Free No Strings Attached by Nicolette Day Page B

putting an impenetrable wall up between them.
    “Oh, he’ll talk to you all right.” Lilly grabbed her arm and steered her through the doors, blowing a kiss to Ron. “In this dress, anyone with a dick and half a brain will have something to say to you.”
    Hayden squirmed again, pulling the fabric. If only it were a couple of inches longer. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel like her vagina was on display for the entire club to see.
    “Stop fidgeting,” Lilly scolded, tossing her mass of thick blond curls over her shoulder.
    “I can’t help it. It’s so short .”
    “That’s the point.”
    Lilly tugged her toward the bar. Jace didn’t get behind the bar much anymore, but when he did, he always drew a crowd. A squealing, bouncing, nausea-inducing crowd, just like the one in front of her.
    “Looks like your boy is here,” Lilly said, standing on her tiptoes, looking for a seat. How she hadn’t broken her neck in those five-inch zebra-print heels was beyond Hayden’s comprehension. They defied the laws of physics. “How are my boobs? Jace Jennings worthy?”
    Hayden turned away and ignored the ugly burn in her chest when Lilly tugged on her bra to ensure the girls were on display. She hated when her assistant flirted with Jace. And the fact that she hated it just irritated her even more. “For God’s sake, Lil, will you stop adjusting? You’re on the border of nipple territory. I think they’re good.”
    “Oh, for the love of all that’s holy, they’re both working tonight?” Lilly sighed. “All that hotness on display and a sea of silicone separating us. So not fair.”
    Hayden spotted a flash of the brothers working side by side before a group of guys slapping one another on the back blocked her view. Nate and Jace were behind the bar tonight. That didn’t happen very often, and it explained all the excitement. They may have had some attractive bartenders working the club, but none of them compared to the Jennings brothers and the routine they’d spent years developing.
    Right on cue, she heard Nate’s voice ring out a command, and a bottle of vodka flew up above the bar. She didn’t have to see to know that Jace had caught it behind his back to make his signature drink. Cheers erupted. It wouldn’t be long before they had girls lined up on the bar for body shots. Hayden rolled her eyes and muttered, “Show-offs.”
    “Let’s get a seat.” Lilly leaned down and whispered in her ear, “And I know you said no frat boys, but if I were you, I’d make an exception for the blond one undressing you with his eyes over there.”
    Hayden nodded, feeling nervous and fluttery inside. God, was she really going to do this? Yes. But not before she got a drink in her. Or three. She pushed past a group of girls who looked young enough to have bedtimes and hopped up onto one of the sleek leather barstools. Jace was farther down the bar pouring a drink, completely unaware of her presence. His dark hair was styled into messy spikes. The deep, intricate colors of his sleeve tattoo swirled down his forearm to peek out from the navy blue Henley shirt that was pushed up to his elbows.
    The way the fabric stuck to his cut, muscular frame was enough to make a girl drool. And he didn’t have to take off his shirt for her to know the artwork didn’t stop there. His parents’ names were inked in old English just over his heart. He laughed at something a girl whispered into his ear, then slid her a drink with a lemon and moved on to the next person.
    She sucked in a breath to calm the flutter of nerves that had erupted at the sight of him and arranged the unused cardboard coasters on the bar into a perfect line. One inch between each of them. No more. No less.
    “Is he still pouting? I’m the one who should be upset. After you leave I’m going to have to go back to lame wedding photography, but you don’t hear me bitching about it. I’m taking a more proactive approach.” Lilly worked her way up onto the barstool