“You still in for tonight?” he asked, referring to the plans they’d made with Harper. She’d been trying to set a date for the three of them to go out clubbing pretty much since the first time she and Colin spoke on the phone.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you feel like having me there will keep you from switching out of work mode and cutting loose.” His brows rose. “Or maybe you have a hot date?”
The plus one might have been Colin’s idea of subtle, but this approach was an all-out freight train charging full steam ahead.
“Tell you what,” she said. “I’ll promise to forget about the office and resist the urge to dictate memos if you’ll promise to stop fishing for details on my nonexistent social life and resist the urge to fix me up at the club.”
He clapped his hands together as he stood. “No can do, Boss Lady. I’m on a mission to make sure your dance card is full tonight. You need to let your hair down and have some fun for a change.”
Before she had a chance to object, he was halfway out the door. Allie sagged back in her chair. Colin was right about one thing: she could definitely use a night off from the worry and stress that had plagued her the last two weeks. But what she really needed was a night with Hudson.
It had been a nearly a week since she’d surprised him in the shower. Five days, to be exact. And as wonderful as it had been to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon at his penthouse, she’d taken a huge risk by sneaking into his building, one they both agreed she shouldn’t repeat. So instead they’d spent the week apart, each working in their respective towers on opposite banks of the Chicago River.
Allie spun her chair around to face the windows. In the distance she could see the Chase Industries building. The mere sight of the postmodern structure, towering over the city in an architectural display of masculine power, sent a sharp pang of longing through her. Instinctively she opened her desk drawer and reached for the burner phone she kept tucked in a pocket of her purse. The text she sent was simple and to the point and told Hudson exactly how she felt.
I miss you.
She waited a few minutes, watching the screen for the tiny bubbles that would indicate Hudson was typing a reply, but none came. She knew she shouldn’t have expected an immediate response. It wasn’t as though he was sitting around his office waiting for a random message from her. He had a multibillion dollar conglomerate to run. Not to mention his responsibilities at Ingram and the investigation he was spearheading into Julian’s involvement in her parents’ murders. How the man found time to sleep, much less text, was a mystery.
Her thumb had just pressed the lock button when she heard a soft ping. His answer was equally direct.
I want you.
A feeling of warmth spread through her. Before she had a chance to reply, another message from Hudson popped up on the screen.
Did you and Colin have a nice lunch?
What? How the hell did he know about that? Was he at Ingram HQ while she was holed up in her office with Colin? She was about to ask when her phone lit up again.
That color looks lovely on you, by the way.
Her mouth popped open. You can see me?
Yes.
How? A thought occurred to her and she quickly typed a follow-up question. Did you buy a telescope?
No.
Then how?
I may have procured some equipment from my recently assembled team.
Stalker.
Just utilizing available technology. Lift your skirt.
Pervert.
Do it.
Why?
Because I’ve been wondering all day if you’re wearing garters.
Maybe.
Show me, Alessandra. Now.
It was just a text, but as she read it she could almost hear the deep timbre of his voice commanding her to submit to his will, and a surge of heated pleasure shot straight to her core. Slowly, she slid the hem of her skirt up her thigh until the black garter was revealed, along with the lace edge of her stockings.
Her phone pinged. Higher.
She pulled the fabric higher, so her lace panties were visible.
Fucking hell.
This isn’t fair, she typed.
The fact that I’m now inconveniently hard and you’re across the river? I agree.
That’s your own fault. She laughed.
I meant that you can see me. All I can do is stare at granite and glass and try to picture you in your office.
And what are you picturing?
A wicked smile curved her lips. Hudson might have started their little game, but two could play. You at your desk. Me under it.
Now who’s the pervert?
She ignored his comment and continued to describe the image in her mind with a series of rapid-fire texts.
Rather like that time in the chair.
But instead of riding your cock, I’d be on my knees...sucking you off while you rule over your kingdom.
There was a long beat of silence, then her phone rang in her hand.
“I’m coming over,” he said. His voice was tight with a barely leashed restraint.
“No, don’t. It’s too risky. We don’t know who at Ingram is on Julian’s payroll. And we’ve taken far too many chances as it is.”
“I’m your business partner, for fuck’s sake. Any number of issues can bring me to that building.” His frustration was palpable, but they couldn’t do anything to blow their cover or to encourage Julian to move up his timetable.
“If we’re alone together too often, he’ll expect progress, and we need more time.”
“Then we’ll stay in plain sight.” His tone softened. “Christ, Allie, I need to see you. I’m losing my mind without you.”
“I feel the same way, but . . .”
“But what?”
Her words tumbled out in a rush. “I can’t bear to see you and not be able to touch you. And I don’t want to have to pretend that I hate you. It kills me. Because even though you know it’s an act, there’s a tiny piece of you that still feels it. I can see it in your eyes and it breaks my heart.”
He let out an resigned breath. “Tonight, then. Give me an hour or so to come up with a plan.”
“I can’t. I’m meeting Harper and Colin at a club.”
“First lunch and now drinks? I’m starting to get jealous of your assistant.”
Allie gave a small laugh. “Don’t be. I’m not his type.” She stood and walked over to the window. “I miss you,” she said, echoing the words she’d typed at the start of their conversation.
“I miss you, too. More than you know.”
She pressed her palm to the glass, and wondered if across the river, he was doing the same. “Tell me it will all work out, Hudson. Tell me the good guys will win this time. Tell me we’ll end up with our happily ever after.”
His voice was hoarse when he answered. “We will, Allie. I swear to you, somehow we will.”
Chapter Twelve
Allie eyed Harper over the rim of her glass. She was wearing a short sequined dress that caught each beat of the lights that pulsed over the crowd, and heels that, despite her petite frame, made her legs look like they went on for miles. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright and glassy, and her toes tapped to the pounding bass. She was in total club mode. With one exception. Harper Hayes hadn’t so much as looked at a guy. Not a glance, not a wink. Not even a smile. And she certainly hadn’t passed her phone number to the bartender despite the fact that, as Colin was quick to point out, he looked like Ian Somerhalder. Even Allie had given him a second glance, but Harper seemed completely impervious to his devilishly handsome good looks, and for that there could be only one explanation.
Nick.
Harper hadn’t said anything about her budding relationship with Hudson’s brother, but Allie was confident he was the reason for her best friend’s sudden lack of interest in the male population. At least when it came to finding a potential date for herself. She was
having no problem using her well-honed skills to find Allie a man, and she’d been putting them to good use all night.
“There was nothing wrong with that one,” Harper said as the guy in question moved on to another table. “And the first three were perfectly fine, too.”
Allie wrinkled her nose. She didn’t want perfectly fine, she wanted perfect. She wanted Hudson Chase.
“It’s not like you’re picking out china patterns,” she said. “They just wanted to buy you a drink.”
“I can buy my own drinks, thank you very much.” Allie downed the last of her lemon drop martini, her third of the night. Usually she followed Harper’s “martinis are like boobs” motto when it came to her drink of choice. In other words, one was not enough, and three was too many. But tonight she wanted to lose herself in that heady combination of drinking too much alcohol in a club where the music was much too loud. And for that, Asylum was the perfect destination.
The entire club pulsed with a hypnotic energy. Hundreds of bodies filled the circular dance floor in the center of the club, all writhing and swaying under the multihued lighting that kept time to the pounding music. Above them the ceiling soared three stories high, with the balconies on each level wrapping around all three hundred and sixty degrees, and in the distance a DJ held court on a raised platform.
“Well, the next one’s on me.” Colin caught the eye of their waitress and signaled for another round. “As for your many admirers, no offense, Boss Lady, but you really only have yourself to blame.”
“First, we agreed I’m not your boss tonight. Second, how do you figure?”
“Well, if you didn’t want to spend the night fending off guys left and right, then you shouldn’t look so hot.” He hid his smile behind his glass.
Allie gaped at him. She would have been offended if it weren’t for the irresistible combination of amusement and affection that sparkled in his bright green eyes.
“What?” he asked, aiming for innocent and failing miserably. “You said you’re not my boss tonight.”
Allie laughed and shook her head. “Right, but the flattery-won’t-get-you-a-raise policy is still in effect.”
“Ah, but it’s true. Look at you, hair in a perfectly disheveled updo, makeup completely on point with those smoky eyes and glossy nude lips. And that dress.” His eyes raked over the slinky black halter dress that dipped low in the back. “I mean, damn, even I want to hit that.” He smirked. “And you’re lacking the proper anatomy.”
“I think she’s too busy pining away over the Muscled Mogul to give any of these guys a chance,” Harper chimed in.
Aaaand we’re back to the nicknames.
Colin choked on his vodka tonic. “Muscled Mogul? I take it she means . . .” He lifted his brows.
“Yes. Fair warning, Colin, Harper has a thing for nicknames.” Allie shot her friend a look. “And apparently no one is off-limits.”
Harper beamed back at her. “That’s not even my best work. Personally, I thought the Tempting Tycoon was much better.”
“Well, I think that all of this is just your way of diverting attention from the real issue.”
Colin leaned forward conspiratorially, resting his elbows on their tall-boy table. “Oh, this sounds good. Do tell.”
“Harper here has made it her night’s mission to find a man for me so we won’t notice the fact that she’s now off the market.”
“Am not,” she protested. “I just haven’t seen anyone I like.”
“Bullshit. Damon Salvatore’s doppelganger was mixing your Cosmo and you didn’t so much as bat an eye.” Allie laughed. “Admit it. You are one hundred percent head over heels for Nick Chase.”
Colin slumped back in his chair. “Can’t blame her there. Actually, I can’t blame either of you. That gene pool definitely has an extra dose of tall, dark, and handsome.”
“Here’s an idea,” Harper interrupted. “Let’s talk about Colin instead.”
He laughed. “Nice try.”
“No, she’s right.” Other than what was on Colin’s résumé and a few mundane details, Allie actually knew very little about the man who had become such an integral part of her daily life. “Tell us the Colin James story.”
The waitress appeared at the table with a fresh round of drinks on her tray. Colin waited while she set the glasses on the table and cleared the empty ones. “Not much to tell, really.” He lifted the lime wedge off the side of his glass and squeezed it into his drink. “Born and raised in the Midwest; three older sisters; loves Beyoncé, long walks on the beach, and Harry Styles’s hair.”
Harper cocked one perfectly arched brow. “Is that your match.com bio?”
“Saw it on there, did ya?” Colin shot back without missing a beat.
She lifted her new Cosmo in salute. “Touché.”
Allie shook her head. “How did I end up with you two?”
“Luck.” They said as one before clinking their glasses together.
“So, anyone special in your life?” Harper asked him.
“There was. But after we graduated, he took a job at a station on the West Coast. An Ingram affiliate, actually.”
“Which one?” Allie asked.
“Seattle.” Colin shoved a hand through the light brown hair that hung in an artful mess over his forehead. “We tried the long distance thing for a few months, but . . .” He gave a slight shrug and reached for his glass.
“Okay,” Harper announced. “New plan. ‘Operation: Find a Man for Colin’ shall now commence.”
“No need,” he said, sliding off his stool and grinning. “I got this.”
They watched as he strolled toward the bar.
“I like him,” Harper said.
“But not as much as you like Nick.” Allie didn’t even bother to phrase it as a question.
“Back to that, are we?”
“Oh, that’s rich. This from Miss Relentless?”
“Using my own tactics against me?”
Allie wasn’t sure if Harper was referring to the persistent questioning or the annoying moniker. Perhaps both. “If that’s what it takes.” She licked a bit of sugar from the rim of her martini glass. The warm buzz of alcohol was making her feel loose and relaxed, but not so much that she was beyond pumping her friend for long overdue details. “You still haven’t given me the full scoop.”
“I like him,” Harper said. “And yes, more than Colin.” Allie expected a pithy quip, or at the very least an eye roll, but instead Harper grew uncharacteristically serious. “More than anyone I’ve ever known, actually.”
The look on Harper’s face told Allie all she needed to know. It was clear her friend had fallen hard for the younger Chase brother. But Nick had been through a lot, and there had to be a reason why his sponsor suggested avoiding new relationships during the first few months of sobriety. As much as Allie loved the idea of two people she cared about finding happiness together, it also made her worry. “How does he feel?”
“The same.” She twirled the stem of her glass between her fingers. “Although he’s not super talkative about his feelings.”
Allie nodded at yet another characteristic the two brothers seemed to share.
A spark lit Harper’s eyes. “But hey, he’s willing to rent a tux for me, so if that doesn’t say true love, I don’t know what does.”
“A tux?”
“Yeah, I was going to bring him as my date to the gala. If that’s all right with you? I know I’m working and all, but he gets that. Our only concern was how you and Hudson would feel about it.”
Nick in a tux? This she had to see. “If you two are happy, then I’m happy. I’m sure Hudson will see it that way, too.” And if he didn’t, Allie would just have to find a way to convince him.
“Have you talked to him at all since you’ve been back?”
“A few times, but only about work.”
“Still not buying this,” Harper said.
Allie decided it was best to change the subject before Harper dug too deep. “
Looks like Colin found someone,” she said, nodding toward the end of the bar where he stood talking to two unbelievably hot guys.
“Whoa, he has good taste.”
As if feeling the weight of their stare, Colin glanced at them and smiled. After a few words to his two new friends, he sauntered back to the table. “C’mon, Boss Lady, time to dance. This one might be in a relationship, but you’re not. And as luck would have it, my guy has a straight friend.”
In the distance, one of the two men lifted his beer to her and smiled. She opened her mouth to protest, but the sight of Harper’s suspicious gaze had her rethinking her answer. If she declined, it would only add fuel to the fire. If she wanted her best friend to buy the idea that she was over Hudson, then she had to at least appear to be moving on. And in this case it meant agreeing to a dance. She sighed in resignation. “Fine. One dance.”
A wide grin spread across Colin’s face. “To start,” he said, taking Allie’s hand and tugging her off the stool. The two men Colin had been talking to joined them, and together they weaved toward the dance floor. The crowd swallowed them, and in no time Allie found herself pressed between a mass of bodies, all writhing to the pulsing beat of the music. They danced more as a group than couples, moving as one in a current of hedonistic abandonment. But then one song morphed into another and a pair of arms wrapped around Allie from behind. At first she stiffened, but then a nod of encouragement from Colin forced her to relax. It was only dancing, after all, something she would enjoy if she were truly single.
The music pulsed through her body with every beat, and slowly she began to lose herself to the hypnotic rhythm. Closing her eyes, she surrendered to it, imagining Hudson’s hands splayed across her hips, his body molded to hers. Every fiber of her being ached with a need for him that was so real, so tangible, she could almost feel his warm breath in her ear, his lips pressed to her neck.
“You’re gorgeous,” a deep voice vibrated against her skin.
Allie’s eyes flew open at the unfamiliar sound and disappointment flooded her senses. The music slid into a slow, sultry beat, and the man behind her rolled his hips in a matching grind. “I’m going to sit the next one out,” she told him, looking over her shoulder. He nodded as she wriggled free of his grasp. Within seconds he was absorbed back into the dense crowd.
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