by Measha Stone
"Oh, that was fun!" She laughed after the last ball made its way into the gutter. "Too many years, and completely out of practice." She pointed to her score of only 800 comparing it to his score of 2400.
"Finally a woman who knows the value of games." He raised his hands in the air as if to say a prayer of thanks.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Boys and their toys."
He shrugged and watched her in silence for a moment.
"I talked with my dad today," he began in a soft voice. The look he gave when he told her made her spine stiffen.
"Oh? I did too." She tried to keep calm as he motioned for her to sit on the alley next to his.
"I talked to him about you." He reached over and picked up her hand.
"Oh? I did too. I am one of my favorite topics of discussion." She smirked, but her stomach was twisting into a knot that she wasn't sure she'd be able to undo if he didn't stop holding her hand and looking at her in that way.
"He told me about your mother." He held fast to her hand when she tried to jerk away at the mention of her mother.
"Oh. He did not," she breathed. "What did he tell you?"
"The truth."
"He shouldn't have." She tried to stand up, but he kept her in place by holding her hand. "You must hate me. Why did you bring me here?" she demanded.
"Hate you? Why would I hate you? You did nothing wrong."
"My mother. I mean. Your dad—" She hung her head. "I really don't like talking about this."
"Okay. We don't have to talk about it right now. I just wanted you to know that you don't have to lie or hide the truth from me."
"Fine." She nodded.
"Fine?" He narrowed his eyes at her tone. "I hate that word," he announced. She yanked her hands free.
"What did you bring me here for, Alex?" She stood and walked over to grab her purse. "This is too much. You are my boss! Your father almost slept with my mother! It's weird. This is weird."
"No, it's not weird. Well, okay, maybe a little more of a soap opera than I prefer with my women, but…"
"Your women? I'm not your woman. I'm not your anything, except your employee!" Her heart raced as she continued to stare at him. She could stand Paul's charity. He had made it clear when she was a kid that she had no choice. He was going to take care of her, and she had let him. But she would not stand as an adult and allow his son to do the same. She may not have much money, or many possessions, or anything more than a high school education, but she had her pride, dammit. "Is that why Bradley asked if I had a dominant? Because you wanted to be sure I was taken care of?" He recoiled at the accusation, and she regretted it immediately.
"He asked you that? When?" Alex was standing now, his hands balled into fists.
"Never mind. I should go. This was wrong."
"Dammit, Alyssa. You will not take one step further." His voice held a menacing quality to it that froze her feet to the ground. "Bradley shouldn't have asked you that. It had nothing to do with me." He raked his fingers through his short curls and took a deep breath. "Look. I don't get this either. I've known you for all of twenty-four hours, but in those hours I've done nothing but think about you. Hell, I drove all the way out to Elgin tonight to be sure you weren't some lost love-child of my father's!"
"Love child?" She felt the edges of her lips threaten to curl.
"I knew something wasn't right," he explained. "It doesn't matter. Look, how I feel about what my father did twenty years ago has nothing to do with us. What does have to do with us is that I can't seem to get the idea of touching you, kissing you, and holding you out of my fucking mind."
"I'm your employee, Alex," she whispered. He really had driven all the way out to the burbs? He'd been thinking of her as much as she had about him?
"I know. Should I fire you?"
"What?"
"That was a joke." He breathed out. "I'll figure something out."
"No." She shook her head. Things were spiraling out of control. As much a she could feel herself being pulled to him, she couldn't allow it. She had to get her feet on solid ground. "Don't figure anything out." She stepped to him and placed her hand on his chest. His heart pounded beneath it, his breath shallow as he searched her face with his eyes. "Let's just take things as they come. You know, like friends." The words tasted sour even as she said them, but she didn't try to take them back. She needed to end whatever was happening before it got completely out of control.
"Friends?" His eyes narrowed, and his cheeks flushed. She doubted it was embarrassment by the way he was flexing his hands.
"Well. Yeah." She tried to lighten her tone, to soften the conversation. Men didn't exactly like the term friends when it came to women, especially women they had enjoyed a very powerful kiss with only an hour earlier.
"I have enough friends already," He spit out, the irritation blatantly apparent now in his eyes. She tried not to get defensive. She'd hurt him, or offended him. Either way, she'd upset him.
"I know." She lowered her gaze to the floor and took a steadying breath. If she kept looking into his eyes, she might change her mind. "I'm sorry. It's just, I need that job right now. I need to get my life in order. I need simplicity." She raised her chin, but averted her gaze from him. "I should go." Alyssa managed to get out of the room and head back to the elevator on her own, without getting turned around. She didn't look to see if he was behind her. As before, she tucked herself into the corner to avoid having to see if he was standing outside the elevator.
She took a deep breath as the car made its way back down to the lobby. Her mother was right; she couldn't do anything right. One day after meeting a hot, smart and funny man she'd thrown him aside and possibly ruined the job that would help keep her housed and fed. Opening her purse, she realized she hadn't grabbed her tip money from Brandon. She had no cash. And no idea where she was exactly.
Looking back, she contemplated asking Alex for a ride home, or at least directions, but tossed that idea away fast. Thankfully the doorman stepped out of an office, and she was able to get directions from him. It was going to be a long walk, and he looked a little concerned for her.
"Does Mr. Tribelli know you're walking home, ma'am?" he asked with a wrinkled brow and worried glance at the elevator.
"Mr. Tribelli isn't an issue." She assured him and was given directions for the two-mile walk back to her hotel.
Chapter Ten
Friend zone. She had quite efficiently plucked him up from his good mood and thrown him head first into the friend zone. He was no stranger to friendships with women. He had three of them. He didn't want another.
Alex tried to think through their evening together. His kiss hadn't scared her. She'd responded beautifully, openly. Was it his father? Did she feel sisterly toward him? No. Not if her response to him meant anything at all. True the club was an issue, but there had to be a way to deal with that.
It had been almost a week since he'd seen her outside of the club. On Sunday, she called off lunch with his father, which pissed Paul off just as much as it did Alex. Especially since Alex had to hear a thirty-minute lecture about how he better not have done anything to harm that girl. Harm her? Hell he wanted to spank the stubbornness right out of her, but never would he harm her.
At work she kept herself busy and away from him. From what Kerri had told him, she was doing an excellent job. The customers loved her, as did the staff. She'd managed to upsell at least three private parties in the few weeks she'd been working for them, creating a large revenue spike. As far as he knew she'd not had any experience with sales, but her casual demeanor worked in her favor in that regard.
Bradley even remarked on how well she fit in and was working out. "Really, I was just going on a hunch when I hired her. Thomas said she was a quick learner and friendly. I took him at his word."
"Who's Thomas?" Alex found himself asking. He'd tried to put her out of his mind all week, but failed a dozen times a day.
"Her ex. The ex." Bradley wiggled his eyeb
rows as he took a pull of his beer. The two sat in his office going over business numbers and issues. John and Travis had opted out of the meeting, once again.
"The ex?" Alex put his iPad on the coffee table and leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees.
"You know, her first dominant." Bradley balanced the beer bottle on his knee.
"You hired her because her ex-dom asked you to?" Alex wasn't sure if he should be mad or grateful.
"No. I hired her because she's experienced. Thomas called me to let me know she'd be applying and gave me his recommendation. Her resume looked good and she—well—so did she." He laughed at his own little joke. They both knew Bradley wouldn't take advantage of his position in the club.
"You shouldn't have asked her about her current dominant." Alex pointed a finger at him before leaning back in his chair. He was exhausted. He'd had to deal with two new accounts at the advertising firm and they took up most of his time.
"You shouldn't be seeing her socially." Bradley told him with a knowing grin.
"Don't be an ass."
"Seriously, Alex. You think I can't see you. Every time you walk into the lounge you search her out, and she does the same to you. Once she picks up on your scent, or whatever women have that makes them sense us, she finds you with her eyes."
"Oh, shut up." Alex pushed himself from his chair. He'd done his best to stay away from her, to keep his eyes only briefly pointed her direction. Apparently, he had failed.
"Man, that woman has it bad for you. And you are sick over her. It's a bit nauseating actually," said the perpetual bachelor.
"Okay, whatever. Moving on." Alex rounded Bradley's desk looking for another drink.
"Hey. I'm just saying what I see," Bradley piped up as he placed his empty beer bottle on the coffee table.
"Bradley." Alex said with a warning tone.
"Kerri gave her resignation tonight." Bradley sighed heavily.
"What? She didn't say anything to me. I just talked to her." Kerri had been their lead staff member since opening. She was part of the reason the club was doing so well. "Why?"
"Moving. Her boyfriend got a job in Minnesota, of all places. They leave in three weeks." Bradley hoisted himself out of his chair, pulling his phone out of his pocket and starting scrolling through his screen. "Give Alyssa Kerri's job, then she would have to talk to you." He shrugged as he continued to scroll.
"I'm not doing that." Alex shook his head. Even if he thought that the little loophole would work to get her by his side as anything but a friend, he knew that she wouldn't just take the position if she felt she hadn't earned it. His father had given him an earful not only about keeping her from being hurt, but her stubborn pride as well. "Post the position in the break room. If she wants it, she'll apply for it." Alex headed for the door. He was tired and wanted his bed.
"We didn't talk about the auction yet." Bradley called to him as the door opened.
"Tomorrow." Alex waved a hand in the air. "Oh, and be sure to post the benefits that go with the position." If he couldn’t give her the job, maybe she could be lured into the new position with more money and benefits.
Tomorrow would be Friday. Jessica and Kelly had both texted him twice to confirm the restaurant and to ask if Alyssa would be joining them. He'd confirmed the restaurant, a small Italian place near his apartment, but ignored the question about Alyssa. She wasn't working, he knew that, but he hadn't approached her with anything other than a hello or other generic greeting in the past two weeks since she flew out of his apartment.
He made his way toward the back exit, hoping to avoid her entirely. She had worn the same black skirt that showed the curve of her thigh, and the buttoned down blouse that had lost a button at the top, which gave him—and every other man in the room—a peek at her rounded bosom. He'd seen more than one man ogle her as she bent over to place a drink on their table, and just as many women sneer at her when she walked away. Submissives were just as possessive as their counterparts.
"Sure. That would be great. No, no it'll be fun. Thank you for inviting me." He recognized her polite voice as he walked through the kitchen. She was standing in the doorway of the staff room on her cell phone.
Alex told himself to keep moving, to walk away, but he found himself headed right for her. She saw him coming and slid her phone into the pocket of her apron. "Hi." The same damn controlled polite smile.
"Hey." He nodded, not smiling at all. He hated this. He hated being so close to her and not even getting the chance to explore her. She was stopping them both from exploring each other. She felt something toward him, he knew it, she knew it. Damn stubborn pride. "You almost done with your shift?" he questioned.
"Yeah, just getting my stuff and punching out." She nodded. Silence.
"Want to share a cab?" he asked.
"No, that's okay. I'll walk." She moved around him toward the lockers and opened hers tossing her apron inside.
"Walk? It's too far to walk this late at night." It was near midnight. He wasn't sure where her apartment was but if it was anywhere near that hotel, it was at least an hour's walk.
"Okay, I'll take the bus." She grinned and shut the locker door.
"Alyssa." He stopped himself from finishing his sentence by biting his tongue. "Take a damn cab with me. Friends share cabs all the time." His voice was clipped, and he wouldn't blame her for saying no. It was obvious that he was irritated.
She turned to look at him with a devious smile. He would swear that her eyes sparkled with mischief as she spoke. "I had no trouble when I walked home from your apartment last week. That took me close to an hour." She slung her purse over her head adjusting the strap across her chest. "Not because of the distance, but because I got lost."
His fingers twitched at his side. "What?" he'd meant to sound casual, but his voice disobeyed him and displayed exactly how angry he was. She'd walked home? An hour? She got lost? It took everything in him not to slam the door to the room, walk over to her, and throw her over the break room table and spank her ass until he was sure she'd be feeling it for at least a day.
"So you see. I'm fine." She sweetened her smile and walked past him, lightly brushing her fingertips over his forearm as she did so. He remained standing in the room trying to breathe himself calm. If she weren’t an employee, if she hadn't been clear on not wanting a personal relationship, he would have been chasing her down instead of yoga breathing in the break room.
She was going to be the death of him. The absolute death. The kitchen staff turned to look at him as he stalked to the back exit, growling like a rabid beast.
Chapter Eleven
Alyssa stood outside the entrance of the Italian bistro Kelly told her about. She glanced at her watch and thought for the third time about turning around and going home. There was an extremely good chance, like 100% chance, that Alex would be in there.
He had looked ready to pounce when she'd walked away from him the night before. She knew as she hustled her way to the elevator, that if she hadn't run from him the week before, if they had entered into a relationship, she'd be having a much harder time getting comfortable on her couch that morning. That thought had been driving her mad all day. Alex's hands on her, smoothing her skirt down, and then hiking it up. His fingers trailing along the curve of her backside before giving her a long spanking. One that she probably deserved, and definitely one that she craved. It had been so long since she'd felt the forceful touch of a man that she was becoming a complete brat.
She never would have teased him about walking home if she had truly thought there would be repercussions. She had spent the better part of the week at work trying to keep her eyes off of him, but every time he walked into the room she instantly found him. He'd looked weary the night before. She knew he worked another full time job in addition to helping manage the club, and it was starting to take its toll on him. Was he so afraid of telling his friends and his dad about the club that he would work himself to an early grave instead of coming clean?
Deciding it best to forge ahead, she opened the door to the bistro and glided in. The coolness of the air conditioning giving her instant gratification. She'd worn a sundress hoping to ward off the mugginess during her walk over, but there was no escaping the humidity in Chicago.
Kelly instantly starting waving at her from the middle of the room. The group of friends all sat at a long table. Everyone appeared to be there leaving one empty spot next to Alex who looked completely surprised to see her sashaying her way through the crowded restaurant. Everything in the city was either extremely large, or miniscule, but everywhere was incredibly crowded.
Alex stood to allow her more room to maneuver into her seat. Kelly kept grinning like a fool, and Kendrick sat next to her shaking his head behind his menu. "Just can't leave things alone, can you Kelly?" she thought she heard him mutter.
"Hey," Alex nodded a greeting and sat down beside her. He looked at Kelly with a firm look. "Sometimes I wish you were my little sister so I could beat you senseless and call it sibling rivalry." He picked up his glass of water and took a long sip. Alyssa tried to gauge his reaction to her presence and so far came up with a chill. He barely looked at her, and when she brushed against him to hang her purse on the chair he quickly scooted out of her way.
"Who is missing?" Alyssa looked down the table. "I'm sorry, I don't remember their names, but there was another couple last time."
"Erin and Jonathan." Jessica offered. "Busy, or something." She waved a hand through the air that landed on Alex's shoulder. "What did she tell you this time, menstrual cramps?" Her singsong laugh carried through the restaurant, and Alyssa rubbed her lips together as she looked away. There was no reason to be jealous, she reminded herself. He wasn't hers. He was just a friend. A friend she'd been imagining naked all week, and picturing herself draped over his lap, but a friend nonetheless.
"Something along those lines." Alex sipped more of his water. "Having female friends is just brimming with benefits." He said, stealing a glance in her direction. She felt her stomach twist at his words.
