A Date with an Admirer Read online

  Praise for Heidi McLaughlin & L.P. Dover

  Society X

  There are no words to describe how much I LOVED DARK ROOM. My two favorite authors come together to write an EPIC SEXY story! Parker is off the charts SEXY!! I couldn't get enough of him!

  —Amy, Goodreads

  Two of the most amazing authors come together to write this hot and steamy story.

  —Tamara, Goodreads

  Let loose your inhibitions, because being in the Dark Room will have you googling to see if one is near you.

  —Lexy at All Is Read

  After Dark Room, book one in this series, I was expecting BIG things from this book. Dark Room was a top read from me. I am a huge L.P. Dover fan and an even bigger fan of Heidi McLaughlin... but man these two ladies together are dynamic.

  —Brianna at Renee Entress’s Blog

  You know this book is going to be hot when they give you a warning before you start the reading the book! What I love about this book is it's ability to surprise me. I should know by now to never underestimate Heidi & LP when reading their books.

  —Annie, Goodreads

  What a steamy and hot read!! It started out steamy and sweet and ended with suspense and excitement!! Loved it!!

  —Kim, Goodreads

  Out of all the Society X novels, Play Room is hands down my favorite. I loved Alexandria and Kai together. They were sweet almost from the moment they met. This series was addictive from the start, and although it's over I look forward to what these two authors come up with next.

  —Rebecca, Goodreads

  Heidi McLaughlin & L.P. Dover deliver once again!! Loved the latest in the Society X series! Okay let's break this down shall we?!

  —Amber, Goodreads

  The Dating Series

  A Date forMidnight

  A Date with an Admirer

  A Date for Good Luck

  A Date for the Hunt

  A Date for the Derby

  A Date to Play Fore

  A DATE WITH AN ADMIRER

  THE DATING SERIES #2

  Copyright © 2020

  Heidi McLaughlin & L.P. Dover

  All rights reserved.

  The right of Heidi McLaughlin to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000. This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written permission of the publisher. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  COVER DESIGN: MadHat Studios.

  EDITING: Briggs Consulting

  Contents

  1. Sophie

  2. Tanner

  3. Sophie

  4. Tanner

  5. Sophie

  6. Tanner

  7. Sophie

  8. Tanner

  9. Sophie

  10. Tanner

  11. Sophie

  More Books from Heidi & L.P.

  Also by Heidi McLaughlin

  Also by L.P. Dover

  About Heidi McLaughlin

  About L.P. Dover

  1

  Sophie

  Out of all the things that can happen in life, the last thing a person wants is to get cheated on, especially the week before Valentine’s Day. Well … that’s my horrible luck. Five years down the drain. That’s five years of my life wasted on an insufferable douchebag. I thought things were perfect. The sex was pretty good and we were having plenty of it. Usually, in a cheating situation, you’d think the other person would pull away since they’re involving themselves with someone else, but with Warren … that wasn’t the case. I rip his phone charger out of the socket and throw it into the box with all his other crap. I want to burn it all, but I’m better than that. I refuse to let that bastard ruin my life.

  Taking a deep breath, I sit on the bed and push his box of shit to the floor. It tips over and his things scatter out but I don’t care. I see his favorite bright green Oakley T-shirt and all I want to do is send it back to him in shreds.

  “Sophie!” Ellie calls out my name and I can hear the front door slam shut.

  “Back here,” I shout back, “just getting rid of turd burger’s shit.” I stand up and walk over to my mirror. I feel stronger now that Warren’s gone. Who would’ve thought it’d take a breakup to open my eyes?

  “Oh, dear God,” Ellie laughs as she comes into my room. She tucks her blonde hair behind her ears and looks down at Warren’s things on the floor. “Is it bad I’d really love to wipe my ass on his favorite T-shirt.”

  I burst out laughing. That’s not such a bad idea, but … “Only you would think to do something like that.”

  Ellie kicks the box out of the way with her designer Gucci boots and shrugs. “He deserves it.” She walks over to me and fluffs my dark brown hair. “Looking good, girl. I love what you did to your hair.”

  “Thanks,” I say happily, “got it cut this morning.” I flourish a hand up and down her body. “You’re looking pretty hot yourself. New clothes?”

  She poses in her new skinny jeans and a beige Oslo sweater, her blue eyes twinkling. “Hey, I’m single so why not? I can spend all my money on myself.”

  “Guess I can start doing that too. I’m just glad I had enough sense to have my own place instead of moving in with Warren.”

  Sitting down next to me, she drapes her arm over my shoulders and sighs. “Exactly. Can you imagine the mess you’d be going through right now?” The thought makes me shudder. “You seem to be doing much better,” Ellie notices, “no more tears?”

  I scoff. “Definitely, not.”

  Ellie’s been my best friend since elementary school. She was going to be a dentist like me, but when she saw how much work it was, she changed her mind and became a dental hygienist so she could just work for me. Now she’s my office manager.

  Ellie stands and grabs my hands. “All right, now that it’s Friday, we’re going out. I’m starving. Plus, you could use a few drinks.” She helps me up and winks. “I’ll drive.”

  “Well, in that case,” I say, laughing, “I’ll start right now.”

  I kick Warren’s box for good measure and it feels good. I like feeling anger over the sadness. Once in the kitchen, I grab the bottle of vodka out of the liquor cabinet and a shot glass. Ellie sits down at the bar and watches me with a smile on her face. “I love it when you get drunk. You’re always so funny when you drink.”

  I pour the vodka into my glass and toss it back, loving the way it burns down my throat. I take another shot and I can already feel it working its way through my body. “No dancing on bar counters tonight though,” I tell her. “Those days are long gone.”

  It was the night I passed my dental exams. All my friends from dental school were there at the bar to celebrate their own achievements. I had a little too much to drink and ended up dancing for everyone. I might’ve lost my shirt that night too, but I always deny it. Not everyone had a smart phone at the time, so luckily, there was no proof of my strip tease. Today, however, you can’t do anything scandalous without someone getting it on video.

  There’s a stack of mail on my counter and Ellie sifts through it as if it’s her house. It doesn’t bother me. We’ve always been more like sisters instead of best friends. My parents even treat her like she’s their daughter and vice versa with me and her parents.

  I pour up another shot and before I can lift the glass to my lips, Ellie gasps. “Oh, my
God.” She holds up a certain envelope and I can’t help but groan. “You have to go to this,” she says.

  In her hands is the invitation to one of the biggest parties of the year. A Couples-Only Valentine’s Day ball, hosted by the governor’s daughter, Summer Roberts. It just so happens that Warren and I ran with her group of friends at Chapel Hill. A lot of us were in dental school together. Warren and I were supposed to go to the ball together.

  Reaching for the invitation, I take it and toss it back onto the mail stack. “I can’t go to that party. Warren’s going to be there with his new big-busted dental hygienist.” Guess now I know why he always hired young, beautiful women for his staff. None of them were above thirty-five-years old. Not only am I thankful Warren and I didn’t live together, but I’m even more happy we didn’t open a dental practice together. I really dodged a bullet with that one. As far as break ups go, mine and Warren’s was pretty clean. Not everyone can be that lucky.

  Ellie leans over the counter and takes the shot glass out of my hands. “It’s all the more reason for you to go.” I try to grab the shot glass, but she moves it away, grinning slyly.

  I glare at her. “And who exactly am I supposed to go with?” It’s one week till the party and I know no one that isn’t friends with Warren.

  Ellie’s grin widens. “What would you say if I got you a date? That way, you can show Ole Limp-Wristed Can’t Keep His Dick In His Pants that you’re not sitting here moping around while he plays Hide the Noodle with his homewrecking hygienist.”

  I can always count on Ellie to make me laugh. “Who do you have in mind? I know all of your friends.”

  Ellie hands me my shot glass back. “Guess who comes into town tomorrow from California?” She says it in a sing-song voice and I already know who she’s talking about.

  There’s only one person I know that’s been in California. I suck back the vodka and shake my head. “Not just no, but hell no. I’m not taking your little brother to the Valentine’s Day ball.”

  “Why not?” she snaps, crossing her arms over her chest. “He’s not little anymore, Sophie. He’s twenty-six-years old, only a year younger than you.” She pulls out her phone. “He’s changed since he left town. Let me show you.” It’s been nine years since I’ve seen Tanner Hayes. He left for California and stayed there after college. The last time I saw him he was tall and lanky with glasses and bad acne.

  Ellie shows me her phone and there’s a picture of a blond haired, blue-eyed guy that looks nothing like her brother. This guy is hot and well-built with washboard abs and tanned skin, holding a surfboard.

  “That is not your brother. Looks nothing like him.” I’m genuinely in disbelief. How can the Tanner I used to know end up looking like that?

  Ellie smirks. “Whatever you say, Soph. You gonna turn him away if he comes over tomorrow?”

  At first, I thought she was kidding, but by the look on her face, I can tell she’s serious. “Is that really Tanner?” I ask hesitantly.

  She nods. “Yep. Gorgeous, isn’t he?” I look at the pictures again, this time with a bit more scrutiny. Yes, the guy has the same blond hair and blue eyes as the rest of Ellie’s family, but how can it be Tanner? He’s changed so much. Ellie pulls back her phone and smiles at her brother. “He got rid of the glasses and the acne, got a California tan, learned how to surf, and bulked up.”

  “And what’s his girlfriend going to say if he goes to a Valentine’s Day party with another woman?” The vodka starts to hit me, and I sway on my feet.

  Ellie giggles and grabs my arm to steady me. “He’s single, Soph.”

  I shake my head. “Doesn’t matter. He’s not going to want to go with me. Why would he? We haven’t seen each other in nine years.”

  Grinning, she looks away and shrugs. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because when we were younger, he had the biggest crush on you.” And I ignored him when we were younger. Ellie looks back at me and squeezes my hand. “I’m going to talk to Tanner tomorrow. If he agrees, will you go with him?”

  I can’t believe I’m even considering going to the ball. Then again, it’ll be a kick to Warren’s nuts if I show up with another man, especially one that is way hotter than him. Warren thinks he’s God gift to women. “Fine,” I give in. “If Tanner doesn’t mind, I’ll be happy to go with him. I’ll be in his debt.”

  Ellie claps her hands. “Done. This is going to be so good. I wish I could be there to see the asshole’s face when you show up with another man.”

  I glance down the hall toward my bedroom. “How about we make a pit stop before hitting the restaurant.”

  Ellie’s eyes twinkle. “What ya got in mind?”

  I shrug. “I’m thinking it’s time to give Warren back his stuff.”

  “Oh yeah?” Ellie replies, smiling wickedly. “Want to toss his stuff in his front yard so everyone can see?”

  The liquor has already made me feel better, but the thought of tossing his shit out sounded like so much fun. “Let’s do it. I want his stuff gone.”

  Ellie jingles her keys in the air. “It’s gonna be a good night. Let’s go.”

  2

  Tanner

  The incessant knocking on my bedroom door has me hiding under my pillow. I thought once I moved back to Raleigh and the sanctity of my parents’ home, I’d be able to sleep past the sun’s waking hours. I was wrong. Very, very wrong because my big sister, who is smaller than me thinks she needs to be up in my face every chance she gets, and she hasn’t grasped the notion that I am still technically on vacation. I have days left before my job starts and I’d like to monopolize all my time off by sleeping. Something I couldn’t do often in California. Although, who would want to? The surfing was prime and the weather unbeatable. Sure, North Carolina has some of the most amazing beaches to go along with the weather, but the lack of humidity on the West Coast was a welcome reprieve from the stifling dampness of the East.

  Any hope I had of ignoring my sister doesn’t ago away. In fact, the knocking gets louder and I imagine her on the other side of the door, tapping her toe and sighing heavily. “What do you want?” I croak out.

  “Let me in.”

  “I’m naked,” I tell her, although I’m not.

  “With who? Does mom know you brought someone home?”

  My eyes roll so hard, I give myself a headache. Ellie has always been a tattletale, but now she’s just being ridiculous. It feels like I’m a teenager all over again. I can’t remember a time I ever got away with anything. She’s the mother hen, the hoverer, and took her big sister by ten months role to a whole new level. I finally throw the covers back and contemplate pushing my pillows underneath to give the illusion of a body, but I don’t. The last thing I want is for Ellie to push her way into my room and berate some helpless feathers.

  I’m forced to navigate around boxes, strewn clothes, the power cord to my laptop and other miscellaneous items as I make my way to my door. I twist the pewter, not silver according to my mom, little mechanism which wasn’t created for people with big hands and open the door. I hide behind it, so Ellie can’t see my bottom half.

  “What do you want?”

  “Who is in here?”

  “No one, I’m alone.”

  “Why are you naked?” the mother hen asks sternly.

  “I was busy.”

  Her face morphs into complete disgust. “Gross.”

  “Don’t even, I know you used to have a purple rabbit in your room named Romeo.” Her mouth drops open. “Oh, Romeo, Romeo, yes, yes, yes.” Her hand connects with my bare chest.

  “Stop,” she shrieks. “That was a long time ago. I was young and lonely. Now I’m older with a healthy sex life.”

  I groan. “I don’t need to know that shit.” Back in high school, our parents converted the basement into living space and I happily took the downstairs bedroom. The only drawback was that Ellie and her vibrator lived above me and she was a bit wild with her hand when she thought no one was home.

  Ellie purses her lip
s. “It was so much nicer when you were living in California.”

  “Tell me how you really feel.” I leave her standing at the door and go back to bed, flopping on top of my mattress in dramatic fashion. I feel the side dip and don’t bother looking at her.

  “I did miss you,” she says, and I can hear the sincerity in her tone. She has a funny way of showing it though.

  “Uh huh,” I say into my pillow.

  She slaps me on the back of my leg. It seems my sister has a tendency to be violent. She was this way when we were younger, trying to spank me when she felt I was doing something wrong. “I need a favor.”

  “Nope.” I don’t even know what it is, but I know I’m not doing it.

  “It really wouldn’t be a favor for me,” she adds.

  “Don’t care.”

  She giggles. “You will when I tell you what it is.”

  “I’m busy,” I tell her even though I’m not. I made sure to keep my schedule clean until I have to start work.

  “I have a friend who needs a date to the Valentine’s Day ball at the Governor’s mansion.”

  “Still don’t care.”

  And she continues as if I haven’t said a fucking word. “Thing is, her boyfriend cheated on her with an employee of his and she wants to get back at him, and I figured since you’re home and looking all tan and buff, you’d want to take her. Help her make her ex jealous.”