Playing to Win

to know more. For the time being, she left him alone so he could do his work. She dug into her briefcase and did her own, and a few hours passed before Cole rose and told her it was time to get dressed.
    “I figured we’d get something to eat before we went out. It could be a long night.”
    He gave her use of his bedroom to change and freshen up her makeup, grabbing his clothes to change in one of the other rooms.
    When she came out, he was waiting for her in the living room. Her breath caught. Dressed in black slacks and a black button-downshirt, he looked sexy. Compelling. And utterly dangerous to her already fragile libido.
    He smiled at her. “You look sexy, Peaches.”
    She couldn’t help the tingle at the nickname. “You should call me Savannah. I’m not your date or your girlfriend.”
    “It annoys you.”
    “It doesn’t annoy me. It’s just unprofessional.”
    “Okay. Savannah. Or should I refer to you as Ms. Brooks? Or Miss Brooks? Or is it Mrs. Brooks?”
    She rolled her eyes. “Now you’re being annoying.”
    He laughed. “Let’s roll, Sa-van-nah.”
    He’d enunciated every syllable of her name. Slowly. She might prefer the nickname after all.
    They went outside and Cole led her to his Lexus. Mid-range, not the cheapest, but not top-of-the-line, either.
    “This car is nice,” she said after he climbed inside. “But for some reason I expected you to be driving…I don’t know. A Lamborghini or Ferrari.”
    He laughed as he put the car in gear and drove away. “I don’t piss away my money on frivolous shit like cars. I’m on the road half the year anyway, so what’s the point in having an expensive car I don’t have time to drive?”
    And again he surprised her.
    They stopped for a nice dinner and then drove to the club. Though she wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting—something high-end, in the downtown area, maybe? This wasn’t it. The club was in a nondescript tan brick building. It looked more like an office building than a nightclub, and if it wasn’t for the ostentatious blinking sign proclaiming it Club Caress, she’d never have known it was a hot spot for the twenty- and thirty-something crowd.
    And a hot spot it must have been, because the parking lot was full.
    Cole pulled up out front and grinned at the valet.
    “Hey, Mark,” he said, tossing his keys as he rounded the vehicle.
    “What’s up, Cole?”
    He held out his arm for her, and they went inside.
    It was pitch-black, except for all the crazy lights, and the noise was earsplitting. She felt the heavy beat of the music in her chest as they made their way through the crowd, and it didn’t take long for Savannah to realize that Cole knew everyone here. People waved and called out his name, and women shot evil looks in her direction.
    Clearly, he was a popular guy.
    He slipped his hand in hers when the crowd swelled around them. Cole led her through the mix of people standing in their way. Fortunately, he was like Moses and the oglers were like the Red Sea, because they parted to let them through to the bar.
    The bar was something to behold. Sleek and a shiny, polished black, it had to be fifty feet long. Colorful, neon backlit bottles glowed in rows as high as the ceiling. It was a true work of art.
    “Take a seat,” he said, and she shifted onto one of the cushioned bar stools.
    “What would you like to drink?” he asked.
    “Sparkling water would be fine for me.”
    He lifted two fingers and a female bartender with short red hair and beautiful, full lips came over.
    “Riley. What’s up?”
    “Not much, Kara. How’s it going tonight?”
    “Busier than a one-armed paper hanger. What can I get for you?”
    “I’ll have a double shot of Patron Silver. The lady wants sparkling water.”
    She nodded. “You got it.”
    Kara served up Cole’s shot and poured Savannah’s drink into a glass, leaving her the bottle.
    “Thank you,” Savannah said.
    “You’re welcome, honey.”
    “You gonna run a tab?”
    Cole nodded and slid Kara his credit card. He downed his drink in one swallow. She poured him another shot, then went on her way, but not before another bartender, this one a brunette with cleavage that made Savannah jealous, came by.
    “Hey, babe. Haven’t seen you for a few days,” she said.
    “I’ve been busy.”
    She reached across the bar and squeezed his hand. “Don’t be so busy. Miss you around here.”
    The woman cut a glare to Savannah, then sauntered off.
    “One of your many