Heart & Soul: The Meeting (Heartland Series)

by Nicola C. Pries

  He had no idea what to expect from the evening that was ahead of him, all he hoped was that it provided him with a little relief from the chaos that Samantha had caused in such a short space of time.

  oOo

  “Alistair, my man.”

  Turning when he heard his name, Alistair grinned at the guy who strode across the hotel lobby towards him. At six feet six, Christopher was a few inches taller than he was and several inches wider. Tonight, he wore all black, which made his large frame look even more intimidating.

  He attracted attention wherever he went, partly due to his size and partly due to the too long shaggy blond hair, deep brown eyes and finely honed physique that made the woman drop at his feet. He’d known him for more than twenty years and he couldn’t remember a day when the man didn’t have women drooling all over him. Most guys found him menacing but all women seemed to find him irresistible. He’d even heard some describe his as a big teddy bear, something that was the complete opposite to the man he knew.

  Back in school, whenever the two of them went out, they were an unstoppable force when it came to the ladies. They were polar opposites when it came to looks. He was dark with a toned, lean physique whilst Christopher was fair and more muscular. No other guy got a look in as the women flocked in their direction. Even now, as he walked towards him, several heads turned, alternating between him and his friend.

  When Chris reached him, he pulled him into a hug. As they clapped their hands on the other’s back, Alistair was almost deafened by his friends booming laughter. If they weren’t already attracting attention by simply being there, they definitely were now.

  “Good to see you Chris.” Alistair said as he pried his friends arms from round his back. “How’ve you been?”

  “Ah, you know, just rolling with the punches. I’ve got a car outside. You ready?”

  Alistair grinned at his friend. Always efficient. He guessed that came from the intense military training that he’d gone through since joining up at eighteen. He’d been out of the service for the last two years due to a near fatal injury caused by an IED on his last deployment in Afghanistan. With his experience, he’d found work almost immediately, joining a private security firm. Christopher was not only one of his best friends, he was also part of his security detail and went everywhere with him when he wasn’t at home.

  Gesturing for him to lead the way, Alistair followed behind, nodding his thanks to the doorman as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. Glancing at his friend, Alistair could see him scanning the area. Even though he wasn’t working tonight, he never let his guard down. He knew exactly what he was looking for and, apart from the people pointing and whispering in his direction, something which he had grown accustomed to, everything seemed above board.

  For the first time, Alistair noticed the “car” that was waiting for them, although he wasn’t sure whether calling it a car did it justice. The huge black hummer was one hell of a vehicle. It was almost as wide as it was tall. The combined weight of the four massive wheels was probably double his body weight and he swore that the darkly tinted windows were at least an inch thick. It looked like Christopher had gotten them their very own tank.

  “Um, Chris, you do realise we’re only going Downtown, not into a warzone right?” he asked lightly, causing another booming laugh to escape his friend.

  “Yeah right. Have you looked in a mirror lately bud? With the amount of women that try and get a piece of you, it soon turns into a warzone. They’d happily scratch each other’s eyes out just to get within a few feet of you. Personally, I have no idea why.”

  Alistair shook his head as his friend threw him a beaming smile. Climbing into the monstrosity of a vehicle, Chris joined him a few moments later. Pushing the keys into the ignition, he turned to him.

  “Wagons role!” Chris exclaimed as he pulled out into traffic, making Alistair begin to wonder whether a night with his thoughts might have been the safer option.

  oOo

  Four glasses of wine down and Sam was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol that her so called friend had poured into her system. Whilst she’d told Dominic about her meeting with Alistair, she hadn’t gone into detail about the profound effect he’d had on her. Dominic had taken it upon himself to loosen her tongue by plying her with more alcohol in one night than she usually drank in a whole month.

  Dominic had gotten his way and in her alcohol induced state, Sam had spilled everything about what had happened that day, right down to the meeting and how he’d made her feel. She’d even told him about how she’d used her vibrator to relieve the ache between her thighs before she’d left her apartment that evening. Dominic had collapsed into fits of laughter when he’d heard about that, but he’d sympathised with her, even admitting if he’d been in her shoes, he’d have probably done the exact same thing.

  Dominic had never hidden that he was bisexual, but he didn’t advertise the fact either. He’d had both male and female lovers since she’d known him, sometimes both at the same time. She wasn’t a prude, far from it, but a small part of her, granted it was a very small part, still had trouble getting to grips with being with more than one person at the same time.

  As she waited for Dominic to return, she looked around and saw that the club had filled up pretty quickly. Most of the tables were now occupied, as were the booths on the other side of the room. Several couples and groups took up space on the dance floor as the DJ blasted out a mixture of old classics and new favourites. She found herself tapping her foot to one of the latest hits and, despite Dominic’s assertion that she had two left feet, she felt the pull of the dance floor.

  Glancing round, she spotted Dominic at the bar chatting to a petite brunette. She grinned as she watched him working his charm. The young girl was practically panting as her friend slowly ran his fingers up and down her arm. The tight red top she wore barely concealed her ample chest, something that Dominic had clearly noticed as she watched his eyes flick between her face and the pale skin spilling over the red fabric. Sam had to stifle a laugh when he caught her eye and winked at her.

  Shaking her head, Sam manoeuvred herself from her stool, adjusting her dress as she stood. Ensuring she was stable in her heels, Sam made her way over to the dance floor. Dancing on her own never bothered her. The reason she’d come out tonight was to work off some of the tension she still felt in her body, despite the battery induced orgasm she’d had a few hours ago.

  Moving to a spot where she could still see Dominic, Sam began to move to the music. She’d loved this song from the moment she’d first heard it. It was easy to get lost in the rhythm and she found herself doing just that as she forced herself to forget about her day and just be in the moment.

  A few minutes passed before Sam felt a shiver run up her spine. Looking around her, she saw nothing that could account for it as she continued to move. She spied Dominic sitting at their table, the busty brunette sat next to him, her boobs pressed against his arm as he whispered something in her ear and, judging by her smile and the blush that filled her cheeks, he wasn’t asking what she wanted to drink.

  Grinning at her friend, who she knew wouldn’t be going home alone tonight, Sam continued dancing. Another favourite song came on and she grinned, spinning around in a 180.

  That’s when she saw him.

  At least, she thought it was him, no, scratch that, she knew it was him. All she could see was a silhouette, outlined against the glass barrier of the second floor, but she knew. Her body was responding in the exact same way it had done earlier in the day. Her heart rate had quickened, her pulse had sped up and, as if she needed any more convincing, the warmth she felt between her thighs told her more than any rational thought ever could.

  For some strange, unfathomable reason, her body responded to this man like no one else she’d ever met. Hell, she couldn’t even see him clearly and she was practically hyperventilating at the thought of him being here. Could he see her from where he was? Had he known she was going to be there?
No. How could he? He’d probably forgotten all about her as soon as she and David had left his suite. What could she possibly have to offer a guy like Alistair Lockwood?

  Even though she knew the answer to that question, her eyes were still locked on the shadowy figure standing by the glass. The more she looked, the more she was convinced it was him. She’d only spent a little over half an hour in his presence, but every little detail about him had somehow been burnt into her memory. The shadow had the same physique; the hair was the same length. It was him, no doubt about it.

  So much for relieving tension. Now all she could think about was him backing her up against that glass wall, pushing her skirt up over her hips and using those long fingers to work her body into a frenzy as his cock worked her pussy into submission. Closing her eyes at the errant thoughts, she took a deep breath to steady herself before opening them again, finding Dominic standing in front of her. Smiling, he placed his hands on her waist as hers moved to his upper arms, together they danced.

  A few minutes passed before either of them spoke.

  “You know, not to sound big headed, but most women would kill to dance with me. What’s got you so distracted?”

  Sam looked up at Dominic, seeing the teasing look in his eyes as he spun them in a 360. Sam’s eyes flicked over his shoulder and she fought hard to mask the disappointment she felt when she saw the shadow was gone.

  “Let me guess. Mr Hotty invading your thoughts again? It’s okay, I get it. No way can I compete with a movie star. I’ll just be on my way.”

  Dominic’s plan worked when Sam burst out laughing at the pouty look her friend was sporting.

  “You’ll always be my number one guy Dom. Besides, I thought you had your own fan club?” Sam said, referring to the brunette that had captured his attention for the last hour.

  “Who Emily? She’s cute an’ all but not my type.”

  “Since when has big boobs and a curvy figure not been your type?”

  “Why Miss Westfield, I’m insulted that you’d think I only look at the physical aspects of a woman.”

  Sam rolled her eyes and gave him a look that told him what her answer to that question was. Dominic grinned before releasing her and leading her back over to their table.

  “She really did have great boobs though.”

  oOo

  Alistair sat in the VIP area of the member’s only section of Infinity nightclub. The only difference between where he sat and those on the ground floor was that the drinks were more expensive, the clientele more exclusive and the waitresses more naked.

  On the ride over, Chris had promised him that the girls in the member’s only area would be just what he was looking for if he needed to distract himself from the events of the day. Unfortunately, and it didn’t happen very often, his friend had been wrong.

  He had indulged in the extremely over priced alcohol, even letting a couple of the waitresses get a little closer than he normally liked. These girls were smoking hot with bodies most women would envy, yet his body hadn’t reacted at all. His cock had remained in his dormant state, not even twitching as the women, wearing only skimpy g-strings sashayed around him. He was sure they were pulling out some of their best moves on him too. Part of him had felt bad when they’d just moved on to the next guy, realising they were not going to get anything out of him.

  Sighing, he threw back the single malt that sat on the table and stood. Glancing at his friend, he grinned as he saw he was in his element with three of the “waitresses” giving him their undivided attention. He was sure some of the moves they were pulling were illegal. The “look but don’t touch” rule that was a prerequisite in places like this didn’t seem to exist, or if it did, it was being blatantly ignored.

  Crossing the room, Alistair stood by the glass partition that Chris had explained was tinted so they could see everything that went on downstairs but all anyone could see from the outside was shadows. He appreciated this, considering his reputation. If anyone from the press found out that he’d been here, it would all over the news in seconds. He knew he didn’t have to worry about the girls. Chris had informed him that they had all signed confidentiality agreements upon accepting their jobs. Alistair didn’t know how Chris knew this information and he hadn’t asked.

  Leaning against the chrome railing, Alistair surveyed the room below. Considering it was relatively early, the place was packed. People waited patiently at the big, circular bar that was currently three deep. All the tables and more private booths were occupied and the dance floor was full of bodies moving to the beat of the music that filled the large room.

  Then he saw her.

  She was on her own near the edge of the dance floor. Her long red hair swayed as she moved her body to the music. He’d been right about those curves. The skin tight black dress she wore left nothing to his already overactive imagination, accentuating her body in all the right places. The fuck-me heels she wore showcased her long legs to perfection.

  Just like that, he was rock hard. He’d had near naked women grinding on his lap for the last hour and nothing had happened. Now, thirty seconds after seeing her, his cock strained against his zipper.

  In his twenty eight years, he’d been with a lot of women, but none of them held a candle to her. She was beautiful beyond everything he’d ever seen. He kept his eyes on her as she turned, her back how too him as she continued to move. The black material hugged her perfect ass and he had to stifle a groan as he imagined his hands gripping the firm globes as he pushed her against the wall and thrust into her over and over.

  Taking a deep breath, he watched as she spun around and looked up. She stopped dancing momentarily, her bright green eyes looking straight at him. Could she see him? Had Chris been wrong about this glass? He knew he wasn’t, yet it seemed like she was staring at him, like she somehow knew he was there.

  He kept his gaze on hers for what seemed like hours, not wanting to break the contact he had with her, even if he was the only one who could actually see the other. He could feel the connection between the two of them. It was something stronger than anything he’d ever felt before. How could he feel like this after only thirty minutes?

  Alistair had read about these things, hell, he’d even starred in a couple of movies where he and the leading lady had to portray falling in love at first sight. He’d never believed it was real, until now. He wasn’t dumb enough to believe he was in love with Samantha, but at the same time, he couldn’t deny that there was something there, the hard on in his pants was proof of that.

  Taking a step back from the glass, he was debating whether or not he should go down to her when he saw a guy approach her from the side. He stood in front of her for a moment before she looked up at him and smiled. His hands grabbed Samantha by the waist as hers rested on his arms. It was clear that they knew each other and he watched intently as she laughed at something the guy had said.

  He knew it was too good to be true. A girl like Samantha must have guys after her all the time. It was stupid of him to think she could be single. Of course she would have a boyfriend lurking about. Alistair was about to return to his table when he felt a presence by his shoulder. He didn’t need to look to know who it was.

  “So, that’s the little lady that’s got you so worked up?”

  Alistair frowned at his friend. He hadn’t mentioned anything to him about Samantha, yet for some reason he wasn’t surprised that Chris had figured it out. He didn’t say anything as he continued.

  “Pretty lady. You should make a move.”

  Alistair scoffed at his friend’s words, returning to the table and falling back into his earlier seat.

  “She’s taken Chris, or didn’t you notice that guy she was dancing with?”

  “Who? The blond guy? Nah, they’re just friends, nothing physical going on there, no heat. Trust me.”

  Alistair didn’t respond as he absorbed the words. Could she be single after all? He was silent for several moments before Chris came to sit next to him.

/>   “Listen, she’s a pretty girl, you’re a relatively good looking guy. Judging by your obvious reaction to her..” Chris paused as Alistair looked up, knowing what his friend was referring to, “....it’s clear you want to get to know her on a more physical level. You know I don’t like to get involved with you and your woman bud, not anymore anyway, but I’m getting the impression this girl could be something more for you. Don’t assume anything before you talk to her. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Nodding, Alistair wondered when his friend had become so waise as Chris stood and crossed the room to where the girls waited for him, Alistair ran his hands through his hair, looking up when Chris called out to him.

  “Oh, I emailed you that information you asked for. Think there’s one thing in particular you might be interested in, if you’re serious about getting to know this girl that is.”

  Was he serious about getting to know her? Alistair smiled as he knew the answer to that question without even having to think about it. By the time he was through, there would be nothing about Samantha Westfield that he didn’t know, and not an inch of her body that he hadn’t explored. One way or another, she would be his.