“Boys, I would like to introduce my very best friend, Dylan.” Her hand grabs mine and pulls me forward as I glance up and run my eyes down the row of men, stopping on the one closest to me. Damn, he keeps getting better looking. “And this is Joey, the hottest gay man in Chicago.”
“Oh please, Illinois bitch. Let’s not downplay my sexiness.” Joey straightens out his tie as I try not to laugh. My assistant has no modesty.
Juls glances down at her Tiffany watch and her eyes go wide. “Crap. Ian, will you finish the introductions? I need to take care of some shit.”
“Sure thing, babe. Be quick though.” He holds onto her hand tightly, making her tug away playfully before his smile lands on me.
“Christ, you’re so pussy whipped.” The blond man standing next to Ian says softly. I glance at him quickly, smiling at the idea of Ian being completely caught up in my best friend. The two of them started dating a few months ago and she is already head over heels for him. Due to our busy schedules, this is our first time actually meeting and from what I can tell by the way he looks at her, he seems just as infatuated.
Ian glares at the blond who laughs around his drink before he turns back towards me. “Dylan, it’s nice to finally meet you.” He holds out his hand to me with a genuine smile as I shake it. Ian is tall and built, very muscular with nearly jet black hair that is barely long enough to pull into his pony. His brown eyes regard me kindly.
“Yeah you too, Ian. I’ve heard such lovely things from Juls.”
He shakes Joey’s hand and exchanges some pleasantries while my eyes strain to not look at the man standing directly to my left. “And these are my work associates and mates, Trent, Billy, and Reese,” he says, motioning down the line of men. Reese. Of course that’s his name. A guy looking like this wouldn’t be named something not sexy like Ted or Joe. I shake Trent and Billy’s hands as they say how nice it is to meet me. Trent, who made the pussy whipped comment, is the shortest of the group with almost white blond hair that curls at the ends. And Billy, who only has eyes for Joey at the moment, has sandy blond hair that is kept super short, diamond stud earrings in both ears. I begin biting the inside of my cheek as I turn my body towards Reese.
“Dylan, I believe we’ve met briefly.” He extends his hand and I place mine in his without hesitation, feeling his callused fingers tickle my skin. I have to look up into his stare, even though I’m wearing one of my tallest pairs of heels. He’s got a torso that stretches on for miles, one that I’d like to wrap myself around. His perfectly tailored dark gray suit frames his hard body almost unfairly and as he smiles, the tiniest little lines appear next to his eyes. I sigh. His attractiveness is a bit unnerving.
“Yes, briefly. I’m so sorry about that.” Not really.
Still holding my hand he leans in a bit, his breath warming my face. “I’m not. Let’s go get a drink.”
I stumble a bit at the closeness of his face to mine, but somehow manage a quick nod in agreement to his request. Finally dropping my hand, I meet Joey’s eyes and he winks at me before I turn and walk side by side with Reese to the bar. I want to reach out and slip my hand back in his but I don’t. That would be weird. Stay strong. Resist the urge.
“What can I get you?” the young bartender asks and I realize after a long silent moment that Reese is waiting for my order, staring at me with an amused grin.
“Oh, umm, jack and coke please.”
Handsome next to me raises his eyebrows at my drink selection. “No girly drink for you?”
I shake my head and brush my hair behind my ear. I’ve never been the type of girl that orders martinis and fruity drinks that cost eight dollars apiece.
“I’ll have the same.” His fingers strum the counter as I try not to stare at his profile, which is an extremely difficult task. The man is too beautiful not to stare at. I’m handed my drink and immediately take a large sip. “So, I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman named Dylan before. And I definitely don’t think I’ve ever had a Dylan fall into my lap.” His lips touch his glass and I stare a bit longer than I mean to as the liquid slips into his mouth. And I am now suddenly jealous of his beverage.
I shift on my feet, flicking my stare back up to his eyes. “Oh, um, my parents were a bit obsessed with the singer. They had picked the name Dylan before finding out the sex and decided that no matter what, that was going to be the name. And so, here I am.”
He smiles. “Yes, here you are. Do you like any of his music?”
I think for a moment before replying. “I like that American Girl song.”