SOLO

by Bladon, Deborah

  I take a step forward hoping that my knees don't buckle. "Of course," I mutter under my breath knowing that every other woman in the room is now viewing me as the one that Alec Hughes has chosen to be his fuck buddy for the season. It may be what he wants but in my mind it's a role that I have no intention of playing.

  ***

  I rehearse over and over again in my head what I'm going to say the moment he's done talking on the phone. I've been standing next to him now for five minutes. I'm fidgeting back and forth from foot-to-foot while I watch other dancers and singers exit the rehearsal hall as they make a mad dash towards the elevator. Some are holding in sobs, others are seething with anger and some just don’t seem to give a damn.

  "Libby?" Alec's hand is on my waist. "We need to discuss something."

  "I'm not interested," I say evenly. "I'm flattered but I'm not interested."

  A flash of a smile passes over his full lips. "What is it that you're not interested in?"

  I run my index finger over the length of my nose. It's a nervous gesture that I've done since I can remember. "I'm not interested in being that girl."

  "That girl?" He leans back against the wall, tucking his hands in the pockets of his pants. "What girl is that?"

  I bite on the edge of my fingernail as I hunt for the right words. "The girl you choose."

  "I choose a girl?" The suggestion of amusement in his luxurious deep tone isn't lost on me. "Tell me what I choose her for."

  I'm blushing. I know that I am. It's not because I'm a virgin or my sexual experiences have been lacking. I'm blushing because he's asking me to repeat back all the sordid rumors I've heard about him. "You know what you choose her for." My intention isn't for my eyebrows to bounce around the way they are. I'm beginning to think I'm going to quash any interest he may have had in me just by the way I'm acting during this awkward conversation.

  "You've heard things about me." The words leave his lips with a trail of assumption behind them. "I'd like to hear about that."

  "There's nothing to tell," I lie. There's a hell of a lot to tell. I'm not one to spread gossip but when I'm sitting in a diner after rehearsals listening to other dancers talk about how he uses women, I'm not going to turn my head and ignore that.

  "I'll fill in the blanks." He leans forward a touch. "You've heard that I select a young lady to be my companion for the season."

  I nod. That's an elegant way to say he picks a fuck partner from the roster. "I've heard that."

  "You think you're my pick for this season?" He cocks a brow.

  My stomach instantly flip-flops within me. My heart starts pounding. "Yes," I whisper back.

  "You're definitely intriguing." His finger jumps to my chin. "Before I make a final decision I need to know if you've slept with any of the men in the production."

  I take a step back. The urgency to distance myself from him is overwhelming me. He's so comfortable asking me something incredibly intimate. "The answer is no even though it's none of your business. As I already said, I don't want to be that girl."

  "You don't think you want to be that girl," he arrogantly corrects me.

  "I don't want to be that girl." I find the words again and somehow they fall from my parched lips.

  He adjusts the knot of his gray patterned tie as his eyes scan my face. "Don't be too quick to make a decision, Libby."

  I stare past him to the weathered green and white wallpaper that covers the wall behind him. "I've already made up my mind." I can keep up the calm and collected demeanor for at least a few more minutes.

  "Don't you think you should at least hear what I'm proposing?" he asks in an even, strong tone. "I think before you make a final decision you should know exactly what I'm offering."

  There's no mistaking he's arrogant. It's not surprising to me. Manhattan is bursting at the seams with men who believe that they can offer women like me a ticket to something grand and life changing. I'm guessing in this case it's a thick, wide cock and some expensive dinners, likely in that order.

  "No," I counter. "I'm not interested."

  His lips purse as he takes in my answer. "Why not?"

  I have to close my eyes to steel off the grin I feel coursing through me. It's obvious Alec Hughes isn't accustomed to being turned down. "You're not my type."

  Libby, you are a liar.

  "I'm not your type?" The surprise in his voice mirrors the expression on his face. "What's your type?"

  I tap my index finger on my chin. "My type lives in the same building as me." It's not a complete lie. I've been flirting with Brandon, the man who lives down the hall from me, for weeks now. If I'm going to jump into bed with anyone in the near future, Brandon would be my first choice.

  "You have a boyfriend?"

  I smile at the inference. "He's not my boyfriend." He's not my anything actually. I don't even know his last name. All I do know is that he's likely never cornered a complete stranger to proposition her for sex in exchange for whatever Alec Hughes gives the women he sleeps with.

  "I'm not following." His brow furrows. "If you don't have a boyfriend, why don't you take me up on my offer?"

  "Mr. Hughes," I begin. I'm not typically someone who is stuck on formalities but I don't want there to be even an ounce of doubt about the nature of our relationship. I'm an employee of his. I don't want to become anything more than that.

  "Alec," he corrects me. "Libby, call me Alec."

  I nod. "Alec," I hesitate searching for the right words. Offending him isn't going to help my career in any positive way. He has way too much influence in this city for me to tell him to flippantly fuck the hell off. "I'm very flattered by your interest but I came to Manhattan with one goal in mind and I can't lose focus."

  He adjusts his dark grey suit jacket, smoothing it against him. "I appreciate your dedication to your craft, Libby."

  "Thank you," I interject. I know that he was going to add more. I know that he was going to say something alluring about the prospect of me being beneath his rock hard, gorgeous tall body. Maybe it's just my wishful thinking telling me that.

  "Libby," he growls my name into the space between us as he steps forward. "I'd like to discuss this more but I have a meeting."

  I open my mouth to tell him that the discussion is over but he's already stepping towards the elevator.

  "I'll send a car for you after rehearsal." He juts into the open door of the lift and pulls his smart phone to his ear before I have a chance to say even one single word.

  Chapter 4

  Alec

  Goddamn it. She knows about me. Someone clued her in to the fact that I fuck a woman from every show I invest in. I was able to grab hold of the last two before they heard a thing about me. They saw me as the older, wiser, experienced guy who wanted to give them the time of their lives.

  Libby is different. I could see the skepticism in her eyes. She's going to be a challenge.

  "Lance, it's Alec," I bark into my smartphone as I walk through the doors of the building and into the pedestrian traffic on Eighth Avenue. "Get me everything you can find about Libby Duncan. She's on the payroll for Selfish Fate. "

  I roll my finger across the screen ending the call.

  "Mr. Hughes." I hear the familiar voice of my driver, Gabriel, pulling at me from the right. He's practically shouting above all of the traffic noise. "Over here."

  I take a few large steps towards him as my phone chimes another call. "Hughes," I say into it, hoping that whoever is on the other end isn't going to ruin my mood.

  "Alec." The smooth and sexy voice of a woman purrs over the line. "Where are you?"

  "Britt?"

  "It's me," she breathes heavily into the phone. "Can you come over?"

  "Why the fuck would I do that?" I nod at Gabriel after lowering myself into the back seat. "My office," I mouth to him.

  "Do I have to spell it out?" She's pouting. I can hear it between the words. "I haven't seen you in two weeks."

  It's longer than that. I've been avoid
ing her. She's crazy as fuck. I took her to bed not more than a handful of times but she won't let go. "I told you I didn't want to see you anymore."

  "You're lying." Her protest is marred by the crack in her voice. "You said I was fantastic."

  I said a lot of shit I didn't mean when I was balls deep inside of her. "You're great," I offer back. I have to get her to drop the need. I can't keep towing her along. I don't want her. I need her to fuck off and I need that to happen today.

  "Are you seeing someone else?"

  It’s a ridiculous question. I don't actually see anyone if we're going to dive into technicalities. I take women out because that's what they expect and need before they'll let me come down their throats. Having a girlfriend is out of the question. It doesn't fit into my life. "I'm not seeing anyone."

  "What's the problem then?" Her tone is ripe with impatience. "You liked fucking me, didn't you?"

  I can't lie. I can and I have but I don’t see a purpose in lying about sex. "You're a great fuck, Britt."

  "I'm wet right now thinking about your big cock."

  She's not holding back. If I hadn't given everything I had to the nameless waitress last night I might be inclined to give Britt one last ride, but after seeing Libby today, my cock has one goal and that's to be buried anywhere inside of that body. "It's over, Britt."

  "What's over? Our call? Do you have to go?" She's panicking; I can hear it pulling on the edges of the questions. "I can call you back later if you want."

  I fucking hate this part. "We had fun but it's over."

  "We are over?" She screams the words into the receiver. "We are not over, Alec."

  "We are." I glance out of the window as we near the building that houses my offices. "I'm not looking for anything more."

  "What the hell does that mean?" she barks the question out.

  "It means I really enjoyed fucking you but I'm moving on." I slide across the seat. "Don't call me again."

  ***

  "You're telling me that her father is Jensen Duncan?" I point at the chair in front of my desk. "Sit down."

  "Libby Duncan's father is Jensen Duncan." Lance nods vigorously. "He owns the Duncan hotel chain."

  "What the fuck?" I glance down at the growing pile of messages Lance collected for me while I was at the rehearsal hall. "I got this many calls when I was out?"

  "More than that," he points out. "I handled a few on my own."

  Does he want a fucking prize for doing his goddamned job? I'd hired a male assistant out of necessity, not preference. I'd bedded each of my last two female assistants and it got messy fast. Once the fun was over, I'd negotiated new positions for them with other divisions within the corporation. That meant one was working in our office in Los Angeles and the other in Chicago. Hiring a man was more cost efficient and it actually kept my eye on the prize. I'm getting more work done than I have in years.

  "She's twenty-two. She has a degree in hospitality management." Lance continues, "I found out that she moved out here about a year ago. She fast tracked college after graduating from high school early."

  "Early?" I push back. "Why?"

  "She was in a private school in Colorado." His eyes scan a paper in front of him. "She's gifted."

  "Gifted?" Her ass is a gift to the universe. I'll give her that.

  "Her IQ is off the charts." He shrugs. "How do you know her anyways?"

  "I don't know her…" I point towards my office door signaling for him to leave. "I'm about to know her very well."

  I run my thumb along my smartphone pulling up a number before the sound of a phone ringing fills the air. "This is Gabriel." He answers on the first ring.

  "I need you to go back to the building in mid-town this afternoon." I search my desk for one of the documents I need for my meeting that begins in less than five minutes. "It's the same building you just picked me up at."

  "I know the one, sir."

  "I'll send you a picture of a blond woman." I push my chair back from my desk. "She should be done by four. She's expecting a car to pick her up. Bring her to the condo on Central Park West. I'll be there waiting for her."

  "Yes, sir."

  I push the screen to end the call before I scroll through the saved photos stopping to stare at the ones I took of Libby this morning as she was waiting to board the elevator to go up to rehearsal space. She hadn't even noticed me standing a few feet away from her capturing picture after picture of her perfect face and gorgeous body. I stare at the curve of her breasts and the softness of her hips as I send one of the pictures to Gabriel.

  I glance at the time, grab a pile of documents off my desk and head back out the door. If all goes well I'll have my head buried between her legs in the next six hours.

  Chapter 5

  Libby

  "This is the subway, Lib." Claudia sweeps her hand around the crowded train. "Why are you on the subway when he said he was sending a car for you?"

  It's a valid question. I don't think I can provide an answer that would make any sense to her or to Alec Hughes. "I have nothing to say to him."

  "You have nothing to say to him?" She parrots my words back at a decibel level that's high enough to wake sleeping dogs. The way many of our fellow commuters crane their necks to look at us suggests they're more invested in this conversation than I am.

  "I told him I wasn't interested," I say the words without any emotion. This is actually the third time I've explained all of this to Claudia since we left rehearsal. I hadn't brought it up until we were on the platform waiting for the train. I'd noticed the dark sedan parked right outside the door of the building the moment we stepped into the cool afternoon air. I had steered her away from it without a second glance.

  "I think there was a car waiting there." She skims her eyes over the ceiling of the train as if she's going to pull an image of the street into her mind. "I saw a car, Lib. He's going to be pissed at you."

  "He's not." I laugh before tapping my hand over her forearm. "I'll bet you that he already has another girl lined up."

  "Five dollars?'

  "What?" I pull my eyes from a young mother and her son who are sitting on the edge of one of the crowded benches. "What's five dollars?"

  "I'll bet you five dollars he hasn't lined anyone else up." She holds out her hand.

  I grasp it within my own and shake it vigorously. "You're on. I'm not sure what I can buy for five dollars in this city, but I'm going to win that bet."

  "I'll win." She brushes her hand over her shoulder. "I can taste sweet victory already."

  I laugh at her obvious confidence. "What are you doing for dinner tonight?"

  "I have a date." The huge smile on her face doesn’t match the lack of exuberance in her tone.

  "I can't tell if you're happy about that or not." I lean in closer as another new wave of commuters push themselves into the already crowded space.

  She whips her hand through her short brown hair. "I don't know. He hits all my credentials but there's something about him that's a little off."

  My curiosity races to the surface. Since I met Claudia at an audition just over a year ago, she's become one of my most trusted friends. She's not shy when it comes to sharing details about the men she sees. "Off in what way?" I ask even though right now I'm not all that interested in what she does or doesn't see in her latest conquest. Judging by her incessant need to talk about being married before she's twenty-five, I'd bet that every guy who hears about the wedding dress she already has picked out, runs for the hills.

  "I don't know." She tips her chin in my direction. "Call it women's intuition."

  I nod towards the door as we near our stop. "I'm going to have a hot bath and order in tonight."

  "Another exciting night in the life of Libby Duncan," she teases as she pushes me out of the train's door and onto the subway platform.

  ***

  "This is totally inappropriate." I pull the tattered pink robe around me. "Jade isn't even here."

  "I'll sit and wait for her.
" He motions behind me to the mismatched furniture that sits in the middle of our small living room. "She'll be back soon, right?"

  "Joey, you two broke up weeks ago." I push back on the door. He's tall, slim and much stronger than I am. "She doesn't want you around here."

  "Listen, Libby, I'm not going anywhere." He shoves harder and I feel my grip on the door loosening.

  I can't let him in. My roommate, Jade, broke up with him after she caught him sexting with another girl. At first glance, you'd think that Jade would be every man's dream. She's a model and her looks back it up. She's at least six feet tall, her face is flawless and her body slim and toned. I knew when I interviewed her to be my roommate that all the insecurities I felt about myself would race to the surface. They have but since I've gotten to know her I've seen the implausible façade of what she presents to the world crack. She's been cheated on by the men she's loved more than once, and Joey is just the last in a long line of men who've wronged her.

  "I'll call the police." It's a threat that has no merit. I won't do that. I'm not going to jump into the middle of Jade's love life just because Joey feels badly that he sent some random woman a picture of his naked dick. She told me last night that she's considering getting back together with him. How can I have his ass hauled off to jail? The only thing he's guilty of is being a cheating asshole.

  "No you won't." He doesn't even hesitate as he calls my bluff.

  "Joey, just go." I drive all my weight into the door. "She's not here. She's at a shoot right now."

  He's unrelenting. "Either you let me in or I'll sit out here and wait."

  I twist my hand around his wrist in a calculated move my father taught me before I boarded the airplane that brought me to New York. "You're not coming in," I seethe as I finally yank his arm away and slam the door shut.

  I heave a hefty sigh of relief and lean back against the door. I can hear him cursing behind the wooden barrier that now separates the two of us. This isn't the first time I've had to forcibly keep one of Jade's many suitors from entering the apartment. I need to talk to her about it as soon as she gets home if I can wrestle a moment of her time away from Joey, that is.