HANNI
"I need to get laid tonight."
Danielle laughed while Sullyoon handed out a round of tequila shots.
I tossed back the shot, screwed my face up, and stuck my tongue out, trying not to cough. "It's so bad," I said on a groan, the liquor burning my throat.
"Here." Danielle shoved a lime wedge into my mouth.
After our second (or was it the third?) round of tequila shots, I had pretty much confirmed that I was no better at downing them now than I had been in college. And yes, I knew that I was probably too old to drink tequila shots, but I was determined to reclaim part of my youth with my two best friends before I officially turned twenty five at midnight.
"Happy birthday, Han," Sullyoon said, handing me a Corona this time.
"Cheers to being twenty five." Danielle grinned as we clinked bottles.
"twenty five and homeless," I added, taking a large swig.
Danielle shook her head. "You're not homeless. You just . . . don't have anywhere to live."
Sullyoon and I laughed, used to her constant optimism.
My roommate had just gotten engaged, and a couple of weeks ago she'd sat me down to tell me I was being evicted. My stomach sank as I thought about our conversation. Apparently, she and her new fiancé didn't want me third-wheeling all the time. Which was understandable, but it didn't make me any less upset to have to move out of my rent-controlled apartment that was just down the street from my favorite coffee shop and frozen yogurt shop. You know what they say . . . Location. Location. Location.
"How's the search?" Sullyoon asked, shoving a lime wedge into her beer.
"I put a deposit down on an apartment this week," I said, taking a swig. "I just need to go look at it tomorrow and make sure the landlord isn't a psychopath."
I'd found the apartment through an online ad. It seemed promising, spacious with lots of light and a nice little nook where I could set up an office. I wrote a successful weekly gossip column, and since I worked from home, a comfortable place to write was an important part of my living space.
"Enough adult stuff." Danielle put her arm around my shoulders. "We're here to celebrate."
"One more beer and I'll officially be drunk," Sullyoon said, scanning the bar. "Which means we should find you a guy now before the beer goggles set in."
Sullyoon, Danielle, and I had all been roommates in college. Danielle was a serial monogamist who had gotten married when we were twenty-four, and Sullyoon had married her long-term boyfriend last year. Ever since they'd said I do, they'd tried to set me up with basically every available guy in a fifty-mile radius.
I didn't mind the setups as long as the guy wasn't expecting to get into something serious. I liked my life the way it was and lived by my personal motto: Don't mess with a good thing. Besides, after watching my sister go through a very messy divorce with the man who was supposed to be the love of her life, I wasn't exactly in a rush to settle down.
I looked around the bar. There were plenty of guys, but nobody who excited me. I needed to find someone who was looking for the same thing as me. Fun, casual sex. No strings attached.
I was on the verge of giving up when I saw her.
My breath caught in my throat, and my heart did a little jump for joy. She was leaning against the bar, casually sipping a beer. She looked like she was in her early to mid thirties, and trust me when I say she was the total package. Tall with long dark hair and a killer smile. She wore a perfectly tailored suit, like she'd just come from the office. I was a huge sucker for a guy in a nice suit, and based on the way it fit, I had a feeling she'd look even better without it on.
She laughed, revealing a perfect jawline and cheekbones that belonged on a GQ cover model. I swallowed, a little shiver running down my spine as I imagined her wrapping those firm biceps around me.
She was the hottest woman I'd ever seen, and she looked like she'd fit in better on the cover of a magazine than she did drinking a Heineken in a bar called Bucky's. I bit my lip, unable to stop myself from imagining climbing on top of her and celebrating my birthday by riding her . . .
"Hanni, hello."
Sullyoon waved a hand in front of my face. I'd been practically drooling over Miss Perfect, totally forgetting that my friends were there.
"Sorry." I laughed, nudging my head in her direction. "I think I found someone tonight. But don't look at the same t—"
Before I could get that sentence out, both Danielle and Sullyoon were craning their necks to get a look at her. I mentally slapped my palm on my forehead, hoping she hadn't noticed them staring right at her.
"Oh, she's hot," Sullyoon whispered, turning back. "And she has this thing about her."
She was right. She had a vibe, a raw sexual appeal that practically pulsed in the air between us.
"If that thing is a large bulge in her pants, then yes," Danielle added.
Sullyoon nodded. "Well, she is really tall. I'm thinking things might be proportional."
"I think she just smiled at us," Danielle said, grinning.
I sneaked a quick glance. She was definitely looking in our direction. Shit. "Is she out of my league?"
"You're gorgeous," Sullyoon said earnestly. "She'd be lucky to date you."
I shook my head. "Not date. Just birthday sex. I'm looking for a someone Tonight, not a someone Forever."
"But seriously, look at her. Fuck. The things I would do to her if I wasn't married . . ." Danielle bit her lip.
"Exactly. She's like a twelve out of ten. And I'm . . ." I looked down at my outfit, a black cocktail dress.
Sullyoon pressed her hand on the small of my back, nudging me out of my introspection. "You're a total babe."
"Just go over there and say hi," Danielle said, taking my empty beer and giving me a little shove.
Normally, I'd be too shy to approach a guy that jaw-droppingly pretty handsome, but the last tequila shot we'd taken had apparently obliterated all my common sense, as well as my verbal filter. It was my birthday, and I'd be damned if I didn't at least get a hot make-out session. I hadn't shaved my legs and squeezed my butt into a too-tight dress for nothing.
I gave myself a mini pep talk and was ready to walk over to her when I realized she wasn't there anymore. Fuck. Had I missed my chance?
My heart sank.
"Excuse me," a deep voice said from behind me.
I turned and felt myself flush. She was standing there, all six-plus feet of her, and she was smiling. At me.
"I'm Minji," she said, holding out a hand. "I figured instead of trying to make eye contact through a crowd of people, I should just introduce myself."
She was sexy, funny, and straightforward? I was in full swoon.
I slid my hand into her. "I'm Hanni."
Not one to be shy, I looked straight into her warm brown eyes, electricity running through my body from her touch. She had big, strong hands and a firm grip. I was having a hard time shaking off the image of what those big hands could do when I realized she was speaking to me.
"Can I get you a drink?"
"Of course." I smiled seductively, almost not believing it was working out so well. I must have had some majorly good karma to land this guy.
Before she turned to order, her gaze slid over my curves, taking in my little black dress that left very little to the imagination. Did they turn off the air-conditioning? Heat rushed from my cheeks down to my chest and settled between my legs.
"What are you drinking?" she asked. Her full lips and movie-star smile made everything she said sound dirty.
"Whatever's fine," I said, trying to keep my cool. "Just not tequila."
"I noticed you taking a shot earlier. I don't think I've ever seen someone make a face like that before." She smirked, and I put my hand on my hip in mock offense.
"Are you always this complimentary to women you meet at bars?"
"I guess that's the reason why I'm still single." She grinned, signaling to the bartender.
I laughed, wondering how it was possible that this woman was single.
After a minute, she turned back with two martinis. "So, what's the occasion?" She held up her glass in a toast.
"It's my twenty fifth birthday," I said, clinking my glass against her and taking a sip.
"Happy birthday. So, how does it feel to be twenty five?"
"I'll let you know at midnight." I grinned, looking her up and down. "But I have a feeling it's going to feel pretty damn amazing."
Jesus, Hanni. This was why I shouldn't drink tequila. I lost all my inhibitions.
I was afraid I'd come off too strong, but Minji didn't seem to mind. She was watching me closely with a sexy, deep stare, her gaze occasionally dropping to my lips as she spoke.
What had she just asked me? Oh yeah, she's asked if I had any interesting hobbies.
I sucked in a breath and smiled. "Yes, actually, I love to cook."
"What a coincidence. I love to eat."
Chuckling, I shook my head. "You do understand your pickup lines are awful, right?"
She grinned at me, an amazing, mega-white smile that said she was both amused by me and not the least bit bothered that I was poking fun at her.
"I'm actually glad we bumped into each other tonight. I mean, your game needs a lot of work," I added.
"And you're offering to help?" Her eyes crinkled at the corners.
I pursed my lips, looking her over. "Depends. What's in it for me?"
"The satisfaction of knowing I won't be out there somewhere inflicting horrible pickup lines on some unsuspecting girl?"
I shrugged. "Fair enough."
She took another sip of her drink, watching me over the rim of the glass. "Where do we begin?"
I tapped my finger against the side of my glass, appraising her coolly. "You're going to need a lot of work."
Her mouth twitched in amusement. "Clearly."
After setting my glass on the bar, I turned to fully face her. It was like being smacked across the face with a GQ magazine.
I swallowed. "Let's start with . . ." My gaze locked mischievously on her. "What's really on your mind right now?"
Minji didn't answer right away. Her gaze dipped again, ghosting over my cleavage and then my lips before returning slowly to my eyes. "I want to know how a woman like you could possibly still be single at twenty five. And I want to know if you taste as sweet as you look."
My cheeks grew warm. Okay, then. Maybe she did have some game.
"Is that all?" I asked, slightly breathless.
"I want to know the noises you make in bed. And other really inappropriate things you're not supposed to talk about the first time you meet someone."
"I see," was all I could manage.
Minji leaned a little closer, our knees touching beneath the bar. "Does that let you know where my head's at right now, and which areas I'll need the most help with?"
You could practically cut through the attraction buzzing between us with a knife. It was definitely too warm in here, and my insides felt all melty. In a good way, not in the I'm going to toss my cookies kind of way.
"Very much so." I took another sip of my drink before returning it to the bar. Time to move to a safer topic. "So, the martinis, the suit." I gestured at her outfit, trying to keep my mind on the conversation and off of Minji's package. "Are you some kind of high-powered businessman?"
"Not exactly." She gave another low, sexy laugh, rubbing a hand on the back of her neck. "I'm a civil engineer for the city. You know, building projects and public transit. Really exciting stuff," she added sarcastically.
I smiled, relieved she wasn't a business exec. I'd slept with enough of those to last a lifetime. Dry and boring, and about as exciting as a baked potato. "No, I think it's great."
"Most women tune me out as soon as I say public transit."
"Well, I'm not most women," I said with a smirk, looking into her eyes again.
"I can see that." She held my gaze for a moment before taking another sip of her martini.
Normally, I was so confident and relaxed, but this woman . . . she was on a whole other level of sexy.
"I have to admit," she said as she leaned in closer, "I just ordered the martinis to impress you. I'm usually a beer guy."
I tried to keep my jaw from dropping. She was trying to impress me? I hadn't expected that.
"So, what do you do?" she asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"I write a gossip column."
Usually, guys shut down when I say that, thinking it was a fluff job or a hobby. But Minji nodded with interest, listening to my every word. And the sexual tension between us was crackling like a low fire, just waiting to be stoked back to life again.
"That's way more interesting than my job. How did you get into that?"
I shrugged. "I've always loved writing. I didn't necessarily picture myself writing about celebrities, but a friend of mine had an in for this job, and I was sort of a natural, so I kept doing it."
"That sounds fun."
"You'd be surprised." I set my empty glass on the bar. "It's a lot of sitting alone in my apartment in sweatpants, researching stories. But don't get me wrong, I love what I do."
The conversation flowed easily between us, and as we sat there talking and flirting and laughing for another hour, I realized I hadn't had this much fun in a long time. Her eyes were a hypnotic shade somewhere between coffee and cognac, and it was refreshing to talk to someone who was so easygoing and who actually seemed to be interested in what I had to say and not what I could do for her. This much of a connection really wasn't necessary, as I was only looking for a good time, not a lifetime partner. But still, it was nice.
She finished the last of her martini. "Should we get another round?"
Before I could answer, someone bumped me from behind, and I put a hand on Minji's chest to steady myself. Beneath her shirt, she was hard and muscular; she definitely wasn't skimping at the gym.
I swallowed, tempted to grip her shirt in my hand and pull her toward me. Instead, I stepped away, mentally composing myself. I usually didn't get tripped up this easily by a guy, but there was something about her that had my heart fluttering like a teenager. I didn't want another drink . . . I wanted Minji. Plus, I was worried one more round with her would push me from being adorably tipsy to embarrassingly drunk.
"Maybe we could just get out of here?" I said slyly.
She seemed caught off guard for a second but quickly composed herself. "We could also do that."
Nervous and excited, I told Minji I'd meet her out front, and went to find Danielle and Sullyoon. They were huddled in a corner of the bar and had obviously been watching the whole thing.
"She looked super into you," Danielle said enthusiastically as I walked up.
"We're going to her place." I grinned. At least, I hoped we were, because I was sort of homeless at the moment. And I was fairly certain that hooking up on your soon-to-be-ex-roommate's couch was frowned upon.
"You go, girl." Sullyoon gave my butt a little slap.
I pulled them into a quick group hug. "Love you guys."
"Tell us everything tomorrow," Danielle said, shooing me toward the door.
Minji was out front waiting with a cab. She opened the door for me and I climbed in, thinking I'd never met someone this hot who also had manners.
I was way too aware of how close we were as we sat in the back of the cab, tension building with the unspoken agenda that was playing out right in front of us. Unable to stop myself, I scooted next to her, my body resting closely against her. Her hard chest pressed against my shoulder, and I inhaled sharply as she put an arm around me. My body reacted instantly, my lady parts firing on all cylinders.
She ran her fingers along my shoulder and down my arm, such an innocent touch, yet it held the promise of so much more to come. My hand gently stroked her oh-so-very-muscular thigh, my gaze slipping over the rest of her as I did. If the bulge in her pants was any indication, she was very well endowed.
I swallowed, suddenly light-headed from how much I wanted her. The liquid courage I'd consumed earlier was in full effect. If she could make me feel like this fully clothed in a cab, I couldn't help but wonder what she could do in the bedroom.
It was a short ride, but by the time we pulled up to Minji's two-story colonial, I didn't think I could wait any longer.
She pulled out her keys at her front door and paused. "I should probably warn you. I have to pay the babysitter."
"The babysitter?" My mind, a little fuzzy from all the tequila shots, wasn't catching on. Was this some weird sex fetish?
"I have a daughter," she said, seeming nervous. "Is that okay?"
Normally, I wasn't much of a kid person. But I was drunk and had been picturing Minji naked for the past two hours, so I wasn't about to make a fuss about any offspring she might have.
"Of course. That's fine with me," I said quickly, and she let out a sigh of relief.
We stepped inside, and I peeked around while she paid the sitter. There were pictures of her with a small, dark-haired girl. I briefly wondered about her mother. I wasn't here to get her life story, though; I was here to cash in on a tradition called birthday sex.
When the babysitter glanced at me as I was looking at the photos, I did my best to seem like I belonged here, and that Minji and I weren't about to have a super-classy, drunken one-night stand. After speaking quietly with Minji for a couple of minutes, she finally left.
She pulled off her suit jacket, her well-defined chest and biceps straining against the fabric of her shirt. I walked toward her, more than ready to start my birthday off with a bang.
If this was how I was ringing in my twenty-fifth birthday, it was about to be the start of a very good year.