One Daring Night (3 page)

He chuckled, then looked around the bar, pleasantly surprised to discover it relatively quiet. They had their choice of seats. “Bar or table?”

“Bar.”

He still had her hand in his, so he lightly tugged her with him as they grabbed a couple stools at the end of the long counter. The bartender was in front of them immediately.

“Two shots of Patron Silver,” Eric ordered, recalling Joni’s request. The bartender set them up with two tall shot glasses, which he filled to the brim, then left to take another order.

Joni lifted her glass and Eric followed suit.

“To new beginnings,” Joni said.

Eric considered the toast, then added, “And happy endings.”

Chapter Two

Joni enjoyed the heat provided as the tequila slid down her throat. It helped dislodge the lump that had been stuck there since she’d spotted Jeff with Heidi.

“Heidi,” she murmured. “It figures her name would be Heidi.”

“It does kind of have a Playboy bunny ring to it.”

Joni agreed. “Doesn’t it? Meanwhile everyone and their brother has a great Aunt Joni who smells like mothballs and keeps her teeth in a jar by the bed.”

Eric laughed. “You’re light years away from that description.” She narrowed her eyes, but he raised his hands in innocence. “That’s not a pick-up line. Just an honest observation.”

Joni was tempted to argue the point, but let it go. “So tell me about yourself, Eric.”

He casually lifted one shoulder, then motioned for the waiter to keep the shots coming. “Not much to say that you don’t already know.”

She appreciated his sense of humor. She’d been seconds away from a complete meltdown, then he’d shown up, invited her for a drink and now she was on the verge of genuine laughter. “Well, I do know you pretty well. You’re quite the open book.”

“Exactly. I like steak, which I’m sure you noticed when you were in Prime 112.”

She nodded, though she hadn’t seen anyone except Jeff through the haze of red. “Medium rare, if I’m not mistaken,” she added to the jest.

“And, of course, I’m a suave charmer. A sexy son of a gun with irresistible green eyes.”

“Are they green?” Joni asked, fighting the urge to laugh. “I hadn’t noticed.”

Eric held his hand over his heart as if she’d mortally wounded him. “What? After I’ve spent the last ten minutes falling hopelessly under the spell of your chocolate-brown eyes, you say you haven’t even noticed mine?”

“Apart from the obvious, Eric, what do you do for a living?”

He waved to the bartender who set them up with another round of tequila shots. “I’m a partner at Barber and Clark Engineering. It’s a fairly large firm with branch offices in several states.”

“Sounds incredibly boring, but profitable.”

Eric shrugged, clearly not offended by her remark. “I do alright.”

She wasn’t usually so brash and blunt, but her emotions were still riding close to the surface and she was finding it difficult to rein herself in. Not that she felt the need to. She’d warned Eric going in what he could expect. It sort of felt good to say the first thing that popped into her mind without guarding her words or pretending to be a nice person who thought polite things all the time. Truth was she was a sarcastic bitch, deep down inside.

“What about you? How do you spend your days?”

“I’m a labor and delivery nurse.”

“Wow. You’re right. My job does sound boring compared to yours, but I’m still making more money.”

She grinned and decided she liked Eric. She’d come here on a whim, her give-a-shit meter running on empty. She had accepted Eric’s invitation because she’d really needed a drink and he had seemed harmless, especially when he picked a bar they could walk to and that was on a very busy, well-lit street. If he turned out to be a huge creep, all she had to do was leave. Regardless, her mother would string her up by her toenails if she ever found out Joni said yes to a stranger who’d followed her out of a restaurant and into the parking lot.

She’d asked him for honesty, so she bit the bullet. “Girlfriend?”

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t be here if there was.”

She tried to decide if he was telling the truth. She used to think she was a good judge of character. Then Jeff duped her. For three freaking years. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt…for now. “I guess my current relationship status is obvious.”

“I don’t have a problem with your status.”

It was an obvious come-on, but it seemed so sincere she didn’t call him on it. “Have you ever been married?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Ever get close?”

Again, the head shake. “Never.”

Her brows creased. “Why not?”

Eric hesitated. When the silence lasted too long, her temper flared. As long as they talked about surface-y stuff, he was willing to play along, but that promise of honesty appeared to come with limits. She stood. “Well, it’s been fun. Thanks for the drink.”

He placed his hand on her arm, halting her escape. “Where are you going?”

“I know how you guys are. It’s all fun and games until someone asks a serious question. Then the bullshit flies.”

“I’ve never been married because I wasn’t willing to be tied down. I was never interested in having sex with just one woman for the rest of my life. Never a fan of long-term commitment.”

She was surprised when he answered her. Gave her a response that sounded true. “Why the past tense?”

“What?” he asked.

“You said
was
never. Makes it sound like that’s changed.”

Eric released her arm and gestured to the barstool. She sat down again.

“I’ve had a change of heart recently.”

She narrowed her eyes. If he made one inane comment about seeing her and his perspective changing, she’d knee him in the nuts for thinking her stupid enough to fall for it. “Recently?” she baited.

He gave her a rueful look. “You weren’t the only one who suffered a life-altering event today.”

The response took her off-guard. “Do tell.”

Eric lifted the shot. “Maybe we should drink this first. Might dull your senses enough that I don’t come away looking like a complete asshole.”

She laughed as she lifted her glass. “I just called my ex out for being a cheating bastard in front of a restaurant full of strangers. Doesn’t that sort of make me a bitch?”

Eric shrugged. “To assholes and bitches.”

“Hear hear,” she said as she slammed back the tequila. “Now, tell me what happened.”

“I woke up in bed this morning with a beautiful woman.”

Joni fought to keep her face impassive. There was clearly more to the tale and she didn’t want her expression to hinder him giving her all the details. “Okay…” she prodded.

“I’d picked her up last night at a bar after too much tequila.”

She looked around the room and then at their empty glasses. “Doesn’t sound like much of an epiphany.”

Eric waved the bartender over again. Joni knew she should resist, but the alcohol was making things fuzzy and fun. She could always call a cab. She didn’t live that far away.

“Yeah. I guess not, but I haven’t gotten to the bad part.”

She gestured for him to continue. “Can’t wait to hear this.”

“I woke up to a face full of blonde hair and only a vague recollection of who and why.”

“Yikes.”

“When she rolled over and kissed me, I realized two things.”

“I assume this is the bad part?”

He raised one eyebrow. “Are you going to let me finish? This is hard enough to admit without all the interruptions.”

“My apologies. Carry on. What were the two things?”

“I was in my own bed, and I didn’t know her name.”

Joni frowned. “The first thing doesn’t sound all that awful. The second definitely does.”

“I didn’t know the name of the woman I’d brought back to my condo and I had no way of escaping because it was my own damn house.”

Joni laughed. “Oh my God. You’re right. You’re a total asshole. What did you do?”

He narrowed his eyes. “What else
could
I do? I was stuck. I made her breakfast.”

“Ah, a slight attempt at redemption, but
errr
,” Joni made a buzzer noise, “not good enough. Did you get her phone number?”

Eric’s expression was pure comedy. “Dear God, no. Why would I do that?”

Joni toyed with her shot glass. “Because you just had sex with her. You see, this is something I don’t get. The one-night stand.”

Eric tilted his head, studying her. “You’ve never had a one-night stand?
Never?
” he stressed, disbelief rife in his tone.

“Never. Guess I’m just an old-fashioned girl. You don’t sleep with someone you don’t have feelings for. Unless…” She paused. She
used
to think that way. Now she was starting to wonder if she hadn’t thrown caution to the wind enough in her life. Not taken enough risks. She’d walked the straight and narrow her entire life and look what it had gotten her. A big fat nothing. 

“Unless?” Eric asked.

The old Joni would never have been bold enough to finish the thought that had popped into her head. This Joni was well on the way to three sheets and feeling reckless. She took a deep breath and went for broke. After all, at this point, what else did she have to lose? “Unless…you’ve just dumped your lying, cheating, two-timing boyfriend and you’ve met some really hot guy in a parking lot.”

Eric didn’t reply at first and she glanced toward the floor, silently wishing for some giant hole to appear and swallow her.

Aaaaand…this is why she never strayed from the safe path. Less chance of looking like a jackass.

“Jesus. Just my luck,” he said, with a slight laugh that didn’t fool her into thinking he was amused. It was more like he was disappointed.

“What do you mean?”

“I promised you honesty, Joni, so that’s what you’re going to get.”

She knew immediately she wasn’t going to like what came next. “Shit. You’re married.”

“What? No. Hell no. What kind of man do you think I am?”

“I’ve known you approximately thirty minutes. I have no idea who you are.”

Eric scowled. “Well, I’m not that kind of guy. Actually, I’m trying to be just the opposite. I was at Prime 112 tonight with an old friend from college. I met him there for dinner because I wanted a witness to the vow I took.”

“What kind of vow?” Eric didn’t seem like the type for celibacy, but stranger things had happened, she supposed.

“I swore the next woman I slept with would be the one I married.”

Joni laughed. “Shut up. Oh my God, you totally had me going there.”

He didn’t share her mirth, didn’t even crack a smile.

“Wait. Are you serious?”

“I can’t keep being an insensitive asshole when it comes to women. It’s kind of a lonely job.”

Her laughter faded. “Oh.” She tried to decide if he was blowing her off by letting her down easy, but something inside her told her Eric was being one hundred percent truthful. Which made her want him more. Dammit. “What happens if you break the promise?”

“I owe my friend ten thousand dollars.”

She choked on her own spit and her eyes widened. “Ouch. Seriously?”

He chuckled. “Alex is very good at keeping me honest.”

“Alex?”

“Dare. He was the friend I was out with tonight.”

“
The
Alex Dare? The guy who used to be quarterback for the Breakers?”

Eric nodded.

“Is he still doing that sports show?”

“Yeah. He is.”

There was no way a guy like Eric was going to go ten thousand dollars in the hole just to have sex with her. She wouldn’t let him. She’d been indulging in lackluster sex for too many years to make it worth his while. She wasn’t sure she even remembered what went where anymore. Jeff certainly hadn’t been interested in having sex with her lately. Of course, now that she knew he’d been Fun-Dipping in someone else’s sugar that was hardly surprising.

“Figures,” she murmured.

He leaned closer and she immediately caught a whiff of his masculine cologne mingled with the tequila. Sexy combo. “What figures?”

“The only night in my life I’ve ever wanted a no-strings-attached sex romp and the playboy I’ve picked up has suddenly grown a conscience. If it weren’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have any at all.”

“What makes you think I’m not going to sleep with you?”

She frowned. “You just said…” She wasn’t sure how to reply. Eric was looking at her too seriously. Maybe ten thousand bucks wasn’t a big deal to guys like him, but there was niggling voice in the back of her head that told her that wasn’t what he meant. Which was insanity.

Mercifully, his too-earnest gaze softened and the funny man returned, picking up the third shot. “What’s that joke?” he asked. “One tequila, two tequila?”

“Three tequila, floor,” she finished for him.

He clinked their glasses together. “Then we’re still safe.”

They drank and Joni had to admit the alcohol was working quite well. She didn’t feel a bit like crying anymore. In fact, she was feeling bolder.

“Tell me something you’ve never told anyone before.”

“No one?” Eric asked, though he appeared to be thinking about her question. “That’s a pretty tall request.”

“Because you’re such an open book?”

“Exactly. Let me see. Never-before-revealed secret…hmmm…”

She waited patiently, delighted he was being so open with her. She would have to instigate this honesty-only policy on all future dates. It was refreshing, fun.