“Hello. Studs ‘R’ Us, how can I help you?”
“If you answer all your calls like that it’s no wonder women get the wrong idea about you.”
Sam smiled at the deep chuckle that she heard down the phone as she fell back onto the couch.
Dominic was her brother’s best friend and, by extension, he’d also become her best friend. He had been the one responsible for her making the move from New York to Toronto six months ago. She had friends back home that she missed terribly and she got on well with some of the girls at work, but Dominic was the one friend that she doubted she could live without.
He was a few inches above six feet with dirty blond hair and deep brown eyes. Women fell over themselves to get near him wherever he went. On more than one occasion she’d pretended to be his girlfriend to save him from over eager girls vying for his attention. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was filthy rich and the sole heir to his family’s vast fortune.
“Sammie, how are you honey?”
“I’m good thanks. You free tonight?”
“For you, I’m always free. What do you want to do? Drinks? A movie?”
Sam pondered his suggestions, trying to think what would be the best way to work out some of the tension she still felt from her earlier encounter with Alistair.
“I want to dance.”
“You sure baby girl? I hate to break it to you but you kinda have two left feet.”
Frowning down the phone at her friend, Sam couldn’t help but glance down at her feet as Dominic continued talking in her ear. Surely she wasn’t that bad a dancer?
“One hour Dominic, I’ll meet you at Infinity. You think that’s enough time to make yourself beautiful?” Sam said with a smile.
“Honey, beautiful is my middle name. See you in an hour.”
Sam rolled her eyes as Dominic ended the call, but not before blowing her a sloppy kiss down the line. Grabbing her purse, she dropped the cell inside as she picked up her shoes and headed towards the bedroom. Entering, she dropped the items she carried onto the floor and sat on the edge of the bed.
She’d managed to maintain the short conversation with Dominic without raunchy thoughts of Alistair permeating her brain, but now that she was in the quiet, all she had were her thoughts and they shifted back to Alistair almost immediately. He’d obviously been at the front of the queue when the universe was dishing out looks. They must have been feeling extremely generous that day. It should be illegal for one man to be so handsome.
Pushing away from the bed, she approached her dressing table and grabbed several hair clips, pinning her hair up as not to get it wet in the shower. She really didn’t have time to blow dry the long mane of hair if she was meeting Dominic in an hour.
Quickly stripping out of her clothes, Sam grabbed her robe from the back of the door and slipped it on as she headed towards the bathroom. Starting up the shower, she fiddled with the dial until it reached the right temperature. Untying her robe, she was about to step under the spray when she heard the shrill ringing of her cell phone. Quickly debating whether or not to answer, her curiosity won out and she retrieved the cell and answered quickly as she hurried back to the steamy bathroom.
“Hello?”
“Sam, thank god! I’m so sorry baby, I never meant to hurt you. She came on to me, I just couldn’t refuse her. I’m weak, I admit it. I’ll never do anything like that again. Please forgive me.”
Sam sighed deeply as she leant against the bathroom door and slid down to the floor, cursing herself for not reading the display before answering. She knew that she had to speak to him eventually; deal with the fucked up mess he’d created, she’d just hoped she could put it off for a little while longer.
“Mike, you’re wasting your breath. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Sam, please. I love you baby.”
Not bothering to hide the laugh that spilled over her lips, she shook her head. How long had she waited to hear him say that? This time last week she’d have given anything to hear him say those words to him, but now, the words meant nothing.
She’d followed her three rules with Mike. When he’d been happy to wait until she was ready to move their relationship to a sexual one, she’d thought that he was worth her love. She knew now that what she felt for him wasn’t love. If it had been, she was sure she’d be feeling a lot different to what she did now. He was just telling her what he thought she wanted to hear. At this point, she knew he would tell her anything to try and get her back.
“No Mike. You had your chance. I told you at the beginning what would happen if you ever cheated. It’s over, we’re through.”
“I made a mistake for fuck’s sake! I’m guilty, I admit it. You’re not exactly innocent Sam.”
His words caused her to pause momentarily. Fuck. Did he know? No, there was no way he could. Even so, just the thought of anyone else knowing what she’d done in her past gave her chills. She’d managed to push it to the back of her mind since she’d moved to Toronto and rarely thought about it now. It was a side of her personality that she refused to acknowledge and it was working for her just fine. Dominic was the only one who knew. She’d told him about it one night over a bottle of wine and a cheap Chinese takeout. He’d been shocked at first, but eventually he’d used the words she was about to use now.
“No one is completely innocent Mike. The difference is you got caught. You fucked my neighbour, in my own bed! I walked in on you eating her pussy. A few minutes later and you’d have been nailing her. What did you expect me to do? Throw a god damn party? ” Sam took a few breaths to try and reign in the anger rising in her stomach, her free hand moving to massage her temple as she felt a headache brewing. “Get a life Mike, and stay out of mine!”
With those words, Sam ended the call, put her phone on silent and tossed it through the bedroom door onto her bed. The anger she felt was still simmering under the surface and she was pissed that she’d let him get to her. She’d been looking forward to an evening out, now all she could think about was Mike, the blond and what she’d walked in on. She knew that it was one memory that wouldn’t easily be erased as she stepped out of her robe and into the shower.
oOo
Forty-five minutes later, Sam was walking off the street and through the doors of Infinity. The upmarket venue was a restaurant by day, it’s door closing at 6pm only to reopen at 7pm as one of the hottest nightclubs in town. It was extremely rare that she went out on a work night, but with the day she’d had, she figured one night couldn’t do her any harm.
Smiling at the doormen as she passed, Sam hid her grin as she considered how they looked. Both men were well in excess of six feet tall. Their perfectly fitting suits did nothing to hide the bulging muscles and the broad chests. Both men sported shaved heads and she could see one of them liked tattoos as the head of a snake peeked out from his shirt collar. Glancing at their waists and then their chests, she couldn’t help but wonder if they were packing. They both looked like they’d just walked off the set of a gangster movie.
Handing her ID to the girl standing by the main entrance, she paid the cover and smiled when she was told to have a nice evening. Sliding her ID back into her purse, Sam walked through into the bar.
She’d always thought this place screamed understated elegance and her opinion of it hadn’t changed, especially since the recent refurbishment that had resulted in its closure for the last two weeks. It was all black and red furniture with chrome accessories. One large circular bar was situated in the middle of the huge room, accented with bright white LED lights.
During the day the floor was covered in dining tables and chairs with bright lighting giving the place a family friendly atmosphere. In the evening, the lights were dimmed and the dining tables were replaced with high tables surrounded by chrome bar stools with black leather cushions for the comfort factor. Towards the back of the room, the lighting was darker still and she could just about make out several half moon booths, obviously for people who wanted a little m
ore privacy. She had no doubt that if the walls in that section of the room could speak, they’d have some interesting stories to tell.
The newly added second level was in darkness and she couldn’t help but wonder what was concealed behind the chrome railings and smoky glass that ran along the entire length of the second floor.
Compared to the daytime, the atmosphere was decidedly sexier in the evening and Sam had been drawn to the place almost from her first night in Toronto. The main floor was dominated by a huge dance floor. At the moment, it was empty, but she knew all that would change as the evening progressed.
It was still early so Sam wasn’t surprised to see that there weren’t many people there. She saw a few people hanging around, sipping drinks as they chatted, guessing they were enjoying a drink or two after a busy day in the office. The smart business suits and ties gave away the working professional every time.
Making her away towards the bar, she turned when she heard a high pitched whistle and a loud male voice calling her name.
“Sammie girl, you’re on fire!”
Grinning at his words, Sam took a few steps in the direction she’d just come from and engulfed Dominic in a tight hug. It had been a few weeks since she’d seen him and she hadn’t realised how much she had missed him. Normally they spoke everyday and saw each other three or four times a week, but, with his new promotion at work, he’d been in California working on an ad campaign for a new sporting range. He’d arrived back in Toronto two days ago and this was the first chance they’d had to get together.
Pulling back when his grip loosened, she took in his appearance. Like the place they were in, he’d gone for understated elegance in dark blue jeans and a black, button down shirt. His dirty blond hair was swept back of his face and his bright, green eyes twinkled as he looked at her. Considering they were not related, they had the same deep, green eyes. She looked more like Dominic than she did her own brother.
Dominic would be a great catch for any woman, but to her, he was her best friend and they’d never even come close to crossing that line. That would be to, ewwwww.
Sam laughed as Dominic took her hand and lifted it up, using his free hand to make a circle with his index finger. Taking his hint, she spun round slowly and swayed her hips, giving him a full 360 of her outfit. The little black dress she wore stopped several inches above her knees and the slinky fabric clung to her curves in all the right places. As she’d hoped, pinning her hair up whilst in the shower had worked and she now wore it loose, the natural curls cascading down her back like a waterfall. She kept it minimal with the make-up, just mascara and a clear lip gloss. She knew the look worked for her and she’d long ago learned how to make the most of what her mother had given her.
“Girl, you look hot!” Dominic said as he fanned his face. “If I didn’t think of you as a little sister, I’d be on that in seconds.”
Sam couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s words, knowing that he felt the same way she did. Their relationship was a lot of things, but sexual wasn’t one of them. Dominic was as close to her as her real brother, she couldn’t imagine him being in her life as anything other than a friend.
“Why thank you Dominic, you’re looking pretty edible yourself.” Sam laughed again as Dominic gave a little bow before linking his arm with hers and practically dragging her towards the bar. “Now, what are you drinking tonight? Wine? Cocktails? Shots? All of the above?”
She pondered his question for a few moments, taking in the rows of spirits that lined the bar. She had never been a heavy drinker, the proof of that came flooding back as she remembered the glass of wine she’d had earlier in the day. Sighing deeply, images of Alistair swamped her mind yet again as she recalled how good it had felt to have his arm around her waist. If that was what a brief encounter with him could do, she could only imagine what full on body contact would do to her. She’d probably go up in flames.
Jumping slightly when a hand waved in front of her face, Sam turned to see Dominic looking at her, a questioning look on his face.
“Where did you go just then?” he asked her as the barman waited to take their drinks order.
Sam ordered a glass of Chardonnay as Dominic went for a Vodka over ice. Turning back to her friend, she leant against the bar and smiled. She hadn’t mentioned anything about Alistair to Dominic, but she knew he was going to be crazy excited when she did. Dominic was a guy who was in touch with his feminine side. Whilst he loved a good shoot em up as much as the next guy, every now and then he’d watch a romantic comedy. She knew he’d seen many, probably all of Alistair’s movies, most of them with her, so once she told him about their earlier meeting, she had no doubt that he’d give her the third degree.
When the bartender placed their drinks in front of them, Dominic handed over the cash and they walked over to one of the many empty tables and sat. Sam adjusted the hem of her dress as she crossed her legs and she could sense Dominic watching her, knowing he had picked up on her distracted state. She’d been the one to ask him out for drinks and here she was fantasising about another guy.
“Spill it baby girl. What’s up, and don’t even try and tell me nothing. I know you remember, what’s running through that pretty head of yours?”
Sam looked across him as he sat waiting, his hand under his chin as he watched her. The look on his face was both concerned and curious and she broke, a smile spreading across her face. Taking a sip of her wine, Sam launched into the story of her day.
~ 4 ~
After reading the same line for what had to be the hundredth time, Alistair gave up and tossed the script he’d been reading on the couch next to him. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get Samantha out of his mind.
All attempts to purge her image from his brain had failed, and he’d made a hell of a lot of attempts, from going to the gym right up to cleaning the suite. Cleaning! He never cleaned. Not that he couldn’t do it, he’d had plenty of practice before he’d hit the big time, but he’d tried everything else and he had hoped something as mundane as cleaning would do the trick. He’d been wrong. If anything, the boring pastime had only served to strengthen his minds insistence that Samantha take up permanent residency in his thoughts.
It hadn’t helped that the script he’d been reading was for a movie that everyone had been raving about for what seemed like forever. A handsome billionaire and a naive virgin embark on a relationship centred on BDSM. His previous agent had tried to tell him it was a tortured love story, but from what he’d read so far, he was struggling to see it. Although, he had to admit, it was an intriguing role, one that would either catapult him further into the stratosphere or land him back in the unemployment line.
As he’d read through the more erotic parts of the script, all he’d been able to do was visualise him and Samantha in the leading roles. Whilst being dominant in the bedroom did nothing for him, thoughts of doing some of the things described on those pages, with Samantha as his willing submissive, hadn’t helped him one iota. If anything, they’d made the situation even worse. Now, he had the problem of having not finished the script but having a rather impressive erection to show for his efforts.
Alistair knew that he wouldn’t get anywhere with the script tonight. He needed to do something to try and distract him from the redhead who didn’t seem to want to leave his imagination anytime soon. Adjusting his pants into a more comfortable position, although not by much, he jumped up from the couch. Grabbing his cell, he hit the redial button and waited for the call to be answered.
“Christopher, it’s Alistair.”
“Hey buddy, you need that info real soon huh?”
“Yes, but I’m not calling about that. That club you’re a member of?”
“You mean the one Downtown?”
“Yeah that’s the one. Do you think you can get me in?”
“I may need to pull a few strings, but sure. When you wanna go?”
“Tonight.”
Alistair sighed as his friend laughed. With the
tension he felt throughout his body, his patience had already been pushed to the limit. Biting his tongue so he wouldn’t snap down the phone, he waited.
“Tough day bud?”
“You could say that.” Alistair replied as he rubbed his hand over his lightly stubbled jaw.
“Are you looking for anything in particular?”
“Nothing specific, just something to...” Alistair paused as he glanced down at the prominent bulge straining against the zipper of his pants. “...distract me.”
When his friend laughed down the phone again, Alistair considered hanging up, but soon realised that, whilst taking care of his physical problem wouldn’t be an issue, removing the images of Samantha would be a bit harder to resolve. He needed something to replace them, if only for a short time.
“Alrighty. I’ll sort it.”
“Great. I’ll meet you in the lobby in an hour.”
Ending the call, Alistair sighed deeply and headed in the direction of the bedroom. Stripping out of his clothes, he threw open his closet. Scanning his attire, he selected a pair of charcoal dress pants and a white button down shirt.
Heart & Soul: The Meeting (Heartland Series) Page 4
