After the Kiss (Sex, Love & Stiletto 1)

Chapter Four

Julie was ready to approach Mitchell Forbes.

Totally ready.

Excited, even.

She just needed to make a wee detour first.

To the bar.

“Never underestimate the power of liquid courage,” she said as she shooed Grace away.

“Why can’t I watch?” Grace whined.

“I never do my best work with an audience,” Julie said loftily.

“Since when? You love an audience.”

Julie pursed her lips. Not right now I don’t. Julie didn’t have the faintest clue about her next step. She usually went with her gut, and in this case nothing felt right. Her standard flirtatious approaches seemed too forward. A man like Mitchell Forbes would need coaxing and finesse, not cleavage and fluttering eyelashes.

When Grace had reluctantly wandered away after giving her strict instructions to call and spill once she’d talked to Mitchell, Julie got in line at the bar. Hmm, martini or wine, martini or wine, martini or—

“May I buy you a drink?”

Julie tore her eyes away from the tray of olives three people in front of her and spun toward the unfamiliar voice.

“I—oh!”

As in Oh, shit.

Maybe approaching Mitchell Forbes wouldn’t be such a challenge after all.

He’d already found her.

“The drinks are free,” she blurted out.

He looked away. “I know. It was meant to be a joke.”

Julie blanched. A joke? That had been a joke? No way could she suffer through a pseudo-relationship with this guy. He had the sense of humor of a pretzel. Still …

“Oh! Funny,” she said with a wide grin and a bright laugh.

He gave a wan smile. “It wasn’t.”

And then she melted just a little, because damned if Mitchell Forbes didn’t have the sweetest little dimples in each cheek. It softened his otherwise buttoned-up appearance.

Although, to be fair, he was a good deal more interesting up close than he’d been from across the room. Sure, the pinstripes were on the wrong side of dowdy, but the suit itself was tailored perfectly to surprisingly broad shoulders. He was just a touch too muscled to be wiry. There was an energy about him, as though he always wanted to be moving and it was only through rigid self-restraint that he managed to remain still.

The glasses, too, were a pleasant surprise. Julie was surprised to see that the eyes behind the thin-rimmed rectangular frames were deep blue. With his dark hair, she would have assumed he’d have brown eyes, but these were a startling navy.

Well, whaddaya know. He’s kind of cute.

By this time, there was just one person in front of them in line at the bar, and Julie acted on a whim. “Hey, do you want to get out of here?”

He blinked in surprise. “You don’t even know my name.”

Oh, honey, you only wish I didn’t.