Heat (The Stark Affair Book 1) by Skylar Cross Read Free Book Online Page B

illusion. How
do they do that?
    Off
to the sides are small lounge areas with long low couches. All around the top,
accessible by a glass staircase, are the VIP rooms.
    Ridiculous.
Can’t imagine living my life going to places like this.
    There
are drugs in here too. My cop nose smells them. I notice one girl swaying in
the lounge area, rolling her eyes into her head as a guy chats her up. He’s
tall and skinny with an expensive haircut, wearing a leather blazer and
designer jeans. His hands travel all over the girl. She seems to be trying to
push him away. Dickwad . My fist clenches.
    To
my right are the rest rooms and a ramp that leads around the corner to the side
door I noticed from the outside. I’d be willing to bet there’s another door on
the other side of the club in almost the same spot that opens into the hotel
next door.
    I
start scanning the far wall for it. As I do...
    I
see him.
    I
gasp.
    Our
eyes meet.
    Damn!
Colton Stark is looking right at me.
    And
I’m looking right at him.
    Fuck.
    Wait,
that’s good. That’s what I want. That’s what I’m doing here, right?
    Just
didn’t think it would happen so fast.
    I
can’t help but look at him for longer than I should. He’s wearing a dark shirt
and pants with a navy blazer. His clothes seem to glisten, or maybe it’s the
lights.
    The
stubble is in place. His hair is messed up without being messed up, if that
makes any sense.
    His
eyes are deep. His posture is commanding. Much taller than
the pictures suggest. 6’3” I’d guess. Maybe 6’4”.
    Zing!
    No,
Sofia, not here! No zings!
    He
says something to one of the girls he’s with. They’re all Latina party girls.
Naturally, right? The one to whom he whispered shoots me an evil look.
    Now
I’m sweating. I feel it in the small of my back.
    I
avert my gaze and head over to the bar. A chubby blond guy in a shiny purple
shirt falls into step with me.
    “Excuse
me,” he says. “Can I get a female opinion?”
    Not that old chestnut, please.
    “Guys,”
I say.
    “Huh?”
    “The
answer to your question.”
    His
eyes go big and wide. “Wait, how did you know what I was going to ask?”
    We
reach the bar. There is a throng ahead of us, several people holding up large bills
trying to get the bartender’s attention.
    “You
were going to ask me ‘Who lies more, guys or girls?’” I say. “It’s called an
opinion opener. From there, you would have gotten me talking about social
dynamics between guys and girls, which is a universal topic hot girls supposedly
enjoy. Then you’d move into the attraction phase, ‘ negging ’
me and teasing me. This would establish that you’re a fun and challenging guy.
Next, you’d isolate me to one of the couches over there and move into the ‘Comfort
Stage’ where we’d share our favorite flavors of ice cream, a ‘Future Projection
Scenario’ where we’re on a vacation together, and some childhood stories. Then
you’d ‘Up the Kino’, as they say, kiss me, then lead me out to your place. I’ll
give you some ASD ‘Anti-Slut Defense’ and a little LMR ‘Last-Minute Resistance’
but you’ll run ‘Two Steps Forward, One Step Back’ until we’re having sex. That
was your plan, wasn’t it?”
    The
last time I saw such a shocked expression was the high school math teacher Mike
and I interrupted while he had a student’s dick in his mouth.
    “How
do you know all that?” he says, visibly knocked off his game.
    “I
knew a so-called ‘pickup artist’ who overcharges forty-year old virgins at
seminars promising they can get any woman into bed by learning a few tricks.”
    I
leave out the fact that I was on a stakeout at the time.
    “Wow...
um... um... you’re cool.” I try not to laugh as he attempts to regroup. “I
just... want to forget about all that and start again. Can I buy you a drink?
My name is David.”
    He
puts out his hand as the crowd opens up in front of us and we touch the bar. I
look behind him.
    Shit,
Colton Stark is coming over