Shock waves slammed into me. I definitely hadn’t expected that.
He continued, his voice taking on a husky tone as his eyes lowered to my lips. “When I see something I want, Lucy, I go for it.” He raised his eyes to mine. “So, challenge accepted.” Then he winked and walked off, leaving me stunned. I heard him whistling as he rounded the corner, never looking back.
What the hell had just happened?
A FEW WEEKS WENT BY with no sign of Knox. For the first few days, I was so nervous he’d show up and ask for my phone number again, but he didn’t. As the days turned into weeks with still no sign of him, I started to relax. I figured he was all talk and no action. Unfortunately, a small part of me was excited by what he’d said, no matter how much I tried to deny it.
Mindy continued to walk by and give me her dirtiest scowl, which I always returned with my brightest smile. I found it amusing. One evening as I was getting ready to leave, I saw her picking up one of our aftershaves and smelling it. I wanted to ignore her, but Kathy was with another customer, and we were taught that even if the customer is another employee, we must treat them with respect.
“Hi, Mindy, may I help you with something?”
Her eyes squinted and her lips curled up as she looked at me—nasty. It was absurd how much she seemed to hate me. “Which one of these did Knox buy? I want to get him another one because he was raving about it to me.”
I could tell she was trying to make me jealous, but it wasn’t working. She could spend every night with him, and it wouldn’t matter. I barely knew the guy. I picked up a box of the aftershave he bought and showed it to her.
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve told him he can find something so much better, but he refuses. He says he’s sticking with this one. I guess I’ll get it for him, even though I disagree. Don’t forget to put in my employee number for the discount.”
Once the receipt printed, I put it in the bag with the aftershave and handed it to her. “Here you go. Have a nice night.” I gave her a little wave as I walked toward Kathy to tell her I was leaving. She said good-bye as she rang up her own customer.
I grabbed my purse and started to walk out. Mindy was still there, staring me down. Her light-brown hair was up in a tight French twist, and her lips were covered in a blood-red lipstick. I didn’t think it was her best choice, but wasn’t about to say anything.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Listen, Lucy,” she said, hissing my name. “I’ve been working hard to make Knox mine for a while now. We’ve been out a few times, and I’m determined to make it exclusive between us, so back off.”
My eyes widened in shock. “Are you serious?” I asked. “Um, first of all, you are extremely out of line. I barely know Mr. Taylor, and I’ve only spoken to him twice. Second of all, he is a grown man who is quite capable of making his own decisions about who he dates. Third, if you feel the need to threaten another woman over a man, then you have a problem. Think twice before threatening me again.”
Her jaw dropped open, but I didn’t give her a chance to respond. Serves her right for being such a bitch to me lately. As I walked away, I passed by the jewelry department before heading to the subway station. I’d had my eye on a pair of earrings since I’d started working at Armstrong’s but couldn’t afford them. I knew it was crazy to consider buying them, but there was extra pressure to look good—I wanted to show my employers that I took my job seriously, and secretly hoped to move my way up in the company.
I was turning the earrings around in my hand when a familiar deep voice spoke up behind me. “Those are almost as beautiful as you are, Lucy.” I dropped the earrings on the counter, and he softly chuckled. I picked them up and put them back on the display, all while completely ignoring him.
Before I could turn around to walk off, I felt his hot breath on my neck, making tingles soar up my spine. “Lucy, you crush me,” he whispered in my ear. “Don’t I even get a hello? It’s been weeks since I’ve seen you.”
I made a point of rolling my eyes as I turned around to face him, which made his cocky grin appear. Of course, he looked devastatingly beautiful in a pair of khaki’s and a black, button-down shirt, open at the collar and exposing some chest hair. I found myself imagining how that hair would feel being trailed through my fingers, then realized he was waiting for me to respond.
“Hello, Mr. Taylor,” I said, attempting a bored tone. “How are you?”
He stepped closer to me, completely invading my personal space. “Better now that I’ve seen you again.”
“Do you use that line on every girl you meet?” I started to walk away, secretly feeling the rush of his words, but he laughed again and followed me. When we reached the exit, he stepped in front and opened the door, waiting for me to pass by. I looked at him for a few seconds before I passed, brushing up against him as I did. I heard him suck in a breath at my touch, and I couldn’t help the smile that appeared on my face. I didn’t look back as I headed toward the subway.
“Whoa, hold up a minute,” he called out. I stopped but didn’t turn around. When he caught up, he came around to face me.
“What’s the rush?” he asked, his eyes looking amused—too amused for my liking.
I made a show of looking at the watch on my wrist. “Well, I have a train to catch, Mr. Taylor. Otherwise, I’ll have to wait another half hour in the smelly subway station for the next one, and I really don’t want to do that, so if you’ll excuse me.” I started to step around him, but he captured my hand, wrapping his fingers gently around my wrist in what felt like a caress. “What are you doing?”
“Let me take you home. That way you won’t have to deal with the smelly subway station,” he answered.
I took a step back, but he didn’t release his hold on my wrist. “No, that won’t be necessary.” I was suddenly extremely nervous at the thought of him knowing where I lived. His facial expression softened as he raised my hand to his lips, brushing them across my knuckles.
“It’s an offer of a ride home, Lucy, that’s all. My driver is parked down the street,” he said, pointing to a dark Mercedes sedan. “I can get you home faster than the subway can. I don’t have any tricks up my sleeve, I promise.” He was looking in my eyes, still holding my hand to his lips.
It really was a lot easier than the subway, and I was tired. I remembered Mindy’s little threat, and a small smile appeared on my face. I still had no interest in dating him, no matter what he said, but getting a lift home wasn’t a date. It was, however, a total hit against Mindy.
“Okay.” I sighed at the huge grin that came over his face. “But it’s just a ride home, Mr. Taylor, that’s all.”
He dropped my hand from his lips but continued to hold it as we started walking to his car. “Of course,” he responded as he pulled me along beside him. I tried to get my hand out of his grip, but he held on tighter. I groaned which made him laugh. As we walked to his car, a few people stared and whispered. It frightened me a bit, and made me even more determined not to get involved with this popular man.
“Don’t pay attention to them,” he said as we reached his car. His driver opened his door to get out, but Knox waved to him, telling him he would help do it. He opened the back door and ushered me in. Once the door was shut, and we were both seated comfortably, his exhilarating scent came over me again.
“Maxwell, this is Lucy Simmons. I’ve offered her a ride home, so we’ll do that first,” he told his driver.
A nice pair of blue eyes looked at me in the rear view mirror, then he turned his head and smiled at me. “Hello, Ms. Simmons, it’s nice to meet you.”
I liked him right away. I smiled back to him and responded. “It’s nice to meet you too. Thank you for the lift.”
He turned back around and eased into traffic. “Where do you live, ma’am?”
I gave him my address and glanced at Knox quickly out of my peripheral vision. He winked at me, completely aware that I was looking at him. Maxwell turned the volume up on the radio—classical music. I f
ound that it helped soothe my nerves.
Watching the scenery go by, I felt Knox’s hand cover mine on the seat. I jerked my head to look at him, and he moved his hand.
“Sorry,” he said, “I was just going to finish telling you not to pay attention to people on the street when you hear them talk or say my name. It’s something I’ve had to deal with for years. Unfortunately, people like to gossip about anyone they can. It’s really not a big deal, and most of the things you’ll hear aren’t true anyway.”
I could tell he was being sincere by his gentle tone, but it really didn’t matter because I had no intention of having to deal with that again. “It's not a big deal, Mr. Taylor. We were only walking to your car. It's not as if we were on a date or anything. I mean, yes, it was a little awkward, but it isn't something that affects me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You really are stubborn,” he said quietly, then turned to look out his window.
I got the feeling he was annoyed. I shrugged and rested my head back on the headrest. As we were getting close to my apartment building, he shifted to look at me.
“Do you have many friends here, Lucy?”
That was random. I kept my gaze looking out the window. “Not many. I only moved here a few months ago. Why do you ask?”
He touched his index finger to my cheek and turned me to face him. “I think it would be a fantastic idea if we became friends.”
I tugged at the hem of my shirt as I pulled it down, and toyed with a string on it. “You do, huh?”
His lips twitched as he grabbed my hand again, making it into a fist. Once he’d done that, he picked up my index finger and lifted it up. “Reason number one,” he said, using my fingers to count. “You said you didn’t have many friends here, so why wouldn’t you want to be one of mine?” He gave me a puppy dogface, which made me smile—just a little.
He lifted my middle finger. “Reason number two, I think us being friends would make the world a better place.”
I burst out laughing. “A better place?” I asked. “That’s a little silly, don’t you think?”
He made a tsk-tsk sound. “Now now, Lucy. It makes perfect sense to me. If people see we’re friends, it will make them happy thus the world becomes a better place with all the smiles and happiness our friendship brings.”
“Oh, please.” I shook my head as I smiled.
He lifted up my ring finger. “Reason number three,” he announced. “I think us being friends would be good for you so that I could take you out to different places and show you around New York.”
“My roommate and her boyfriend can do that, Mr. Taylor.”
He put a hand to his heart as if I’d wounded him. “Lucy, please. New York is a big city. They can’t possibly take you everywhere. The more friends you have here, the better your chances of seeing everything.”
“You are really full of it, aren’t you?” I asked, not expecting an answer.
“I just speak the truth,” he said, lowering his head toward me so he could look in my eyes. I couldn’t help but smile and blush, so I turned my head away from him, making him chuckle. I felt him lift my pinkie.
“Reason number four, if we were friends, then this wall you’ve put up between us would disappear.”
I looked at him to see if he was serious, and judging by the look on his face, he was. Before I could respond, he grabbed my hand again. “And reason number five,” he said, smiling when I didn’t take my hand back. “Because if we were friends, then you’d have to give me your phone number.”
I just looked at him for a second, then let out a sigh. The guy had a knack for pushing my buttons. “And you say I’m stubborn,” I groaned.
“I never said I wasn’t Lucy,” he smiled at me. “May I see your phone?”
I glared at him. “Why?”
He chuckled. “Now don’t go looking at me like that. I just want to put my number in your phone in case you ever need anything.”
Against my better judgment, I dug my phone out of my purse and handed it to him. If he were truly only wanting to be friends, then I guess it would be okay. He did make me smile, and he seemed genuine.
I watched him punch in his number on my phone, then he opened my texts and sent himself one. As I opened my mouth to protest, he put his index finger over my lips. “Shhh,” then handed me back my phone. He punched his keypad then press SEND. When my phone started vibrating, I quirked an eyebrow.
“What are you doing?”
“Your phone is ringing,” he said while holding his own to his ear. “You may want to answer.”
I continued giving him a look as I picked up my phone. I looked at the caller ID, then made an exaggerated frown. “Hmm,” I said as I tapped my chin. “I don’t recognize the number. I think I’ll let it go to voicemail.”
He gave me a sexy grin as he kept the phone to his ear, never taking his eyes off of me. Once my phone stopped vibrating, I heard a faint beep from his, indicating he could leave a voicemail.
He still kept his eyes on me as he spoke. “Hello, Lucy, this is Knox Taylor. I just wanted to make sure you have my number in case you ever wanted to call. Hope to talk to you soon, bye.” He lowered his phone and pressed END. After putting it back in his shirt pocket, he looked at me and shrugged. “I guess she didn’t want to talk to me.”
I looked away, not wanting him to see the smile I couldn’t prevent. “That’s too bad.”
Maxwell pulled up to my apartment building, and I couldn’t get out fast enough. I turned to Knox and was surprised to see he was already getting out of the car. I watched as he came over to my side and opened the door. Before I got out, I thanked Maxwell. He smiled with a small nod of his head.
I grabbed Knox’s outstretched hand as he helped me out. “Ah Lucy,” he said, finally dropping my hand. “Thank you for allowing me to take you home and for agreeing to be my friend.”
I stepped back from him. “I didn’t, but whatever.”
He threw his head back and laughed even harder. “You intrigue me, Lucy Simmons.” When I didn’t say anything, he stepped toward me and took my hand again, lifting it to his lips. “Until next time,” he said huskily. He started to back away, never taking his eye off of me. When he got in his car and shut the door, I turned and walked into my building, shaking my head.
Who was Knox Taylor, and exactly what did he want from me?
WHEN I WALKED INTO THE apartment a few nights later, Megan blindsided me with an outfit and a bottle of wine, telling me we were going out, and she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Sean stood behind her, hands in his pockets, and shrugged. He knew better than to try to interfere. When I started to shake my head, she grabbed my shoulders and shoved me into my room, then tossed the outfit on the bed and told me to get dressed and meet her in the kitchen.
So an hour later, I was sitting at the table in the nightclub not paying any attention to the conversation, sipping on my drink. Megan had given up on trying to get me to talk with everyone. I knew she thought I was extremely shy, but the truth was that I’d always been much more outgoing, before I met Drake. After hearing how stupid and idiotic I was for so long, I stopped speaking up. By the time his true colors came out, I was already in love with him, so I stayed because I thought he was my forever.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but that guy over there hasn’t been able to take his eyes off you all night,” Megan said into my ear. I followed her gaze to a guy at the bar, then looked away. I didn’t care, and he did nothing for me.
“Lucy,” she whined. “Are you a lesbian or something?”
I choked on my drink, then laughed, giving her a one armed hug. “No, I’m not a lesbian, but maybe I should be. Women are known to be the gentler sex, right?”
She laughed, then turned to face me. “I know you haven’t said much, and I shouldn’t ask, but seriously, what is the deal? You don’t ever seem interested in anyone, and you’ve had more than one opportunity to go out with guys since you’ve been here. Most girls would kil
l to be in your position! Not to mention you’re gorgeous.”
I rolled my eyes, which made her hold up her hand. “No, Lucy, no eye rolling. Have you seen yourself in that outfit? I knew it would look good on you, but I didn’t realize how good. That black dress fits you perfectly, showing off your toned arms, and the red pumps are perfect. I know you’re probably annoyed that I searched your closet to find it, but I knew you wouldn’t do it yourself. You look hot, and you should work it.”
I sat back in my chair and took another sip of my cranberry vodka. I knew she meant well, but after years of being put down by Drake it was hard to believe her, my pain ran so deep.
“Don’t be mad at me for saying that, okay?” Megan interrupted my thoughts. “I want you to be happy, and I worry about you. And that guy is coming over here.” Sure enough, the guy at the bar was heading toward us.
I groaned. “Nooo, Megan, make him go away, please.”
She gave me a light pat on my arm. “I won’t, and you’ll be nice. This is good for you, and he’s cute. I’m right here.”
The guy was cute, but all I wanted to do was go home. Before I knew it, he was in front of me. Megan had Sean pull up another chair and offer it to the guy. I shot daggers at her, making her grin.
“Hey,” the guy said with a smile. He had blond hair that was cut short, and dark eyes. He was in a blue polo shirt, jeans, and brown cowboy boots. Okay, he was really cute, but he was trying with the wrong girl.
“Hey,” I responded, downing another gulp of my drink. My hair was up in a high ponytail, which was starting to give me a headache. Or maybe it was the vodka. Either way, I wasn’t in the mood.
“I won’t give you a line or a fake compliment. I noticed you from the bar, and I wanted to talk to you, so here I am. I’m Justin, by the way.” He held out his hand for me to shake. The fact that he was honest and didn’t give me some bullshit line impressed me. A little.
I took his hand and gave it a quick shake, then pulled away. “I’m Lucy. Thank you for not giving me some stupid line. I appreciate that.”
Discovering Lucy Page 3
