“Stop being such a worrywart. Everything will be fine. How could anything happen with hundreds of people watching?” She tugged at his shirt. “C’mon, it’ll be fun. I promise!” She ignored his protests and dragged him outside to hail a cab.
“What are you doing? We drove here.”
“Safety first. We’ve been drinking. And if we take a cab, we can drink some more. I suspect there’s a cool guy lurking beneath that suffocating layer of buzzkill you hide behind and I want to get to know that guy.”
“Yeah, well, that guy isn’t on the clock,” he said, gracing her with a stern look that oddly made him ten times sexier. Maybe it was the whiskey talking but CoCo wouldn’t mind sampling those lips or caressing that firm, set jaw. “We should get back to the hotel.”
“If we return to the hotel right now, these clothes are coming off. However, if you let me get a little club time, I swear I will docilely return to the hotel and promise to keep my hands to myself and my clothes on. Sound like a deal?” She waited with bated breath, half hoping he’d drag her back to the hotel, but when he grudgingly agreed with a black look, she smiled, happy to enjoy a win either way. “Great. You’ll love Tinsel. It’s filled with hotties almost every night.”
“I’ll keep that in mind when I’m not being dragged there against my better judgment.”
She laughed. “Such a sourpuss. Oh! Here comes a cab. Let’s go,” she said, moving quickly to the cab and climbing in before he came to his senses.
“This is a bad idea,” he muttered, mostly to himself until CoCo swung her long legs over his and stretched them out. He jerked his gaze away and she giggled. The fact that he continually pretended that he wasn’t affected by her charms was entertaining, even if it was a bit maddening. She wasn’t accustomed to being so blatantly ignored, much less rejected. It was a new thing—and while the novelty was something, she suspected she wouldn’t enjoy it becoming a trend.
“Why do you pretend that you’re not attracted to me?” she asked boldly. “I can tell when a man is interested. You’re not fooling anyone.”
“I don’t mess around with clients.”
Ah, the rules again. She’d never met a man so consumed with toeing the line. “What if I wasn’t a client?”
Rian swallowed but he kept his voice firm. “I don’t mess with party girls.”
Her smile froze, her former good mood dimming a bit. “Is that what I am? A party girl?”
Rian swung his gaze to meet hers. “Seems like it to me.”
“Perhaps I’m more than that and you just haven’t chosen to see farther than your nose.”
He graced her with a derisive look that stung a little. “Not likely, princess.”
CoCo swung her legs off him and tugged at her dress. What did she care what Rian thought? His opinion meant little to her. Still, she couldn’t keep the hurt from her voice as she said, “Well, I guess I’d better live up to that reputation.”
“Hey, don’t get hurt feelings now,” he said. “Who says there’s anything wrong with being a party girl? It’s the way you live your life.”
Was he trying to comfort her after basically calling her out? She didn’t want his pity. Screw this. She needed a drink and a good time. She shrugged. “I’m fine. Just looking forward to getting out of this cab and having a cute bartender put a drink in my hand. Time to get this party started.”
Rian looked primed to add something else but he held it back and she was glad. She didn’t want to hear any more condescension from that chronically handsome mug. He had the ability to make her feel bad and want to make a good impression at the same time, which wasn’t healthy. She didn’t need him. He was a temporary inconvenience. After this gig, he would be gone and she’d gladly say goodbye.
The cab stopped in front of Tinsel and she bailed, almost leaving him behind. Gotta be quick on your feet if you want to keep up with this party girl. She graced a smile to the bouncer, who recognized her as a regular and let her past the rope, but when Rian tried to do the same, the bouncer gave him guff. She could’ve smoothed the way for him but a mean part of her wanted him to wait his happy ass outside while she found her friends.