‘I don’t want you touching me again, Nick. Please let go of my hand.’ Her voice was an octave above a whisper. But the meaning behind it was clear. Nick dropped her wrist, and she continued on her way out of the kitchen to her room.
Somehow she’d get through the rest of the time they were in New York sorting out this deal. The moment it was finalised, she would bring into play the clause he’d had written into the contract and leave this position.
Last night had been an eye-opener in many ways. After experiencing the buzz of Times Square she wanted to see more exciting places, and she couldn’t do that while she owed so much money. As much as it would kill her to lose the home that had been in her family for generations, she knew she had to sell it. It was the only way she could live her life. If she didn’t, she’d never have financial freedom. She’d made the decision to contact the real estate agent to instruct him to sell her house. Once the house was sold she’d pay off her mortgage and her mother’s medical bills. The debt collectors would be off her back and she would be free to do what she wanted.
It was time to take control of her life and not let people like Nick Rhodes think she was something they could play with. For so long she’d done what her mother had told her to do. When she should’ve been experiencing life, she’d been looking after her mother.
For the first time in her life she could do things for herself. She didn’t need to answer to anyone.
It was time to find who Pamela Bishop really was.
Pam curled up on the couch with a slice of pizza and flicked through the channels on the television. Nick was out again and she hadn’t asked him where he was going. Ever since their night at the Empire State Building, he’d pretty much gone out and left her by herself. The first couple of nights he was out hadn’t bothered her, she was still adjusting to the time difference and full-on workdays, so she’d been happy to order from whatever takeaway menu she found in the junk drawer in the kitchen. After she’d eaten, she’d curl up with a book and fall asleep. She had no idea what time Nick came home. Many times she’d expected him not to come home, but he was always in the kitchen before her every morning.
Now it was Friday night, she’d been in New York over a week, she was full of energy and she didn’t want to sit around. She wanted to go and try the nightlife.
Turning the television off, she put the pizza box in the fridge and walked to her room. She would speak to Rob and ask where the best and safest place for a single woman to go to. She figured he would probably try and talk her out of it, but she wasn’t going to be swayed. She was following through on her earlier declaration that she was going to find herself. She’d emailed the real estate agent and told him to put her house up for sale instead of rent. She could cover the mortgage for a couple more months, and had emailed the debt collection agency advising them she was placing her house on the market so she would be able to pay them in full in a couple of months. She’d also included a copy of the sellers contract with the real estate agent so they knew she wasn’t lying.
For once they’d been open to her making a small payment to keep them happy until she’d sold the house and could finally pay them in full. She hoped the agent sold it quickly.
Pam pushed thoughts of her house and money problems away. She was going to put on her cute cocktail dress and have some fun.
Nick walked into his apartment building, thinking about taking a shower after yet another after-work gym workout, trying to ignore the guilt gnawing at his gut. He had left Pam home alone again, just as he had since their night in Times Square. He’d hoped his workouts would tire him out so when he got home he wasn’t tempted to knock on Pam’s door. They hadn’t. He’d lain awake for most of the nights knowing that Pam lay only a few feet away from him.
‘Mr Rhodes, I’m so glad you’re back.’ The doorman rushed up to Nick the moment he walked through the door.
He immediately went on alert, his instincts telling him something had happened to Pam.
‘Is Pam all right?’
‘I don’t know, sir.’
Nick tried not to shake the other man. ‘What do you mean you don’t know?’
‘She wanted to go out to a popular nightspot. I tried to talk her out of it but she was adamant she was going out and if I didn’t give her location of a good, but safe, place to visit, she’d find one herself.’
Through his anger, he had to admire Pam for her assertiveness. He’d seen it the couple of times she’d raked him over the coals for the way he’d treated her. Over the last week, he’d been nothing but polite and she had been the same to him. They might as well have been strangers, with the amount of conversation they’d shared. He should be happy with their situation. After all, it was what he had been striving for, total professionalism between them and nothing more. But he couldn’t help feeling if Pam got hurt tonight it would be his fault because of his need to keep her at arms-length.
‘Where is she?’
‘I told her the best place to go to was The Loft on Fifth. I know it’s one of the safest nightclubs for young, single women to go to by themselves.’
Nick knew the place well. He’d been there with quite a few of his dates and he’d given the owner some financial advice, so he always had a standing invite to attend the club. Out of all the nightclubs in the city, Rob was right, it was one of the safest, and Rob was probably aware that Nick knew the owner, hence his recommendation to Pam. But still, she was new to the city; she didn’t know how the city or clubs worked. She’d mentioned she’d been caring for her mother for a couple of years, inhibiting her ability to travel and explore the world. He had a feeling she hadn’t experienced a lot of life. The thought gave him pause and he wondered just how much experience she’d had with the opposite sex.
Nick shook his head. He didn’t need to think about what experience she’d had. He needed to get down to the nightclub to make sure Pam was safe.
‘Can you arrange for a cab to be here in fifteen minutes to take me there? I’m going to go upstairs to shower and change, and then I’m going to get Pam. Thank you for telling me, and for looking out for her.’
‘My pleasure, sir. Miss Bishop is always friendly when she comes home in the evenings. I have to admit I’m quite partial to her, maybe it’s her accent.’
Nick laughed. He had the same accent as Pam; somehow he didn’t think Rob was quite as ‘partial’ to him as he was to Pam.
Nick returned downstairs in ten minutes, a yellow cab waiting at the kerb through the glass doors.
He walked over to where Rob was standing and reached into his pocket, pulling out some money and handing it to him. ‘Thanks again for everything.’
‘All part of my job, sir.’ Rob replied, pocketing the money as he walked over and opened the door for Nick to leave.
Nick strode out and gave the cab driver the address. He hoped he wasn’t too late and nothing had happened to Pam. He hadn’t even given her a damn mobile phone so she could contact him in an emergency. Not that it was likely she would, the way he’d frozen her out all week. But it was for the best that he’d kept his distance.
When they pulled up to the nightclub, Nick once again handed over cash to the driver, telling him to keep the change.
He stepped up to the entrance of the club, bypassing the long queue of people to get in. When the doorman saw him, he unlatched the thick red rope that closed off the entrance and Nick walked through, nodding his thanks to the man as he went past.
He made his way through the dimly lit entrance to stand at the opening of the nightclub. The music thumped a bass rhythm in his ears. People were talking loudly to be heard over it. Trying to find Pam amongst all these people would be a challenge. He was confident he could do it: failure wasn’t an option. He surveyed the room. He had no idea what she was wearing. He should’ve asked Rob if he remembered what Pam had on. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t be wearing the blue evening dress she’d worn the other evening, and if she wore one of the usual black suits she wore to the offic
e, finding her would be difficult. Maybe she was wearing that dress she’d worn the first day. His body stirred in remembrance of how the dress hugged and accentuated her curves.
A figure in a white dress caught his eye. He could only see the back of the dress, which was scooped low, showing a generous amount of skin. The dress finished about mid thigh on killer long legs encased in strappy silver sandals. The straps curving around her slender ankles like a lover’s fingers. What would it be like to gently undo those straps and caress the instep of her foot? The dress hugged her bottom and his hands itched to smooth over the gentle swell. The woman’s hair colour was hard to distinguish in the subdued lighting of the club, but he could tell it wasn’t blonde.
His feet wanted to move in her direction. He wanted to get close to see if the skin of her back was as soft to touch as it looked. He had so many fantasies going through his mind it shocked him. He was here to find Pam, not to hook up with a random stranger. The woman who’d captured his interest turned her head to the side and he caught her profile.
Pam.
She looked carefree, tossing her hair and laughing at something the man to her right said in her ear. Now he knew why his body went into desire mode the moment he saw her. His body recognised a potential mate in Pam and he had to finally acknowledge he wanted her in the most basic of ways. The way a man wanted a woman, under him, writhing as he drove into her. Right at that second he didn’t care that Pam was his assistant. He’d been denying his need for her all week. He could deny it no longer. He wanted her and he would have her. Rules be damned.
He threaded his way through the crowd, his eyes never moving from his prize. He could see the front of her dress, shocked by what he saw. After seeing the back he’d expected the front to be as low-cut. He couldn’t have been more wrong. The straight neckline of the dress was even more tempting. It hinted at what lay underneath the fabric.
He finally reached Pam’s side as she was about to head to the dance floor. Her hand was in another man’s. He didn’t plan on letting that stop him getting what he wanted. He wanted to take Pam home.
He slipped his arm around Pam’s waist, the fabric of her dress silky beneath his fingers. He tightened his hold when he felt her pulling away. He sent the other man a look that told him to back off. He was smart enough to take Nick’s hint.
‘Nick! What do you want? I’m about to go for a dance.’
Her tone exuded her displeasure at his interruption. As he looked down at her, he noticed her eyes were glassy. He wondered how many drinks she’d had, and hoped none of the people she was keeping company with had decided it might be fun to slip a little something in her drink. If he found out they had, heads would roll.
‘I asked what you were doing here, Nick.’
‘The dance can wait.’
‘No, it can’t. I want to dance and I want to dance now.’ Pam ground out as she made a move to pull away from him.
He smoothed his hand up her back until he connected with the warm flesh of her back. ‘I’ve come to get you.’
With a gentle tug, he had her flush against his body. Her hands rested on his chest and she craned her neck so she was looking up at him. For a moment there was clarity in her vision; maybe she hadn’t had as much to drink as he’d thought.
‘You always spoil my fun.’ She all but shouted at him. ‘Why are you here?’
He smiled; feisty Pam was in the house. As he stared down into her face he lost himself in the green pools of her eyes. The sounds of the music thumping through the club faded out of his conscious hearing. He reached one hand out and gently cupped her cheek.
‘I told you, I’ve come for you.’
Confusion glazed her green eyes and a sigh rippled through her.
‘Why do you do this to me?’ she asked, and leaned up to take possession of his lips. Surprise at her bold move kept him still for a moment, before instinct took over. He sipped at her, enjoying the sweet taste of her lips. A combination of the cherry gloss she wore and the champagne she must have drunk. He gathered her closer and weaved his fingers through the soft locks of her hair. He wanted to lose himself in her. For once he didn’t want to think about all the reasons why this could be wrong. He was tired of being sensible. He never let himself lose control with a woman. For Pamela he was willing to. She fired his soul like no other had ever.
He trailed his lips to her neck, enjoying the essential Pam he was getting to sample.
‘Nick,’ she moaned, and it broke the thrall he had been trapped in from the moment her lips had touched his. He lifted his head and saw they were attracting the attention of the people Pam had been talking to. He recognised some of them as people from the office. He could imagine what the main topic of conversation around the water cooler would be on Monday. Somehow, he didn’t think Pam would appreciate it. At least he didn’t have to worry about someone trying to slip something in Pam’s drink. He was grateful some of them had been there to keep her safe.
Pam laid her head on his shoulder, her body relaxing against his. He could tell she was getting tired.
He nodded to the people standing near them. ‘See you Monday. And this,’ he waved his arm around the club, ‘stays here.’
There was a collective sound of agreement from everyone present. Satisfied Pam would be able to hold her head high at the office, he turned them away from the group and threaded his way through the crowd. He wondered if she was actually aware of what was happening. Any thoughts of taking up where they had left off with the kiss were rapidly departing. He had a feeling the champagne she’d been drinking had caught up with her and she was becoming more unaware of her surroundings with each passing second. When he had Pam in his bed, and he would, he wanted her to feel and remember every touch and every caress he gave her. In her current state he didn’t think that was likely.
They got outside and the doorman flagged down a cab for them.
‘Where are we going?’ Pam mumbled into his shoulder once he had her settled on the bench seat beside him.
He reached up and stroked her hair. ‘Home, sweetheart, home.’
She shook her head, the movement dislodging his hand from her hair. ‘I don’t have a home, I’m selling my house. When it’s sold I’ll be free.’
He didn’t know if it was fact or the alcohol talking but her words piqued his interest. What had she meant by free? Now wasn’t the time to discuss it.
The cab drive to his apartment passed in silence. Pam had settled herself against his shoulder and he could feel her body slowly drifting into sleep. He tightened his hold around her shoulders. The fabric of her dress was thin and silky against his touch and his fingers ached to push the fabric aside so he could feel her warm flesh.
The cab stopped and he gently woke Pam. ‘Sweetheart, time to wake up.’
Pam opened her eyes, and what he saw in the green depths had him brushing her lips softly with his. He pulled away before he was tempted to take it further and ravish her in the back seat of the cab. Not a good idea.
‘Let’s get you inside,’ he murmured against her forehead, where he lightly touched his lips again.
He opened the door and slid across the seat, his arm firmly around Pam. He helped her out and made his way to the front door of the building.
As he reached the door, Rob opened it quickly.
‘Thanks, Rob.’
As he walked through, Pam stumbled and he quickly scooped her up in his arms, enjoying the feeling of having her there again.
‘Is Miss Bishop all right, sir?’
Nick looked at the woman in his arms. ‘She’s fine, just a little too much excitement for one evening. She’ll be fine in the morning.’
He wasn’t sure how he was going to be in the morning. Not after tasting her and having her in his arms. He couldn’t go back to keeping her at arms-length. It was impossible. He’d had a taste and feel of heaven and he wasn’t going to let that go.
Chapter 9
Pam woke slowly. Her head was pounding and she was
sure she had a whole basketball team in her head bouncing the damn ball around. Something warned her that once she opened her eyes, another team would join in and it would make things worse. Much worse.
She rolled to her side and became aware of her state of undress and the fact she was in her bed. The last thing she coherently remembered was being in Nick’s arms and kissing him. The pounding in her head eased a little bit when she recalled the feel of being back in Nick’s arms. So warm and safe, like she’d found nirvana and hadn’t wanted to let go. Their lips all but devouring each other. With a shaky hand she brought her fingers to her lips. They felt the same.
She pulled her hand away and tried to decipher through the fog in her brain exactly what happened after Nick had turned up at the club.
I’ve come for you.
The words echoed in her mind. Had he really said that to her? Or were they words she wished he’d said to her? Did it really matter if they were true or not? They had kissed. She was home in bed in her underwear, which could only mean one thing — Nick had undressed her.
She squirmed in embarrassment as it finally hit her: she’d passed out like a common drunk and Nick had had to put her to bed. There was no way he was going to be interested in taking anything further with her. Why would he, when she couldn’t handle a few glasses of champagne without acting like a fool?
Had she initiated the kiss? Had Nick had been totally embarrassed by it? She wanted to discount the thought because she recalled he kissed her back. Or maybe that’s what she wanted to remember. Maybe he had been trying to let her down gently. After all, she had been standing with some people from the office. Relief had filled her when she’d turned up to the club and had seen them standing in the line. They’d been happy to see her, too. They’d welcomed her as if she’d been working with them for ages and not a week. They were totally fine with her joining them. What must they think of her now? It didn’t matter. She was only here for a short time and, after last night, it was pretty likely Nick was going to send her back to Perth, so she may as well prepare herself for that. He probably didn’t appreciate his assistant throwing herself at him in front of his employees. But she would fight him on it. She would ask for a second chance. She had found she liked the challenge of working with Nick. She wanted to experience all the places he’d tempted her with when they had first discussed her taking this position. She wanted to see the world and she knew this job would be the way to do it.
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