by Jenna Sutton
“Let me get the door for you,” he offered, pulling it open and holding it for her.
“Thanks.”
To her surprise, he followed her through the door and fell into step beside her.
“Are you a guest at the hotel, Kyla?”
“No,” she answered curtly.
She wasn’t interested in making idle chitchat with a stranger, no matter how good-looking he was. She picked up her pace, and he lengthened his stride to keep up with her.
“Then why are you here? Drinks at the bar? A spa day with the girls?”
She thought about ignoring him, but then her good manners prevailed. “I’m giving a presentation later today.”
“Since Riley O’Brien & Co. is using every inch of our meeting space, I assume you’re with them?”
Something he’d said snagged her attention. “Our meeting space?” she repeated. “Do you work for the hotel?”
“No. I own it.”
His answer surprised her. When she had run into him, she’d assumed he was just a guest at the hotel.
“You own the Hudson San Francisco?”
“My company does,” he clarified. “GHG. Gale Hotel Group.”
“It’s beautiful. You did an amazing job with the renovation.”
“It is beautiful,” he agreed. “But I can’t take any credit for the renovation. My design team deserves all of it.”
“The events manager told me that you hired a historian to find old photos so the design would be authentic.”
“I do that for all historic projects.” He gestured to the floor. “Based on the old photos we were able to find, this was the original pattern. We had to guess the colors, though.”
She glanced down at the carpet. With its rows of interlocking olive-colored diamonds outlined in thin bands of cream and navy blue, it wasn’t the most attractive carpet she’d ever seen. But then again, she preferred more contemporary design.
They reached the lobby, and a group of people swarmed around them. He gently grasped her elbow and turned to face her.
“Can I buy you a cup of coffee or tea before your presentation?” he asked.
She hesitated but then told herself not to be an idiot. Jake had shown no interest in her, and a man who was obviously interested stood in front of her—a man who was not only incredibly handsome but also incredibly successful if this five-star hotel was anything to go by.
“That sounds good,” she said.
With a hand on her lower back, Garrett ushered her into the coffee shop. After they placed their orders, he led her to a small round café table in the back. Someone had obviously taught him old-fashioned manners because he pulled out her chair and waited for her to get settled before he unbutton his suit jacket and sat down.
“Is your company based in San Francisco?” she asked.
Garrett shook his head. “Seattle. This is the only asset we own in the Bay Area, but I’d like to acquire more.”
Before Kyla could pepper him with questions, a young woman with waist-length blue hair arrived with their drinks. He thanked her with a smile, and when he brought his attention back to Kyla, he amped up the wattage of his smile. If she weren’t head over heels for Jake, she would be a puddle of goo right now.
“What is your presentation about?” he asked.
She wrinkled her nose. “It’s not a particularly sexy or exciting topic.”
He laughed softly. “Now I’m really curious.”
“Riley O’Brien & Co.’s unprecedented growth is making it difficult to accurately forecast revenue and expenses on corporate basis. I’m giving a presentation to the store operations group to introduce them to ways they can make their projections more accurate.”
Kyla had tried to make the presentation fun and interesting. Jake had given her creative license with the slides, and she had chosen a carnival theme. After all, forecasting revenue was kind of like being a fortune-teller. She had even brought a prop with her, a crystal ball she’d bought in a metaphysical shop.
“Every company has trouble with forecasting,” Garrett said. “It’s a little easier for the hospitality business because our rooms and conference facilities book months in advance, but I would think that forecasting customer demand for apparel is next to impossible.”
They spent the next twenty minutes discussing the similarities and differences between the hospitality and retail business. By the time her phone buzzed to let her know it was time to return to the conference room, she was thoroughly impressed with Garrett’s intellect and business acumen and charmed by his teasing flirtatiousness.
“Thank you for the tea,” she said. “This was fun.”
“You’re welcome.”
He rose from his seat and hurried around the table to pull out her chair. “I’m going to be in town for a few days. Would you like to go to dinner tomorrow night at The Ellington Club?”
Garrett’s invitation surprised Kyla, and she couldn’t help but feel flattered. She had been approached by good-looking guys before, but it didn’t happen very often. And she hadn’t gone on more than a couple of dates since she’d moved to the Bay Area twelve months ago.
Even though her heart belonged to Jake, she had to accept Garrett’s invitation. She owed it to all the single girls out there would be kill to go out with him.
“I’d love to have dinner with you,” she said, aware that love was a bit of an exaggeration.
He smiled, obviously pleased with her consent. “Do you want to meet me or do you want me to pick you up?”
She appreciated his sensitivity to the fact that they didn’t know each other well enough for him to come to her home. “I’ll meet you.”
He nodded. “Seven o’clock?”
“Yes.”
Holding out his right hand, he said, “It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kyla. I’m looking forward to dinner.”
Just then, she heard her name. Glancing around for the source, she saw Jake at the entrance of the coffee shop. The fierce expression on his face was one she’d never seen before, his mouth tight and his brows lowered. He was obviously upset, and she wondered if something had happened at work.
Jake stalked forward, reaching them in seconds. As he looked back and forth between her and Garrett, she couldn’t help but notice the two men had similar builds—the same height, the same broad shoulders, and the same muscular physiques.
But beyond that, they didn’t look anything alike, especially with Garrett dressed in an expensive suit and shiny dress shoes and Jake sporting a black leather motorcycle jacket, faded Rileys, and his favorite black motorcycle boots. Garrett looked polished and urbane, while Jake looked like every good girl’s bad-boy fantasy.
Jake faced Garrett. “Who are you?”
*****
Jake knew he had some rough edges, yet he had always believed that he was too evolved to turn into a Neanderthal when another man touched his woman. But he didn’t know himself as well as he’d thought.
The moment he had seen Kyla with the dark-haired douche, Jake had been overwhelmed with the primal urge to find a club and beat the shit out of him. It was an urge he’d never felt before, and it was made worse by the fact that Kyla wasn’t really his woman … not yet.
He’d never been even slightly jealous over a woman, but he knew that what he felt right now could not be described as simple jealousy. It went far deeper than that, edging toward possessiveness.
Jake kept his eyes locked on Kyla’s face. If he got another glimpse of the douche’s hand holding hers, he might actually lose it. Every beat of his heart thumped with the rhythm of rage, making his pulse pound in his ears and his blood sizzle.
“Who are you?” he asked again when neither Kyla nor the douche answered his previous question. Her eyes widened, and he realized his voice had sounded like the growl of a wounded bear.
“This is Garrett,” she said. “He owns the Hudson San Francisco.”
Jake clenched his teeth when she smiled up at the douche. Irrationally,
he was pissed that she had given one of her gorgeous smiles to someone other than him. Jake wanted all of her smiles. He wanted everything she had to give.
The douche stuck out his hand, eying Jake with an assessing gaze. “Garrett Gale.”
Jake gave him the briefest handshake in the history of handshakes and then shoved his hands in the pockets of his motorcycle jacket to stop himself from ramming his fist into the douche’s face. After a moment, the douche dropped his hand.
“Garrett, this is Jake Lilliard,” Kyla added. “He’s the vice president of finance at Riley O’Brien & Co. and also my boss.”
Garrett’s dark as sin eyebrows shot up. “Your boss?” he echoed without looking away from Jake.
“Yes,” Kyla confirmed.
Jake knew his feelings for Kyla were obvious to the other man, but to his surprise, Garrett’s gaze momentarily glinted with sympathy. Maybe the guy wasn’t such a douche after all.
Jake shifted his attention to Kyla. Despite his anger, his cock twitched when his gaze touched on her short denim skirt, shapely legs, and tan open-toed heels.
She had pulled her long hair into a loose bun, and the shiny gold strands were an exact match for her cropped jacket. Under it, she wore a silky red shirt that matched her lips and her toenails.
A delicate gold necklace with an open circle in the middle glinted against her upper chest, and he wanted to trace it with his tongue. When he finished with that, he wanted to lick a trail down to her nipples and suckle them through her shirt. Then he wanted to slide his hands under her tiny skirt, pull off her panties, and work his cock into her over and over until she screamed his name.
He was sure Garrett the Douche wanted to do the same damn thing.
Determined to get her away from the other man, Jake said, “The presentation starts in ten minutes. We should probably get going.”
“I’m ready.”
He tilted his head toward the front of the café. “Why don’t you go ahead? I need to take care of something first.”
She glanced toward Garrett. “Thanks again. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“Count on it,” Garrett replied with a smile.
Jake stiffened. There was no way in hell he was going to stand by and let another guy have a go at Kyla. He was only two fucking days away from being able to make his move.
With a small wave, Kyla left them. Jake knew her mind had already moved on to the presentation notes she needed to review, so it didn’t even register with her that Jake had stayed behind with Garrett.
Both Jake and Garrett watched as Kyla made her way out of the coffee shop, her round hips swaying under her skirt and her calf muscles flexing with every step. Once she was out of sight, Jake brought his attention back to Garrett.
“Stay away from Kyla,” he ordered flatly, his tone giving no hint to the jealousy swirling inside him.
Garrett casually pushed his suit coat apart and tucked his hands into his trouser pockets. Rocking back on his heels, he said, “It must suck to be you … to be interested in Kyla but not be able to do anything about it because of your professional relationship.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure I could withstand the temptation. I admire your restraint.”
Jake stepped closer to Garrett until only a couple of inches separated them. He stared into the other man’s eyes, not bothering to hide anything from him.
“I’m only going to say this one more time: stay away from her.”
Garrett’s eyes narrowed. “And what if I don’t stay away from her, boss?”
“I’m only her boss for two more fucking days,” he bit out.
Garrett barked out a laugh. “Oh, it definitely sucks to be you.” He pointed at Jake. “You have to wait two days, but I don’t.” He moved the tip of his thumb to the middle of his chest. “I’m going to have dinner with her tomorrow night. Two days from now, it won’t matter that you’re not her boss anymore. You won’t matter.”
Jake took a deep breath and counted to ten instead of throwing a punch. He’d been in plenty of fistfights. In fact, he’d started a few himself. But he wasn’t going to start one in a five-star hotel. Kyla was worth fighting over, but he wasn’t going to do it when she was nearby.
“She’s more than just a fuck,” Jake said. “She’s … she’s …”
“She’s what? Your first-grade teacher’s illegitimate daughter? Your dog walker’s long-lost cousin? Your proctologist’s younger sister?” Garrett held out his hands. “Tell me, boss, who is she?” He smirked. “Oh, wait, I know … she’s the love of your life.”
Jake stared at the other man, his heart thudding heavily. He’d known for a while that his feelings for Kyla were more than lust, but he hadn’t wanted to put a name to them. They hadn’t even gone on a date, for fuck’s sake. But that hadn’t stopped him from falling.
“Yes,” he admitted quietly. “Kyla is the love of my life.”
Garrett’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“You should have led with that, boss.” Garrett gave Jake a friendly slap on the back. “Then you could have prevented all this macho posturing.”
“Macho posturing?” Jake repeated in disbelief.
Garrett grinned. “What would you call it? Chest thumping? Territorial marking?”
Jake jerked away from the douche and his friendly back-slapping. “You’re going to stay away from Kyla? You’re going to cancel your date?”
Garrett guffawed. “Hell, no, I’m not going to stay away from her. And I’m not going to cancel my date with her, either.”
“You motherfucker.”
Garrett lightly punched Jake in the shoulder. “Cheer up. I’ll say something nice about you during dinner.”
Jake didn’t bother to reply. It had just occurred to him that he was still Kyla’s boss, and one of the perks of that position was his ability to require her to work late. Spinning on his heel, Jake walked away.
“Good luck, boss,” the douche called out.
Jake smiled. Luck was a fickle bitch, but she’d always had a soft spot for him.
CHAPTER FIVE
According to the Hudson San Francisco’s website, The Ellington Club was a retro supper club that offered gourmet dining, live music, and dancing. Kyla scrolled down to read more about the restaurant where she had agreed to meet Garrett.
Named after jazz great Duke Ellington, it was located on the top floor of the historic hotel and offered panoramic views of the Bay. Several local magazines had voted it as one of the best date spots in the city.
“Sounds nice,” Kyla murmured to herself.
When she realized that she was more excited about the location of her date rather than the date itself, she scowled. She should be ecstatic about the opportunity to enjoy a romantic evening of dinner and dancing with Garrett Gale.
Unfortunately, he didn’t do anything for her. She appreciated his good looks, but she wasn’t attracted to him. When he had touched her hand, her stomach hadn’t gone all warm and liquid, her skin hadn’t tingled, and her heart hadn’t pounded with excitement. Her body only responded that way to Jake.
She sighed, wishing that she were spending the evening with Jake instead of Garrett. She would love to spend a romantic evening with him, snuggled up in a dark booth with his hand on her thigh or swaying to a sultry song with their bodies touching from neck to knees.
She gave herself a mental kick. She refused to be one of those women who thought about one man while she was out with another one.
Glancing at her tablet, she checked the time. It was a little before five o’clock, but since she had been at work since seven this morning, she decided to go ahead and pack up for the day. She needed at least an hour to get ready for her date, and even though the Hudson San Francisco wasn’t too far from her apartment, traffic could be iffy.
After straightening her workstation, she tucked her tablet into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She headed out of her cubicle, intending to take the fastest route to the elev
ators.
As she rounded the corner, she ran into Jake. He seemed to materialize out of the air, like a magician.
He glanced at her bag before meeting her eyes. He looked a little frazzled, his thick hair sticking up in a couple of places as if he’d run his fingers through it a few times.
“Are you leaving already?” He shot a quick look at the silver watch on his left wrist. “What time is it?” Before she could answer, he said, “It doesn’t matter. I’m just glad I caught you before you left.”
He shook his head, a mix of exasperation and irritation on his handsome face. “Diana just ambushed me. Somehow she missed the fact that one of our lines of credit is up for review, and the bank requested updated financial documentation by tomorrow at nine a.m. Eastern. I started to panic because there’s no way I could get the whole package done by then, but then I remembered that you helped me with the one for Union Bank a couple of months ago. If you help me, I might be able to get the package done by the deadline.”
She hesitated, because even though she didn’t really want to go out with Garrett, she didn’t want to be rude and cancel on such short notice. But she knew how bad it would look if Jake missed the deadline, and she couldn’t let him down.
Jake gave her a beseeching look. “I know you worked all weekend on the store managers’ presentation, but I’m desperate.” He held up his hands and curled his fingers over to mimic a dog begging for a treat. “Please, Kyla, I’m begging you.”
Charmed by his teasing, she laughed. “You don’t have to beg. I’m happy to help.” She patted his upper arm, letting her hand linger for a moment on the sleek muscles covered by his maroon knit Henley shirt. “I’ll meet you in your office in a few minutes. I need to make a quick phone call.”
He grinned. “You’re a sweetheart.” He immediately turned and began the walk back to the elevators. Looking over his shoulder, he called out, “I owe you.”
She waved away his thanks before returning to her cube. She needed to let Garrett know she couldn’t meet him, but they hadn’t exchanged contact information. She hoped the hotel would know how to reach him.