Electric!

by Ava McKnight

  “I know. I wouldn’t ask you to. It’s important to us both.”

  “Yes.”

  Chase said, “Enjoy your dinner with Meg. But be sure to call me when you get to Hartford.”

  She smiled again, despite the tension she inherently felt over their predicament. “I will. Have a nice night.”

  “Yeah, I think I’ll hit a pub with friends.”

  “Stay out of trouble.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that, babe.”

  She prayed he was right. Chase was one seriously good-looking man, after all.

  Though, considering how hard he’d been on himself over sleeping with a woman who looked like her when she and Chase weren’t even together reassured her she had nothing to worry about.

  She hung up, snatched her small clutch from the passenger seat and climbed out of the SUV.

  The Ocean Club was a trendy hotspot and she was surprised to find that Meg had snagged two prime seats at the bar. The place was packed.

  “What are you drinking?” Meg asked.

  “Dirty martini, extra olives.”

  “Excellent choice.” She did little more than bat her long eyelashes and the bartender swooped in, all but drooling over Meg in her red, strapless minidress.

  Cassidy didn’t miss the offense other women took at how attentive the hunky bartender was with Meg and how quickly he served her, whipping up the martini before moving on to take other orders.

  Actually, it wasn’t so much offense… It was pea-green envy.

  Sliding onto a stool, Cassidy asked, “Personal friend of yours?”

  Meg waved a manicured hand in the air. “I might have had sex with him once or twice.”

  Cassidy laughed. “That memorable, huh?”

  Leaning in close, Meg said over the music and animated conversations, “He’s an animal! Like, stud-of-the-century amazing. But not exactly a man you can trust when he’s got more than half the women in Scottsdale panting over him.”

  Cassidy’s brows narrowed. “Now hold on there. You claimed at the party in Flagstaff that no man has ever devoured you with his eyes. Totally wrong, because this guy just gobbled you up.”

  With a shake of her head, Meg said, “What I told you is that no man has looked at me the way Chase does you. Not just lustfully, but with intense longing that goes far beyond merely wanting to fuck. Which is all Jared wants, trust me.”

  “I don’t know…” She stole a glance down the long line of the bar and found that Jared the Bartender kept stealing his own glances. At Meg. Returning her attention to her friend, she said, “I think he’s a bit more into you than you suspect.”

  From under her thick lashes, Meg peered at the strapping dark-haired, blue-eyed man and then shrugged. “Doubtful, but it doesn’t matter anyway. I’d go out of my mind if I dated a guy who looked like that and had all these women throwing themselves at him.”

  “Do you know for a fact he’s the Don Draper type?” she challenged.

  “Oh come on!” Meg laughed. “You’re going to throw that in my face when I just set a record for getting the fastest martini delivered at one of the most popular bars in town? He’s just greasing the let me sex you up wheels.”

  “I don’t know. You gave me a hard time when I thought Chase was the type to do up all the ladies in town. He’s not.” Unable to fight a grin, she added, “In fact, he was at home when he called me on my way over here. Since I had plans with you, he decided to go have a drink with friends.”

  Meg’s green eyes twinkled. “You passed up a date with Chase to hang with me?”

  “We made a date,” Cassidy reminded her. “I’d never back out on a friend to be with a guy.”

  “Wow.” Meg sipped her cocktail and then said, “I’m not really sure what to say to that, Cassidy.”

  “Cass.”

  Meg laughed softly. “Cass. Right. Some new leaf you’ve turned over.”

  “I believe they call it character development. You getting on my case at the party was actually pretty helpful. And Chase enlightened me as well.”

  “Yeah, about that…” Meg’s expression turned downright wicked. “What is going on between you two? He left the shindig shortly after you did. To meet up with you at the house you rented?”

  Her cheeks flushed at the memory of the weekend she’d spent with Chase. “It was sort of an accident. Yet kind of fated, I guess. I was scrolling through your texts and saw one asking if I wanted company. I said yes, but I thought I was replying to you. Next thing I know, Chase is on my doorstep, looking devilishly handsome as usual and I don’t know… I was shocked, but I couldn’t send him away. I seriously could not resist him.”

  “Oh. My. God.” Meg’s eyes widened. “You fucked him?”

  Cassidy cringed. “Not so loud!”

  “Please. No one’s paying attention to us. But I am definitely going to need another drink for this conversation.” She drained her glass and didn’t even have to place an order for a second one, because Jared kept an eye on her and was already pouring her a cocktail before she’d even finished the first.

  He set the glass on the bar and leaned toward Meg. “Let me know if you need a ride home tonight.” Then he turned away to crack the tap on an amber brew.

  Cassidy gave her friend a pointed look.

  Meg smirked. “What can I say? The man makes house calls.”

  “I believe there’s another term for it.”

  “Whatever. As many times as he’s been over, he might as well move in.”

  “Ha! So much for a time or two.”

  “I will concede that when he offers, I have trouble turning him down. But again… It’s just sex.”

  “Right. Just sex.” Cassidy’s tone dripped playful sarcasm. “I tried that one out myself with Chase. And ended up in a relationship with him. Well, of sorts.”

  “So you’re dating?”

  “Yes. Although, this huge competition for Tom’s position has left skid marks in the road. Just when we were driving fast and furious toward something, I suddenly have to fly all over the damn country. To top it off, we’re both vying for the same job. Pretty much a romantic buzz-kill, you know?”

  “I can see where that would create some problems.” Meg sipped, then asked, “But you’re still going to try to be together, right? I mean after all this time—after two years of flirting—for you to finally hook up… Shit, how depressing it’d be to walk away from that just because of your job.”

  “I want this promotion,” Cassidy told her.

  “And if he gets it instead? Seriously, Cass, are you telling me you’d stop seeing him because he’s a VP and you’re not?”

  She sighed. “It’s not exactly like that, Meg.” Popping an olive into her mouth, she chewed, then tried to explain as best as she could. “It’s not that I’d begrudge him beating me out. I mean, I’d certainly feel the sting. But I’d also have to accept that I clearly didn’t do everything in my power to land that job.”

  “But wouldn’t you want to do everything in your power to keep Chase?”

  Glancing away, she said, “That’s kind of extreme, don’t you think? This is all very new, Meg.”

  “Two years is not new, Cass. You know this guy. You trust this guy. You really, really like this guy.”

  All of that was true of course. The very reason she’d invited him into her rental when she should have sent him on his way—how difficult would it have been to call the Town Car driver and have him return Chase to the country club?

  And what about the sexy things she’d allowed him to do to her? He’d tied her up, for God’s sake!

  She’d loved every single second of it. Wanted more, even.

  “This sucks.” She took a big gulp of martini. The alcohol burned her throat and stomach, giving her something to focus on other than the way everything had turned upside-down with Chase.

  “Look,” Meg said in a placating tone. “The way I see it, you have to figure out how to work with Chase—regardless of who’s the boss�
��and have a relationship with him as well. Because it’s quite clear you’re as blown away by him as he is you. Flying all over the damn country, as you put it, isn’t doing either of you any favors.”

  “What do you suggest?” she countered. “That I throw in the towel and give up this chance to be the first female Vice President of Accounts? You do realize that there’s only one woman on the executive floor. I want that job, Meg. I want that office.”

  “You want Chase too, right?”

  “At this point, that goes without saying.”

  Meg reached for her glass. Eyeing Cassidy over the rim, she said, “I don’t envy the position you’re in, even if I’d once bitched about no man looking at me the way Chase looks at you.”

  “The painful fact is, I know absolutely nothing about being in a relationship and here I am with the possibility for it while embroiled in one of the worst conceivable scenarios.”

  “If you want him as bad as you want this promotion, Cass, you’ll figure out how to have both.”

  Oh so much easier said than done.

  But Meg had a point.

  * * * * *

  Chase chuckled when a private courier service arrived on his doorstep with a pizza and a six-pack of his favorite local microbrew. He tipped the dude and opened the accompanying note.

  It’s actually more difficult to get booze delivered in Arizona than one might expect. Enjoy! Cass

  “Crafty,” he mumbled under his breath. She’d hired a courier to pick up the pizza and the beer.

  To the driver, he asked, “Strangest delivery you’ve made thus far?”

  “Hell, no,” the guy said with a laugh. “I’ve picked up new panties at Nordstrom and delivered them to a Cardinals football player at five in the morning so his one-night stand could leave his mansion with a clean thong—without having to wear one of his wife’s. I’ve transported a captured rattlesnake trapped in an ice chest to a snake sanctuary for location replacement. He was damn pissed-off and scared the fuck out me because I kept thinking he was gonna break free of that locked lid.” He lowered his voice and said, “I’ve picked up illegal Cuban cigars in Nogales, Mexico and smuggled them across the border for some rich guy’s poker party. That ain’t even the half of it, Jack.”

  “Heh.” Chase accepted his delivery and tried to tip the courier, but Cassidy had taken care of that too.

  It was Sunday afternoon and he had the baseball game on, happy to see the Diamondbacks were crushing the Rockies. He settled on the sofa, set the box on the coffee table and flipped open the lid. Still piping hot.

  After a couple bites of the double-cheese supreme—another favorite—he popped the top off a bottle and sucked down the lager.

  Cassidy had obviously made the delivery arrangements earlier, since she was currently on a flight to Hartford. She’d made his softball game in the morning, which had subsequently made his day, especially when she’d been so impressed over his grand slam in the seventh inning. She’d let him drive her to the airport—a total shock because that just screamed relationship. Yet she hadn’t freaked. And her goodbye kiss had been fucking hot.

  He called her later. “Nice surprise at my front door today,” he said when she answered.

  “I thought it’d be a good complement to the game.”

  “You know me well.” An interesting revelation. He was always going out of his way to prove he knew her well, not giving much thought to exactly how familiar she was with his interests and habits. “How’s Connecticut?” he asked.

  “Beautiful spring weather. We just got in from dinner. Dad recommended Tresca for Italian tomorrow night in Boston. Have you been?”

  “Great restaurant. Owned by Ray Bourque, a former Canadian hockey player. You’ll like the osso bucco, though the seafood and pasta are outstanding as well.”

  “Sounds as though I’ll have a tough time deciding.”

  “See, this is when it’s great to have someone with you who will share. That way you get more than one option.”

  “Sadly, I’m used to dining alone when I’m not with clients. And asking if they share is, of course, out of the question.”

  He laughed. “That could make for awkward conversation. Although, as much as your clients adore you, I suspect you could pull it off.”

  “Speaking of… How are things going on your end?”

  “Not bad at all. A lot of my insureds sound shocked to hear from me pre-renewal period. But I’ve learned a few things about their evolving businesses, as you continually remind me, that help me to put thought into how better to serve their needs.”

  “And I’m sure they appreciate your interest, Chase.”

  They talked a bit more before he let her go, since she was ahead of him time-wise and had a flight in the morning.

  The next day, he caught her mid-afternoon, in between meetings. It was trickier to hook up with her for a couple of days after that, given her flights and schedule. But Chase always left a text. Just so she knew he was thinking of her.

  * * * * *

  On Wednesday evening, Meg called Cassidy, her voice an octave higher than usual. “Are you sitting down?”

  “Yes. I’m at Pied à Terre in Miami and loving it. I am literally eating my way along the East Coast.”

  “And landing accounts as you go. Your Willamette Valley winery is signing the policies Underwriting finished. Piper Industries will be in the office on Monday to discuss quotes. They want to meet personally with McClellan, since they’re previous insureds and have a relationship with him. Rumor has it, they’ll be back on board as soon as their current policies expire. A couple smaller accounts are in the bag, all creating a crazy buzz around this place and excitement over our next quarterly bonuses. But, I have even bigger news.”

  Cassidy sipped her merlot and said, “Lay it on me.”

  “Pryce Shipley’s office finally called. He’ll give you a half-hour for a meet-and-greet on Friday morning before his flight to Milan. Epperson-Langley is going global and this promotion will be yours, for sure, if you can pique his interest enough to get him to discuss terms.”

  “Holy cow.” She set aside her glass. “This is the best news ever, Meg. I need this account—especially with the global aspect. At the very least, I need my foot in the door to prove I have the chance to land this account.”

  “Eight a.m. sharp at his office. I’m already changing your flights. You’ll have to fly to Pittsburgh tomorrow immediately following your afternoon meeting in Miami. After you meet with Shipley, you’ll hop a plane to Philly for your three o’clock with Dawson, LLC.”

  Admittedly, Cassidy was exhausted from her current itinerary and this addition would make her scramble even more. But it was worth it.

  “Meg, you are so awesome.”

  “Just doing my job.” Cassidy heard the smile in Meg’s voice. She knew that if Cassidy moved to the executive floor, Meg would be moving with her. It was a no-brainer. Cassidy couldn’t survive without her. “So what are you going to do with all the frequent-flyer miles you’re racking up? Actually go on vacation?”

  She thought of her conversation with Chase about getting away for another weekend. She’d suggested Oregon. It’d be a great escape, but she wondered now if they’d have the time for it in the coming months.

  “No plans yet,” she said.

  After finishing up her call with Meg, along with her pan-seared foie gras appetizer and roasted Rohan duck with confit, she returned to the hotel for more work.

  The following evening, she was in Pittsburgh at the Fairmont Hotel. Her flight had been delayed, so she’d landed late and had missed her dinner reservation. Thankfully, it wasn’t with a client.

  As she considered her dining options, there was a knock on her door.

  “Room service!” A man called out on the other side.

  Cassidy opened her door and said, “Sorry, wrong room. I didn’t order anything.”

  He consulted his small black folio and asked, “Miss Reynolds?”

  “Yes.�
�

  “Then this is for you.” With great fanfare, he swept his hand toward the cart draped with white linen and announced, “Cristal, an antipasto board, fruit and chocolate crème brûlée.”

  Her brow jerked up. “Crème brûlée, you say?” A total weakness. She might not enjoy bopping from town to town, but the food was to die for. ’Course she’d eventually have to step on a scale, but that would wait until she got back to Scottsdale.

  “Mr. Logan took the liberty,” the waiter explained. “He’s one of our regulars. May I enter?”

  “Sure.” She stepped aside, a smile on her face. Chase must’ve heard from Meg that her flight was delayed and ordered her goodies to make up for airplane food.

  The server unveiled all the treats, popped the cork on the champagne and splashed a sample into a glass for her to taste. With her nod of approval, he filled the crystal flute and lit the candles on the table. A small bouquet of red and white roses provided the centerpiece. All in all, a very lovely presentation.

  “If you’ll sign for me, please,” the gentleman said. “Mr. Logan has taken care of everything, including the gratuity.”

  Her stomach fluttered.

  Hell of a man.

  She gave him her signature to confirm delivery and then thanked him. When she was alone, Cassidy surveyed the bounty and plucked a fat chocolate-covered strawberry from a silver platter. She nibbled a bit more and was about to call Chase when another knock came.

  Opening the door, she found a slim blonde in a white esthetician’s jacket standing on the threshold. Beside her was a table folded in half.

  “Miss Reynolds?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mr. Logan thought you might like a massage.”

  Doesn’t he think of everything?

  “Strictly voluntary,” the young woman quickly added. “I’ll understand if you’re too tired from your travels.”

  What woman passed up a massage? Especially one arranged for her?

  “Please, come in,” Cassidy said.

  The masseuse expeditiously set up the table, draped it with a crisp sheet, added a second one and folded it back halfway. “Would you like music?” she asked.

  “That would be nice.”