Itâs time to play the players
Zienna Thomas has finally found a man with forever potential: Nicholas Aubry is charming, successful, easy on the eyes and tender in bed. Everything is great...until Nicholas introduces his longtime friend Wendell Creighton. Zienna already knows Wendellâevery luscious inch of him. Once upon a time sheâd thought Wendell was The One, but though they burned up the sheets together, he balked at a real commitment.
Now Wendell is back on the scene, eyeing Zienna as if sheâs a cool drink on a blistering day...and sheâs feeling the heat, too. Soon Zienna is part of a torrid triangle, wondering which to choose: sweet, soul-satisfying Nicholas or scorching, sexy Wendell. But a wicked part of her wonders, Canât I have both?
The naughty thrill of keeping two lovers in the dark and in her bed is powerful stuff. But Zienna knows sheâs playing a dangerous gameâjust how dangerous remains to be seen, because when the truth comes out and the testosterone-fueled rivalry threatens to explode, someone is going to get burned....
1
âWow, I canât believe what Iâm hearing. Youâre blowing me off tonightâfor a man?â
Zienna Thomas heard a smile in her friend Alexisâs voice, which made her feel a lot less guilty for canceling their dinner plans last minute.
âI know, and Iâm sorry.â Not since she was in her twenties had Zienna canceled on a friend for a guy. âItâs just that Nicholas said he really needed to see me tonight. Iâm on my way there now. Something about how he created the best new dish for his restaurant and he wants me to try it before he loses his inspiration. You know Nicholas. When he gets excited, heâs like a dog with a bone. I couldnât tell him no.â
âMaybe not, but you could tell him that your best friend has taste buds, too....â
âI could have,â Zienna agreed. âBut heâs at the new restaurant, testing out the facilities before the grand opening, and heâs sensitive about only one person tryingââ
âIâm just giving you a hard time,â Alexis interrupted her. âI know how Nicholas is. If he wants only you to sample something, heâll be mad if I show up wanting a plate.â
âAinât that the truth.â A soft smile touched Ziennaâs lips as she thought of Nicholasâs quirks. He was set in his ways when it came to how he did business, and in the five months she had been dating him, he had deemed her his food tester. And he wanted only one person to give him an unbiased opinion on his creations before presenting them to the public.
âPlus,â Zienna went on, âI kind of get the sense...â Her voice trailed off. The thought that had occurred to her suddenly seemed foolish.
âSense that what?â Alexis prompted.
âI donât know. Kind of the way he was stressing that I had to meet him tonight, that tomorrow wouldnât do... He mentioned a few days ago that a best friend of his was coming back to town. Iâm not sure why, but I wouldnât be surprised if he wants me to meet him tonight.â
âWow, so this is really getting serious,â Alexis all but sang.
âI donât know.â Ziennaâs stomach tickled at the thought. âMaybe. But if his friend does drop by, itâs not like heâs introducing me to his parents or anything.â
âBut a best friendâthatâs just as critical. He obviously likes you.â
Ziennaâs heart swelled. âI know. And I like him, too.â
âI did good, didnât I?â Alexis asked, and Zienna could picture the huge smile on her face.
âYes, you did good.â It was Alexis whoâd met Nicholas at his restaurant, and struck up a conversation with him with the sole purpose of introducing him to Zienna. âThings are going better than I ever expected.â
âGo have fun with your man. I wonât hold it against you that youâre blowing me off. Donât worry about me, wasting away on my sofa....â
âLook at the bright side. You can finally catch up on the latest season of Criminal Minds that youâve got stored on your PVR.â
âOuch. No sympathy at all.â
âThere are worse ways to spend an evening than watching Shemar Moore.â
âThis is true. Now if only I could get him to come to Chicago, help me nurse my broken heart.â
Zienna didnât bother to comment as she maneuvered her car into the parking lot of Reflections on the Bay, the restaurant her boyfriend was about to launch. Alexisâs own relationship of two years had recently ended, but she was the one whoâd crushed Elliottâs heart by calling off their short engagement. According to Alexis, Elliott was a great guy, but something vital was missing from their relationship. Getting engaged had made her realize that she couldnât settle for a guy who was only good enough.