“I thought for a moment that he was going to drop me during the lift, but then he righted himself, and the rest of the dance went smoothly.”
“What about the third dancer?” Holly queried.
“Oh, he was very handsome, and I definitely felt a spark with him. He made me feel safe, too. Maybe it was because he was so big, but he did. However, the first guy made me feel safe also.”
Alice asked with a raised brow, “How did he make you feel safe?”
I shook my head and shrugged. “I don’t know. There was just something about him. Although I don’t need a man to feel safe.”
“None of us need a man to feel safe.” Alice laughed.
“Of course you don’t, Alice. You’re a freaking sharpshooter!” Maggie said.
“What?” I asked, surprised as I stared at the elegant and slim woman with the black hair piled on her head in a messy bun.
“I’m not a sharpshooter; I’m a competitive shooter.”
“She’s won like every competition she’s even been in. You should see all her trophies.”
“Are you serious? How can he not know?” Maggie continued questioning Alice after she shook her head.
“Because I have never told him. Why would I? I told you that I didn’t like the man. I work for him because I like the company and the other guys. I could do without Jake and his attitude.”
“You’re telling me that if Jake tried to get you in bed, you wouldn’t jump in headfirst?” Maggie gave her a skeptical look. “I’m not sure I could say no to that man, and I have Greg keeping my bed warm.”
Alice grinned at her. “I almost went out with Greg once.”
“You did?” I wondered if Maggie would be upset, but she didn’t seem to be. “Did he ask you out?”
“Oh, we flirted a lot, but that stopped the moment you two reconnected at the coffee shop.”
Maggie snickered. “I realize that you veered off the original question about sleeping with Jake.”
Alice blinked a couple of times and then sat back. “I’m not sure Jake could handle me.”
“What do you mean? How could that man not handle you?” Holly asked her and then laughed as she glanced toward me, chuckling. “I might even let him manhandle me.”
Alice gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment. “You all don’t know this about me, but I might be a little strong for him.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, immediately picturing a scrawny, short guy.
Alice pursed her lips, and Maggie slapped her hand down on the table. “No way! You’re a Dom!”
Alice turned to her, a brow raised, and Holly’s jaw dropped again. “Is she right? Are you a dominatrix?”
I know my eyes almost popped out of my head. That would be the last thing I would ever consider with Alice. She looked so sweet and sexy, although she also looked exotic and fierce, too.
Alice shrugged. “I’ve been known to dabble.”
“Holy crap!” Holly clapped her hand over her mouth. “How does that work?”
Maggie turned to Holly. “Could you imagine Jake being submissive?”
“Never!”
Alice pointed at Holly. “And that right there is why I would never sleep with Jake. He would never comply with my wishes, and I would refuse him when he would try to control me.”
“I’d pay good money to see that,” Maggie said.
For the rest of dinner, I listened to them talk about some of the guys they worked with, and Maggie filled me in on how she had come back in contact with her high school sweetheart.
By the time I got home that night, I was exhausted and slightly drunk. I crawled in bed and, for the first time in a few hours, started to think about the dances that I’d had earlier tonight.
I thought back over all three of them or as much of them as I could remember. Between my intoxication and the nerves I’d had earlier, it was hard to remember too many details. Somewhere in between dance two and three, I drifted off to sleep.