washcloth over the bar and shrugged. “Some rich dude. I think he’s a lawyer. Maybe you know him.”
Butterflies attacked her stomach. Oh God. Of all people she might run into this evening, she’d never let herself imagine Ari Davenport might be one of them.
Josea hovered in the corner with a group of fairies while the first of the guests filed in. Her gaze kept wandering to the broad shoulders of the man pumping hands and doling out polite hugs at the door. If it was Ari Davenport, he’d never know she worked at this party tonight.
She would make sure of that.
Shame flared in her chest, and suddenly the quarter inch of garter peeking beneath the hem of her skirt screamed. Dressed like a woman who could quench any man’s desire, she had never felt like such a fraud. Ari would know better than anyone what a farce her costume was, and she couldn’t face humiliating herself in front of him again.
She gave the skirt a tug and took a steadying breath. There wouldn’t be any reason to call attention to herself. She just had to paste on a smile and carry drinks back and forth from the bar. If she could remember Georgia Statutes, she shouldn’t have a problem stuffing a bunch of cocktail requests into her short-term memory.
The man at the door turned slightly, his profile shadowed in the low lighting. Three years, it may not even really be him, and still her legs quivered. If she ever regretted losing a man, it was Ari Davenport. Her cheeks flamed in a heated blush. She knew exactly why she hadn’t tried to hold onto him.
10
Carmie L’Rae
After three dates and the best foreplay she’d ever experienced in her life, she froze. He had offered her a chance to surrender to everything she wanted. Instead, she walked away before she could become a bigger disappointment to him. The rock of regret still sat heavy in her chest.
Josea Carmichael excelled at everything. Everything but sex. Such a personal failure didn’t sit well with her ego. She tapped her stiletto against the mahogany floor. God, why’d she have to be such a prude?
The man in the tuxedo turned away from the door. Pale light from the crystal chandelier sank into his thick dark hair. Her breath caught.
Ari Davenport. In the flesh. Flesh like no man’s she’d ever seen. The movement of his lips as he spoke to the formally dressed couple at his side sparked a fire between her legs. No man had ever done to her the things he’d done with those lips. Not the way he had. The flame fed on her long neglected body as she followed the path to even greater pleasure, the hard line of his jaw, down the taut tendon of his neck.
Oh, God. She needed to blink.
The buttons of his crisp white shirt were like stepping stones to …
ohhh. He moved, turning half a step. The slight angle of his body tugged his perfectly tailored pants across a mound of flesh not even the dark, meticulously cut fabric could hide.
“Miss? Two glasses of merlot, please.”
Josea shook the daze that had come over her, and stared into the slightly creased eyes of the man standing in front of her. A quick glance around the room revealed all the other fairies engaged in service. She nodded at the gentleman who’d requested the wine and hurried off to the bar with her hands shaking and her body on fire.
She could tell herself anything she wanted to, but every word of it would be a lie. One look at Ari and every sensible thought she’d ever had fled from her brain. She wanted him in the worst possible way.
She gripped the polished wood of the bar and waited while Adrianna filled the order ahead of hers. As soon as the fairy in front Hidden Nymph
11
of her had stepped away, Josea leaned over the bar. “Two merlots.
Are you sure nobody will recognize me in this?”
Adrianna laughed. “Relax. You look identical to a third of the staff. You’d look like the other two-thirds if they weren’t wearing red and blonde wigs.”
Josea’s hands trembled as she set the stemware on a small
Butterflies attacked her stomach. Oh God. Of all people she might run into this evening, she’d never let herself imagine Ari Davenport might be one of them.
Josea hovered in the corner with a group of fairies while the first of the guests filed in. Her gaze kept wandering to the broad shoulders of the man pumping hands and doling out polite hugs at the door. If it was Ari Davenport, he’d never know she worked at this party tonight.
She would make sure of that.
Shame flared in her chest, and suddenly the quarter inch of garter peeking beneath the hem of her skirt screamed. Dressed like a woman who could quench any man’s desire, she had never felt like such a fraud. Ari would know better than anyone what a farce her costume was, and she couldn’t face humiliating herself in front of him again.
She gave the skirt a tug and took a steadying breath. There wouldn’t be any reason to call attention to herself. She just had to paste on a smile and carry drinks back and forth from the bar. If she could remember Georgia Statutes, she shouldn’t have a problem stuffing a bunch of cocktail requests into her short-term memory.
The man at the door turned slightly, his profile shadowed in the low lighting. Three years, it may not even really be him, and still her legs quivered. If she ever regretted losing a man, it was Ari Davenport. Her cheeks flamed in a heated blush. She knew exactly why she hadn’t tried to hold onto him.
10
Carmie L’Rae
After three dates and the best foreplay she’d ever experienced in her life, she froze. He had offered her a chance to surrender to everything she wanted. Instead, she walked away before she could become a bigger disappointment to him. The rock of regret still sat heavy in her chest.
Josea Carmichael excelled at everything. Everything but sex. Such a personal failure didn’t sit well with her ego. She tapped her stiletto against the mahogany floor. God, why’d she have to be such a prude?
The man in the tuxedo turned away from the door. Pale light from the crystal chandelier sank into his thick dark hair. Her breath caught.
Ari Davenport. In the flesh. Flesh like no man’s she’d ever seen. The movement of his lips as he spoke to the formally dressed couple at his side sparked a fire between her legs. No man had ever done to her the things he’d done with those lips. Not the way he had. The flame fed on her long neglected body as she followed the path to even greater pleasure, the hard line of his jaw, down the taut tendon of his neck.
Oh, God. She needed to blink.
The buttons of his crisp white shirt were like stepping stones to …
ohhh. He moved, turning half a step. The slight angle of his body tugged his perfectly tailored pants across a mound of flesh not even the dark, meticulously cut fabric could hide.
“Miss? Two glasses of merlot, please.”
Josea shook the daze that had come over her, and stared into the slightly creased eyes of the man standing in front of her. A quick glance around the room revealed all the other fairies engaged in service. She nodded at the gentleman who’d requested the wine and hurried off to the bar with her hands shaking and her body on fire.
She could tell herself anything she wanted to, but every word of it would be a lie. One look at Ari and every sensible thought she’d ever had fled from her brain. She wanted him in the worst possible way.
She gripped the polished wood of the bar and waited while Adrianna filled the order ahead of hers. As soon as the fairy in front Hidden Nymph
11
of her had stepped away, Josea leaned over the bar. “Two merlots.
Are you sure nobody will recognize me in this?”
Adrianna laughed. “Relax. You look identical to a third of the staff. You’d look like the other two-thirds if they weren’t wearing red and blonde wigs.”
Josea’s hands trembled as she set the stemware on a small
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