Since there were so many of them, they decided to walk to the sandwich shop next door instead of splitting up into different cars to drive. Crystal walked beside her sister, getting an update on her niece, Sofia, on the way.
When they were finally settled into a large table, Crystal had Ella on one side and Mia on the other. It seemed as if every time they had a group lunch, she ended up directly across from Suzy—which made her more than a little nervous. The woman was gorgeous and sophisticated, but that wasn’t the unsettling part. She was also a bit of a loose cannon. Mia had a similar personality, but Crystal had been around her friend enough to be comfortable discussing most anything. She didn’t know Suzy as well and was usually caught off guard by some of her questions or comments.
Ella had obviously invited everyone to her barbecue on Saturday, and they were discussing the details. Crystal almost swallowed her tongue when her traitor of a sister blurted out, “And we need to make sure that Mark attends. I’ve had Declan invite him, but, Emma, if you could have Brant follow up that would be great.”
Licking her lips, Suzy asked, “So, beyond the obvious reasons, why do we want him to attend so badly?”
Crystal kicked Ella under the table—which was a huge mistake. Instead of shutting up, Ella just started sputtering as if she’d lost her mind. She might as well be holding up a guilty sign. “I—er—um . . . trying to be nice?”
Dammit. Crystal winced. This was what happened when you had someone like Ella try to play matchmaker. All eyes were on her stuttering sister as if trying to figure out what she was hiding. Then, just as she’d feared, Suzy’s gaze settled on her. “You’re the only unattached one at this table. So unless someone has a confession to make about the state of their relationship, I’d say your sister is recruiting Mark for you.”
“God, yes!” Mia exclaimed. “My girl here is completely gone on ‘DeStudo.’”
Ava made a sound that was a cross between laughter and choking. “DeStudo?”
With a dreamy expression, Emma nodded. “That’s actually pretty accurate. I was in line behind him at the coffee shop last week, and man, is he sexy. He smelled so good that I found myself inhaling too fast and I was getting dizzy. And that voice. All manly and rough . . . I love Brant, but I secretly wouldn’t mind Mark for my work husband. I wouldn’t even need to touch him. Maybe an hour a day of sniffing and staring at him would do for me.”
“He is something,” Claire admitted shyly. “Jason has had him over for dinner a few times, and he’s so charming. He’s even good with our daughter, which I wouldn’t have expected since he doesn’t have children. I guess I wasn’t too good at hiding my admiration on his last visit because after he left, Jason waved a hand in front of my face and told me that I could go ahead and blink.”
Suzy chuckled at Claire’s story before saying, “Gray knows that I can’t help but appreciate a hot guy. Luckily, he’s secure enough to where he laughs it off. I also know he’s a man and will admire a beautiful woman—but that’s all it is. Now, if I were in the market for a threesome, Mark would be right up there at the top of the list. I mean, it’s not as if I could pick Nick, since he’s my brother-in-law. And Jason signs my paychecks, so that could get complicated. Declan looks like he knows his way around the bedroom, but I wouldn’t be able to choose between him and Brant, so they’re out. That leaves me with Mac, Dominic, and Gage—who wear those cargo pants well. But they are all in new relationships—which could be messy. That brings me to Mark. So yeah, if I were in the market, that bad boy would be my pick. I’ve heard some interesting rumors about him being a bit of a freak in the bedroom as well.” Staring at Crystal, Suzy asked, “Honey, are you sure you’re ready to make the leap from a Honda to a Lamborghini? Maybe you should start with . . . say, a Cadillac or even a Mercedes? While I admire you for going straight to a sports car, I have to wonder if you know how much horsepower that baby has.”
Beth’s eyes widened as she looked at her sister. “Just to be clear, we’re still talking about Mark, right?”
“Crap, I don’t know,” Mia murmured. “I’m still processing the whole threesome thing.” Then, raising her hand like a schoolgirl, Mia giggled. “I think I’ve mentioned that Suzy and Gray were at the top of my list of threesome dream teams.”
“Please don’t encourage her,” Beth moaned.
“Hey, I’d do you, Suzy,” Emma piped in. “You even used to have my favorite ass before Gwen came along.”
“Everyone wants Gwen’s ass,” Claire inserted before covering her face. “I think that came out wrong.”
Suzy bumped shoulders with Claire. “Hey, no judgment here. It’s a safe zone. And thank you, Emma, for your kind words. I’d be looking more for a man-man-woman kind of thing, but you never know.”
Ava cleared her throat as the laughter died down at the table. “Crystal, you do know that Mark doesn’t really do relationships, right? I’m not trying to dissuade you, but to my knowledge, Mark has never been involved with a woman beyond an evening.” Giving Crystal a look of concern, she added, “If you’re looking for something like that, you know, to experiment, then that’s great.”
“Oh, I’m not looking to marry him,” Crystal said breezily. She only hoped that the other women wouldn’t notice how forced her smile was. Of course she tried not to harbor any romantic delusions where Mark was concerned—but didn’t every woman have the Cinderella fantasy from time to time? Possibly, that was her whole problem. She grew up feeling subservient to first her mother and then to her husband. She’d barely been capable of making a decision on her own, and even when she did decide something for herself, she had to wonder if someone in her life hadn’t influenced it. “So . . . a question for all of you,” she began before she could chicken out. “If my being so . . . different from Mark’s usual kind of woman is a problem, should I show him that I can . . . change?” she stuttered out, no doubt sounding like an idiot. That hadn’t come out right at all.
Before anyone could answer, Ava spoke up again. “When I decided to go after Mac, I had to reinvent myself. It’s not that he didn’t love me as I was, because he did—for years. But I’d lost him because I wasn’t ready to be in a relationship with him. So in order to get his attention, I went a complete one eighty from who I’d always been. Instead of repressed and cautious, I became more of a daredevil. I did stuff that I knew would push every button that he had. I figured negative attention was good so long as he was thinking about me. Even if he only wanted to wring my neck. So I know what you’re trying to say.”
“Just to be clear here,” Suzy asked, sounding fascinated, “are you advising her to go buy some handcuffs and beat Mark at his own game?”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Beth grinned, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Oh, dear God”—Suzy groaned—“must everything lead back to images of you and my brother-in-law? Please don’t traumatize my nephew by doing kinky sex stuff.”
“Duh, that’s why there’s a lock on the bedroom door,” Claire added. “Just because you have children doesn’t mean you don’t still . . . do things. Right, Ella?”
Ella’s face went up in flames, but the twinkle in her eyes said that she knew exactly what the other women were talking about. “Um—sure.”
“I don’t know Mark,” Mia began, “but don’t you think he’d be a little surprised if Crystal suddenly showed up at his house wearing leather and carrying a whip?” Winking, she added, “Even Seth would do a double take if I did that, and trust me, the man likes his kink.”
Emma reached over and put her hands over Ava’s ears. “Brant is on the dominant side and likes to be in control of the bedroom action.”
“I know you’re talking about sex with my brother,” Ava snapped but didn’t try to remove Emma’s hands.
“Anyway, as I was saying, Brant has those tendencies, but he also likes to be surprised. I don’t think you need to go as far as going all Fifty Shades on his ass, but a few assertive things to throw him off his game would
probably be good. If he considers you a good girl, then he won’t be expecting you to make any moves on him. So I would do that. Even something small would get his attention.”
“I agree.” Suzy nodded. “Girl, grab that ass if he gets within arm’s reach. I mean really get in there and get yourself a handful of that fine piece.”
Emma, who had been in the middle of taking a drink of water, sprayed Ava as she began choking. Ava wore a disgusted expression as she took a napkin and began mopping herself up before doing the same to her future sister-in-law. When Emma had recovered, she blotted her lips and said, “Well, that would be one way to get his attention, for sure. I was thinking something a bit more subtle to begin with, like being all touchy-feely when he’s around.”
“But I rarely ever see him, unless I’m trying to. . . .”
“You mean stalking.” Mia giggled. “Now that you’ve spent a weekend with him, you’re a step ahead. You can actually speak when you see him.”
“Whoa! Hold the phone,” Suzy interrupted. “You’ve slept with DeStudo and you’re trying to get advice from us? Honey, it seems like you’ve left some key parts out here, and I, for one, need an explanation.”
Mia whispered a quick “I’m sorry” for spilling the beans.
Crystal figured at this point that she didn’t have anything to lose by telling everyone about her time with Mark. If she wanted their help, then she owed them the full story. So she quickly filled them in on what had transpired after she’d gotten sick and how Mark had taken care of her. She left out their Twitter flirtation, still wanting to keep that to herself.
When she was finished, Ava murmured, “Wow, that’s unbelievable. While I would haven’t called him an uncaring bastard, I’m shocked he didn’t hand you off at the first opportunity.”
“Sometimes a man can surprise you,” Emma pointed out. “Brant and I are still complete opposites, but it works. Oh, baby, does it ever. . . .”
Ava made a gagging sound, causing Emma to laugh.
“Well, you have an opportunity coming up with the barbecue,” Ella said. “And trust me: even if I have to go drag the man myself, he’s going to be there.”
The rest of the lunch was filled with funny dating or sex stories, making Crystal that much more aware of what was missing from her life. Even if she’d stayed married to her ex, she’d have nothing to share now—which she found completely depressing and unacceptable.
Chapter Seven
Crystal checked Mark’s Twitter page yet again. He’d gone silent after her last tweet, and it was driving her crazy. She’d broken down on Friday and taken the elevator to his floor, hoping to run into him, but no such luck. Ella’s barbecue was only hours away, and she had no idea if he’d be there. Ella promised that she’d done everything short of threatening Declan to make sure that his friend showed up.
Updating the page one last time, she almost dropped her iPad when she saw a tweet from only seconds earlier on his page. “Too much of a good thing can be taxing.” Mae West. #Angel.
“What the hell?” she whispered as she reread the quote. Was he telling her that he didn’t have any interest in her? He’d never even given her a chance, so why would he assume that she was too good? She tossed her iPad down on her sofa in disgust. Screw the bastard. She didn’t have to prove anything to him.
Then she stalked around her apartment, raging over what assholes men were. Suddenly, she grabbed her tablet, and began frantically searching quotes, hoping to find one that would make him eat his words. She’d almost given up when she found it. The perfect way to let him know how wrong he was about her. She typed out, “I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.” Mae West. #Angel. She thought it sounded so much better than #kissmyassMark!
Crystal ran to her closet, more determined than ever to look her best for the barbecue. She wanted Mark to swallow his damn tongue when he saw her today. She needed to strike the right balance between casual and sexy without appearing to have dressed up for the occasion.
After ten minutes of frantic digging through her closet, she found something that she’d bought on clearance last year but never had anywhere to wear it. It was a white strapless sundress. She paired it with a jean jacket and a brown leather belt. She was reaching for sandals when a pair of cowboy boots that she’d worn only a few times caught her eye. She’d seen similar outfits in magazines and always thought they looked fun and flirty.
When she was finished dressing, she stared at herself in the mirror. She had to admit that she looked hot. Just the right blend of sweet and sexy. Before she could talk herself into changing, she quickly added a touch of pink lip gloss and ran a brush through her loose waves.
The dress was much shorter than she normally wore, and she could only hope there wasn’t a big gust of wind tonight. Just in case, though, she’d worn her sexiest underwear. A girl had to be prepared for anything when going to war, right?
Before the voice of reason could send her into the closet to change outfits, she ran out to her car and was on her way to Ella’s. She spent the entire twenty minutes of the ride trying to bolster her courage to knock Mark for a flip—and then leave him hanging, since that was essentially what he’d done to her with his Twitter flirting.
“Brace yourself, because you’re mine tonight, DeStudo.”
• • •
This is a mistake, Mark thought yet again, as he pulled into Declan and Ella’s already crowded driveway. He’d tried to decline the invitation with some halfhearted business excuse, but Declan had been unusually insistent that he attend. Mark socialized often, as was expected of someone in his position, but he wasn’t much for the smaller, intimate gatherings such as this. These people not only worked together, but they were also either related by blood or extended family by choice. Something that was almost a foreign concept to him. Denny was the only one who could even remotely fall into that category in his life.
He also hadn’t been too eager to face Crystal after his brush-off Twitter post—because that’s exactly what it had been. She’d been occupying far too many of his thoughts during the past week, and he’d needed to break her hold on him. At first, he’d decided not to reply to her last tweet. Then when it had become apparent that he’d have to attend the barbecue this evening or piss off his friend, he’d felt it might be better to let Crystal know where things stood before seeing her again. He had little doubt that she would be here, even though he hadn’t come right out and asked Declan.
Now, though, he felt a little guilty and wondered if he hadn’t perhaps been hasty in his dumping via Twitter. For fuck’s sake, I’ve reverted into a teenager. It struck him suddenly that he hadn’t looked to see if she’d made any reply to his tweet, so he hastily pulled his phone from the front pocket of his jeans and opened the application. What he read there made his cock jump and his hand cramp as his grip tightened. Holy fucking shit. Denny having nicknamed her “Snow White” was ironic, considering her post. But the part about her drifting was enough to have him crawling out of his skin. He’d essentially called her a good girl, and she’d come right back letting him know she no longer was.
Mark paced for another few minutes, trying to get himself under control. He wanted to stomp through the door, get his hands on Crystal, and take her somewhere until he could breathe again. The rational part of his brain said that she was just teasing him. He’d probably hurt her feelings, and she had lashed out. Likely he’d go in and she’d spend the whole evening avoiding him. Which was about the only way he’d survive, so he hoped like hell that happened.
He was pondering getting back in his car and leaving, when an SUV pulled in behind him, effectively cutting off his exit. He saw Mac get out of his Tahoe and cross to the other side to help his wife, Ava.
Mark was unable to hide his smile when the stunning blonde walked toward him. “What are you doing out here by yourself?” she teased as he leaned down to drop a kiss on her cheek.
“Hiding like a coward,” he answered honestly. She gave him a funny look, wh
ich made him wonder if he was more transparent than he’d thought. She couldn’t possibly know about his attraction to Crystal unless she’d been stalking his Twitter profile as well.
Turning to Mac, he extended his hand, saying, “It’s good to see you again.”
“You too, Mark,” Mac replied as he pulled Ava back against him in a possessive gesture. Mark knew Ava’s family well and considered them friends—a fact that Mac could clearly live without even though he had chosen the nonverbal approach to get his message across. “Are you going inside?” Mac asked, pointing to the front door.
Before he could answer, Ava stepped forward and curled her arm around his, while keeping her other hand on her husband. “Of course he is. Who could resist an evening with such stimulating company?”
Mac looked confused as he stared at his wife, while Mark again had to wonder if she didn’t know more than she should. Was she friends with Angel? “That’s right,” he agreed, letting her pull him along. He’d make the rounds and then slip out early. No big deal at all.
His pep talk lasted him all of five minutes—until the moment he saw her. She was Snow White tonight. A sexy cowgirl version, at least, and he was screwed. His good intentions were already shot. Those plump lips would wrap around his cock and then she’d dig those cowboy boots into his back as he fucked her out of his system. He could assign some of the blame to her—she should have been smart enough to realize that you can’t tease a tiger as if he’s a house cat without getting mauled.
Chapter Eight
Crystal was on her second glass of wine when she saw Mark walk in with Ava and Mac. The other women in attendance had already been teasing her for bringing out the big guns tonight. Suzy had even given her a big seal of approval by asking to borrow her outfit at a later date. “The sexual tension between you two is making me horny,” Mia remarked as she looked at Crystal and Mark. “DeStudo hasn’t taken his eyes off you, girl. He’s yours for the taking tonight.”