“Your party was really the gold standard.” I belted back more of the hard stuff, hoping it would lift my mood. My fake smile was wearing thin. At least everyone else seemed to be having a good time. Cleopatras, Marie Antoinettes and several Marilyn Monroes scarfed down drinks, flirted with the waiters and hit the lavish buffet. Diana was Scarlett O’Hara, and CiCi had come as Catherine the Great.

“I love your waiters.” Flo was channeling, well, Flo. Only she’d dragged out a vintage Flo. I loved her roaring-twenties flapper dress. The iridescent beads were a brilliant red and gold. She wore the dress with new high heels and had already persuaded a waiter in a tiny toga to dance with her.

“You’re not the only one. Did you see Richard’s mother?” I grabbed a refill from Jimmy the bartender, who kept jumping over the bar and strolling through the ladies in his Speedo and a gold medal that looked like the real deal. He and the waiters had large bills in their waistbands even though the drinks were on the house. I didn’t ask how they earned their tips.

“Are you kidding?” Flo laughed. “Now I’ve got something on her. Let Mother Mainwaring try calling me out again, I tell you. I’ll threaten to tell her son how she acts around hot guys.” Flo clinked glasses with me.

“She’s been gone a long time. And I’m sure not paying that shiftless shifter for those hours.” I’d noticed Mata Hari a.k.a. Sarah Mainwaring in her beaded bra and harem pants slip away to one of the balconies with a waiter in tight bike shorts over an hour ago. I actually thought she was lucky to have someone to take care of the urges this Blott-O stirred in all of us.

“Should have done Rafe.” Alesa sounded a little drunk and didn’t bother to throw heat at me. I ignored her.

“Are we playing games?” Aggie was getting antsy, and I didn’t blame her. Standing around drinking and listening to music wasn’t cutting it. Then the lights dimmed.

“Ladies, gather close to the stage. The entertainment is about to begin.” The male voice was achingly familiar. Was Rafe going to dance after all? Did I want him to? For this crowd?

“Of course we do. Take it off!” Alesa started a chant that rattled my brain.

“Entertainment?” Flo grabbed my arm. “What is it?”

“Wait and see.” I was caught up in the sea of women—there were about fifty of us with all the out of towners—and we surged toward the stage. The lights were down to pitch black when a throbbing beat started. Sex, that’s what it sounded like, throbbing, pounding, skin-to-skin, hot and sweaty sex. A spotlight hit the man on center stage, and my heart stalled. He wore a black satin mask, but I knew who filled out that tux.

He moved and the women sighed. Those hips. No surprise that they handled the beat perfectly. All that blood with a kick I’d gulped pooled right where I knew it would. I wanted to jump on that stage and drag him away by his dark hair. Oh, yeah.

Mine. No, he wasn’t. I’d rejected him. As a lover anyway. He danced close to the edge, daring us to touch him and using those hips to toy with us. When a vamp from France tried to grab him, I wanted to rip off her arm and beat her with the bloody end. Rafe just grinned and danced out of reach.

Oh, God, give me strength. The place smelled like lust, every woman there screaming for him to come and get her. My mouth was dry, my fangs down while I gripped the rim of the stage, flanked by Flo and CiCi. They both looked as fired up as I felt. His shoes were shiny black and caught the light as he turned so we could see his super fine butt flex in tight black pants after he tossed away his jacket.

“Ahh.” The ladies loved the butt action.

He’d worn a loose bow tie around his neck. Now he jerked it off, twirled it and tossed it to CiCi in the crowd. Another grin and his dimples forced a moan from me. CiCi clutched the tie like she’d won a big prize.

“Take it off. Take it all off,” my elegant friend crowed.

I wanted to slap her.

He just winked and toed off his shoes, kicking them aside before he ripped his belt out of his pants and cracked it like a bullwhip. One of the werewolves in the crowd howled and begged him to crack it her way. He flicked it twice more before he threw it behind him and slowly unbuttoned his cuffs.

“Oh, yeah. Keep going, generoso.” Flo looked like she wanted to crawl onto the stage and bump and grind against him.

“What would Richard say?” I whispered.

“Who?”

He pulled his shirt out of his pants, then turned his back on us again. Oh, yeah, teasing. He shimmied and shook the shirt off until it puddled on the floor. We yelled as his back flexed and he raised his arms to show off his muscles.

“Gawd, I like a man who knows what he’s got.” Aggie leaned closer and lost a starfish. She didn’t even bother to pick it up.

He turned to face us again and unbuttoned his waistband. Except for the throbbing music you could have heard a pin drop. I swear none of the vampires bothered to breathe. And when the zipper slid down? Every woman there leaned forward, me included. I should have put up a barbed wire barrier. One of Lacy’s were-cat friends looked ready to spring.

Black satin briefs. Very skimpy briefs. Oh, my. Yes, I’d seen what stretched that satin, but none of the others here needed to. My guy was turned on doing this. Yes, he was. He stared at me, his eyes dark and intent. Like we were alone in this enormous room surrounded by women who whooped and hollered like they’d managed something wonderful. There were high fives all around. I wanted to clear the room and take Rafe where he stood. I licked my lips and felt Flo and CiCi bump against me, dancing to the music. Reality check.

“Keep goin’, big guy.” CiCi did not just say that.

Suddenly the lights went dark, total blackout, and the shock kept even the vampires from seeing. When the lights came back up a minute later, we all stared at the stage, empty except for a pair of black satin briefs.

“Oh, mio Dio, but I need a drink.” Flo leaned against me on one side, CiCi on the other.

“What a floor show.” Aggie grinned. “That guy was so totally hot. I’d like to know where he went.”

“Yes, well, he’s not dessert on the menu.” I tried for a smile but failed, finally handing Aggie her starfish and gesturing toward the buffet I’d ordered for the paranormals who could eat. As usual, it was getting heavy play. Lacy and Erin flirted with two of the waiters as they filled plates and fanned their flushed cheeks.

“You know, I think I recognized him.” Flo gave me a side-long glance. “But I won’t say anything. Any more surprises, Glory?”

The lights flickered, then dimmed again. “Ladies, here to perform for his special friend and the bride, Ms. Florence da Vinci, N-V presents Israel Caine!”

“Oooo.” Loud squeals, and there was a stampede toward the stage again.

Tears pricked my eyelids as I followed a thrilled Flo and CiCi. That Ray would do this for her . . . Especially after the way we’d parted. He walked to the edge of the stage and leaned down to kiss Flo on the lips. He waved to the crowd, then winked at me.

“Ladies, I hope you brought your dancing shoes. The band is with me, and we’ll run through our set. Are you ready?”

“Yes!” There were cheers and squeals, and Lacy actually cartwheeled around the room like a kitty on a catnip high.

“Okay, then. Flo, get up here. Sit next to me for this first number. I seem to remember this song is one of your favorites.” Ray walked to the edge of the stage and held out his hand. My sophisticated friend blushed as she let him help her to the piano bench. He settled her next to him, then sang a ballad she’d asked for the night she’d announced her first marriage to Richard. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place.

“Oh, wow. You’re an idiot to let that one get away. Tell me we’re dumping the Scot and going for him.”

I sighed. Alesa didn’t get it. If you had a soul mate, you held on to him. It didn’t always make sense. It just was. But gestures like this were why Ray would always be dear to me.

He and the band rocked the house. We all danced, the waiters dragged into partnering on some of the slow ones. And wasn’t that a treat with their skimpy costumes? I longed for Rafe to come out of hiding and dance with me, but he was too smart for that. The less face time he and Ray had before the club opening, the better.

Ray’s set was almost finished when Aggie spoke up.

“Hey, Candy Caine, what about that duet you sang at the Grammys? Aren’t you going to sing that for us?” There were encouraging cheers and whistles.

“Sorry, Aggie, but Sienna Star’s not here tonight. Glory didn’t invite her.” Ray grinned at me. “Wonder why?”

I grinned back. “I like Sienna, but decided she really didn’t know Flo and her special friends well enough.” Translation: The mortal would have ended up on the buffet.

“Well, how about you let me take Sienna’s place? Willing to give it a try?” Aggie held out her hand.

Ray laughed and glanced back at his band, all mortal and without a clue that they were surrounded by paranormals. “Why the hell not? You’re dressed as a Siren, right? Let’s see if you’ve got the pipes of one.”

“Prepare to be amazed, sweet cheeks.” Aggie leaped onto the stage, then perched on the closed grand piano. She made quite a picture in her mini and tiny top with that awesome hair. The waiters quit serving just to watch. When the song started, not a male in the house could have been kept away. Even Rafe hovered in the wings. Much to my relief, he’d changed into jeans to keep his identity a secret.

The duet was a love song of course. Aggie’s voice was hypnotic, and the band didn’t play, just let Ray do the acoustic thing with the piano as he and Aggie sang together. It was a showstopper and we froze until the last golden notes hit the air.

Aggie and Ray smiled at each other, then Aggie looked out at the crowd. Clearly she could have her pick of any man and several of the women there.

“Hey, Tarzan!” She ran her finger down the middle of her outfit. “How’d you like to swim in my . . . lake?”