“You’re not exactly the family rebel, are you? My responsible big sister, the paragon of everything a woman should be.” Katelyn shook her head. “In all honesty, it’s a relief that you have some passion in your soul.”
Lauren didn’t know what to say to that. Did her sisters all think she was that dull? Kyle’s comment about livening things up was looming larger in her thoughts. Was she predictable, even in bed?
“I’m not that dull. I do have a tattoo,” she said and Katelyn laughed.
“A little teeny tramp stamp.” Katelyn shook her head. “Oh Lauren, it’s adorable but so small that anyone could miss it. Plus, it’s not exactly in a location where you can flaunt it.”
“It’s a private thing.”
“It’s a careful and conservative version of a rebellious thing. Does Mom even know you have it?”
“Of course not.”
“Uh huh. My big sister, the eternal good girl. Wait, let me polish away that little smudge on your halo.”
Lauren changed the subject. “What do you mean, I could get more than fun out of this fling thing?”
Katelyn smiled secretively. “Well, I know you wanted to start a family and Mark didn’t.”
“And?”
“Use your boy toy as a sperm donor.”
“Katelyn!”
“What? You’d get the baby you want and have fun, too. You aren’t getting any younger, you know. Thirty-one this year. Tick tock.”
“Thanks for the reminder.” Lauren’s thoughts were spinning. “What would Mom think of that? Ty would kill me for giving her such a shock.”
“It wouldn’t have to be a shock.” Katelyn wrinkled her nose. “Well, I take that back. I guess it would be, at least at first. But once the baby arrived, she’d forget all the details.”
“Aunt Maureen would make sure no one did.”
“You wouldn’t even have to tell him.”
“That would be irresponsible.”
“You don’t have to be tied to tradition and convention, Lauren. Experiment. Try something new.”
Meeting her brother’s friend for sex was something new, but Lauren didn’t want to talk more about Kyle. “I don’t want to raise a child alone. At least, I don’t want to just yet.”
“What do you want?”
“A little sex. Maybe a lot of sex. Then I’ll figure out what I want after that.”
“Fair enough. It’s a good start. What are you going to wear tonight?”
“I hadn’t gotten that far.”
“I suggest as little as possible,” Katelyn said. “You should show off more. You’ve got such a great figure. I’ll help you pick.”
“It’s one night...”
“And you must want to make a lasting impression. Give him a memory to keep him warm, or maybe convince him to call you again.”
“Well, sure. But I can dress myself.”
Katelyn waved off the argument. “What are you going to cook?”
“That chicken and paprika dish that I can’t mess up.”
“It is yummy, but think of all the ingredients you’ll have to take along. Do a stir-fry. We’ll get a prepared sauce, General Tso or something, so it’ll be easy. They have some good ones with no junk in them now.”
“Why does it sound like you’ve done this before?”
“Because I have. I used to cook at Jared’s place. There’s a knack to being impressive the easy way and I’ll show you.” She nodded with purpose. “Let’s get the groceries first, so I can do some prep for you while you primp.”
“Seriously?”
“Of course. I’m helping. Whatever meat you choose will have to be trimmed and I’m faster in the kitchen than you are.” She stepped to the curb and raised a hand. “We should go to that new organic grocery. It’s close.”
“Good choice. You won’t be able to insist I buy canned whipping cream to liven things up because they won’t stock it.”
Katelyn laughed as a cab pulled to a halt. “True, but that’s a great idea. Whipping cream is so much fun, and with the can, you can spray it anywhere you need a lick.”
Lauren shook her head. “Refined sugar and preservatives. No sale.”
“Oh, he’s a foodie? I like him better all the time.”
“Don’t get ideas. It’s not a thing.”
“If you say so, Lauren, but I’m skeptical.” She opened the door of the cab. “You don’t do casual.”
Was that why Kyle wanted to liven things up? Did he think she was getting ideas about the long-term?
She smiled as she got in the cab with Katelyn, knowing there was one sure way to shake Kyle’s preconceptions. She’d turn it on tonight, jump his bones, leave him wanting more, and never call him again.
Their last time together would be something to remember forever. Lauren would make sure of it.
He’d never expect her to do him Kyle-style.
Four
Kyle was climbing out of the water when Theo sauntered into the pool room. Kyle had participated in an aquafit class, as much to monitor the new teacher they’d hired as for the workout. And, of course, once Cassie had made some crack about him checking out the women in the class, he’d known he had to pretend to be interested.
Even if he was thinking of Lauren.
It had been a good class and he complimented Yvonne, the new teacher, just before he saw Theo. Kyle guessed that Theo, who had been in England for a few months, was coming to swim laps. The staff were already setting up the lane buoys.
“You’re back!” he shouted by way of greeting and they hugged briefly by the shallow end.
“And jet-lagged,” Theo admitted with a shake of his head. His deep voice and British accent had women’s heads turning almost as much as his good looks. He was a bit taller than Kyle, about the same height as Ty, and black. He kept his hair really short and wore a single gold earring, but during his absence, he’d also grown a small beard. It was clear that he hadn’t been neglecting his exercise. “No matter what I do, flying west just about finishes me.”
Kyle poked him in the gut. “Getting soft?”
“Not a chance.” Theo grinned and poked him back. “You’re the one getting soft. I was going to this club in London with a brutal class schedule. It gave me some ideas.”
“Wait a minute. You were gone all these months and just working out in another country?”
Theo slanted him a glance. “You don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
“Ty was considering the possibilities of international expansion. I was doing research.”
“I didn’t know.”
Theo shrugged. “Probably because it was just an idea.”
“And?”
“It’s a really different market and, of course, it’s crowded. I’m finishing up a report for our meeting next week, but I have my doubts about the viability of it all.”
“Here I thought you’d fallen madly in love and were going to stay in England with your one true love forever.”
Theo snorted. “Not a chance of that happening.” He surveyed Kyle. “That would be like you getting married.”
They laughed together at the improbability of it all.
“But Ty’s wedding is in the fall.”
“That’s not a surprise. Mr. Traditional has just been marking time until Ms. Right came along. What’s Amy like?”
“Cute. Unexpected. I like her. She pushes him out of his comfort zone.”
“That I’ve got to see.” Theo laughed. “I heard about the class she took.”
“And he couldn’t not participate.” Kyle shook his head. “I knew he was goner that day.”
“Well, good for them. I’m glad they’re happy.” A shadow touched Theo’s gaze and Kyle realized how little he knew about the other man’s personal life. Although they’d been friends at college—they’d met when they’d both been on a polo team—Theo had always been private. Kyle had the sense that Theo might have loved and lost, but that was crazy—the women practically lined up to talk to hi
m. He had no hidden vices or shortcomings, as far as Kyle knew, and he was rich. Even now, several of the women from the aquafit class continued to loiter, trying to hide how they were ogling Theo.
“So now that you’re back, what are you going to work on?”
“We’ll see, but I’m going to suggest that we look for new locations here. Boston, L.A., maybe Chicago.” He paused and Kyle had to ask.
“Everything okay?”
“Sure. Why?”
“You look worried about something.”
Theo smiled. “Just wiped out. I’ll get my rhythm back in a day or two.”
“Then come to the club tomorrow night.” Kyle knew that the energy of the club would be restorative for Theo, never mind the gorgeous women. “I could use some help and Damon will disappear at the stroke of five, just like every Friday.”
“Haven’t you figured out where he goes yet?”
“No. Do you know?”
Theo shook his head. “No idea, but you’ve been curious for a while and that usually means you get to the bottom of things.”
Kyle dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “It’s a woman. I’m sure of it.”
“You’re sure a woman is the reason for pretty much everything.”
“It’s a theory that has proven itself over and over again.”
Theo’s eyes glinted. “We could follow him.”
“I’ve thought about it, but I’ve had to organize everything at the club.”
Theo nodded. “So, tomorrow night, I’ll join you at the club. Then we can make a plan to uncover Damon’s secret.”
“I like it.” Kyle clapped Theo on the shoulder, enjoying the sense of having an ally. Damon had been getting off too easy for too long. “Glad you’re back. Have a great swim.”
“I will.” Theo surveyed the pool, which was Olympic-sized. “I’ve missed this pool something fierce.”
“This lap swim is usually pretty quiet. You might have your lane to yourself.”
“That would be ideal.” Theo nodded and strode to the lip of the pool with purpose. Kyle paused in the doorway to the change rooms, smiling at the women who openly watched his partner make a perfect shallow dive into one of the lap lanes.
“Single?” one asked him in a low voice.
“Very single,” Kyle confirmed. “Come to the club tomorrow night.”
The second woman giggled, giving him an appreciative survey. “More than one way to get wet at F5?”
Kyle grinned. “I never said it,” he replied, well aware that she stared at his butt as he headed into the men’s change room.
F5 was a kind of paradise, but Kyle couldn’t help wondering if it was time for a new motivation.
* * *
Mark loitered at the end of the block, covertly watching the door to the building where he used to live. He couldn’t believe that Lauren hadn’t forgiven him yet. She was the one who believed marriage was for keeps, after all.
She had that in common with his boss. It was really bad timing to be separated, when he was in line for a promotion and Mr. Frederickson had invited him and Lauren to the family place in the Hamptons. Mark knew that he could cement that promotion with a golf game or two and a little time in the inner circle, but he hadn’t even been able to talk to Lauren about it.
He’d called her mom again today, desperate for an intervention, but she had chewed him out. He’d been astonished because he’d never heard Colleen raise her voice before. Her words had been furious and so quick that he hadn’t caught them all, but security video and F5 were mentioned several times. Mark concluded that Lauren’s brother had been a contributing factor to his current situation.
He knew he could convince Lauren that his had been a single mistake and talk her into forgiving him—if he could talk to her. He had to give Mr. Frederickson an answer the next day and he was out of time.
All he wanted was ten minutes to argue his case with Lauren. Even if she was determined to separate, they could pretend for one weekend and secure his promotion.
And if he was making more money, they could move to a bigger place, or maybe get that little house she wanted. Maybe they could stay together and guarantee his job security, at least for a while longer.
Mark was sure that ten minutes was all he needed.
He saw Lauren come home with her sister, Katelyn, and a ton of groceries. He didn’t want to make his appeal with an audience, so he waited. Katelyn eventually left with a smaller bag of groceries and Mark headed for the lobby as soon as she was out of sight.
That bastard doorman turned him away, then stood vigil at the door.
Mark retreated to the bodega on the corner, bought a container of milk he didn’t need or want, and debated the merit of trying to sneak past the doorman somehow.
To his relief, Lauren left the building before he came up with a plan. She looked great, with her hair twisted up and red lipstick like she never wore. She was wearing high-heeled sandals and a summer dress that was brilliant red. Mark had never seen her looking so hot. Mr. Bernard swept open the door of a cab for her and she thanked him just the way she always did.
Mark couldn’t miss the obvious. His wife was meeting another man.
Or hoping to meet one.
Either way, this could screw up everything.
He handed the bag with the milk to a passing pedestrian, then flagged a cab himself, keeping his back to the vigilant doorman. “Follow that cab,” he said, feeling like he was quoting a movie.
Her cab headed downtown, then it turned west. How did she know anyone in Hell’s Kitchen? Mark didn’t know anyone there. Where had she met the other guy?
When? He wondered only now whether he’d been the only one cheating. The idea gave him an odd feeling, as if the world didn’t work the way he expected.
It was hard to imagine Lauren cheating on him, but he’d never seen that dress.
Lauren’s cab stopped in front of one of the new tall towers near the Javitz and she got out after paying the fare. She strode to the lobby as if completely familiar with it.
That couldn’t be a good thing.
Mark watched as Lauren buzzed, then waited until she continued inside and had time to get an elevator. When he knew she had to be out of sight, he got out of the cab.
“Wait here,” he said to the driver. “I’ll be right back.”
He darted to the lobby and scanned the surnames on the directory. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he knew when he found it.
K. Stuyvesant.
Wasn’t that one of Tyler’s partners at F5? Mark remembered the list of names from the time he was trying to sell them a building adjacent to their current one. It was bigger and newer. He was sure they’d want it. He’d cold-called F5 to get Tyler’s name and number and met Lauren when he was making one of his pitches.
Wasn’t Kyle the partner who was always at the club on Friday nights? The good-looking one who charmed all the women? The one who was cocky enough to have a photo of himself plastered on a billboard in Times Square?
Mark thought so.
In fact, he suspected that it wasn’t Tyler who had made sure Lauren knew what Mark was doing at F5: it had been this hotshot.
Because he had an agenda of his own, to sweep in and console Mark’s wife.
It was sneaky.
It would wreck everything Mark was trying to achieve.
There was one good way to find out, without Lauren knowing what he’d done.
If Mark was right, then things were going to get interesting at F5’s club this Friday night.
* * *
Kyle watched the clock all day long.
It wasn’t like him to be nervous, so he tried to rationalize his concern. He had a feeling he’d stepped in something earlier by mentioning sex toys to Lor. He’d always thought she had a hidden wild streak and that he might coax it free. Her passionate demand the night before had encouraged that idea.
Maybe he’d pushed her a little too much too soon.
Maybe he should have gone to her place instead. Then he could have arrived late and left early.
Maybe the issue was that Lauren would be in his apartment two nights in a row. That was enough to make him twitch. She knew that he didn’t let other people in there. She might start to draw conclusions, wrong conclusions, about their potential future.
That was it. What was appealing about Lauren was her lack of expectations, but two nights in succession—two dinners in succession—would make any woman think about what was coming next. She talked to him as if she understood his limits, but maybe she was just saying what she knew he wanted to hear.
At least, he would be working at the club at F5 on Friday night, which gave him the perfect reason to call a halt to it all. There couldn’t be a third night in a row.
Dinner and sex tonight would be the end of this thing, no matter what Lauren thought she needed. Kyle sensed the lip of a slippery slope—he might even have stepped onto the grade already—and he knew his own limitations.
He would make sure that Lauren knew them, too.
All the same, he skipped out early, ducking Damon’s protests, and got home in time to clean up a bit. His place was clean, but he made it cleaner. He showered and changed and was wondering whether the white wine he’d opened the night before and stuck in the fridge would be all right when the buzzer rang.
“Dinner is served,” Lauren said, sounding cheerful, and he let her in.
He opened the door and waited for her. He had the jitters, as he never did, and took it as a bad sign. His instincts were warning him that he was making a mistake. Kyle was halfway ready to call a halt to this evening before it started, but then Lauren stepped off the elevator and all coherent thought abandoned him.
He’d always thought she was beautiful but on this night, she’d kicked it up a notch. She looked like a model. Or a movie star. Her lipstick was really red and she was wearing more eye make-up than he’d ever seen on her before. Her hair was wound up and her neck looked long and creamy. Usually, she went with an All-American natural girl look, but this flirty skirt and sky-high heels were bombshell stuff.
Of course, he wanted to touch her.
Addicted to Love Page 9
