Quickly, I pull out a pair of Guess jeans and a tan cashmere Marc Jacob sweater. Probably the most affordable items of the bunch. The jeans are a size six and fit perfectly. They encase my ass snugly and the length hits perfectly on my foot. It will be ideal for a nice bootie with a two or three inch heel.
I make my way back to the kitchen barefoot and hear the men conversing. I wait behind the entryway wall to eavesdrop.
“Chase! Dude, when was the last time you brought a girl home?”
Chase laughs and I press my ear as close to the entrance as possible.
“I’ve never brought a woman here. You know that. I’m bringing her to the function tonight, too.”
“Seriously? Wow! You like her. You like her a lot!”
I can’t hear Chase’s reply. Dammit. He speaks too softly.
“Aunt Coleen is going to be there. The rest of the family too.”
“I know.” Chase’s voice is strained. “I want Gillian by my side.”
“Cooper will be there,” Carson warns.
“I don’t want her anywhere near that fucker!”
Whoa. He’s got some serious issues with his cousin Cooper. I knew from the conversation at dinner last week that there was something there but this gets more interesting by the minute.
“She’s a redhead.” I hear Carson mutter in a hushed tone.
“I noticed.” Chase says and that’s when I decide to make my entrance.
“You noticed what?” I ask as I saunter in completely dressed, pretending I didn’t hear a thing.
“How beautiful you are,” Chase says without missing a beat. Nice save. I blush knowing that’s not what they were saying. I appreciate his compliment anyway. “I was just telling Carson that I was bringing you to the Houses for Humanity charity event this evening. The San Francisco Chapter is hosting quite the posh event to raise money.”
“That sounds wonderful, I’m happy to attend. It’s always great when I can attend a charity event and make mental notes of how they organized it, what they offered in way of food, how the presentation was done and such.” Both men smirk at me.
“Gillian, this is not work. This is you going as my significant other. You will be meeting my family.” Chase shocks me with that. His significant other. I hadn’t realized we reached an official status. I don’t really know how to respond.
“Why would you take notes at a boring ass charity event?” Carson asks. It reminds me that he doesn’t know what I do for a living or anything about me really.
“Gillian works for the Safe Haven Foundation. She’s the Contributions Manager there. She makes us a great deal of money.” Chase beams with pride. “Her campaigns have been incredibly successful.”
“You work for Safe Haven?” Carson clarifies and I nod. “So…Chase is your boss?”
“You could say that.” I answer honestly then hang my head. My hair falls in front of my face, hiding my embarrassment.
“Dude, that’s, well, I didn’t know you had it in you to break rules like that.” He laughs. “Damn, you’re smitten!” He chuckles.
“Shut up, you bastard.” Chase laughs, too.
Bentley makes his appearance, rushing in with a pretty young blonde in tow. Must be his assistant. Are all the women around Chase blonde and beautiful? It’s enough to give any woman a complex, especially being a redhead, against a sea of shiny, perfect, blondes.
“So, I don’t need that extra seat at the event tonight.” Carson picks at a piece of invisible lint on his shirt.
“What happened to the girl you were bringing?” Chase asks.
“Didn’t work out. She wanted to get married and have babies…yesterday!” Carson cringes. “So I’m going solo.”
I immediately think of Kat. She’s available and can be ready at a moment’s notice. The show she’s working on doesn’t open for a couple more weeks. Her Saturday should be free and Carson is just her type. Tall, good-looking, laughs a lot. “I know someone I could invite to be your date,” I venture into unchartered territory, wondering if I’ve suggested a double date too soon. I barely even know Chase, let alone Carson.
“Really?” Carson seems hopeful. “Is she hot?” I nod. “No, I mean, is she hot like you?”
Chase punches Carson in the arm.
“Ouch! Damn Dude! What the hell?” Carson rubs his arm and looks like a sad little puppy.
“Don’t hit on my woman and you’ll live life with a lot less bruises.” Chase’s hint of humor holds a note of warning. His woman? I like the sound of that but choose not to let it go to my head. I’m still unconvinced this will go further than a few weeks and a few rolls in the hay once he learns how weak I am.
“I’ll call her now! Her name is Kathleen, we call her Kat. She’s tall, blonde, thin but curvy in all the right places,” I tell Carson. He waggles his blonde eyebrows. I think he might be perfect for Kat. She has a soft spot for big, hunky blondes. Carson fits the bill perfectly. Hell, I may get BFF of the year award for this set up. Now I just have to pull my get out of jail free card in order to get her to go on a blind date. Every woman hates a blind date. Once she’s there and sees his fine ass she’ll be thanking me!
“I’ll be back in twenty.” I tell the men. Chase catches me as I turn to leave. He grasps my waist and pulls me against him. I fall into his lap. One hand strokes my thigh and the other holds me close. He inhales my scent at the crook of my neck. Carson gets up and leaves the room. I’m not sure where he’s going nor do I care. When Chase’s arms are around me everything and everyone ceases to exist.
“What do you want for breakfast,” he whispers into my ear. His tongue slides up the curve of my neck. I lean to the side giving him better access.
“Mmm, you?” I breathe seductively against his lips.
He laughs. “Seriously, whatever you want. It’s yours.” His hands slide up the front of my shirt and cups my breasts. I increase the pressure by pushing his hands against me and sigh with pleasure. He tweaks the peaks through the fabric. “Jesus, I want you again,” he says through clenched teeth, thrusting his ridged length against my ass.
I flip myself around and put my legs on either side of the chair, straddling him, then plant my lips over his. He deepens the kiss and we spend a few minutes groping and kissing like two hormone driven teenagers.
“Chase! Today!” Carson yells from somewhere outside the kitchen.
Chase pulls away. “If that bastard wasn’t my best friend I’d throw him out on his ass.”
I laugh and shimmy out of his grasp. I mouth the word “Later,” and he grins and heads out of the kitchen.
After heavy cajoling and pulling out every trick in the book, Kat agrees to go to the charity function as Carson’s date. I’m thrilled. I tell her that I owe her one. She reminds me that I owe her plenty more than one. I squeal in excitement and then compose myself once more.
Kat is going to evaluate her closet. The woman has more dresses than a bridal shop, though many are in various stages of creation. I’m sure one of them will do. I remind her that she’s the most talented designer I’ve ever known and she should wear something already finished. I also inform her that Chase’s cousin is a designer. I hear her intake of breath when she puts two and two together and realizes that Chloe Davis is Chase’s family. Apparently she knows who the young designer is and groans saying she can’t possibly wear anything old. I hang up leaving her talking to herself and freaking out. She could care less about the date now. She’s more interested in meeting the designer.
I go back into the kitchen and realize Chase and Carson are no longer there. I look around perplexed.
“They are in the garden,” Bentley informs me.
A garden? We’re on the fifty first floor of a skyscraper. Where the hell would they put a garden?
“Take her to the garden,” Bentley tells his assistant.
“Come with me, Miss Callahan,” she says.
“Call me, Gigi.” The young girl smiles shyly and nods her head.
We walk
through the length of the apartment to a spiraling black staircase. It reminds me that I haven’t really had the tour of Chase’s home. I’ve seen the dining room, kitchen, his bedroom and bathroom. I smirk realizing that Chase and I have been too busy pleasing each other to have a proper look around. I shrug, not really caring.
“Just go up the stairs and you’ll be there,” the young blonde says.
“Thank you. What’s your name?” I ask.
“Summer,” she says looking down and gripping her black dress.
“A beautiful name,” I tell her. She smiles and rushes back to Bentley and her tasks.
The staircase is wrought iron and very intricate. The spindles are swirled metal with curling ends that encircle the railing like a claw. I reach the top and open the heavy metal door. Bright light blinds me as I put a hand over my eyes. OH MY GOD!
The garden spans the entire rooftop. It looks like a huge courtyard with a greenhouse, trickling fountains, shrubbery, pretty much everything you would find in an upscale mansion’s backyard but on top of a roof. There’s even a lap pool and a hot tub. I let out a wolf whistle as Chase grips my shoulders.
“You like?”
“I like,” I say, barely able to speak.
I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It’s out of this world. We’ve escaped the city and landed in the book, A Secret Garden. I feel worlds away from concrete and the city, though if you look across the horizon you can see the entire cityscape in all its glory. There’s the magnificent view of the ocean and the bay. It spans the horizon in a perfect line as if the world just clips off and ends where the line stops. The view is incredible.
Chase walks around the garden, holding me close, pointing out different plants, telling me names and whether they bloom or are seasonal plants. His knowledge is telling and I ask about the greenhouse. He explains that he believes all buildings need greenhouses and that Americans can lessen our carbon footprint by placing them atop every city building across the nation.
Being green is something we have in common. I make a mental note to bring it up at dinner tonight. Kat could go on and on about it. Between her and Bree, I’ve been completely brainwashed. I buy organic regardless of the price because I’m convinced that if I bought otherwise they would know and I’d suffer the consequences. I choose to pick my battles with the lovelies. Then again, I make them feel guilty about not giving to charity every chance I get so it evens out.
Bentley serves us a scrumptious brunch, including feta stuffed egg white omelets with plenty of spinach, tomatoes and honey-glazed bacon. He couples it with homemade hash browns that are cut into perfect squares. How he was able to cut a potato into a square I don’t know, but it is delicious. The cook added several different fruits and pastries and Chase opens up a bottle of champagne. We sip mimosas and gaze out over the city. It’s been lovely getting to know Carson and Chase in a casual setting. It’s one of the best mornings I’ve had in a long time.
Carson takes his leave shortly after breakfast and Chase and I spend the rest of the day getting to know each other better.
I’m not surprised to learn he’s involved in a dozen charities. He serves on several of their boards. The others he mostly gives monetary donations to. He also tells me about the different types of businesses he owns, from hotels, to tech related companies, to fashion stores, to night clubs and restaurants. His interests are fascinating and broad. He really does have his hand in a bit of everything.
“You know what’s funny?” I lean my head against his chest as we sit on a large garden lounge chair not quite designed to fit two but we make it work.
“Hmm?” He massages my shoulders and I lean my head back to give him further access to my aching muscles.
“You’re Phillip’s boss, too!” I laugh.
He stops massaging and hums. “Really?”
“Yup, he works for the architectural firm on the 20th floor.” I giggle.
“Small world.” He continues the massage, digging into the overworked muscles. “So tell me more about you and Phillip.”
I know Chase is worried about my relationship with Phil, possibly even jealous. “We met in high school. I introduced him to his wife Angela. Stood up in their wedding as maid of honor. Oh, that feels good,” I groan as he finds a knot in my neck and works his magic fingers through it.
I sigh when the muscle releases and he smoothes his hands along the base of my neck. “Then they had Anabelle, and I was honored to be asked to be her Godmother.”
“You love that little girl a great deal.” It’s a statement not a question but I answer anyway.
“So much. And since her mom passed, I feel it’s more important than ever that I be there for her.”
He nods his head and snuggles into the crook of my neck from behind. “So you and Phillip were never in a relationship?”
I sigh. I really didn’t want to go into this. “I wouldn’t exactly say that,” I admit.
He stops massaging and his body tenses. The air around us is suddenly thick. Chase pulls me to lean fully against his chest. His arms cross around my front in a hugging manner.
“Tell me,” he whispers against my ear, sending chills of excitement dancing along my nerve endings.
“Phillip and I weren’t in a relationship in the conventional sense. We never dated. He never considered me his girlfriend. I never considered him my boyfriend. Nothing like that.” I exhale, feeling a bit annoyed that we’re even having this conversation.
“What is it, Baby? Just tell me what it was?” His hands slide up and down my biceps. I stiffen, destroying the relaxed place we were moments before. I’m not embarrassed by my relationship with Phillip but I know instinctively how Chase is going to take this bit of information.
I decide to spit it out and go for broke. “Phillip was my first, Chase.” I turn my head but he doesn’t look at me. “It was a long time ago. We were teenagers. I didn’t want my first time to be with someone who would take advantage of me.”
I grip his chin and force him to look at me. I need to see his eyes. He doesn’t say what he’s thinking but his eyes tell me what I need to know. They are cloudy and deep blue. Not good.
“He was your first?” he asks through clenched teeth.
I nod as his eyes calculate my features, jumping from one plane to the next. A deep emotion crosses his features and then with finality he says, “I’ll be your last.”
The look in his eyes is steadfast and haunting. This is the Chase I don’t want to cross. The one who says what he means and means what he says, almost frightening in his intensity.
I don’t know how to respond. His words floor me. The meaning behind them, his promise, is startling. “What’s happening between us?” I take a shuddering breath asking the question I’ve wanted to know since the moment I realized this thing between us wasn’t going to go away. If I was honest it was the moment I realized the hell we were going to go through when I found out he was the Chairman of the Board. My insides heat, anxiety swirls within my gut as I take a deep breath. The words spill from my lips so quickly I’m not able to hold them back. “What I’m feeling…it’s too fast.” I close my eyes.
He pulls me to his chest and holds me tightly. His gaze pierces mine. “For me, too.”
After an eternity of staring into one another’s minds, hearts and souls, he pulls at my sweater and I hold my arms above my head. His fingers slide the straps of my bra down, then he unhooks the back, letting it fall. My breathing quickens. I can tell he’s brooding about Phillip and me but this thing between us is too strong to ignore. It’s like a live wire sparking at both ends, burning us, scarring our souls with an imprint of the other.
Chase doesn’t speak. He unsnaps my jeans and gestures for me to stand. I do and he pulls my jeans and panties down at the same time leaving me bare before him. His eyes scour every inch of my naked form. His fingers trace the sides of my rounded breasts, down each rib, along my waistline before he grips my hips possessively and brings his face to my st
omach. He places a hard kiss just under my naval before he pulls my body down to straddle his legs. I pull his t-shirt over his head leaving him tenting his pajama bottoms, the fabric restricting his manhood. He traces my curves with the tips of his fingers again in the lightest caress. He draws an infinity symbol over my chest and between my breasts. I lean my head back and close my eyes in pure ecstasy as he takes one hard peak into the warmth of his mouth. He sucks the tip and then clamps his perfect teeth against the swollen flesh. The jolt goes straight to my core and I push my breast against his mouth, wanting, needing more of him. My fingers dig into his shoulders as he places wicked lashes of his talented tongue against each breast with biting precision. He nips and licks until I’m panting and grinding against his cock. I’m coating his pants with the wetness between my thighs.
Finally, I can wait no longer. “Chase, please,” I beg.
He grins devilishly and bites my breast softly while pinching the other peak to perfection.
I grip his head. “Chase…”
“These are mine.” He licks and bites each tip again. I sigh in agreement. “Say they’re mine, Baby,” he urges with a hard suck and swirl of his tongue. I jerk my hips against his hardness trying to force him to touch me there.
“Yours.” The word slips from my dry mouth as I focus hard on the building pressure his words of ownership send through my body. He has me twisting and rutting on top of him, barreling to the top of the roller coaster, waiting to be pushed off into a free fall.
He slides his hand down to my clit and presses his thumb in teasing circles. I cry out and shudder, wrapping my legs around his waist to thrust harder against his hand. He swirls slowly, just out of the realm of tipping me over into the release I’m dying for. He licks his lips and kisses my throat. “Look down Baby, see me touching you.”
I look down and see his finger spinning in lazy circles over my cherry red clit, engorged and aching for the pressure only he can provide. “This. This is mine,” he affirms.
Body (Trinity Trilogy Book 1) Page 16