by Alla Kar
I nodded, pulling my arm away from his. The shit-eating grin on his face scared me a little, but the fact that I felt the loss of his touch as I walked out of the room scared me even more.
Frankie opened the door and launched at me. “I thought you’d never get here! Come inside!”
The familiar scent of vanilla swarmed my senses the moment I stepped inside. Frankie already had our oversized couch piled with throw blankets and pillows. The Longest Ride was ready to watch on the flat screen.
“So, your captor let you out. What a gentleman,” Frankie said over her shoulder.
I snorted, following close behind her toward the living room. I sunk down onto our couch, placing our ice cream on the table in front of us, and curled my legs around one of the huge body pillows. “He’s so frustrating,” I mumbled.
Frankie handed me a spoon, my pint and turned her body toward mine. “And hot, don’t forget hot.”
I hadn’t forgotten. “He’s definitely—something,” I mumbled over my spoon. Frankie watched me for a few seconds before dropping her container to her lap.
“I’ve been dying over here. What happened?”
I opened my mouth and shut it. I’d always told Frankie everything, and she never judged me. It wasn’t that I was scared to tell her, but that I was scared of him, of how he made me feel. Scared that he made me feel—at all. “He kissed me yesterday when we went huntin’,” I whispered.
Frankie sat up taller, her eyes begging me to continue. “And I loved it.”
She furrowed her brow. “So, what’s the dilemma? A rich, successful, hot, don’t forget hot, man kissed you. And you loved it. I’m not sure I see the problem here, Sydney.”
I sighed. “He’s my boss. You forgot that one.”
Frankie shrugged her shoulders. “So what? You’re attracted to your boss? I’m sure tons of girls go through this.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Tons of girls don’t live with their bosses, Frank.”
Frankie gave me a dramatic sigh, resting her head against the back of the couch. “So what do you want to do? Go back on your contract? He could take you to court if he wanted over that. You still have things to paint for him.”
I knew that. “That’s the dilemma.”
Frankie pursed her lips. “That’s not the real dilemma is it? I mean—you’ve slept with guys before, Syds? You’ve never been shy in your sexuality. Why now? He’s the most promising fuck I think you’ve ever had.”
If she hadn’t been my best friend, I would have been offended. But, it was obvious that my sexuality had never been a problem before. If I wanted to sleep with someone, I just did it. “It’s something different about him,” I whispered.
Frankie nudged my foot with hers.
I took of bite of ice cream courage. “He wouldn’t sleep with me.”
Frankie’s brows rose to her hairline. “You mean you showed interest, and he turned you down?”
A feverish blush crawled against my cheeks. “Yeah. I wanted him and he just—said not yet.”
A smile curled at Frankie’s lips. “This is actually great news.”
I frowned.
She placed her ice cream on the table and reached to grab my hands. “You’ve never had a guy—man—actually wait for it. You’ve always just been one to take it—give it—whenever you wanted it. He’s waiting to show you what you’re worth.”
That’s what he had said, but I didn’t believe it. Men didn’t really do things like that, right? I gave Frankie an unsure look. “Frankie, I don’t know. Things like that only happen in Disney or Nicholas Sparks’ movies. It just doesn’t happen like that for me.”
She shook her head. “Why can’t it?”
There was a simple answer to this question. I wasn’t worth it. I’d already bedded too many guys for one to care about it. I’d never said that out loud, not all of it. I didn’t feel like , and it was something I wanted to admit to someone else.
Not yet anyway.
“I don’t know.”
Frankie pulled me in for a hug. “I think you need to give him a chance, Sydney. Finish your contract. If you don’t want anything to happen between the two of you, tell him no. He’ll take a hint.”
That was the thing. I did want him to kiss me, to care about me, but I couldn’t trust that he would. “Well, he is kind of making me go out with him tonight. How do I make this dinner about business and not about dessert?”
Frankie smiled. “Are you sure you want to?”
I tossed her a dirty look, hoping she wouldn’t be able to see through my lie. “Yes.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, dress to not impress. Don’t dress sexy.” She sat up and snapped her fingers. “Remember the dress you wore to my grandmother’s funeral?”
“That’ll work,” I smiled. “Now, how do I stop myself from ogling him at dinner?”
Frankie sighed. “That I’m not sure of. He’s a handsome devil.”
That was reassuring.
“I’ll manage it,” I said to myself. “So … how are things in your neck of the woods?”
Frankie’s entire demeanor changed. My happy-go-lucky friend was gone, and a worried one took her place.
“That bad?” I asked, sliding toward her.
She nodded, her brown eyes full of confusion. “Things haven’t been great, Sydney. Jeremy he—,” she rubbed the back of her neck—,” he’s been really mean since Ash brought me home.”
I furrowed my brow. I didn’t necessarily think Jeremy was the perfect guy for Frankie, but I didn’t think he’d be mean to her. “What do you mean by mean? Physically?”
She shook her head. “Verbally.”
I nodded. “Have you talked to him about it?”
She gnawed on her lip, a clear sign of her keeping a secret. She wanted to tell me something. “Spill it.”
“I talked to Asher about it,” she blurted out. “He came to the apartment two nights ago.”
Oh. “Did something happen?”
She shook her head but then nodded. “I kissed him.”
“You kissed him?”
Frankie covered her face with her hands. “I vowed to never let it happened again after the first time, but he was so warm and smelled so good. I feel so bad.”
I hugged her close to me, rubbing my hand over her head. “It was an accident, Frankie. You were vulnerable, and he was there. Don’t beat yourself up about it.”
I could see the pep talk wasn’t helping her. She’d always been the good one, and the guilt she had would eat her alive. “I’m okay,” she whispered, wiping away her tears. “I just need a good hug.”
It was obvious bullshit. “Do I need to have Cash talk to Asher about it? Maybe he could talk to him reasonably.”
Frankie shook her head fiercely and grabbed her ice cream. “No, I’m going to handle this. I’m fine. Let’s watch this movie before you have to leave. I’m sure your master will be sending for you soon.”
I narrowed my eyes and laughed. She had hit the nail right on the head.
I smiled at myself in the body length mirror of my bathroom.
This had to be the best idea Frankie had ever come up with. The dress I’d worn to her grandmother’s funeral come down to my knee, a little tight around my waist, and had sleeves. I laughed. Sleeves.
There would be no way in hell Cash would want to be seen in public with me like this. And if he did endure it, I wouldn’t have to worry about him copping a feel.
I did wear heels that weren’t completely boring. I’d worn them out several times, but that was more because they were the only pair I had that matched. A knock sounded against my door, and I covered my mouth to giggle. I felt silly trying to pull this over on him, but it’d be worth it in the long run.
I walked over to the door and opened it quickly. Cash stood on the other side, suit and tie pressed nicely to his chest. He looked better than anything else I’d ever seen. Like someone who had just walked off a shoot for GQ.
My mouth dried,
and my heart rate thumped against my ears. “You look handsome,” I said.
Cash’s green eyes slowly dropped down my body, his casual demeanor never changed. When he looked back up at me, he smiled. It was a devilish smile that I didn’t like. It felt like he knew a secret that I didn’t know. I was the one playing him, why was he smiling?
He stepped forward, wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my cheek. “You look lovely, Sydney. Are we ready to go?”
Giving him a small grin, I sidestepped him and tried to cool my nerves. He pressed his hand against my lower back, guiding me down the path that led around his house. The air was cool, and I was actually thankful for the extra layers.
“Beautiful night,” I said, trying to hold in my smile. I knew this dress wasn’t the least bit attractive, and when we rounded the corner to see Joey waiting on us, I knew for certain.
He tried to hide it with a fake cough, but I wasn’t offended because unattractive was what I was going for. “It’s a beautiful night,” Cash said, behind me.
I slid inside the back of his limo and made myself comfy, not caring if I was close to his side. Cash slid in moments later, his arm falling on the headrest behind me.
I was grinning to myself when the limo took off.
Cash cleared his throat. “You look very pleased with yourself tonight. I’d say you were happy to be here, but judging by our conversation earlier, I know that’s not it.” He leaned against the door with that same shit-eating grin on his face.
I gave him a long sidelong glance. “I’m just in a good mood.”
He made a sound underneath his breath, sliding an inch closer to me, his mouth only an inch away from my lobe. “You think hiding yourself behind that funeral dress is gonna scare me off, Peach? You don’t know me very well.”
Damn it all to hell!
I bit my bottom lip to keep from screaming. How in the hell did he figure it out?
Cash’s chuckle sent goosebumps against my arms. It was the first real laugh I’d heard from him, and I hated myself for wanting to hear it again. “You never dress like that when you go out. I’ve seen you in the act. I know you’re tryin’ to scare me off, but it’s not gonna work. I know the shape you’re trying hide, and the thought of it is all I need to remember. So,” he laughed, “unless you can erase my memory, I don’t see baggy dresses helping your case.”
With a satisfied smile, he leaned back, his eyes never leaving mine. First trick to lying, deny, deny, deny. “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”
Cash lifted a brow nonchalantly. “Really?” he asked. “Then why are you tightening your hands together?”
I flattened my palms against my thighs, grinding my teeth. “I did not dress like this on purpose. I think I look lovely.”
Cash’s smile widened, his eyes trailed down my collar bone, to the curve of my breast, all the way to the hem against my thighs. “You do,” he whispered, playing with a piece of hair against my shoulders. “I can still see that tiny waist, and how shapely your calves are. The shoes too,” he chuckled. “I really love the shoes.”
Butterflies fluttered against my stomach. My brain replayed how he’d almost kissed me in that very limo, and how much I’d wanted him to. Nothing had changed. I still wanted him too.
“So, I start painting your office Monday, right?”
Cash dropped his hand to linger right beside mine. “Yes, ma’am. You have anything in mind?”
His eyes never left mine; a dark glint played with every vulnerable emotion I had in me. “Yes.”
He raised an eyebrow for me to continue but the words stuck in my throat. I wanted to paint the greenest pasture on his walls. I wanted to paint the same color that stared back at me, the same color that haunted my thoughts and tore apart my restraints. “You don’t have to tell me. I want it to be a surprise,” he leaned in to whisper.
Good, because I couldn’t form the words.
I nodded and thanked God when the limo came to a complete stop. Cash watched me closely while Joey helped me out. We stopped in front of The Old Pink House Restaurant, which was one of my favorite places to eat, but I wasn’t going to tell him that.
Their fried green tomatoes were to die for. Cash palmed my lower back, his mouth close to my ear. “I hope you like this place. It’s my favorite.”
Of course, it is.
Cash guided me inside the old pink house like building. The hostess’ face lit up. “Mr. Jenkins, we’ve reserved the wine cellar table for you.”
“Thank you, Chelsea,” he said.
She turned to look at me. “Hi, Ms. Henry. It’s nice to see you back.”
I smiled her way and waved her off. “It’s nice to be back.”
She ushered us down the dimly lit hallway, passed the piano room and toward the cellar. A small table for two sat in the middle of the room. I’d never been to that part, being so intimate my parents never took me there. Wine racks covered both walls; the only light was a lit candle in the middle of our table.
“Please have a seat,” Chelsea said. “Mr. Jenkins, I’ll bring out what you requested.”
Cash slid my chair out for me, his body heat warm against my back. I sat down, my fingers clenching my knees underneath the table. The room was romantic, and I’d be a liar if I said it didn’t put me in a good mood.
Cash sat down across from me, his demeanor lighter than normal, but still firm. It wasn’t a side of him that I saw often. And Heaven forbid it, but I liked it.
“So, you’ve been here before?” he asked.
I fiddled with the table cloth, my eyes searching the dimly lit room around me. “A few times, but never in this room.”
Cash studied me, and I’d have given my right arm to know what he was thinking. “Your parents brought you here?”
I casually nodded.
“Do you plan to never talk to them again?”
I bit the inside of my lip. I hadn’t given my parents a second thought since missing Friday night dinner. “I don’t know.”
Chelsea brought out some wine, and what looked like blackened oysters. My mouth watered, and I itched to reach out and grab one. Cash hadn’t looked away from my face. “Are you ready to order?”
“Fried green tomatoes, please.”
Chelsea scribbled down my order and gave Cash a look. “The usual?”
He nodded, and she disappeared into the stone walkway. Cash poured me a glass of what I assumed was an expensive bottle of champagne, leaned back and took a drink of his own. “Tell me about yourself.”
I took a slow sip, contemplating what I should tell him. “What do you want to know?”
His sharp features were stone in the candle light. I hated how GQ perfect he looked no matter the circumstance. “Anything you’re willing to tell me.”
There was a lot he didn’t know, and a lot more I was sure I didn’t want him to. My track record wasn’t the best, and it wasn’t a secret. I wasn’t sure how often a man of his status read into the local gossip mill.
“I’m twenty-five,” I whispered through my parched mouth.
He cocked his head, letting out a deep, gritty sigh. “Great stuff,” he said. “What’s your sign?”
I bit my lip to keep from smiling and eyed my wine. “Aries.”
Those green orbs narrowed and he leaned forward, all his gentlemanly qualities blew out the window. He slid his arms from the suit jacket he wore, unbuttoning the top button of his white shirt, and placing his elbows on the table that sat between us. “Give it to me straight, Peach.”
I laughed, not because it was funny, but because I felt sweat start to build on my forehead. Eating dinner was supposed to be just that, eating dinner. “I’m not sure what you—,”
“Bullshit,” he spat. “I want to know why you’re so uncomfortable right now. Why do you keep looking away from me?”
Chelsea’s footsteps broke off the awkward silence as he waited for an answer.
“Fried green tomatoes for you,” she said, placing my plate i
n front of me. “And fried green tomatoes for you.”
My eyes went to his plate that matched my own, and to the pleased look on his face. I watched his face as he spoke to Chelsea and dismissed her. Suddenly the closed vault door and the candle light had my heart hammering against my ribs.
Cash’s index finger and thumb captured my wrist, and he pulled me toward him. “Do I make you nervous?”
Hell yes, he did. I ran my tongue across my lower lip, biting the corner before looking down at our hands. “I’m not used to this, Cash. I don’t get wined and dined, and I don’t know what you want from me.”
Cash slid this thumb against my skin, a smile pulling at the side of his mouth. “What are you afraid of? It can’t be casual sex because you told me that’s what you’re used to.” His eyes lowered to my lips. “Are you scared I’ll fuck you, and you’ll want more?”
The way fuck rolled off of his tongue dampened my panties. There was too much truth to what he said. I was scared I’d like it, but I was more scared that he wouldn’t. That he wouldn’t like me as much as I liked him if I let myself be free with him. “No,” I lied, dropping my eyes.
Cash cleared his throat to get my attention. “There isn’t anything you could give me that I wouldn’t love. You don’t have to worry around me. If you want more of me, I’ll be here to give it to you. This won’t be a one-time thing for us, Peach.”
Cash dropped my hand and grabbed his fork. “Now, I think we have some food that needs to be eaten. I’d hate for us to go back to our place on an empty stomach.”
Chapter Fifteen
Sydney
The doors to the restaurant closed behind us, and Cash pulled me close to him, his palm against the lowest part of my back. His pinky dipped down, and I could feel his fingers against the top of my ass, right where my underwear lay. It was such a small gesture that had my heart in my stomach.
The humid summer air whipped at my hair, but it wasn’t the stale heat that had me panting, it was my parents walking toward the door we’d just left.