Free Hooker (L.A. Liaisons Book 2) by Brooke Blaine Page A

said our goodbyes, I waited until he was out of eyesight to go meet up with my friends, who no doubt wanted every last detail of what went on. Imagine my surprise when they didn’t immediately bombard me with questions, but instead ushered me over to where Nate was standing with a group of guys.  
    With his face cleanly shaven, he looked younger than he had with the scruff covering his chin and jaw. But still ridiculously attractive. It made me want to kick him in the shins.
    “There you are,” Ryleigh said, linking her arm through mine. “Would you look who we ran into as we were walking inside? Isn’t this such an awesome coincidence?”
    Leave it to the happily attached woman to set her friends up so they’d be “happy” too. Wasn’t that supposed to be my job?
    As much as I wished I could avoid meeting Nate’s eyes when I came to a stop in front of him, his gaze was insistent. I gave him a tight smile. “And he’s fully clothed today. Miracles happen, I suppose.”
    “I don’t have to be,” he replied, and then he handed off his beer to one of his friends and began to take off his suit jacket. And wouldn’t you know, he had on a pair of damn suspenders underneath.  
    Fuck me, I’d never resist him if those were unleashed.  
    “Keep your clothes on, Romeo, this is a respectable establishment,” I said. “And let me guess. You put a tracking device on me last night?”
    “I was trying not to be so obvious about it, but…” He gave me a cocky smirk before grabbing his beer and taking a swig. “So…”
    “So…”
    The question was on the tip of his tongue. I could see it. The one about whether Ace and I would be seeing each other later…like maybe in bed.
    “Come here often?” His grin cracked wider, an obvious attempt at teasing me about my lack of social skills last night.
    Har har, ass.
    “You’re such a dag. Really,” I said.  
    “A dag? Does that mean insanely good-looking and charming?”
    “Sure it does.”
    “Sounds sexy in your accent, so it can’t be too bad.”
    I narrowed my eyes. “Aren’t you going to put your clothes back on?”
    He glanced at the jacket draped over the back of a chair and shrugged. “Nah, I think I’ll leave it off. It seems to bother you.”
    “I couldn’t care less, I assure you.”  
    “Sure. So…was that a date?”
    “I knew you couldn’t resist asking.”
    He put his hands up. “Just an innocent question. Big guy doesn’t look like the type that would appreciate your Boba Fett-ish, so I was just looking out. Friend to friend.”
    “Are you trying to say only a guy who wears suspenders like yourself would be my type? Or perhaps a pocket protector and nerd glasses? Maybe I like big muscles and…really tight shirts. Or guys who have absolutely nothing in common with me. Because sometimes the whole opposites-attract thing is actually right on. Although in my experience it’s been completely off, like the one time I went out with this fisherman guy because my mom was all, ‘Shayne, give him a chance, or you’ll wind up a bloody old spinster,’ and it turned out to be the worst experience of my life. I’ve blocked most of it out, mind you, but I can remember the deep-sea trip with this glass floor, and then there was fish guts and their heads were chopped off, and I think I lost about five pounds puking up the lollies I’d eaten that day. Worst date up to now, I suppose, but there’s always room for more mistakes.”
    A beat, and then, “So I’m guessing that’s a no?”
    “Oh. Right, yeah. Not a date.”
    His face relaxed, and then he said, “Well then, what can I get you?”
    After I gave him my order, he went over to the bar, and I turned back to my friends. Who were all staring at me with identical expressions of horror.  
    I wiped at my face. “What? Is my lipstick everywhere?”  
    “What thefucking hell was that?” Paige hissed.
    “What was what?”
    “Oh baby girl,” Quinn said, shaking her head and looking at me