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After another failed date. I met three of my neighbors in the restaurant. “Let us show you a good time tonight.” Barrett tucked me into his side and smiled down at me. I trailed my fingers down the side of my glass, letting condensation run down my finger. “Can I be honest?” “It’s the only way we’ll have you.” Holden caught a drop of condensation running down my finger and brought it to his mouth. Dominic slowly stood from his chair and stared down at me. “Are you ready?” Barrett pulled me out of Holden’s embrace and wrapped his arm around my waist as he led me toward the exit. ———————— ***SJ*** I took a deep breath while pretending to drink from my cheap glass of spirits. Upon seeing Barry, I’d had a feeling that I would be paying for my own dinner, and I was closer to broke than I’d ever been. I didn’t know how much longer I could sit in my best dress and high heels listening to my date ramble on about video games. “I’m going to design my own game. A friend of mine is going to college for it, but I don’t think I need it. I’ve been gaming since I was like three. I’m good with computers and I think I can do it. I just have to find time between everything else I’m doing. Did I mention that I’m writing a TV show? It’s going to be based off this graphic novel I love.” “Um, yeah. You mentioned it once.” Or a thousand times. I tuned out while he dove into another explanation of the show he was writing. I took another pretend drink from my spirits and smiled politely while cursing the worst tasting spirits I’d ever had. Since moving back home to my dad’s house, I’d made a point of joining dating apps. Being brutally dumped by my fiancé of two years (boyfriend of two before that) wasn’t going to knock me down permanently. I was determined. I was strong. And already, I was regretting joining dating apps. “And then the red lord would rise up from the ashes because the sexual healing from his harem would’ve revived him. He would be victorious because of the women. It’s a super progressive idea.” I’d shaved. Not just my legs. I’d crawled out of my pajamas and washed my body until it was smooth and smelled like a freaking tropical vacation. I’d pulled on the tiniest panties I owned. I had a wedgie that I was pretty sure was going to give me a yeast infection and the papilla pasties I had on were a set of knockoff ones from some shady store online. The one time I’d worn them before, I’d nearly ripped a papilla off. I’d risked life and papilla for mature Barry and all I’d gotten was a night of defeat and boredom. “The women in the show will all wear these tiny Princess Leia bikini type things and it’ll be super hot.” I sat back in my chair after putting my spirits down. My stepmom had been full of advice about online dating. As if living with my stepmom at twenty-five wasn’t bad enough, she was eager to let me know exactly why everything I was doing was wrong. She was only eight years older than me, and the idea of her being right about Barry was enough to make me stay seated even when I wanted to run. “You know…you could wear one of the bikinis. I have one at home.” I narrowed my eyes at Barry. I’d been willing to forgive him for showing up late, being underdressed, and smelling faintly of body odor. I wouldn’t forgive him for thinking he could show up, put in zero effort, and then drill me. “I need to run to the restroom. I’ll be back.” He winked. “Of course.” I felt him staring at my hip as I strolled across the restaurant. I considered the logistics of grabbing a fork from a table as I passed so I could throw it dart-style and pluck an eye out of his head. Before I could fantasize about how good it would feel to shut Barry up, I recognized a few familiar faces. Dominic Rose, Holden Notaro, and Barrett Taylor. Talk about real men. Barrett was my best friend’s father, but he’d been divorced from Samantha’s mother for almost a decade, and I hadn’t seen him in almost that long. Dominic and Holden were Barrett’s best friends. They were inseparable. They lived in my dad’s neighborhood, but I hadn’t spotted them since being home. I hadn’t thought about them in years, despite the fact that I’d had a crush on Samantha’s dad back when we used to hang out at his house when we were younger. Seeing them sitting at a table together, each of them as handsome as any man I’d ever seen, I felt a jealous flutter deep in my stomach at the thought that there were three women somewhere out there who got to claim the three of them. Real men. Men who didn’t show up to a date at a nice restaurant in ripped cargo shorts and a Pokémon t-shirt. Barrett looked up and our eyes met. A zap of awareness sliced right through me, and I couldn’t help the extra sway to my hips as I redirected myself toward their table. Barrett’s eyes moved down my body with an intensity I’d never seen from him before. It’d been a long time since I’d seen him, but I would’ve remembered a look like the one he was giving me. I knew I looked good in my dress, which is why it was my best and favorite. I stopped next to their table and smiled. “Hey, neighbors. Funny that I’ve lived down the street from you all for a couple of weeks and haven’t seen you once, but I go out on one bad date and the entire neighborhood is here to see it.” Holden sat forward in his chair and rested his chin on his hand. His eyes were an especially pale green against his olive skin. The silver at his temples somehow just highlighted his sharp cheekbones. “Neighbor?” I bit my lip and nodded. They didn’t recognize me. When a waiter came by with a tray of drinks, I had to step closer to their table and I accidentally brushed against Dominic’s wide shoulder. “Maybe you’d recognize me if I put my hair in pigtails and started screaming the top forties from a decade ago? And if Samantha was glued to my side?” Barrett’s hazel eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open for a split second before he regained control and stood up. “Sugar! Oh. I never would’ve recognized you!” Before I could do or say anything else, he had me in his arms, hugging me tight. The entire back of my dress was nonexistent and the feeling of his warm skin on mine sent a hot sensation rushing through me. When his hand stayed on the undressed skin of my back after he pulled away, I realized again why the dress was my favorite. “I mostly go by SJ these days. It’s a little hard to be taken seriously in college with the name Sugar.” I looked up at him through my lashes and then realized I was being too flirty. I cleared my throat and stepped away from him. “Unfortunately, I have to get back to my terrible date. The one who just suggested I come try on a bikini from his personal collection.” Barrett scowled and looked over my head in the direction I’d come from. “Do you need help getting rid of him?” Dominic finally focused his intense deep blue eyes on me, and it was almost like he could tell the ground shifted a bit under my feet when he did. The way his mouth lifted lightly on one side made me feel like he was amused by it. “Always happy to help, Sugar.” I smiled and then bit my lip again to try to contain it. “If you see a flare, know it’s me.” Barrett touched my wrist and nodded. “Good to see you, Sugar.” I strode toward the bathroom feeling like I was floating. One interaction with them and I was like a giddy kid with a crush all over again. It was ridiculous. I washed my hands and took a moment to gather myself for rejoining Barry. Barry, who was a little boy compared to the men I’d just spoken with. Feeling like I was walking back toward a cruel punishment, I straightened my dress and then went back out. I saw Dominic watching me as I moved back to my table and winked at him before losing my nerve. It was a bit of fun in the middle of a miserable date. No harm in that. I sat back down across from Barry and forced a smile. “Sorry about that.” “Who were those old guys you were talking to?” Barry seemed annoyed, which made me annoyed. “It doesn’t matter. I think we both can agree that there’s not a connection here between us, right? I don’t want to waste your time. Maybe we should get the check?” “What?” He sat up even straighter and scowled. “I thought we were getting along just fine. I told you all about my show idea.” “I’m sorry, Barry. I’m just not feeling anything more here.” His cheeks went red first and then his neck. “Wow. Do you just do this to get free meals? Well, news flash, I’m not paying for your meal if this isn’t going anywhere.” He threw his napkin on the table, the napkin he’d used to protect his special t-shirt, and snarled at me. “There’s no such thing as a free lunch, baby.” Things had taken a turn for the worst so fast. I was ready to rip his head off. “First. Don’t call me baby. Second. You’re stupid. And third. I was always planning to pay for my own food. This is just ridiculous, though.” “I’m an stupid?” Barry scoffed. “I’m absolutely sure that’s true, Barry.” I took one last sip of my spirits and caught the eye of the waiter. The waiter cleared his throat as he stopped at our table. “How was everything? I’ll clear these plates if you’re finished.” “It was great, thank you. Could we go ahead and get the check? Split it, if that’s not too much trouble. Please.” Barry held until the waiter left and then he reached across the table to grab my hand. “Let’s just forget you were rude and go back to moving this night along. We don’t have to like each other to fuc—” “Sugar.” Barrett stopped at our table, his eyes narrowed on Barry’s hand. “You okay?” I pulled my hand away and stood up. “I was just leaving, actually.” Barry glared up at me. “We’re not through here.” Barrett rested his hand on my undressed back again and smiled a smile so cold it caused Barry to physically retreat back into his own space. “You’re through. How about you join us for a drink, Sugar?” I nodded, grateful to him for saving me from a scene with Barry. “Sounds great. I just need to pay my half of the check first.” Casting a disgusted look at Barry, Barrett shook his head and eased me away from the table. “I took care of it.” Barrett pulled out a chair for me and settled next to me. “Barrett, you stole the date of a man named Barry.” Holden said. “And yeah, Dom is probably threatening Barry. He doesn’t take too kindly to women being treated poorly around him.” I looked back over in time to see Barry hurrying away from the table and out the front door of the restaurant. Dominic pulled out his wallet and left a few bills on the table before glancing up and meeting my eyes. My pulse quickened and I did everything I could to pretend like I wasn’t a giddy wreck. Once Dominic was seated at our table again, Barrett motioned to another waiter who practically vaulted over a table to get to his side faster. “Another round for us. And whatever the lady wants.” I picked something that sounded fruity and then leaned back in my chair. I was equal parts exhausted from listening to Barry and exhilarated from sitting with three beautiful men. “Thank you for the drink. It’s honestly first aid after that date.” “What were you doing with that idiot?” Holden ran his fingers over the rim of his glass as he spoke, the movement slow and tantalizing. The focus to stay polite and friendly allowed my mouth to move freely. “Uh. That was my first date since I was dumped and kicked out of my apartment by my fiancé. I joined a dating app, thinking it would be a good idea to get back out there, but Barry was the best option I found. You saw how that went.” “You were engaged?” Barrett leaned back in his seat and studied me. “That seems wild to me. And makes me feel old.” The waiter appeared with our drinks and waited to make sure I liked mine. I took a sip and grinned when the taste of pineapple burst across my tongue. “You were right. I love it. Thank you.” “Back to Barry being the best option on a dating app.” Holden winced. “That can’t be true, right?” “Well, he didn’t open the conversation with a shaft pic, so that was nice. He also used correct grammar, didn’t call me a bimbo once. He was the only option.” Holden leaned forward and rested his chin on his fist with his elbow on the table. “You try to chase after that idiot and we’ll be forced to save you from yourself. By whatever means necessary.” I cursed the wave of arousal that washed over me. “Moving on from my pathetic dating life. What are you three doing here? Where are your dates?” “We’re celebrating. No dates. We just closed on a building downtown. We’re opening another restaurant.” Barrett shrugged like it was nothing. “This one is going to be Holden’s baby.” “You all own restaurants?” My excitement shifted from purely physical appreciation to something else entirely. “That’s amazing!” “We own a few things together, but the restaurants are the passion projects.” Holden, still leaning forward to watch me, smiled. “And what do you do, Sugar?” I shifted in my seat, annoyed at myself for not being able to be proud of my answer. “Write. Currently, I’m just doing a few freelancing gigs.” “Any passion projects of your own?” “I like reviewing food.” I winced as soon as I said it and shook my head hard. “I know. It’s dumb. It started after a few friends threw dinner parties and I jokingly reviewed their food. It became a thing and now, it’s something I really love doing.” Barrett laughed and stretched his arm out behind me again. “We really love passion projects.” “I’m sure. I don’t even know why I told you about it. Not many people here know I do anything like that. It’s growing, but for now I’m still writing e-books on how to make the switch from android to iOS.” “I have an idea.” Dominic looked at Barrett and inhaled deeply. Tipping his drink back, he finished it and turned that gaze on me. “Let us show you what a date should be like.” Barrett nodded to the waiter and handed off a black card a second later. “You deserve a date with a man. Or men, as it may be. Let us show you a good time tonight.” I trailed my fingers down the side of my glass, letting condensation run down my finger as I thought through the idea at breakneck speed. “Can I be honest?” “It’s the only way we’ll have you.” A tingle blossomed from my core and I crossed my legs under the table. “If I go home with the memory of Barry lingering, I’ll never date again.” Holden laughed and reached across the table. He caught a drop of condensation running down my finger and brought it to his mouth. His eyes stayed trained on mine as he flicked his tongue out to drink the liquid. “We can’t have that.” Barrett shifted in his seat and I caught him glaring at Holden for a second before he relaxed his face and rolled his eyes. “Sorry. Holden doesn’t get out much.” “We have that in common, then.” I opened my clutch and reached for my wallet to pay Barrett back for my drink, but he put his hand over mine. “First things first. You’re not paying for anything. We’re old-fashioned that way, Sugar. We’re taking you out, so we’ll pay. I don’t want to see your wallet again tonight.” There must’ve been a heat wave around our table because I would’ve sworn the temperature went up by ten degrees. I fanned my face and grinned when they stared at me. “Sorry. It’s just that three mature, employed, hot men are taking me on a pretend date and they’re proving to be chivalrous. Excuse me while I melt.” Dominic slowly stood from his chair and stared down at me while he buttoned his suit jacket. “Hot?” I squeezed my eyes shut and groaned. “Ignore that. Probably just ignore most of what I say tonight. In my eagerness to be around real, mature men, I may embarrass myself.” “Feel free.” Barrett stood up and held out his hand to me when I opened my eyes again. He winked and easily pulled me up. “Now. We’re going to talk more about your blog while we walk down to Gray’s.” “Gray’s?” Holden made a face. “So, you’ve heard of it?” I tried to push my chair in, but Holden caught my hands and pulled me away while Barrett handled it. He tucked me into his side and smiled down at me while his scent of cloves and honey washed over me. Instead of leaving my arm hanging awkwardly between us, I lifted it and wrapped it around his waist. His breath hitched immediately. I stammered a bit but finally got my words out right. “Gray’s is hugely popular. A friend tried to get a reservation so I could write something up, but the wait was insane.” He grunted and one side of his mouth lifted in a snarl. “It’s a pompous place. They probably inflate the wait time just to seem better than they are.” Dominic watched me with a focus that made me aware of every inch of my body. “Holden has a true chef’s moodiness when it comes to other people’s food. His is better, of course.” “Let’s not open that can of worms tonight. Tonight is for showing Sugar the way a date should go.” Barrett pulled me out of Holden’s embrace and wrapped his arm around my waist as he led me toward the exit. Holden reached the door to Gray’s first and pulled it open. He offered me his hand and flashed me his dimples. “Come here, Sugar. If I have to walk into this place, I’m at least going to do it with a beautiful date on my arm.” I rolled my eyes and then laughed when he tugged me harder and I fell into his chest. Looking up at him from that close, I could see the silver coming in at his temples and each dark eyelash that curled around his eyes. “Careful, or we might not be walking in.” His answering grin was wicked. “Oh?” I playfully slapped his chest as I righted myself. “I meant that you nearly knocked me over. Some things don’t change with maturity, I see.” Dominic placed his hand high on my back, closer to my neck, and leaned in. His breath washed over my shoulder as he spoke just low enough for me to hear. “Not when there’s a woman involved, Sugar. Especially a stunning one.” I turned my face up to his and sank my teeth into my bottom lip, unconcerned with how flirty I acted. After all, we were on a pretend date. I was just playing the part. I reached up and adjusted his tie, letting my knuckles lightly brush his chest as I ran my hand down the silky material. “And are you, Dominic?” His jaw muscles worked as he catalogued every move I made. “Am I what?” “Stunned?” I reached up and cupped his cheek, letting the roughness of his beard scratch my palm. Giving his cheek a light pat, I grinned. “Don’t answer that.” When I turned to face the other two again, Dominic surprised me by catching my arm and spinning me back into his chest. With my chest pressed against his, I sucked in a sharp breath. He was a solid wall of muscle and so warm. His scent was leather and fresh rain, a combination that made me think of dirty Sunday mornings spent in bed. “I’m not an easy man to stun, Sugar, but I have a feeling something like that would never stop you.” His eyes flicked to my lips and then back to mine. “I am.” I thought about that as Holden took my hand and pulled me with him to a table at the back of the bar. For a fake date, this felt pretty real. The things I was feeling in reaction to them were definitely real.

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“It’s the only way we’ll have you.” Holden caught a drop of condensation running down my finger and brought it to his mouth.