Shayna stood outside Rampage watching as the line gradually shortened. She'd been waiting for her cousin for almost thirty minutes and she was getting more than a little irritated. Her twenty-fifth birthday was two days ago and her cousin, Monica, invited her up to New York City for the weekend to celebrate. She arrived in the city later than planned because her boss called her in to handle a "minor" problem, so she checked into her hotel and arranged to meet Monica at the nightclub.
"What the hell is taking so long?" she muttered to herself. She was pulling her cell phone out of her little clutch when she saw an SUV limo pull up right in front of the club's door. Since she was standing off to the side among a few other people, she watched unabashedly to see who would get out of the limo – a celebrity perhaps?
When there was no activity for a few moments, Shayna lost interest in the limo's prospective occupant and began a blistering text message to her cousin. "Where the fuck are you, bitch? Some birthday weekend!!" Shayna grinned knowing Monica wouldn't take the insult seriously but would get the hint to hurry up.
Just as Shayna pressed the send button on her phone, she saw a flurry of activity from the corner of her eye. Two valets jogged to the rear door of the limo. One valet opened the door and the other extended his arm to assist a woman passenger. At first, all Shayna could see were the woman's slender fingers and long red nails gripping the valet as she stepped down from the SUV. Once out of the vehicle and standing on the sidewalk, Shayna saw that the woman was tall, blonde, and very beautiful. Her hair flowed in loose ringlets past her shoulders, her lips were a perfect red pout, and she wore a body-hugging dress that exactly matched her lip color.
The valet then leant his arm to another woman stepping from the limo, an equally stunning brunette. Her hair was a sleek shoulder-skimming bob that swayed provocatively when she moved her head. She wore a canary yellow mini-dress that was loose in cut but still skimmed her curves showing off her figure. Both women wore heavy jewelry and Shayna had no doubt that it was real. The women didn't move to stand at the end of the line of people waiting to get into the club. Instead, the valet escorted them directly to the door where the bouncer stood. The ladies both smiled warmly at the bouncer and he ushered them inside.
Shayna's attention returned to the limo when she saw one more person stepping down, this time a man – and what a man. She couldn't help the little gasp that escaped her lips when out came the sexiest man she had ever seen. The backdrop of the white SUV starkly defined his features. He was well over six feet tall with a smooth milk chocolate complexion, almond-shaped eyes, and a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee framing his generous lips. He wore a dark suit that must have been tailor-made for him. But as expensive as his suit obviously was, it seemed barely able to contain the powerful-looking body under it. As he began to move, the muscles in his arms and legs seemed ready to burst through his clothes.
Shayna mentally shook herself when she realized her jaw had gone slack as she took in the raw masculinity of the man before her. Then she froze as she realized he'd paused on his way into the nightclub. She looked back up to his face and he appeared to be staring in her direction. Shayna quickly looked around her and saw that she was standing apart from anyone else milling about the sidewalk. When her gaze was drawn back to the man, their eyes locked for a moment before he began a slow perusal of her body. She could feel him taking in her soft brown eyes, perky nose, and softly rounded mouth. Heat suffused her warm brown skin as his eyes traveled the length of her exposed neck and chest to the tops of her full breasts as they strained against the bustier bodice of her little black dress. She held her breath as his eyes dipped to her small waist and the full skirt of her dress that stopped mid-thigh, on to her shapely legs and her black stiletto mules.
His eyes slowly retraced their path and once again locked with hers. There she saw what she could only describe as a predatory gleam and she shuddered a little at the smirk that played about his lips. Her free hand nervously fluttered up to the back of her neck to smooth away an imaginary stray hair as her hair was pulled into a tight bun atop her head. He looked as if he was going to approach her when suddenly she heard someone calling her name. Shayna's hand dropped and she spun on her heel to see her cousin rushing up to her with two other women in tow. Monica greeted her with a warm hug and began chattering excitedly and introduced her to her friends, Lynn and Ashley. Shayna turned again to look toward the club's entrance and saw that he was gone. An unexpected feeling of loss overcame her and she tried to shake it off as being foolish.
As she and her group began to make their way to the end of the line, the bouncer called out to them. "Excuse me, ladies," he said. Shayna turned her head and saw that he was speaking to them. He beckoned them and said, "This way, please. Compliments of Mr. Montrose." When they drew near the bouncer, Monica asked, "Who's Mr. Montrose?" "One of the owners," was all he said before ushering them into the club. "Enjoy your evening." The bouncer closed the door behind them and they all followed Monica inside.
