City of Sin

by Ivy Smoak

I lightly punched his shoulder and tried to ignore him. He was right though. I never tried this hard. Hell, I never really had to try at all. Women heard my name and flocked toward me. It was one of the only benefits of being a Caldwell.

  "Do you at least have a picture? I want to see the girl that stole my brother's small, shriveled up heart."

  "She didn't steal my perfectly normal sized heart. But I do have a picture." I pulled out my phone and clicked on my open tabs. I wasn't sure where Vargas had gotten this picture. But it had been on the front page of the report he had given me. And I found myself constantly looking at it. Just because she was nice to look at.

  "Damn, she's hot."

  "That she is."

  "So what does she do?"

  "That's a weird question coming from a guy who doesn't do anything."

  "Hey, someone had to take over the family business. And Dad doesn't need my help yet. He's made that perfectly clear. He hates all my suggestions. I'm pretty sure he's still holding out hope on you taking it over."

  "Yeah, that's not going to happen."

  "How are you doing anyway? I can't imagine being cut off."

  "I'm doing fine. Because I have a good job." And I still had some of the money left that my dad had given me. Once I ran out, that might be a different story. I knew the clock was ticking. I needed to land my first account before I lost my apartment.

  "Still. Thousands is different than millions. I do not want to know what living is like without being able to take a bath in 100 dollar bills whenever I want."

  He was right. I wasn't used to having to watch my cash flow. I probably shouldn't have been buying this dress for Bee. But I wanted to. Not because I like her. "I said I'm doing fine."

  "How is the new venture going?"

  I didn't want to talk about it. I never failed at anything. But I wasn't even close to having enough cash to start my own ad agency. And without my father's name backing me, no one was willing to give me a loan. My side business helped. It was currently the only cash coming into my new business. What I needed was more clients. Pilfering my father's new hires was easy. I needed more access to high-level employees. But I didn't want to spend my time growing that. I wanted to be starting my own company, not introducing men to sluts. After spilling the news to my dad that I had other plans for my future, he had basically said he was done with me. That was a year ago. I thought I would have started the agency by now. It was still a while off at this rate, though. "It's going slower than I'd hope."

  "Well, when I'm in charge of MAC International, I'll reinstate your allowance."

  "I don't need it," I said. "I'm going to do it without Dad's money."

  "Eh. It'll kind of be my money then."

  "Still." I didn't want handouts. Especially not from my little brother who hadn't really worked a day in his life. I was sure he was capable of running MAC. He had majored in finance at Harvard to appease my father. But the money was his only motivation. He didn't really want to run a finance company either. I didn't want to live like that. I wanted to prove that I had what it took to make it on my own. My dad would see.

  "You didn't answer my question. What does this girl do?"

  "She's a secretary at Kruger Advertising."

  "Really? Mom and Dad will be thrilled about that," he laughed.

  "I don't really care what they think."

  "Clearly. Maybe that's why you're falling for her. Because she's the complete opposite of who our parents expect you to wind up with."

  "Maybe."

  "I knew it! You are falling for her."

  "I didn't say that..."

  "You kind of did. How much access do you think she has to files at Kruger?"

  "I'm assuming she has clearance for everything."

  "So, there's your answer."

  "What?"

  "You're not going to want to take your clients with you from Blue Media. They're a huge conglomerate. Burning your bridges with them wouldn't be helping you. But taking Kruger's clients? That's a different story."

  "You want me to use Bee to get access to Kruger Advertising's client list?"

  He shrugged. "You said you didn't love her. So I don't really see what the problem is."

  I looked down at the dress I was holding. Matt was right. I was already getting Bee to trust me. It would be easy to convince her to get me access to the documents. Or at least I could steal the information from her computer without her knowing. If I had a list of clients, I'd be able to get a loan even without my dad cosigning. I might not even need a loan if I could get one of Kruger's large accounts to sign with me right away. I shook my head. That seemed dirty. Even for me.

  "Unless you do love her..."

  "No. I don't even like her." But I did. I couldn't stop thinking about her. That's why I was at the store buying her a dress.

  "If you say so."

  "And that's actually a really good idea. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it." Because I was distracted. Bee had thrown me off my game. And I didn't want to risk losing her over something stupid like that. Matt had no idea how to start a business. His advice wasn't exactly something I was looking for.

  "You were blinded by love."

  "Stop saying stupid shit."

  "When do I get to meet her? I haven't met any of your girlfriends since you were still living at home. Have you even had a girlfriend since high school?"

  "No. And you don't get to meet her. Because she's not my girlfriend."

  "You do realize that I have tickets to the gala on Saturday, right?"

  I cleared my throat. "That's not where we're going."

  "Isn't it, though? Every important person in the city is going. Which includes me. And you. And apparently a lowly secretary from Kruger Advertising with a pretty face. It's a genius move actually. Showing her the riches and glam and then wooing her into bed with you. Well played."

  Shit. I did not want him to talk to Bee. He'd ruin all my plans. I didn't want it to be just a one night. I wanted to be able to have her whenever I felt like it. "We're actually going to that winter festival thing."

  "I've never heard of it. Which means you probably made it up. So I guess I'll see you at the gala. Can we please go get something to eat now? I'm starving."

  Damn it.

  Chapter 34

  Bee

  "Do you have plans with your new boyfriend tonight?" Kendra asked. She already had her jacket on and was most likely heading to a new club or bar since it was Friday. I couldn't think of one Friday night she had stayed in since I met her.

  "He's not my boyfriend. And no, we don't have plans." I actually hadn't heard from Mason since he had stopped by with lunch on Wednesday.

  "Want to go out with me then?"

  "Not especially."

  "You do realize that you're being rude, right? Come on, we're going. No more excuses. Besides, if you want Mason to want you, you have to appear unavailable."

  I did want Mason to want me. I had waited for him to text me all day today and yesterday. After lunch on Wednesday, I had texted him and thanked him for the sandwich and soup. But he had never responded. For some reason it made me want him even more. I knew he was probably doing it on purpose. Which meant maybe I should appear unavailable on purpose. I could use some advice from Kendra. I was so out of the dating game that I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing.

  "Okay," I said and switched off my computer.

  She looked surprise. "Wait, really?"

  "Yeah. Let's go." I stood up and grabbed my coat.

  "Okay..."

  "I thought you'd be happy, not suspicious."

  "But you always say no."

  "Well I think I need some guidance."

  "That sounds about right. Let me text Marie real quick to see if she can come too. Girls night!" She pulled out her phone and typed out a message to Marie.

  I popped my head into Mr. Ellington's office. "Is there anything else you need tonight, Mr. Ellington?"

  "Not tonight, Bridget. There are a few
important changes I want to discuss with you next week, though." He was looking at me in that creepy way again.

  "About my position?"

  "More than just your position. I have high hopes for you, Bridget."

  My back got slightly straighter. He looked creepy, but maybe he was talking about an actual promotion. High hopes. I couldn't help but smile. Kendra was right, he just always looked creepy.

  "Have a good weekend. And please close the door."

  "You too, Mr. Ellington." I closed the door. I didn't want to say anything to Kendra yet. I knew better than to get my hopes up. But I couldn't help but think I may have finally landed my first advertising job. Maybe Sword Body Wash hadn't liked Jenkins' idea after all.

  "Good news," Kendra said. "Marie's meeting us there." She linked her arm in mine and we walked together toward the elevator.

  ***

  I was on my second cosmopolitan. Whenever the three of us went out together, we liked to pretend we were straight out of Sex and the City. Although it was anything but the truth. I was a homebody. Marie was married and barely had time for us. Kendra though...Kendra probably was close to being a Samantha. She was good at living in New York. She encompassed the confidence I wished I had.

  "Bee," Marie said and waved her hand in front of my face.

  I tended to space out when I had too much to drink. "Sorry, what did you say?"

  "Have you slept with him yet?"

  "No. Not really."

  "Right, and Kendra and I are dying to know what exactly that means. Spill it."

  "We did other stuff."

  "Like what?"

  "He was so forward. I excused myself to go to the bathroom while we were at dinner and he followed me. Into the ladies' room."

  "And..."

  "He went down on me." Did I just say that out loud? I needed to stop drinking. My filter was disappearing fast.

  "After knowing you for 30 minutes? I guess the rumors were true."

  "What rumors exactly have you heard again?"

  "Basically that he's a sex god."

  "That's not a thing."

  "Well, did you like it?"

  I could feel my face flushing. It was the most amazing thing I had ever experienced in my life. "It was good, yeah."

  "Mhm. Does that mean it was better than Patrick?"

  "Patrick and I never really did anything like that." I felt overheated just thinking about Mason. And now my stomach seemed to flop over at the mention of Patrick. I took another sip of my drink.

  "Patrick never went down on you?" Kendra asked. "Why were you with him again?"

  "Because we loved each other."

  "Back to Mason," Marie said. "Did you two do anything else?"

  "We may have done more stuff like that in an alleyway."

  "See," Kendra said. "Kick Ass Bee. She appears more once she's had a few drinks."

  I liked that nickname.

  "What has Kick Ass Bee been doing with Mason since your first date?"

  "Nothing really. He hasn't even kissed me again. He said he was willing to take things slow."

  "Because that's what you want?" Marie asked.

  "He thinks that's what I want. But I kind of just want him. And him not texting me back is driving me crazy."

  "Well, what did you say to him last?"

  "I thanked him for lunch."

  "I think you need to let me borrow your phone again," Kendra said and put her hand out.

  "No, I got this." I pulled my phone out of my purse and looked to see if he had texted me. He hadn't. I started typing: "If the silent treatment is a new dating game, it's brilliant. Because I've never wanted you more than I do right now. More than I wanted you in the bathroom. And the alley. More than I've ever wanted anyone before." I pressed send.

  "What did you say?" Marie asked.

  "Here." I slid my phone toward Marie and Kendra.

  "Oh my God," Kendra said. "Did you seriously send this?"

  "Yup." I took another sip of my cosmo.

  "Way to just throw it all out there. What happened to pretending to be unavailable?"

  "Oh, crap. You're right." I grabbed the phone back and typed: "But Kendra said I'm supposed to be unavailable. So ignore that last text. And thank you for the roses. I actually love roses." I pressed send again. "All fixed."

  Kendra grabbed the phone out of my hand and looked down. She started laughing. "Bee! No more drunk texting for you."

  "Let me see," Marie said and grabbed my phone. She started laughing too. My phone started buzzing in her hand. "He responded."

  "What did he say?" I asked.

  "He asked if you were drunk." She smiled at me.

  "Was it that obvious?" I grabbed my phone back.

  Sure enough, his text said: "Bee, are you drunk?" I bit my lip. I couldn't hide from the truth now.

  "Maybe a little," I wrote back.

  A second later my phone buzzed again. "Where are you?"

  "At a bar with Kendra and Marie. Girls night!"

  "Which bar?"

  "He's being weird," I said and put my phone back in the middle of the table. "I think he's stalking me."

  Marie laughed. In just a few seconds, my phone started ringing. "Aren't you going to answer that?" she asked.

  "Is it him?"

  "Yeah."

  "I don't want him to hear drunk me. I'm rambling too much."

  Kendra grabbed my phone. "Hello, Mason." Her eyes flicked toward me. "She's absolutely wasted."

  Silence. I rolled my eyes at her.

  "I think a ride home would be good."

  "Kendra!" I said.

  Ignoring me, she continued. "We're at the Tiki Lounge."

  Silence.

  "Okay, great. See you soon." She hung up.

  "What did you say to him?"

  She laughed. "You literally just heard the whole conversation. I told him you were plastered and that you could use a lift. He was still at work, so he's just down the street."

  "I don't want him to take me home. He's going to try to seduce me."

  "I think you should let him," Marie said.

  "You are both terrible people. We're taking things slow. He's going to think I'm an alcoholic."

  "Then I'll tell him all you do is sit at home at night and watch T.V. That should clear everything right up."

  "Don't tell him that! Crap, do I look okay?"

  "You look great," Marie said. "Besides, the lights are probably going to be off anyway."

  I grabbed my phone off the table. "I'm just going to leave before he gets here. Tell him I got sick or something."

  I hopped off the bar stool before either one of them could stop me and walked as quickly as I could toward the exit. I didn't want Mason to see me like this. I grabbed the door handle and almost ran outside. As soon as I turned the corner I ran straight into someone.

  I instantly smelled his cologne. Which made my knees feel slightly week. His hands were securely on my hips. I looked up at Mason Caldwell's handsome face. All I wanted was for him to lean down and kiss me.

  "What are you doing here?" I said without moving. I didn't want him to take his hands off me.

  His lips curled into a smile. "I'm taking you home."

  "Your home or my home?"

  His eyebrows lowered slightly. "Your home."

  "I think I'd rather see your home." Apparently cosmos made me ridiculously forward.

  "You're drunk."

  "And you're handsome."

  "Let's get you home." He let go of my waist and draped his arm across my shoulders.

  I felt safe next to him. I liked how tall and muscular he was. I let my head rest against his shoulder.

  We stopped on the curb and he put his hand out for a taxi.

  "We can just take the subway," I said. "It's a block away."

  "I don't ride the subway."

  "Why?"

  He shrugged. "I just haven't in a long time."

  "Do rich people not ride the subway or something?"

&nbs
p; "I guess you could say that." His arm tightened around me.

  I wasn't sure if I had felt this warm since winter had started in this stupid city. "Why did you come?"

  "Because you're drunk."

  "Marie and Kendra would have taken me home."

  "I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

  "Safe? Hmm. I assumed you didn't actually like me. You never texted me back." I breathed in his scent.

  "I'm here, aren't I?"

  I looked up at him. He had told me he wanted to be the reason why I stayed in New York. I was beginning to think his dirty words and cool demeanor were all just an act. He did like me. If he didn't, he wouldn't have come here to take care of me. Patrick had never really taken care of me. Even when I was sick, he just avoided me. Mason wasn't the same as him. Mason was so much better.

  A taxi stopped in front of us. He opened up the door for me and held my hand as I stepped inside. I didn't want him to take me home. I wanted this to be the start of the night, not the end. I slid into the middle seat to ensure that he'd be right next to me.

  He smiled as he climbed in next to me. "West 96th Street," he said to the taxi driver.

  The car immediately pulled off the curb.

  "Are you sure you don't want to go back to your place?" I put my hand on his knee.

  "You have no idea how much I want that. I want all of you, Bee. But not like this. You've had too much to drink." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear before wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "You're not even going to remember this tomorrow morning."

  Is that why he's being so sweet? Because he doesn't think I'll remember? He really was a good guy. He just didn't want anyone to know.

  "Maybe," I said and rested my head against his shoulder. "Can you text me back now?"

  "From now on, I'll always text you back."

  "You know, you don't always have to act all macho. I like this side of you too. I like everything about you." God he smelled good. Who smells this good? "Except for the fact that you go to tons of strip clubs. You shouldn't do that. It's gross."

  "Oh, they're much better than strip clubs. But I haven't been to anything like that since we've met."

  "Really?"

  "Really."

  "Why?"

  "We're here." He unwound his arm from around my shoulder.

  I instantly missed the warm feeling. He got out of the taxi and held his hand out for me. I grabbed it and he pulled me to my feet. His fingers stayed intertwined with mine as he leaned down and told the cabbie to wait.