Gabriel passed him what looked like two hundred-dollar bills. “Keep the change.”
So he was wealthy. It wasn’t surprising since he’d admitted he’d been born in this part of town. She sipped her fifteen-dollar glass of wine. “You’re a generous man.”
He took a healthy swig of Scotch. “Not really. This is expensive booze. I can’t help it; I’m a Scotch snob. I like it to be a single malt and at least able to vote. I’m more flexible on my other tastes.” He cast a sidelong glance back toward the table she’d been sitting at. “Is that your husband over there?”
Everly looked back. Scott was sitting by himself again, Tavia now engrossed in another conversation at a nearby table with others on Crawford’s management team, gesticulating as quickly as her lips moved. “No. He’s just a friend. I’m not exactly his type.”
“Then most men here tonight are blind it seems.”
She could almost feel his gaze like a physical caress, moving from her eyes to her chest. His stare lingered there for a moment before he shook his head as though he was correcting himself. At his inspection, she stifled the urge to shiver. “Are you with the VIP party that’s occupying all the waitstaff?”
He grimaced, though it did nothing to mar his beauty. “I’m afraid I am, but I needed to get out for a minute. I thought I’d stretch my legs and fend for myself. Now I’m happy I did. I saw you on the street earlier.”
“Really?” He’d noticed her?
Gabriel nodded. “You were walking down Eighty-fourth. I suppose you were coming here. Were you with the crowd at the church?”
Nope, she’d hovered near the back, not wanting to see the casket that represented the death of a friend she would long mourn. She didn’t want to talk about the funeral now. Since Gabriel lived in the area, he’d probably been doing something happier today. Why bring down his mood, too? Besides, tonight she was Eve—a woman without problems. “I was in the mood for a drink.”
“Well, I was, too. Maybe we can share a couple. This place is crowded though.”
Was he merely making an observation or actually suggesting she leave with him? Her heart rate tripled. Yes, she knew she shouldn’t run off with a stranger. Serial killers could be beautiful, too. And yet, the idea of getting to know this man intrigued her.
“Gabe? Come on, man. We’re waiting on you. They found the cigars, but Zack won’t light up until you come back.” A tall, muscular man with chocolate eyes and black hair in a buzz cut joined them, glancing at her with a smile. “Hello. My name’s Dax. What’s yours?”
Gabriel narrowed his eyes and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Her name is I Saw Her First.”
Dax put his hands up as if to concede the point. He looked terribly amused. “Well, that’s a lovely name, but Gabe needs to go see our old friend, who won’t be here much longer because he has important things to do. He’s leaving in twenty minutes. Something about a crisis in the Middle East. Like that won’t be there tomorrow.”
“All right.” Gabriel sent her what seemed to be a regretful smile. “It was nice to meet you, Eve. I don’t suppose you’re hanging out here all night?”
She didn’t want to let him walk away, but apparently her little fantasy was going to end sooner than expected. And it was probably for the best. Running off with a stranger for a hot fling while her life was in turmoil wasn’t smart . . . though the escape would have been nice. “No. But it was nice to meet you. Thanks for the drink.”
Before she was tempted to blurt out her phone number, Everly turned away and rejoined Scott.
“Who’s the hottie?” He watched Gabriel and Dax disappear into the back of the bar. “Or should I say hotties, plural? I didn’t get a good look at them, but you can tell a lot from a man’s backside. Tell me one of them is gay and we’re about to get lucky.”
She sighed and took another sip of what would likely be her last glass of wine for the night. “Nope. We’re definitely not getting lucky.”
The kind of luck it took to snag gorgeous Gabriel only seemed to happen to other girls. She took another drink and wished she’d been able to play Eve a little longer.
TWO
Gabe couldn’t stop thinking about Eve. He tried to focus on the conversation around him, but all he could see were those wide hazel eyes and the way her reddish hair tumbled around her shoulders, curling down to those lush breasts.
It had been a very long time since he’d gotten hard simply by looking at a woman.
“I’m just saying, Liz is going to be pissed.” Roman had ditched his jacket and tie and looked every inch the Beltway player he was. He sat back and puffed on his cigar. “Did you tell her?”
Zack shook his head. “I’m not stupid. I’m going to tell her I came up here to meet with the UN delegation from . . . I don’t know. Pick some war-torn country. I’ll tell her I was trying to make peace or something.”
Elizabeth Matthews was Zack’s press secretary but she’d also served as his work wife since Joy’s death. Gabriel was grateful Zack had her to lean on. His old friend had been so hollow for the longest time. Even as he’d accepted the highest office in the nation, Gabe had known his friend felt dead inside. Two years into his first term, and he was finally joking again. Gabe suspected lovely blonde Liz had a lot to do with that.
“Zack, come on, man. You’re the leader of the free world and you’re scared of your press secretary?” Connor shook his head.
Roman patted his boss on the back. “We’re all scared of Liz. She might look cute, but that woman has three rows of teeth and they’re all razor sharp. Trust me. When she finds out—and she will find out because she’s also got eyes in the back of her head—she’ll kick his ass.”
“I’m sure kicking isn’t what Zack would like to do to her ass.” Dax winked. “Shit. Did I say that out loud?”
They all looked to Zack, but he laughed. “You’ve spent way too much time on that boat of yours, man. You’ve forgotten the fine art of diplomacy.”
“I don’t think he ever had it,” Gabe replied. “Don’t you remember Dax was the one who got us all detention because he told the math teacher where to stick his calculator?”
Dax shook his head. “Yeah, that was not a fun day. Mad snuck out the back window because he had a date, and we had to cover for him. Asshole.”
Connor laughed. “Damn, but I’m going to miss him.” He shook his head as though clearing his thoughts. “So, are you ever going to give in to temptation and ask Liz out?”
Zack scoffed. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my job is kind of demanding. I don’t have a ton of time for dating.”
Gabe leaned forward, warming to the topic. “Excuses, man. We’ve all got demanding jobs. You know you like her.”
“Yes, you all have demanding jobs. And how many of you are married?” Zack pointed out. “None. Zero. Zilch. Besides me, Dax is the only one of you to give matrimony a whirl, and that didn’t work out so well.”
“Hey, I am looking for the next Mrs. Spencer,” Dax said. “Who will surely be an ex after a year or two on the job.”
“Well, naturally, since you admit being your wife is work,” Roman shot back. “Besides, I think it’s traditionally called marriage.”
“Hey, military wives call it a job. They don’t have it easy. There’s a reason Courtney left me,” Dax admitted. “But that shouldn’t stop Zack from sneaking around the White House and getting a little
something-something. Tell me you haven’t thought about doing it in the Lincoln Bedroom. Or in that room with all the china. Why the fuck do you need all that china? How many plates does one man need?”
Zack took the ribbing with a good-natured wave of his hand. “Stop. You’re killing me. And no, I am not pursuing Liz. I can’t take a crap without the press trying to snap a picture. Have you seen that blog? What’s the name?”
“Capitol Scandals,” Roman supplied with a hearty groan. “It’s the hottest thing in DC right now. I’ve tried to get it shut down five times. It keeps popping back up like a rat that won’t eat the poison. I would love to get hold of whoever runs that sucker.”
“They ran a report on the size of my dick. I’m not kidding