Free X-Treme Measure by S. N. Garza, Stephanie Nicole Garza Page B

club?”
    I shook my head, not wanting to know where she was going with this, but there I was, going with it.
    “There’s a club-slash-escort place, X-Treme Measure. We should go. I think for parties we have to schedule in an advance. It’s hard to get in there. The cover charge is ridiculous.”
    “Then why bother?”
    “Because, one, it’s your birthday. Two. It is the best male strip place in Houston. Three, I’ve always wanted to go there.”
    “Then why don’t you go?”
    “Because one simply doesn’t go alone. I’m not desperate. Come on! What do you say?”
    “Fine.”
    “Awesome! I’ll call them this evening.”
    YAY. Great. Not. I was going to a male strip club with a bunch of chicks? Great.
    She was more excited when she got up from the booth and I trudged on home. Parking, I got out just in time to see Daniel walking with strong, bold confidence down the steps. I will admit, I’ve been taking the elevator to my apartment when I knew he would be leaving his to go wait for Reighlyn. The elevator was opposite of where the steps led down, but looking down at my watch, I knew I had stayed too long at work, dwelling over being a complete idiot at letting his brush off get under my skin. I was nice to him. Polite. But he looked at me like he wanted to rip someone’s head off.
    He didn’t say anything anyways so it never mattered. We were able to avoid each other easily this way. But today, I was running on fumes. It’s been a busy few weeks with the end of the semester and work. It had gotten busier with end of school activities and then high school graduations. Funny how I could squeeze thinking about my hot single dad neighbor with everything going on.
    I shut my door just as he reached the bottom step. I hadn’t meant to look up at him, I was planning on just going straight to the elevator. Ignore him and go on about my day. Not that I had anything to do anyway. But nope, I made the mistake of bringing my head up and he was standing there, staring right at me. The look of feral irritability was still there but then he looked me up and down, probably noticing the ranch stain left behind from when I dropped the ramekin on the floor and it flew all over me. I had opted to wear my glasses today instead of my contacts. I didn’t know if he was aware but I saw the side of his lips twitch like he was on the verge of smiling or probably laughing at the work mess that was me. I rolled my eyes, slammed my car door and started walking towards the elevators.
    “Still taking the elevators? The stairs don’t bite.”
    I didn’t know what came over me, but I turned and gave him the fiercest scowl I could muster.
    “I take the elevators because I want to. Maybe I want to be lazy.”
    “You don’t really seem the lazy type.”
    “You don’t know me, so don’t presume to know anything about me.”
    With that I turned, but because he picked me a part, a small part, I headed straight for the stairs instead. Stomping my way up the four flights of stairs, cursing the big blockhead all the way up to my apartment. By the time I got to the door, I turned to him in the same spot, looking up at me and a quick smile flashed across his lips. He shook his head and continued on. I wanted to smack him. Really hard. Right on his sexy, smirky face.
    I got inside, finally letting out the hard exertion it took for me to climb those steps. Huffing, puffing and panting, I let my anger roll through me. I knew sweat dotted my forehead. I was still out of shape for those steps but dammit, I did it. Hot, sexy bastard won’t get the best of me. Nope. But Jesus Almighty, my thighs and calves burned and I was breathless. And not only from the walk upstairs.
     
     

 
     
     
    I knew being a dick to Moriah was fucked up. When I decided to avoid her any way I could, I hadn’t realized being a complete douchebag was how I would handle what I was feeling. And how was I feeling? Like I wanted to put her in my bed for at least a week.