Page 1

Chapter one

A Knight in Shining… Gucci?

Frankie

“So,whatdoyoudo for fun?”

I glanced up from the rim of my glass, the wine practically untouched and growing warm. With a swallowed sigh, I forced my lips into a polite smile. The other patrons in the upscale restaurant all wore wide grins, the kind that came with good food and good company.

“This and that,” I said, hoping my disappointment wouldn’t color my voice. Truthfully, I’d been excited about this date after Nikkie had pestered me to give it a go.

But now…

“I don’t really have much time outside of work for fun,” I admitted with a huffed laugh. I looked back down at my wine glass and then up at my date again.

She was gorgeous; Nikkie hadn’t lied about that. Her crystal blue eyes were in striking contrast to her round, rosy cheeks, and sparkled with intrigue. Her lips pulled into a knowing grin that rubbed me the wrong way, but shewaspretty.

“Then I bet I could help you find something fun to do,” she suggested, a golden brow arched suggestively.

And there it was, the reason I wanted to run for the hills.

“I bet you could.” I chuckled, the sound thin and exasperated even to my ears. But she took it as an invitation, leaning forward, the tips of her fingers drawing featherlight circles on the back of my hand. “But there are just some kinds of fun I’m not really interested in.”

“Oh?” She smirked, like she knew she could convince me to try anything she wanted. “And what kinds of fun would that be?”

“The kinds that teenagers are interested in,” I hedged, hoping she’d take the hint. “I don’t really do the wholeflingthing. It’s a waste of time.”

“Then what are you looking for?”

“Just,” I paused, chewing on the inside of my cheek. I felt silly for even saying it. “Something long-term, something that’s more than just a physical thing.”

“But flings can turn into long-term relationships,” she countered, her piercing eyes searching my face. “You just have to give them a chance.”

Maybe she was right. Maybe I’d been looking so hard for something that would immediately be long-term that I ignored all the other possibilities. Maybe she had a point.

“Is your place close by?” she asked, her tongue peeking out and wetting her bottom lip. I squashed the urge to grimace and shook my head. So much for taking a chance…

“I live on the other side of town.” A lie. I lived ten minutes away butshedidn’t need to know. “And I have a pretty early morning anyway.”

“That’s okay,” Brianne cooed, her voice turning soft, and I might have been interested, but, “The bathroom will do.”

If she hadn’t suggested we fuck in the restaurant bathroom…

A startled chuckle slipped from my lips, more in disbelief than anything else, but she remained unfazed.

“The bathroom?” I parroted, quirking a brow. “That’s a new one.”

“Never done it before?” she guessed, her face lighting up in sudden intrigue. I cringed.Hard. “Then I get to pop your proverbial public sex cherry.”

“That won’t be necessary,” I said, holding up a hand to stop her, but mostly to pull away from her lingering fingertips. “I’m not really into that.”

“How do you know if you’ve never even given it a try?” she pressed, still wearing that smirk that made me want to throw up. “I promise it’ll be fun, trust me.”

“What’ll be fun?” a new voice asked from behind me, and I blinked. A possessive hand slipped over my shoulder, light but obvious.

I turned to look up at the stranger, choking on air becauseChrist, she was gorgeous.

She smiled down at me, the curve of her lips sensual but somehow still kind. “It’s beenagessince I last saw you! You absolutely have to let me treat you to dinner so we can catch up!”