Free Unsuitable Men by Nia Forrester

indication that he could head in that direction, and the truth was, he just wasn’t sure. She wanted him to be a proper “boyfriend” who pledged monogamy and if all things went well, the ring, the wedding and the whole nine. She was just past thirty herself and told him that while she’d come close a couple of times, she’d never wanted to marry anyone she dated.
    The undeniable implication behind her words was that he might be different. Thinking about that shit made Brendan’s head ache. Maybe in a couple months, he would revisit where he was with her. The monogamy thing would be a pill, but he could swallow it for the right woman. The question was whether Meghan was that woman.
    Just then, as if conjured up by the Devil himself, Tracy walked by. She was scanning the room, searching the crowd. Leaning as he was on the bar, Brendan doubted she would spot him in the crowd, so he stood and headed toward her. Catching sight of him, she smiled.
    “Hey,” she said, putting a hand on his arm. “I won’t be needing that car after all.”
    Of course she wouldn’t.
    Brendan looked at her coolly for a moment. “Yeah?” he said. “Why not?”
    Tracy hesitated for a moment.
    He knew it! She really was going home with that corny-looking, Men’s Wearhouse -suit-wearing, short-ass, grinning motherfucker. And here he thought she had some semblance of taste.
    “I’m all set,” she said.
    “I believe that’s what they call a non-responsive answer,” Brendan said.
    Tracy folded her arms. “Actually, it’s very much responsive. You asked why I didn’t need the ride and I said I was all set.”
    “Who with?” Brendan asked.
    “That’s none of your business, Brendan,” she snapped.
    “No need to turn into a raging bitch with me, Tracy. I told Shawn I’d see you safely home and that’s all I’m trying to do.”
    And to his surprise, she bought his little righteous indignation act because she looked a little humbled and swallowed hard.
    “Okay, well, you can tell Shawn I ran into an old friend. And anyway, I’ll probably talk to Riley tomorrow morning so he’ll get all the assurance he needs that I didn’t wind up in a ditch somewhere.”
    Brendan smirked. Old friend his ass. A new friend was more like it.
    “Okay, Tracy. Thanks for coming out. See you around.”
    He turned his back on her and headed to the bar. Though he couldn’t see her, he sensed that it took her a moment to walk away.

Chapter Five
     
    She almost scalded herself getting into the damn shower. Tracy cursed under her breath and grabbed her loofah , working up a strong lather and scrubbing her skin until it burned. She let the water course through her hair even though it ruined the expensive salon job she’d gotten for the club opening. It took her a long time to feel clean again. At least he was getting dressed and would be gone by now, and she could sleep. Bringing him back to her house had been a lapse in judgment, but one she intended never to repeat.
    She wasn’t even sure what brought the whole thing on. Who was she kidding? Brendan . That’s what brought it on. He was so . . . nice to her and so utterly uninterested in her all of a sudden. Sure, he’d walked her in, got her a drink and chatted with her a little. And then he toasted to her future husband and walked away to go survey his little party, not giving her a second thought. A little later on she’d seen him standing across the room with his arm about someone’s waist and when she squinted and looked closer, she realized it was Meghan.
    Not his girlfriend? Sure. Right. From where she stood, Tracy thought they looked like a very cozy little couple. Meghan was wearing a perfectly ordinary black cocktail dress and yet Brendan’s eyes as he looked at her couldn’t have been more bright and admiring had she been Miss Universe. Oh, but that was Brendan’s special talent; he knew how to make a girl feel special, she thought bitterly.
    She grew even more bitter when she