Full lips were drawn into a wide smile of pure satisfaction at the words of praise directed at her. In fact, she wanted to act out in a childish display of triumph over the slender little floozy draping herself over<em>her</em>man. But, she knew that any such outburst would have quite the opposite effect. Jackson would certainly not appreciate it, and Lola might drag her away by her ear if she overheard such nonsense coming from her. As it was, Abby knew she was treading thin ice by lavishing any additional attention on the lone man when there were easily a half dozen others behind her that would gladly pay for her time. Still, she couldn’t very well walk away and leave Layla to claim her prize.<br/><br/>Not being one to leave well enough alone, she chimed in lightly, “Sugar, you know I’d do just about anything to make you smile. And have.” That last bit was emphasized with a saucy wink as one round hip was popped out slightly, emphasizing her curvy little frame in an effort to compensate for the fact that the statuesque woman at his side was shamelessly hanging on him. Jealousy bubbled inside of her the longer she stared at the woman whose striking beauty and easy way with men had overshadowed Abby’s own talents in recent months. Until Layla had mysteriously arrived on Lola’s doorstep (as most of the women admittedly did), Abby had been the hands down favorite. Showered with gifts and proposals right and left, she had been overconfident in her position. Now, many of the men who had professed undying devotion to her had turned around and done the same to the lithe dancer.<br/><br/>And Jackson! He was the worst of all! At least in Abby’s estimation. She had set her sights on him the moment she first saw him darken Lola’s door. He was tall and handsome and there was an air of mystery about him that had lured her in completely.  So, she had flaunted and flirted and taken him to her bed. He had been hers exclusively (or so she believed) until Layla showed up and started making eyes at him.<br/><br/>What confidence she had gained from Jackson’s prior remark was soon shattered by the blatant (and lewd!) attention Layla’s hand was providing Jackson’s upper thigh. Adding insult to injury, the obvious implication that she was replacing Abby caused her hands to ball into fists at her side and dark cerulean eyes to narrow sharply. Luckily, Layla slipped away and disappeared upstairs before Abby could overcome her outrage long enough to scream at the woman. With a hot flush tinting her cheeks, she turned her eyes back to Jackson with a flash of accusatory irritation burning in their depths. But, she knew that railing at him would do nothing to help her cause. Taking a calming breath, she reapplied that sweet smile and looked down at him with adoration warming her gaze. One delicate hand rose to brush familiarly through his dark hair, the warm soft tips of her fingers lightly trailing the curve of his ear. “Looks like you had a rough ride, darlin’. If you’d like, I can work out those kinks for you just the way you like.” Her hand dropped down to his shoulder, expert fingers working into his rigid muscles for a few moments to release some of their tension. “I have that lovely little lace thing up in my room. You are free to join me there if you’d like. I’m sure we can get that steaming bath moved someplace more to your liking.”