Jacquie wasn’t the only Wonder Woman, but he thought she was the most attractive one. He wasn’t the only Superman either. He recognized Tyler, the partner who managed the finances of the club, as another man of steel. Kyle, the partner who was usually at the San Francisco branch of the club, was dressed as Aquaman. He doubted either of them had plastic inserts in their costumes for their muscles. Damon, the partner who managed design for the club and frequently coached in the weight room, had tinted his skin green and wore a torn shirt and a wig. That would make him the Incredible Hulk. Thom, the staff member who managed the rock climbing wall, was dressed as Hellboy, complete with horns.
Sonia was dancing with uncharacteristic exuberance, dragging Nate onto the dance floor with an insistence that surprised Pierce. She practically wrapped herself around him, who looked both dazzled and thrilled. Good for them both. Cassie’s marketing assistant was usually reserved, but maybe dressing as She-Ra had allowed her to cut loose. It was possible she’d already had too much to drink, too. Pierce knew that Nate would take care of her, no matter what.
He got his drink, took a sip, and headed for Jacquie. She had her back to him and was laughing at something Meesha was telling her. Pierce stopped behind her, met Meesha’s gaze and dropped his hand to the back of her waist.
“Found you, Mrs. Smith,” he murmured and heard Jacquie catch her breath. Meesha smiled, then disappeared into the crowd with an enigmatic comment about buying her own lunch.
“You’re late, Mr. Smith,” she said.
“Still thirty minutes to midnight,” he said. “Lots of time before whisking you away.”
Jacquie turned around to face Pierce, those hazel eyes gleaming through her mask. She smiled and Pierce knew that everything would be just fine.
No. It would be better than fine. It would be phenomenal.
After all, he’d planned it that way—and his plans never failed.
Jacquie was listening to a tall tale of Meesha’s, catching about every third word thanks to the loud music, and enjoying her drink when a man’s hand landed on the back of her waist. She felt the heat of someone standing right behind her and shivered with anticipation. She caught a clean scent that she associated with Pierce and her heart skipped. His fingertips slid up her spine in one of those slow caresses she already associated with him and her body hummed.
When she turned, he was watching her intently, his eyes glimmering green behind his mask. “Found you,” he said. “I told you it wouldn’t be hard.”
“You also told me that the best things are worth waiting for.”
“We’ll find out tonight, won’t we?”
The F5F dance club was packed with flowing capes and masked crusaders. There were no less than seven Supermen and two Clark Kents—Tyler was dressed as Superman. Jacquie was one of a dozen Wonder Women. Kyle was Aquaman and Damon was the Incredible Hulk—the way he folded his arms across his chest to glower at everyone made him look authentic. Theo was dressed as Black Panther and his partner, Lyssa, was Captain Marvel. Kyle’s partner Lauren was Catwoman, Meesha was Storm, Shannyn was Black Widow, Cassie was Thor and Reid was Flash Gordon. Jacquie had never seen so many flowing capes in her life. Thom’s partner, Annika, didn’t look like a superhero and had explained to everyone that she was Jessica Jones. Hunter and Chloe had come into town for the party: Hunter made a dashing Batman while Chloe was Scarlet Witch.
Damon’s partner, Haley, had been called into work at the last minute. She was a nurse and it must have been urgent. Jacquie guessed that Damon would duck out early to pick up Haley when her shift ended at the hospital.
The dance floor had been packed since nine and the DJ had the place rocking with his signature mix of music. Jacquie had danced with all the partners and was keeping an eye on Sonia, who seemed to be letting lose. Fortunately, Nate was also sticking close to her. Jacquie was sipping another glass of champagne when Pierce touched her.
Another Superman. He was wearing red tights that showed his muscles to advantage, and he’d put some dark color in his hair, managing to curl a tendril over his forehead. He was, she was certain, the hottest man of steel at the party.
“You missed the prizes. You would have cleaned up.”
“I think the best possible prize is a certain woman’s company.”
She tapped his muscled chest with an approving fingertip. “The real thing.”
“Except the hair,” Pierce admitted, glancing upward at the dark lock that curled on his forehead. “It feels weird to wear a wig but I didn’t want to be Super Gramps.”
Jacquie laughed. It was impossible to think of Pierce as old. He was more vital and powerful than most of the men in the room. “You could have used a rinse.”
“But my hair’s too short for this.” He touched the curl, then smiled at her. “I thought you might not recognize me.”
“Not a chance.”
“You didn’t color your hair.”
“No, I thought I’d mix it up. Seems to me that Diana Prince should have had red hair.”
“Works for me,” he said with approval. “Dance?”
Jacquie nodded and put down her glass, leaving what was left in it. It didn’t look like Pierce had drunk any of his. He pulled her into his arms, the music changing when they stepped onto the dance floor as if he’d planned it that way. “How much have you planned?” she demanded and he chuckled.
“Everything I could.”
“Even the music?”
“I confess that I talked to the DJ before
