Dual Hearts (Seduction Series Book 1)

by Emily Vincent

  “Oh, well…I had,” he mumbled.

  I frowned. I wondered where this cold shoulder was coming from. “Everything alright?” I asked.

  “Yeah…why do you ask?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. You just seem different.” I then thought back to the last time I saw him and wondered if it had anything to do with that. “Does it have anything to do with me coming out of Chris’ office?” I asked.

  At the mention of Chris, he glanced at me. “Look…you can do whatever you want or see fit with whoever you want. Just leave me out of it.”

  It definitely had something to do with that. “You don’t want to talk about it?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “I found out all I need to know and I’ll just leave it at that. Now, if you’ll excuse me…I have a ton of work to do and you’re keeping me from it.”

  The icy words that came out of him were not easy to hear. It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t like Chris and I were dating or anything. It was just a party that he thought would be good for me to attend. I opened my mouth to say just that, when he walked over to the door and opened it up for me.

  “Please…it’s really best you just go.”

  I nodded and moved closer to him. I hated that he was looking at me in a way that said he was disappointed in me. It was a look that I would never get over. “Will you text me later?” I asked.

  He shrugged, then shook his head. “We’ll see how things go, but I think it’s better that we just keep things professional between us.” He hesitated, before adding, “I hope you understand.”

  I didn’t understand much of it, but what could I do about it. Xander had made up his mind and that was clear. “Alright then!” I turned away from him and left his office, a strange ache hit me in the pit of my stomach as I headed back to work. Break was nearly over and there was no reason to stick around there. However, that didn’t mean that I wouldn’t try to get through to him. I just needed to see how the party would go and figure it out.

  Chapter 8

  I got dressed in the baby blue dress, added the necklace, and then put my hair up, so it wasn’t across my neck. I stepped in front of the floor length mirror and surveyed my image. “You belong here,” I said, trying to convince myself, more than anyone else.

  When he knocked on my door, it startled me and I looked at my watch. I couldn’t believe that it was already seven thirty. I did a twirl in front of the mirror, giving myself a once over, then went to the door and opened it up. I stared at him, my eyes dropping down over his blue pin-striped suit. He looked even more handsome than ever before and from the look on his face, he knew it.

  “Hello there,” he said. He shined a big, toothy grin and held his arm out for me. “Shall we?”

  I took his arm and then grabbed my purse and turned off the light with the other hand. We headed to his black Cadillac, where he opened up the backseat door for me, then climbed in after me. He shut the door behind him and then motioned for his driver to drive away. I had never felt like I was such a princess as I did in that moment.

  He cozied up next to me, with his hand placed upon mine and it was a lot more romantic than the date with Xander. He looked at me. “You look breath-taking tonight,” he said and then pointed to the necklace. “I was right, that necklace is gorgeous on you.”

  I reached up and touched it, nearly forgetting that it was around my neck. “Thank you!”

  We rode the rest of the way in style and in silence. When we got to the party, it was like I was living a dream. Someone whisked the door open and we were getting out of the car. For a moment, I thought I had stepped out into a movie premiere, there was so much action going on. Chris wrapped his arm around me, in a protective state and we walked up a set of stairs to get into the house. Once inside, I thought maybe Chris and I wouldn’t have any time to talk, but I was soon mistaken.

  He did do a lot of mingling with the important people and even introduced me to a few people that he said might help me in the industry, or at least get my foot in the door, but then he grabbed my hand and pulled me onto a floor where there were a handful of people dancing.

  I laughed as he pulled me closer to him. “We know what tends to happen when I dance,” I said with a laugh.

  He smiled. “But this time, I’m here to keep you from falling.” He winked at me and I felt like I was in a fairytale or the lead in a romantic comedy. I moved closer to him and I could feel his breath on my neck as we danced, neither one of us saying much to the other, because we were enjoying the slow movement together.

  After one dance ended and then another, he surprised me by pulling me off the dance floor and to the side of the room. “Want a drink?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “Maybe some fresh air,” I replied.

  He nodded. “Agreed, because sometimes it can get a little stuffy in here. Follow me!” We moved quickly through the house and then stepped outside the back door, where we were immediately hit with the night air.

  “Much better!” I said.

  “Are you having fun?” he asked me.

  I turned to him and nodded. “One of the better nights I’ve had since arriving,” I said. It wasn’t just a line I was feeding him; I was being honest. It was different from my date with Xander, but I realized that I actually did like this atmosphere. A bit surprising to me, but it was so.

  “I’m glad to hear that,” he said.

  I smiled and he reached up and caressed my cheek with the back of his hand. “Chris…” I whispered. My throat was down to my chest and I gasped when he looked so deeply into my eyes.

  “You are so beautiful, Elisha,” he said. “No woman could ever compare.”

  By the way the women gawked at him while we were dancing, I knew just how much they wanted to compare. “You flatter me,” I said. I released a chuckle.

  He smiled as he ran his thumb under my chin and I saw desire take over his expression. I could feel the burning sensation of wanting to be with someone, also take over my body. Then without expecting it, he leaned in and brushed a kiss on my lips. It started off slow and then turned sensual in an instant as he snaked his hand around my neck and pulled me closer to him. My first thought was, Wow…I don’t want this moment to ever end. However, when it did end, his breathless words stole the show.

  “You want to get out of here and go back to my place?”

  I smiled and knew that I did without a doubt. I nodded and he grabbed my hand. I had this feeling that we were being watched, but I ignored it and just let Chris take command at getting us out of there.

  We got outside and as if the driver knew we were coming out, he was already there waiting for us. When we got in the car, he directed his driver to take us to his home. I was nervous and excited all at the same time. As we drove away from the house, he leaned into me and kissed me again. He pressed me against the back of the seat and we stayed in that position with all other concerns free from our mind.

  I don’t know how long we were kissing, before we pulled up in front of a large building and the driver came around and opened our door. I stepped out of the car and stared at the building, I was in complete awe, but Chris was in a state of mind to not focus on the building and to get inside.

  As we entered the building, several employees greeted him like he was the President of the United States. He nodded or said hello, but we quickly maneuvered to an elevator. Once inside, I half expected him to go back in for another kiss, but instead, he just looked at me and grinned.

  When the doors open, a large suite greeted us and my mouth hung open as I stepped out of the elevator. This was probably ten times bigger than my own place. And I couldn’t fathom only one person living there. I glanced at him and he snickered. “What do you think?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Not too shabby.”

  That caused him to laugh and he grabbed my arm and pulled me to him, causing me to stumble slightly and fall into him. “See I really am a klutz,” I whispered.

  He laughed. “If all goes right, y
ou’ll be my klutz.” He brushed a kiss on my lips and all cognitive thoughts disappeared. I was going to be Chris’ tonight, no doubt, and I was ready to leave it all out there.

  Chapter 9

  The next day, I didn’t want to get out of bed. It was nice and warm in Chris’ arms, but we both knew that we had business that needed to be taken care of. He had his driver take me home, so I could get dressed for work, but all the while I thought how amazing Chris was and how I was looking forward to things only progressing with us.

  As I showered, thoughts of what happened last night raced through my mind. My stomach twisted and knotted in giddy and excited nerves. Chris made me feel something that I had never felt with another before, and I struggled to find the words to properly describe how I was feeling after the night we shared together.

  I felt so special, and so lucky. He was kind, and this morning when I left I could have sworn I saw something in his eyes that told me he didn’t want me to leave just yet. I know I didn’t want to leave!

  Turning off the water to the shower, I stepped out and looked in the mirror as I dried my body. I giggled eyeing the slight hickey on the lower part of my neck and shivered – my uniform would cover that, so I wasn’t worried – the mark gave me a new feeling of excitement.

  I was not new to having sex, but last night Chris made my panties wet, legs tingle, belly do somersaults, and my whole body shake as I came undone beneath him. I bit down on my lip as I started combing through my wet hair, a small tear trickling down my cheek as I thought of the words he said after we were done: ‘I have waited for this since the first day I saw you fly off the stage.’

  I was surprised, I hadn’t actually realized how much he did notice me the first day, but his admission made me smile. Rich, powerful and famous Chris Pierce noticed me then, before he even knew me, and he wanted me. No one has ever wanted me like that before.

  I smiled again as I let out a girlish squeal as I skipped to my wardrobe for clothes. The feelings were mutual, I wanted him too.

  I was on cloud nine, but then got to work and could tell something was up.

  As I walked through the cocktail lounge, people started staring at me. I heard hushed whispers and saw people pointing and it gave me a weird feeling all around. Something definitely had to be up. When I got to Krystal that was the first thing I asked about.

  “What’s going on? I have this vibe that there’s something I’m missing out on.”

  “Have you seen the papers?” Krystal asked.

  I shook my head. I didn’t tell her that I was too busy being shown a good time by our boss, but Krystal was quick to let me in on what I’d been missing. She pulled the paper out from underneath the bar and moved it towards me. On the front cover were two pictures side by side. The one was of Xander and I by the pool and we looked pretty cozy, even though I knew the full story and it wasn’t as heated as the paper showed. In the next picture, you saw Chris and me kissing and we were at the party from the previous night.

  I couldn’t get the images out of my mind, even as I turned my head and looked away from her. She groaned. “Yeah…figured you hadn’t seen that,” she said. She shrugged as I looked back at her and tossed the paper back under the counter. “Honestly, it comes with the territory. This bullshit magazine likes to humiliate Class Elite employees. You just have to ignore it,” she said.

  There was no judging coming from her, but I turned to her and I frowned. “Have you been smeared all over the tabloids?” I asked.

  She scrunched up her nose, then shook her head. “Well, not exactly, but it’s the Paparazzi…don’t let it bother you.”

  That was easier said than done. It wasn’t Krystal’s reputation at stake. “I’ll try to remember that,” I mumbled. I just wondered who could be so manipulative to take such pictures and they were surely shedding the wrong light about what was going on between Xander and me or Chris and me, for that matter. Sure, it was true that Chris and I did kiss and then later…more happened, but it didn’t change the fact that neither one of us intended on getting it spread across the news.

  Just as the thought left me, I heard a snarky comment coming from behind me. “Nice pictures,” she said.

  I turned to find Mercury standing behind me. I rolled my eyes and immediately thought Mercury would definitely do something so vindictive, but I couldn’t start a fight with her, when I needed to keep myself out of the limelight. “Come on, Krystal! We have important business to tend to,” she said. She tossed me a look and then laughed as she pushed by me.

  I shook my head. I was not going to allow her to get to me. I looked at Krystal and she was giving me a sympathetic look, but then turned away and went to where the dancers had to rally up together. I walked around the bar and grabbed the newspaper and looked at it. I groaned and tossed it straight in the trash. I didn’t need to see that garbage and let it worry me that much.

  Yet, all through work, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and going back to it in my mind. I was angry that this happened, but even more so I was confused. How could something so minimal, turn into something so explosive? I definitely didn’t want Chris or Xander to get backlash from it.

  After my shift ended, I knew I needed to talk to Chris. I needed to make sure that he was alright with this getting out in the media and so I headed to his office. When the elevator opened, I spotted Juliet briskly walking past her desk and heading to the filing cabinet. When she turned back around, I smiled.

  “Can I go on in?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Chris is very busy and can’t be disturbed,” she said. She went back to her desk and sat down and I was hit with the realization that this was a completely different scenario from the last time I was in his office.

  “Well, can you tell him that I would like to see him at least? Maybe he’ll make an exception,” I said. I was grasping for straws to find a way to talk to him, but she seemed bent on not letting me.

  “Ma’am,” she started. That was a far cry from her calling me by Mrs. Lornal the last time I was there. “He’s in meetings all day today and I couldn’t get a hold of him, even if I wanted to. For the record, I’m not sure that I do. You should probably just leave and give it a rest.”

  I heaved a sigh, frustrated that I couldn’t at least talk to him, but I had to take her advice and leave, because I wasn’t getting anywhere with her. I took the elevator down, but decided to make a stop a Xander’s office. When I got there and knocked on his door. He opened it up and he didn’t greet with me with a friendly welcome.

  “Elisha!” he explained in an exasperated tone. “Why are you here?” he asked.

  “We need to talk,” I said. I was being timid around him and I hated that feeling, but I couldn’t exactly feel open with him, when I had to discuss the fact that I was in the paper with not just him.

  “No…we don’t need to talk,” he replied. He went to shut the door, but I reached out and stopped it with my hand. “Elisha…just give it up. You like Chris…I get it. I’ve read it loud and clear. You don’t need to rub it in my face.” He turned around and picked up the newspaper, then held it up in his hand. “It seems to me that everyone will read it loud and clear.” He tossed the paper down and I felt a tug at my heart. He was clearly upset and I moved further into his office.

  “Xander…” I started, before I was interrupted with the sound of his speaker telling him he was needed downstairs. He shot me a look.

  “You know the drill. I have to go.” He grabbed some keys and a phone and tossed it in his pocket, then didn’t make eye contact as we headed out of his office. The whole way I tried to get him to listen to me.

  “Come on, Xander. Don’t rush off like this,” I said. I barely slipped into the elevator before it closed. He looked at me.

  “You know when I get a call that I’m needed…I have to go. This has nothing to do with what you and I are discussing. Trust me on that.”

  The elevator opened and I still hurried after him. “Are you sure? Maybe you’re
just using this as an excuse to not hear me out,” I reached out and touched his arm and he whirled around and looked at me. I slowly let my hand fall away.

  “Elisha, this isn’t about you…this isn’t about me, but I can surely tell you that I’m not about to be a third wheel. If Chris is who you want, then fine, but I’m backing off. It’s just better this way.” His eyes fell to my lips, like he was thinking of the moments we kissed, and then quickly looked back up into my eyes. “Now, if you’ll please excuse me, I have more important things to worry about.”

  With that, he turned away and I let him walk away. I felt sad watching the back of him go, but there wasn’t anything I could do about that. My heart was leaning more towards Chris, after all we had already progressed our relationship to a level that there was no turning back from. It didn’t mean that I didn’t still like Xander, but letting him cool off was the best route. I could talk to him later about it and hope that we would finally solve what issues lied between us.

  Chapter 10

  I woke up the next day to a phone call early in the morning. I discovered it was Krystal and as I yawned, I grabbed my phone and answered it. “Hello?” The sleepiness in my voice was evident.

  “They strike again!” she said.

  “Huh? What?” I shook my head, not understanding her words that came through the earpiece. “Who strikes again?”

  “The paparazzi,” she explains. “Grab the nearest paper and you’ll see what I mean.”

  I groaned. I didn’t want to see what she meant, but I knew it had to do with either Xander or Chris and I was beside myself with annoyance over the issue. “I’ll grab a coffee at the diner next door and see if I can get a paper. Thanks, Krystal.” I disconnected the call, feeling sluggish over the fact that I was now the center of attention again.

  I got up and quickly took a shower, then changed into a pair of short and t-shirt, before I headed out of my apartment and walked the short distance to the diner. Once inside, I found several people turn to the door and stare at me, like I was the newest hot topic. I pulled the sunglasses down over my eyes, grateful that I had thought about grabbing them before leaving my place.