Lead Me On

The jerk Clint Barrows.

As Margot pushed a rush of heat back—she was angry, which was why she was blushing and flushing—Dani laughed in amazement.

“That video embarrassed the hell out of you the first time and you never forgave Clint Barrows for it. And don’t lie to us, Marg, because we know that’s the truth.”

“As I said, I got over it.” But, when a group of white-collar men wandered into the bar, she momentarily stiffened, waiting to see if she knew them. Waiting to see if they would laugh their asses off at her.

But...no. Just some random guys here on business or whatever.

She forced herself not to hang back in the booth. She was here to show whoever had put up that video that she was an adult, impervious to the slings and arrows of juvenile jokes.

And what a joke it had been. A prank. A camera hidden in a fraternity house during a party one night—the night she’d finally dropped all her hard-to-get flirting with Clint Barrows and given in to his cowboy Romeo charm, going to his room to “watch movies.” But movies were the last thing on their minds, and she’d told him that she would kill him if he let anyone know that they were doing anything more than hanging out and eating popcorn.

She hadn’t expected to be filmed while saying that and getting hot and heavy with the campus lothario.

Very hot and heavy, although not all-the-way hot and heavy, thank God.

To think, she’d actually liked Clint before she’d gone off with him, had been attracted to him even if he’d had a heck of a lot of women on that secondhand couch and had watched quite a few “movies.”

But there was just something about him that had drawn Margot in, even though she’d known he was bad news. Something in his eyes that sparkled dangerously, daring her, inviting her to come on a big adventure she’d never regret. And no guy had ever made her skin tingle with just a look, made her belly flip just at the sound of his voice....

She’d been taken in, though, made sport of. Hunted and caught in the lens of a camera. She’d known it when she’d seen the red eye of the device in the near-dark just as he’d been undoing the buttons on her shirt.

She’d smacked the ever-lovin’ charm out of him and left the room, too shocked to even think to destroy the tape. Too... Well, she would’ve said hurt if she’d cared enough.

And she didn’t. Really. Because, even when he’d sent an email to her the next morning, telling her that he hadn’t known about any camera, that it was his roommate who’d set it up, and that the tape had been demolished, she hadn’t answered. Her humiliation had only flared when she’d heard that the video was making the rounds around campus.

Sure, some good sources had backed up Clint’s story that he wasn’t the one who’d set up or circulated that tape, but when she really thought about it, that wasn’t the true reason she couldn’t stand him. She’d been caught with him, the conquest king, on film, telling him that their night should be kept a secret. What a laugh riot that must’ve been for the video’s audience before seeing the fireworks that had begun between them.

First off, Margot didn’t like being the butt of any joke. Second, she could imagine Clint basking in the glory of the video—proof that he had finally gotten her to bend her will to him. Third, she never wanted to be just a number for any guy.

She’d spent college playing hard-to-get for a lot of boys, and her reputation and pride had sure taken a hit after the scandal. And his reputation had only grown, his college nickname, “Stud,” reaching epic proportions in their social circles for the rest of their senior year.

Her dislike of him had grown with every knowing glance she’d received at every social event after that.

But then summer had come and life had really started. A decade had passed since, and the video had become just one of those ridiculous college mistakes that no one mentioned anymore. It’d been all but forgotten.

Until last night.

Just as she’d been checking her email this morning, all packed and ready to hit the road for this reunion between her sorority and its fraternity counterpart, she’d found messages from her sorority sisters about the video. No one knew who’d posted it, but Margot’s first thought went to Clint.

Had he lied about destroying the tape way back then because he thought he could get into her good graces...or her pants...so he could close the deal? And had he aired it now, just because he thought it’d be funny for the reunion?

She wished he’d walk into the bar so she could face him down and tell him to grow up. She was so far beyond him and that night.

As she rested her hand on her glass of Midori Sour, she smiled at her friends. “Why bring that crap up again when we have more important things to talk about? As in, auction baskets for this weekend?”

Leigh caught her cue and shot a glance to Dani. They’d all met in the lobby about fifteen minutes ago and had just sat and started chatting when the scandal had reared its ugly head again. Margot had already told them she was over it on the phone during her drive there, but leave it to Dani and Leigh to question her.

Anyway, when they’d first seen each other, hugging and laughing, she and Leigh had sprung their own surprise on Dani, telling her about the charity auction the two of them were throwing tomorrow night because they wanted her to have the big wedding she’d always yearned for. It’d be an All-American college-reunion good time that wasn’t going to be ruined just because some ass—had it been Clint?—had decided to pep up the event with a memory Margot would’ve rather forgotten.

Once again, she thought of the cowboy, with his denim-blue eyes, his lackadaisical way of watching her walk through one of the many parties their fraternity and sorority had thrown together. Then, just as quickly, she tamped down that spark in her belly.

Jerk.

“Guess what I’m going to call my auction basket,” she said, ignoring thoughts of him.

Dani was strangely quiet, just as she’d been when Leigh and Margot had launched the surprise on her, come to think of it.

But Leigh was already talking, leaving the video behind, although Margot suspected it’d come up again.

“Lord knows what you conjured up, Marg.”

Her smile grew. “‘Around the Girl in Eighty Ways.’”

She waited for them to give her that “come again?” look that she’d gotten so used to back in college when she’d whipped up similar harebrained ideas.

And, yep, there it was.

Come again?

Leigh took the bait first. “How does going around the girl in eighty ways fit in an auction basket?”

“I’m betting it’ll fit very nicely on auction night. Hopefully even more than once.” Margot shot Leigh a saucy grin, while Dani just lifted an eyebrow at Margot.

Then Dani said, “I’m not sure about all this....”

Leigh nudged Dani good-naturedly. “You’ve got to hear Margot out. She came down here, even in the midst of a pride-spankin’, just for you, Dan.”

“Thanks,” Margot said, narrowing her eyes at Leigh. She spoke to Dani. “This is just the first of many gifts for our bride-to-be.”

“But I don’t need—”

“It’s not a matter of need or not need,” Margot said, on a roll. See—it wasn’t so hard to forget about that video. Sort of. “You used to talk about the perfect wedding all the time. Everyone wants it to happen for you at the end of this year in the huge, grand way you used to describe to us.”

“You were our Wedding Girl,” Leigh added, giving Dani’s arm a friendly, light squeeze.

Dani said nothing, and Margot caught Leigh’s gaze. Sure, they’d talked about whether or not they were being too intrusive, assuming Dani would want their help, since her funds were too low to afford that dream wedding. But, my God, this was Dani. And this was their chance to help her achieve the fantasies she’d collected in her wedding scrapbook—pictures of frothy white dresses and creamy cakes, blooming flowers and a bride and groom who couldn’t take their eyes off each other.

If someone good like Dani didn’t deserve it all, then who did?

“You’ve already talked about this auction to everyone?” Dani finally asked.

Across the table, Leigh looked a little sheepish as she put down her beer. “We might’ve secretly suggested it to the sisters on our email loop.”

Dani was flushing, and Margot wasn’t sure if she was embarrassed or angry with them. But Dani never got angry.

When she spoke, she made Margot rethink that.