Brett's mood wasn't assisted on his way over by the way Elena appeared to to be flirting with the bartender, nor by the other man's looks. With handsome features, muscled body and long hair, he likely considered himself God's gift to women, and when Brett gripped Elena's arm from behind it was with more force than intended. Enough to cause the other man's posture to tense.

However, Brett wasn't even aware of the his reaction, because just the touch of his fingers on Elena's soft skin had reignited memories of the previous night. As did the spillage of her drink, which this time soaked his hand rather into $1,000 a square foot carpet. Despite the mental distraction, or possibly because of it, a second hiss escaped his mouth when she'd turned …show more content…
Who, speaking of, continued to stare at them, her initial expression of curiosity having morphed into a narrowing of the eyes and downturn of her lips. "Uh-oh', Brett thought, feeling the heat from three different directions.

He turned his back on Victoria, probably not a wise move, but right now she was easier to ignore than the other two and removed his hand from Elena's arm as she stood. It was the first time he could recall her addressing him in anything other than a cheerful and playful tone, and Brett found himself enjoying the previous unseen aspect of her personality. Until, that was, her threat registered, and his pupils widened in fear of losing a guaranteed lay. "You wouldn't dare."

Certain that she indeed would, Brett's gathered the courage to meet Victoria's glare. He lifted a hand to point at his watch, held two fingers up in the air and accompanied the gesture with a shrug of the shoulders, pretending exasperation. Then he gripped Elena's wrist, "Let's discuss this in private," and pointed to a nearby booth a couple had vacated. From where they'd be out of line of sight of both Victoria and the