TENSE - Volume One (The TENSE Duet Book 1)

by Deborah Bladon

  I'm heading uptown in two hours. It's half price today at my favorite fabric place.

  I should invite myself along, but I've got some place I need to be after this.

  Do you wanna come with? I could use you as a model.

  I stare down at the screen, clenching my phone in my fingers so hard it's liable to bend in half.

  Fuck.

  Can't. I've got plans.

  I make it all the way to the lobby of my parents' building before I finally hear the chime on my phone signaling a new message.

  No problem. Have a good day, Nicholas.

  You too. I press send even though I want to tell her what I'm doing. I can't yet. It's too much. If she knows what's lurking in my past, I may never see her again.

  Chapter 25

  Sophia

  "Why are you sitting at home on a Saturday night?" Cadence pushes my feet aside so she can sit next to me on the couch. The aroma of the popcorn she just made fills the room. "I thought you'd be out on a date with the great American novelist."

  I thought I would be too. I wasn't all that surprised when Nicholas turned down my invitation to meet me at the fabric store. I don't know another soul who would want to spend an entire Saturday afternoon checking out hundreds of rolls of discounted fabric. I totally get that, but I was curious when he said he had other plans and then didn't elaborate.

  We had that awkward conversation about only dating each other a few days ago, but we haven't touched on it since. If he's changed his mind, I'm not going to pout. I just want to know where I stand with him.

  "Are you saying you'd rather be at home alone?" I push my bare foot into the side of her jean covered thigh. "I know Tyler pulls a shift every Saturday night because he can't stand the thought of anyone but him being at Nova's helm on the busiest night of the week."

  "That's word-for-word what I said to you when he started working weekends." She arches a brow. "You know how he is. He owns the place. If something goes wrong, it's all on him."

  "I get it." I do. I'm the same way with my designs. I tweak them incessantly until I think they look perfect. It's not because I have the pressure on me that Tyler does. No one knows about my work yet, but when I do get discovered, I want to be certain that it's smooth sailing from that day forward.

  She stretches her arm along the back of the sofa as she pops a piece of popcorn in her mouth. "I want to talk about Nicholas. Have you seen him again?"

  All of him, as a matter of fact.

  "I saw him last night," I say as I push the remote to pause the program we've been watching. It's an episode of our favorite police procedural. We started the habit of watching it together when we were roommates and now I always wait for Cadence to come over before I order a new episode on Netflix.

  "I thought you went to that club opening last night." Her eyes volley between the frozen image of a police officer with a gun in his hand on TV and my face.

  I sigh heavily. "He was there."

  "Nicholas was there?"

  I take a minute to reply. I could easily get her off the topic of what happened between Nicholas and me if I bring up Trey Hale. It was a brief encounter that isn't worth mentioning though. She's my best friend, so I shouldn't hide the truth from her even if it sends her into a romantic frenzy. "He was. We left together."

  The large bowl of popcorn in her lap almost tumbles over as she turns to look at my face. "Sophia, what the hell? Why didn't you tell me this the second I walked in?"

  "Because I knew you'd act like this." I scoot my ass across the couch so I can sit upright. "It was just sex, Cadence. I had sex with him at his place."

  "It's not just sex." She moves to put the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. "It's sex with Nicholas Wolf."

  "What is that supposed to mean?" I reach for a handful of popcorn and toss a piece in the air before I catch it in my mouth. "He's just a man, Cadence. He's a man who happens to write books."

  "He's not just a man," she mimics my tone but adds a noticeable dash of sarcasm. "He's one of the hottest men on the planet and you slept with him."

  "He is hot," I acquiesce as I toss a piece of popcorn too high and it coasts over my head before hitting the hardwood floor behind me. "We had fun and then today I invited him to tag along with me to buy some fabric and he said he had other plans."

  "I would have ditched on that too." She laughs. "I've gone fabric shopping with you, Soph. It's not a fun time."

  My mouth curves into an unwanted, but uncontrollable, smile. "I know. It's just that he was uptown and I was headed uptown and I assumed he'd want to see me after last night."

  "You thought he'd want to follow you around a cramped fabric store for hours because the sex was that good?"

  "When you put it like that, I see your point." I throw the last piece of popcorn in my hand at her. She watches it fly past her nose before it lands on one of the red throw pillows she left here when she moved.

  "Let him decompress, Soph." She reaches to grab the remote from where I put it on the table. "Give him a couple of days and he'll be all over you again."

  I know she's right. We had too good a time last night for him to brush me off. I should be thinking about our next date with butterflies in my stomach but the only thing rooted in my gut is a niggling feeling that the girl in the photograph I saw last night, may not be completely out of the picture.

  ***

  "Your website is a work of shit," Joe, the tech guy, that Nicholas connected me with laughs. It's one of those deep chuckles that lure the attention of every person around us. That might be fine if we weren't sitting in the staff lunchroom of Foster Enterprises headquarters.

  Several of my co-workers turn to look at us. I toss them a polite smile hoping they'll get back to their microwave warmed lunches.

  "Nicholas told me it was bad, but Sophie, this is the worst."

  "It's Sophia," I say as I take a bite of the apple I brought with me today. I knew I'd be having this meeting at lunch so packing something more substantial didn't make any sense.

  "Sure, Sophia." He gazes over the top of his laptop screen at me. "When Nick called me yesterday to ask me to do this, he didn't tell me you were so blazing."

  Does that mean hot?

  It doesn't matter. What does matter, even though it shouldn't, is that he heard from Nicholas yesterday and I haven't heard a peep out of him since our text exchange on Saturday afternoon.

  Joe's a guy, so I'm tempted to ask him what the current protocol is for texting a woman after you've fucked her brains out. I resist that urge and instead focus on the matter at hand.

  "I don't think it's all that bad." I lean back on the plastic chair I'm sitting on. "I do respect your opinion so tell me what I can do to improve it."

  "Start from scratch." He accompanies that comment with an actual scratch to his overgrown dark beard. "The mess you've got going on now is unfixable."

  I glance around the room before I lean in closer. "My finances are tight right now. Can you do anything for say, five hundred dollars?"

  "Beautiful and cheap?" His hand leaps to his chest. "You're a woman after my own heart."

  "I'm not cheap," I correct him in a hushed tone. "Most of my resources go into my business. I design clothes."

  "Duh." He points to the screen of his laptop with both of his index fingers. "I'm looking at your website right now. I see what you've got going on."

  "Can you spice it up for five hundred?" I finish the last bite of the apple. "I'd appreciate anything you can do that would make it look edgier."

  He snaps the cover of his computer closed before he rests his elbows on the circular white table we're sitting next to. "You know that Nick is footing the bill for this, right? He wants your input on everything design related, but he's covering the cost of a complete overhaul of your site."

  "No." I shake my head as I drop the apple core in my empty coffee cup. "I don't want him to do that."

  "It's already done." He thumps his front shirt pocket and the top of the
small weathered billfold that is visible. "He paid me yesterday and the cash is tucked away in my account. Between you and me, it's the only money in my account right now."

  "Why would he pay for it?" I ask myself as much as him.

  He looks over at the table next to us where three women are sitting. "Isn't it obvious? Men will do anything for a woman they want."

  That might be true, but I'm not for sale. Before this day is over, Nicholas Wolf is going to understand that I take care of myself.

  Chapter 26

  Nicholas

  My gaze runs over Sophia as soon as she enters through the revolving door. She sent me a text an hour ago asking me to meet her in the lobby of a luxury hotel that borders Central Park. I asked what it was about, but the only response she sent was an address to this place.

  I'm not familiar with it. I don’t frequent hotels in the city since I established an office space that is separate from my apartment. I admit that I once kept a room at a cut-rate hotel in Hell's Kitchen that I used exclusively as a place to fuck. I outgrew it quickly though since it left me feeling as cheap and used as I'm sure the women I took there felt.

  "Nicholas." She nods as she approaches, the buttons on her white coat flying open as she skims her fingers over them to reveal a dark navy skirt and light blue top underneath. She slides the coat off with little effort before draping it over her left forearm. "There's a bar across the lobby. It's easier to talk in there."

  To talk.

  The words and her tone are both ominous. The look in her eye is the same.

  I didn't like saying no to her two days ago when she texted me asking if I wanted to go to a fabric shop with her. Her demeanor at this moment doesn't reflect that of a woman who was turned down in the middle of a weekend afternoon. There's more brewing below the surface. Something's pissed Sophia off and I'm standing in the middle of that shit storm.

  "Lead the way." I raise my hand in the air and complete the movement with a slight bow. "You're running this show."

  She turns on her heel and starts to cross the lobby, only stopping briefly to wave at a man dressed in an impeccable black three-piece suit. Envy rolls through me. He's my age, or younger and apparently, his mere presence deserves a cheerful, open smile from the woman I fucked not even three days ago.

  "Who was that?" I ask as I fall into step beside her.

  She doesn't break her pace as we near the entrance to the hotel bar. "A friend."

  I don't press for more because I'm the one following her into a bar for a drink and the three-piece suit schmuck is still standing in the lobby with his mouth hanging open at the sight of her voluptuous ass in the too-tight skirt. "What are we going to talk about?"

  "I called earlier," she ignores my question as she stops to talk to a woman with jaw length blonde hair standing near the entrance to the bar. "I'm Sophia Reese."

  "You're Mr. Foster's assistant." The woman looks right past me. "Is Gabriel joining you? He hasn't been here in months."

  "He considers himself a silent partner in the hotel." Sophia peers into the dimly lit bar. "I can tell him you said hello when I see him tomorrow."

  "Would you?" She adjusts the nametag pinned to the front of her simple black dress. "It's Hannah. We met the night the hotel opened. I'll never forget how kind he was to the entire staff."

  Sophia smiles a little. "He's a good man. I'm lucky that I get to work so closely with him."

  Hannah gives her what looks like a knowing wink. It has to be an inside joke because I'm still standing right behind Sophia in silence since she didn't bother to introduce me.

  "Your table is in the back." Hannah reaches for Sophia's coat. "I'll put this behind the bar. Come find me when you're ready to leave."

  Sophia nods and then finally turns back to look at me. "This way."

  I trail behind her like a dog looking for scraps as she darts past the people who've gathered in the bar. It's a small space and judging by the wall of bodies we have to maneuver around, it's popular too.

  "He's already here," Sophia calls back over her shoulder.

  "Who?" I yell over the hum of the voices that are all blending together in an uneven buzz.

  She cocks her head at me and laughs like I should know what the ever loving fuck she's talking about. I feel like a lamb being led to its slaughter.

  Resigned, I follow her to wherever the hell she's taking me knowing that at the end of this journey there's some nameless guy waiting for us. I thought it was going to be just the two of us sharing a drink but apparently Sophia's into threesomes. I'm not if they involve another dick.

  I glance over her shoulder and that's when I spot him. He's standing near a table talking to a tall, attractive brunette. He may have shaved off his beard and traded his signature ripped T-shirt and jeans for a suit, but it's clear that Joe, my tech guy, is the man Sophia brought me here to see.

  ***

  "Nick, my man, how the hell is it hanging?"

  Sophia cringes at Joe's words. "Don't ask that. You should never ask that question to anyone again."

  "Why the fuck not?" Joe looks down his nose at Sophia.

  She gives him some serious side eye before she turns to look at him directly. "You're not a fourteen-year-old kid, Joe. You're the head of the tech department at Foster Enterprises now. Start acting like it."

  "He's what?" I ask, my eyes darting from Sophia's face to Joe's almost unrecognizable one. "Since when do you work at Foster?"

  "Since this beauty landed me a full-time job." He elbows Sophia. "I get a corner office, benefits and control over their entire tech department. I'm going to be making six figures a year, Nick. Can you fucking believe it?"

  I can't. I seriously can't. "How did this happen?"

  Sophia cants her head toward his hands. "Give it to him now, Joe."

  "Do I have to?" He stiffens. "I thought you might reconsider."

  "If you don't," Sophia begins as she takes a small step toward Joe. "If you don't give it to Nicholas now, I can call Mr. Foster and tell him I made a mistake."

  "Jesus, you drive a hard bargain, Sophie."

  "Sophia," she corrects him with a smile.

  "I know." He studies her, the look in his eye raising my pulse. He's attracted to her. I can't blame him for that. "It's my nickname for you."

  "Drop it." Her tone is neutral. "We had an agreement, Joe. If you back out, I'll make sure you never step foot in your new office again."

  "I fucking believe you." His hand disappears into the left pocket of his jacket. When it reappears, there's a wad of bills in his palm. He pushes it at me. "Here's the money you gave me to fix her website. Our deal is off, Nick."

  I look down at the cash. "I paid you to help Sophia. Nothing's changed."

  Sophia snatches the money from Joe before she tucks it in the pocket of my coat. "Everything's changed, Nicholas."

  Chapter 27

  Sophia

  Nicholas sits in the corner of our booth with an untouched tumbler of scotch on the table in front of him. He hasn't said a word since I pushed the money he gave Joe into his pocket. I brought him here to show him that I'm one woman who is more than capable of finding her own way to pay for a website overhaul.

  "After I met Joe yesterday, I realized that Foster Enterprises has been looking for someone to helm the tech department for over a month. Mr. Foster and his brother haven't been impressed with any of the applicants, so I asked Joe to clean himself up and come in for an interview."

  It's the truth, mostly the truth.

  I did think of Joe when I saw yet another interoffice memo about all the available job openings at Foster. It was waiting for me in my inbox when I got back to my desk after lunch. Since the listing at the top was for the tech department, I immediately thought of Joe. I sent him a brief text message asking if he would be interested in a full-time gig with great benefits and an even better salary.

  He texted me back almost immediately saying he might be since the money Nicholas gave him was all he had to his
name. It was the second time that he'd mentioned his cash flow problem to me so I told him I'd arrange an interview but I expected a favor if he landed the job.

  Knowing exactly what I was after, he agreed. Three hours later he arrived at my desk, clean-shaven and dressed in a suit. Mr. Foster gave him the job on the spot and before Joe left the building, we had an agreement in place that he'd build me a new website, and maintain it on a monthly basis, at no charge.

  "I take it the price for helping him land the job involves him doing side work for your design business for free?" Nicholas finally picks up his drink.

  I nod as I sip on the glass of red wine I ordered. "It's not that I didn't appreciate you hiring him to help me. I did, but it felt like too much too soon."

  He puts the tumbler down without bringing it to his lips. "I wanted to help you. You have so much potential, Sophia. I saw it as a sound investment in you. I have no doubt you're going to rule the New York fashion scene one day."

  I smile brightly at the compliment. "It's not an actual investment if there's no legal contract drawn up. You were doing me a favor. It's too generous a favor for anyone to do for a person they just met."

  I can tell by his reaction that my words sting. "Should we get a legal contract drawn up? I have some funds I'm looking to invest. I'd gladly buy some shares in your company."

  It's not technically an actual company. I took the preliminary steps to get everything set up a few months ago when I thought I might be able to sell some pieces in a store owned by the husband of a woman Cadence worked with. That never panned out, so I used the money I'd set aside for lawyer fees to buy more supplies.

  "I'm not at the point where I'm looking for investors yet," I say as I make a mental note to check in with Zoe Beck, a friend of a friend who happens to be an attorney.

  "You should be." He finally takes a long drink of scotch. "If you worked out a deal with an investor or two, your business would be on its way. You need money for marketing and promotions. You can't expect to sew every design yourself forever. You have to start looking at the big picture."