Professional Restraint

25 Soon Kitten

Ella

My eyes light up as Carissa slides me a strawberry daiquiri. She has picked up on so many of my habits and preferences, it's hard to remember we only met this week.

"Are you sure this dress isn't too much?" I ask, tugging on the hem and straightening it.

It's a simple black off-the-shoulder dress that hangs mid-thigh, with a suede under-bust corset that ends in a halter. Something about how the suede hugged my body like a second skin felt perfect, making the choice easy, but now I'm second guessing myself.

This is bolder than anything I've worn before, but then again, I've never been to a club like this...

"Girl, relax," Carissa chides. "You look hot. Liam's not gonna know what hit him."

My cheeks heat at her words and I focus on my drink, taking a long sip as I wait for her to move on. Instead, she arches her brow and leans in with a sly smile.

"Or has Liam already bumped..."

"No!" I gasp, turning my wide eyes on her. "Well, maybe?"

My whole body heats while my mind and emotions run wild. My heart flutters as I flash back to our steamy session and my skin tingles at the memory of his half-bare, muscular body over mine—how his kisses melted me into putty, and my body craved more.

Someone as pretty as Carissa is probably used to all that attention, but I feel like a foggy mess around Liam.

"Maybe?" she bites her lip, bumping her shoulder with mine. "Spill!"

"It's nothing. Maybe something? Oh god, I suck at this," I groan, burying my face in my hands.

"Ella, breathe, girl," Carissa laughs, rubbing my back. "I have seen the way the man looks at you. Trust me, girl, you are NOT bad at this."

"Ugh," I groan, rolling my eyes at her.

"Seriously, have you never noticed how focused he is on you?" she asks, before dropping her jaw and looking at me wide eyed. "Oh my god, you don't!"

"You're making too much out of nothing," I dismiss, stirring my drink.

"Or are you missing it?" Carissa counters. "Men like Liam are calculating and precise. Where the average guy might hold a door open for you if you're close enough, Liam makes a point of it. How he moves around you, where he positions himself... the way he touches you?"

I can't maintain my eye contact at this point, feeling my entire body practically burst into flames. Liam has always had such a commanding presence, guiding me and doing absolutely everything she said.

"Catching on now, eh?" she teases. "Do you like him?"

Do I?

"I barely know him," I whisper.

Carissa just laughs and waves the bartender over for a fresh round. I look at the empty glass in front of me, shocked, not realizing I had finished it off so quickly.

"Girl, that's the point of dating. When I met Terrance, I didn't know a damn thing about him. I knew he was fine as hell and an ex-ball player, but that's about it. I actually blew him off at first."

"You did?!" I gasp, staring at the woman who's smirking at her drink. Having seen them together, both look absolutely smitten with each other.

How could that possibly start with a brush off?

"I didn't want to be just some floozie," she admits. "I thought all those ball players were the same, flash their money, and women fall at their feet. I'd already had my share of that."