by J. S. Scott
Even as I offered, I knew Kenzie’s pride would never let her accept my help. She never had.
“You also have a fortune in student loans to pay. Tell you what…you could help me by having a fling with the hot billionaire so I can live vicariously through your experience,” Kenzie said teasingly.
I rose from the sofa with a chuckle. “I don’t screw and tell.”
“You’ll spill everything,” Kenzie challenged.
Normally, I would tell my best friend nearly everything. I always had. But then, I’d never exactly had an active, exciting sex life. “Not happening,” I reminded her. “He’s much too dangerous.”
Kenzie sucked in an audible breath. “Did he threaten you?”
“No!” I quickly reassured her. “Not that kind of dangerous. He’s…” Hell, I didn’t know how to explain.
“He’s the kind of guy who might get to more than just your body?” Kenzie concluded. “You like him.”
I walked to the kitchen of my apartment, looking for food. “I don’t know if saying that I like him is really appropriate. He makes me uncomfortable in some non-physical way. He’s annoying, arrogant, assuming, and he has a reputation with the women. But he works hard, and I haven’t really seen him with beautiful women on his arm. In fact, I haven’t seen him with a woman at all. He actually works too much.”
“Yep. You like him,” Kenzie said with a laugh. “If he gets to more than just your body, you think it’s dangerous. One sign of any emotional attachment, and you’re walking away.”
I opened my mouth to deny her claim, but then I closed it again. Kenzie was actually right. “I can’t help it,” I replied as I opened the refrigerator door. “I can’t afford to get involved with a Walker.”
“Wait a minute. He’s not related to that crazy, reclusive billionaire that lives on an island all by himself, is he? Dane Walker?” Kenzie sounded excited.
“He is,” I affirmed as I looked at the sad offerings in the fridge and closed the door. “They’re brothers.”
I knew most everything public about the Walker family. I’d made it a point to do my research once I’d gotten the job at Walker Enterprises. Dane Walker was the youngest, a recluse who did live on a remote island.
“Holy shit!” Kenzie exclaimed. “Dane Walker is pretty much a mystery in the art world. He studied under one of the greatest artists of our time, and then started producing his own stuff. We have a painting of his in our gallery. His work commands a hell of a lot of money, and it’s hard to come by. All I know is that he’s extremely reclusive and filthy rich.” She paused before adding, “And his paintings touch me. He might be crazy, but he’s one hell of an artist.
I was aware of most of those facts. They were public knowledge. What I didn’t know was exactly why Dane Walker hid from the world. “He was injured in a plane crash when he was eighteen. His father and stepmother died. Dane was the only survivor. Maybe he was so traumatized that he wanted solitude,” I guessed, really having no clue what the actual story might be.
“He’s amazingly talented,” Kenzie mused. “But there has to be something seriously wrong with a guy who hates civilization.”
“Not really,” I said defensively. Sometimes I think I’d be more than happy to get away from crowded cities. Maybe living alone on an island would get old after a while, but right now it sounded like heaven. “Not everybody loves living in the city like you do. There’s too many people, too much crime, too much noise. I can think of a number of reasons why somebody would choose to be alone.”
My chest ached as I thought about how lonely I felt sometimes, even though I was usually surrounded by people. That was who I was now…a woman always on the outside looking in, but never really participating in the world around me except in business.
“You don’t have to be alone, Paige,” Kenzie murmured sympathetically. “You’re beautiful, smart, and now you’re incredibly successful. Relax a little.”
I snorted. “I’m not beautiful, and I’m not successful. Not yet. And If I’m smart, I’ll keep my eye on my goals.” I perched on the arm of the sofa for a moment, knowing I was going to have to go to the supermarket. “I’m only in the lower ranks. I’m just starting.” Now was not the time for me to start slacking. I had too far to climb.
“Because of your life schedule?” Kenzie questioned.
“Yes. There’s nothing wrong with having goals and striving to meet them in a certain amount of time. It keeps me motivated.”
“It keeps you so exhausted that you can’t even think about anything else,” Kenzie answered drily. “Screw the schedule. You can cut loose a little. I’ve heard Colorado is a beautiful state. Have you seen any of it?”
“No,” I answered honestly. In truth, I hadn’t been outside the city of Denver. I’d had no reason to since it had everything I needed in the metro area.
“No mountain drives? No sightseeing at all,” Kenzie pried, her voice astonished.
“No time.”
“You have the weekends off. Go somewhere,” she demanded. “I’ve heard the hot springs are incredible, and the mountains are awe inspiring.”
“It’s cold,” I argued stupidly.
“And the hot springs are hot,” Kenzie countered wistfully. “Can you imagine lounging in the warm water when you’re surrounded by snow in the mountains?”
My mind was blank. “No.” I couldn’t remember the last time I’d stopped, even for an instant, to admire something beautiful. My brain was laser-focused on meeting my goals.
“Do it,” Kenzie suggested emphatically. “Then call me on Monday and let me know how it was.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said, knowing damn well I’d end up doing laundry and grocery shopping. If I had time, I might catch a movie on Netflix.
More than likely, I’d spend any free time at the office, looking over the contracts I’d been given to complete next week so I could get a jump on my workload. Now that my boss was realizing how quickly I could work, he was dropping more and more contract work on my desk. Mr. Hurst was starting to trust me, which was a good thing. But the extra workload was getting much more challenging.
“Call me Monday and tell me everything,” Kenzie said in a warning voice. “And no work.”
“We’ll see. What are you doing over the weekend?”
“Working at my extra job,” she admitted.
I rolled my eyes. “And you’re telling me to stop working?”
“It’s an easy job. My mind wanders, and I think about all of the places I’d rather be,” she answered nonchalantly.
“I wish you’d come visit. We could check out all of the places you want to go,” I answered, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.
Kenzie hadn’t had an easy life, but her concern was always for other people.
“I’m working on it,” she answered cheerfully. “In the meantime, preview everything for me.”
I chuckled, then we chatted for a little while longer before we hung up, leaving the apartment completely silent.
Making my way into the bedroom, I stripped and pulled a pair of jeans and a sweater from my closet, knowing I had to either shop or starve.
Not that I couldn’t live for a while since I was far from thin. That was exactly what kept me from looking at myself in the full length mirror as I shimmied into my jeans and yanked a violet-colored sweater over my head.
I didn’t like the way I looked when I was naked, and I avoided checking myself out as much as possible.
I brushed out my hair and added a little bit of lipstick, not really caring what I looked like just to go shop for food.
My mother was Italian, and I’d inherited her love for carbohydrates, as well as her curvy figure. On my parent, voluptuous was a good look. My mom was tall, so she could pull off her full figure well. I was shorter than the average woman, and my lack of height just made me loo
k…rounder.
“I’m not buying pasta today,” I said to myself firmly as I yanked on a pair of boots. Denver didn’t really have any snow that had stuck to the ground yet, but it was chilly.
I grabbed my jacket and purse as I headed for the door, determined to buy the items I needed for a healthier diet. I’d gained my freshman fifteen, and then some, when I’d started college. It was well past time for the weight to come back off.
I gasped in surprise as I yanked open the door, ready to dart out into the hallway, but unfortunately, there was a very large problem in front of me that I’d have to deal with before I went anywhere.
CHAPTER 4
Sebastian
I hated the fact that I was starting to feel like a damn stalker!
I’d driven by Paige’s apartment building three times, but I still hadn’t been able to make myself go home.
Finally, I’d given up trying to ditch my idea and just parked my car and hauled my ass up to her door.
Now, as I surveyed the look of surprise and horror on her face, I was rethinking my decision. Maybe I should have found her phone number and called her before showing up on her doorstep. But I knew if I didn’t try to persuade her in person, she might just hang up the phone.
The fact that Paige was dressed so casually and her thick, beautiful hair was down around her shoulders stopped me in my tracks. And, of course, my unruly dick noticed the more carefree look immediately.
No matter how much I loved her prim and proper office look, I realized that I much preferred her this way, her hair unbound, jeans hugging her body, and a pretty purple sweater completing her casual attire.
I knew damn well I shouldn’t be here at her apartment. I’d had to go through the human resources records to even find her address. But I couldn’t bring myself to give a shit if I was being a little bit unethical.
I didn’t.
All I thought about lately was Paige, and every time I saw her, I wanted her more.
It didn’t matter that she casually blew me off, or that she hurriedly escaped every time we ended up in the same area. She felt the same way I did, and we had a chemistry that refused to be denied. I could sense it. But for some reason, she was trying to ignore it.
“Paige.” I nodded my head, not able to say much more than her name.
She looked at me suspiciously. “Why are you here? How did you even find out where I lived?”
“I have a problem,” I answered hoarsely. Well, it was the truth. My dick wouldn’t stop standing at attention, and it was all her fault.
“What?” She crossed her arms, still clinging to her jacket and purse.
“Can we talk?”
She hesitated, and I started to feel like a jerk. It was her weekend, her time off. Still, I wondered where in the hell she was going.
Did she have a date? For some reason, that didn’t sit very well with me.
She finally stepped back and waved me inside, closing the door behind me.
“What’s wrong? I finished everything ahead of schedule today,” she asked, her tone now sounding concerned.
Shit. Now she was fretting about her job. That was the last thing I’d intended. “It’s not anything like that. I’m not complaining about your work. I need…a favor.”
I wasn’t the least bit surprised when her expression changed from one of concern to a look of disappointment. God, I hated that.
“Is this personal? You still haven’t told me how you knew my address. It isn’t appropriate for you to be looking up my address at Walker for personal reasons,” she admonished.
I had to hold back a snort of laughter. Only Paige would have the guts to point out that my behavior was a little unethical. “It’s work related.”
She lifted a dark eyebrow, waiting for my explanation. Hell, no woman could make a guy feel as shitty as Paige did when she gave me that look.
Finally, I just decided to spill it, and see if she’d help me out. “I have to go up to the mountains tomorrow night. I was invited to a private party to celebrate the opening of the ski season, and the gala is being thrown by a guy I’ve been trying to acquire a property from for months. A very rich man from the East Coast who has a vacation home here in the mountains. He’s repeatedly turned down my offers. He has an abundance of real estate, but I really need a large piece of property he owns in New Mexico.”
“Maybe he just doesn’t want to sell,” Paige suggested.
“He does. He just doesn’t want to see reason on the price. I think he knows I want to develop the area, and he wants top dollar and more. I thought if I could meet with him in person, he might agree to my offer.”
“You mean if he’s in a party mood,” Paige replied.
“Maybe,” I admitted.
“You want me to do a contract so you can see if he’ll sign it in person?” Paige sounded confused.
“No. I want you to go as my date. If I’m at the party with somebody, I’ll have more freedom to try to get the seller alone. I have a feeling I was invited because he has two daughters. The last thing I want is to offend him. I need a buffer, a reason why I’m not interested in hooking up with anybody.”
“Otherwise, you think you’ll have women crawling all over you? Even this man’s daughters?”
“I know so,” I answered unhappily. “I can’t go to a party alone without being swamped with hopeful women. I’m too young and too rich to get away with walking into a party unnoticed.”
Maybe I sounded arrogant, but it was simply the truth. I didn’t want to spend the whole evening making polite conversation with every unmarried female at the gala. If I was honest, I’d also admit that it was a good reason to spend time with Paige. But I wasn’t going to search my damn soul to figure out why I wanted to be with her, so I decided being that honest with myself was completely unnecessary.
“I get that,” Paige agreed reluctantly. “But there is any number of women who’d be happy to go with you—”
“No, there isn’t,” I interrupted. “I don’t know any women here in Denver well enough to explain why I’m attending. I haven’t dated since I gave up my party days. You’re my only hope. I told you I work a lot, and I haven’t met anyone here.” It was the truth. The only woman who had caught my attention was Paige. I’d noticed her like she’d grabbed me by the nuts and never let go.
“I’m sorry. I don’t do parties,” she answered, opening the door to let me out.
“I’ll pay you for the weekend. Strictly business.” I tried to sound persuasive.
Her face was pensive as she answered, “Seriously, I’m not a social butterfly. I wouldn’t have a clue how to talk to the rich and elite. I don’t even own appropriate clothing. I understand your situation, but you’ll have to find somebody else. Believe me, any single woman at Walker would go with you in a heartbeat.”
“I want to keep it strictly business.” I ignored the open door. “I’ll pay you a ten-thousand-dollar bonus to go with me. And I’ll pay for your dress.”
I watched her eyes grow wide as she chewed on her bottom lip like she always did when she was thinking. Looking around her apartment, I noticed that her stuff looked secondhand, and the furnishings were sparse. She was a newly minted attorney, and if she went to Harvard, she was probably broke until she started earning a regular paycheck. Even if she went to the ivy league college on some scholarships, she’d still had expenses, and probably plenty of student loans.
Paige closed the door and looked up at me earnestly, an expression so torn that I almost told her to forget about it. I didn’t want her that stressed out over a damn party. What I told her was absolutely true, but I could go alone. I just didn’t want to, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to spend time alone with her.
“You think this deal is really important to Walker?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yes. It’s also important to me. It’s
an enormous property in an appropriate area for the biggest solar farm in the country, and a research facility,” I answered honestly. I actually had coveted this property for months. It would be a perfect location, but I had to get a better price than what the seller was offering.
“It isn’t that I don’t want to help Walker, and I’m grateful to the company for taking a chance on me with no experience,” she told me hesitantly. “If you think this will help the company, I’d go, even without the bonus. But I really do hate parties.”
I could understand that. I didn’t exactly enjoy rubbing shoulders with the social elite most of the time myself anymore. “Why?”
She shrugged. “Not my thing. I’m socially awkward, and I’d have nothing in common with those people.”
Paige tried to sound nonchalant, but I wasn’t buying her excuse. I’d seen a very real flash of fear in her beautiful blue eyes that had only lasted for an instant, but it had been there. “I’ll help you, Paige. I promise.”
I’d be guarding her like a Doberman now that I knew she’d be uncomfortable.
“I know I’ll eventually have to learn to do useless events because of my profession,” she admitted. “If I want to climb the corporate ladder, I have to learn to socialize, I suppose.”
I nodded. “We do a lot of corporate fundraising events for charities, and we have plenty of charity galas for Walker.”
“I’ll do it,” she agreed firmly. “But it has to stay business only, and I don’t want the money. I’m earning a paycheck now.”
“You have to get paid or it’s not business,” I remarked casually, wanting her to accept the payment to make her life easier.
Paige shook her head. “I make a good salary. An occasional weekend will be expected.”
I crossed my arms stubbornly. “This is a favor to me. It’s not anywhere near part of your job.”
“If it makes Walker more money, it’s job security.”
