Dare Read online

  They all nodded. “Good. Now, I have to hit the ladies’ room, then get on with it.” Olivia muttered.

  “Go get ‘em,” Candy called as she walked away.

  Olivia squeezed past the endless bodies as she moved through the bar.

  Once enclosed in the washroom, she stared in the mirror. She fluffed her hair, then yanked out the lipstick from her pocket. Pausing before she added the pink shine to her lips, she leaned against the counter.

  A long, deep breath quelled the urge to scream in rage. Her friends were the best women she knew but when they ganged up on someone, that person was a goner.

  Olivia never thought they’d pull something like this on her. Make her find a man.

  She smiled as she came to a sudden realization.

  Though good, they didn’t realize they weren’t too specific in their dare.

  “Olivia must find a man—of her own choosing—and spend the night with him. Just the two of them and she cannot leave his presence before eight a.m. tomorrow morning.”

  Oh yes, she’d find a man all right—one who was not a stranger—and would request to spend the night with him as a favor. What the two of them did, however, the girls hadn’t specified. They could do whatever Olivia wanted, as innocently as she wanted.

  Smug now that she’d figured out how to outsmart her dear friends, she headed for the door.

  She knew just the P.I. to turn to.

  Chapter Two

  Darren Shalvis—Dare to his closest buddies—took a swig from the longneck bottle in his hand and listened to the beat of the music.

  It was exactly what he needed tonight. He was tired of his latest case investigating the Lombardy murder. He was sure the accused had offed her mother–in-law, but Presley and Malone had hired him and were convinced of her innocence. Everything Dare found pointed the other way.

  Women.

  Sometimes they were exhausting.

  After he closed down his office for the night, he met with his on-again-off-again bed partner, Victoria, at her place. That had unfortunately been a mistake.

  Lately, Dare had the feeling Victoria was too serious about him. He’d rarely seen her the last couple of months because of her possessiveness. The continuous phone calls day and night, dropping by his place unannounced and even mentioning a family get-together were clear indications. And he’d wanted to talk to her, explain it was time to move on, but he hadn’t had the chance until tonight.

  When he finally sat her down after he peeled her off his body—she’d attached herself to him the moment she opened the door—she hadn’t taken the calling it quits news very well.

  After she went so far as to throw things at him, Dare left her in a foul temper. He’d enjoyed Victoria—between the sheets she was a spitfire—but she wasn’t the woman for him.

  Hell, he knew Victoria had been after one thing from him. Well, okay, a couple of things, but her top priority was his money.

  The Shalvis Car Company was a multi-million dollar enterprise. His brother, Bryan, was at the helm, while Dare kept his fifty percent ownership and only went to meetings if called upon. After his father’s death last year, Dare was grateful to Bryan for taking charge of the business. Dare had no interest in sitting behind a desk day after day going over income spreadsheets and worrying about the stock market.

  Or women that were with him only for the money.

  Someday he’d find the right woman for him. And perhaps that day would come soon. He really hated the dating scene and fake women.

  He set the bottle on the bar, and ran a hand through his hair. He signaled the bartender for another and rolled his shoulders in hopes of easing the tension that had settled there.

  It had been a long week and he was thankful it was Friday. Though Presley & Malone had him on call over the weekend, he looked forward to a couple days of freedom.

  “Darren?”

  Dare turned on the stool, surprised to see Olivia Warner in front of him.

  She seemed different than she usually did at the office. He only ever saw her in black and white—high-collar blouses buttoned all the way to the top, long skirts or dress pants. Tonight, she was dressed in tight blue jeans and vibrant white V-neck t-shirt with an image of ruby red lips on the front.

  He had to admit, he liked how those lips lay over her breasts.

  At the office numerous times, he’d never had much of a chance to talk with her, but she’d caught his eye from the moment he’d seen her. He’d walked into the office and caught sight of her delectable ass encased in a black skirt as she bent over her desk writing on a memo pad.

  An immediate image of his cock sliding in and out of her was his favorite fantasy.

  He suspected, though, she wasn’t a woman that let a man get too close. From the first glimpse of her head on, she was a no-nonsense kind of woman. Her face didn’t show many emotions; she kept things pretty tight to the chest from what he could see. At the office, she was strictly business.

  He’d seen her with other women when he’d first sat down at the bar. Manners made him tip his bottle in a form of hello.

  He was surprised she’d approached him. “Olivia, hello.”

  She smiled in return, her hands clenched together. “I need your help.”

  Instantly on guard, Dare took in her nervousness and the perspiration along her upper lip. He gestured to the empty stool beside him.

  “What is it?”

  “Well, it’s a little embarrassing…” Olivia cleared her throat. She signaled the bartender. “Ice water, please.” She turned back to him. “My friends have put me in a difficult position.”

  The bartender set the glass in front of her. Dare placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hmm, sounds interesting.”

  She gave a small laugh and lifted the glass for a drink.

  Dare watched her lips as she drank. He wondered what they’d taste like. It was something he’d considered many times lately.

  He was drawn to her, but unsure he’d ever act on it.

  Her whole demeanor said ‘hands off.’ And he wasn’t sure he was ready for the challenge.

  “Tell me about it.”

  “I’ll cut right to the chase.” As he turned on the stool, their knees brushed. Neither moved.

  He thought he saw her eyes lit up. Perhaps Ms. Warner wasn’t as immune as he thought.

  “My friends brought me here tonight for my birthday.”

  “Happy birthday.”

  She smiled. “Thank you. The jury’s still out whether it’s happy or not. My friends decided that as a present they’d get me a man.” She blushed and reached for her drink.

  “Go on.” Intriguing.

  She set down her glass and continued, “They dared me. Dared me to find myself a man and spend the night with him.”

  Women…who understood them? He’d only ever participated in dares when he was younger. He didn’t think anyone took them seriously anymore.

  “And you need my help, how?” Dare’s heart rate accelerated. She wasn’t asking him to…

  She stared up at him, her gaze steady. “I need you to spend the night with me.”

  If he hadn’t heard it with his own ears, he wouldn’t have believed it. This night was the strangest he’d had in a long time. It was as if he’d been offered a million dollars on a silver platter.

  Of course, he wanted to spend the night with her. He’d fantasized about it many times. He just wasn’t clear on what exactly she was asking. He didn’t want any misunderstandings. “Are you asking me to spend the night with you to…” Dare cleared his throat. “…be with you?”

  “Oh! No, yes, I mean no. Dammit, I’ve screwed this up.”

  “Relax.” He put a hand on her knee. “It’s okay. Let’s try this—do you want me to have sex with you?”

  Olivia groaned. Dare love that sound, and heat filled his groin.

  “No. Not to have sex. God, this is mortifying.” Olivia placed her hand over his where it still rested on her knee. “Just to spend the night t
ogether—a movie, hang out, whatever—until eight a.m., when the dare is over.”

  Dare laughed. She talked so fast he could hardly keep up. He’d never seen her so animated before. He liked her flustered and breathless…a lot. He wondered if she looked and sounded like that during sex.

  He couldn’t go that route. Not now.

  “Okay, so let me get this straight. You want us to spend the night together—with no sex—until morning? All because of a dare? Why didn’t you just say no?”

  “I can’t. In college, the five of us made a pact—in blood, for God’s sake—that we’d always be friends and never back down from a dare. Trust me, right now, I wish I’d never made it.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, I can imagine how you feel.”

  “I’m so tired after the day we had. This was the last thing I needed tonight.”

  “Yeah, when I stopped by the office today you seemed a bit irritated.”

  She sighed and ran her fingers over his hand. Dare was surprised how comfortable it felt to have their knees and hands touch. He didn’t think Olivia was even aware she caressed his hands…or wreaked havoc on his libido. If her innocent touches could send him into overdrive, he wondered what would happen if she put all she had into it.

  “It was the day from hell. I just wanted to meet the girls for a few drinks, then head home to soak the day away.”

  Dare grit his teeth and tried not to think of Olivia in a bathtub—water floating around her body, relaxed, languid. The image could send him over the edge.

  “Well, you’re in luck. I’m your man for the night.”

  Olivia smiled and her eyes danced. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. The last thing I wanted to do was have to pick up some random guy. I’m so glad you were here.”

  Pleased he could help her, Dare grinned. He realized he wanted to anything to put that carefree smile on her face.

  “So.” He took a sip of his beer. “What do you want to do?”

  She scowled. “Well, we could go back to my place. I have a spare room that you can crash in if you want.”

  Surprised, Dare took in her flushed face. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. We don’t exactly have to stay up all night. It’s still spending the night together, right?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, in a manner of speaking. Your friends weren’t specific.”

  A smug smile crossed Olivia’s face. “No they weren’t. Which is a testament to how much they thought this through. I would have made a list of do’s and don’ts.”

  They both laughed. Olivia had a naughty streak and he liked it. Liked it—and her—very much. A night with Olivia Warner wasn’t what he’d expected.

  Sure, he’d thought of her in his bed often, writhing and moaning with passion, but he never thought fantasy would become a reality. He couldn’t let the opportunity go.

  His buddies didn’t call him Dare for no reason. He could never resist a challenge.

  He placed both hands on her shoulders, drew her gaze from her glass, and put his cards on the table.

  “What if we have an agreement?”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “For us to spend the night together, we should have some ground rules.”

  “Ground rules?”

  “I will spend the night with you. More than eager to do so, except one thing.”

  “What’s that?” she whispered. He barely heard her but saw her lips move.

  He wanted to taste them, desperately.

  “I don’t want to sleep in any spare room.”

  “You don’t?” She gawked at him.

  Her expression was comical but Dare didn’t feel like laughing.

  “No. I want to spend the night in your room.” Dare had her full attention. She stared at him, eyes wide. “In your bed.”

  *

  Olivia swore if Darren wasn’t holding her by her shoulders, she’d have fallen off the stool.

  “Darren,” she started, then stopped to catch her breath. Her head spun. “I’m sorry, did you say you wanted to spend the night with me, as in, spending the night with me—in my bed?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I said.”

  “But—”

  “I dare you, Olivia.”

  Her breath hitched. Oh my god!

  “Olivia?”

  “Just a minute, my ears are ringing.”

  Darren burst out laughing, and released her shoulders. She was so glad it was easy for him. He just said he wanted to have sex with her. She didn’t know what to do next.

  Jump him?

  No, no. That was not going to happen.

  “Sorry to have shocked you. But I’ve never been one to live on pretenses.” Darren studied her, unflinching. “I want you, Olivia. This seems like the perfect opportunity to get to know you.”

  A thrill ran through her to know he wanted her. She hadn’t thought it was possible to attract a man like him. So sure and confident in himself, he was an enigma. She wanted him, too—she couldn’t deny it.

  “Getting to know someone usually means dinner and conversation,”

  “Well, we can order in. Make small talk. We do have all night after all.” He winked.

  Olivia took in his mischievous smile, and couldn’t help but smile back. He was so damn gorgeous, she could stare at him all night. Thankfully, she had that option.

  “Yes we do. Umm…” She hesitated, unsure.

  “Hey.” He took her hand in his. “You can say whatever’s on your mind.”

  “I don’t normally take men I don’t know well home with me. I make it a practice to really know someone before taking the next step.”

  “If you feel completely uncomfortable—”

  “No. No, it’s not that. I just…wanted you to know that I take physical relationships seriously. These days you can’t be too careful.”

  “If you’re curious about my history, just ask. Actually, I’ll tell you straight up. I’m clean. I’m also very careful about this stuff. I won’t claim to be a saint, but I’ve always practiced it safe. I just had tests a couple weeks ago, when my P.I. license was up for renewal. Everything is in order.”

  She trusted this man. Knew his work ethic, how upstanding he was.

  Olivia cupped his cheek, and pleasure raced through her. “Thank you. Your honesty means a lot to me. And I assure you, everything is in order for me, too.”

  “False pretenses aren’t my thing. Let’s make a pact, okay?”

  She giggled. “The last pact I got myself into has come back to haunt me, you know.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, but this one shouldn’t haunt you at any time. I just want us to be honest with one another. It’ll make it easier.”

  “You’re right.” Olivia nodded. “I agree. Total honesty.”

  “Great. Now, how about we get out of here?”

  They both stood, bodies pressed together.

  Olivia tingled from head to toe. Her stomach clenched. She rested her hands on his arms, felt his muscles bulging.

  Desperation filled her. She wanted to have him all to herself, to explore the hot body she imagined lay beneath his clothes.

  She nodded, flustered. “You know. I can’t believe I was dared twice in one night. That’s definitely a first. I’ll have to remember to get retribution someday.”

  “You never know. After I’m done with you, you might thank us all,” Darren said huskily, his voice confident.

  She shivered, his words washing over her.

  “And one other thing, sweetheart.” Darren slung his arm over her shoulder and led her toward the exit. “My buddies didn’t nickname me Dare for just any reason.”

  Olivia stumbled.

  She had a feeling she’d never be the same after tonight.

  Chapter Three

  Olivia burst out laughing without reservation.

  Dare had heard it a lot tonight and the evening couldn’t be going any better.

  Before taking separate cars from Countess, they’d agreed to meet
back at her place for a late dinner. She had the job to pick up Chinese food while he had run his own errand.

  When he’d walked her to her car and mentioned the need to stop at the drugstore, he saw her turn scarlet even in the dark. It was refreshing to find a woman who didn’t come on strong and found the slightest flirtation blush-worthy. He didn’t know many women like her.

  The urge to kiss her nearly choked him. Yet before he could act, she’d whispered goodbye and hidden in her car. But the night was still young and he planned to take full advantage of the fact.

  Once settled at her place, they instantly dived into their food.

  He watched her smile between bites, and fought the impulse to take her lips with his. Olivia didn’t have Angie Jolie lips but they were still lush and fuller—cherry red and wet—than most women’s.

  As she pushed more food into her mouth, her lips wrapped around her fork—she’d given up trying to master chopsticks, which they’d both found hilarious—Dare imagined her mouth around his cock as she sucked him deep over and over again.

  “You know, chopsticks are dangerous.” Olivia’s voice brought him from his musings.

  “Dangerous? I’m not sure about that, but if you say so.”

  After he watched her struggle with them for fifteen minutes, Dare agreed to some extent. She was very different from other women he knew. Some never relaxed enough to laugh at themselves the way she did. Most were self-conscious and obnoxious.

  But the more Olivia tried, the worse her coordination became and the more they cackled about it. Dare couldn’t recall a time when he’d had such a great time with a woman. Olivia was easy to be around. He also hadn’t felt so laid-back in ages. Most dates were full of tension and what-ifs. But with her, perhaps their honesty and knowing what the night held put them both at ease.

  Dare knew she was a bit nervous, but the underlying sexual tension was electric. There was still a calm atmosphere as minutes ticked by. He was happy with that but wished he’d taken the initiative before now and asked her out. He really enjoyed her company.

  “Yes, dangerous. Twice now, I’ve nearly poked my eye out with those things.”

  He held up his own chopsticks, having mastered the craft years ago. He eyeballed the unintimidating weapon and then scrutinized her, brows raised. She looked serious. He had to hold in a laugh. “Perhaps you’re not feeling them.”