“I’m sure it has to do with your brother.” Carol is always trying to be the voice of reason.
“Then he can date my brother. I’m apparently not worth fighting for.” I turn to storm out of the dress shop, but when I wiggle the lock, it doesn’t budge. It really ruins the whole storming off in anger when you can’t get the door to open.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Carol drags me back. “Why don’t we give him a taste of his own medicine?”
“What do you mean?” I perk up at that.
“Tonight the resort is hosting that cocktail party they have every other Wednesday during the winter season. They do festive drinks and finger foods for the guests, but we can crash it. I’m sure there will be out of towners since we don’t date locals.”
“Does Jack go to these cocktail parties?” I know they’re at his resort, but I’m sure he can’t be involved in everything.
“Let me see.” Carol pulls out her phone and sends out a text. A second later, an alert sounds.
“Emily said he’ll pass through to check on things but doesn’t normally stay.”
“Yeah, passes through to pick up some chick,” I mutter.
“You’re really stuck on him hooking up with other women.”
“Why shouldn’t I be? He’s been scaring off men I could be dating all because he might have a stupid crush on me all the while doing whatever he wants. Fuck him.”
“Whoa.” Frostie’s eyes go wide. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea. She’s pretty mad and owns a gun.”
“No, I’m doing this. Doll me up, girls. I’m going to walk into that bar and kiss the first man I see.”
“This is going to be bad,” Frostie says.
“I think it’s going to be perfect.” Carol gets an evil grin on her face. “I don’t only have dresses. Wait till you see the lingerie I have too.”
Chapter Ten
JACK
“You’re coming, aren’t you?”
“What?” I turn around to see Emily standing in the door of my office and blink away visions of my cock buried inside Tinsel. “Oh, the cocktail party.”
“Are you okay?” She frowns at me, but I wave her off.
“Just distracted. I’ll swing by for a minute or two. I’ve got some things to take care of tonight.” The main one being to track down Tinsel and make good on my promise for avoiding me.
“All right, I’ll see you in there.”
After Emily leaves, I force myself to concentrate and finish up the last things I needed to do before leaving. My mind is so distracted with thoughts of Tinsel and how I’m going to make her mine. She’s so damn skittish about letting this happen, but I plan on proving that this is the only path she can take.
How else am I supposed to live my life without her? There’s no part of my future where I don’t see her in it, and now that I’ve had a little taste of her, I want the whole fucking thing.
Halfway down the hall, I can already hear the music from one of the party rooms. We have a few that we rent out for weddings or events, but every week, we have a mixer. It gives the people from out of town a chance to meet some locals and let loose. I’ve been told they can be a lot of fun, but I’ve never stayed to find out. I swing by to only check in on things.
It looks more crowded than usual, but then I remember it’s the tourist season. This is when we get the big rush for the holidays, and tonight is at its peak. Walking through the packs of people, I say hello to a few locals and a couple of return guests I remember. By the time I get a break in the crowd, I see the bar ahead and decide having a drink might be exactly what I need.
As I move closer, an older couple ahead of me moves to the side, and standing there is a woman that has dangerous curves written all over her. The tight navy dress is cinched tightly at the waist and around her ass, an ass I would know anywhere.
Tinsel turns around and leans against the bar but doesn’t see me yet. It’s a good thing because I’m standing there staring at her and drinking her in. The top of her dress is a corset that has her tits trussed up like an offering to the gods.
“Fuck me,” I whisper to myself, because seeing her like this literally takes my breath. Her hair is pulled to one side, and the line of her neck makes me want to sink my teeth into it.
Did I suddenly become a vampire?
I stare at her for so long my eyes dry out, and I have to blink a few times to clear it away. Was I so worried that she would disappear if I closed my eyes? Maybe. Deciding that I can’t stand the distance between us a second longer, I make my way over to the bar and crowd her space.