Read Just One Night: Part 2 for Free Online Page B

any more dorky? No, I don’t think so. The lengths I won’t go to in order to save a friend… I’m totally getting lunch out of this deal. At least a lunch and possibly a spa day.
    Malcolm indulges me with a watery smile. “I would hazard a guess that you’re sitting next to me tonight.” He glares at Mia once before leading me away.
    I breathe a sigh of relief as he settles me into a chair at his left and disappears again, but my feeling of triumph only lasts about two seconds. That’s how long it takes for William to sit down next to me on my other side.
    He pulls out my chair without saying a word.
    I take it silently, settling my napkin in my lap so I can busy myself with doing something other than having a heart attack.
    “So …” He clears his throat. “How long have you been friends with Malcolm?”
    “We’re not friends,” I say, cringing at how fast it comes out. I sound desperately scared.
    “Are you stalking me?” he asks.
    I turn to him, outraged at the idea. It’s then that I catch him grinning and it takes some of the embarrassment away. “No. I’m way too busy to stalk men.”
    His expression goes dark and he hesitates a moment before responding. “Busy having one night stands?”
    I lift my chin. “Yes. Busy doing that.”
    “I see.” He puts his napkin on his lap and acknowledges the person sitting next to him on the other side.
    I stare straight ahead, watching as Mia engages in an animated conversation with the man I can only assume is William’s brother. She looks a little riled up. I cross my fingers under the table, hoping she gets angry at him and storms off. I will be right on her tail when she does, too. Talk about awkward. I was not cut out for flirting or playing this … game or whatever this is. I am completely out of my league.
    Waiters arrive as people are seated and baskets of rolls are placed on the table.
    “Would you be so kind as to pass me the bread?” William asks, way too close to my ear.
    I nearly have a stroke when I feel his hand on my leg. Am I imagining that? No, I am not. His fingers are long and hot. I can feel them through my dress. Breathing becomes difficult.
    “Of course,” I say, reaching over and taking the basket, dropping it on his plate with a very ungraceful bang.
    Everyone stops talking and looks at me.
    “Oopsy. Dropped it,” I say, cringing.
    William chuckles and I glare at him, feigning playing with my napkin so I can push his hand off my thigh. “Stop it, perv,” I whisper. “I’m here to eat dinner.”
    He takes a roll and spreads it open. “I wish I were here to eat you,” he says in a low voice, never once looking at me.
    My heart leaps into my throat. “What did you just say?” People are taking their seats around us and pulling apart dinner rolls while William continues to act as though we’re having a perfectly normal dinner conversation.
    “I didn’t get the chance to do that, did I? I suppose it was because our evening ended prematurely.”
    That makes me cranky. “No, it didn’t, actually. It went exactly according to the agreement.”
    “Technically speaking, it didn’t.” He spreads some butter on one side of his bread. “Just one night is an entire night, not just a few hours.”
    “So what are you saying?” I pick up my roll and try to break it open all sexy-like but fail miserably when the roll is too hard. Flakes of it fracture off and land all around my plate.
    “I suppose I’m saying that I didn’t get my money’s worth.”
    My jaw drops open as his words sink in. I nearly growl at him. “Are you calling me a prostitute? Because I didn’t ask you to pay for that dress, in case you’ve forgotten.”
    His hand drops below the table and squeezes my thigh again. “I’m saying nothing of the sort.” His hand travels up closer to the edge of my panties. My dress is going with his hand. “I’m actually trying to flirt with you but it appears I’ve botched it.”
    I try to chew my role in a way