The Client: Short And Steamy by M. S. Parker Page A

happy, you wouldn’t have to work so hard to make yourself believe it.
----
    C lub Privé was a study in elegant debauchery.
    Sitting at the bar on the VIP level, I sipped my drink and waved at Carrie once she saw me.
    I was surprised she could.
    Her eyes seemed locked and focused on Gavin, as if nothing else existed.
    They’d just gotten back from their honeymoon and one might think they’d be okay to go a few seconds without staring at the other, but I guess that was what love did to you.
    I wouldn’t know. I just didn’t understand love.
    I’d had a few boyfriends I’d liked , that I'd cared about, but love?
    No.
    Carrie grinned at me as she dropped down on the bar stool next to me. “Look what the cat dragged in,” she said, leaning over to hug me.
    “I’m pretty sure cats can’t drag in this.” Smugly, I glanced down at myself, pleased with the vivid green of my barely-there dress. I stood out among all the black and the red, which had been the whole point.
    My life motto, ironically, came from Dr. Seuss. Why fit in when you were born to stand out ?
    Carrie rolled her eyes at me. “One day, you just might find a guy with an ego to match yours.”
    “Why would I want to?” Shrugging, I sipped my drink and studied the men on the VIP level.
    Carrie’s husband, Gavin, owned the club – well, technically, they both did, I supposed. That was the only reason I had access to the VIP level. I couldn’t afford it on my own – at least not yet. Although even once my own finances allowed it, I didn’t plan on telling them I’d be happy to pay for it. If they were happy to give the membership to me, then I was happy to accommodate them. I wasn’t cheap, per se. I just enjoyed nice things, and when I had somebody nice enough to provide me with such things free of charge, then who was I to argue?
    Nobody on the VIP level was catching my eye, though. At least nobody who wasn’t already paired up with somebody.
    There was a sexy brunet at one table, who kept eying me, but he was with a woman, and while I might be shallow as hell, I didn’t think much of a man who made eyes at me when he was clearly with somebody else.
    Loyalty was one thing I did value.
    In my opinion, it was something that was becoming more and more rare in the world. Even more so in my line of work.
    “How has life been treating you?” Carrie asked.
    “Busy.” Grimacing, I shifted my attention back to her. “I’m going to have to hire somebody to help in the office, and the way business is picking up, I might need to hire a partner before too long.”
    “That’s fantastic! You should be on cloud nine.” She flagged down a server and asked for a drink before turning back to me. Her eyes narrowed shrewdly as she asked, “So why aren’t you?”
    Since when had I become that transparent?
    I didn’t know, but I wasn’t about to explain my sullen mood over the past few days. Carrie would either see too much into it, or just not get it. Then again, I didn’t get it.
    She was right. I should be on cloud nine. My practice was doing fantastic, especially considering I'd barely been at it for a year. I’d splurged on a beautiful Michael Kors tote a few days ago and last month, a new pair of Jimmy Choos. I was even on target to take a trip to Europe next summer and was in the planning stages of it. It wouldn’t be too long before I could move to a bigger, nice apartment. I was right on track with my plan. I had everything I thought I wanted.
    And yet…
    I pasted a smile on my face as Gavin suddenly appeared at our sides.
    “My beautiful wife,” he said, bending to kiss Carrie.
    She leaned against him for a moment, and I busied myself with my nearly empty drink. Then it was a completely empty drink, and I got busy flagging down the server to order another one. By the time I’d done that, they’d surfaced from a deep, intimate kiss. It wasn’t that public displays of affection bothered me – if they did, then Club Privé was the