Dirty Trick by Christine Bell Read Free Book Online

explode from her chest as he pulled away and looked down at her. His costume was awesome, but for the first time, she found herself wishing she could tear it off.
    Who was this masked man ? Semi-hysterical laughter bubbled in her throat and she swallowed it. Stop it.
    This was serious business. A sexy stranger wanted to make out with her. A sexy stranger who hadn’t even given Serena—or any of the other beautiful women at the party—a second glance. She had to keep it together so he wouldn’t realize that it had been nearly two ye—a long time since she’d done any serious making out with a guy.
    He led her from the dance floor, toward the far side of the room toward a set of doors. He paused at one of the makeshift bars and talked to the bartender. She couldn’t hear the exchange over the music, but the server smiled and handed him a bottle of red wine which earned him a twenty-spot. She took note, the generous tip reminding her of her Gram’s philosophy on men.
    “Wanna know the secret to getting the true measure of a man, girlie? Pay attention to three things: how he acts at a four-way stop sign, how well he tips a waitress, and how he treats his grandmother. You find a guy who hits the mark on all three, hog-tie him and drag his ass back home, because if you don’t want him, I’ll sure as hell take him.”
    They were on the move again, but before they reached their destination, from the corner of her eye, Grace caught sight of Serena talking to a group of women and tugged her companion to a halt. “Wait. I’m supposed to be helping my friend…” The whole reason they’d come here was to get some good buzz going for the company. Now she was running off with some guy, which was totally out of character.
    Serena caught her eye then and grinned. Grace pointed to herself, gesturing if she should come over, but Serena shooed her away urgently adding an exaggerated wink for good measure. It seemed like she had things under control and was making some headway networking. And she did have the one on one scheduled with Chaz. Maybe it would be okay if she disappeared for a little while? The business had been her whole life for the past year and a half. Would an hour of fun be so terrible?
    “You good?”
    She turned her attention back to the man standing in front of her, with his broad shoulders and sexy mouth, and the decision made itself.
    “Yup.” She nudged him forward, and they made their way through the doors into a quiet alcove. Not quiet enough, though. The couple they found tucked away there in the corner seemed intent on swallowing one another’s faces whole. Her date held up a finger signaling her to keep quiet as they scuttled by, undetected. The two were so engaged, they didn’t even break apart when the door on the opposite side of the room squealed as it opened.
    They stepped through and closed it behind them. “Okay, so that was a fail.” They had come out the other side into a long, wide hallway and she peered down to the left and then to the right. “Come on,” he said. “I have a good feeling about this way.”
    A part of her—albeit the teeniest, weeniest one—wondered if maybe he was a serial killer leading her to her ultimate demise, but the thought of being alone with him again and finding out what was underneath that leather jacket made mincemeat of her fears.
    The part of the house they’d found themselves in wasn’t decked out in party regalia and the music had faded to nothing more than a distant thud. They passed one door and then another before he pulled her to a stop.
    “Let’s try this one.” He turned the knob and swung it open. “Holy shit.”
    She craned her neck to see around his shoulder and echoed his sentiment. Holy shit was right. They’d come in through the side door of what appeared to be a spa room. The walls were a warm knotty pine with inlays carved throughout to make space for plants so lush, they would’ve looked more at home in a rain forest than in