“Right.” Brad sneers. “All that quality time you’ve been spending with Rexford, and you don’t know anything?”
I’m tense.
“Are you referring to the time I’ve spent shadowing Mr. Rexford in the corporate office?” I narrow my eyes in challenge. Say no, you little round asshat, and I’ll rip what’s left of your hair out of your balding head.
“Come on.” He blows it off. “Is the board thinking about voting Rexford out and letting the brother in?” He looks behind him at the group. “It’s no secret this place is going down. Damnit, Shauna had the right idea jumping ship before it sinks.”
I give them all a look. “Seriously? One little gossip column, and you’re all ready to run? Maybe you should focus more on doing your jobs here, and less on that tabloid trash.”
They don’t look convinced. I sigh. “I know we’re all worried about the rumors. But that’s all it is, guys. Rumors from a gossip column. Our internships will go on as normal, unless we hear otherwise. Okay?”
I’m not sure when I became mother hen of this group, but the reassurance seems to work. We all head out to work, and then my phone sounds with a text.
My heart jumps, and then jumps again. What if it’s Dominic? Shit, what if it isn’t Dominic?
I dig the phone out of my purse.
I need you in the boardroom immediately.
I want to be cautious, but I feel a surge of hope. The last time he called me to the office… I shake it off. After Friday night, he owes me one hell of an explanation before I’m letting him get in my panties again.
At least, that’s what I tell myself.
I head up to the boardroom, trying to calm myself in the elevator on the way up. When I get to the room, I see it’s full for the morning meeting, every seat taken. Dom is at the head of the table, and Alexander is beside him. He has the sun-bleached, wavy hair of a beach God, golden tan skin and light green eyes. Dominic is his polar opposite: dark and foreboding.
Alexander sees me. He gives a knowing smirk as his gaze sweeps over me. I’m embarrassed, but I tip my chin up and stare right back at him. He’s not going to get to me.
The room is nearly full as I make my way to the chairs along the back wall.
“Ms. Evans,” Dominic calls out. A chill goes down my spine as I stop and look at him. “Have a seat here, please.”
He gestures to a chair behind him, and sure enough, a folder lies there with my name on it.
“Thank you,” I manage and sit. A bit unnerved, I look around and recognize the members of the board, but no one else. Who are these people? Folding my hands on the table, I try to look confident and purposeful, even though I feel neither.
I have no idea why I’m here.
Dominic stands with his legs apart. His dark gray suit is so finely tailored and conforms to his body so well, it’s impossible to look away. I’ve never seen him appear anything besides in control, but he’s razor sharp today.
“Good morning,” he says to the room. “I’d like to introduce my brother, Alexander. He’ll be frequenting The Rexford in the coming weeks as he gets reacquainted with the business.”
“Reacquainted?” Xander stands. “That would assume I had anything to do with The Rexford in the first place.” He smiles, looking around the table, and shoves his hands into his pants pockets much like Dominic tends to do. People smile back as if he made a joke, but I don’t.
Dominic tenses as Xander slaps him on the shoulder.
“Who better to educate me on the inside workings of The Rexford than my capable, business-savvy brother?”
The two men look at each other. I feel the dig in Xander’s words. If I notice, so do others, I’m sure. But I don’t dare look around the room to see reactions.
Dominic seems unaffected. He indicates a folder before him on the table.
“The 100th anniversary of The Rexford is coming up fast. As you know, we’ll be hosting a gala to celebrate, as well as launching special marketing and promotions.” He opens his folder and everyone does the same, including me.
I skim the papers inside. What I see looks pretty par for the course. Not that I’m an expert on gala-planning, but none of it really stands out to me.
“We need this to be big. Memorable. Exciting. I’d appreciate if each of you would think over the event plan, and let me know by tomorrow if you have thoughts or additional ideas.”
Dominic introduces a woman from the public relations department who chats about media coverage, and then other departments pitch in too with regular business updates. Soon, the hour is over, and the meeting is dismissed.
I still don’t know what I’m doing here. I was shadowing Dominic as part of my internship, but that was before the big scene in his suite. Now, I don’t know where I stand.
I gather my things, unsure if I should stay or head down to work my shift at the front desk. I’m just about to leave when Dominic beckons.
“To my office please, Ms. Evans.”
The formality in his voice feels like a slap in the face. So, he’s pretending like nothing happened. My heart sinks, but I stalk past him and down the hallway. I can be coolly professional, too.
I wait in his office, trying to stay calm. I don’t want him to know that he’s having any effect on me, so I school my features to display nothing. If I’m rigid, I can be prepared for whatever he has to say. It won’t hurt, because I won’t let it.
I hope.
“Sit, please.” He breezes into the office and motions to the plush leather chairs by his desk. I don’t; I stay put, keeping the damn folder against me like a shield.
Dom pauses, looking at me. Then he steps closer, and reaches out to softly touch my arm. I automatically lean into him. Damn it. I want to be resolute, but his touch? It breaks me.
“I handled things badly the other night.”
“I agree.” I clench my jaw and say nothing else, but he doesn’t back off. He caresses my cheek, then pulls me closer, not into a passionate clinch, but a simple hug instead.
I’m disarmed. Feeling him hold me like this, almost tender, I can’t help but relax. Still, I can’t just roll over. Not after what he’s put me through.
“You were kind of an asshole,” I tell him, my head still resting against his chest.
I feel him chuckle.
“It’s not funny.” I push him away. “Do you have any idea how humiliated I was, with Xander walking in? And then you just ordered me out of there.”
“I’m sorry.” Dom looks sincere. “I didn’t know what to do, I wasn’t expecting him. I know, I shouldn’t have treated you like that. It’s just… Fuck, Xander. He’s always ruining everything.”
He looks so frustrated, my heart melts a little.
“But it can’t be that bad,” I say hesitantly. “He doesn’t have control of the company. You do.”
Dom shakes his head. “He’s going to cause problems. There’s a reason my father left me fifty-one percent of this company. Xander is exactly the ally that Blaine Prescott needs to bring me down.”
“Xander would sell out the hotel?” I exclaim, shocked.
“Not on purpose, no,” Dom admits. “Xander isn’t disloyal. He’s just reckless. Careless and impulsive and needy. He leaves a trail of destruction in his wake, and I’ve spent our entire fucking lives cleaning up after him!”
I can see it on his face, the weight of responsibility. Not just for the company, or his family’s legacy, but for his brother too.
I remember what he said that first night at the Drake. No one is ever waiting for me. He has no one to listen. No one to understand. Nobody except me.
“No one tells you, do they?”
“Tells me what?” he asks.
My heart aches for him. I have Callie and Emily to keep me on my game, to encourage me. Dominic is the strength and the backbone of this hotel, but he’s all alone.
“That you’re doing a good job.”
His brow crinkles as if he can’t comprehend what I’m saying. I worr
y that I’ve overstepped. I’m not sure why that came spilling out, but I mean it. And he needs to hear it.
I step forward, and press a kiss to his lips. Dominic relaxes against me, and for one blissful moment, it’s like nothing else matters in the world.
The ringing of his phone breaks the moment. Dominic pulls back and grabs his cellphone. “Hold on,” he orders, before turning back to me. “Eight o’clock tonight. Dress up.”
“What? Why?”
Dom gives me a determined look.
“We’re going to finish what we started.”
Chapter Four
“God, what I wouldn’t give to be the tasty filling in the middle of a Rexford sandwich.”
“Ew!” I throw my lipstick at where Callie’s laying on my bed, staring at pictures of Dom and Xander in the gossip columns. I’m trying to get ready for my date tonight, but I’m panicking because I don’t know what Dominic has planned. Dinner? A club? An all-night sex marathon over his desk? I want to be prepared, but it’s hard picking an outfit when I don’t know if it’s meant to be admired or ripped off.
“No, not the blue.” Emily stops me as I reach for a short, tight number. “Go with black, it’s always a classic.”
I pull on the dress and look in the mirror, having flashbacks from when the girls helped me get ready the first night I met Dom. Then, I felt way out of character getting so dressed up, but tonight my reflection looks more like myself. I wonder if I’ve changed since then, and whether that’s a good thing. So much has happened in just a few short weeks. I let out a whimper.
“What am I even doing, you guys? He’s a Rexford. He has everything. Money. Power. And I’m… I’m…”
“Juliet Evans, and you’re brilliant, loyal, and ambitious.” Emily steps up behind me and fastens a gorgeous necklace around my neck. It’s one of her own designs: Swarovski crystals falling in a delicate waterfall over my collarbone and cleavage.
She gives me a reassuring smile in the mirror. “He’s the lucky one to be dating a girl like you.”
“But what if I’m out of my depth?” I ask.
“How are you going to learn to swim if you don’t dive in the deep end?” she replies, and I think I see a wistful look on her face. Emily’s always played it safe, but I wonder if she secretly dreams of adventure and excitement like this.
Before I can say anything, she steps back and spins me around, giving me a final nod of approval. “You’re ready.”
But am I really?
“Thanks, Em.” I hug her just as the doorbell rings.
“Shit! The apartment’s a mess!” Callie leaps up. “Hurry and get your shoes on, Jules. You can’t let him walk in here!”
I scramble for my heels, listening as Callie’s voice sweetens up just outside the bedroom door. Dominic’s low tone comes after hers as they make small talk. Shoes on, I give myself one last look in the mirror and then head out into the living room.
Dominic is framed in the doorway, wearing a perfectly-cut navy suit. Immediately, I give thanks Em steered me to the classic black dress. Dom looks classy and totally hot, like he just stepped out of a designer fashion spread.
Forget dinner. He’s the main course and I want him naked, with whipped cream on his abs for dessert.
“Hey.” The awe in my voice is embarrassing, but I can’t help it.
“Hey.”
Callie clears her throat, snapping me out of my daydream.
“Oh. Dominic, these are my roommates, Callie and Emily.”
He shakes their hands in turn and I swear I’ve never seen Emily blush so red. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He glances around the place with an amused grin, and I feel myself flushing too, now.
This is way too awkward, and I don’t want him hanging out in our crappy apartment for a moment longer than necessary. “Ready?” I ask, steering him out. “Don’t wait up!” I call back over my shoulder, as the door slams shut.
“Oh my God! He’s freaking hot!” Callie’s voice echoes down the hallway. Shit! I sneak a look at Dom, but he’s smiling. Amused as always.
“She thinks I’m hot.”
“She’s female,” I laugh.
He holds the exit door for me and I purposely brush against him as I pass. His hand reclaims its place on my back. “Flattering, but it’s your opinion I care about.”
I grab his tie. His eyes widen in surprise, but it feels great to take charge. He makes me bold. He makes me crazy.
I stand on my tip-toes and pull him down to me. “Are you fishing for compliments, Rexford?”
“Maybe.” There’s a flash of lust in his eyes, and I wonder who’s really in control, but I don’t care.
I kiss him hard, savoring every moment. His hands encircle my waist, pulling my hips against his solid torso. I moan against his mouth.
“I think you’re OK,” I breathe as I pull back. “In case you’re not catching on.”
“Damn it, Juliet. What are you doing to me?” Dom clenches his jaw.
“I don’t know…” I tease. “What am I doing?”
Dom takes my hand and lowers it to the front of his pants. His cock stirs against my palm, and I feel a rush of heat. God, I want him. I want to curl my fingers around him and tease him until his eyes roll in the back of his head. I’ve never been one for exhibitionism, but right now I don’t care that we’re in my building’s hallway where anyone could walk in.
I massage him through his pants, but he grabs my hand and pulls it away.
“Save it for dessert.” He lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses my fingers, moving to my palm. I forget to breathe as he swirls his tongue there. “Let’s go.”
We head downstairs and outside, and I’m surprised to find a silver Jaguar parked there instead of a limo. “What is this, car number three?” I ask, only partly joking.
Dom chuckles, taking the joke. “I call this one my weekend Jag.”
I laugh. “Gee, sucks to be rich.”
The car is sleek and luxurious inside, and I relax as he drives us through the evening traffic. When I’m not looking at his gorgeous profile, I’m eyeing how well his thighs fill out his pants. I can’t shake the memories of him above me, his face tense with passion.
My body twists tighter, anticipation rising.
“Here we are.” I snap out of it as we pull up to Vine, the most exclusive restaurant on this side of Chicago.
A valet opens my door and holds a hand out. “Good evening, Mr. Rexford. Ma’am.”
Dom offers his arm to me and leads me inside. “Have you been here before?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No. Callie has been trying to get a reservation here for over a year, just to say she has one.”
Inside, the place is packed. There’s dark wallpaper and ornate chandeliers, with a wrought iron balcony running around the top of the open main floor. I’m in a state of giddy awe as we walk through the room. People stop talking to look at us, and I hear whispers as we pass. I guess Dom is like a celebrity in this town. The hostess shows us to the best table in the house: right in the middle of the action. But Dom frowns, and lowers his voice to speak quietly to the woman.
“Of course,” she says quickly. “I just thought…I’m sorry.” She quickly takes us to a new table, in the back of the room.
“Is something wrong?” I ask Dom, confused.
“No. I just want us to have some privacy.” He caresses my bare arm as he speaks.
I’m not going to argue with that.
We’re seated in a more secluded booth, but still, people nearby are glancing over. Dom murmurs to the sommelier and waiter, before settling back and focusing his gaze on me. My pulse quickens immediately now that we’re finally alone. Sort of.
“So, this is what it’s like, being you,” I say, looking around.
“What do you mean?”
“The celebrity treatment. I bet the nine month waiting list for a reservation here doesn’t apply to you.”
He looks amused. “The owner was a friend of my father�
��s. This table is nothing more than a favor from an old friend.”
“Look around. Everyone is staring at us.”
He reaches for my hand. “Because you’re the most beautiful woman in the room.”
Fine. I’ll take the compliment. But I still shake my head at him to let him know he’s not off the hook. I’m curious what it’s like to be him.
Dom sighs. “People are impressed by the name, sure. But it’s just a name. Take that away and I’m an ordinary man, subject to cheap wine and waiting lists like everyone else.”
The alcove suddenly seems more private. Maybe because I block out the chatter around us and focus on him, excited that he might open up a little more about himself.
“Tell me about ordinary Dominic.”
Dom pauses. “Well, ordinary Dominic used to scrub toilets on the fourth floor after school for less than minimum wage.”
“No way.” I can picture him, tall and gangly in his expensive prep school uniform, holding a plunger.
He shrugs. “I shadowed the maintenance crew for an entire summer, learning how to fix everything from wobbly door handles to electrical fixtures. Didn’t get paid a dime for it, either.”
I think of his hands, too calloused to be tapping at a keyboard all day. “You’re still secretly fixing things, aren’t you?”
Dom looks surprised, then gives me a grin. “Every chance I get. I like putting things to order. Gives me a sense of harmony amid the chaos.”
“That’s great. I never realized.”
Dom shrugs. “I’ve had a lot of privilege, but that doesn’t mean I never had to work for it. Unlike my brother,” he adds, his smile turning colder.
I want him to talk about this—I know his brother’s return is weighing on him—but I don’t get the chance before our food arrives.
“Wow,” I blink, as the wait staff unload dish after dish of amazing-looking food. “Did you order for us?”
“I wanted you to taste everything I love.”
The waiter gestures, “Butternut ravioli with a filling of white chocolate, butternut squash and egg yolk, set in a fois gras sauce. Enjoy.”
Dominic places his napkin on his lap and I do the same. The tension that crept into his face when he mentioned Alexander fades away now. I’m glad.
The Hotel 2 (The Billionaire Seduction) Page 2
