Felicia's Fling Read online

  Felicia's Fling

  Jolie Cain

  Published 2009

  ISBN 978-1-59578-608-1

  Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © 2009, Jolie Cain. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Liquid Silver Books

  http://LSbooks.com

  Email:

  [email protected]

  Editor

  Sharis Mayer

  Cover Artist

  Jax Cassidy

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  Blurb

  He's younger than she. A lot younger. But Felicia, newly divorced, is looking for someone to help her prove to herself that she's still attractive and desirable, regardless of what her asshole of an ex said. About to start a new life with her daughter, she decides to have a brief fling with the handsome young stud she meets in a hotel bar. After all, how often does a woman her age get a chance to have some wild, no-strings-attached sex with someone as gorgeous as this stranger?

  Nate is tired of the immature, flighty girls his own age he keeps meeting. As soon as he sees Felicia, looking sexy and a little uncertain, he knows he wants her—for as long as he can have her.

  They indulge in a torrid fling and then part, believing they will never see each other again. But plans don't always turn out the way we think they will…

  Chapter One

  Following closely behind her friend Jackie, Felicia entered the crowded nightclub located on the bottom floor of one of Miami's most popular hotels. She paused to take a deep breath as she absorbed the lighthearted and yet somewhat frantic atmosphere in the room. Couples stood or sat in tight clusters, but they all had the same single-minded expressions on their faces. When Jackie spotted a couple of empty stools at the bar and immediately headed in that direction, Felicia followed right behind her, feeling completely out of place. As she crossed the room, she felt the eyes that followed her, drawn no doubt to the tight, low-cut red dress and stiletto heels that Jackie had loaned her. She swallowed uncomfortably at the masculine attention she was receiving, but she kept going. Wasn’t that the whole reason she had let Jackie talk her into this little excursion? To prove to herself that she could still attract a man? That she was still a woman men would pursue … would desire? That she could still compete against the twenty-something’s, with their augmented breasts and bleached hair—like the one her ex-husband had left her for?

  Jackie turned to her and grinned. “Wow, this place is really hopping tonight, isn’t it, Fee?”

  Felicia shrugged. “I guess.”

  Jackie just laughed.

  “Oh, loosen up, sweetheart. A girl’s night out was just what you needed. You’ve been stuck in that house for too damn long feeling sorry for yourself.”

  Felicia knew she was right; she just wasn’t sure that this was the way to meet men, going out to some nightclub “meat market”. Maybe she needed to start out a little slower … like a trip to the library. Men still read, didn't they? She barely stifled a hysterical giggle at the thought.

  The bartender walked up, and Jackie smiled flirtatiously at him. “Hiya, handsome. I’ll have a Vodka Collins, please.”

  He smiled back at her, and Felicia watched the exchange enviously. While she wasn’t exactly shy, she’d never felt entirely comfortable chatting up some stranger. Jackie, however, was a completely different story. She seemed to relish the challenge.

  Felicia smiled nervously at the bartender when he turned a questioning gaze her way. She ordered a dry martini and bemusedly watched as he mixed her drink with that skilled precision of bartenders everywhere. After paying him, she took a small sip and felt the sharp burn as the fiery liquid slid down her throat. The bartender stayed close, his eyes focused on Jackie, who was looking particularly good tonight, her platinum blonde hair cut short and tousled loosely and pants that rode low on her hips revealing a sexy belly piercing. Jackie never lacked for masculine attention.

  As Jackie and the bartender continued to talk, Felicia toyed with her cocktail napkin, beginning to wish that she’d just stayed home and watched that documentary on the Battle of Shiloh that was on the history channel. Sighing, she realized what a fuddy-duddy the thought made her.

  To distract herself from her own limitations as a femme fatale, she found herself people watching in the mirror behind the bar. Everyone seemed so damn young, and she felt so old. She hadn’t been in a bar like this since she and Stephen had started dating, and that was a good twelve years ago. And even then it hadn’t really been her cup of tea. She'd always preferred intimate little cafes where you could actually hear the other person talk.

  She was jolted out of her thoughts when Jackie leaned over and whispered, “Come on, Felicia. You look like you’re scared to death. This is supposed to be fun. See anyone interesting? How about that guy over in the corner nursing his beer?”

  The bartender had moved off to wait on another customer, and Jackie was checking out the crowd. Another sip for courage, and Felicia swiveled sideways in her seat, allowing her eyes to focus on the guy Jackie had mentioned. Her eyebrows rose as she took in the shirt that was half unbuttoned down his chest and the gold chains sparkling there.

  She shook her head decisively. "I don't think so, Jackie."

  “No?” Jackie looked at him again. “Hmmm … no maybe not. Looks like someone needs to tell him that the eighties called, and they want their wardrobe back.” They both laughed and rolled their eyes before Jackie turned back to continue her search for the perfect man.

  The bar was certainly packed. As Felicia studied the crowd, she noticed again how young they all seemed. Even with the heavy makeup and skimpy attire, the females looked like they were still in their teens, and most of the males barely older. But for all their youth, they seemed to exude a confidence in themselves, in their sexuality, that she could not hope to emulate.

  She took another drink, completely out of her element. Already she knew that this had been a bad idea. When she had been planning it with Jackie, back in the safety of her own home, it had seemed so simple. Just find some man—or "a great piece of ass" as Jackie called it—and spend the night rolling around with him between the sheets. A quick sexual release with no expectation of more. It had been so long since she had been with a man. Jackie had been appalled when the truth had come out as they had sat there drinking and man-bashing. But now … now that she was really here … she wasn't sure she could go through with it. Picking up some unknown guy and having a one-night stand. That so was not her. What had she been thinking?

  Scratch that. She knew what she had been thinking. She’d been thinking that the second margarita Jackie had poured her had gone down real smooth. And the third one even smoother. She smiled ruefully as she remembered how hung over she’d been the next day. That should have been her first clue that any decision she had made the night before was probably a bad one. But Jackie had persuaded her that she needed to do something to get herself out of the black funk she’d been in since Stephen had left.

  Suddenly she was distracted from her thoughts by the feeling that someone was watching her. Looking around, she saw a pair of deep blue eyes at a table not far away, eyes that were studying her closely. When the man saw she had noticed him, he smiled and raised his glass in a silent toast of appreciation.

  Felicia shivered at the unabashed interest in his hot stare. His gaze skimmed over her body, and she looked quickly away when his eyes swept back up to hers. A few moments later, unable to resist the temptation, she glanced back. His eyes were still intently focused on her. Their gazes stayed locked on one another until his attention was distracted by one of the young ladies sitting at the table with him, and the moment was gone.

  Felicia took a deep breath. Without that heated gaze holding hers captive, she was able to get a better look at him. He was gorgeous, no question about that. His blonde hair was short, but not too short, brushing against the collar of his shirt as he leaned forward. He had a square jaw and, when he smiled, she could see deeply set dimples in his cheeks. His tan skin attested to hours spent in the sun and gave him a healthy glow even under the muted lighting of the bar. Felicia could picture herself running her fingers through that hair, sliding her hands across his arms to probe down into the slightly opened collar of his shirt. She felt her face heating at her thoughts and shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the first stirrings of arousal caught her off guard.

  Studying him more closely, she realized with a small pang of disappointment that he looked just as young as most of this crowd, which was at least a good ten years younger than she was. Sighing, she turned back around to finish her drink.

  Jackie stood up. “I see some of the girls from work, Fee. I'm going to go say hey. Do you want to come?”

  "No. I'll just wait here."

  "I’ll be back soon. Okay?”

  Felicia nodded.

  “You’ll be all right by yourself?”

  “Yes, Jackie. I may be old and out of touch, but I think I can manage to sit by myself for fifteen minutes without panicking or getting kidnapped
by slave traders.”

  Jackie laughed and strolled away.

  Felicia watched her friend wind her way through the crowd. Maybe she should just go home. Jackie would be pissed that she had chickened out, but she would understand. Luckily they had come in separate vehicles, so Jackie could stay with her friends and enjoy herself without having to babysit Felicia. As she scanned the room hoping to catch sight of her friend so she could tell her she was leaving, a man slid onto the seat beside her. When she glanced sideways, she recognized him. It was the guy from the corner. The disco dude. He sent her a practiced smile, his gaze drifting down to focus on her breasts. She returned the smile with a politely stilted one of her own, hoping he would turn his attention elsewhere. Instead, obviously taking her smile as an invitation, he leaned toward her and said, "Hi, pretty lady. I'm Ted. Are you here alone?" His breath reeked of alcohol and cigarettes.

  "Ahh … no. As a matter of fact, I'm meeting someone." She looked at her watch in feigned concern. "He should be here soon."

  "Well, his loss…" He winked, stroking his fingers over the back of her hand where it lay on the bar.

  Felicia pulled her hand from beneath his and said, "I don't think so … ah … Ted."

  Undeterred by her refusal, he moved closer still, his gaze dropping once more to her chest, a lust-filled gleam in his eyes. "Oh, come on, baby. Let Teddy show you a good time. I promise you won’t be sorry."

  She felt trapped as he pressed closer to her, and her eyes darted around looking for a way out. Where the hell was Jackie? Suddenly she felt a hand rest warmly against her spine, exposed and naked thanks to the halter style of her dress. "Hi, baby. Sorry I'm late."

  Her eyes flew up to meet those familiar blue ones, and her heart fluttered briefly in her chest at the sensuality lurking behind those cool pools.

  "Oh, ah … you…"

  "I know, I know. I got hung up in a meeting." His hand slid possessively around her waist. “Forgive me?" He bent down to press a quick kiss against her startled mouth. Her unwanted admirer muttered something under his breath before picking up his drink and heading toward a group of women clustered around a table nearby. Felicia breathed a sigh of relief.

  She looked at her rescuer as he sat on the stool next to hers that had just been vacated. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

  He smiled. "No problem. You looked like you could use a little help with Don Juan there." He cocked his head in Ted's direction, and she made a face.

  "Definitely."

  He gestured toward her now-empty martini glass. "So, may I buy you another drink?”

  She raised a brow. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire?"

  He grinned and shrugged. "You can't shoot a guy for trying, right?"

  She felt a shimmer of amusement at his honest response. "Actually, I was thinking about leaving. I've discovered that this isn't really my kind of place.”

  He frowned. “Please? I hate to drink alone. Won’t you have just one with me?”

  She looked over her shoulder toward the table he had been sitting at. It was empty. “What happened to your friends?”

  He shrugged and motioned for the bartender. “They had to leave.” When the bartender approached, he said, “Yes, I’ll have a beer, please, and the lady will have another martini.”

  She raised a brow at his presumption, and he grinned devilishly. She knew she should refuse, but his eager confidence was engaging. It was pretty flattering to have someone so young and attractive showing such interest in her. And she didn't get the same desperate vibes from him as she had from the easily dismissed Ted. “You didn’t want to go with your friends?” she asked, smiling in thanks when the bartender delivered her martini.

  “Hmm? Oh, no. Things here seemed much more interesting than random bar-hopping.” His eyes told her exactly what it was he found interesting, and Felicia's own eyes widened. He meant her. And she was almost shocked at the idea that he was interested in her. Here was this sexy man, this sexy young man, making some obvious moves on her. She couldn’t help but feel flattered that he found her attractive enough to ditch his friends. After everything her ex had said about her, this man's words and the look in his eyes was a balm to her battered soul. On the other hand, hadn't she just gotten rid of one unwelcome admirer and told herself that one-night stands were not for her? Nevertheless she had to admit to being tempted. He was just so … appealing.

  “I’m Nate.” He held out his hand.

  After a moment’s hesitation, she put hers in his, and he closed his fingers around her hand in a warm clasp. “Felicia.”

  Still holding her hand, he rubbed his thumb in a gentle caress across the back, sending shivers up her spine. His eyes gazed persuasively into hers as he said, “Well, Felicia, won’t you take pity on me since my friends have deserted me?”

  *

  As he waited for her answer, Nate couldn’t help but thank whatever benevolent gods watched over fools like him that she had walked into this bar before he had left. The giggling and inane conversation of the girls his friends had brought along had been grating on his nerves. Good God, were reality television shows and shopping for shoes all they really thought about? He couldn’t tell a Manolo Blahnik from a pair of Keds, and couldn’t care less. He had been searching for an escape route when he had seen Felicia enter the bar in her sexy red dress. Her dark hair was swept up into some loose style that made him long to see it tumble down around her shoulders or maybe across his pillow. Dark tendrils had escaped to caress the pale skin of her neck, and his cock had immediately stirred to life. She had been such a contrast to the other girls, obviously older but a bit uncertain, as if she weren’t accustomed to hanging out in bars. As soon as he had seen her, he’d decided to try his luck. So when he’d noticed that drunk SOB hitting on her, he’d bristled with a feeling of possessive aggression. It was time to make his move. After all, he had seen her first.

  And now here he was, her warm hand clasped lightly in his much larger one, his eyes focused on her red-lipsticked mouth as it tilted upward in a mesmerizing smile that caused his half-hard cock to come to full erection.

  “I suppose it would be completely ungrateful of me to say no."

  “Yes, it would,” he couldn’t resist teasing her, and she laughed, her head leaning back to reveal the long, elegant line of her neck. Nate wanted to taste it.

  She licked her lips and cleared her throat before asking him, “So, Nate, are you from Miami?” She seemed to catch herself, shaking her head. “No. Don’t answer that. Nothing personal, okay? I’d like to forget about where we’re from and focus on right here and right now. Is that all right?”

  He cocked his head to one side, considering her request. “All right, sweetheart. Except for one thing.” He picked up her hand and kissed the ring finger of her left hand. “You’re not married, are you, Felicia? Or otherwise involved?”

  She paused for a moment and looked down. When she looked back up, her eyes held an expression he couldn’t quite read. Pain, maybe. Or dismay. But she shook her head, and it was gone. “No, nothing like that.”

  He studied her face, trying to detect any trace of dishonesty, but her eyes met his forthrightly. Finally he nodded. “Good. Me either. No significant others waiting at home.” He smiled, and she tentatively smiled back. “Well, if we can’t talk about anything personal, my lovely, mysterious Felicia, what shall we talk about?”

  She took the olive from her drink and nibbled on it as she considered his question. Nate couldn’t pull his eyes from her as her tongue darted out to taste the smooth green skin. She licked on that damn olive, sucked it, and all he could do was think about how that mouth of hers would feel on him.

  Dropping the olive back into her now-empty glass, she smiled ruefully, and he knew she was completely unaware of her effect on him. “I’m afraid I’m not very good at small talk these days. I guess you could say I’m a little … ah … out of practice.”

  He had his suspicions about what had put that hint of sadness in her voice. Obviously some bastard had hurt her. Probably an ex-husband if she'd been out of the dating scene for a while. Well, he was going to do his best to help her forget about anyone else tonight but him.

  “Dance with me, Felicia.”

  Her eyebrows lifted uncertainly as she took in the bodies gyrating wildly on the dance floor. “I think I’m a bit out of my league out there. Maybe you should ask one of them.” She gestured toward a group of females clumped together at the end of the bar, all dressed similarly in short skirts and tight tops. He studied them briefly and rolled his eyes.