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Actually, they weren’t in favor of him. Back in college, he’d dated the current mayor’s daughter, only to have the relationship end in disaster.
“Well, I’m going in,” Cole said, interrupting Jamie’s thoughts.
Cole stood up, and for a moment his massive frame completely blocked Jamie’s view. He was one solid block of muscle from head to toe. His arms were covered with tattoo sleeves, which he now adeptly hid under his business suits when he went to work. The rest of the time, like now, Cole wore a tee, leather vest, worn jeans, and biker boots. Combined with the tidy goatee he sported, he looked like the bad ass he was.
The music in the nightclub shifted beats, morphing into something fast and furious. Jamie saw Eric talking to several women. Despite the lustful gleam in the women’s eyes, he was probably regaling them with stories about his fiancée.
Jamie made his way over to them, but not before handing a couple hundred-dollar bills to the bartender, who gave him a look of gratification when he said he didn’t want change. Jamie didn’t believe in squandering money, but he tipped well. He knew the value of hard work, and when someone gave him excellent service—the way the bartender had made sure the bachelor party attendee’s glasses were full all night long—Jamie figured they deserved it.
Not everyone was fortunate enough to be born into wealth. His father had drilled it into his head—like the Spiderman saying, only with a twist: with great wealth comes great responsibility. And no one could ever say Jamie wasn’t responsible. His father had raised both him and his sister to understand that someone had worked hard for everything they had. That didn’t mean you didn’t enjoy it, but you never took it for granted.
When Eric saw Jamie, the other man excused himself from his admirers and rose to greet him.
“Tempted?” Jamie asked, nodding at the three women he’d been talking to.
“Don’t get me wrong—this night has been fun—but I’ve been true to your sister since we started dating, and that’s not about to change. In fact…” For a moment, his mouth pressed into a grim line before his expression cleared and he shook his head. “Your sister never has to worry where my loyalty lies.”
Of course, that was exactly what Jamie had expected to hear. Eric had been in love with Brianne since college. He hadn’t even wanted this damn bachelor party, but Brianne had insisted, saying she’d feel guilty about partying with her girls otherwise.
“I’m going to sneak out and give her a call. Cover for me with the others, would you?”
“Sure thing,” Jamie said.
As he watched Eric head out, Jamie imagined how pretty Brianne would be in her white wedding dress.
Lucy had mentioned several times she didn’t even believe in marriage. That hadn’t stopped him from falling for her. Idiot that he was, he’d told himself that an exclusive relationship would be enough…at first.
Jamie’s friend, Ryan Hennessey, a firefighter from San Francisco, walked toward him with a beer in his hand.
“Where’s the groom?”
“He went to get some air.”
Ryan took a healthy gulp of his beer. “Maybe I should join him. I’m not really feeling it tonight,” he said with a frown.
Jamie raised an eyebrow at his friend. “Let me guess. Annie?” he asked.
Ryan sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated, my ass. You’ve put Annie on a pedestal, Ryan, but that’s the last thing she wants…”
Ryan’s jaw clenched. “Drop it. Please. It’s not like you’re going after what you want—who you want anymore than I am.”
“Yeah. Well, talk about complicated. You know—”
“Hey, guys.”
Ryan and Jamie both turned to see Rhys Dalton, who wasn’t part of the wedding party, but had been invited to the bachelor party anyway. At least, Jamie was pretty sure it was Rhys. His identical twin brother, Max, was here as well, and Jamie sometimes still had a hard time telling him and his brother apart.
“Enjoying your night of freedom?” Ryan asked.
“There’s plenty of beautiful women here, but no one as beautiful as Melina,” Rhys said.
As if Rhys had conjured them, two extremely pretty ladies approached them. One was platinum blonde, her hair a color that didn’t actually exist in nature, and the other a brunette. They both had on high heels and short skirts and their long hair brushed against the tops of their practically bare breasts. They looked to be barely drinking age, if that.
“Hey, sexy,” the blonde said to Ryan, slurring that simple word. “How’d you like to buy a lady a drink?”
“If I were a betting man,” Ryan said, “I’d bet you’ve already had your fair share. I’ll tell you what though; I’ll buy you a bottle of water, any brand you like.”
