Scarlett Red: A Billionaire SEAL Story, Part 2 (In the Shadows) Read Online Free PDF Page A

grab a shot of vodka,” he begins, gesturing to the twenty or so shots sitting on the table. Once we all have one, he says, “For fun,” then takes a shot.
    “For whatever the hell,” I say and drink my shot while Cynthia downs hers in a fast gulp.
    Once everyone has taken a shot, he continues, “Now that liquid fire is dancing in your belly, everyone grab another shot and find a seat around the table. Don’t drink it yet, just sit it in front of you.”
    This could get interesting, I think as Cynthia sits down and pulls me into an empty chair beside her.
    Mr. Manhattan lays the empty vodka bottle in the center of the wooden table. Grinning, he flashes perfect teeth to go with his neatly gelled hair. “The rules are simple. Spin the bottle. If it lands on someone you’d like to kiss, lay one on them. If you prefer to pass, take the shot in front of you.” He lifts a full bottle of vodka. “We’ll make sure you never run out.”
    Hmm, an adult version of Spin-the-Bottle. Okay, I could deal with this. Most of the guys aren’t bad looking. Not that I plan to kiss any of them.
    Manhattan goes first, giving the bottle a hefty spin. We all wait to see where it’ll land. My heart races as it slows down. When it bypasses Cynthia and me to land on a dark-haired Wall Street banker guy, I snicker at Cynthia’s audible sigh of frustration.
    Manhattan grunts and takes a shot.
    Wall Street smirks. “You’d better have, Grant!”
    Grant grunts and sets his empty glass down. While he’s refilling it, he nods to the petite brunette sitting next to him. “You’re turn, Adeline.”
    Laughing, she spins the bottle. When it lands on an Upper East Side guy, she giggles then walks over to kiss him. It’s clear she intended to just give him a quick peck on his perfectly trimmed goatee, but the dude grabs her around the waist and pulls her into his lap for a proper kiss. She lets him, then smacks his shoulder when he finally pulls back. “Not fair, Jacob.”
    He shrugs, unrepentant as she makes her way back to her chair. It’s interesting to me that all of them seem to have learned each other’s first names. How many events have they already attended before I got here?
    A lanky guy gets lucky when his bottle points to a well-endowed woman with silky black hair. She lets out a low laugh and curls her finger in a come-hither motion. He eagerly complies, collecting his kiss with bent over, swooping gusto.
    The turn shifts to a well-dressed surfer-type with longish, light-brown hair beside Cynthia. Mr. California waggles his eyebrows before spinning the bottle. The moment the bottle slows to a stop in my direction, Bash’s voice sounds behind me.
    “Mr. Phillips, the front desk requests your presence.”
    The man stands, his gaze never leaving mine. Flipping his hand, he dismisses Bash. “I’ll stop by after this event.”
    Just as he takes a step toward me, Bash moves in front of him, his arms folded over his chest. “They mentioned something about your credit card not functioning. Immediate response is required.”
    The man’s face turns bright red against his hair. He cuts Bash an annoyed look before stalking out of the bar.
    Bash shrugs and sits down in the vacated seat to address the lanky guy who’d spun the bottle before Mr. Phillips. “I was able to fit your round-trip flight into my schedule tomorrow, Mr. Hammond.”
    While they’re quietly discussing departure and arrival times, Cynthia rubs her nails against her palms, eagerness in her vivid blue eyes. As soon as she grabs the bottle to spin it, her cell phone rings.
    With a heavy sigh, she slides the bottle over to me. “Here, take my turn. I’ll be right back.”
    Why not? Biting my lip, I spin the bottle. It seems to take forever to slow down, but when it finally does, of course it lands on Bash.
    My face instantly heats. Thankful he’s too busy talking to the guy to notice, I start to reach for the bottle to re-spin it, when several people say, “Ah,