Strung Out Read Online Free

bar.”
    “You know a bar?”
    He laughed, tugging her down the steps to the curb where a valet already had a cab waiting. “You can’t picture me in a bar?”
    “I’m not sure. Don’t guys like you stick to wine tastings or nightclubs?”
    “Wow, ‘guys like me’? Ouch.”
    Erik watched her slide into the cab and settle. There was no bitching about the smell or how dirty it was. She simply sat. He slid in beside her and shut the door, hyperaware of their close proximity in the small backseat.
    “Where to?” the driver asked.
    “Eleven blocks, a place called Jack’s.”
    The driver offered a gap-toothed grin. “I know the place.”
    * * *
    It was definitely a bar. The lighting was dim, and the air smoky. A jukebox blared in the background, and tables full of people in various stages of inebriation filled the long room. A massive bar stretched the entire length of one wall, gleaming bottles of every kind of liquor imaginable shelved against the shining mirrored surface behind it.
    “Aasen! It’s been months, man. Where’ve you been?”
    The rough voice was coated in a thick Bostonian accent, the kind you got from living every moment of your life in the city. It belonged to a burly lump of a man with a clean-shaven head and the body of a pro wrestler. A single gold hoop gleamed in each of his ears.
    Erik slid onto a bar stool, Talia hopping up beside him. “Good to see you, Nicolai. How’s business?”
    Nicolai scratched his angular jaw. “Excellent, but hard times call for hard drinks, ya know.”
    “Nicolai, this is Talia.” Erik offered her a reassuring grin. “Nicolai and I go way back. He’s a good man to know when you’re in a tight spot.”
    “Is that so?” She tried to imagine any possible tight spots that could involve both Erik and a man like Nicolai.
    “What can I get you, pretty Talia?” Nicolai asked, setting his big hands flat on the bar.
    “What do you have?”
    “A little bit of everything.”
    Talia cocked her head to one side, wondering what the best course of action might be in this situation. “I’ll take one of whatever you want me to have.”
    The low, rich laughter told her neither man had missed the double entendre in her request. As Nicolai left to get their drinks, Erik’s gaze raked her body. A thrill of anticipation shot down her spine.
    “Should I ask how you ever managed to hook up with Nicolai?” She shifted so that she could see his face.
    Erik considered her question. “Let’s just say even rich boys can be bad boys.”
    “Are you really considered a bad boy when you can buy your way out of trouble?”
    “Sure. Don’t forget that money is the root of all evil.”
    “I think I’ll wait and reserve judgment for when I actually get some.”
    “On that topic, what is it that you do for a living?”
    “Meaning you don’t believe I can support myself by playing gigs like your mother’s wedding?”
    “I know my mother’s wedding planner didn’t leave much room for musicians in the budget.”
    “Actually, I was filling in for a friend tonight. I don’t normally play with a string trio.”
    “So it sounds like everything that happened tonight was a freak accident.” Erik reached out and snagged the bottle Nicolai had set before him. He leaned back against the bar and took a long swig of beer. Idly toying with the bottle, he stared at his hand.
    “I guess it sort of was.” Talia slanted Erik an appraising glance from beneath her eyelashes. The man was too attractive. There had to be some flaw, some imperfection that would render him normal. His tousled dark hair stuck up in the back, and his goatee was starting to get a little scruffy. Unfortunately those things made Talia wonder what he looked like when he got out of bed in the morning.
    The truth was that she was kidding herself. The man was perfect.
    There was no denying he was built like a god. Though he was covered in a custom-tailored suit, Talia’s imagination eagerly conjured up visions of