not to put all that stuff on yourself.” He starts to rub her cheeks, and she pushes his hands away.
“There is no glam,” she tells him. “Now, did you bid on anything?” she asks him of the silent auction, and he just nods.
“Oh, I haven’t gone to bid yet,” I tell them. “I’ll catch you later. Save me a seat next to you,” I tell them and turn to walk toward the tables set up at the back of the venue. I smile to a couple of people I know, and I stop to talk to Nico, the owner of the team.