by Beverly Rae
She had to admit she liked his laugh. Even when he was laughing at her.
“You’re that sure of yourself, huh?”
“I’m sure of myself for good reason. So how about this? When I win, you have to come back to the club, climb up on top of the bar and announce to everyone that I am the sexiest woman in the world who can get any man she wants. Plus, you have to tell everyone that you’re brokenhearted—” she paused for full effect, “—because I don’t want you.”
He chuckled, giving her a taste of his compelling laugh again. “Done. And when I win, you have to cook and serve me dinner at my place. Dressed in a French maid’s uniform.”
Meg grimaced at the image. “I don’t have a maid’s uniform.”
“Then I suggest you’d better buy one.”
“Now who’s sure of himself?” But why should she worry? She had this competition all sewn up, hands down. “Never mind. I don’t have to worry about losing. Is that everything or are you planning on bringing in referees?”
His chuckle was low, throaty and as sexy as they come. “No need for refs. But there is one other condition.”
Ignoring the signals of desire her body insisted on sending her, Meg fisted her hands on her hips and put on her best evil smile. He had a trick up his sleeve, no doubt. “I should have known. What now?”
“You can’t simply say you had sex, you have to prove it.”
A wave of heat swept through her, almost melting her knees and bringing her to the floor. Down, girl. He may be hot as hell, but he threw down the gauntlet and you have no intention of losing. Remember: He’s the competition. “And how do you suggest we prove it to each other?”
“Easy. We get to watch.”
Chapter Three
Meg slammed the front door of Allie’s house and spouted a few choice curse words for good measure, but her ire still wasn’t eased. Tossing her purse on the nearby entry table, she headed for the kitchen, hoping to find both things she desperately needed: chocolate and her sisters. She pushed the swinging door open to find Hilly and Allie chatting away as they worked to prepare a snack.
“Whoa, what’s wrong with you? I could hear you as soon as you pulled into the driveway.” Allie cupped her hands over her protruding belly. “And watch the language, will you? I don’t want the baby to pick up any of her auntie’s bad habits.”
Meg rolled her eyes and reached for the canister containing Allie’s not-so-secret stash of dark chocolate. “Oh, right. As if my future niece can hear me,” she teased.
“Of course she can. Studies show that babies can already—”
“Never mind, Allie. Instead of fussing at me, why don’t you tell your husband to ban certain people from his club. All kinds of riffraff are coming in.”
“Did Woolly Wilbur sneak in again?” Hilly snatched a piece of chocolate, narrowly missing getting slapped by Meg. “Hey, I just want a little bite.”
“Wilbur doesn’t have to sneak in anymore,” Allie said. “Tom lets him sleep in the office whenever he wants as long as he doesn’t come into the main club area during business hours. He lost that privilege when he started helping himself to the booze. But tell us what has your panties in a bunch.”
“Yeah, what’s up? Why begrudge your favorite sister a taste?” Hilly snagged another piece of chocolate.
“Look, after the night I’ve had, I don’t need chocolate thieves taking my precious treat away.”
“Hey, wait a sec. Are you forgetting this is my chocolate?” Allie complained.
Meg pulled the canister closer. “Not anymore. I need it more than you do and I deserve every bite of comfort I can eat. Hilly, if you want junk food, then why don’t you go change yourself into an alley cat and go scrounge in the garbage can?”
About to take another bite, Hilly stopped her hand in midair. “I haven’t shape-shifted in a while, but if this is the mood you’re in, I think I may just do as you so impolitely suggested. Even mangy animals would be better company than you right now.”
Allie giggled, then wiped her grin away at Meg’s sour look. “She’s only teasing. But seriously, tell us what’s bothering you.”
“Do not. I repeat. Do not say the word game ever again.” Meg stalked out of the kitchen and into the living room, knowing her sisters would follow her. “Or men. Don’t ever mention men again, either.”
“Wow. That’s the last thing I thought I’d ever hear coming from you.” Hilly tugged a scowling Meg onto the couch with her as Allie plopped her oversized body into the armchair. “Don’t tell me you finally met a man you didn’t like.”
Meg snarled at her sister. “So not funny. And yes, there are plenty of men I don’t like. It’s just that now there’s one in particular. One irritating, aggravating, low-living, conceited, arrogant asshole of a jerk.”
Allie and Hilly exchanged telling glances before asking in unison, “Who are you talking about?”
“His name is—” Meg spit out the words, then had to force herself to get the rest of the sentence out, “—Dr. Chance Dannigan.”
“Ooh, are you talking about the new doctor? The one who’s replacing Dr. Treadwell? Tom pointed him out to us at the club. Wow, he’s a real hottie. And I hear he’s a very nice man, too.”
Meg snarled at Allie. “Don’t believe a word of it. Oh, he’s good-looking, that’s for sure, and he knows it. But he’s also an irritating, aggravating, low-living, conceited, arrogant—”
“I think you’ve already covered those adjectives.” Hilly dodged another halfhearted slap.
“Fine. Then how about smug, condescending, annoying and a self-important know-it-all? If you’d met him, you’d say the same things.”
Her sisters’ noncommittal silence was almost as unnerving as Chance Dannigan’s arrogance had been. “What? Why are you two giving me that look?”
“What look?”
Allie asked the question, but she ducked her head, diverting her eyes away from Meg.
“You know what look.” Meg glared at her older sister. “The same look Hilly’s still giving me.”
Hilly didn’t avoid her harsh perusal. Instead, she zoned in on Meg and leveled her aim. “Sounds to me like you found a man who intrigues you.”
Allie giggled and pointed at Meg. “Hilly’s right. You might not like him, but he made one major impression on you and you can’t let it—or him—go. This is epic.”
Meg fell back against the couch cushions, stunned by their lack of support. “Have you two lost your minds?”
“Think about it, sister. You’re always saying how each man you’ve ever met is dull, unimaginative and exactly like every other man. The new doctor is apparently none of those things.”
Meg couldn’t believe her ears. What was Hilly getting at? “Okay, I’ll admit it. Maybe he’s not boring, but he’s also everything I just called him.”
“I’m not sure you understand what Hilly’s saying.”
Meg gaped at Allie. “Well then, please explain it to me.”
But it was Hilly who answered. “I’m saying the doctor, albeit maybe all of the things you said, is also a man who has caught your attention. And not just for what’s in his pants.”
Meg shook her head, trying to deny her sister’s assertions. “Why are you two making this more than it is? I’m just out to prove the bastard wrong. Not to hook up with him.”
“Wow, Meg, he might just be the perfect man for you.” Allie rubbed her stomach and bent her head to talk to her baby. “Did you hear that, sweet pea? Auntie Meg may have finally met her match.”
“I think you’ve both lost it.” Were her sisters taking the annoying, obnoxious, hot-as-hell man’s side? She paused, suddenly aware of her last adjective for Chance. But hot didn’t mean anything when everything else about him was wrong. Or did it? She chastised herself and shoved the unwelcome image of Chance and his captivating smile from her mind. Not to mention the memory of the warmth his smile had caused between her legs.
“Wait. What did you mean about proving
the bas—uh, I mean, the man, wrong?”
At least Hilly was paying attention to the real problem at hand. “Just this. And I bet you’ll both sing a different tune once you hear what he suggested I, er, he and I, uh, I mean, we do.”
Allie scooted forward as far as she could to the edge of the chair. She clung to the arms even as the weight of her huge belly threatened to topple her forward and onto the floor. “What did he suggest, Meg? I mean, what in the world could any man suggest that you haven’t heard, and probably done, a hundred times before?”
Hilly grew serious and took her hand. “Did he actually do something to you, Meg? Did he hurt you in any way? If so, we can go back down there and teach him a lesson.”
It’s about time they came around to my side. Meg took a deep breath, relieved to have them finally doubting Mr. Perfect. “No, no. He didn’t hurt me.” Aside from bruising my ego. She pulled herself straighter in her seat. “But what he did was nothing less than diabolical.”
“Really?” Allie’s eyes grew wider, probably in direct correlation to her imagination. “Wow. Do you think he’s evil?” She gasped and covered her belly protectively. “Don’t tell me he’s a warlock? Or worse, a demon? Aunt Matilda emailed us about an outbreak of demons getting loose from you-know-where.”
“No, he’s not evil.” Meg tapped a finger to her temple. “But he’s definitely clever. He challenged me to a game.”
Allie exchanged a skeptical glance with Hilly. “What kind of game?”
“Yes, Meg, what kind of game? And why is that bad? You usually like games. Of course, just because he wants you to play his game doesn’t mean you have to take him up on it. But knowing you, dear sister, you accepted the challenge, didn’t you?” Hilly zapped into full big-sister-slash-pseudo-mother role and added in an accusatory tone, “Meg, what did you do now?”
So much for being on my side. Meg adopted a hurt expression. Judging from Hilly’s reaction, however, she didn’t buy it. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Uh-huh. Or do you mean you haven’t done anything yet?”
True enough. Her older sister knew her well. Maybe too well. “Okay. Fine. I haven’t done anything yet.”
“Then you might as well spit it out. You took his bait, didn’t you?”
Meg sprang from the sofa and paced to the other side of the room. She could feel her sisters’ intense stares so she whirled around, ready to lay out the problem.
“You’re right again, Hilly. I accepted his challenge. But I didn’t have any other choice. He insulted me.”
Both of her sisters reacted. Too bad their reactions were at opposite ends of the spectrum. While Hilly scoffed, Allie’s eyes grew soft and full of concern. “Oh, Meg, how can we help?”
“I’m not sure you can. What he said was awful. And untrue, of course. He said that I could only get a man as long as he wasn’t out of my league. He said I couldn’t get any man I wanted.”
Confusion, then relief washed over Allie’s face. Hilly didn’t just giggle, she laughed her head off.
Where was their sisterly camaraderie? Where was the one-for-all, all-for-one attitude they usually provided? “Gee, thanks, Hilly. LOL right back at ya.”
“I’m sorry, sister, but really. That’s all? He bruised your ego and deflated your self-esteem? Why didn’t you simply ignore him?”
“Ignore him? Are you serious? He out and out told me I wasn’t good enough to have any man I wanted. I couldn’t let him get away with it.”
“So what’s the challenge, Meg?” Allie’s relief morphed into fascination.
Meg swallowed and resumed her place on the sofa. But this time she sat farther away from Hilly. Her big sister wouldn’t like what she had to tell her. Why be too close when the explosion that was Hilly’s anger erupted? “Okay, here’s the deal. And, Hilly, let’s try to remember why I agreed to this, all right?”
Hilly crossed her arms and leaned back. “I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything. Just spit it out and get it over with.”
“The challenge is a simple one, really. One I know I’ll win without even trying.” She shot a “help me out” smile to Allie. Her younger sister, however, appeared to miss her silent plea.
“Go on.”
Hilly’s cold tone raked over Meg, making her doubt her decision to take Chance’s bet. But she was past the point of changing her mind.
“The gist of the challenge is this: We each choose a sexual partner for the other to take to bed.”
“Meg, are you crazy?”
“Hang on, Allie, and hear me out. The first person who fails to have sex with the chosen partner loses the challenge.”
Hilly’s cold composure broke apart, making way for a heated glare. “Megan Tristan, I can’t believe even you would agree to something so unwise. Have you no common sense? I know you’re impulsive and often jump before you look, but this is beyond comprehension.” Hilly paused to shake her head, her mouth open as she searched for more to say.
“Hilly, don’t—”
“Don’t tell me don’t. Don’t is the perfect word for what you should do. You don’t do this crazy thing. Oh, my word, Meg. You promised a virtual stranger to have sex with another stranger. And not even a stranger of your own choosing, but one he picks.”
“Ooh, but what if he chooses an ugly, disgusting man?” Allie’s eyes grew bigger. “Or worse, someone with bad hygiene?”
At least she could answer Allie’s questions. “Uh-uh. Won’t happen. The point is to find a handsome man who’s supposedly better than me—you know, out of my league—and have him turn me down. Trust me. Ugly, disgusting or unhygienic won’t be an issue.”
Hilly shook her head in a slow arc, her disbelief radiating off her in waves. “Meg, you’ve done some outlandish and foolish things, but this one tops them all. What if the man he chooses tries to hurt you?”
Meg was eager to dispel her sister’s fear. Maybe too eager since her mouth decided to act faster than her brain. “You don’t have to worry about that. He’ll be wat—ching.”
Meg cringed. If only she’d caught her last word before it had escaped.
“He’s going to watch? Oh, wow, Meg.”
Sure, she’d shocked Allie, but Hilly? She studied her older sister. Was she in shock? Okay, maybe shocked wasn’t the right description. Maybe stunned or flabbergasted was a better way to explain Hilly’s quiet reflection. Yet Meg knew her sister too well to be comforted by her silence. No, Hilly saying nothing was like the quiet before the storm. And yet, suddenly, the storm had passed without so much as a single lightning bolt.
“I see. So all you have to do is find a woman who will turn down his advances. Am I correct?”
Oh, crap. Analytical Hilly is in the house. Meg was almost afraid to agree with her. “Right. Then when he fails, I win. See how simple this is? I bet I won’t even have to sleep with anyone to prove him wrong.”
“Fine.” Hilly stood up and smoothed her skirt. “Then let’s get this over with. Although I would appreciate you not getting yourself in such a bind again. I’m willing to bail you out this time, but your sexual adventures and the ensuing havoc have to stop.”
Meg checked with Allie who shook her head, denying her own understanding of Hilly’s offer. “I’m not sure I know what you’re saying.”
Hilly sighed, taking on the ever-suffering attitude she used when Meg or Allie got out of line. “We’ll go to the club and I’ll change into a beautiful woman who would attract any man, including this one. Then you choose me as his first subject. When he tries to seduce me, I’ll shoot him down and you’ll win the challenge.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Of course I would. I’d do anything for either of you. Although this one is pushing my limit.”
“Hilly, that’s so nice.” Allie shoved against the arms of the chair to heft her body onto her feet. “Isn’t that nice of her, Meg?”
“Yeah. Nice.” Meg stood to take Hilly into her arms and give her a long hug. Then she pulled awa
y and got ready for her sister’s reaction. “But…”
Hilly’s blue eyes met Meg’s in a challenge all their own. “But what?”
“He insulted me, Hilly, and I have to prove him wrong. It’s a matter of honor.” Meg cringed at the antiquated word, but couldn’t find any better word to replace it. Maybe pride? But that sounded too self-serving, albeit closer to the truth.
“Sleeping with strangers to prove a point is hardly what I would call honorable.”
“Well, no, I guess not. But I still have to do this. If only for my own self-esteem.”
Hilly inhaled, then let her breath out in one long sigh. “I guess I can appreciate your position. Sort of. Maybe. Oh, my word, you’ve always been a difficult one to understand, Meg.”
“I know. But I have to do this. To prove him wrong, I have to win.” She threw back her shoulders. “And what’s more, I want to win on my own. With my own natural charm. I want to win as me. Not because you changed into another woman and not because I used any spells. Besides, you know I can get any man I want. All I have to do is prove it to the doc.”
“So you’re going to go through with this thing?”
Meg couldn’t tell if Allie was astonished or impressed. Her younger sister had always taken an interest in her sexual exploits. More so before Allie had changed from a succubus into a mortal. But she still often asked about Meg’s “playtimes”. Hilly, on the other hand, was a different matter.
“So you’ll let him find a man for you to seduce, then you’ll take him to your bed? And let the doctor watch, too?”
“Oh, come on, Hilly. It’s not as though I haven’t participated in a little voyeurism before. Besides, he’s going to lose the bet first. Fairly and squarely, of course.”
“One can only hope, I guess.” Hilly plopped onto the couch, her hands clasped in her lap. “So you’re really going through with this crazy dare?”
“I am. After all, a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do.” Meg grinned at Hilly. “Besides, it might be fun.”
Yet the thought of Chance watching her with another man unsettled her. But why? She’d had sex in front of others before. What made having Chance watch any different?
