Read Taking A Shot for Free Online

room, how they dress, and what they drink, I’ve got them pegged before they ever say a word.”
     
    Liz scooted her chair closer to Jenna’s. “Oh, this could be fun. Hot stuff in jeans and black T-shirt, far left side of the bar.”
     
    Jenna took a look. “Cheating on his wife.”
     
    “Nuh-uh,” Maggie said. “How do you know?”
     
    “Too easy. Wedding ring mark on his left hand. And a fresh one at that. You can still see the ridges on his finger.”
     
    “What an asshole.” Tara sipped her drink, then looked at Jenna. “You’re good at this. I would never have noticed that.”
     
    “Most women don’t, not on initial glance, anyway. They’re not all assholes. But a lot of them aren’t worth a second look, especially at a bar.”
     
    “Because they go there to pick up women?” Liz asked.
     
    “And to get laid.”
     
    Tara shook her head. “So cynical. No wonder you don’t date much.”
     
    “Unless I’m in the mood for sex, I don’t really see the point. None of those guys are my type. And a bar isn’t a place to meet men.”
     
    “Oh, come on.” Liz scanned the bar. “There are some serious hotties in here.”
     
    Training her gaze into laser-point precision, she pointed it at the male traffic. “Unemployed. Gay. Mama’s boy. Bully. Wimp.” She turned to them. “Should I go on?”
     
    Tara shook her head. “I think you might be just a wee bit too picky. Are you certain your system is as flawless as you’d like to believe?”
     
    “I’ll prove it to you.” She smiled at the corporate type they’d singled out for her at the beginning. He graced her with his thousand-watt smile, pushed off the bar, and headed over to them, pulling up a chair and sliding into it.
     
    “Hello, ladies. Enjoying your evening?”
     
    Jenna took the lead. “So far.”
     
    “Can I buy you all a drink?”
     
    “Sure.” Jenna told them what they were having. Without even turning around, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers for the cocktail waitress. Jenna gritted her teeth.
     
    They all introduced themselves. His name was Craig. He was in hardware technology sales.
     
    “Do you travel?” she asked.
     
    His lips curved. “Quite a bit, as a matter of fact. I’m on the road a lot.”
     
    “You must enjoy it.”
     
    “It’s an adventure. And what about you, Jenna?”
     
    “I’m a bartender.”
     
    He held up his drink and tipped it to her. “Nice. I like drinks.”
     
    She’d just bet he did.
     
    “And what about the rest of you gorgeous women? What do you do?”
     
    Number one sin. When you’re hitting on one woman, you don’t also hit up her friends. You ignore them. Craig was hedging his bet, just in case Jenna wasn’t the one he decided he wanted to go home with tonight.
     
    “Engaged,” Liz said.
     
    “Getting married in a week,” Tara said.
     
    “Dating someone,” Maggie lied.
     
    Smart Maggie.
     
    Craig scooted his chair closer to Jenna’s. Ugh.
     
    “So you’re a bartender, huh?”
     
    “I am.”
     
    That was the last thing he’d mentioned about her. After that she endured a half hour dissertation all about himself, his career, his aspirations, and how he’d risen to the top of his company’s foodchain in three short years, including the big quarterly bonus that allowed him to buy his new condo he was certain she’d want to come over tonight and see. She tried to avoid yawning.
     
    She threw some serious “help me” signals at Tara, Liz, and Maggie, who stood.
     
    “Well, Craig, this has been fun,” Liz said, “but it’s girls’ night out and we need to go.”
     
    He stood, too, turning to Jenna. “Wait. You’re leaving? With them?”
     
    She wouldn’t laugh at the shock on his face. Really, she wouldn’t. Craig must not get turned down too often. “Afraid so. Nice meeting you. Good luck with the job.”
     
    The slap of frigid air as they stepped outside never felt better.
     
    “Wow. You were so right,” Tara