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a moment, then put her focus back on the music and the beat, but it was too late, she was already out of step. The women at the bar were both tall, model-esque gorgeous, and eying Nick like he was Christmas dinner. She also caught the way they looked her way and how their eyes did the dismissive glaze over, as if they could not believe for a second that he could possibly be there with her. Oh well, it wasn’t like they were far off. She turned back to him, telling herself it didn’t matter. They were just friends.
    And she needed to start acting like it. “I’m also sorry about Claire. You’re welcome to stay at the apartment as long as you need.”
    Nick stilled, going off beat himself, obviously surprised at her momentary kindness. His eyes were questioning at first then briefly went hard before, quick as a flash, he was back, smiling at her. All cool and reserved. “Thanks so much. That means a lot to me coming from you.”
    But he wasn’t looking her in the eye. He was looking past her—over her shoulder, toward the bar. She spun. The fairest of the two chicks from before was giving Nick face and body for all she was worth. Gabby turned back and looked at Nick who was looking at the woman. “Yeah, I can see that.”
    He seemed startled by her tone and snapped back to her. “What are you talking about?”
    She shook her head. “Nothing. You know, my feet are getting kind of tired.” She started back toward the banquette, but was stilled by a hand on her arm.
    “May I have this dance?” said a voice she didn’t recognize.
    She looked up, brows drawn together, then she smiled wide. It was the tall and dark guy from earlier. “Sure,” she breathed out.
    “I thought you were tired,” Nick said against her ear.
    She looked from Nick to Tall and Dark then over to the girls by the bar. “I think I just got my second wind.”

Chapter 4

    Nick sat up on the couch, picked up his vibrating cell and grimaced. Six missed calls from Claire. Well, he had to face her sometime and he guessed now was as good as any. Besides he didn’t want this hanging over his head come Monday morning. Just thinking of heading into the office tomorrow and facing her father filled him with dread. He needed a game plan. It wasn’t like he could come right out and tell a head partner that his little princess was a hot yoga, cheating, threesome-proposing witch. It would be the simplest way, but the most direct to the end of his career.
    Claire’s father, Bill Elliot, thought of himself as quite the progressive at the staid financial firm where he worked and was proud of the feather in his cap at having brought in the young, brown-skinned wonder kid who raked in good new money for the firm. Still, it was surprising to Nick that when he’d started dating Claire that Bill hardly even batted an eye. Well, not much of one at least. Bill hadn’t let Nick forget that Claire was his little princess, and that the Elliots were a solid New York family with a long history in finance and estate planning.
    Though dating Claire kept him on edge since the stakes were so high, Nick had to admit it did have him puffing his chest a bit. Claire was just the type of woman who, for most of his life, his father told him he couldn’t have. The kind who would always be unobtainable to a low-rent wannabe like him, hovering just out of his reach. The ultimate brass ring on his climb up the corporate ladder.
    He frowned over his cell, clutching it tight. Maybe this time he had reached too far, and maybe his dad had been right. With this stunt, Claire had proven that she only wanted him for what he had between his legs and how he looked on her arm and it didn’t hurt that he gave her just a bit of an edge. Shit, she’d hardly batted an eye when he’d caught her with Yasmin. She knew she’d held all the cards. There was no real love lost. At least not with him. Sure, she smiled when they were in public and hell, he could admit it, he was pulled in because he