Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 68691 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68691 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
“Um, hi,” I stammered, my mouth dry. “It’s a nice day.” Oh my god, how embarrassing. Was that really all I could manage?
But Maggie took over like a pro.
“Hi, I’m Maggie, and this is my friend Tina,” she said sweetly, winking at the two men. “And you are?”
The guys looked at each other before answering.
“I’m Karl, this is my brother Kato,” said one. Oh god, his voice was as smooth as honey, I could almost feel it running over my body, oozing like golden goo.
But Maggie was on the ball.
“Oh good, are you guys new to The Old Dog? We haven’t seen you around before,” she said, cocking out a hip flirtatiously, emphasizing her perfect figure with a hand on one hip.
The guys looked at each other again before answering.
“Yeah, we’ve never been to this port before. We’re merchant marines in the service of our country. Karl here is a fleet technician and I’m a gunner. We’re aboard the USS Tompkins, docked in Andorra Harbor.”
I nodded, looking at the men. Our country is a city state, consisting of no more than four million people. As a deep-water port, Andorra has a long naval history, and merchant mariners often took leave here, or at least deboarded for a day or two of rest and relaxation. So we were used to seeing Americans around town. The sailors were generally brawny, muscular guys looking for some R&R before heading out to sea.
Plus, the two guys looked like military men. Out of uniform they wore casual clothes, jeans and t-shirts that emphasized the width of their shoulders, the hardness of their chests, the power and dominance unmistakable. And they carried themselves well, standing tall and proud, heads held high. More than likely, these guys were good with their hands and could fix stuff around the house, unlike the male courtiers I usually met who were wispy and soft, useless when it came to anything practical.
But I brushed all that out of my head. It was my destiny to marry some dude of noble birth, even if he was four feet tall with a lisp. There was no point in complaining about it or even thinking about it on my last day at home. Instead, I suddenly knew what I wanted.
“Hey,” I said softly.
The two men turned to look at me, those blue eyes penetrating, taking me in for the first time. And my body tingled as I thrust my breasts out unconsciously, leaning forward on my toes, my chest heaving.
Because I wanted them. I wanted one or both, I wanted to fulfill my part of the pact tonight with these men, and suddenly I was willing to box out Maggie if that was what it took. Turning on the charm, I smiled, glancing at them up through my lashes.
“Hey,” I said again.
Slow grins appeared on Kato and Karl’s faces, revealing even, white teeth. Man, these guys were movie stars, they were that attractive.
“Hey yourself,” drawled Kato.
Okay, this was not exactly turning out to be a Pulitzer prize-winning conversation, but you know how sometimes the world narrows so that everything else is gone? That’s what happened here. It was like a dream sequence, everything going out of focus except for me and the two men, other sounds muffled, my periphery vision dimming. All I saw were Kato and Karl, and I had to have them.
“Meet me out back?” I murmured softly.
The men exchanged an amused look, almost like they were having a telepathic conversation. Finally, one spoke.
“Sure,” he said, “out back in five.”
It was as if the world suddenly snapped back to normal. I was standing there, in a crowded bar, having just propositioned two strangers. Gorgeous men sure, but guys whom I’d just met, itinerant sailors here on shore leave. Not exactly the makings of a fairy tale romance.
But Kato and Karl were already striding away, without a look over their shoulders, disappearing into the crowd. Suddenly the music seemed really loud. I shook my head as if to clear it, my thoughts muddled. It was as if a different me had taken over my body momentarily, making me act out of character. But Maggie’s voice knocked me back to earth.
“What the hell?” she demanded, hands on her hips, eyes accusing.
I could see why she was angry. She’d been the one leading the charge, she’d been the first to see the guys, and I was supposed to be her second, a wing woman. An unspoken agreement was that Maggie got first dibs and I’d get whatever was leftover. Instead, I’d snuck in and made off with not one, but both men.
I thought about feigning innocence, about making up some lie about how she hadn’t tried hard enough, but our long friendship prevented me. Instead, I was straight up, acknowledging what I’d done.
“Mags, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” I said apologetically, telling the truth. “I’m not sure what came over me, maybe it’s my time of month?”