DARE You, Dare Duet, Part One: Billie and Sawyer: Unchained Attraction Series

by Shandwick, K. L.

  Leaning back to look at me he shot me a wicked sexy grin, stepped back, but placed his large warm hand in mine. Another shock of electricity raced all over my body like a chaotic pinball, waking my desires as his hands moved to my waist and he settled me onto his stool.

  When he leaned forward and I felt his hot breath on my cheek, a shiver ran down my spine. The smell of beer, spearmint gum, and the mandarin body wash he'd used surrounded me as he whispered sensually into my ear, "Damn, you look so fucking hot with this long curly dry hair."

  When my eyes snapped up to meet his, he grinned, and my previously stuttering heart suddenly began to beat out of my chest with a mixture of desire, fear and longing. He winked, softened his smile, and turned us back to the audience before I could think on my feet.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, the lovely Billie. Give her a round of applause, guys." My heart leaped again when he mentioned my name. He hadn't forgotten. As the audience indulged Sawyer the showman, he placed the mic close to us both, and grinning, he leaned toward it like he was having the time of his life. "Billie, this is for you," he murmured in a tone laced with seduction.

  He began to play "Perfect Strangers" by INXS, and when I saw everyone staring at us, I thought I was going to faint. I tried to tell myself that his choice of the song had been in his set all along. I had just about convinced myself of this, but the words he sang couldn't have been more fitting for what might have happened had I used the business card he left for me to call him.

  By the second verse of the song, I had lost all sense of reality. The world fell away, as it had once before when I became lost in his intense gaze. At that moment, we were alone. I had never been so tempted to kiss a man nor had I been hypnotized by the dulcet rich tones of another performer. Then again, no one had ever sung to me like they had meant it as Sawyer had either.

  Why is he doing this to me? My flustered brain felt swamped by the seductive words of the song, as I sat there stunned by the whole unexpected episode. I wondered why such a young Adonic-looking guy was focused on me. Sawyer was the type of man most women dreamed of sharing their bed with. At the same time, the thrill of this wasn't lost on me.

  Before I knew where I was the song had come to an end. My 'other life' fantasy where a virile, stunningly handsome man like him would be interested in someone like me came to a screeching halt when he turned and unpredictably thanked my date, Vince, for being a good sport and allowing me up there with him.

  Chapter Five

  After the song finished, Sawyer slid his hand around my waist and led me back to the edge of the stage where Vince and Graham stood waiting. Leaning in, Sawyer mumbled, "I was disappointed when you didn't call, darlin'," before he gently passed me down and Vince lifted me back to the floor.

  Leaving Sawyer’s safe possessive grip, when he handed me down to Vince, filled me with sadness. A glow he had lit when he’d sung to me, dimmed in that instant and internally, I’d felt the shift between the two men. One meant something the other—nothing.

  Moving back to my seat, my knees felt weak and discontentment filled my heart as an unsettled feeling grew within. The instant I looked across at Vince's warm smile, I knew categorically that he and I would never work.

  My searching gaze shifted from my date's face to the beautiful man on the stage, and for some strange reason I wanted to cry. It had been the second time Sawyer had made a spectacle out of me, and yet the loss I felt once he had stopped touching me was disconcerting.

  I had no idea what happened from the moment I sat back down at our table until Sawyer's set ended. I was too busy reliving my time up on stage in my mind, as I tried to read between the lines and dissect every single second of Sawyer's interaction with me.

  Everything—from the way he sang, his seductive tone, the intense eye contact we had, and the deep connection I felt toward him during the song—drew me further into him. Being in his presence and the way he appeared to sing the song just for me scrambled my brain. As a man he was too young for me, yet he had made me feel desired.

  The message emulated his performance and was designed to feel seductive, and I found myself remembering the unhurried and passionate way Sawyer had kissed me back at the wine bar.

  Leaning into me, Tricia grabbed my hand under the table and told our two dates we were headed to the bathroom again. As soon as she got me inside the door, she spun me around and stared with huge round eyes into my face.

  "Spill," she demanded, her curious eyes ticking rapidly over my face. "What the fuck was that?"

  "That?" I asked, needing to know which part of what happened she was referring to or whether she had meant a general 'that.'

  "You know that guy, don't you? You know the sexy-as-hell musician who eye fucked his way through that song."

  My heart raced with a sudden burst of adrenaline with her interpretation of what she thought she had seen, and my body vibrated with the same kind of small thrill that I'd felt when I first set eyes on him again. Hearing her observation confirmed my feeling that I hadn't imagined the sexual chemistry arcing between us.

  "I do … and I don't," I said, hesitantly. I shook my head while I struggled to find the words to explain. "We met once before." I sighed and immediately took another sharp breath. I shook my head in disbelief again at what we'd done in the wine bar. "But…he didn't look like that."

  "You're not making any sense. How do you know him?"

  Launching into a brief outline of what had happened in the wine bar, I watched as Tricia's eyes grew wider in disbelief and her mouth fell open in shock with my account about what had happened. When I'd finished, a big grin stretched across her face.

  "Well, whatever happened between you isn't over as far as he's concerned."

  "Nonsense. You did see him up there, right? A guy that looks like that can have anyone he wants."

  "Can he?" she retorted, chuckling with a raised eyebrow. Her inference he wanted me made me scoff.

  When my mind caught up with this thought I snorted. "Now you're just being ridiculous."

  "Am I?"

  "Where is he then?" I asked.

  "Obviously not crashing in on your date. You're with someone else, remember?"

  I sighed. "Hmm. Vince is lovely, but…" I wrinkled my nose because I felt sorry to say it. "He's not for me."

  "Can I ask why?" My mind immediately flitted back to the point when I felt a chemical change in my body when both men had touched me. Then I wondered if I had gone crazy to want more with Sawyer. What sane woman in her fortieth year of life crushes on a guy who looks a decade or more younger than she does?

  "You saw him up there. He's way too young. I think he was toying with me."

  "So? You're a hot mother he'd like to fuck. What's wrong with that? You're beautiful, Billie. I think a man of any age would be happy to have you on their arm. Besides, you don't look any older than he does."

  I grinned. "Tricia, you know how to make a woman feel good. I love this ego boost, but I'm not interested."

  "Oh, you're interested, girl. I saw the way you looked up at him. The way you both looked at each other when you were in his arms was almost X-rated. The sexual tension was filled with angst and longing. “ A pang of shock ran through me again. Had I worn my heart on my sleeve that obviously?

  "I would be in that 'other life' maybe, the one where I'm twenty something again with a perfect body, free from stretch marks, and far more outgoing than the dowdy mom I am now."

  "Jesus, girl, with a description like that, anyone would think you looked like a troll." Grabbing me by my shoulders, she turned me sharply around to face the mirror. "Look. What do you see? Me? I see a beautiful woman any man would be lucky to have. The only thing you need to change is what's going on in your head. Your mind is crippling you from the best life you could have."

  Staring past my reflection, my eyes met with hers and I thanked the universe for bringing Tricia into my life, just when I'd needed her the most.

  "Come on, the guys will be waiting." I n
odded toward the door and pulled it open in my bid to leave. Tricia grabbed my hand and held me back. "We're sharing a cab. If you're not leaving with Vince, Graham is going home with him."

  "You don't have—"

  "Oh, but I do. There's no way I'm leaving you. Besides, I'm not that into Graham. I only set up the double date because I knew you wouldn't have met Vince alone."

  "You are an amazing friend, you know that?"

  "And you deserve me, so shut the fuck up and get out of here before they think we've been making out in the stall without them."

  The dive bar was emptying by the time we made it back to the table. A pang of guilt hit me square in the chest when I saw the hope in Vince's blue eyes.

  Thankfully, Tricia took charge of blowing the guys off. I marveled at how adept she was at making the break so clean, with zero angst, and somehow made the guys feel it was completely normal for us to leave without them.

  "Thanks for a lovely evening, Graham. I'm staying overnight at Billie's place, so if you guys want to head out, we'll be in touch in the next few days to gauge if we all want to do this again."

  Vince looked a little dejected but nodded, leaned in, and kissed my cheek. I felt nothing. "It's been great getting to know you, Billie. I hope we can do this again."

  "I've had a lovely evening, Vince. Nice meeting you," I offered, choosing my words carefully so as not to fuel that hope I'd read in his eyes any further.

  Graham pulled Tricia in for a hug. "It was fun, sweetheart. I'll be waiting for that call," he said, more demanding than Vince in his tone.

  Tricia made me hang back on the guise of fixing a shoe and I cast my eyes around the bar as the stragglers shuffled toward the bar's double doors. I glanced back to the deserted bare stage, and immediately pictured Sawyer up there again.

  A keen sense of loss washed over me again and another feeling of disappointment grew from within at the unanswered questions about how different he looked, what he did for a living, and the thought I'd never see him again.

  Stepping reluctantly out into the cold night air, I was startled when the sound of his low sexy voice called out to me. "Billie?" My body reacted to the sound of his voice instantly. A thrill of anticipation ripped through me and my heart leaped in delight that he hadn't left without talking to me again.

  Stepping out from the shadows, Sawyer immediately smiled. "I was hoping I'd see you again, but you never called," he murmured, as he took another pace forward, reached out, and held me by my elbows.

  "Do I know you?" I asked, not understanding the question myself.

  "Not as well as I'd like you to know me, darlin'," he chuckled. "Did you ever finally get rid of that douchebag husband of yours?"

  "Yes, thanks to you," I muttered. Immediately blushing, partly because I remembered his kiss and from his reply to my question from before.

  "Great to hear. He didn't deserve you," he said, stroking my cheek with the back of his finger. His familiar touch sent a shiver down my spine. I wanted to look away but couldn't find the will to break the contact between us. I wasn’t willing to break the stare but he had made me feel breathless all over again.

  "Thanks," I replied, feeling shy because I knew by then he was hitting on me.

  "Sorry about earlier. I couldn't resist …" He nodded toward the bar and I realized he meant about pulling me up on stage.

  "It was a great performance," I told him, feeling self-conscious, but wanting to tell him how good he was.

  "And you are?" he asked, addressing Tricia.

  "Tricia, a close friend of Billie's."

  "Pleased to meet you. I'm Sawyer," he said, offering Tricia his hand. Tricia took it and shook it firmly. She looked over at me and winked.

  "Do you want to grab a bite to eat? There's a great little diner one block over," he added, indicating the way toward a diner with his hand still in his jacket pocket. He looked at me first and then extended the invitation to Tricia.

  "You go. I've got to head home. I'm meeting my church friends for coffee in the morning and it's already late." I giggled without thinking because Tricia was the last person who'd attend church.

  "Not that believable as an excuse?" she asked, flashing a cocky grin.

  "I dunno, I believed you." Sawyer quipped. "Until she began laughing," he confirmed, nodding toward me. "Then I figured it was a bullshit excuse."

  "I like him. You should keep him. At least ride him," Tricia mumbled under her breath, as she bumped her head against mine in a mock conspiratorial gesture; I felt my cheeks redden further at her smutty remark.

  Being attracted to someone as young as Sawyer had felt ridiculous. Taking my clothes off in front of him—incredulous.

  He chuckled. "Yeah, listen to Tricia, she makes a lot of sense," he agreed, as he gave me a lopsided grin. His gorgeous hazel eyes glinted with amusement when the neon sign over the bar caught them at that precise moment. I freaked inside, wondering if he'd overheard my friend's crude comment.

  For a few long seconds, my mind struggled with my inner lack of confidence and I wanted to shut the exchange down. It felt absurd that a man like Sawyer would want to spend time with me, and I became suspicious he might have thought I was an easy lay.

  Deciding I may have been judging him unfairly, I relented and figured it couldn't do any harm to have a coffee with him. I was also desperate to know what had prompted his very obvious career change.

  "All right. I'll go with you, but I'm not staying long. Tricia has extended that invite to her church friend's coffee morning to me as well." Both he and my friend threw their heads back and laughed, but when Tricia's eyes met mine, she clapped her hands with glee and smiled again with delight because she knew the challenges my shyness caused me.

  "I'll be fine. Just grab me a cab and take down his license plate number in case I go missing. Let him see you do it," she told us jokingly. Despite the humor, I thought this to be a shrewd move.

  Sawyer waved down a cab, and Tricia got in while I made a big deal of noting the driver's name and license plate number. "Text me when you're home safely," I informed her in a loud and menacing voice before the taxi driver pulled away from the curb.

  "Remind me not to get on your bad side," Sawyer threw over his shoulder as he began to walk away from me and back toward the bar. I felt confused and thought he was heading in the wrong direction until I saw his guitar case leaning against the wall. Picking it up, he threw the strap over his shoulder and nodded to direct me up the street.

  "Shall we?" he asked. He waited for me to start walking before he fell into pace next to me. Feelings I'd forgotten long ago, like first dates with boys I had crushed on, ran through me and I felt generally self-conscious being there with him. What the heck am I doing?

  "You know I'm only coming with you out of curiosity?" I asked, giving him a sideways glance through narrowed eyes.

  "I love curious people," he joked cockily, as he tucked his fingers into his front jeans pockets and winked at me. My eyes fell to his mouth. I remembered the kiss we shared and blushed when a tiny thrill ran through my veins again.

  "Forgive me, but I couldn't help noticing the change in career since the last time we met."

  "Ah, that," he commented with a sheepish grin, his hand leaving his pocket to stroke the back of his neck.

  "Escort to a musician? It's quite a contrast in career path," I pointed out.

  "Still plenty of pussy though," he said, totally deadpan. I nearly fell through the floor. Shame suddenly washed over me when I figured he'd thought his luck would continue with me.

  "Not this pussy," I snapped, my lustful thoughts halting abruptly like a record player needle suddenly skipping before scratching across a vinyl album.

  "I was just joking." When I met his serious gaze, I looked for a lie, but I didn't find one.

  "Look, this isn't a good idea."

  "What isn't? I'm starving."

  "Me and you…"

  "Billie. This is a date in reverse. Think about it. I already know ho
w you taste… well, not all of you," he chuckled and grinned when my mouth fell open in shock. "And you staring at me with those beautiful lips parted wide …" He chuckled again when I slapped his arm in my attempt to halt his filthy, dirty thoughts. Oh, Lord. I'm way out of my depth with this man.

  "I'm joking, but damn, you look even hotter when you blush. I love getting a rise out of you"

  "Is that what you're doing? Because it's the only thing you'll be getting out of me."

  He chuckled again. "Relax, I get it. No pussy jokes."

  "What happened to the man who swept in and helped me save face from my horrible dilemma?"

  "Is that how you saw me?"

  "I did then, but I'm not so sure I know this version who thinks with his dick." He chuckled again as I turned and strode away from him. Catching me by my wrist, he rushed in front of me and stopped me from getting any farther. Placing his hands on my shoulders he held me gently and shook his head.

  "Whoa. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Can we start again?"

  "Look, I wasn't sure about this, to begin with. And now my gut is telling me to go home."

  "I promise, your gut is wrong this time. And mine says I'm starving. Come on—I hate eating alone," he pleaded, his eyes searching my face for signs of me caving in. "Look, I agree the joke I just made was crass. Maybe I was playing the wild musician with lowered morals with what I said, but I'm a good guy."

  "You're an ass," I mumbled and tried not to smile. "And I really shouldn't be here with you. I'm going to go home."

  "Don't," he demanded. "Please don't," he said, his eyes softening in line with the softer tone he used. "Look, I don't know why, but you seem to bring out the crazy in me."

  "Glad it's a guitar you're carrying and not a knife then," I retorted, my wit much faster than my brain until the words were out and I realized I'd made light of his disclosure.

  The smile he gave me was different, softer somehow. "Please, Billie, only an hour. We have so much to talk about. And I want to know when your fuckwad ex finally signed those divorce papers."