Free Shades of Gray by Maya Banks

women were
     stacked wall to wall in this place. And she was supposed to stand out?
    Donovan took two flutes of champagne and handed one to P.J. As he lifted one to his
     lips, he murmured to her.
    “Okay, see the man on your far left? No, don’t look. Gradually scan. He’s in a group.
     Can’t miss him. Tall blond. Laughs really loud. Likes to be the center of attention.
     Women surround him because they know he has money and power. They have no idea of
     his perversions or they’d run like hell.”
    A shiver raced down her spine.
    Great.
    She casually scanned the room until she found the man Donovan was referring to. Definitely
     couldn’t miss him. The boom of his laughter was loud even over the rest of the two
     hundred plus people gathered.
    “That’s Brumley, and he’s a man to avoid. Under no circumstances do you want to gain
     his notice. Nelson is across the room and is currently alone. He’s surveying the crowd
     and, if I had to guess, looking to score. See him standing by the window? Shorter,
     stocky guy. Muscled, but he’s not one of Brumley’s bodyguards or he’d be hanging a
     hell of a lot closer to Brumley. He’s Brumley’s damage control. He’s the guy Brumley
     sends to clean up his messes. Dark hair. Mustache. Fake tan.”
    “Yeah, I see him,” she murmured, her lips barely moving.
    “Now would be a very good time for you to make a pass by him. The ladies’ room is
     beyond him so it’s the perfect opportunity for you to walk by and it’s likely why
     he’s taken position there, because he knows he’ll see the majority of the women at
     some point on their way to the powder room. Go reapply some lipstick and make eye
     contact on your way by. Give him a once-over, just enough to make him think you might
     be interested, but be subtle and don’t tip your hand too early.”
    “Why Van, you sound like such an expert,” she said mockingly. “However are you still
     single?”
    “Smart-ass,” he muttered.
    She took a deep breath. “Okay, here I go.”
    “You’ll be fine,” he reassured. “We’ve all got your back.”
    She clutched the beaded handbag, wishing desperately it was the stock of a loaded
     pistol, and walked as gracefully as she was capable across the room.
    As soon as she approached she could feel Nelson’s gaze on her, all but peeling off
     her dress. She felt violated before she got within ten feet, just from the intensity
     of that lustful stare.
    Even though Donovan had told her to make eye contact and to make that first move,
     her gut told her that obliviousness would serve her better. This was a guy who didn’t
     like not to be noticed. He was someone used to garnering attention. He probably had
     any number of women clinging to him at any given time if for nothing else than his
     connection to Brumley.
    She unzipped her bag and pretended to focus her concentration on finding the lipstick
     as she drew even with Nelson. As soon as she passed, she relaxed but could still feel
     the weight of his stare boring into her back. He’d definitely noticed her.
    It appeared as though Donovan’s intel was correct, because along with P.J. there had
     been two blondes and a stunning redhead walking in the direction of the ladies’ room,
     but Nelson had zeroed in on her.
    She positioned herself in front of the mirror and forced herself to calm the jitters.
     She was a professional, with a hand as steady under pressure as they came. She always
     made her shot. No sweating. No panicking.
    This girl stuff was more terrifying than an entire company of gun-wielding terrorists,
     though.
    She made a show of touching up her lipstick, made sure it was nice and shiny, and
     then after she rubbed her lips together, she slid the tube back into her clutch and
     squared her shoulders, ready to exit.
    To her utter surprise, she nearly ran headlong into Nelson as she left the ladies’
     room. She stumbled back and her hand flew to the wall to regain her balance.
    He grasped her