Free Tempting Sydney by Angela Corbett Page A

my hormones. “Sorry for squirting you.” I winced again, then recovered with, “thanks for showing me your place.” I waved as I speed-walked out of the room and back down the hall.
    I got to the front door before I heard, “Syd.”
    I turned.
    He was leaning out of his bedroom, hands braced on the top of the doorway, abs just as tempting as they’d been a few minutes before. “Be careful tonight.”
    I nodded. “Thanks. You, too...” I shut the door behind me, then practically hyperventilated on his porch before I made it back down the street to Red’s parking lot, and She-Ra.

 
     
     
     
     

     
     
    I hated bars. And clubs. With a passion. The music is loud enough to recalibrate your heartbeat, and you can hardly hear yourself think, let alone try to carry on a conversation with another person. Everyone judges you completely on appearance, and they’re all there for a meaningless hookup. I wasn’t interested. But Brynn was. And she was well on her way.
    “Karl thinks you’re hot,” she said. Her mouth was pressed directly against my ear. It was the only way to hear her. The VIP section was slightly quieter than the regular dance floor, but really, the only luxury it afforded was a guaranteed place to sit, and faster drink service; also, the experience of being behind a rope that proved you were more important than ninety-eight percent of the people there. It seemed silly and stupid to me.
    I turned and put my lips practically in her ear. “Karl’s been feeling up every girl who walks by. And the girls don’t seem happy about it. Karl’s a douche. Why are we here again?”
    Brynn looked over at the tall, tan guy with the face of a movie-star sitting across from her. His lips formed a slow, cocky smile as he ran a hand through his shaggy, shiny locks. Brynn’s eyes immediately went starry. “Because Derrick is freaking hot!”
    He was attractive, I’d give him that, but his eyes were also glued to anything with boobs, and he didn’t seem to care who he ended up with tonight, as long as it was a woman, and he got to screw her—in more ways than one.
    Brynn had met Derrick and Karl through mutual friends at dinner the night before. They’d invited her—and any of her hot friends—to go out with them tonight. They’d looked at me like I was a nun when we walked up. I guess I did look pretty out of place; my pleather skirt went all the way down to mid-thigh and wasn’t showing off my vulva, and my lacy indigo shirt had fabric covering my chest and my back. Judging by their reaction when we walked up, I didn’t pass the “hot friend” requirement, but it seemed they were putting up with me to keep Brynn around. Which was fine. I wasn’t interested in either one of them.
    Derrick caught Brynn’s eye and grinned, motioning for her to come over to him. Her smile widened like she’d just won the lottery. And in this world, I guess she kind of had. She grabbed my hand, dragging me with her. “Hey,” she said coyly, twirling one of her dark curls.
    “Hey, yourself, beautiful.” He patted the bench seat next to him, “Why don’t you come sit with me?”
    She looked at the seat, then at me. “There’s not enough room for my friend.”
    He glanced in my direction, giving me a quick once-over, and finding me lacking. “Sure there is, babe,” he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down onto his lap. He scooted over, making room for me to sit between him, Brynn, and Karl. Great.
    Derrick lifted his hand at the server, signaling to bring us more drinks. I hoped the server knew I was drinking water. Brynn loved getting drunk. I didn’t. So, we made a good designated driver team.
    Brynn and Derrick flirted while Karl and I ignored each other. That lasted about five minutes before I felt a large, rough hand on my knee. Pretty sure it wasn’t mine, I looked down, and followed the hand up the arm of the jerk who had the nerve to grope me. Karl’s lips tipped up in an arrogant smile. He leaned into