Take Me Down (Suits in Pursuit)

by Lauren H. Kelley

  Heat rushed to her cheeks. “Only I could lose a man and my dog in an hour. Honestly, I’m more upset about Copper’s running away. You know how much I love that little fur ball.” Her anger being so intense raised her temperature ten degrees. Ashley dabbed her forehead, drying light perspiration.

  Kerrigan reached out and wrapped Ashley in her arms. “Oh, Ash. I am so sorry.”

  Ashley sobbed on Kerrigan’s shoulder.

  “You’re better off without Paul in your life. You and him, the whole relationship, was toxic. You’re a knockout—absolutely gorgeous. Smart. Sassy. Any man worth anything and with half a brain would be lucky to have you. You deliberately put yourself into relationships with jerks to avoid getting too close. Is this about Chris?”

  Ashley squirmed out from Kerrigan’s embrace. “Damn you, Kerri. That’s not fair. You can say whatever you want, but you know talking about Chris is off-limits.” Dragging heavy feet, Ashley dawdled into the kitchen. She sank into a chair at the round glass table.

  Kerrigan followed and sat next to her at the kitchen table. “Ash, I’m your best friend and nothing I say is ever meant to hurt you. You need to let him go. It’s been six years.” Her voice softened, and tender eyes met Ashley’s.

  Ashley squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back conflicted emotions. She inhaled a deep breath. “I know you’re right. I’m trying.” Sharing her vulnerability, even with Kerrigan, had been rare and difficult.

  “Take a long weekend, go on an exotic trip. I’d go with you if I could leave my family, but Alexa is so young she needs me.” Kerrigan consoled Ashley, patting her hand with graceful fingers.

  Ashley’s gaze landed on Kerrigan’s wedding ring. The massive diamond probably had its own atmosphere. Envy stung her eyes again. “You have a different life now—husband, baby, your own boutique. I get that. Kerri, you know I’m happy for you.” She stared at the photo deliberately placed at eye level where she could see him whenever she sat at the table. “Chris and I always talked about going…”

  Kerrigan shifted in her seat and took Ashley’s stiff hands into hers. “Ash, Chris is gone. You had a wonderful life with him. If he were still alive, I know he’d want you to be happy. You need liberation from the past, from him—a new happiness.”

  Ashley blinked wide, watery eyes.

  Kerrigan reached across the table and yanked a tissue from the box. “You always talk about going to Europe.” She handed the tissue to Ashley.

  Ashley dabbed her wet eyes dry. “You can’t be serious. I can’t go to Europe by myself.” She shook her head.

  “Okay, what about taking a weekend trip somewhere closer to home?”

  Ashley shrugged her shoulders. “Kerri, I… I know you mean well, but I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can. You should talk to Dr. Martin. Find out what he thinks.”

  “I know what he thinks, and I happen to disagree with him too. I can’t go.”

  “No. You mean you won’t go because you’re afraid of living your life. That’s the reason you keep sabotaging any chance at a meaningful relationship by picking losers like Paul.”

  Ashley’s lips twisted into a crooked, quivering, nervous line. “I know you’re right, Kerri, but I can’t.”

  Kerrigan frowned, her index finger pointed at Ashley. “Yes, you will. I’ll pick the destination and buy your ticket. All you have to do is show.”

  Ashley plastered herself against the chair’s backrest, arms folded across her chest, sulking.

  “Well?” Kerrigan asked, pushing Ashley for an immediate answer.

  “Your damn husband is rubbing off on you. I don’t think I can take time off from work. You know how busy work is with the McBride account. If I’m going to land that promotion, now isn’t the best time for me to take vacation.” Ashley replied.

  “Enough with the excuses, Ashley Ann Turner. Taking one or two weeks off won’t put A.C. Advertising out of business or jeopardize your promotion.”

  The fog that had dampened Ashley’s mood began to lift. “Fine. I’ll think about taking a trip, but I’m not making any promises. I’m doing the best I can.”

  “I know you are, Ash. I just want to see you happy again. Besides, it’s my turn to return the favor. Without you, I would have never moved to Atlanta or met Axel. Without you, I’d still be running from my man.”

  Ashley narrowed her eyes at Kerrigan, silent for minutes. “Okay. Okay.” She let out an exasperated sigh. “Do your thing. But just so you know, this trip is not about me finding romance. I like my arrangement. Sex without expectations works for me.” She twirled a stray hair around her finger as her chest tightened. Filled with anxiety, Ashley gasped for air, her constricted breaths made her lightheaded.

  Kerrigan rolled her eyes. She rose from the chair and then strolled across the stained-concrete floor to a built-in bookcase. “When are we going to take these down?” She held up a photo of Chris that sat on the shelf. “I like Dr. Martin’s idea about a memory box. Might help you move on.”

  “I’m not ready for that either.” Ashley’s frantic head nod forced Kerrigan to place the photo back on the shelf.

  “Okay. Baby steps. Whenever you’re ready, just call, and I’ll come over. We can take them down and create a memory box together.”

  “If I fall in love again, that’s when the photos come down.”

  Kerrigan’s heels clicking against the concrete floor, she walked toward Ashley and stretched her arms out wide.

  Ashley returned the hug. “Thank you, Kerri, for everything,” Her words poured out from twisted lips.

  “I’m going to make this easy for you. I’ll schedule a date, time, and location.”

  Ashley hoped her smile masked the fear. Kerrigan was right. The time to move on had come, but she had no idea how to let go of the man she had thought she would spend a lifetime loving. Her chin placed on Kerrigan’s shoulder, Ashley scanned the room. She met Chris’s ghostly gaze, peering at her from a large frame seated on the shelf. His memory delighted and tormented her. Then suddenly, she heard his voice.

  “Time to let go.”

  A chill ran up Ashley’s spine. She clutched Kerrigan tighter, determination to move on dissolving her fear.

  Chapter Two

  Ashley paced the kitchen floor and then strutted to the large window. Her thumb twitched against her outer thigh as she scanned the street with a careful eye, watching for familiar car lights. She glanced at her cell phone. The time was five o’clock in the morning. Kerrigan and Axel would arrive at any moment. She was reeling inside. After all she had been through the past six years, Ashley wanted to move on, but guilt, like a hard knot, settled in her belly. Guilt bore down, hard and heavy, keeping any forward momentum stalled. How had Kerrigan talked her into going to Florida? When Kerrigan mentioned the trip two months ago, Ashley thought she had been bluffing, but Kerrigan followed through on her promise.

  Five minutes later, a knock at the door jolted her up from the sofa.

  “Come on in. I need to grab my suitcase,” Ashley said, nervous fingers clinging to the door’s edge refused to unloosen.

  Kerrigan reached out, swept Ashley into an embrace. “Hey, Ash. Axel is keeping the car warm for us. Do you have everything you need?”

  Ashley backed away and held up a small garment bag. “You know I do, including my lingerie and condoms.” She winked at Kerrigan.

  Kerrigan snatched the bag away and peeked inside. Her mouth dropped open. “Really, Ash? Black lace corset with matching thong, garters, and stockings. There’s no way you’re going to have casual sex with some random stranger in the Keys.” Her self-righteous tone made Ashley laugh.

  “Probably not, but in case an opportunity presents himself, then I’ll be ready.” She shoved the smaller bag into a slightly larger carry-on masquerading as luggage.

  Kerrigan shook her head. “Are you sure you have actual clothes in that tiny duffel bag?”

  She mounted her side with a hand. “Maybe,” she said with a tease tickling her vocal
chords. “But since you’ve decided to come with me, you can keep an eye on me.”

  “Someone has to keep an eye on you,” Kerrigan muttered as she tugged Ashley’s so-called luggage into the hall and closed the door.

  Ashley and Kerrigan moved through the crowd of people and eventually made their way to the terminal. Although the flight to Key West would be short, only two hours from Atlanta, Ashley hated to fly. They had little more than an hour to kill at the airport before the flight would begin boarding.

  “Hey, Kerri, I’m feeling a little restless, and my bladder is about to explode. I’m going to the restroom. Wanna come?”

  “No, go without me. I’ll stay here with Axel.” Kerrigan nodded and leaned into Axel’s side. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.

  Ashley rolled her eyes and shoved her finger halfway down her throat. “Uck! Didn’t you two have a three-month honeymoon?” She scoffed and gave a disapproving head shake. “I’ll be back soon. Try not to make a scene or get a room,” she said. Her words trailed off, and distance separated her from the lovebirds.

  Ashley made her way from the restroom to the first gift shop she spotted. She stopped in front of the magazines and books, perusing the titles and headlines. For minutes, she contemplated one tabloid after another, each smeared with the latest headlines on Hollywood’s drama, mayhem, and trysts. A magazine featuring the year’s sexiest men in film caught her attention. Yum! Her eyes glided across the cover that graced a nearly shirtless and ripped Henry Cavill. She stooped and picked up the magazine, searching the table of contents.

  Turned to the spread featuring delicious photos of her favorite actors, gorgeous men leaped off the pages into Ashley’s imagination. Idris Elba, OMG! She knew she had been ogling the movie gods for far too long. Damn, I need a man. Self-conscious about her lusty ruminations, she glanced around, biting her bottom lip and avoiding eye contact with would-be prosecutors. She looked to the right, and no one was there. Thank goodness. Then she looked to the left. There stood the most beautiful man she ever laid eyes upon. Ashley’s cheeks warmed.

  Eyes a deep bluish gray. Dark golden hair framed a perfectly sculpted face. There was something familiar about that strong jawline and those firm, shapely lips. Slowly her eyes slid down the rest of him. Veins pulsed in his sinewy arms as large hands slid into denim pockets. Whoa! He came to life from the pages of the very magazine she held.

  Ashley stared at the stranger far longer than was polite. As lonely and horny as she had been, she might attack the man where he stood. Turning, she decided to head back to the terminal, or else she might orgasm right there in the store. Before she could reach the exit, firm fingers clamped around her forearm. Jostled by the strong grip on her arm, she whipped around. She hadn’t paid for the magazine still in her hand.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I was lost in thought. I didn’t mean to…” she said, lifting her eyes to meet her captor. Rattled, a small tingle started in her feet, crawled up her legs, and spread through her trunk, bursting like fireworks from every pore. She was met by the intense gaze of the provocative stranger who stood mere inches away, his fingers wrapped around her arm.

  A wide grin spread across his face like stars spanned across the evening sky. “I know, me too,” he said in a deep voice as smooth and as sexy as his swagger, and then he released her arm.

  “I’m sorry. What?” Her words came out dull, dazed.

  “I meant, I was lost in thought too.” His eyes roved her frame. A pink short-sleeved sweater hugged round, perky breasts and dipped low. “You look familiar. Have we met?” He had seen those fiery brown eyes before.

  “I don’t think so. I would remember you,” she said, her voice springing to life as she tilted her head, exposing a long slender neck.

  He grinned and arched a brow. Hmm.

  The tips of their fingers grazed each other as she handed the magazine to him. “I didn’t mean to take the magazine.” The sensation of her touch hit him in the gut. “Do you work here?” she asked.

  He kept his eyes glued to her. Her curvy, fit frame was familiar too. “Nope. I don’t work here.” Pondering her acquaintance, his eyes scanned her face. He imagined rummaging his fingers through her straight dark hair and then fondling naked, tawny-colored flesh. A rogue tongue skittered across his lips as he entertained the thought of capturing full, pouty, glossed lips with his. “I never forget a face. Are you sure we haven’t met before?”

  She squinted and then paused before speaking. “I’m pretty certain we haven’t,” she replied.

  “That’s a shame. You’re beautiful.” Like a bolt of lightning, the memory struck him. He remembered where they had met.

  Her broad smile faded when a flight attendant’s voice filled the air. “Thank you. Sorry, but I have to go. My flight’s boarding.” Frantically, she turned away and fled. He watched her slip into the crowd, and then she was gone.

  Ashley didn’t head back to the terminal immediately. She had been too shaken. She ducked into the restroom, locked herself in the first empty stall, back pressed against the cold tile wall. A hand to her chest, she waited for her breathing to calm. She had never been so awe-stricken by a man, a stranger at that. He called me beautiful. She gulped oxygen into her lungs and opened the stall door.

  By the time she reached the gate, first-class and business-class passengers had been boarded.

  “Now boarding passengers seated in zone four.” The perky blond behind the counter placed the handset into the cradle.

  Ashley weaved through the hoard of people assembled at the gate.

  “I was worried you wouldn’t be back in time. We’re boarding next.” Kerrigan stood. “Hello, are you here with me?” Kerrigan waved her hand in Ashley’s face.

  “Hmm?”

  “Ash, you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

  “Now boarding passengers seated in zone five,” the flight attendant said.

  “That’s us.” Kerrigan tugged Ashley’s arm. “I know you. Something’s up.”

  Ashley didn’t plan to tell Kerrigan about the sex god in the gift shop. There was no point. “I’m just a little nervous about flying. I’ll be fine.”

  Thirty minutes into the flight, passengers began moving about the cabin, some headed to the restroom while others visited with neighbors. A pale-faced, red-haired boy stood in the aisle with his mother and played with a red and white toy airplane. Kerrigan had fallen asleep.

  Ashley swiped the screen of her iPad and stared blankly at the words of a client’s proposal she had planned to read. She could fool Kerrigan, but she couldn’t fool herself. Her mind returned to the man whom she had met in the gift shop. He was beautiful. Folding the protective cover over the device, she tucked the tablet into her bag. She closed her eyes, remembering how his deep gray eyes returned admiration and the tingle that ran up her spine. Suddenly she felt a presence hover near.

  A slight caress on her forearm jarred her from her musing. The toy plane the red-haired boy played with had rubbed against her arm. Ashley smiled and closed her eyes again, returning to her bawdy thoughts of the mysterious man. Suddenly a thick, deep voice startled her and demanded her attention.

  “You again,” the voice said. Ashley’s eyes landed on a broad grin stretched from ear to ear. “The stars must be aligned.”

  Ashley’s heart raced. Mr. Sexy-as-hell from the gift shop stood directly over her.

  Her eyes raced up his tall, muscular frame. “Hi. Are you going to Key West too?”

  “It would appear so. This is a direct flight, and mid-flight drop-offs are heavily discouraged.”

  Her stomach clenched. She recognized that sarcastic tone.

  Thin lips spread into a devious grin. “I’m Sebastian.” He extended his hand to her.

  She reached up to accept his handshake, but this time not so eager to return a smile.

  “I’m Ashley.” Their hands locked. Ashley warmed, an exchange of mutual attraction obvious by his dilated pupils. He ke
pt clamped fingers around her hand.

  “It’s nice to meet you again, Ashley. Are you going to Key West for business or pleasure or both?” The seductive growl in the hum of his deep voice made her insides quiver.

  Clumsily she rammed her elbow into the seat’s sidearm when he released her hand from his clutch. Pain shot up her arm. Ouch! She winced. “Pleasure… to meet you. I’m taking a vacation from life. You?”

  “Hmm.” He smiled down at her. “That’s interesting. I’d say the same, but I’m going for business mostly, although”—he raised a brow—“I’m hoping to find a little pleasure too.”

  Her eyes widened. Before she could think of a smart response, the line in front of him began to move.

  “I’ll see you around, Ashley.” She liked the way her name rolled off Sebastian’s tongue. The heavy Southern drawl gave her goose bumps. There was a dangerous swagger in his stride as he stepped off. He glanced over his shoulder, caught her stare, and flashed a wicked grin her way.

  Ashley breathed erratically, and her heart pounded hard. Sebastian.

  “Who was that?” Kerrigan piped up, her voice muffled by a yawn.

  “Just some guy. I didn’t realize you were awake.”

  “I wasn’t until you started carrying on with Mr. Sexy-and-Southern. Do you know him?”

  “Uh, well… yeah, sort of.” Ashley frowned.

  Kerrigan frowned back. “Sort of? Either you know him or you don’t. Which is it?”

  “I sort of met him in the gift shop at the airport… and before.” Ashley’s words trailed off, muffled. She thought about those black jeans he wore. The way the denim hugged his thick thighs. Amazing.

  Kerrigan shot up in her seat. “Gift shop? And before?” Her tone escalated. “Ash, what aren’t you telling me?”

  Ashley sank into her seat and twisted guilty lips into a smirk. “I think we met the night of my meltdown in front of my apartment building.” She had told Kerrigan about her ballistic outburst on a man who had tried to help. “His name is Sebastian. I just realized where we first met. I haven’t seen him since that night.”