Semipro by Kit Tunstall

Chapter
One
    The tall, muscular man
walking into the hotel’s lounge drew Sandra Cho’s gaze like a magnet. His sheer
size would have caught her attention anyway, but it was the way the chandelier
accented the golden highlights in his sandy-blond hair that held it. She
couldn’t look away from his solid frame encased in a sports coat and a pair of
khakis. His sleek, handsome features were equally compelling. He was the kind
of man women wanted on sight, and she was no exception. Everything about him
screamed that he was a perfect specimen, except for the slight limp impairing
his gait.
    Aware she was staring,
Sandra forced her gaze back to the drink in front of her. The half-melted ice
cubes had diluted the scotch to something undrinkable, but she toyed with the
cork-and-mahogany coaster as the man neared. She caught her breath with a sharp
inhalation when he sat down at the bar near her, leaving just one seat between
them.
    Her heart skittered, and
she almost asked if he was Barry, though the picture of the man she was
supposed to meet bore no resemblance to the man beside her. Had he been Barry,
she could have almost forgiven the fact that he was an hour late. As it was,
she had already written off Barry as a no-show and had been prepared to close
out her tab and leave just seconds before the intriguing man had entered the
bar.
    Instead, she leaned
forward to order a new drink that she didn’t really want, just to have an
excuse to linger near him. As the bartender approached, he leaned closer,
evidently prepared to order at the same time.
    She smiled at him, trying
to indicate he should order first. When he deferred with a wave of his hand,
she asked for another scotch on the rocks.
    “I’ll have the same,” he
said.
    The bartender poured
their drinks quickly, sliding the cut crystal glasses to each of them with an
expertise born of practice. “Shall I put these on your tab, miss?”
    “Yes.” Sandra’s
affirmative echoed the man’s refusal, but she nodded, saying more firmly, “Yes,
please.”
    “Well, thank you,” said
the man. He lifted the glass in a half salute toward her before tossing back
the contents as easily as some would swallow water. The glass met the teak bar
with a little more force than necessary, and his brown-eyed gaze raked over
her. “I insist on reciprocating.”
    “No, thank you. I’m sure
I won’t be drinking another.” Sandra sipped the scotch, wrinkling her nose at
the aftereffects. She had never acquired a taste for alcohol, so any kind was
as good as the next. Fortunately, she happened to drink what he was drinking,
which had precipitated an opening to speak with him.
    “That hardly seems fair.”
He motioned to the bartender for another, adding, “Start a new tab, please.”
    “What’s unfair about it?”
    He grinned, adding
appealing lines around his mouth and eyes, along with an adorable dimple. “It
isn’t right for me to take a drink from a beautiful lady and not give something
in return.”
    Sandra smiled, finding
his grin infectious. “You can give me the pleasure of your company. My intended
companion didn’t show up.”
    “I’d be happy to.”
    In one smooth motion,
with only a hint of pain in his expression, he twisted and slid across the
chair. She caught the slight tightening of his leg, but quickly looked away.
Clearly, the man wanted no attention directed toward his injury, and she didn’t
want to sabotage what might end up being a pleasant meeting with unwelcome
questions. As he settled, she extended her hand, “I’m Sandra.”
    “Jake Reynolds.” His hand
engulfed hers, sending darts of electricity arcing down her arm. He retained it
a few seconds longer than polite, but she made no effort to pull away. When he
let go, his fingers slid across her palms in a deliberately sensual manner. She
shivered at the touch, surprised to have such an instant attraction to him. As
a rule, she was more reserved about dating and men. Not one to jump in