Lawful Lover (Eternal Bachelors Club #2) (16 page)

Chuckling, Zach let go of Sabrina’s hand and waved to the waiter. “Drinks for my friends.”

Daniel plucked two of the glasses from the tray and handed one to Sabrina.

“Thank you,” she murmured and led the glass to her lips, taking a small sip.

“Come, guys, meet the rest of the gang. Looks like almost everybody was able to make it this year,” Zach said and motioned them into the large living room that boasted a stunning view over New York.

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows that led to a large terrace, the lights of the city sparkled in the dark.

Next to Daniel, Sabrina stood still. “Wow, this is stunning.” She turned her head to Zach. “You have a gorgeous place.”

“Thank you,” Zach answered. “It suits me.”

“How long have you lived here?” Sabrina asked, and Daniel was pleased to see that she seemed more at ease than before.

“Only a couple of years. I bought this as a shell,” Zach explained.

“A shell?”

“Yes, basically only the outside walls were here. I brought my architect in and had him design the interior space. It’s the only way you really ever get what you want: you’ve gotta do it yourself. Isn’t that right, Daniel?” Zach grinned at him.

“That’s why we do what we do.” Daniel squeezed Sabrina’s hand, making her look at him. “I’ll give you the tour. Zach won’t mind, will you?”

“You know the lay of the land.” He winked at Sabrina. “Don’t let him corner you in the bedroom. If you guys aren’t back in five minutes, I’ll send a search party out.”

Daniel laughed and put his arm around Sabrina’s waist, leading her away.

“Your friend is quite direct,” Sabrina whispered once they were out of earshot.

“He always says what he thinks.” He cast her a sideways glance as he steered her through the crowd in the living room. “But he’s not vicious. He likes you.”

“How do you know?”

“He wouldn’t make jokes if he didn’t. Zach can be quite reserved when he doesn’t like somebody.”

“Oh.”

They reached the dining room, where a buffet with delicacies from around the world was displayed.

“Wow, what a room!” Sabrina exclaimed, pointing at the paintings on the wall and the expensive rug under their feet. Then her eyes drifted to the windows and the view over a different part of Manhattan.

“I guess you’d better not be afraid of heights in a place like this.”

Daniel chuckled. “That would be a problem, yes, particularly since penthouses are always on the top floor.”

She playfully jabbed him in his side. “Smartass.”

“Is this man bothering you, Sabrina?” a familiar voice came from behind them.

Both he and Sabrina turned. Daniel reached his hand out to Paul. “First I don’t see you in months, and then suddenly you’re everywhere I am. How are you?”

Paul shook his hand. “Doing well.” Then he smiled at Sabrina, shaking her hand. “I see you’re wearing your new brooch. Just like I said: it brings out the color of your eyes.”

“Hi Paul, nice to see you again.”

“New brooch?” Daniel asked and looked from Sabrina to Paul and back.

His eyes dropped to the gold brooch that was pinned to Sabrina’s dress. How did Paul know that Sabrina had a new brooch?

“Yes,” Paul said cheerfully. “Funniest thing happened. Sabrina tried to return a faulty brooch at Bloomingdale’s, and the sales clerk was giving her trouble. Luckily I happened to be there and was able to convince the guy to let her exchange it for another one.”

Sabrina smiled. “Paul helped me pick this one. Do you like it, Daniel?”

Daniel pushed down his annoyance. He should have been there to help Sabrina, not Paul. Would she look at Paul as her knight in shining armor now?

“Yes, it’s beautiful.” He took a breath. “You didn’t mention that you ran into Paul.”

He tried to keep all accusation out of his tone, not wanting to sound like a controlling boyfriend, though he did feel irritated that Sabrina had kept her chance meeting with Paul from him.

“You’ve been working so much lately, we didn’t really have time to talk. I guess I just forgot to mention it,” she said lightly.

“Well, I’m glad Paul was able to help out.” He nodded at his friend.

Paul smirked. “What are friends for?”

Wanting to change the subject quickly, Daniel asked, “Did you bring a date tonight?”

“Going stag. But don’t worry, I won’t be going home alone. Zach always invites the prettiest women.” His gaze strayed to Sabrina, then drifted to the buffet where a beautiful blonde placed a few pieces of sushi on her plate.

“Excuse me, guys, I think it’s time for me to turn on my charm.”

Sabrina laughed. “Have fun. And thanks again.”

With long steps, Paul walked up to the buffet.

“So you ran into him at Bloomingdale’s,” Daniel repeated.

Sabrina looked straight at him and took a sip from her glass. “Yes, as I said.”

He grunted.

“Are you jealous?”

“Of course not! It’s just odd that you wouldn’t have told me about meeting Paul.”

“Meeting Paul? I was hardly
meeting
him. He saw me standing at the jewelry counter, arguing with the sales clerk and came over.”

“Hmm.”

“Daniel, please, what’s the problem?”

“I should have been the one helping you out of this situation, not he.”

Sabrina shook her head. “But you weren’t there.”

“That’s just it. I don’t seem to be there when you need me.” What kind of boyfriend did that make him?

“Please don’t blow this out of proportion. He helped me out, that’s all. I was grateful.”

“How grateful?” he ground out.

Sabrina slid her hand over his chest and leaned closer. “Not as grateful as I would have been had you been the one dealing with that clerk,” she said in a sultry voice, batting her eyelashes at him.

“Oh God, Sabrina, don’t play with me.”

“I’m not.” She brought her lips to hover over his. “I would have been very, very grateful to you.”

Daniel almost choked and felt blood shooting to his groin at the implication of her words. “I think we should get out of here.”

“We just got here,” she whispered back. “It’s gonna look odd if we leave already.”

“I know, but when you talk to me like that, all I can think of is to throw you down on the nearest flat surface and bury myself deep inside you.”

She pressed a soft kiss on his lips, then withdrew. “Later.”

He let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine, but one more attempt at seducing me like that, and I’m going to drag you to Zach’s bedroom and lock the door behind us.”

Sealing his promise with a searing look which he raked over her curves, he put his arm around her waist and steered her back toward the living room. “Let me introduce you to some of the guys.”

20

Many familiar faces greeted him as Daniel, holding Sabrina’s hand, walked back into the living area, where the majority of the party guests were congregating. He let his eyes wander around the room until he saw the person he was looking for.

“Come!” he said to Sabrina and pulled her through the crowd before stopping in front of two handsome men in black tuxedos, both dark haired, one with a permanent stubble around his chin, the other clean-shaven.

“Jay, Hunter!” he greeted them.

“I’ll be damned!” Jay slapped him on the shoulder. “Daniel! The workaholic emerges for a night out!”

“You make it sound like all I do is work,” Daniel complained, grinning.

Jay and Hunter exchanged a look, then nodded.

“Yep,” Hunter confirmed, then extended his hand.

Daniel shook it.

“Guys, I’d like you to meet somebody.” He turned to Sabrina. “This is Sabrina Palmer, my girlfriend. Sabrina, this guy here is Jay Bohannon, a transplant from the South.” He pointed to the man with the stubble, which Jay wore like a badge of honor. “And this is Hunter Hamilton. Both are old college buddies.”

Sabrina greeted them with a friendly smile. “Nice to meet you both.”

They ran their eyes over Sabrina, but were wise enough not to linger too long.

“You don’t sound like you’re from New York,” Jay remarked. “Another transplant?”

“San Francisco,” she answered.

“Ah, I should have guessed that you’re a California girl,” Jay continued.

“Daniel,” Zach’s voice came from behind him.

Daniel turned, having sensed alarm in his tone. “Yes?”

“We have a problem.” He motioned in the direction of the entry. “Thom just showed up with a date. I had no idea whom he was going to bring. But—”

“Shit!” Daniel ground out, when he saw Thom appear in the living room, Audrey on his arm.

Next to him, Sabrina tensed. “Oh no,” she whispered under her breath.

He placed a reassuring hand on her forearm. “Don’t worry, baby.”

So far, Audrey hadn’t spotted him, but it was only a matter of time.

“What do you want to do?” Zach asked, blocking him from Audrey’s view by turning his broad back to her.

Jay instantly stepped next to Zach, and Daniel gave him a grateful look.

“I’m afraid I can’t throw her out,” Zach said, lifting his hands in capitulation.

“I know that. It’s not your fault.”

Sabrina pulled on his hand. “Can we leave, please? I don’t want to see her.”

Daniel looked at Zach. “Can you distract her so we can leave unseen?”

“Are you sure you want to do that? She must know that you’re here. She’ll only see it as a sign of weakness if you sneak out now.”

“I don’t care what Audrey thinks.” All that mattered was to get Sabrina out and avoid an altercation. For Sabrina’s sake he had to avoid meeting Audrey. Besides, knowing Audrey, she would rub in the fact that they’d run into each other at Saks, and he was sure that news wouldn’t go down well with Sabrina.

“Fine, I’ll go and greet them and steer them toward the buffet,” Zach agreed and walked away.

“Well, it was nice seeing you. Maybe next time we’ll get to chat a little longer,” Hunter said.

“Thanks guys, I’m sure there’ll be a good occasion to get together soon. I’ll call you!” Daniel placed his hand on the small of Sabrina’s back.

Carefully, he steered Sabrina through the crowd, moving closer to the exit with every second. Just a few more steps, and they’d be out of danger.

“Daniel! Hey, what a nice surprise!” A heavy hand landed on his shoulder and made him turn.

Wade Williams, another college buddy and member of the Eternal Bachelors Club grinned broadly. His brown hair was cropped short and his brown eyes looked warm and friendly. The goatee was new, but then, Wade had always experimented with facial hair.

“Hey Wade, sorry, I’m on my way out.”

“No, you’re not! Come on, we haven’t had a drink together yet. And who’s that gorgeous woman on your arm?”

“Sabrina, meet Wade Williams. Wade, this is Sabrina, my girlfriend.” He waited impatiently for them to shake hands, then addressed Wade again. “Sorry, buddy, but we’ve really gotta run. Why don’t I call you and have you come over to my place for dinner?”

“Sounds great!” his friend agreed.

“Great then! See you soon.” Daniel turned, his arm around Sabrina, and froze.

Audrey stood in front of them, blocking their way. “Hi Daniel, fancy seeing you here. You didn’t mention the other day that you were coming to Zach’s party. If I’d known… ”

He narrowed his eyes. “I was just leaving.”

“Not on my account, I hope.” She tossed a dismissive look at Sabrina. “Well, I guess you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.”

Beside him, he could sense Sabrina’s body tense. Without another word, he walked past Audrey, guiding Sabrina away from her and out the door.

As soon as they reached the elevator, he pressed the button. “I’m sorry, baby. Had I known she’d show up, we would have never come.”

“What did she mean by you didn’t mention to her the other day that you were coming to Zach’s party?” Sabrina asked, frowning, her shoulders stiff.

Shit! Two seconds in Audrey’s presence and she’d managed to say something that could get him in trouble with Sabrina.

“Nothing, Sabrina. She’s just being vicious and trying to stir up trouble, because she can’t stand the fact that I’m in love with you.”

He pulled her into his arms and slanted his lips over her. “I love you. Don’t let anybody ever make you believe otherwise.”

Then he kissed her and extinguished any protest she might have wanted to voice. When her arms came around his neck and her body molded to his, he knew he’d averted the worst.

Daniel had arranged for his driver, Maurice, to wait for them and take them home in the limousine, and now he was grateful for it, because it gave him and Sabrina more privacy than a cab would have afforded them.

During the entire drive home, Daniel continued kissing her. He wasn’t going to allow this little chance encounter with Audrey to destroy Sabrina’s good mood. It was difficult enough for her to adjust to life in New York.

By the time they reached his apartment and closed the door behind them, he had no self control left.

“Let’s go to bed,” he whispered against her swollen lips.

“I don’t want to sleep yet,” she murmured, her hand sliding to his ass and yanking him to her.

“Neither do I.”

They tumbled into the bedroom, impatiently tearing on each other’s clothes. When Sabrina stepped out of her dress, only a thong and a garter belt and stockings covering her heated body, Daniel rid himself of his boxer briefs.

She reached for the garters, intending to undo the fastenings and release the stockings, when he stopped her by capturing her hand.

She looked up at him, startled.

“Leave them on.” Then he hooked his thumbs under the strings of her panties and pulled them down. “But let’s lose those panties.”

When said garment fell to the floor, Daniel roamed his eyes over Sabrina’s body.

“You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met,” he confessed, gently sliding his hand over her hip.

She smiled and edged closer, her hand wandering over his chest and slowly dipping lower, her eyes following the path her hand took. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Not so bad, huh?”

He took her hand and wrapped it around his fully erect cock. “Would you like to revise your remark?”