TENSE - Volume One (The TENSE Duet Book 1)

by Deborah Bladon

  "Don't sound so cheery about it," she jokes on a smile. "You're frowning, Soph. You look miserable. If you like him and he likes you, what's the problem?"

  She knows my dating history. I've never gotten close enough to any man to even consider marriage, but I did love someone once. His name was Jeremiah. I met him during my second year of college. He was an associate professor and although he never taught me in the classroom, the lessons he left me with have been long lasting.

  I was drawn to him because of who he was around campus. He was bold and sexy. His approach to teaching was aggressive. He was granted tenure at just thirty-years-old and during the months before we broke up, he invested almost every waking minute working on a short film. It was a documentary, about repressed memories, a subject he'd always been fascinated with.

  After the film's local release in Florida, it caught the attention of people nationwide. With every compliment and rave review he received, his interest in me waned until he finally dumped me on a rainy Wednesday night because he thought our relationship was impeding his pending fame. The entire experience left me with a bitter taste in mouth.

  "What if he ends up being like Jeremiah?" I ask aloud, even though I know the question has no merit. Nicholas has already found fame and fortune. That part of his life is firmly in place and what we're nurturing doesn't hinge on his success.

  She scoops the last bite of salad in her mouth and chews. Her eyes stay trained on my face until she swallows. "You know I dated that idiot Brendon before I met Tyler. They're both chefs, but that's where the similarities end. If I would have had a no dating chefs rule, I never would have fallen in love with Tyler and little Firi wouldn't exist."

  I know that punishing Nicholas for a brief failed relationship in my past is wrong. It's not his fault that I once fell in love with another creative person. "Tyler's pretty cocky, isn't he?"

  "Very cocky." She rolls her eyes. "He has every right to be. He's a wizard in the kitchen. I'm amazed by his talent.

  "Does it ever bother you?"

  "That he's cocky?" she asks with a chuckle. "It used to but I realized that I'm insanely attracted to that part of him. I love that he gets how good he is. He owns it. It's hot."

  It is hot. The more I learn about Nicholas, the more I see that he's proud of his gift. He doesn’t shy away from the fact that he's built an empire that has essentially been born from his own thoughts. It's an accomplishment that not many men can stake claim to.

  "I don't want him to hurt me, Den." I shake my head. "He's the kind of guy I could fall hard for."

  She moves both our plates aside before she reaches for my hands. "I know it's not easy to just put yourself out there but if you like him, I think it's worth the risk."

  "Will you come over and console me when he dumps me?"

  "I will," she concedes. "For the record, I don't see that happening. You're strong, Sophia. Give yourself some credit. You can let yourself feel things and if it doesn't work out between you two, it won't destroy you. You still have me and you'll always be a kick ass designer."

  I know she's right. I'm stronger than I was when Jeremiah ended our relationship. I can let myself feel things with Nicholas and if it all goes to hell, I'll pick myself up, brush myself off and still become the next big name in the fashion world.

  Chapter 18

  Nicholas

  My initial plan for this evening was to have dinner with Sophia, but she's got something going on that doesn't include me. I can't say I was surprised when she sent me that text message yesterday saying she was busy tonight. The woman could write a book on how to play hard to get. It should bother me enough that I give up on her and move on, but the challenge is too enticing. I want her and it's not just because I can't have her at the moment.

  I've kissed hundreds of women in my life. Until the other day, I thought I possessed the ability to kiss a woman and walk away. I can't do that with Sophia. The kiss we shared only made me want her more. That hasn't changed.

  What has changed is my method to try and distract myself from the non-stop thoughts of her that have overtaken my life. I managed to write a few thousand words early this morning but then my focus went to shit when I passed by the piano on my way to the kitchen.

  I needed out of the apartment, so I fled. I walked through Central Park until I found myself on Fifth Avenue. A quick trip up the elevator of one of the most prestigious buildings on the block and I was in the office of an old friend.

  Crew Benton, a guy I went to high school with, sought me out on social media a few months ago after he ran into Liam. We reignited our friendship and when I stopped by his office at Matiz Cosmetics earlier today, he invited me to join him tonight at a club he's investing in. He's hosting the soft launch and as much as I try to avoid the club scene unless I'm looking to hook-up, I agreed to tag along.

  My motivation has everything to do with Sophia. I want a reprieve from the longing and I can't think of a better place than a club to make that a reality.

  "Veil East," Crew says into his phone, his hand raking through his black hair. "I bought a club in Vegas, rebranded it as Veil West and you can fill in the blanks from there."

  He rolls his eyes as he motions toward the bar. "I don't give a shit if you quote me directly or not. I want a feature piece on the front page of your website. You agreed to that so don't fuck with me now."

  I laugh aloud as I listen to him talk to whoever the poor soul on the other end of that call is.

  "Get me a scotch, Nick," he says as he moves the phone away from his mouth. "Order whatever you want. Drinks are on the house tonight."

  "Fucking billionaire show off," I jest. "I'm ordering a bottle of whatever costs the most."

  "Don't be a dick," he says that into the phone.

  I walk through the large open space toward the bar. We arrived an hour before the doors are set to open and the club's employees are milling about, readying everything for the anticipated guests.

  "Let me guess…" the curvy blonde behind the bar starts talking as I approach her. "Crew wants a scotch, right?"

  "You know him too well." I laugh. "I'll take the same."

  "Neat?"

  "Sure." I nod. "Are you expecting a full house tonight?"

  "We'll be at capacity within the hour." She slides two tumblers half full of scotch toward me. "I read Burden's Proof."

  My brows lift in surprise. I shouldn't be shocked that she knows who I am. She's part of my target demographic. She's young and judging by the bare ring finger on her left hand, she's unattached. A solid part of my fan base is women just like her. "Did you like it?"

  She leans over the bar until her tits are almost spilling out over the top of her black V-neck T-shirt. "I fucking loved it. I can't wait for Action's Cause. Can you give me a hint about what to expect?"

  I'll never tire of this. The rush that comes from talking to someone about my work is addictive. "I can't. My publicist would kill me on the spot."

  "Now, that would be a shame." She inches even closer, her tits straining against the thin fabric of her shirt. "My name is Penny, by the way."

  I don't introduce myself because it's wasted effort. "Good to meet you, Penny. I need to get this drink to Crew before he comes looking for it."

  "Come back when you need a refill, Nicholas."

  I nod before I turn back toward where Crew is standing. If Penny isn't a sure thing, I don't know what is. Two weeks ago I would have been all over her by midnight and she would have been on her knees in a corner by the time her shift was done. Not tonight, though. Tonight, I'm keeping my dick where it belongs; in my jeans aching for a taste of Sophia.

  ***

  I'm standing on a ledge on the upper concourse two hours later when I spot her in the club below. It should have been impossible to pick her out among the crowd of blending bodies, but the way she moves is unmistakable.

  Sophia is here. She's in Veil East grinding against some hack in a two-piece gray suit that looks like it came off the rack a
t a fire sale. She, on the other hand, looks exquisite as always. Her dress is black and strapless. She's straightened her hair, so it falls loosely down her back. She looks edgy, sexy and when she turns in my direction, I can see that her lips are their signature deep red.

  I grip the metal rail in front of me, my fingers stiff from anger. She plays hard-to-fucking-get with me, yet she's dancing like she's ready to screw the guy she's with.

  She said she didn't have a boyfriend which means she's either a bigger liar than I thought, or he's a random hook-up.

  "Penny can't keep her mouth shut about you, Nick." Crew slaps me from behind on the back. "You can use the executive office if you want to entertain her. I'm not against doing a favor for a friend."

  "I'm not interested," I say over my shoulder. "Thanks for the offer though."

  He steps in place beside me, a newly filled tumbler of scotch in his hand. "Are you seeing someone?"

  "No," I answer quickly before I stumble back. "I was interested in someone, but that was a fucking waste of my time."

  "What's going on?" He turns so he's facing me, his green eyes scanning my face. "You look like shit. What the hell happened in the past twenty minutes since I went downstairs?"

  I draw in a deep breath of air. "I met a woman recently. I thought there was something between us but she's dry humping some idiot on the dance floor."

  "Where?" He arches his neck out to look at the packed dance floor.

  "It doesn't matter," I snap. "She blew me off with an excuse about having plans. Now I know."

  "You know shit." He motions for one of the security guards dressed in a black suit to approach us. "Point her out and we'll get her up here. If you want her away from the guy she's dancing with, I can make that happen."

  "Don't bother." I wave the burly security guard away. "What's the point?"

  "The point is you want her."

  I laugh loudly. "Not if she's out looking for a quick fuck."

  "Who knew you had standards?" He chuckles before he takes a drink. "Tonight is invitation only. Point her out. Maybe I know her."

  I don't know how the hell he thinks he can recognize anyone from our vantage point. It's a goddamn miracle that I spotted Sophia from where we are. "She's brunette, long hair, black strapless dress. She's in the middle of the floor practically crawling all over a brown-haired guy in a cheap suit."

  He doesn't even bother to glance in the direction I'm pointing. Instead he looks right at me. "Does she have pale blue eyes, full red lips and an ass that should be illegal?"

  I don't know whether to punch him or fall over from shock. "That's her."

  He turns back to the security guard. "Go get, Sophia. Tell her I need to see her now."

  Chapter 19

  Sophia

  I stare at him for a few seconds. Nicholas is standing in a private room in the VIP area of Veil East. He looks so fucking hot right now that I can barely control my desire to reach out and touch him, but I do. I stand in place, facing him and Crew.

  Why is it that a guy can put on a pair of black pants and a white sweater and look like that? I seriously don't understand how any man can be as good-looking as Nicholas is.

  "You two already know each other, so we'll skip the introductions." Crew approaches me with a chilled bottle of water in his hand. "Drink some of this, Sophia. You're dehydrated."

  "I'm not," I protest but take the offered bottle. I unscrew the cap and swallow a large gulp. "Do you two know each other?"

  "We went to high school together." Crew points at a booth. "Do you want to sit?"

  "No." I drive the heel of my shoe into the carpet. "I want to know why you ordered me up here."

  "How much have you had to drink?" Crew tugs his phone from his pocket. "Don't lie to me. I can call down and find out."

  "No need, General Benton." I throw him a mock salute. "I had zero drinks tonight. I have to work on a dress when I get home so no alcohol for me."

  "You dance like that when you're sober?"

  Nicholas chuckles at Crew's obvious insult.

  "What's wrong with the way I dance?" I shuffle my feet. "Did you call me up here to criticize my dance moves, Crew?"

  "How do you two know each other?" Nicholas turns toward me. "Did you date each other?"

  "No," I say too loudly. "No. There's no way. No."

  "What the fuck, Sophia?" Crew throws his hands in the air. "You make it sound like a fate worse than death. I can tell you that I've never had a complaint from a woman."

  "Never?" I concentrate on the smirk on his face. "I find that hard to believe."

  He looks straight at Nicholas. "Sophia and I worked together about a year ago. We first met as she was walking out of one of our stores. I was on my way in and stopped her."

  "You worked at Matiz?" Nicholas brows shoot up. "Haven't you been at Foster Enterprises longer than that?"

  "I have." I let out a small sigh. "It complicated and we keep it quiet, but I did some modeling for Crew."

  Crew opens the browser on his phone and pulls up a very familiar image from last year's fall lipstick campaign. "Do you recognize these lips, Nick?"

  Nicholas takes the phone into his palm and studies the picture. It's a cropped photograph of my face. The only visible area is my lips, which are parted and painted a deep shade of red. My two front teeth are on display too.

  I've never been recognized as the woman in the campaign ads and I haven't told anyone, other than Cadence, that it's me. It's not that I'm not proud of the work, but it was just a side job. Crew paid me well for a few hours of my time, including a lifetime supply of Matiz lipstick in any shade I want. I'm partial to red right now but come spring, I'll switch back to pale pink.

  "I've seen this on a billboard in Times Square." Nicholas hands the phone back to Crew. "So you two know each other because of that?"

  "We've become friendly since then." He holds us his hand to ward off any questions Nicholas might throw his way. "Platonic friends, Nick. I asked her out for a drink right after we met and she turned me down. I'm glad she did. I don't have a lot of female friends, but Sophia is an important one to me."

  "Don't let this go to your head." I point my finger at Crew and give him the best stern expression I can muster. "Crew is my go-to when I need something. He's become one of my best friends in the city."

  "Hear that?" Crew cups his hand over his left ear. "That's my heart melting because Sophia thinks I'm a stand-up guy."

  "You're a jerk," I joke. "I'm trying to be nice, Crew."

  "You're too nice." He taps the tip of my nose. "Here's an example, Sophia. You were way too fucking nice to whoever the hell that was you were dancing with just now."

  Realization hits me like a speeding train. "Is that why I'm up here? You wanted to see me because I was dancing with Trey Hale?"

  "Trey Hale?" Nicholas reaches for my bare bicep. "I read something online about the two of you from last year. I thought you tweeted that you didn't know him. Is that how you dance with men you don't know?"

  My entire body shakes at his touch. "You're acting territorial, Nicholas. I'm allowed to dance with whoever the hell I want. We're not a couple. We're not anything right now."

  "You're right." He releases my arm as he takes a step back. "We're nothing, Sophia. Enjoy your night."

  With that he shakes Crew's hand, picks up a tumbler of scotch from the circular table near us and heads toward the elevator that leads to the dance floor.

  ***

  "Do you think they're going to sleep together?" I stare down at the club. I've been watching Nicholas for the past ten minutes. Once he exited the elevator on the main floor, he made a beeline for the bar and the blonde bartender who seemed overly excited to see him.

  "Nick and Penny?" Crew rests his hands on my shoulders. "He doesn’t want her, Sophia."

  "Are you blind?" I arch my neck back to look at his face. "Look at the way he's staring at her. Her tits are four times the size of mine."

  "What do her tits have to do
with this?" He digs his fingers into my shoulders. "You're way too fucking tense right now. You have to loosen up."

  "I don't want him to fuck her," I say it under my breath. "I don't want that."

  "He's blowing off some steam." He moves his fingers to the middle of my back. "You need to go down there and tell him what you want. You have to stop playing games with him."

  I turn sharply leaving his hands hanging in mid-air. I reach for them both and squeeze them in mine. "I'm scared, Crew. He's different. He makes me want things."

  "You make him want things." He bends his knees, so his face is aligned with mine. "He's a good guy, Sophia. He worked his ass off to get to where he is. Sure, he's been a man whore, but who the fuck wouldn't be when they're thrown into the life he has? Give him a chance."

  "I told him I wanted him to chase me." I hang my head. "I made a huge deal about it. I liked that he wanted me, Crew. I liked that he was going out of his way for me."

  He drops my hand and reaches to tilt my chin up, so I'm looking at him directly. "He saw you with Hale and it pissed him off. If he didn't care about you, he wouldn't have stuck around and waited for you to come up to talk to us. He wants you. If you feel the same way about him, stop fucking around."

  "You think I should go down to the club and talk to him?"

  "I think you should take him home tonight." He winks. "If I'm never going to have you, Nick is the second best choice for you."

  "You know that you're like a brother to me, right?"

  "Don't say shit like that when you look like that." His gaze travels down my body and back up. "I get that we didn't connect on that level, Sophia, but give Nick a chance. He's a better man than I am."

  I look to the dance floor before I level my gaze back on his face. "I know I promised that I'd never say this to you again, but I have to."