“Not interested?”
Daniel hadn’t heard anyone come up behind him. “Not really.” He smiled at one of Holly’s friends. “I have a cop of my own.” The words were out before he could really think about them, and Daniel felt himself blushing under his makeup. The truth was that if James were up there, he would be enraptured, but while this guy was nice-looking—if a little too muscle-bound—he wasn’t a certain police officer who had taken up residence in Daniel’s dreams.
He shouldn’t allow these kinds of thoughts to take root, for his own sake. James wasn’t out to his family. That wouldn’t be a problem in Chicago; they could be themselves there. But Daniel was not going to pull out the Daniella persona every time his family came to visit or when they were expected to return here. That wasn’t going to happen. Daniel had spent a great amount of emotional energy coming to terms with who he was, and going back into the closet wasn’t something he was prepared to do. Being here was a job, Daniel reminded himself, and once they left, the job would be over.
“I see.” She sipped her wine. “I’m Rachel.”
“Daniella.”
Rachel nodded. “So you’re James’s date. I heard you were pretty.” She took another sip and set her glass on a nearby table. “I’ve been wondering about the kind of girl that James would be interested in.” There was something in her tone that left Daniel suspicious about her. She seemed too intent. “I had a crush on him through high school, and James never showed the slightest interest…in anyone. He dated a few girls, but his heart didn’t really seem to be in it. I always wondered about the kind of person who would turn his eye.”
Daniel nodded. “I see.” Of course, Daniel knew the exact reason why James had behaved as he had. James wasn’t interested in any woman, at least not the way Rachel had hoped he might be.
“Tell me, is James a passionate man?” She was fishing now and clearly had ideas about James and what he might be like. She probably figured that since he hadn’t been interested in her, James wasn’t interested in anyone. It was a dead-on conclusion, but one Daniel needed to dispel.
“Yes. He’s very passionate. Skillful, in fact.” Daniel lifted his glass to his lips, keenly aware of the way her eyes widened. “I’m a very lucky person.” Daniel turned away and let Rachel stew on that. Daniel hadn’t told a lie, exactly. Daniel had a good idea that James was passionate…and he was skillful in certain ways. He’d simply left his answer nonspecific and let Rachel draw her own conclusions.
“I see.” Rachel’s voice grew a little deeper as the music ended. She reached for her glass and downed the rest of the wine, heading off toward the bar. Daniel turned back to the entertainer, who had by now stripped down to a small pair of briefs and was making his way into the crowd. Daniel snickered to himself and smiled as the ladies shoved their dollar bills into the man’s underwear.
“Why are you staying back here?” Daniel jumped at Weston’s voice. What the hell was he doing here?
“Are you following us?” Daniel challenged. This was creepy as all hell. Though nothing surprised him about Weston. He had the Hannibal Lecter award sewn up for this wedding.
“No. I was feeling better…” He flashed a dull smile, and Daniel lifted his glass.
“Would you like some wine to go with the cheesy line that’s about to spew forth from thy lips?” Daniel was making fun of Weston, but he didn’t care. All he really wanted was for the guy to take a hike.
“You think you’re really clever, don’t you?” Weston’s tone was light, but his eyes were dark and hard. Daniel refused to be intimidated for a second, but he did wish James was here as backup. For a second, it struck Daniel as odd how he wished a cop were here. Maybe he needed to adjust his position on that particular breed of the species, but now was not the time.
“I know I am, honey, and you need to learn some manners. When a lady tells you she isn’t interested, that means no. There’s no middle ground or ‘playing hard to get’ crap. No means no. Understood?” Daniel had had more than enough of this lech and wondered about how he had treated the other women in his life.
“All women play hard to get. It’s part of their makeup.” Daniel took the small step to Weston with a smile and a slight sway of the hips. “See, I knew you’d come around.”
Daniel evaluated Weston and moved fast, a hand at his throat, nails positioned tight at the air passage—just enough pressure to scare—the other at his crotch, long nails digging in. “I will never come around to your way of thinking, and your head needs an adjustment. So listen to me closely.” Daniel pressed Weston back against the wall. “You move and you lose a nut. I’m tired of your attitude. Who taught you that shit? Was it your mama?” Weston’s eyes grew dinner-plate wide and his breathing became shallow. He tried to squirm, and Daniel gripped harder on his balls. “Answer me or there will be no little Westons in your future.”