"Hi Johnny." I smiled at the oldest, who I knew since the kid had been in my building forever. His father was never home which was obvious by the choices Johnny made, but I had no room to point out his faults. I had too many of my own.

"Lila. You're looking..."

"Fucking hot," one of the other boys whispered, his eyes round as he watched me.

Johnny popped the kid in the chest as I chuckled. The door opened and I walked off, glancing over my shoulder and trying not to be seductive.

"Have fun and don't get into too much trouble, hm?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Yeah... you too."

The doorman held the door and smiled kindly at me as I walked into the cool night air. I wrapped my arms around my chest and cursed myself for not grabbing a light jacket.

Nothing would have matched anyway.

The driver got out of the car and walked around to my side, opening the door and holding it for me. "To Blaze, correct?"

"Yes." I got into the car, grateful for the warmth, and buckled up as excitement swirled in the pit of my stomach. There was nothing better than heading out for the evening with no plans regarding who I might meet or where I might end up.

It was by far the best part about being single. Like getting a big box of chocolates and having to bite into the creamy center of each one to see if you liked the flavor. That was my Thursday night adventure... every Thursday night.

"You meeting someone there, or are we picking up some girlfriends, madam?" The driver pulled the car out into the heavy traffic that would have us downtown in a matter of minutes.

"Nope. Just me. I never take friends when I go out. I'm looking for a date or a client. No need to get sucked into placating a friend half the night." I wrinkled my nose and he laughed.

The conversation died after that, which I was grateful for. I tapped my foot to the music flowing from the radio and my mood had settled from overtly excited to anticipatory by the time we pulled up to the club.

"Here we are, ma'am." He opened the door and offered me a hand.

I took it and got out of the car, thanking him and walking straight to the front door as if I owned the place. The line wrapped around the building, but I'd been there enough times to know most of the bouncers on a first name basis.

"Lila! Girl, you are looking exceptionally delicious tonight." The large muscled bouncer smiled and pushed the door open for me to slip through.

"Not looking too bad yourself, Clay." I licked at my lips and slipped into the club as he chuckled and shook his head. They all knew me well enough to know that I wasn't looking for much more than a night of fun, so getting involved with me would do nothing but leave them frustrated by hoping for another time, which wouldn’t happen. Dating was for someone with stronger resolve. That someone wasn't me.

There was no time to waste since I hadn't been able to get out of a business meeting the weekend before so had missed my Thursday night. I was yearning for the kind of attention that only the right guy could give.

Now to find him.

I walked to the bar and placed my clutch in front of me before smiling up at the new bartender. He wasn't much over twenty, with his hair a bit messy and his eyes full of mischief.

"I thought my night was going good, but now... fuck me. You have to be the prettiest thing I've seen in months." He leaned over, sliding his fingers along the bar top between us. "What can I getcha tonight, gorgeous?"

Brushing my hair behind my shoulder again, I glanced up and acted as if I was reading the various liquor labels behind him.

"Hmmmm... I'm thinking a Jack and Coke. Can you make it a double and throw in two olives for me?" I shifted my gaze to rest on him as his smile widened.

"I've never had such a request, but I might just have to try it myself sometime soon." He winked at me and turned, busying himself with making the drink. His black jeans hugged his ass and I'd be lying if I didn't say I was interested, but honestly he wasn't my type. He was missing the biggest part of what I was after... money. Rich boys didn’t want commitment.

The deep scent of expensive cologne washed over me and I stifled a smile as I glanced to my left where someone had moved in beside me.

His blond hair was a perfect mixture of shades no salon could ever imitate, and was perfectly cut on the sides, but messy as if he'd run his hand through it a million times. Sadness sat around the edges of his ocean blue eyes, but it didn't diminish how incredibly stunning he was.

I smiled shyly, privately smirking at the idea of having a shy bone in my body. The bartender turned and placed my drink in front of me as the handsome stranger nodded toward my beverage.

"Make it two." He glanced at me, his eyes moving around my face as if he were trying to assess the fullness of my personality in a glance.

"Do I make the cut?" Lifting my drink to my lips, I sucked the dark poison into my mouth through the tiny straw I was given.

"What cut is that?" He took his drink from the bartender and lifted a large wad of cash from his pocket, giving the younger man a hundred. "Start a tab for us."

"Yes, Sir." He took the cash and disappeared with a sour look on his boyishly handsome face.

Mr. Richey Rich tucked the wad of cash back into his inside jacket pocket and picked up his drink for a quick sip.

"Your actions answered my question." I let out a soft laugh and took another sip of my drink as he turned and pressed his back to the bar top. His black suit was tailor made, fitting him like a glove and leaving me wanting to move a little closer.

He crossed his arms over his chest and turned toward me, a smile lifting his lips a little. "Where are your friends? A woman at a bar without friends is a bit dangerous, don't you think?"

"Dangerous? For me or you?"

He didn't respond, but winked just before his eyes moved down the length of my body. "Both of us, potentially."

"I might have come with a gaggle of women. That's for me to know and you to discover." I gave him a smile and moved from the bar, shifting to stand in front of him in order to take in the full picture.

No wedding ring. An elegant, white shirt—slightly unbuttoned at the top—and an Audemar Piguet on his wrist next to a black leather bracelet.

It all pulled together nicely, to display the high potential for a night of great fun for me. He was a wealthy playboy who liked the smell of cash and sex, when perfectly combined. I'd seen him a million times with a different face but a similar story. They were a dime a dozen, and yet... I was interested.

They didn't like strings and I didn't either.

"Do I make the cut?" He asked, turning to pick up his drink again.

He wasn't childish or needy like some of the men I'd run into. Money had a way of turning good men into infants or complete dicks. To meet one somewhere in the middle was highly unlikely, but one could always hope. He was confident and his gaze, so intently locked onto mine, left me a little breathless.

"I'm not sure yet." I shrugged and picked up the straw in my drink, stabbing the olive with it before lifting it to my lips and playing with it a little.

He watched closely before turning his gaze back to lock onto mine once more. "Olives. Such an odd request for a Jack and Coke. You like things a little non-traditional? Like to step outside the lines of reason and status quo to see what new experience might await you?"

He was baiting me and I liked it. A lot.