Everyone in the club cheered, raised their glasses, and turned to the person they were standing next to for the first kiss of the new year.

Slightly wobbly in her heels, Sharon turned to look at the man by her side. Tall, dark, and a pain in her ass. She was also a pain in his; something she often reveled in, if she was being honest. Jake Standish. Her friend Lexie’s older brother, former military and the only other single person in their group of friends. Not a Dom although he often hung out at Stronghold, the BDSM club with her and the rest of her friends and sometimes he kind of acted like one.

Tonight they weren’t at Stronghold though, they were at the grand opening of its sister club, Marquis. The new club was a joint venture between Stronghold’s owner and two investors, all three of whom were friends with Jake and Sharon.

The two of them had ended up spending most of the night together by default.

Which had been interesting.

They didn’t exactly get along most of the time. In her opinion he was uptight, judgmental, and kind of prudish. She was a hot mess and attention whore in his. Neither of them had exactly been quiet about their opinions either. They got along like fire and oil. Put them together and whoosh. Everything was burning.

Unfortunately, she was also pretty attracted to him and when she was drunk he started looking better and better… Especially because he loosened up a lot as he kept drinking. They had started to have fun once they’d gotten onto the dance floor, but he wasn’t who she’d intended to end up standing next to at midnight.

Then again, she hadn’t had anyone in mind. A sad state of affairs, really.

“So,” she said, raising her eyebrow as she looked up at him with a hint of challenge. His blue eyes turned down towards her, the color always somewhat shocking against his full, black eyelashes, which were thick and long enough to make just about every woman who saw him envious. With his short-cropped black hair, broad shoulders, and muscular body he was a fine piece of eye candy. “Are we ringing in the new year or what?”

She said it just to goad him, because that was what she did, and because she didn’t have any expectation of him meeting the challenge. Actually, she figured he’d go running, in which case she could maybe still find someone to pair up with for the rest of the night. There were other singles here at the party, celebrating both the new year and the opening of Stronghold’s sister club, Marquis. Sharon was horny as hell after watching the hot scenes in the theater room upstairs and then dancing with Jake.