Torrid Little Affair (Forbidden Desires #3)

When we arrived at the bar, Alyssa and I sat on neighboring bar stools, and she began chatting up the bartender. She wasn’t kidding when she said this was tradition-the bartender knew exactly who she was and happily gave each of us a shot of tequila on the house. Alyssa and I each took a shot glass in our hands, and she raised hers into the air.

“To surviving your first week,” she said, smiling broadly at me.

“To my first week,” I said back, and we clinked our glasses together before we each downed our shots. I tried not to cough as the liquid burned down my throat, then quickly bit into one of the lime wedges the bartender had provided for us.

Alyssa screwed up her face and let out a low hiss. I was glad I wasn’t the only one who had a hard time with shots.

“All right, what do you ladies want to drink now?” the bartender asked, leaning forward onto his elbows and giving us a mischievous grin.

It was then that I noticed his killer biceps and the way his dark brown stubble perfectly accentuated his jawline. My decision to accept Cooper’s offer had me feeling bold, so I placed my own elbows on the bar and leaned in toward the bartender, aware of how the position gave him a perfect view of my ample cleavage.

“Remind me again what the happy-hour specials are,” I said in as sultry a voice as I could muster.

“What?” the bartender said loudly. “Sorry, I couldn’t hear you over the music.”

I giggled and leaned even closer. “I wanted to know what the specials are,” I said, still trying to sound sexy, though a little more forcefully.

The bartender shook his head and placed his hand behind his ear.

“The specials!” I yelled in a voice so shrill, the bartender winced and took a step back. I could sense Alyssa’s amusement to my right, and a hot pink blush spread across my chest and up into my cheeks.

“Oh, uh, it’s half-off margaritas,” the bartender said. From the way he winked at Alyssa, I could tell my attempt at giving off a sensual energy had failed. Miserably.

“We’ll have two margaritas,” Alyssa said coolly. The bartender smiled and walked away to make our drinks.

She turned to give me a playful grin. “Corinne, I had no idea you had that in you.”

I let out a low groan and hid my face in my hands. I was more than embarrassed-I was mortified. Not only because that had just happened, but because Alyssa was there to witness it. I could feel the shame spreading to my limbs, and all I wanted was for our drinks to be ready so I could numb that feeling, even just a little bit.

“Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad,” she said, giving me a brisk pat on the shoulder. When I groaned again and shook my head, she said, “There are plenty of other guys in this bar. Listen, once he comes back with our drinks, we’ll start looking for your next target.”

Just as she stopped talking, the bartender returned with our margaritas, and Alyssa slipped him a shiny black credit card. “Leave the tab open,” she said to him before turning to give me a wink. “These are on the company.”

I took a long sip of my drink, relishing the cool, sour sweetness of the liquid. I could tell already that this drink would be dangerous. Even though I watched the bartender pour a good amount of tequila into the glass, all I could taste was the perfect blend of lime juice and syrup.

Alyssa turned around on her stool to survey the tables behind us, and I turned to join her, still feeling a bit wounded after my failed seduction attempt. I took a few more sips of my drink to numb the embarrassment as I let my gaze roam lazily from face to face in the bar. Apparently, this place was every business’s favorite happy hour, because almost every man I saw was dressed in a crisp, well-tailored suit. Many of them looked equal parts handsome and terrifying, the kind of men who walked into a room and demanded the respect and attention of everyone in it. Alyssa started giving me some tips on how to let a guy know I was interested, pointing out particularly attractive men and explaining the strategy she would use.

It didn’t take long until my head was spinning from both the tequila and Alyssa’s advice. Suddenly I was grateful for the arrangement I had with Cooper. If I had to seduce a man on my own, I didn’t think I’d ever be getting off ever again. Unless you counted using my own fingers.

Just as the thought of Cooper crossed my mind, he showed up at the bar like we were in a movie or something. He walked through the door, followed by his two brothers.

The three of them together was quite a sight. They were all tall and toned, but each had a special aura that differentiated him from the others. Gavin was dark and broody, while Quinn was somehow aloof and fatherly at the same time.

And then there was Cooper. I couldn’t quite figure him out yet. At times, he seemed just as broody and aloof as his brothers, but there was something in his soft green eyes that made me think he might be sweeter than he first appeared. Not to mention he had the kind of body that made me weak in the knees.

I quickly realized that I was staring, and I looked away before Cooper or his brothers could catch me. Downing the rest of my drink, I did my best to make it seem like I was listening to Alyssa, but all I could think about was meeting those green eyes across the room.

Shyly, I looked back over to where the Kingsley brothers were standing. My stomach dropped as Cooper’s eyes met mine with a smoldering gaze. It took everything in me to not drop my jaw then and there. We stared at each other for a moment before he broke out in a smile and started walking toward me.

“Look who decided to show up,” Alyssa said loudly, waving the brothers over.