There was little drama at his company. The company environment was one thing I tried to get a feel for when I took on a consultation. It usually told me more about the company than any public statement would. Some companies were filled with drama at every level—gossip among the staff, petty battles within the day-to-day functioning of an office. That was not the case at all at Chandler International. I didn't know what it was like in the other offices for the company, which were flung all around the world, yet this one ran quietly and smoothly.
I’d gotten to know Suzanne and liked her a lot. She'd worked for Chandler International for ten years and was the lead HR manager for the entire corporation. Danny was also wonderful. He was funny and charming. As the gatekeeper to Lucas, he managed that responsibility with finesse.
Next week, Chandler International was rolling out its latest innovative project. They’d partnered with a firm in San Francisco for this project, which was rare for Lucas. Energy Synergy happened to be one of the few sustainable energy firms Lucas hadn't attempted to absorb into Chandler International. According to Danny, Lucas had high respect for the owner, Seth Lawrence, and that alone kept him from trying to steal the company out from under Seth’s nose. Not to mention, the firm was quite a bit smaller than Chandler International, and they were also a privately held company. They were rolling out an initiative where energy could be captured in small, wind chime-like contraptions that hung in trees. They were affordable and expected to revolutionize the use of wind power.
While my time with Lucas himself had been limited, in the short time I'd been at Chandler International, it was clear he was passionate about clean energy and a clean planet. According to Danny, that passion was what drove everything he did. The one topic I’d gathered little information on was Lucas’s distant relationship with his father. His father was an oil executive, and I occasionally wondered if Lucas's passion about sustainable energy was almost an act of rebellion against his father.
Danny was very open about Lucas and what he knew about him. While I'd gotten somewhat comfortable with Danny, I wasn't comfortable asking questions that could be perceived as gossipy about Lucas’s family. I figured I'd eventually gain my own understanding.
As I left the offices that evening, I texted my friend Megan. We’d planned to meet for dinner and drinks, but hadn’t confirmed where. Megan had recently moved in with her fiancé who lived in an exclusive high-rise in Manhattan. Rumor had it, residents were allowed to purchase there by invitation only.
Where are we meeting?
Let’s grab dinner at the café in our building. I ran late at the office, so I’m just getting home now. Mind meeting me here?
Np. Be there in 10.
I walked briskly down the street, weaving through the crowded sidewalk. The building where she lived was so exclusive, it didn’t even have a name. I wasn’t quite sure the point of that, but whatever. Nobody knew who the actual residents were unless you knew one of them personally. I figured it would be amusing to meet Megan there. We'd been friends for years. She was a lawyer, and her fiancé ran an investment company. They’d actually met when she provided legal consultation on an investigation for improper trading at his company. Talk about opposites attracting.
I arrived at her building and was met by a doorman dressed entirely in black. With his lack of a smile and completely blank expression, welcoming wasn’t the word that came to mind.
“Whom are you here to see, miss?” he asked, the light glittering through the massive glass entryway glinting off of his dark hair.
“Megan Parks, please.”
He tapped a button on his headset and spoke into it. After a beat, he nodded. “Ms. Parks will be right down.”
Within moments, I saw Megan waving to me through the glass and pushing the door open. “Hey Soph, come on in.”
Like me, Megan was still wearing what I presumed she’d worn to work—a fitted black skirt that fell to her knees, low heels and a dove gray blouse. Her honey gold hair was swept up into a knot atop her head. She glanced to the doorman.
“Dan, anytime Sophia comes to visit, you can just let her in,” she said as she tugged me into a quick hug, her blue eyes warm.
“No matter the time of day?” Dan asked.
Megan nodded firmly. “No matter. She’s always welcome. Just buzz me and let me know she’s here.”
Dan simply nodded and held the door for us.
Megan had only moved in with Jonathan Harmon, her husband-to-be, a few weeks ago, so I’d yet to have a chance to visit her here. I glanced around as we walked through the reception area. It was tiled in porcelain with subtle colors on the walls. Megan led me through a keycard entrance into a back hallway. Our footsteps echoed on the tile flooring. We stopped beside some elevators and rode up so quickly, I barely noticed it.
“This place is something. Your doorman looks better suited to being an undercover agent,” I commented with a chuckle.
Megan giggled. “I know, right? It's kind of ridiculous. I told Jonathon that now he’s not a bachelor, we have to move somewhere else.”
“Why? Is this place only for bachelors?”
She rolled her eyes as we rounded a corner in the hallway after stepping off the elevators. “It seems like it to me. Jonathon swears it's not, but I'm like one of five women in the whole building, so go figure. It’s a big mystery who lives in the penthouse on the top floor. I told Jonathon I bet it’s a woman and she’s richer than everyone else here,” she said with a sly grin.
She stopped in the hallway at another security entrance. There was no sign to indicate where we were going. Once we stepped inside, I realized we were in a restaurant without a name. Only residents and their guests could eat here. I glanced around to notice there were nothing but men here.
“What’s with the no-names thing?” I muttered under my breath.
Megan snorted. “Exactly my question. I think the idea is they protect your privacy here, but it’s a bit overboard.”
Megan tugged me to a booth in the corner. The restaurant was dimly lit with tables scattered in the center and tall, leather-backed booths lining the back wall. Once we were seated, a waiter swung by and reeled off the specials with a promise to return quickly. While we waited, Megan updated me on her wedding plans and asked about my new position.
“I can't believe you got that position. Chandler International is probably the most secretive company in the world. Mr. Chandler lives here, you know,” she said.
“He does?” I asked.
“He sure does,” she said with a firm nod. “I haven't even seen him. He travels a lot.”
As if conjured by name, Lucas stepped through the entrance. I glanced his way just as his eyes scanned over to where we were in the corner. My disobedient pulse lunged.
“Oh. Well, I guess I’m wrong. There he is,” Megan said. She leaned forward. “What’s it like working for him?”
“Oh my God. Not now,” I hissed.
Before I knew it, Lucas was walking straight toward us.
“Oh, he's on his way over. Damn, he looks even hotter in person,” Megan observed.
I rolled my eyes, hoping to play it off. The last thing I needed was Megan to notice just how hot I thought he was. “Seriously, don't be ridiculous.”
Megan rolled her eyes right back at me. “I'll be as ridiculous as I want. He’s hot,” she offered.
Megan was my best friend. She was also shamelessly blunt. Every so often, I wished she didn’t like to tease so much.
Lucas arrived at our table, his eyes flicking between us and landing on me.
“Nice to see you, Sophia. What brings you here?” he asked.
Megan fluttered her fingers in the air. “She's my bestie. I don't think we've met.”
Lucas shifted his gaze to her. “I don’t believe we have.”
“This is Megan Parks. She’s an old friend,” I offered.
“I only recently moved in. Jonathon Harmon is my fiancé,” she added.
Lucas inclin
ed his head. “I see. Nice to meet you. Shall I buy you two a drink?” he asked.
Megan ignored the warning glare from me and nodded. “That would be lovely. Why don’t you join us?”
I bit back the urge to swear at her. Lucas slid into the booth beside me, and inside of a millisecond, I was hot all over.
Chapter 6
Lucas
Sophia shifted in her seat, her leg bumping into mine. I resisted the urge to slide my hand between her thighs. Her friend Megan was chatting about a legal case she was working on. I could hardly focus on anything Megan was saying and was relieved Sophia was there to hold up the other half of the conversation. Having Sophia beside me was beyond distracting. She seemed slightly nervous and was halfway through her second glass of wine. Meanwhile, my cock was hard and had been since I’d sat down beside her.
I was coming to learn this was a common state when I was near her. Kissing her last week hadn’t helped at all. Somehow, she’d managed to avoid being alone with me since that afternoon. I'd been quite busy and traveling, so I could chalk it up to that, but I sensed she was trying to avoid being alone with me. Even though I considered myself a rational man, that made me want her even more. Intellectually, I knew it probably wasn't wise to start up anything with her. Yet, all I wanted was her—naked with me buried inside of her. She was too tempting for me to think past my desire.
Dinner carried on. After we had finished our food and ordered more wine, Megan announced she needed to go and left in a rush after receiving a text. Her departure left me alone with Sophia. Precisely what I wanted. I supposed I should shift over to the other side of the booth. I didn’t. I was enjoying Sophia's nearness too much. She glanced up at me, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wide. Damn, I almost lost myself in those eyes. They were like rich chocolate.
“I should probably go,” she said.
As I glanced down at her, I had an excellent view of the curves of her breasts where her blouse dipped down in a V. I could even see a teasing edge of white lace. Blood shot straight to my groin, and I had to mentally order my eyes back up to her face. That didn't exactly help matters. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips, and I instantly remembered how they felt under mine. I stared at her and managed to take a breath.
“You should?” I asked.
She nodded quickly. Her scent drifted up to me, honey with a hint of musk. I knew exactly how she tasted, and I wanted to taste her again.
I finally nodded. “I'll walk you out. Let me take care the bill first.” I lifted a hand, gesturing for the waiter to come over.
Sophia shook her head quickly. “You don't have to take care of our bill. I'll get it.”
I looked to her and arched brow, shaking my head. “I’ll take care of it,” I replied simply.
She huffed, actually huffed. I bit back the urge to laugh. “Is it a problem for me to get the bill?” I asked.
She sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear, that gorgeous auburn hair that I wanted to see rumpled after I kissed her.
“It’s not a problem, but I can take care of it.”
I stared at her for a beat and then shrugged. “Fine. If you insist.”
Her eyes widened, as if she hadn't expected me to say that. I didn't mind her covering the check. I was a calculating man. If it made her feel better to take care of it this time, so be it. I would cover dinner another time. When the waiter came over to our booth, I glanced to Sophia and back to him. “Ms. Dawson would like to pay for dinner.”
The waiter, Anthony, knew me well. He arched a brow. “Are you sure, sir?”
“Absolutely. Whatever she wants,” I replied.
Sophia rolled her eyes at me and then looked to Anthony. “I was having dinner with my friend. We didn't expect Mr. Chandler to join us, and I was already planning to cover the check.”
Anthony inclined his head with a polite nod. “Of course.”
She handed over her credit card, and he spun away. Within moments, he returned to the table. She started to sign the slip, and I added, “I'll cover the tip.”
She glanced at me sideways and then laughed softly. “You just have to pay for something, don't you?”
I grinned. “It's only the polite thing to do.”
In short order, we were leaving the restaurant. As we were threading through the tables, I caught sight of various pairs of male eyes landing on Sophia. She was gorgeous. Of course men would notice her.
I didn't like it. Not one bit.
A wave of possessiveness rolled through me. This was odd. I didn't get possessive about women. Even when I’d been engaged to Kayla, I hadn't felt that way about her. Kayla had been beautiful and smart. I’d made the erroneous assumption her intellect meant she wasn't solely hunting for a wealthy man to marry. I’d later learned, quite bluntly, the faultiness of my assumptions. I'd been accustomed to men appreciating her whenever we were together. It had never bothered me in the slightest, not the way it bothered me to have men noticing Sophia. As we walked past one table of men, all of them I knew in some distant capacity, too many eyes landed on the swing of her hips and her lush bottom.
I felt like a damn caveman inside. I wanted to lift her into my arms and brand her with a kiss. I shackled the urge and satisfied myself with sliding my hand onto her low back, just above the delectable curve of her bottom. The walk through the restaurant felt endless. It wasn't particularly large, yet it was mostly populated with men. This building was high-end living for the wealthy and for those who wanted their privacy to be lock tight. CEO’s abounded here. I shackled my urge to behave like a possessive fool and escorted her through the door and into the hallway. Unbeknownst to me, a function was being held in one of the suites above. There was a line for the elevator to the parking garage. I gritted my teeth. I didn't want to take her through the now crowded hallway.
Sophia started walking in that direction, and I nudged her, steering her with my hand.
“I'll take you out the back way.”
She glanced up. One look into her liquid brown eyes, and lust bolted through me. Not to say I had my body under control to begin with, but hell, her mere existence was like a shot of lust in my veins. I led her down the hallway, away from the crowded entrance through another door into another hallway, this one blessedly empty. I walked swiftly to the private elevator in the back and entered the code. This was a resident’s only access elevator. Inside of a moment, it whispered to our floor. I contemplated what I wanted to do. If I had my way, I’d take her straight to my place, yet I doubted she’d go along with it. We stepped inside, the doors humming closed behind us, and I tapped the hold button.
Sophia glanced up at me as if she meant to ask me a question. I didn't care to talk. Not now. I slid my hand down over the curve of her bottom and spun her, bringing her fast against me, and taking a few steps until her back was against the wall.
Her gorgeous brown eyes widened. “Lucas, what are you doing?”
I stared down at her. Her pulse was fluttering wildly and her nipples were tight little points against my chest. “I’m about to kiss you,” I said.
“I thought we agreed that wasn't a good idea,” she countered.
Her breath was coming in short pants.
“We didn't agree on anything. Tell me you don't want me to kiss you, and I won't.”
I knew I was pushing the limits here, but I didn't give a damn. I wanted Sophia too much. Her breath hitched, her eyes darkened, and her tongue darted out to lick her lips again. Fuck me. She needed to answer fast. When she didn't say anything, I spoke again.
“Well?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I'm not going to lie. I’m just not so sure it's a good idea.”
“Why don't we see if it's a good idea?”
A little laugh escaped, her breasts pressing against my chest with it.
“All you have to do is tell me no,” I said.
Sophia stared back at me, the air around us weighted with desire. When she didn't say anything, I flattened my palm against the wall behi
nd her and slid my other hand through her hair, brushing it away from her face. Then, I finally gave into what I’d wanted for an entire fucking week. I fit my mouth over hers, pouring a week’s worth of desire into our kiss.
Chapter 7
Sophia
Lucas's tongue swept into my mouth, and I moaned into our kiss. He kissed like a dream and short-circuited my brain instantly. His kisses were a panty-melting, knee-weakening, utterly masterful mix of gentle and forceful at once—deep sweeps of his tongue, tracing my lips, drawing back and catching my bottom lip between his teeth. Inside of seconds, I was on fire. He molded himself against me. Thank God there was a wall behind me. Without it, I absolutely would've collapsed into a puddle at his feet.
My nipples were so tight, they ached. I was drenched—I could feel the moisture between my thighs. I’d been wet pretty much ever since he sat down beside me at dinner. I could feel the hard, hot length of him at the apex of my thighs and fought the urge to curl my legs around his hips and demand that he fuck me right here, right now. He drew back after a deep sweep of his tongue, his teeth catching my bottom lip softly. His lips blazed a hot, wet trail down the side of my neck as he deftly unbuttoned my blouse. I moaned when his palms cupped my breasts.
Oh. My. God. I gasped his name, distantly hearing myself. I was so awash in sensation, I couldn't think. At all. He rolled one of my nipples between his thumb and forefinger. Dipping his head, his lips made their way down into the valley between my breasts. He drew one of my nipples into his mouth, straight through the silky lace. The hot, wet suction and the subtle friction from the lace nearly made me come right then and there. His knee slid between my thighs, creating just enough pressure on my clit and sending sharp streaks of pleasure through me. He lifted his head.
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