[B.S. #3] Claiming Laura (2 page)

Jane followed her friends inside.

Inside the door was a large desk set back from the entranceway with the largest, meanest man that they had ever seen sitting behind it.

“What can I do for you, ladies?” the guy growled.

Jane walked forward with the tickets and handed them to the man.

Looking at the tickets he told them, “You are only allowed into the vanilla bar area with these tickets.” The man pointed at the doors to his right.

Jane and the others walked to the tall imposing doors, with Laura trailing behind them. Opening the doors, they were bombarded with the loud beat of the music. The lights were dim and there seemed to be an awful lot of people crowded in the room.

“Let go get a drink, then find a table,” Jane yelled back over the noise as she led the way inside.

Following Jane and the others, Laura didn’t pay attention to where she was going. She was too wide eyed, looking around the bar and the people crowding it.

* * * *

Clay paused from slowly sipping his whiskey at the bar and lifted his head. He turned toward the door, hearing the yell above the music, and watched as four women made their way toward the bar where he was seated. They were all stunners in their own way, but Clay’s attention was caught by the woman bringing up the rear of the group. She looked a little more mature than the others with her mode of dress. But the long black hair, trim figure, and wide green eyes taking in everything around her got Clay’s notice. Clay liked the whole package.

Clay knew with that one look he had to meet her. He would have to think of some way to separate her from her friends, if only for a minute so they could meet.

Clay was contemplating what to do as he watched the women file by his chair, one by one. He knew the method he came up with was dirty, but that didn’t stop him as he put his foot out and bumped her calf as she walked by. Clay was ready as she tripped and he scooped her up in his arms and sat her down on his lap.

Laura was breathless as she felt the large arms surrounding her. She could have had a bad fall by not watching where she was going. Pushing her hair off her face, she looked up at her savior.

Her mind went blank when she got a glance of the man holding her. She could feel her mouth drop open. He was the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on and she was sitting on his lap. His eyes were totally focused on her and his arms seemed to tighten just a bit as she looked her fill.

“Thanks for saving me,” Laura stuttered. Thinking that he would probably want her to move, she said the last thing she wanted to say. “If you’ll just let me up, I’ll join my friends.” She didn’t want to move. She wanted to stay in this beautiful man’s lap.

What am I thinking? A man like him would not take a second glance at me if I hadn’t fallen into his lap.

Clay looked down at the large green eyes staring back at him. With her pale complexion, long black hair, and curves, his body reacted to her like it never had done before for any other woman. God, he just wanted to eat her up. He could make such a meal out of her. He could smell her spicy perfume and knew the smell didn’t all come out of a bottle. Clay tightened his arms around her again. What could he say? He was so rusty when it came to small talk or having to make polite conversation with a woman, that now he was lost. Clay knew, what the women that usually hung around him expected, and talking wasn’t usually a requirement.

This woman was different.

“Hey, pretty lady, the pleasure was all mine. The bar is awful crowded tonight. This might be the only good seat left in the house.”

Laura couldn’t help grinning up at him. He was flirting, at least she thought so. After years of making sure she stayed off anyone’s radar, she was so out of practice.

“What about my friends that I came with?”

“Sorry, my lap only has room for one.”

Laughing up at him, she gently removed his arms from around her and stood up, between his legs. Stepping back a little, she took him in. He wore dark brown leather pants and a leather vest that matched. His arms were solid muscle and full of tattoos. Looking up past his magnificent chest on display with the open vest, she took in his too long brown hair streaked with a little silver. His gray eyes were framed by long black lashes. Eyes that you could get lost in, Laura thought. If she had been asked to describe bedroom eyes, these would be it. The total package, along with his masculine scent, brought to her mind things she should not be thinking of when just meeting a man for the first time.

Tearing her eyes away from him, she looked around for her friends. Spotting them, she saw that they were at the cash register at the end of the bar paying for their drinks. “There they are. I better hurry if I want a drink.”

Clay turned in his seat but, keeping her hips encased by his legs, he raised his hand at the bartender, who was at his elbow right away. Looking at Laura, he asked, “And what would you like? I can’t keep calling you pretty lady, even though it fits. Tell me your name? I’m Clay Taylor.”

“Thanks. I’ll have a rum and coke.” She opened her purse and fumbled trying to pull her wallet out. “And my name is Laura.”

“Does it go with a last name? I don’t bite and your friends are just at the end of the bar, so I think you’re reasonably safe,” Clay added, trying to be smooth.

“Branch, my last name is Branch.”

“Well, Laura Branch. Let me buy you at least one drink. Your friends seem to be getting to know the neighbors around here.”

Laura looked at her friends, who now were standing surrounded by men. They seemed to be having a great time.

The bartender laid her drink on the bar and Clay laid some cash on the bar before she could ever reach into her wallet.

“Thank you for the drink, but my friends and I are out celebrating this evening and I wouldn’t want to desert them.” She picked up her drink from the bar and turned away from Clay toward her friends. Clay gently grabbed her elbow before she had taken one step away from him.

“Do you come here often? I would really like to see you again and continue with our conversation, Laura Branch.”

Laura looked at him. “This is our first time here. A friend of Jane’s gave her the tickets. If we didn’t have them, we probably wouldn’t be here. It was nice meeting you and I also would like to continue our conversation, perhaps at a later date.”

Clay stood up. This close he was very much in her personal space. He pulled a card from his back pocket of his leather pants. “Call me and we can arrange something. I can see that you usually don’t take men’s cards, but please let this be the exception.”

Laura glanced at the card in Clay’s hand and took it. After all, hadn’t she said only tonight that she had to start living again? Maybe this was the sign. “I’ll call you.”

“Any time, pretty lady,” Clay said to her turned back as she walked away and he sat back down.

As Laura made her way back to her friends, she couldn’t resist looking over her shoulder. Clay was still looking at her. God, what she would give to be able to just sit on his lap again. Turning back toward her friends, she sighed as she finally reached their group.

Laura was trying to squeeze past two men, when a large hand came up beside her and nudged the men out of the way. She knew by his unique smell that it was Clay at her back. She could feel his warmth behind her. Putting her head back to make sure, it landed on his muscular chest and she had to look way up. He had to have been at least a foot taller than she was. He seemed to tower over all the men standing around her friends.

Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, “Wouldn’t want you to get lost in this crowd. On second thought, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll join your group.”

Laura shivered at the feel of his breath on her ear. Looking around at her friends happily talking to the various men surrounding them, she shyly replied back, “I think I would like that.”

As they joined her friends, the women introduced Laura to the men they had just met. Clay went ahead and introduced himself to everyone. She knew that her friends saw the way he looked at her. Although they were properly polite, she knew they must have questions that they were dying to ask her.

“Shall we get a seat?” Clay now had his hand on her back and Laura oddly felt safe, even surrounded by a bar full of strangers. Could she really trust Clay that much already?

Laura piped up over the various conversations that her friends were involved in and told them she was finding a seat.

They all told her to go ahead they would find her later.

Clay couldn’t believe his luck when Laura’s other friends stayed talking around the bar. Leading Laura to an unclaimed booth, he sat beside her, purposefully crowding her a little to the back of the booth.

“Don’t you think you should sit on the other side? There’s not a lot of room here.” Laura didn’t like the feelings that he was arousing with his nearness. She hadn’t had wet panties in a long time and she had forgotten how uncomfortable they were.

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Clay wasn’t going to sit across from her. He wanted her to be very aware of him. He was glad that they were finally sitting down as his body was starting to show how much he wanted to know her. “When the others come, I’d just have to move to speak to you. This way, they can take the other bench,” he answered logically.

She really couldn’t contradict his logic. He was right. He would have to move when her friends came over if they were to continue their conversation over the music. If she made too much of a fuss over it, he might think she wasn’t interested. And if she was truthful with herself, she really liked having him this close even though it made her body react inappropriately to someone she had just met. She wanted to get to know this man.

Laura looked up into Clay’s intense glaze. “Let me ask you a question. I know it sounds like a line but, do you come here often?”

“No, I’m only here because a friend of mine asked me to check out the place.” Clay didn’t give any details and turned the conversation back to her. “What do you do in your other life, Laura Branch?”

Laura went on alert.
Did he know something?
“What do you mean my other life?”

Clay watched her stiffen and tried to defuse the situation that he could see was developing. He didn’t have a clue what it was, but he didn’t want her afraid of him. “I mean, what do you do in the daytime? What kind of job do you do? That’s all.”

Laura took a deep breath and released it. She knew she was overreacting. People talked about their jobs all the time, when getting to know one another. “I work for one of the big firms downtown. I bet your job is more exciting than mine. What do you do?”

Clay didn’t want to make her more nervous, so he allowed her to change the topic back to him. “I’m partners in a security firm based downtown. One of my partners just got married, and the office is quiet right now. Nothing much is going on and, having some free time right now, I came here as a favour to a friend that runs this place.” Clay found Laura easy on the eyes and easy talk to now that the ice was broken. She seemed to be really interested in his words, as she turned and listen with interest.

“That sounds like it could be a very dangerous job. What’s the name of the firm? I might have heard of it.” Laura reached for her drink and took a sip, trying to cool herself down. His warmth surrounded her and with her body heating up by his nearness, she was scared she would overheat.

Picking up his drink Clay took a sip also. It gave him time to think. He didn’t know how much to say to Laura. For once he wanted to be judged on the man he was, not on the fortune five hundred company that he was a partner in. Most women, as soon as they knew, made out like he was the best thing that had ever happened to them. He was tired of the phony facade that they showed him.

Clay opened up. “Braden Security. My partners and I started the company around ten years ago.” He might as well tell her and find out now what sort of lady she really was. He hoped his radar hadn’t been off.

“I think I’ve heard of them, but nothing much. I don’t watch the news. So if your company is famous, forgive me, but I wouldn’t have a clue,” Laura replied, hoping she didn’t sound stupid. Clay was the first man in a long while that had noticed her, but she couldn’t stretch the truth. She was leading a very sheltered life through necessity.

Although she couldn’t help but feel that Clay was a little too good to be true. What did he see in her? Looking up at the gorgeous man beside her, she wondered when he would make an excuse and leave. When she had followed the others into the bar, she noticed the number of young attractive woman milling around. Clay could have his choice of any of them.

Putting her drink down, a now-depressed Laura looked around for her friends. Should she make an excuse and go back to them before things got awkward? She
shouldn’t
be spending this much time alone with a man anyway. She had to remember that she always had to be careful and watch her back. Was it was still too early to think she was free.
Maybe she
shouldn’t
have come here at all.

Or
maybe she
just needed to relax.

Clay noticed the change in Laura and wondered what she was thinking now. Her eyes had lost their sparkle and had started darting around the bar. He had to think of something to say to get her talking about herself again and her mind off their jobs. He wasn’t going to give this lady any excuse to leave him.

Clay, trying to calm her, asked, “Well, what are we going to do on our second date? I can think of a few things.”

Startled by his words, Laura stopped looking around and stared up into the gray eyes looking intently at her. “What do you mean a second date? We haven’t had a first one yet.” Laura was thrilled that Clay still seemed to be interested and that his attention hadn’t wavered.

“Well, to my way of thinking, this is our first date. We are all alone in a booth having a drink and getting to know one another.” Clay’s eyes now had a twinkle in them as he looked down at her.

Just then Laura’s friends arrived at the table, each holding onto a guy’s hand. Jane piped up. “We’re going to a party that the guys know about. Want to come? Your friend can come, too,” Jane said loudly over the music.