“When was the last time you were at a live show?” Ruby asked.
Meg looked thoughtful. “God, I don’t know. Emmett goes all the time, but I never seem to have the energy.”
“And the last thing I want to do in my spare time is go to another event.”
They looked at each other for a second before bursting into laughter. “We are so old,” Ruby said.
Meg held up her glass. “Cheers to that.” Laughing, they sipped their drinks.
Finally Mark’s band came onstage. The audience swarmed to the front as Mark took his place behind some kind of mixing machine. The third member, a guy with a bleach-blond Mohawk Ruby recognized from earlier, sat behind a drum set. Yvette slung a guitar over her shoulder, low on her hips, exposing the taut skin of her midriff.
Meg watched Yvette with a contemplative gaze. “I think that’s one of the hottest women I’ve ever seen. If I swung that way, I’d be all over her.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“What?”
“Well, she’s his ex, and I get the distinct impression that woman does not want Mark to be with me.” Frowning, Ruby watched as the redhead went to Mark and leaned over his shoulder. She spoke close to his ear and laid her hand on his back, intimately casual.
Meg nodded. “Oh yeah. She’s into him.”
“Not. Helping.” Ruby gave her friend her meanest glare, the one she used for caterers who showed up late.
Meg just laughed and ignored her, watching as Yvette took center stage. When the roar of the crowd died down, Mark dropped a needle onto a record and then the scratchy notes of an old jazz tune drifted through the speakers. It was a soft song, one Ruby recognized, and she couldn’t help but sway a little to the tune. Soon the drummer began a steady beat, and a few minutes later Yvette struck a chord, adding a rhythmic harmony that had the crowd moving to the beat. The song built, layer after layer of sounds, driving faster and faster until the entire audience was like one giant beast, captive to the masterful music.
As Ruby was. But not just captive to the music. It was Mark, too, that had her riveted. He had presence, a commanding way about him, and he was very confident in what he was doing, and comfortable being onstage. He seemed to go into a trance, his competent fingers composing right before her eyes, using his mixer and the keyboards to create a sound so unique, it truly sounded like art. The beat pulsed right through her and she felt it everywhere. Her chest, her stomach. Between her thighs. She was so enthralled with his performance, she barely noticed when a young man she recognized as one of Mark’s crew dropped a folded piece of paper in her lap.
He then disappeared, lost in the crowd before she could catch him. Puzzled, she unfolded the note and read.
Take off your panties and put them in your purse.
M.
For a second she just stared at the note. Did Mark really want her to do this? Here? Now?
She kinda wanted to.
Meg tapped Ruby’s arm and pointed at the paper in her hand, her brow raised in question. But Ruby wasn’t quite ready to share this particular note with her friend, so she just shrugged and tucked it away in her purse.
On edge, already about to explode in anticipation of what was to come—whatever that was—and excited from the music, the crowd, she could barely keep herself in check. Now he wanted her to take off her panties?
He was so bad. She loved it.
But could she do it? What if someone saw? She was just starting to create a name for herself as an event planner. When in public, she needed to behave professionally at all times. No, it was too risky.
But he was watching her.
She picked up her cocktail and realized her hand was shaking. When she brought the martini glass to her mouth a drop of the cocktail spilled over the rim and onto her hand. As she licked the sweet liquid off her fingertip, she glanced up to see Mark’s gaze was locked on her mouth as she slowly licked the last drop from her skin.
She wasn’t far away, and she could see his expression tighten. Ha! So he wasn’t entirely Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected. She brought her drink to her lips again, this time using her tongue to lick the rim, slowly. Seductively.
He missed a beat.
She smiled. And savored the anticipation of waiting for his show to end. She was going to leave her panties on. And find out for herself what happened when she disobeyed an order from Mark St. Crow.
Chapter
Five
You didn’t take off your panties,” he whispered against Ruby’s ear as she passed through the door. The chilly air hit her. She couldn’t tell if it was from his warm breath in her ear or the slap of cold air, but a shiver raced up her spine.
“I couldn’t exactly just whip them off in front of Meg.” Not that her friend would have cared. Meg had practically shoved her out the door with Mark, saying she’d catch a ride home with a friend.