Vanessa made a face. “He’s not everything he’s cracked up to be.”
“What are you talking about?” Laura said. “He’s loaded and sexy. He’s the perfect man.”
I wasn’t jealous that her friends thought Conway was attractive, but I didn’t like the way he was objectified. There was more to him than being rich and hot. “He’s also very generous and compassionate. He takes care of his models, and he’s good to the people who work for him. He’s also a good friend…”
Vanessa grinned. “Head over heels…”
I wanted to contradict her, but I knew I shouldn’t.
A man appeared at the table holding a vodka cranberry. He set it down in front of me, wearing a grin on his face.
He wasn’t the bartender I ordered from, and that wasn’t even the drink I ordered. “Uh, I think you got my order mixed up with someone else’s.”
He slid into the booth beside me, making himself comfortable.
I immediately shifted away, my personal space in jeopardy. After what I experienced, I didn’t like it when anyone got too close to me. It immediately set off radars in my head.
“I’ll get you whatever you want, sweetheart.” He draped his arm over the back of the chair. “Cosmo?”
I scooted farther away from him. “How about you just take your drink back and learn how to not be creepy?”
“Yeah, you’re so creepy.” Vanessa snapped her fingers and pointed to the other side of the room. “Now, go be creepy elsewhere.”
Just as he leaned forward to say something to her, he was yanked out of the booth and onto the floor.
Conway kicked him to the side then pressed his foot against his chest, applying pressure right against his lungs. Despite the violence of the situation, the bouncers watched from the first floor with their arms crossed over their chests, staying out of it even though it was their job to interfere. “Get the fuck out.” Conway stepped back and watched the man lying on the floor.
The guy quickly got up, avoided eye contact, and bolted for the stairs.
Conway straightened the front of his shirt then slid his hands into his pockets, resuming his suave casualness before he turned his gaze on me. Obviously bubbling with irritation and rage, he looked at me like I was the one who’d done something wrong. “I can’t leave you alone even for five minutes.”
Stephanie and Laura both stared at Conway like he was a big piece of man meat, especially after that heroic performance he’d just given.
Vanessa wore an angry expression similar to Conway’s, their sibling DNA even more apparent when they were both ticked. “What the hell are you doing here, Con?”
He slid into the booth beside me and draped his arm over my shoulders. Unlike the guy before him, his touch was sexy and welcomed. His cologne entered my nose, and his protection wrapped around me like an invisible wall. It was nothing like the creepiness that surrounded the man before him. He pulled my hair off my shoulder to expose my neck and placed a soft kiss against my pulse.
Vanessa narrowed her eyes further. “You going to answer me?”
“Do I ever answer you?” he asked coolly. He scanned the bar then raised his hand slightly, getting the attention of someone we couldn’t see.
A woman appeared out of nowhere, in a skintight dress with a tray tucked under her arm. “What can I get you, sir?”
“Scotch,” he answered. “My girl will have the same—on the rocks.”
My girl.
I shouldn’t feel warm inside, but I did.
The waitress disappeared, and Conway returned to scanning the room. The music still played overhead, and people danced in the center of the platform on the second landing. The lights were low and in hues of blue. Everything there had a blue cast to it.
“Does that mean you’re staying?” Vanessa asked. “Because this is a chick thing.”
Conway ignored her.
“Are you a chick?” Vanessa asked.
Conway finally turned back to her. “Pretend I’m not here. I pretend you don’t exist all the time.”
Vanessa narrowed her eyes. “If Sapphire weren’t my friend, I’d kick you under the table.”
“And I’d kick you back,” Conway said. “Hard.”
Vanessa took a drink, the irritation still in her eyes.
“He wouldn’t let me come without him in tow,” I said apologetically. “Believe me, I tried.”
Conway turned away again, entertaining himself by watching the crowd. The waitress brought his drinks instantly, and he left a hundred euros on the table as a tip.
“I know,” Vanessa said. “This guy follows me around when I’m on a date, so trust me, I understand.”
“Aww, he’s just trying to protect you,” Stephanie said. “I think it’s sweet.”
My spine suddenly tightened in annoyance. The girls had been forthcoming about their attraction to him, and I’d let it slide because it would be impossible for any woman not to be attracted to him. But now, it kept going…and I didn’t care for it.