Page 184 of Sin City Dark
He straightened, chuckling. She slanted a glance up at Nick and saw him scanning the scene, his gaze darting over the crowd to focus onsomething in a far corner. He subtly nodded. She followed his gaze and noticed a sandy-haired man grinning broadly, then excusing himself with a slight bow to the group he was speaking to before weaving his way through the crowd.
“Champagne, Mr. Kent?”
A server stood beside them, beaming up at Nick, who looked at Jannie questioningly.
Jannie nodded, and Nick took two flutes, handing her one. “Thank you, Lexie.”
The young woman’s eyes flashed with unmasked heat. “Of course.”
He motioned with his chin. “I think that group over there is trying to get your attention.”
Lexie nodded, eyes crinkling with her wide smile. “On my way.”
She pivoted, showing off two very round butt cheeks in a fitted dark plum skirt, contrasting nicely with a white blouse, and Jannie noted that she wore seamed stockings on her unusually long and shapely legs. She’d never worn seamed stockings; they looked great, especially paired with those sky-high black patent heels. Looking around, she realized all the female servers wore that uniform, while the men wore plum vests and bow ties.
The lighting was such that it flattered everyone on the vast marble floor, neither too bright nor overly dim. And she realized it smelled good in here too, a subtle perfume she couldn’t place that simultaneously stimulated and relaxed. Pumped in through the vents, she assumed. Once, when she’d stayed at a five-star hotel in Tampa, she experienced something similar, sensing it as soon as she stepped into the lobby.
Her gaze was drawn to the tall man who had nearly reached them, approaching in long, confident strides. His sandy hair was strategically disheveled, and his gray eyes held an amused condescension that Jannie immediately found unnerving.
“Kent!” He thrust out a long-fingered hand to clap Nick’s shoulder. “I hoped I’d see you here tonight. Almost didn’t recognize you without the beard.”
“Jordan.” Nick’s handshake was brief. “This is Jannie Larssen.”
Jordan’s gaze moved over her like a laser beam.
“Jannie, meet my friend, Jordan Night.”
Jannie held out her hand.
Jordan took it in both of his. “Well. Hello.”
“Pleasure to meet you.”
He executed a little bow, holding her hand a tad too long, she thought.
“Jannie and I went to high school together,” Nick informed him.
Jordan winked. “I’m sorry to hear that, Miss Larssen. I went to college with the guy. We have that misfortune in common.”
“Please, it’s Jannie.”
“Jannie.” He let go of her hand but kept her gaze trapped. Jannie attempted to smile, but her lips formed a smirk instead. Something about the way he looked at her made her suspect he was evaluating her. The next moment, she knew for certain, because he slowly slid his gaze to her mouth, then to her breasts, before snapping back to her eyes. Knowing what went on at clubs like this one, Jannie didn’t doubt what he was imagining, and she stared right back, her eyes narrowing slightly as she let her own gaze wander over him, from sandy hair to brown leather belt.
He certainly was handsome, in that sun-kissed, boy-next-door kind of way. And judging by the perceptible widening of his pupils, he found her attractive too.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Jordan finally said.
“Likewise.” She raised her chin, squared her shoulders, and one corner of Jordan’s mouth kicked up. Probably at her refusal to wilt under his overtly sexual scrutiny. On the contrary, she felt as if she were above him, somehow, and he surely sensed it because Jordan was the one who blinked, then looked away.
The next second, Nick grasped and squeezed her hand. Jannie started, her eyes snapping to his, and what she saw there made her stop breathing. There was a fire there she had never seen before, so bright and intense it made her mouth go dry.
Why was he looking at her like that? Something gripped her throat, and sudden tingles surged from nowhere between her thighs.
Thankfully, his focus shifted to Jordan. “Ready for the demo?”
Jordan’s full mouth quirked into a half-smile. “Iamthe demo.”
Nick grinned. “Oh, really?”
