Party for Three (2 page)

Sherry had friends that had stayed in her
life for a long time, but since kindergarten? That was something
she never expected to learn about Sean. It was nice to know that he
could keep relationships so long.

"So, you work in the music industry with
Sean, Sherry? What do you do?" Jeff asked before taking a long puff
on his cigarette. He was a handsome man leaning against the
railing, but Sherry didn't feel much attraction for him. She never
really liked the idea of dating a smoker because she always thought
it would be like kissing an ashtray.

What did she do at the record studio? How
about asking what she didn't do? Funny how people asked her these
questions and expected her to answer with some glamorous response.
It was as if they expected her to say she met stars every day and
she wrote music or something. She was lucky if she saw pictures of
the stars and her job would never allow her the time to write her
own music, even if

she had the talent for writing. Which she
didn't. She always admired those who could write such moving words
though. She couldn't even write poetry.

"Nothing all that exciting. In fact it is
rare I even get out of the office. I am the personal assistant to
the CEO, and do everything from answering the phones and filing to
making sure everything is

ready for Grant's music shows or the big
conventions he attends. I even pay his bills when he doesn't have
time. Once I even rented out his rental house while he went on
vacation. But even though I stay really busy—none of it is really
exciting stuff…"

"Oh don't be modest." Sean raised his glass
toward Sherry before he gave everyone one of his legendary cocky
smiles that always left Sherry a little breathless. "Shelby Fox
nearly backed out of his contract last year and Sherry saved it
single handed."

"Oh stop it." Sherry placed her hand on his
arm, blushing at his exuberance. What happened was only because her
boss was on vacation and not really available. Grant was spending
the week in the Caribbean and somewhere there was no cell phone
service. So Sherry did all her communication by email when he got
home to the hotel and she had to intervene in that deal before the
deal went sour. Before Shelby developed bad feelings about Decker
Records, and left as soon as his contract was up.

"No she did, and you all know how big that
name is. Shelby sold 5 million copies of his hit single Diamond
Moon. When he tried to pull out, his agent was feeding him lies
about us and he was still an unknown name, playing in bars and at
the airport."

Sherry interrupted before Sean could
continue loading her with compliments. All the eyes were on her now
and she wasn't sure she liked all this attention. She wasn't used
to being the center of attention and she tried to downplay what he
said, "Turns out he had another offer on the table for a contract
that offered him more money, but we worked through it and made it
so both parties were happy."

A country song began, with a twangy guitar
chord and a slow almost primal beat. Shelby's voice began to drawl
out the smash hit Diamond Moon.

"Speak of the devil! That's Shelby now."
Sean chuckled when he heard the song begin raising his glass in a
silent toast. "And it's all thanks to Sherry that Decker Records
has him.”

“Wanna' celebrate with a dance with me,
Sherry?" The man in the middle stepped forward and motioned for her
to come closer. The man was handsome, just an inch taller than
Sherry. He didn't give her a chance to reply before grabbing her
hand in his. It felt warm and the contact made her skin tingle in a
nice way.

Sherry struggled to remember his name,
mentioned only a few minutes ago. It was the same guy that winked
at her, and then the name came to her like lightning. "Hmmm, sure
Alan."

Sherry smiled at Alan warmly before giving
her drink to Sean to hold. Sean's brows furrowed together as he
accepted her drink in his free hand. "Can you hold onto this for me
Sean? I will be right back."

Sherry thought she saw some darker
expression cross Sean's face. Was that anger on his face or
jealousy? But just as soon as she saw it, it disappeared and was
masked by some other emotion. Sean's jaw was clenched but his tone
was light, "Take good care of her for me."

"Oh I will take care of her alright." Alan
said with a decidedly sexual innuendo in his voice. Alan's eyes
raked over Sherry's body hungrily.

Before she could analyze it or Sean's sudden
display of jealousy, Alan wrapped his hand around her waist and
whisked her away. He pulled her against him, and began a slow and
steady rhythm with her in time to the music. It was a classic slow
dance and didn't require Sherry to dance very fancy and if she had
to dance country, she wasn't sure she could to save her life. She
never learned to be really coordinated and never danced so line
dancing was out of the question. Sean teased her enough for it.
Working at a country western music record company should have that
as a requirement, but if it was a requirement Sherry would have
never been hired.

"You are pretty light on your feet."

Sherry laughed at the compliment. Still
trying to concentrate on her feet not stepping on his she said,
"Thanks, but it's all you. You make it easy, since you are
leading."

"No. It's you." Suddenly he pushed away a
step and lifted one arm over her head, twirling her in a circle. As
she turned to face him, he caught her in his arms. One arm fit
possessively around her waist, and his other hand clasped her hand.
Sherry wrapped her arm around his neck over the lean hard muscles
of his shoulders. Her other hand held onto his waist at first for
balance and then she gentled her touch. He was hard in all the
right places. His hip ground up against hers and she felt like
pressing back. It felt so intimate and yet, it felt nice.

She grinned up at him and he answered with
his own sexy grin suggesting he knew what she was thinking.

Oh that wasn't his hip was it? She wasn't
the only one enjoying herself. The breath caught in her throat as
she felt a familiar hardness ride up against her thigh. Her dress
was riding high on her thigh and felt like such a thin material. If
she was younger she may have encouraged him more, but he had to be
twenty years younger than her. That had to be the alcohol that had
him aroused. It couldn't possibly be her. Could it?

And yet, Sherry wasn't sure it would feel
right to start something with Sean's friend right next to him. It
wasn't like Sean had anything going on with her, but she didn't
want to do anything to jeopardize their friendship either.

All too soon the dance ended and sherry
found herself being led back to the group of men who were all
smiling and drinking, sharing stories from the past. No one seemed
to be paying Alan and Sherry any attention as they made their way
back to the group.

Except Sean who watched them moodily over
the rim of his beer.

"See? She is none the worse for wear." Alan
teased as he presented Sherry in front of him.

Sherry punched Alan lightly on the arm. "Oh
stop it."

"Are you sure? I think you may have ruined
her for life. You probably stepped all over her feet and now she
won't be able to dance for the rest of the night."

"Sean. I can dance perfectly fine."

"I'll be the judge of that." Sean stood up
from his seat, putting his beer down on the table as he rose and he
offered her his arm in a gentleman like fashion. "Care to dance
with me darling?"

Darling?

A nervous thrill swept over her body. Sean
had never called her that before. Was he acting jealous? Did he
like her that way? She had never thought of him like that. He was
so much younger than she was.

Sean took her in his arms and the heat of
his body infused hers. Or was that the wine? God it was hot in
here.

Out here.

Oh whatever, her mind was so distracted with
his sculptured body against hers. He was rock hard, and muscular.
That wasn't the only thing that was

rock hard. Sean liked the way she felt
against him just as much. Her breasts pushed up against his chest
and she encouraged him by pressing her pelvis back against him.
Grinding against him, she pushed her body into his. He positioned
his thigh between her legs and she rubbed against it wildly. She
hoped he didn't feel how wet she had already become, but she
suspected he did. His arms were the only thing keeping her upright
as she felt her knees go weak. He had them wrapped around her waist
with a restrained sense of power that thrilled her.

Sean's voice was raspy, showing her he was
as affected as she was, "I had to get at least one dance with the
birthday girl."

He was close enough to kiss her. Inches away
from her lips, and God she wanted him to kiss her. The breath
caught in her chest and she felt a pressure wrap around her chest
as she waited for him to meet her lips, before she couldn't resist
him any longer.

She wrapped both her arms around his neck
and she tipped her head to the side, brushing her lips against his.
Immediately he responded, the kiss grew hot and needy. A snake of
fire wrapped itself around her belly and she felt the fire drift
lower.

In the haze of her mind she heard laughing
and murmured words. "Lover boy is at it again."

She pushed herself away suddenly aware they
had an audience.

Sean looked disappointed that their kiss
ended abruptly. "You know my family has a tradition of giving the
birthday girl spankings."

Sherry pursed her pink lips, not at all
pleased with the idea of being spanked at her age. "You would have
to tie me down first, Mister."

"I don't know, you would probably like that
too." He growled in warning.

When did Sean ever talk to her like this?
They had always kept things on a friendly level, but Sherry liked
seeing this new side of him. He was primal and responding to her on
a very sexual level.

"I probably would." She responded feeling a
little breathless and just a little shocked that this sexual
attraction was so intense on someone she always felt was just a
friend. He irritated her on an almost daily basis.

"I know you would." He whispered just low
enough for her to hear. His stormy gray eyes were intensely focused
on her as he let her go.

She wasn't sure she wanted to be let go.
Suddenly she felt so cold. So alone.

The song suddenly ended and she was brought
back to reality and once more surrounded by the group of friends
and coworkers. Sherry pretended to be unaffected for the rest of
the evening.

She pretended to have fun and plastered a
smile on her face that was as wide as Texas, all of it hid what she
was really feeling. She wondered just what it was that Sean had
done to her. He knocked her off balance and left her all confused.
She was happy with their friendship, and it seemed he was too.
After their exhibition on the dance floor, he was not paying her
much attention. He made it a point to ignore her, as if nothing at
all had happened between them moments ago. Well what was a girl to
do?

Two could play at that game.

Sherry began to wander away from the party,
and down the wooden stairs that winded down the cliff. The stairs
led to a boat dock and it was covered by some trees, that would
give her a little privacy and some time to herself. Sean had too
many toys for someone his age.

Sherry had never talked to him about it. But
he was either in debt up to his eyeballs, or made a lot more than
she did. Maybe he was one of those trust babies that she was always
reading about. The ones who could buy their houses anywhere they
wanted or who did not have to work.

It would explain the twenty-five foot long
cabin sail boat parked in his dock. The boat wasn't brand new, but
it was not cheap. It had lots of trim woodwork, and the sails were
down, everything carefully packed up and protected from the
weather.

If he was a trust baby, then why was he
working? None of it made any sense to her.

Her heels clipped the wooden planks under
her feet. She took another sip of her wine, leaning against the
railing. There was no beach down here, just the cliff and the
water’s edge. The wind made gentle ripples in the water under the
pier, and the boat drifted slightly rubbing against the rubber
bumpers on the dock.

Masculine footsteps interrupted her reverie.
Sherry turned sharply to abruptly face the intruder of her thoughts
surprised anyone would follow her down here.

Seeing Alan surprised her. The look on his
face suggested he might be here to finish business he started
earlier. But she had not even had a chance to talk to Sean yet.

Uh-oh. This could confuse things in her life
more than she wanted. Did she want to pursue Alan or Sean? She had
not even had a chance to think things out yet, and the wine was
beginning to make her feel lightheaded and way too warm. Or was
that Alan?

Perhaps it was time to go.

Alan caught her eyes in his and gave her a
smile that melted her inside.

Oh God.

Perhaps she could stay a little while. But
just a little while.

"You weren't leaving were you?" He said in a
cocky voice.

"No." Sherry looked over his body with
catlike appreciation. She felt like a woman in charge of her life
at that moment. A woman who finally knew what she wanted and wasn't
afraid of taking it.

Sean could have talked to her, but he didn't
and he wasn't here now.

Alan was. "Not now that you got here
Alan."

"Glad you aren't leaving on my account."
Alan came to within inches of her body, until he had her pressed up
against the railing.

Close enough to kiss?

God she hoped so.

She could feel her heart speed up as she
anticipated him kissing her. She knew what she wanted and that was
for him to finish what he had started earlier, for him to cage her
in his arms and kiss her passionately, possess her completely.