Wild Girls Rule

by Rosalie Lario

  “The dog. Keep him. You two look good together.”

  He frowned. “I can’t.”

  Her forehead wrinkled. “Why not?”

  “Because…” He wracked his brain, searching for all the reasons why that didn’t make sense. “I work all the time. I’m never home. It wouldn’t be fair to him.”

  “You could hire a dog walker,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “If he’s going to be raised by someone else, what’s the point in me keeping him?”

  She looked surprised at that question. “He’d be there for you when you were at home. You’d have someone waiting for you.”

  Someone waiting for you…

  The thought of that pleased him more than he cared to admit.

  The puppy panted and rolled around on his back, begging for more love. Andrew reached out to scratch his belly.

  It was unreasonable. Impractical. He really didn’t have time for a dog.

  But he wanted him all the same.

  “A dog doesn’t fit into my life,” he whispered.

  “Sometimes you have to fit things into your life,” she murmured. “Because they make it better. Because they make it worthwhile.”

  He found his gaze locking with Hailey’s. Her words seeped into his pores, invading every molecule, every cell.

  Maybe she was right. The dog didn’t fit into the neat, square world he’d built for himself. Neither did this thing, whatever it was, between him and Hailey. But maybe sometimes you just had to adjust. Go where life took you.

  Maybe it was worth the trouble.

  Scratching the dog under his chin, he asked him, “What do you think? You wanna come home with me?”

  Hailey’s smile beamed so brightly it was almost palpable. She giggled and tugged on the dog’s tail. He gave a short bark, flipping around to lick her hand. “What are you going to call him?”

  The name came to him before he even had a chance to process it. “Loki.”

  “Loki.” She bit down on her lower lip and then gave a decisive nod. “It’s perfect.”

  The dog barked again, then rested his head on Andrew’s shoe.

  “Yeah,” he agreed.

  It sort of was.

  Chapter Ten

  The next week passed by in a blur of activity. Andrew was so busy, Hailey didn’t see him any of the nights after work, and she was really starting to miss him. Not just the sex, which was always mind-blowing, but also his mere presence. He and his brothers were so caught up in meetings with investors, financial planners, and developers that he’d barely been able to spare her a glance. While she understood, she didn’t like it one bit.

  By the time Friday evening rolled around, Hailey had come to the sad conclusion that she wouldn’t be seeing Andrew tonight, or even likely this weekend. So she went home, where she’d be spending the night alone since Lily had a hot date.

  After slipping into the small tub with a glass of wine and a romance novel and enjoying a good soak, she tugged on a pair of ratty pajamas and dug a pint of chocolate chip Haagen Dazs out of the freezer. She’d just sat on the couch when her cell phone rang.

  She picked it up and read the name on her screen. Andrew.

  Excitement sparked a flutter in her belly. She hit the Accept button and held the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

  “Hi,” he said, his voice low and tired.

  “You sound exhausted.”

  “Little bit. It’s been a long week.”

  For her, too, though for different reasons.

  “So, are you just going home to crash?” She bit her lip, hating how badly she wanted for his answer to be no.

  “I’m on my way there. I have a business meeting early in the morning, up in the Hamptons.”

  “Oh.” Much as she tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice, it was there all the same. “So you don’t need me to go with you?”

  God, now she sounded desperate.

  “No, James and Sam will be going up with me.”

  Even though that sounded like a valid reason not to ask her to go with him, she couldn’t help but wonder. Did he not want her there?

  “I was thinking you could come over,” he continued, just the slightest bit of hesitancy in his tone. “Spend the night.”

  She froze. “To your place?”

  “If you want to. I can send my driver to pick you up. He’s discreet, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

  In the weeks they’d been hooking up, he’d never once invited her to his place. She didn’t even know where he lived.

  It doesn’t have to mean anything, Hails. He’s just tired.

  True as that might be, she couldn’t help but hope. Last weekend, the dog. Now this. Maybe they were turning a corner. Perhaps he was opening up.

  Maybe there is a future for us after all.

  “I’ll be leaving early tomorrow morning, but you could sleep in as late as you want,” he added, almost as if he really wanted her to say yes.

  “Ya-yeah,” she stammered. “Sure.”

  “Great. He’ll be there in an hour.”

  “Okay.” The phone clicked and she stared at it, unseeing, until she came to her senses. “Holy shit, I need to find some stuff to wear.” She bounded off the couch and raced into her bedroom.

  True to his word, an hour later, Andrew’s driver buzzed her intercom. She grabbed her overnight bag and raced down the stairs, hoping she didn’t seem too eager. After climbing into the backseat, she tried to curb her impatience as they crawled their way through the streets and across the bridge into Manhattan. Traffic was as bad as could be expected for a Friday night, which meant it took the better part of an hour to get to Andrew’s apartment building in the Upper East Side.

  “Whoa,” she murmured when the driver pulled up to the building. She expected he’d live somewhere fabulous, but this was beyond her imagination. Rather than one of the newer, cold, steel-and-glass condominiums she’d expected, it was an older building with no more than twenty stories. The stone façade rose up from the ground like a majestic tower. The driver opened her door and she stepped out, reaching for the bag he held in his hand. “I’ll take that.”

  He moved away before she could grab it. “I wouldn’t dream of it, ma’am.”

  Hailey gave an uncomfortable shrug and allowed him to accompany her to the entrance where a doorman waited to open one of the glass and gilded-frame doors.

  The driver finally relinquished her bag.

  “Thank you.”

  He flashed her a grin. “Have a good night, ma’am.”

  Murmuring a word of thanks to the doorman, she stepped into the lobby, where a security guard waited at the concierge desk. The lush lobby was a study in gold and crystal. Its rich opulence made her wish she’d thought to wear more than a black tank top, sandals, and a pair of dark blue capris.

  The guard took one look at her and said, “Good evening, Miss Thompson.”

  Blinking, she looked around. As if that could help explain how this stranger knew who she was.

  He grinned. “Mr. Everly told me he was expecting you. He’d like you to meet him upstairs in his apartment.” Moving from behind the desk, he led her to the gilded elevators.

  Jeez, even the elevators are covered in gold. It was intimidating, to say the least.

  Giving the guard a nervous smile, she anxiously awaited the elevator. It finally arrived with a ding. The smiling guard motioned her on.

  He twisted his upper body inside and pressed the button labeled UP. Then he punched a few numbers into the security keypad. “Mr. Everly’s door is the only one on his level, so you’ll have no difficulty reaching it.”

  Upper penthouse, and he lives on the whole floor. Figures.

  “Good night, Miss.” He gave her a respectful nod.

  “Good night.”

  He pulled out of the elevator just as the door began to slide closed.

  Clutching her bag to her, Hailey leaned against the elevator. Who would’ve thought something so simple
as visiting Andrew at his apartment would be so spectacular?

  Just remember, this is his normal.

  That thought was sobering. Despite the fact they’d been friends of sorts as children, they really did come from different worlds.

  Too different?

  That was the question that worried her.

  What seemed like a small eternity later, the elevator stopped on the top floor. The door slid open to reveal a long, elegant hallway. Brown-veined marble decorated the floor, and the walls were an elegant cream. The only furniture in the hall was a cherry-stained receiving table halfway between the elevator and the majestic double doors ahead. On it was a crystal vase with a lush bouquet of flowers.

  Hailey’s sandals clicked on the floor as she started down the hall. The sound of them, the surreal feeling of being in something that looked like a museum only more expensive, frayed her nerves. I don’t belong here.

  Bullshit. She’d never been one to doubt herself, to think herself unworthy. She wasn’t about to start now.

  Pep talk given, she straightened her spine and stalked across the remaining space. When she pressed her finger to the gilded doorbell, the soft tones of a Beethoven symphony sounded out.

  A moment later, an intercom buzzed and Andrew’s voice spoke. “Come in.”

  Hailey reached out and turned the knob. The door opened easily. Guess that was the beauty of being the only apartment on the entire floor, and accessible only by special code. Didn’t have to worry about locking the front door.

  She stepped into a foyer that was probably half the size of her apartment. The dark wood flooring was accented by cream walls, and the entire space screamed “Expensive.” Forcing her jaw shut, she closed the door and locked it for good measure. This might be a luxurious apartment building, but in the short time she’d been in New York, she had become a city girl, through and through. No way would she sleep well knowing the front door wasn’t secured.

  When Andrew didn’t immediately appear, she looked right, then left. Corridors snaked out from the entrance in either direction, and she wasn’t quite sure which way to go. Before she could make a decision, a short bark sounded out to her left.

  Loki bounded around the corner, his legs pumping as he raced toward her with excitement.

  “Loki!” Her nerves evaporated at the sight of the dog that reminded her so much of Andrew’s childhood pet. She knelt to close him in her arms, and he jumped on her, licking her face. “You’re happy to see me, huh?”

  He barked and panted.

  Laughing, she examined the dog closely. He looked good, his shiny coat and filled-out tummy telling her he’d been well taken care of. That pleased her in ways she couldn’t even understand.

  “You’re looking spiffy, bud.”

  Loki let out a little whine.

  “He’s been good to you, huh? I knew he would be.”

  He smiled a doggy smile and barked again, making her giggle.

  “You’re right, I’m sure you’ve been good for him also.” Leaning down, she whispered into his ear. “Guess what, I think maybe I have been, too.”

  Loki let out a whine.

  The murmur of a voice came from the same direction Loki had appeared, and Andrew rounded the corner into her sight. He spoke on his cell phone, his words too low to hear. But his face was lined with exhaustion, his shoulders drooping as if a great weight had been placed onto them. The man clearly needed a good night’s sleep.

  He motioned for her to follow him so she rose, Loki by her side, and trailed him down the corridor. She passed a door that led into a spectacular, spotless kitchen, and stepped into the expansive living room. Her gaze immediately strayed to the wall of windows lining one entire side of the room.

  “Holy hell.” She practically stumbled over a dog toy in her single-minded focus to get a closer look at the view from those windows.

  “We need him on board by this Tuesday,” Andrew said to the person on the other line. “Otherwise, it’ll stall the first phase.”

  Hailey came to a stop in front of the glass. The cityscape was spectacular. Lights from neighboring buildings and the cars on the streets below created a sparkling glow. This was the sort of view you could see your whole life and never tire of.

  “Amazing,” she whispered.

  “Yes, let’s discuss it further tomorrow,” Andrew said.

  Tearing her gaze from the view, Hailey turned around to face Andrew. He frowned into the phone, absently pacing back and forth before a huge leather sectional. His feet were bare, and his dress shirt untucked. The top three buttons were undone, but that was as far as he’d gotten. The flatscreen television that took up a good-sized portion of one of the other walls was flickering images but muted, as if he’d been attempting to relax in front of the television before being interrupted by the phone call.

  “No, the following week won’t do.” Andrew ran a hand through his hair, leaving the front mussed in a way that made him look totally adorable, if not more than a little tired. “It has to be by Tuesday.”

  Loki came to sit in front of her, his dog toy in his mouth. Bending to pet him some more, she glanced around the rest of the living room. Impressionistic artwork decorated the walls, a cozy reading nook had been built into one corner of the room, and a rustic fireplace lay nearby. It was charming and exquisite, and just the slightest bit impersonal. Everything was clearly expensive and done in the best of taste, but there were no wild splashes of color. No warm throws. No pillows to help decorate the space. It was unmistakably a bachelor pad.

  “Yes, see what you can do,” Andrew said. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  Hailey brought her gaze back to him just as he hit a button on his phone and set into on the glass coffee table. He sighed and ruffled his hair once more.

  “Long day?” she asked softly.

  “Long week.” He sat on the couch and absently rested his feet on the coffee table, leaning back into a stretch. Although he looked exhausted, he smiled at her. “Thanks for coming over.”

  “And miss out on the chance to see this place? What, am I crazy?” she teased.

  He chuckled and held his arms out to her.

  Her heart twisted. Never in a million years would she have expected him to reach out for her so unreservedly.

  Giving in to the urge to race over to him, she crawled onto his lap and curled herself against him, allowing his arms to envelop her. Now she felt warm and safe. Like this was where she belonged.

  Loki let out a soft bark and leapt up beside them, curling into a ball with his toy in his mouth. He closed his eyes and settled down, letting out a little snort. Just like that, he was asleep.

  Crazy thing. I wish I could fall asleep that fast.

  The thought of how very domestic the three of them must look made her chest tighten with warmth and softness. Something akin to happiness.

  Burying her face in Andrew’s chest, Hailey allowed herself a smile. She could get used to this.

  “I missed you,” he said quietly.

  “Me too.” She breathed in deep, inhaling the masculine essence that was distinctive to Andrew. Somehow it made her both relaxed and turned on at the same time.

  Oh yes, most definitely turned on. Just smelling his scent brought back the memory of their last time together. The way his hard cock had felt, pumping away inside of her.

  Moisture pooled between her thighs, making her ready for him in a heartbeat. For all her secretive desire to get Andrew addicted to her, she was beginning to think she may have been the one who’d ended up addicted. And right now, she didn’t care.

  She rubbed her nose against the cool fabric of his shirt. “It feels like it’s been weeks since we were alone together.”

  Her words were met with no response.

  “Andrew?”

  His hand slid loosely down her back, coming to rest by the curves of her ass.

  Pulling back, she looked into Andrew’s face. He was out, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly agape.

  Wel
l, I’ll be damned. Apparently Loki wasn’t the only one who could fall asleep on a dime. She could only imagine how exhausted he must be.

  Poor Andrew. Her gaze wandered over his face, drinking in the sight. He had long eyelashes that rested right above his cheeks. His lips were full and soft, the upper one graced with a center bow that would have been beautiful on a woman, but on him was just plain sexy. Beneath the layer of stubble that had begun to line his face there was a cute little birthmark, right next to his upper lip.

  Stunning. The man was pure perfection, especially when asleep. Something about him was so sweet, so vulnerable, that he seemed far younger than his years.

  He invited me over just to sleep.

  The knowledge that Andrew wanted her here with him, even when he was too tired to do anything about it, filled her heart with a crazy sense of joy. This thing between them, whatever it was, might have started out as sex, but it was quickly turning into more.

  Maybe there really was something here. Something worth holding on to.

  Worth fighting for.

  ***

  After all this time, Andrew was this close to seeing his father’s dream to fruition. Key staff had already been hired for the Italian and French versions of Distinguished Gentleman, and the foreign offices were set to open within the next few months. Henry backing out of his investment had thrown a wrench in the plan, but Daniel Milstrom had stepped up to the plate and upped his investment. In exchange for a bigger piece of the pie, of course.

  All in all, despite a few setbacks, things were proceeding according to plan. Which left Andrew very satisfied, but even more tired.

  His brother James gave a yawn and sat in the chair across from Andrew’s desk. In contrast to their youngest sibling Sam, who only put in the work on the rare occasions when they managed to browbeat him into feeling guilty, James had been working just as hard as Andrew to complete the first phase of the expansion.

  “We’re almost there,” James said.

  “Thank god,” Andrew agreed.

  James crossed his ankle over his knee and surveyed Andrew. “Father would’ve been proud.”

  “Of all of us.” It had been their father’s biggest dream to take DG global, but he’d died before he could see it come to pass.