by Cynthia Dane
The only people to not move or silently fawn over them were the ones Monroe walked toward. They did, however, glance in the couple’s direction. Some with curiosity, and others with indifference. The only one showing a sizable amount of piqued interest was a blond woman wearing a tight red dress and fanning her flushed face.
“Allow me to introduce everyone to Ms. Alice Culver. She’s been keeping me amused for the past while.”
Alice’s throat tightened. What. A way. To be. Introduced.
“Um… hi…” Her eyes darted back and forth. Some man yawned. A middle-aged woman sniffed and turned away. Another woman near her age tilted her head, dark curls unable to hide the amusement on her face. All of them, whether older or younger, male or female, wore such luxurious clothing and more jewels than Alice had seen in one place in her life. No wonder they didn’t move for Monroe. They were on his playing field.
These were other billionaires, not piddling millionaires hanging around for scraps.
No one greeted her in return for a few seconds. Was this their social code? Or had Alice failed a test in the first second of meeting them? Oh, man, they’re probably used to this bullshit from him. Still, they had to be polite. Wait. At their level, they didn’t have to be polite at all!
“Charmed.” The blond woman in the red dress extended her hand and shook Alice’s with a firm grasp. “Alice, was it?”
“Yes.”
“Colbert?”
“Culver.”
“Hm,” said one of the middle-aged women. “Don’t recall any Culvers around here. Where are you from?”
Alice did her best to keep her chin up. “I’m from here. Well, my parents are from Long Island, but I’ve spent the better part of my life around here…” She was not helping herself. All she was doing was reaffirming that she was a nobody. Good job, Alice.
The middle-aged woman sniffed again. The blond woman, however, gave Monroe a sly look whilst scraping her teeth along her bottom lip. Someone had fantastic no-smear lipstick.
“She’s absolutely charming! Monroe, where have you been hiding dolls like this? Don’t hold out on me, I know you’re keeping them locked away. Not fair.”
The man standing next to the woman stifled a laugh. “You’ll have to forgive my wife,” he said, taking Alice’s hand as well. “She’s nothing but trouble.” Alice tried to take solace in the friendly wink she received. “Ken Andrews. This is my wife, Lana.”
“Oh, right, right, how rude of me.” The woman wrapped her arm around her husband’s torso, looking quite pleased with herself. “Enjoy your time at the top,” she then muttered.
Monroe quickly turned his back on that couple, ushering Alice toward the others. “Don’t mind them,” he muttered in her ear. “They like to screw with people.”
Was he actually warning her out of the goodness of his own heart? Or was he trying to protect his carefully put together image?
The only other person to give her a somewhat warm welcome was the young woman with the dark curls. She excitedly shook Alice’s hand and suggested they get lunch sometime. Unfortunately, Alice could not remember her name. Jane? Jamie? Jessica?
Something to do with a flower… but every time she reminded herself of that, she thought of Monroe and his scent. None of these other men wore floral cologne. It was all musk and sandalwood. Oh, except for the curly haired woman’s husband. He wore Clive Christens. As if Alice wouldn’t recognize it.
“Unfortunately, we must be going,” Monroe said, putting a protective hand on Alice’s shoulder. “I’ve promised Ms. Culver that I would take her out for the evening.”
“Hm.” Lana was the only one to take a few steps with them. “Watch out for flies, Monroe. They’re swarming.” The bite of her smile was more than vicious.
He gave her a cool look before wrapping his arm around Alice’s waist and directing her toward the exit. “I know. Thank you, Mrs. Andrews.”
She raised one pencil thin eyebrow. “Suit yourself.”
Alice didn’t know what she meant by that until they were well on their way out the door.
“Damon!” shouted a man with a flashing light in his possession. “Who’s the new woman?”
Alice yelped to have a female reporter get in her space. Monroe snatched his date into his grasp, firm, protective. Oh my God! A blur of bodyguards intervened. Not just the one Monroe went around with, but a full pair of them, big, burly, and ready to punch someone in the face. Or grab their cameras and smash them on the ground.
The limo driver hopped out and opened the back door as quickly as possible. “Get in,” Monroe growled, practically pushing poor Alice into the backseat. “Don’t say anything to these snakes. Don’t even make eye contact with them.” He resumed his smile as he stood up and gave one wave to the press. Monroe was quick to join Alice in the back of the limo. One of the bodyguards got in the front seat with the driver. Is he coming with us? Does he have to come with us? Alice never thought she would be dating a guy important enough to need a bodyguard.
“I’m sorry about that,” Monroe said with more candor than usual. He didn’t buckle his seatbelt, but he did shake out his cuffs and straighten his jacket. “I didn’t count on that many vultures. I knew there would be a few… ah, it’s a high-profile event. Of course the paps are scoping it out.”
Alice heaved a sigh of relief. It felt good to be rolling down the street in a tinted limo. “It’s okay. Although I’ve never experienced something like that before.”
“I don’t usually take the front exit at these events for that reason.”
“So why did you this time?”
Monroe considered her complexion. The way he looks at me is otherworldly. Half the time she couldn’t figure out if that was lust or disbelief in his eyes. From what she could tell, he did not look at other people like that. Only her.
“Perhaps I wished to be seen with you.”
Alice turned away from him. “I can’t tell if you’re joking or not. If you are, that’s a pretty harsh thing to joke about.”
“I do not jest, Ms. Culver.”
As much as she liked the way he said her name… “Call me Alice. Please. We’re on a date. Right? You call people by their first names while on a date.”
Finally, Monroe relaxed into his seat, although he did not invite her into his space. Good. Not ready for that yet tonight. Give her a few hours. Spending more than fifteen minutes with this man was sure to turn her on. Longer than that? She couldn’t be stopped.
“As you insist, Alice.”
Her eyes fluttered as she took in the way he said that name too. Soft. Tender. There were tender aspects to this guy? “I do… Damon.”
They shared a heavy look. For the first time since meeting this guy, Alice actually felt like they were on an even playing field. Made her feel a bit bolder than usual.
“Although there are some occasions in which ‘Ms. Culver’ is more than fine.”
“Let me guess.” His eyes went straight to her keyhole. “When that dress is coming off.”
“To be fair,” she said, “you have yet to get my dress off. Ever.”
He was emotionless for exactly five seconds. Then, a wide, silent smile. Alice couldn’t help but smile as well. I have no idea what I’m getting into, do I?
“May I ask where you are taking me?” The limo had been steadily moving for a good few minutes.
Monroe looked wistfully out his tinted window. “Somewhere we can be alone. There’s a lot for us to talk about… Alice.”
She had no idea if that was good or bad. Either way, she’d take it.
Chapter 10
Alice knew that anything Monroe had planned that night had to be extravagant. What she didn’t expect was a high-rise restaurant all to themselves.
She also knew to not question it. Why would she question anything at this point? This was a man who owned the most luxurious sex club in the nation. His family owned Blue Bird for goodness sake. Not that he would ever clear that place out so they could din
e, of course… but it was the fact he could that counted.
It wasn’t enough that they had the best seat in the house. Of course they did. They would have the round table overlooking the darkened city center, full of twinkling lights and rubbing cheeks with jets coming in and out of the nearby airport. The fact that they were sitting in the gallery all alone, however? That was the crazy thing. Alice had never seen such a quiet restaurant in her life. Both a hostess’s wet dream and her worst nightmare. Depending on how she felt that day, anyway.
“Allow me.” Monroe pulled her chair out for her. “By the way,” he continued as she sat down and a waiter lit the candles on their table, “you’re radiant tonight.”
Alice froze in her seat even after Monroe pushed her back toward the table. He sat down across from her, candlelight licking his features. God. Slam me on the table already. Alice needed to think proper thoughts to get through this dinner. What kind of example would she be setting if she succumbed to thoughts of sex every time she was around this guy? Told you. It’s the cologne. Full of pheromones. She had heard that was a thing.
“Thank you.” Alice waited for the waiter to disappear, eyes lingering on the single red rose in the centerpiece as opposed to drinking in the sight of Monroe’s face. “You’re not so bad yourself. You know that though, don’t you?”
Fingers drummed on the table. “I may have heard it a time or two. I’ll take your word on it. I’m not my type.”
Oh, good. She hadn’t imagined his sarcastic sense of humor taking over.
Red wine was brought out. Before she could sip it, however, Monroe made sure to point out the vintage and make. Not that it meant anything to Alice. All she knew about wine was that sometimes it tasted good and other times it made her retch. She doubted Monroe would serve her the latter.
Sure enough, when she had a taste, her tongue exploded in tarty flavors. “Do you like it?” Monroe asked.
“Pretty damn good.” Alice had another sip. “Is that an appropriate way to describe wine?”
“It works for me.”
This was already the best date ever. An incredibly handsome man with her kind of humor. A beautiful, delicious restaurant all to themselves. The promise of more of what she craved later. Alice allowed herself to be quite proud of what she had managed to achieve in as little as a few weeks. How had she achieved this, per se? Well, it was her gut that she listened to when she first kissed this man at The Dark Hour.
“So,” Monroe said with businesslike flare. “Tell me about yourself. I wish to know everything.”
The waiter had left again after depositing their appetizers. “I’m sure anything you want to know about me can be found online. You already found out where I live and work. What’s stopping you from pulling up my college transcript?”
“Absolutely nothing. Other than the fact I’d rather hear it from your beautiful lips.”
He said that while his own lips wrapped around the rim of his wineglass. Can think of a few other things they can wrap around. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
“Tell me about how we came to meet. Why were you working at The Dark Hour? That has me intrigued the most.”
Alice shrugged. “I’ve been in hosting for years. It’s how I cut my teeth in the job market.”
“Interesting. So you fancy a career in hospitality?”
“Well… no…” What did she fancy a career in? “I have a degree in English. Doesn’t mean much, I guess. I can quote Dickens and Elliott until I’m in my grave, but it won’t get me a real career. Guess that’s why I’m still doing one of the only things I know how to do.”
“You don’t have a family business?”
She looked at him as if he had sprouted horns out of his head. “Not exactly. My father’s a schoolteacher and my mother’s a nurse at the same school.”
“I see. Noble professions.”
“You think so?”
“The economy wouldn’t get far without such positions.”
“Ah, yes, the economy.” Why wasn’t she surprised? “So, I hear you went to Princeton. Let me guess. Economics major?”
“Close.” Monroe left his salad untouched. You gonna eat that? Alice was starving. “I minored in Economics. I double-majored in Business and Rhetoric.”
“Double-majored with a minor? Wow. Overachiever.”
“Where did you go get your degree?”
Not “Where did you go to school?” but “Where did you get your degree?” Alice was catching on to all the ways Monroe was different from the other men she had dated. “I went to a place called William and Mary University. Doubt you’ve heard of it. In Virginia.”
He looked askance at her. Don’t shoot those amber darts into my heart, okay? I’m not ready. “Of course I’ve heard of William and Mary. Second oldest college in America. Why wouldn’t I know it?” Monroe leaned over his untouched salad. “That’s rather prestigious. Hard to get in, isn’t it?”
“Doesn’t mean anything if I can’t get a job.” Alice hated it when people praised her for her schooling and then turned around to question her employment status. How dare she squander a degree others would kill for? Makes me feel like it’s my fault. “I originally thought I wanted to be a teacher like my father. Then I realized I’m no good with teaching children, so I set my sights on becoming a college professor. That didn’t work either. I… didn’t go to grad school, to begin with.”
“Why not?”
What was with the accusatory tone? Sorry, buddy, not all of us craved to bust ass at Princeton. “Because I made some bad decisions after getting my Bachelor’s.” Matt. That bad decision’s name was Matt. “Threw me off course. Suddenly I had to make money to pay off my debt, but you don’t want to hear about that.”
Monroe folded his arms across the table. “Suppose I do?”
Why? Why was he so interested in her? This was the man who knowingly got her fired from the best opportunity she ever had, and then summoned her for a booty call! Something fishy was afoot.
“To be frank, it was an ex-boyfriend.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Monroe cleared his throat. “But you must be good at what you do for Mr. Sidney to hire you at The Dark Hour. I hired him because of how discerning he is.”
“Yes. Discerning enough to fire me the moment you told him I failed your test. Is that how you put it?”
He only smirked.
“So what is this really about?” Patience be damned. Alice was getting tired of what was either compete disregard for her outside of the bedroom (not that they had ever been in one together) or some stupid head game he desired to play with her. “I hear on the grapevine that you don’t date much. No fewer than two people have told me that I’m super special in that regard.”
Monroe ignored the waiter as he brought their main courses. “I like you, Ms… Alice.”
“Uh huh.” Alice finished her glass of wine. Plenty of time for the waiter to get the hell away again. “More like you fancy my pussy.”
She expected him to flinch, to frown, to do anything other than continue to sit there with only his eyes betraying how interested he was in this conversation. “There is that, yes.” He leaned back in his seat. Did this man ever eat? “If you want me to admit it, Alice, fine. I was initially only interested in you physically. I’ve come to learn that when my body says it will be a good match, it’s usually right. Well?” Everything about his demeanor became… sultrier. Spare me. No, seriously, spare me. I don’t have enough willpower. “Was it right?”
“You tell me. I was along for the ride.”
“I’ll say.”
Did he make a That’s what she said! joke? Alice felt like she was given a window into the real life of the world’s most reclusive billionaire. “Yes, okay? I enjoyed it. Both times. In fact,” she would dare to inflate his ego, “I would even go so far in saying that it was the best sex I ever had.”
Finally, Monroe took his first bite of food, eyes never unlocking from hers. His teeth bit down on his fork and
pulled off a small piece of seasoned steak. How terribly animalistic. Alice wouldn’t mind him biting her like that.
“It’s up there for me too.”
“Oh, come on. Stop.” How could a girl snatch a piece of that steak? It looked and smelled more delicious than he did. Okay, almost. “You get your choice of supermodels and smokin’ hot farmers’ daughters. Porn stars too. Don’t insult me by lying to me like that.”
“First of all,” he began, folding a piece of leafy green lettuce over his fork before eating it, “I don’t think I’ve ever dated a farmer’s daughter. Not to my knowledge, anyway. Second, I said up there. Top ten percentile. That’s hardly lying.”
“When you put it that way…” Was definitely not better. Sigh.
“I’m serious.” Any humor in his voice quickly dissipated. So did his fork, and part of his plate, currently obscured by his arms folding in front of it. He’s gonna get steak sauce on his nice suit sitting like that. Didn’t he have anyone to look out for these things? “Truth be told, Alice, I thought you would be easy to forget. I won’t lie to you. I’ve been with many women. Most of them all run together like a giant, carnal blur in my head. Not you, though. You stood out unlike any other woman before. I was still thinking about you when I got home. When I woke up, you were the first person I thought of. Days went by and I still wanted you again. It’s been years since I’ve felt something even akin to that for someone. So, I had my assistant find you. I had to know.”
Alice tucked a single stray hair behind her ear. “Know what?”
“If having you again would sate my hunger, or make me even crazier for you.”
Taut and restless, the air between them grew warmer with every breath they exuded. Candlelight flickered. More lights shut off in the office buildings beyond the windows. Cars continued to pass on the avenues below, but Alice was no longer interested in determining where they were going. She was too busy living in the here and now. The here, the now where Damon Monroe confessed to being mad for her.