Innocent in New York

by Sterling, Victoria

  "He is the hottest man alive. He won't be alone for much longer. This is your opportunity."

  Sophia's breath grew shaky. This was a bad idea. She couldn't compare to the long-legged beauty he was with earlier, and he turned her down.

  "Don't," Agnes commanded. "I can see where that stupid mind of yours is going. You look fucking amazing, and what you lack in fancy brands you double in charm."

  "You think so?"

  "I know so. Go and order a new drink. You have one chance to make this work." Agnes pushed her in the direction of the bar. Sophia nearly toppled, but caught her balance just in time, grasping the railing lining the bar. She straightened the second James looked her way.

  Smooth. She paused next to him. Her body hummed with delight standing so close. It seemed like her body had a mind of its own, reacting before her mind caught up, and she was fascinated by it. Say something. Say something. Say something. Her mind had never been this blank — even worse than her zombie-stumbling-mornings, and they were pretty bad.

  The bartender saw her and headed over wearing a great smile.

  "What can I get you?" he asked above the new rhythmic song crashing through the speakers.

  "Mojito!" She wanted something tasty.

  "Margarita coming right up!"

  "No, I — uh, whatever." She smiled and nodded, flashing a thumbs up to the bartender.

  Daring a glance James's way, she found he'd fixed his dark eyes on her. Her breath hitched. The way the light hit his cheekbones and jaw, sent her mind toppling right back to the floor beneath them. The same curiosity he had then returned. She smiled, and his lips quirked in return.

  "He's new," James said, motioning to the bartender who readied Sophia's drink, "consider yourself lucky you're getting a drink starting with the same letter."

  "Thanks for the heads-up." She smiled. "What did you order?" She looked to the out of place orange and pink drink in his hand.

  "This was supposed to be whisky."

  "Oh. Whisky has changed!"

  "Meet Watermelon Sunshine."

  That made her burst into a laugh. "That — wow, I'm sorry — that sounds fantastic." She sobered, trying to put on a serious face, but failed.

  "It's actually not that bad." He grinned.

  "Perhaps I should write down my order next time, huh?"

  "No, that's no fun." He winked. "Live on the wild side for once, and let him choose your destiny."

  "Ah, tempting," she laughed, "though, I was hoping my destiny was in for a Mojito tonight."

  His smile widened, and Sophia's heart fluttered. A shove to her side made her inch near James and one of his hands shot out to her hip to steady her, fingers dimpling her flesh. They stood so close she could feel his muscled chest press against her.

  "Th — thanks," she stuttered, shifting her gaze to his. He watched her steadily from beneath fringes of dark, thick lashes. Their closeness sent an electrifying jolt through her bones, making her want to draw nearer. She touched a hand to his chest, torn between staying there or giving him some space after crashing into him.

  "You're welcome, again, Bambi," he said, and she gasped. "I thought you looked familiar. It seems as if you need me to save you from drunken idiots."

  The light laugh behind her told her that it was Agnes who was the drunken idiot. "So it seems," she agreed. She quivered, and the glint in his eyes made her realize he felt the effect he had on her. Everything about him made every ounce of her control escape — his touch, his eyes, his scent, his looks, and his goddamned voice making her knees shake.

  "Miss Margarita!"

  She jumped at the shout and his grip slid off her. She mumbled a thanks and reached for her drink. She took a few sips, in desperate need of something to calm her nerves.

  "Are you supposed to be here?" He touched her arm, his thumb stroking the inner part of her elbow with whisper-light pressure. His question sunk in at last, and she bristled slightly. Of course he'd notice she didn't belong there, but it still stung a bit at the blatant remark.

  "Excuse me?"

  His thumb on the inside of her elbow pressed a hint harder, and her pulse jumped in response. Her gaze met his, and she had to hold onto her drink harder to keep herself in check — to keep from closing the distance between them and kissing him. She shook the daze off, remembering the taunt he had just made.

  "It was a compliment," he said, letting go. "I thought you'd enjoy downstairs; live piano and fine wine, surely a place you'd feel right at home."

  "No," she flicked him a glance from under her lashes, "I'm supposed to be right here."

  He reached his hand out after a longer moment. "I'm James." His handshake was strong and controlled. The way he ran business; the way he ran his life; the way he performed in bed?

  "I'm Sophia."

  "Sophia," he tried her name on his lips and she liked the sound of it. "Well, Sophia — or Miss Margarita if you prefer — if you're sure this is where you belong, you're going to have to follow me." James's hand settled on her hip, scooping her closer to his side and they turned and walked away from the bar.

  She liked this new floor, until she realized they were heading for the thick crowd of dancing people, and horror dawned on her. She couldn't dance and usually avoided it like the plague unless Agnes used her ridiculous persuasion skills. One disarming look from James and her staggering ceased. She followed him into the crowd where the music engulfed them.

  "I really can't," she argued as he put his hands on her hips, heat radiating through her clothes, and the effect from her drinks intensified and made her sway. He cocked an eyebrow and then tugged her close, making her breath hitch. He moved her hips in tune with the music, in tune with him. Or maybe she could.

  She looked up at him, daring to move her hands to his shoulders first, and then looped her arms loosely around his neck. As the beat grew louder, people grew closer. The music vibrated across the floor — through her, the beams of flickering lights growing more intense and making dark silhouettes all around, and she dared to let go, let herself get lost in the sound and James's touch. It was seduction, a way to get closer to someone, and her body reveled in the closeness between them. She'd be out of her mind to seek distance. The tune simmered down a little, a fluent loop of instrumental sounds distancing from the heavier bass for a moment, and in the midst of blinking lights, there was just him stabilizing her. Everything drowned around her; the tune faded out, the dancing people turned distant and she didn't give them a moment's thought. His hands swooped lower down her back until they rested comfortably on her ass.

  Breathing heavily, she let her hands trail to his chest. A strong torso pressed against her palms and her heart skittered a bit faster — a bit more urgent, her mind going someplace naughty she rarely had the time to drift off to, and she wished the place was abandoned.

  He appeared calm, watching her with an intrigued look. With a small tilt of her head, she could have invited him to her, invited him in for a kiss, and she knew there was no coming back from that. She shook, stepping back and out of their bubble, the music coming booming in again, and his gaze intensified.

  "I — I have to use the restroom," she spoke over the music. "Just wait for me." Give me a moment. When she was about to walk, he caught her elbow.

  "You'll find me up there." He tipped his head toward an elevated lounge with a bar and sitting groups. Sophia nodded, released from his grip and hurried off toward the restrooms.

  2.

  DISTRACTION

  "I'm out of my mind," she breathed, watching her reflection. Her cheeks held a rosy glow, giving more life to her pale complexion, a glow she didn't have earlier. A large pair of ocean blues stared back at her — unfocused and too big for her face. She blinked her eyes, her sight blurring for a moment, and dizziness made her feel the effect of her drinks.

  She sighed, straightened up, and let her hair loose. Wavy blonde locks cascaded down her shoulders, and she spent a moment tidying them. Walking for one of the bathroom stalls
, someone entered and she met with Agnes.

  "Are you stalking me?"

  "Just watching over you." Agnes shrugged, walking up to the mirror to apply lipstick. Her straight, ink black hair shone beneath the spotlights. "He likes you." She grinned at Sophia in the mirror, dabbing her lips with a finger. "And people are already gossiping about you."

  Sophia stalled her hand on the door.

  "Jesus." Sophia didn't want that.

  "Go pee. You can't have him waiting."

  Sophia didn't need to be told twice, heading inside to take care of business.

  A group of women came into the restroom, filling the room with high-pitched giggling. She washed her hands and just as she was about to exit, something a woman said stopped her.

  "Did you see the woman James is with?" one of them asked, disdain palpable in her voice.

  "Ugh, yes," another said. "Definitely not his style. I wonder what happened to that Brazilian model he dated last month. I thought they were serious."

  Sophia felt her lungs constrict. A message ticked in and she fished her phone out of her purse to see it was from Agnes: Stay there. Typical jealousy, don't think about it.

  "She won't last long with him. He might just want someone to warm his bed for the night and she happened to stand next to him at the bar."

  "Yes, I'm betting she's a total slut."

  Sophia distanced from the door at that, frowning.

  "What the fuck did you call her?" Agnes demanded.

  Shit. Sophia barged outside, but she didn't stand a chance. A second later a ringing smack flooded the room. "Oh, no, Agnes!" She ran over to her. Her friend glared at the blonde woman, now half crouched on the floor.

  "Call her a slut again and I'll hunt you down and stab your fucking eye out with my heel. I'd be careful, because they're covered in spikes."

  The women gasped at that, before one of them uttered, "Get the security!"

  "We have to go!" Sophia nudged her toward the exit. She finally responded, hurrying outside.

  "I hate that word," Agnes said, her face knit in a scowl. "I'll tell people off for using it on me, but you?" She shook her head. "Fuck no. I should've kicked her while I was at it."

  "Dammit, Agnes," Sophia followed her quick pace, "you're awesome for standing up for me, and I thank you for that, but they can make life miserable for you!"

  "I'll be long gone before that happens." Agnes was a badass. She could be sweet as a kitten one moment, and in the next have her claws out if you crossed her.

  "I'm going with you."

  "No." She stalled, grabbing Sophia's shoulders. "You're going to stay here and seduce that hot billionaire."

  "I'm not leaving you."

  "That's right," she smiled, "I'm leaving you. Charm his ass off. He adores you already so there shouldn't be much trouble."

  About to argue, Agnes grasped her shoulders and shook her once. "I just slapped -punched someone, Soph! Really hard! I did that for you and you're going to stay here and have the best night there is." Her voice was so severe that Sophia couldn't find the words to fight with her.

  "There." Agnes smiled and brushed a wave of hair over her shoulder, regaining composure. "Sensible Soph. I'll sneak out before they catch me."

  "Be careful," Sophia held her hand, "I'm not ready for you to go to jail just yet."

  Agnes laughed and leaned in for a quick hug. "See you later! Or perhaps tomorrow?" The cheeky brunette winked before she was on her way out like some awesome ninja. They'd never catch her.

  Seeing the group of women rush out of the restroom, Sophia turned her back to them. As they disappeared, she moved in the direction James had indicated and headed up the stairs. The place appeared to be quite a bit bigger than what she had guessed from watching it from the dancefloor.

  The room continued inside with a lower roof giving it more intimacy. Lush black couches and chairs caught her eye, while dimmed spots and candlelight softened the look. Slower music replaced the energy on the dance floor. Her gaze flickered across the couches with people on them, subtly trying to sort through them in search for James. Curious eyes touched her, followed by murmurs, making her hurry her pace. She ended up by the smaller bar there, and having no luck with spotting James, she decided to order a drink as well as a shot. The bartender grinned at her and then mixed a bunch of different ingredients, and her eyes widened. She definitely shouldn't have let him pick the shot for her.

  "What's it called?" she asked reluctantly, watching what looked like molten lava swirl in her glass.

  "Hell," he smiled, "the most popular one."

  "Of course it is," she said in flat tone. "Here goes." She lifted the shot, closed her eyes, and downed the liquid. The strong, spicy liquor truly did mirror its name, heating her throat. "I understand the name!" She put her glass down.

  The bartender laughed. "I'm not sure you do quite yet."

  It was definitely hot. Heaving for air, she must've looked like quite the sight. The bartender sat a glass of water in front of her.

  "It's not for everyone," the bartender said with a shrug while he poured whisky into a glass and passed it to a man.

  "One more, please!" One more and she had to look for James again and hopefully the alcohol would help tame her mind a little.

  He quirked an eyebrow and measured her with his gaze as he mixed another shot, making it look all fancy, before he passed it to her in a smooth movement. The heat spilled down her throat and she waited a moment to let it cool down before opening her eyes.

  "It's really not bad," she laughed, and looked at the bartender. He grinned at her in return. His eyes went over her shoulder, his smile waned, and he seemed to straighten his posture.

  Hands gripped her waist before they slid to her hips, and Sophia spun around to meet James face to face. "I've been looking for you!"

  His hands moved from her body to grasp the brass railing behind her, caging her in, and her heart leapt. He was so, so, intense, but she liked it. "I can see that." He acknowledged the bartender shortly. "Given you Hell has he?"

  "I — I understand it's popular here," she stuttered, the immediate nervousness inching back in. Instead of taking full control of her, though, it faded quickly. She smiled.

  He reached up and tipped her head a little and gazed at her intently, making her blush when he dipped a little lower. No one stood this close for no reason. Maybe — just maybe — he saw something in her beside a flailing idiot he had to save. "I hope you didn't have more than one. That would be foolish."

  Sophia blinked, wading through the slight dizziness inching in. "No, just the one. Why?"

  "You might not want to know what was in it." He cocked his head.

  Sophia paled. "What do you mean, like drugs?" She felt her breath go out of her.

  James smiled at her distress. "No, it just carries a punch."

  "Well, good thing I only had one."

  "Yes," he decided, leaning back, and with a slight smile to his lips, "that's a very good thing." He redirected his interest to the bartender and ordered a drink.

  With their drinks in order, he showed her to a tall, empty table by the wall. The lights blurred and Sophia blinked her eyes in effort to reduce it.

  "Okay?" James gave her hand a squeeze.

  "Yes," she said, but the room moved in her peripheral vision. "Just perfect."

  "I can get you a glass of water if you'd—" James's gaze snapped in someone's direction mid-sentence and Sophia saw a man passing who smiled at James. James gave a nod in his direction in return. The tall stranger with ink black hair wore an immaculate suit. He slid his eyes to Sophia, and then he changed course and came straight for their table. He was a head taller than Sophia, and his just-out-of-bed hairstyle suited that handsome face just right.

  "Now, who's this?" He took her hand and kissed it, lingering a beat too long, all the while keeping his startling green eyes trained on hers.

  A brief flicker of irritation crossed James's features. "Eric, this is Sophia."

&n
bsp; "Sophia," he mirrored. "Pleasure."

  "Likewise," Sophia said, releasing her hand from his and his smile widened.

  A movement made Sophia's head swivel its way, and when seeing a duplicate of Eric, she had to blink a couple of times, wondering if Hell acted up. The mirror image of him stopped on her left side, and she briefly noticed James looking anything but impressed with the good-looking duo showing up.

  "This is just perfect," James said defeated.

  "Archer, lovely to see you too!" The other twin grinned at him. "Have you been hiding this one from us?" he asked, settling his brown eyes on Sophia. "I'm Lucas." He held out his hand, and Sophia introduced herself.

  "You have to come to Nova one day," he said, and Sophia frowned, never having heard of the place. "I'm sure James would love to take you." A trace of amusement shone in his eyes.

  "Nova?" Sophia asked, directing her focus to James. "Is that a new place?"

  Eric chuckled. "It's been around for a while," he cut in. "But it's not open for everyone. It's a bit like Irony, you could say, but with better music and better drinks. And better people."

  "Oh, okay," Sophia nodded, "sounds like fun."

  "It's a very fun place." Eric's green eyes glinted, and she watched him curiously. He squeezed her waist, making her gasp. "You'd be popular there."

  "Eric, fuck off." James's bark made her jump, and Eric eased closer to Sophia.

  "James, don't scare the girl." Eric turned all of his attention on her, leaning in close. "He likes a little submissive, you should know," he whispered by her ear. "He's going to spank you, and have you beg him to fuck you until you can't think straight."

  She drew in a raspy breath, clutching the table's edge from the dizziness caused by the twin's words, the alcohol, or a mix of both. James was between them in a flash, shoving Eric away. "If you want to keep your limbs, you'll stay the fuck away."

  Eric grinned, adjusting his clothes back to its pristine condition. "Nova will always have you crawling back, you know that James. You can never have normal."