Jo Leigh - One-Click Buy - September Harlequin Blaze

“Hey, boy.” She greeted him.

The pup barked.

Katie started to back up.

He barked louder.

Katie’s heart melted. She cupped her hands around her eyes, pressed her face to the glass. The lights were on inside and she saw customers moving around. The store was still open.

The quaint silver bell over the door tinkled welcomingly as Katie stepped inside. The woman behind the counter greeted her with a New Englander’s slow, syllabled “Hey-ya.”

“Hello.” Katie smiled at the woman, but her eyes were on the puppy. She leaned over the barrier keeping the cocker penned in the window and tickled her fingers over his soft fur. The puppy licked Katie’s hand with his warm, wet tongue.

Katie giggled.

It would be so easy to fall in love with him.

Like there’s any room in your life for a pet. You, who’ve killed every houseplant you’ve ever owned.

Yes, but she was doing things differently now. No more late-night partying. No more random hookups. No more impromptu weekend trips out of town. There would be room in her new lifestyle for a puppy.

It was a nice thought.

Better make sure the changes stick before you rush headlong into buying a dog.

Yes, just because she was giving up men didn’t mean she could use a puppy as a substitute. Sighing wistfully, she left the pet shop.

Twenty minutes later, she walked through the door of her condo, the daily mail tucked under her arm. She kicked off her stilettos in the foyer, tossed her sweater over the back of a kitchen chair, then made a beeline for the refrigerator and the leftover dim sum takeout Tanisha had brought over the night before.

She heated the food in the microwave and ate standing over the sink as she leafed through the stack of mail. Catalog, catalog, bill, circular. She tossed those aside, but stopped when she came to a jazzy pink envelope with her name embossed with gold foil calligraphy.

Hmm, what was this?

It looked interesting. She glanced at the return address, saw it was from a nightclub called Chassys. Frowning, Katie tore into the envelope, trying to remember if she’d ever been to this bar.

Dear Ms. Winfield,

You are invited to join Martinis and Bikinis. We are a social club offering group encouragement and support for women seeking personal growth and empowerment through pushing themselves outside their comfort zone.

You are exactly the kind of member we’re looking for.

Smart, educated, influential. If you’re interested in joining our group, we meet the first Thursday of every month at Chassys nightclub. Please find driving directions enclosed. We’re looking forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

Lindsay Beckham

President, Martinis and Bikinis

How timely. It was as if this Lindsay Beckham person had read her mind. Empowerment and personal growth. That was exactly what she needed right now.

And the Martinis and Bikinis’ next meeting was this Thursday.

What did she have to lose? She might as well go. Who knew? This group might be the thing she needed to stick with her new plan to tread the straight and narrow.

WHEN THURSDAY evening rolled around, Katie dressed in black slacks, a blue-and-white angora sweater, black boots and modest gold jewelry. Following the driving directions that accompanied the invitation, she ended up in an older neighborhood of South Boston, currently undergoing an economic resurgence.

Chassys was located at 431 Beaumont Street in an older brick building next door to the Yarn Barn. Just a few buildings down from a brand-new Starbucks. Here, apartments were located over most of the shops, restaurants and nightclubs. After circling the crowded block a couple of times, she found a parking spot on a side street and walked back to the bar. Her boots clacked with a clear, determined sound against the uneven sidewalk.

This is it. The fresh start to my new life. Viva female empowerment.

It was a high-traffic area. This time of the evening, there were lots of couples and groups of young singles milling about. The area was a far cry from the upscale establishments she normally frequented.

But when she pushed through the mahogany-paneled door, Katie stepped into a dazzling oasis. Chassys was unexpectedly classy. The furnishings were sleek, new and thoroughly modern.

The floor was constructed of a cherry hardwood, the bar and tabletops dark granite. The barstools were black leather with chrome trim. White Japanese lanterns hung from the ceiling, offering lots of subtle lighting. Chic, atmospheric music filtered in through a state-of-the art sound system, setting the mood with a rhythmic beat.

The bar was packed with a hip, lively crowd and Katie, who was usually right at home in nightclub hot spots, suddenly felt intimidated. Clutching the invitation in her hand, she inched her way through the crowd and headed for the bar.

“What can I get you?” asked the hunky, dark-haired bartender in black denim and a black T-shirt, who had to shout to be heard over the humming throng. Any other time, Katie might have been inclined to tease him. But she’d put aside her flirtatious ways.

“I’m here for a meeting,” she shouted back and waved the invitation for him to see.

“Then you’ll be wanting the Passion-tini.”

“No-” she shook her head “-I got invited to join a group called Martinis and Bikinis.”

“That’s right.” He nodded and flashed a white-toothed grin. “Chassys prepares a different Bikinitini every month. September is Passion-tini month. It’s a sassy mixture of passion fruit, mint, fresh lime juice and citrus vodka. Addictive stuff.”

“Hook me up.”

He made the drink and slid it across the bar. She reached in her purse for a twenty, but he held up his palm. “Drinks are on the house for Martinis and Bikinis first timers.”

“Really?” Ooh, she liked this club already. “Thanks.”

“The group is meeting right through there.” He jerked his thumb toward a curtain at the back of the room. “I think everyone’s pretty much here.”

Suddenly, she felt a little weak-kneed with nervousness. Katie took a long pull of the Passion-tini. It was delicious and powerful enough to bolster her determination to change her life.

Tentatively, she edged back the black silk curtain and stepped into a room with black upholstered banquettes on both sides and several small tables in the middle of the room.

There were about thirty women in attendance, each holding a Passion-tini and clustered in small groups, engaged in animated conversations. Apparently the official meeting had yet to begin.

Not knowing anyone, Katie felt out of place.

A tall elegant-looking blonde standing in the front of the room caught Katie’s attention. Her hair was combed back off her forehead, revealing a stunning widow’s peak. She had high, beautiful cheekbones that put her in mind of Meryl Streep. Her eyes were deep blue and she had a smile on her face, but it was easy to see she was a reserved woman who held her real emotions closely in check.

“Hiya,” said a short, breathy-voiced woman with curly auburn hair, snapping brown eyes and apple-dumpling cheeks. She stuck her hand out. “You must be new. I’m Tanya.”

One look in Tanya’s eyes and she immediately felt welcome. “Nice to meet you, Tanya. I’m Katie.”

“I just joined M &B a few months ago myself.” Tanya giggled. “I kid you not. These ladies saved my life after a lousy divorce. Are you divorced? A lot of women join M &B after a divorce.”

“Never married.”

“Good for you. That’s one way to avoid ending up with a louse.” Tanya giggled again and that’s when Katie realized the giggling was a dodge for her nervousness. Knowing Tanya was nervous, as well, soothed Katie’s own trepidation.