Catching Avery

Chapter 5

Gluttony: Because the more I drink, the braver I become...and the more stupid.

Avery~

"Excuse me."

I turned away from looking into my purse to find a very cute guy standing next to our table, holding a beer. He looked to be taller than me-but that wasn't saying much-and he had blonde hair that waved a little at the ends. He had nice, soft, light blue eyes with a straight nose and a sweet smile outlined with thin lips. He was dressed in a green polo shirt with dark black jeans.

I smiled back at him. "Hi."

"I've been looking over here at you all night, but approaching a table full of beautiful women can be kind of intimidating. So, when I saw your friends head on back to the restroom, I figured now was my opportunity to meet you." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Jeremy."

I took his hand, then shook it. "I'm Avery. It's nice to meet you, Jeremy."

"Well, I'm hoping this is the part where you tell me that you're single, and you would love my number, so that we can have dinner next weekend," he sheepishly suggested.

He didn't waste any time, and he really was cute. Too bad he wasn't what I was looking for tonight. If we were serious about acting out our fantasies tonight, my fantasy didn't include a sweet guy that wanted to treat me to dinner. How did one go about getting one guy's number, but walking out with another? Plus, what the hell was taking Q and Izzy so long? Quinn would totally know how to handle this. Did I just tell him that dinner wasn't necessary and let's find a hotel? Before I could come up with a strategy, a deep, smooth, velvety voice came from behind and answered for me.

"No. This is the part where she tells you that, while she is very flattered, she's married and very much in love with her husband."

I felt a hand being placed on my right shoulder and knew immediately that some poor guy was mistaking me for his wife from behind. I turned my body, so that the confused man could see that I wasn't his wife, but then I was struck mute by who I saw standing there.

Nicholas freakin' Savage.

My boss.

Nicholas Savage-my goddamn boss-was standing there telling my new friend, Jeremy, that I was his wife.

What in the ever-lovin' hell?

Jeremy looked a little stunned.

Join the club, Jeremy. Join the club.

"Really? Because I don't see-"

Nicholas put his left hand up in a halting motion to stop whatever Jeremy had been about to say. "If you're wondering why she isn't wearing her wedding ring, it's because the stone was loose, and it's at the jeweler's being repaired." He peered down at me with the sincerest look on his face that...hell, I almost believed that I was married to him. "Right, baby?"

Again, what in the ever-lovin' hell?

"Uh...uhm..."

In my defense, this was Nicholas Savage; hot, sexy, billionaire CEO. This would have been my same exact response had this happened without the beers and tequila.

What in the hell was going on?

I didn't see Ashton Kutcher anywhere, so I wasn't being punked, but that still didn't mean that I wasn't on the receiving end of a bet or something equally embarrassing.

Looking back to face Jeremy, Nicholas continued with his obviously drug-induced imaginings. "And before you start wondering where in the hell I've been all night while she's been sitting here drinking with her friends-" He took a step closer towards Jeremy, almost blocking him off completely from me. "-I've been hanging out upstairs, out of her way, so that she could have a good time. However, I draw the line at random strangers actually approaching her." As he was talking, Nicholas moved to position himself to the point where I was staring at his back, and I couldn't get a glimpse of Jeremy at all. He leaned down, inclining his head just enough where there was no way that Jeremy could mistake his intent. "Find someone else. Trust me when I say you'll be healthier for it."