“Parksville? Is that a small town?”
“Very.” She looked around, searching for something or someone that might interrupt us. I got the feeling that she usually avoided answering questions about her past. That only made me more determined.
“Any siblings?”
“A brother.” Now her face was downright stony.
“Older? Younger?” It was one of the most challenging conversations I’d ever had.
She sighed in frustration. “Is this really necessary?”
“This is generally what people do on dates,” I teased. “Ask questions, listen attentively, and feign interest. People don’t usually get their panties in a twist over basic questions.”
Now she smiled. “I’m not wearing any panties.”
Even though I knew she was deflecting my attention from our conversation, it worked. I was picturing her naked.
“You’re just messing with me,” I said, studying her to see if she was lying.
“There’s only one way you’re going to find out.” She finished her scotch just as the waitress returned with our food.
We ate quickly over stilted conversation. Any question I asked was answered with a one-word answer, so I ended up doing most of the talking. That gave Riley time to do more drinking, and by the end of the meal she was tipsy. She was also suddenly even more flirtatious.
“A couple more drinks and I might have to go home with you again,” she said, words just slightly slurred.
Her leg found mine under the table and she rubbed it against me.
“Are you saying you have to be drunk to sleep with me?” I pretended to be offended.
My phone buzzed in my pocket for the fifth time and I continued to ignore it. Riley eyed my pocket. “You should answer that. It might be important.”
“You’re important,” I replied.
Her eyes rolled. “You’re so cheesy.”
“You really don’t know how to take a compliment,” I said with a laugh.
“Answer it,” she said when my phone buzzed again.
I reluctantly pulled it from my pocket.
“I’m busy, Scott,” I said before he had a chance to speak. “Can this wait?”
Apparently, it couldn’t. One of our biggest customers couldn’t access their financial data and they were livid. I needed to get to the office right away to help put out the fire.
“I’m really sorry, Riley,” I said as I paid the bill. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She suddenly sounded much soberer. “It’s probably for the best anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just that whatever happened later tonight would end up being something I would regret later.” She quickly looked away.
Whatever doubt I’d had before, I knew for certain now that she had feelings for me. She had wanted the night to continue, and now I’d probably ruined any chance I’d had with her.
“Tomorrow night,” I said in a hurry. “Give me another shot.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She stood and ran her hands down her dress to smooth the wrinkles.
I wanted to be the one running my hands over her body.
Instead, I walked her to the door and hailed a cab. After I slipped the driver a fifty, I tried one more time, “Tomorrow night. Say yes.”
“Good night, William. Thank you for dinner.” She put a hand on my shoulder and pecked my cheek.
“Any time,” I said.
She paused as she was about to get into the cab. “It was nice while it lasted.”
“It was,” I agreed. “It doesn’t have to be over.”
She shook her head, smiling sadly. “It was over even before it began.”
I stood at the curb and watched her cab disappear around the corner, wondering if she was right. Had we been doomed from the start?
I certainly hoped that wasn’t true. If I had any say in the matter, this was just the beginning of our story.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Riley
I lay awake all night thinking about my date with William. No matter what I had said to him, it was clear that I enjoyed his company. He was the first man that had ever left me wanting more. I was never bored with him.
But he was also forbidden fruit. If I wanted to protect my standing at the firm, I had to keep my distance from him. No good would come from getting involved with William Moore. However, he didn’t seem to agree with that sentiment.
That much was obvious when the giant bouquet of flowers was placed on my desk the next morning by our office secretary.
“Who is he?” she asked with a knowing smile.
“A pain in the ass,” I replied.
After she had gone, I opened the card. Sorry again about ending things early last night. I’ll make it up to you. Don’t fight it– just say yes. ~W.
I should’ve known that it wouldn’t be so easy to put William out of my life. It took a certain amount of stubbornness to launch such a successful company, so it was no surprise that he was equally tenacious in his personal life.
Much later, after endless meetings and hours of research, I left the office having temporarily forgotten about William’s promise. It was dark and I was tired, so it wasn’t surprising that at first I missed the man standing in front of a limo, holding a sign with my name on it.
“What is this?” I asked when it finally registered.
“Riley Banks?” he asked.
Numbly, I nodded.
“Mr. Moore asked me to pick you up.” The man opened the back seat to the limo.
I hesitated. Getting into the limo meant that I was committing to whatever William had planned for me. I wasn’t sure I was willing to take that risk.
“Where are we going?” I asked suspiciously.
“Club Chi,” he replied, sounding bored.
Now I was facing a conundrum. Club Chi was the newest hot spot in Chicago. And even though I wasn’t usually into those places, I had heard enough about it that I was intrigued. It also helped to know that William was waiting for me somewhere public, somewhere I stood a better chance of resisting his charms.
“Alright,” I said, climbing in and sealing my fate.
There was champagne waiting for me and I managed to finish half the bottle as we navigated through downtown traffic. I was feeling pretty good by the time I arrived at Club Chi.
The first thing I noticed was the long line of clubbers waiting to get in. They all stared at me curiously, suspecting that I was more important than I actually was because of my fancy arrival. I started to move to the back of the line, but then William appeared behind the bouncer.
“Riley!”
I froze as he waved me forward and the crowd grumbled.
“It’s okay. I can wait,” I protested.
He laughed loudly. “Get over here.”
The bouncer cleared a path for me and I stepped inside. Upstairs, music blared and lights flashed. Downstairs, at least a hundred people milled about, drinking fancy drinks and acting important.
“Nice place,” I said for lack of anything better to say.
“It’s pretentious and overly-expensive,” William said easily. “But it’s big enough to hold 500 employees, so we have a lot of our parties here.”
“Employees?” I looked around quickly. “Is this a company party?”
He shrugged. “Work hard, play hard. Come on, let’s get you a drink.”
“Yes, please.” Now that I knew I was surrounded by Stryke Force employees, I felt incredibly out of place. It didn’t help that everyone was glancing at us before turning to whisper to each other.
William seemed oblivious as he took my hand and led me to the bar. I nearly chugged the glass of scotch that was placed in front of me.
“I wasn’t sure you would come,” William admitted.
He was standing incredibly close to me, his body pressed against mine. I noticed that he was back in jeans and a t-shirt.
“I almost didn’t,” I
admitted. “The limo was a nice touch.”
We had turned our backs to the bar and were facing the crowd. William’s hand had been on my lower back, but now it moved downward, skimming my rear.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what you said last night at the restaurant.” His lips were just an inch from my ear, his breath warming my skin. The smell of his cologne was making my head swim.
“What did I say?” I asked, racking my brain to remember.
“About how you weren’t wearing any panties.” With this, he squeezed my ass cheek.
I felt my face flush. “You didn’t believe me,” I challenged.
“You were going to prove it to me,” he reminded me, his eyes burning with desire.
Maybe it was the combination of champagne and scotch, or maybe it was feeling his incredible body pressing against mine, but whatever it was, I knew that I was going to prove it to him.
“We should find someplace more private,” I said.
His eyes widened and he took my hand again. Pushing through the crowd and up the stairs, we entered a large dance floor filled with writhing bodies. Not exactly something I would say was more private.
But William didn’t stop there. He moved toward the back and approached a man dressed in all black and guarding a room with a red curtain. After yelling something in the man’s ear, he pressed cash into the man’s hand and the curtains were parted for us.
“Where are we?” I asked, looking around the tiny room.
It was dimly lit, just enough that I could make out a couch along one wall.
“VIP lounge,” William replied as he backed me against a wall. “Completely private.”
I clutched at his chest, letting my fingers tangle in the fabric of his shirt as I pulled him closer. “Good.”
His hands went down my side and found the hem of my dress. He slid it up, moving his hands along my thighs, finding nothing but more skin as they moved.
“Believe me now?” I breathed into his ear.
William’s lips closed hungrily over mine and he backed me to the couch. Just as he was about to push me down, I moved away. This was not what I had planned for the evening. I was supposed to be putting more distance between us, not making out with him in a club VIP room.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, shocked by how quickly I was adjusting my dress back into place.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” I said, more to myself than to him. “This can’t happen.”
“What?” he reached for me and I moved further away until I was out of his reach.
“This!” I shouted, gesturing back and forth between us. “You are a client. That’s it. Nothing more.”
He quickly smoothed a hand over his hair. “I think we both know that’s not true.”
“Stop it, William.” I glared at him. “I told you that I didn’t want this.”
“Which you immediately discounted by telling me about your lack of underwear,” he snapped back. “Don’t act like I’m forcing you into this.”
He was right about that. As much as I wanted to blame him, I’d been a 100% willing contributor. Even an instigator.
I took several deep breaths, waiting for my anger to cool.
“Are we really doing this?” I asked, finally letting myself admit that there was something between us.
“That’s entirely up to you,” he replied. This time when he moved close to me, I didn’t move away. “I’m in this, Riley. I’m just waiting for you to be in this with me.”
Before I even had a chance to decide if I was in it, the curtains pulled back.
“William.” Scott appeared, looking frazzled. “I need your help, buddy.”
“Scott–”
William’s protest was interrupted by a loud crashing sound, followed by screams. One loud voice in the distance declared, “Fight!”
“Shit.” William jumped to his feet. “Riley, wait here.”
He hurried after Scott, disappearing into the crowd.
I snatched my clutch that had been dropped earlier, and retrieved my phone, preparing to call 911 if necessary as I went to check on William.
That was when I saw that I had a missed call, from a number I didn’t recognize. I made my way to the back balcony where it was significantly quieter and checked my message.
The voice was one I hadn’t heard in years, and one that I had never hoped to hear again. His words were like a knife in my heart.
“Hey. It’s me. I’m back in town. I want to see you. Call me.”
Matthew.
He was back. He wanted to see me.
The world started to spin around me before going black, just before I collapsed to the ground.
While I was unconscious, a significant amount of time must have passed because when I opened my eyes, William was there. His anxious face hovered over me.
“Riley?”
“What happened?” I asked as I tried to sit up.
“Slow down, killer.” William snaked an arm around me, keeping me from falling backward when my head began to spin. “The EMTs are on their way up.”
“You called an ambulance?” Mortified, I looked around to see just how big of a commotion I had created. I was surprised to only see a few people milling about.
William frowned. “I didn’t have to call them because they were already on their way. One of our interns fell while dancing on a glass table.”
“Ouch.” I winced. “Is she okay?”
“He. And he’ll be fine. Just needed about a hundred stitches.” William touched a hand to my brow bone, right above my right eye. I winced again. “You must’ve cracked it when you fainted.”
“Fainted?” I vaguely remembered feeling dizzy. “I’ve never fainted.”
He smiled. “Is it safe to say you’ve officially fallen head over heels for me?”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying my misery,” I said, not able to hide my own smile. Then I had a flash of memory– Michael. “Where’s my phone?”
“Here.” William pulled it from his pocket. “I found it on the floor next to you. Were you talking to someone?”
“No.” I closed my eyes briefly as if pushing back the memory of Michael’s message. “I just want to go home.”
William took my hand and squeezed it gently. “Sure. Just let the EMT check you first and then I’ll take you home.”
I wanted to argue that he should take me home right away, that I didn’t need to have an EMT poke and prod me. But my head was throbbing and I worried that I may have a concussion. I was glad that a medic arrived right then, looking pleased to only be dealing with a bumped head rather than the carnage he had faced downstairs.
After a thorough exam, it was determined that low blood sugar had caused me to faint. While my head was bruised and bumpy, it was nothing life threatening.
“Nothing a few pain pills and a good night’s sleep won’t fixed,” the medic said as he packed up his things.
I tried to convince William that I was well enough to take a cab home, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He put Scott in charge of the mess at the club and sent the valet to get his car. Ten minutes later, he turned down my street.
“You can just stop right here,” I said, curious why he drove slowly past my building.
“I’m going to snag this spot.” With a mastery of parallel parking that only city drivers possess, he squeezed into a spot barely bigger than his car.
“You are parking,” I said sullenly.
“I’m not going to dump you on the curb after you just fainted.” He pretended not to notice the annoyance in my voice. “The least I can do is walk you to the door.”
“That’s not necessary,” I protested futilely as he climbed out of the car. I swore under my breath as he walked around and opened my door. “Really, William. I can walk just fine.”
He offered his hand and waited patiently for me to take it. “Don’t you know by now that you can’t resist me?”
“Fine.” He had a point. I reluctantly took hi
s hand and let him help me out of the car. I waited for him to make a smug comment, but he was quiet as he walked me toward my apartment building. “You’re being oddly quiet.”
“Does quiet bother you?” he asked with a smile.
“Not usually, but it’s rare for you to be without words.” I was surprised that he hadn’t tried to restart our conversation that had been interrupted at the club. We stopped in front of the door and I dropped his hand. “I supposed you’d like to come inside?”
“That’s entirely up to you, Riley.” He tucked his hands into his pockets and eyed me wearily. “I wouldn’t presume to be that lucky tonight.”
I frowned. “You can come in, but you’re not getting lucky. My head is killing me.”
“You banged it pretty good,” he said as he eyed the bump above my eye.
“Is it hideous?” I asked, feeling self-conscious under his intense stare.
“Not even a little bit.” He leaned close and pressed a soft kiss just over the spot. I shivered as a familiar electric feeling ran through my body. William mistook it for a sign that I was cold. “We should get you inside. Can’t have my girl getting cold.”
“Your girl?” I asked with a tilt of my head. My usual quips and wisecracks were gone.
He wasn’t having the same problem. “With that horrendous head injury, you won’t be able to find anyone else willing to take you. Damaged goods.”
“Nice. I appreciate your honesty.” I unlocked the door and held it open for him. “Won’t you please come inside? I’d love to hear more about how irresistible you find me.”
He chuckled softly as he followed me up the stairs. “From this vantage point, you’re more irresistible than ever.”
At the top of the three-flat, I unlocked another door. Now that my place was just on the other side of the wood door, I was feeling anxious. Letting William see my personal space felt horribly invasive. I wondered if he had felt the same way when he invited me into his home.
“I should warn you, it’s not as lavish as your place.” I shoved open the door and marched inside.
William stepped cautiously over the threshold. “No rats? Rotting floor boards? Asbestos in the walls?”
“Very funny.” I pretended to scowl at him. “Not everyone can own a billion-dollar business before the age of 30.”
Something Moore (Forever Moore Book 1) Page 4
