Foreign Affair

by Shelli Stevens

  “Lord, I hope so.”

  “So. Are you going to be okay?” Stephanie bit her lip and gave her a probing look. “Going out to New York all by yourself to confront him alone?”

  “It’s a roundtrip ticket.” Lena shrugged, wishing she were just a little more confident. “Worst case scenario I’m on a plane home tonight after I see him.”

  “That won’t happen. Think positive. And you’d better call me the minute you get back.”

  “You know I will.” Lena glanced one last time in the mirror. You can do this. “Okay, let’s go.”

  Lena sat on the stool at the bar, staring down into the clear liquid. Vodka. Liquid courage. She swished the tiny glass around, eyeing it as if it were the devil’s brew.

  Damn, I hate vodka. But it would work fast.

  “Why did you order a shot if you’re just going to stare at it, lady?” The bartender leaned over the bar, watching her with open curiosity. The bar was near empty, being still early in the day.

  She glanced back up at him and grimaced. “It’s not something I normally drink, but today I’m feeling the need to make an exception.”

  “Yeah?” He wiped a glass dry with his towel. “So where are you from?”

  “Oregon.” She took a deep breath and slammed the shot down. The liquid burned her throat and had her eyes burning with tears. She coughed and pressed her hand against her chest.

  “So, whatcha doing in New York? You come to see the Yanks?”

  “Yanks?” Lena asked as she pulled her hair back into two small ponytails to keep them out of her face. With how fast it had grown, she wasn’t used to having it flowing around her face. “Is that basketball?”

  The man’s bushy eyebrows drew together.

  Apparently not. “Sorry, I don’t follow sports. I’m more of a ballet girl. Besides, I’m just here on business.”

  The bartender grunted. “The ballet, huh? You look like the type.”

  “The type?” Lena frowned. “And what type is that?”

  “Oh, you know, you’ve just got that look. Little naïve. Cutesy. Yuppyish?”

  “Okay, I’m just going to focus on the cute part and ignore the naïve and yuppy.”

  “It’s just the dress, I’m sure.” He winked. “What business brought you to New York?”

  “Well…” She paused, still a little annoyed he’d called her a yuppie. “I have to make a business proposition to an old friend.”

  “You a stockbroker?”

  Lena gave him a thoughtful glance. Did she look like a stockbroker? “No, I’m not a stockbroker. Hey, what time is it?”

  “Ah, let me check.” He glanced at his watch. “About four thirty.”

  “Oh no.” she squeaked and leapt off the chair. Time difference—she’d almost forgotten the time difference. She’d planned on slipping into Tyler’s office just before he left for the day.

  “I’ve got to go.”

  “Well, good luck, lady. I hope your deal goes through all right.”

  Me too, she thought, and rushed out the door into the streets of New York. The sun was hot, the air humid, but the city thrived despite the heat. Taxi horns blared and throngs of people strode down the street after a long workday.

  Lena adjusted her purse over her shoulder and set off down the street, using her hand to shade the glare from her eyes. After a few moments, she found herself standing at the base of a skyscraper.

  She clutched the tiny piece of paper in her hand, then gave another nervous glance at the double glass mirrored doors. Shit, I should have had two shots.

  She was crazy. She had to be insane to be here. Lena cursed to herself as she stepped into the building and went to the directory on the wall.

  “Tyler Bentz.” Her heart slammed against her chest as she fingered the gold lettering. Making her way to the elevator, she quickly pressed the button that would take her to the forty-eighth floor.

  A few moments later, the door slid open. She took a step out of the elevator, and then hesitated.

  No. You’ve come this far. Walk your stupid butt into that office and see what happens, you pansy.

  She took a deep breath and approached the door, gripping the handle tight before swinging it open.

  Her gaze landed on a tall, lanky man, dressed in a very expensive-looking suit, behind a reception desk. His expression turned curious as he watched her enter.

  “Hello there.” The man smiled, his gaze ran over her dress, and she could have sworn she saw amusement in his eyes.

  “Hi.” She swallowed hard. “I’m here to see…”

  “Yes? Who are you here to see?”

  “Uh…” Tyler. Who could step on her heart as if it were a bug and leave her an emotional wreck. I can’t do this. “No one. I think I have the wrong office actually.”

  The man frowned. “Why don’t you tell me who you’re looking for, and maybe I can help.”

  “T—” You’re a pansy. Just say Tyler’s name. “Ty—omas.”

  “Thomas?” The man gave her a puzzled look. “You know, you look a little pale. Why don’t you sit down a moment, and I’ll get you a glass of water.”

  Lena shook her head and backed toward the door. “No, really. I have the wrong office. Thank you for your help.”

  She turned to flee and slammed into something hard. Her hands reached out to keep herself from falling. She stared at the crisp blue shirt and felt the ridges under it—familiar ridges. She jerked her eyes up to meet Tyler’s stunned gaze.

  Her heart thudded in her chest. Shit. Why had she ever thought this a good idea?

  “Lena?” Tyler’s expression became guarded. “What are you doing in New York?”

  “New York?” She gave a weak laugh. “Is that where I am, New York?”

  “You’re a long ways from Kansas, Dorothy,” the receptionist muttered not quite under his breath.

  She shot him an irritated glance and then glanced back at Tyler, licking her lips. “I shouldn’t be here. I think I’d better go.”

  “Hold on.” Tyler grasped her arm as she made to move past him. Tingles spread through her entire body at his touch, and she bit back a gasp.

  “Are you sure this isn’t the Thomas you were looking for?” The receptionist asked innocently.

  What the hell kind of receptionist was he? Lena shot him a vicious look.

  “Why don’t you come into my office for a second?” Tyler’s grip on her arm tightened, and he urged her into a corner office.

  Lena licked her lips again, took a deep breath, and then went inside.

  Tyler watched Lena step into his office and then followed her in, shutting the door behind him. God, she was actually here.

  The roar of blood in his veins sounded in his head, and his gaze devoured her from head to toe. She was just as beautiful now as she had been in Europe. It was apparent, even in those silly little ponytails, that her hair had grown out some, and it looked as if she’d lost weight.

  After their conversation on the phone, he never thought he’d see her again. Didn’t think she’d have the guts to show her face.

  And yet here she was. Lena had come to New York. His chest tightened, and he clenched his fists so he wouldn’t drag her into his arms. He watched as she walked to the window and glanced out over the city.

  “You have a beautiful view.”

  “Thank you.” He didn’t want to talk about the fucking view. “Can I get you some coffee?”

  “Sure.” She glanced back, wringing her hands. She appeared a bit skittish. “Thank you.”

  Tyler picked up his phone and pressed a few buttons. “Could you please bring us two coffees, Danny? Thanks.”

  He replaced the receiver and stared at her. Their gazes locked, and the air almost crackled with tension. She took a ragged breath in and then jerked her gaze away.

  “What are you doing in New York?” he asked, keeping his tone neutral.

  “Visiting.” She turned to look out the window again.

  The urge to cross the room
and touch her hit strong, but he forced himself to keep his distance. “I didn’t realize you knew anyone in New York. Who are you visiting?”

  She didn’t answer right away, and then her voice came out in a whisper. “You.”

  The door opened and Danny swept in carrying a tray with two steaming mugs of coffee.

  “Here you go.” He handed Tyler one. “Black with one sugar. And how do you take yours, Miss?”

  “No sugar and just a little cream,” Tyler answered for her. Danny looked at him in surprise and then to her for confirmation.

  Her cheeks grew pink, and she nodded.

  Danny fixed her drink and then handed her a mug. He winked and then left the room again, shutting the door behind him.

  “Why don’t you have a seat?” Tyler gestured to the small couch that sat in the corner.

  She walked slowly over to it and sat, the leather crunching as she made herself comfortable.

  “This is a very nice office.”

  “Thank you.” His jaw clenched as she crossed her legs, and the dress inched up, exposing more of her thighs.

  She must have seen him looking, because her eyes widened, and she quickly uncrossed her legs and smoothed the dress back down.

  She needs to leave. Get her on the next plane home before you do something stupid. Being ruthless would be the only way to survive this.

  “So, Lena...why would you come to New York when I told you never to contact me again?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  She flinched and lowered her gaze. “What if I said I didn’t know?”

  “I’d call your bluff.”

  She closed her eyes, and his jaw clenched as he awaited her response. When she opened her eyes, she met his gaze directly.

  “I came to see you, Tyler. I want to explain why I acted the way I did.”

  An explanation. Not a declaration of love or an announcement that she’d called off her wedding. Hell, she might already be married by now. The realization had his gut clenching.

  “I know why you acted the way you did.” He made sure to show no reaction. Instead, he walked to the window and stared out over the city.

  “You left me without even saying good-bye,” she whispered. “And I tried to contact you, to explain, but you wouldn’t even talk to me. If you would have only listened—”

  “What was that?” Tyler’s jaw clenched. Anger stirred a bitter brew in his stomach, and he took a deep breath in. “Were you just trying to throw this back in my face? I was never anything but honest with you. You were the one living a lie the entire time.”

  “I—I never meant…” She groaned. “I was going to tell you.”

  He gave a harsh laugh. “I doubt that.”

  “You’ve got to hear me out.”

  “You were engaged. Engaged and having a good old-fashioned revenge fuck.” He turned around and narrowed his eyes. “I hope you got everything you needed.”

  “I hate that term. I wish everybody would stop using it. You weren’t a…” She broke off, and he could see the guilt flicker in her gaze. “Okay. Initially, maybe. But—”

  “Forget it. It’s in the past,” Tyler interrupted, his voice cold. “If you came here to apologize, then you could have done it on my voice mail.”

  “I didn’t come here just to apologize,” she cried, her expression pleading. “I’m here because…because there was something there in Europe. Between us.”

  “Yeah, there was. It’s called sex,” he replied brutally. “Aren’t you getting married soon? What is it you want?”

  His stomach lurched. The thought of Lena marrying someone else made him sick. Suddenly, it hit him. Why she’d come here if not to apologize.

  She’d certainly used him before, why would she hesitate to do so again? And despite how she’d thrown his heart into a blender, God help him, he still wanted her. Wanted her like he’d never wanted another woman before in his life.

  “I see.” He nodded, and his gaze moved over her body, taking her in before raising his eyes back to hers.

  “No.” Lena shook her head. “Tyler, you’ve got the wrong idea.”

  “Do I?” He shrugged. “Maybe Keith’s just not doing it for you, and you came to me for a fix because you know I can get you off.”

  Her jaw fell open, and anger flickered in her gaze. “Of course not. Jeez, what do you take me for?”

  “You don’t really want me to answer that, do you?”

  Her mouth tightened, and she gave a slight shake of her head. “No. I probably don’t.”

  She stood up, placing her cup on the mirrored coffee table. Her hands trembled so much that the brown liquid sloshed out of the cup onto surface.

  He’d upset her. Obviously, he’d hit a nerve.

  His control broke. The desire to touch her, hold her in his arms, overrode any sense of reason. He stepped close to her, sliding his hands around her waist and down to the soft curves of her hips.

  “Tyler…” She pressed her hands against his chest and turned her head away.

  He brushed his lips against the side of neck, inhaling the floral perfume he remembered so well. Damn, he was weak.

  He kissed the other side of her neck, closing his lips over the pulse that beat hard and fast there.

  “Tyler,” she gasped. “This isn’t what I came for.”

  “No?” He lifted his head and traced the outline of her lips with the pad of his thumb.

  Her lips parted a bit, and he eased his thumb past the softness of her lips, to stroke the moist interior.

  Lena groaned and closed her eyes. A second later, her teeth clamped down on his thumb, and he jerked back in surprise. She scurried across the room to his desk.

  “We should talk,” she insisted, sounding breathless.

  “Why?” Tyler followed after her. “Is this a game to you?”

  “I don’t play games.”

  “You do. Remember at the club in Paris?” He closed his hands over the soft skin of her forearms, trapping her against the desk. “When you tried to make me jealous?”

  A tremble ran through her body, and he gave an inward curse. She was probably thinking about the attack afterwards, not the time in the club.

  “I shouldn’t have come here today.” Her words were almost inaudible. “Please, just let me go, Tyler.”

  Let her go. Damn, if it were only that easy. He’d been trying to let her go for the last three months. Had finally begun to sleep at night and not have her haunt his dreams. And now she had come to New York to see him. Letting her go was the last thing he wanted to do.

  He reached a hand up to caress the side of her face and lowered his mouth just a fraction above hers. “You don’t even want a kiss?”

  “No,” she whispered.

  “Liar.” His gaze narrowed, before he slammed his mouth down on hers, needing to kiss her, to taste her again.

  She gasped and clutched at the lapels of his jacket. Her soft lips brushed against his, and he pressed his tongue past them to taste the sweet interior of her mouth. He rubbed his tongue over hers, and she tentatively touched him back. Almost as if she were innocent and not just a woman out for a quick screw.

  The thought had his chest tightening, and all thoughts of making it romantic or gentle evaporated. He lifted her onto the desk, and her dress hiked up her thighs. He stepped between her legs and slid his hands up to the top of her thighs.

  His mouth left hers to trail down the curve of her neck. She groaned, and her head fell back, giving him access to the fast-beating pulse.

  He closed his hand over the swell of her breast, and she arched into him with a sharp cry.

  Through the fabric, he stroked her already tight nipple. He jerked the straps of her dress down, then the soft cups of her lacy bra. Her breasts, so sexy and familiar, filled his hands. He dipped his head and caught one stiff peak between his teeth, rubbing his tongue over the tip.

  She groaned. “Tyler…”

  His name, husky on her lips, cleared his head. The blood pounded th
rough his veins as reality set in.

  He was about to give her exactly what she’d come here for. More meaningless sex. When she could already possibly be married. What the hell was wrong with him?

  He closed his eyes and his chest tightened. It was time to end this. Once and for all. He needed to make sure she didn’t fly across the country every time she got the itch for a good screw.

  “This can’t happen.”

  Her lashes fluttered up, the dazed arousal in her gaze was like a kick in the stomach. God, he wanted her.

  “Tyler, I’m not—”

  “We had good sex in Europe, Lena. And I’ll admit that I mistook tapping a nice piece of ass for being in love,” he lied, trying to be as much of an asshole as possible to kill any hope she had. “But I’m home now and have moved on. And you should too. You can start by letting Keith be the one to get you off.”

  The confession that she wasn’t marrying Keith died on her lips. He couldn’t have hurt her more if it had been his fist connecting with her stomach.

  Tapping a nice piece of ass. That’s what he’d reduced their time together in Europe to?

  She turned away from him and strode to the window, unwilling to let him see the tears that flooded her eyes.

  Out of all the mistakes she’d made in her life, flying to New York took the top spot. How could she have been so stupid as to think this had been anything more than a fling to him?

  “Look, I don’t mean to be a dick or anything. But I kind of have plans to meet someone in an hour.”

  The blood rushed to her head, and she dragged a ragged breath in. He had plans to go out and meet a woman? After he’d almost screwed her on his desk?

  Oh, God. She was going to be sick. Spinning around, she grabbed her purse off his desk and hurried for the door.

  “Do you want me to call you a cab?” he called after her.

  She didn’t bother to answer, just bolted to the elevator before he could see the tears running down her cheeks.

  Tyler stared down at the busy street from his window. His heart pounded, and his stomach clenched with disgust. Disgust at himself for what he’d said to Lena.