EvieThe man was handsome as hell. I had a feeling he knew it as well. Not that he acted stuck up or arrogant but there was a vibe about him, like a “don’t bother me, I’m too sexy for my suit,” kind of thing. He seemed bored, like he attended parties like this all the time. My party was another in a long line of boring engagements he was forced to attend. I wondered if he was part owner of the company throwing the party. Maybe he was the pain in the ass brother that lurked in the shadows.I turned, leaning my shoulder against the wall as I faced him. His hair was a little too long for him to be one of the usual suits that ran a big company. His eyes were a light shade of brown, almost a yellowish gold tone. His brows were thick and his lashes were long. His jaw was square and chiseled. I liked that he had a hint of a shadow along his jawline. He was definitely not the average suit. Every other man at the party, not counting those that had beards, were freshly shaven.Not him. I was gu

XanderI parked my BMW in the parking lot, not caring I was stuck at a spot way in the back. It was the parking lot she designated—no ordered—me to be at. I was actually on time, which surprised me a little. I couldn’t explain why I was there at all. The woman intrigued me. That was why I was there. She had challenged me. I did not turn down a challenge, especially from a beautiful woman.I tapped my hands on the steering wheel, staring out at the cars in every size and color, and wondered once again why I was there. I shouldn’t have come. I moved to start the engine, ready to get the hell out of there when there was a knock on my driver’s side window. I nearly jumped out of my seat.It was her. She was peering at me through the heavily tinted window. How did she know it was me? I pushed the button to roll down the window and looked at her. “Are you going to sit in your car all day? That really wasn’t what I had in mind.”I shook my head. “No.”“Then come on,” she said, reaching for t

EvieIt was a fairly cool morning, or as cool as it could be on a summer day in southern California. I appreciated the shade that made it comfortable to sit outside while listening to birds and the happy sounds of kids enjoying nature.“What about you?” he asked.I turned to look at him, taking in the profile of the man that had caught my interest. “What about me?”“You’re a party planner. How did you get to be that?”The way he said it made it sound like it was a dirty word. “That?” I said with a laugh. “I think I always knew that I loved parties. Didn’t you like parties as a kid?”“I don’t think I remember a lot of parties when I was a kid.”“Birthday parties?” I questioned.He slowly shook his head. “No. Not really. I think we had one for my younger brother when he turned five, but that’s about it.”That struck me as odd. I couldn’t imagine a childhood with no parties. “Did you ever go to parties?”“I went to a few homecoming parties.”I wrinkled my nose. “Not a kegger. I mean a pa

XanderCharlie was sitting outside the building where he worked. I was meeting him for lunch. Technically, I was bringing him lunch to make up for ditching him at the party the other night. He wasn’t truly mad. We both knew from the very beginning there was no way I was going to stay the entire time. It didn’t matter. He was a little pissed. I would make up for it with burgers and fries, and all would be well.I parked my car, hanging the parking pass from my rearview mirror before climbing out. I sauntered across the parking lot, carrying the bags in my hand. He was staring at his phone, obviously texting someone.“You can’t ignore me forever,” I told him.“It won’t be that hard,” he said, dropping the phone down. “You don’t talk much.”I sat down and pushed a bag toward him. “I brought a peace offering.”He reached into the bag and pulled out one of the burgers. I grabbed one for myself. The waxy paper the burger was wrapped in was covered with grease stains, ketchup, and melted che

EvieI walked into Nelle’s bar just after six with my laptop bag in one hand and my phone in the other. It had been a crazy day. The day was spilling into my evening, which it tended to do. Nelle’s bar was semi-busy with the after-work crowd sitting at tables and complaining about their shitty days. I was going to sit at the bar and complain about my day.I sat on my usual stool at the very edge of the bar, farthest away from the action. It was where Nelle took a break when the action was slow. It was the best seat in the house as far as I was concerned. I could see everything and everyone, and yet, no one really paid much attention to the corner.I ended my phone call to the flower shop that insisted they couldn’t get the tulips my client wanted. I very nicely told them to look harder. I flopped down on the stool, my laptop bag on the bar. I looked around and knew there was no way I was going to get any actual work done. I was fried and really uninterested in hashing out the details