Temperatures Rising Read Free Page B

we meet here?”
    She did not want him to pick her up. Him coming into her home for any reason was something she’d rather avoid. “I can meet you there,” she said. “Will six o’clock be okay?”
    “Fine. Do you know how to get to Club Hurricane?” he asked.
    “Yes. Although I’ve never been there, I’ve passed by it a few times. It looks like a real nice place.”
    “It is. And I look forward to showing you around.”
    There was something about the way he’d made that last statement that warned her to keep her senses in check while around him. Not doing so would be reckless. “I’ll look forward to it. Good night.”
    “Good night, Sherri.”
    Sherri clicked off the phone, feeling warm and tingly all through her body. Terrence had a way of making her feel that way, even when he was miles away.
     
    It took a few seconds after disconnecting the call from Sherri for Terrence to remember he had visitors. He glanced across the table at the two men who’d dropped by the club to see him, his best friends Lucas McCoy and Stephen Morales. The three had met while attending the University of Miami and had instantly bonded. Lucas was engaged; his fiancée lived in New York but had agreed to move to Key West after the wedding. He was building a beautiful house for them on his family property.
    Stephen, whose birth name was Esteban, was a deputy sheriff. A few years ago he had given up a rather plush job with his father’s successful construction company to work with his paternal grandfather, the local sheriff.
    “Are we keeping you from your date, Terrence?” Stephen asked, plastering a huge smile on his face.
    “Yeah, man, we can check you out later if we’re in the way,” Lucas followed up by saying.
    Terrence returned their gazes, not giving any sign that he was taking either of them seriously. “You’re fine. My date isn’t until tomorrow night.”
    “Anyone we know?” Stephen was curious enough to ask.
    “No, but eventually you will.” After he’d said the words, he wondered why he was so certain. It wasn’t as if he intended to make Sherri a permanent fixture in his life. In fact, he intended for anything between them—once it got started—to be short-term. At the moment, she was an itch that needed scratching. Bad.
    And when had he ever wanted his two closest friends to meet any woman he was involved with? Things with Vicki Waller had been different because she had somehow gotten it into her head that she would one day become Mrs. Terrence Jefferies, although he had told her time and time again that she wouldn’t. Their breakup had made the papers, but only because she had erroneously informed a number of people they were planning to get married.
    “So we’re still on for this coming weekend?” Lucas was asking, reclaiming his attention. Theyhad made plans to get some boating time in. Forecasters had predicted nice weather.
    “Only if you’re sure Emma isn’t coming to town,” Terrence said, referring to Lucas’s fiancée. Terrence saw the tightening of Lucas’s jaw, and even before his friend spoke he knew what he was about to say. Lucas and Emma had been doing the long-distance-dating thing for almost a year now, but lately it seemed Lucas was traveling more to New York than Emma was coming to Florida.
    “I’m sure she won’t be coming,” was Lucas’s terse response.
    “Okay, then,” Terrence said, reaching out and squeezing Lucas’s shoulder. “Our weekend on the water is all set.”
    “Okay, pal, don’t think we’re letting you off the hook that easy,” Stephen said, grinning. “Who is this woman that just brought a sparkle to your eyes?”
    “You’re imagining things,” Terrence said, rolling those same eyes.
    “I don’t think so,” Stephen countered. “We want a name.”
    Knowing they wouldn’t let up, he said, “Her name is Sherri Griffin. She’s Warrick’s niece and works at the station as a programmer and producer. However, Warrick’s grooming her to