Hot For Nick

by Hot for Nick (lit)

  “Let go.”

  “I’m not stopping you.”

  “You’re not helping, either.” She yanked on her collar and the expensive lace shredded, freeing them. “Oops.”

  With a casual dignity that belied her frustration, she attempted to straighten her clothes.

  “Security’s heading this way.” He took her arm and turned her to face him. “Someone probably turned us in as drunk and disorderly. We had better dance or kiss or something to convince them we’re not trouble makers.”

  “You know what you can kiss, Nick.” Her heart thumped madly against his chest and her lower body was assaulted with rockets of tension. “For a man that finds me revolting, you’re spending a lot of time fondling me.”

  “Not fondling. Frisking.”

  “I think you’ve frisked enough.”

  He made a growling sound in his throat. “You’re clean.” He smiled. “I’m disappointed though.”

  “I know I shouldn’t ask, but what disappoints you?”

  “Oh, I really figured you’d be packing heat.”

  Stepping back, Shelby worked on her ripped collar and leveled a cold glare on him. “I’m so sorry. I’ll try to do better next time.”

  “You’ll have plenty of opportunity for that, Shel.” His gaze traveled slowly over her and stopped at her eyes. “I’ll always be where you are.”

  “Just why are you stalking me, Nick? I know it’s not my company that draws you.”

  He took the time to check out the deep slash of her neckline one more time before answering. “I figured you might be waiting for a meet with your rat friend.”

  “What?” She groaned aloud and raised her hands in frustration. “I can’t believe you’re skulking around, talking like a fool and in general, making an ass of yourself.”

  “Sooner or later, Shel. You’re going to slip up and I’ll be there to take your friend down.”

  “For Pete’s sake, Nick. You sound like a cheap gangster.” She took a step away, but turned back to look him up and down. “Before I leave, you have to get a few things straight in your pea-sized brain.”

  He opened his mouth, but she silenced him with a waggle of her finger.

  “You’re getting exactly what you paid for. Nothing more, nothing less. And something else. I won’t have you interfering with the contractor’s work.” Her voice deepened with her warning. “You lay off Matt. You have a problem, you rag me, not him.” Her lip curled in a sneer. “Anyway, he’s liable to deck your smart ass.”

  His sardonic smile and laugh infuriated her.

  “Are you finished, Shel? I’m going to the bar and have a drink. Join me?”

  Just like that, he dismissed her. She choked back a slam to his manhood. “Thanks, no. I have to show up for work like a normal person in the morning.”

  “Well, I’ll see you then.”

  “Just what I wanted to hear.”

  Shelby had that sick feeling again.

  She managed to walk a straight line to the lobby entrance before leaning against the wall for support. There had to be a way to get rid of him until she could figure out what had caused her world to fall into hell.

  Avoiding Nick became paramount in her thoughts now. She looked around the doorway to see which direction he’d gone. If she had any luck, they wouldn’t meet before she could get to the garage.

  The shortest route to her car would be back through the crowded bar and out the double doors that led to the parking area.

  Her quick stride became a foot-dragging slump when she spotted him. He leaned against the bar and apparently in deep conversation with a redhead that hung on his every syllable and licked her chops like a mink in heat. He even laughed at something the barfly had said.

  What more did he have to do to prove he had no feelings for her at all? A war between despair and anger raged in her heart. Rage won and she marched to the bar and faced him. He looked completely unruffled.

  “Shel. You decided to have a drink after all.”

  She reached around him and picked up his full glass, holding it carefully as if she didn’t want to spill it.

  “Yes. But I see you're occupied." She sipped the drink and set it back on the bar. "Goodbye, Nick."

  “Damn it, Shel.” He grimaced and distanced himself from the redhead. “Wait a minute."

  On her way out of the buzzing bar, she felt his gaze following her. She used to love to give her hips an extra swing for his enjoyment, but not now. Not while he obviously tried to pick up some redhead and acting like nothing else went on.

  Out in the entryway of the bar, Shelby fought for self-control and a modicum of dignity. Slowing her heart rate became painful, but she tamed her breathing enough to get out the door and to her car.

  While speeding through the empty streets, she raged at herself for having been so blind and sure of him. The answer had always been there for her to see. The project neared completion and he no longer needed her. What better way than to question her honesty. The bastard.

  By the time she drove into her apartment building’s garage, she considered all the possible reasons besides another woman that might have made him stop loving her. She came up empty.

  Chapter 3

  No matter what Shelby did or thought, the Technicolor memory of Nick cuddled up with the redhead refused to be dismissed. She had spent the night wandering about her apartment, eating a bag of green onion chips and sitting on the terrace with a chocolate frosty malt for comfort.

  Fatigue took over around four in the morning and she sprawled on the sofa to doze. The bedroom had become off limits, at least for now. She couldn’t bring herself to lie in the place that still bubbled with luscious and hot memories of Nick, propped on her pillows, waiting to give her his best.

  The hateful sound of the alarm shook her awake. Shelby dragged herself out of bed and into the bedroom to shut it off. Her head swam from lack of sleep. The chirping robins in the tree outside her terrace irked her. “I’m glad someone slept well,” she grumbled and closed the terrace doors.

  She stumbled into the bathroom and turned the shower on full force, making sure the temp was cool. Regret ranked high in her jumbled emotions. She stepped into the cold mist, and took the punishment, quickly lathering up and shampooing.

  Too bad she had worked up a yen for a cup of coffee. Forget it. She hadn’t been to the grocery store in two weeks and there wasn’t a coffee bean in the place.

  Messing with her hair wasn’t an option. She didn’t think she could stand the heat of the hot rollers. Cool simplicity won out as she pinned the heavy mass into a tumbled fall of loose curls at the crown of her head. A sleeveless yellow silk chemise finished off her quest for comfort. No fuss, no muss and ready to head off for work, but not until she stopped for a cup of the Quick-Serve gas station coffee.

  A search for an emery board unearthed a styptic pencil that belonged to Nick, the one he used if he cut himself while shaving. For a split second, her throat closed and salty tears battered her lids. She wouldn’t allow it and casually dropped the pencil in the bowl and flushed. A few minutes later, Shelby joined the rest of the commuters heading downtown.

  The mood in her office didn’t exactly scream that a party had been going on. The reception area stood empty and the usual talk radio station silent. She went directly into her private office and began collecting anything she might need that day. She punched the intercom button.

  “Kate, I’ll be out in the field until evening.” Shelby opened her computer and scanned the mail. “Forward any calls to my cell.”

  The only reply a sniffing sound. Shelby peered around the doorway and smiled at Kate. “Is something troubling you?”

  “Just a cold, I think.” Kate’s hand shook as she passed Shelby a stack of memos. “I don’t sleep well when I can’t breathe.”

  “I know what you mean.” After listening to her voice mail, she mentally beat herself up for hoping Nick had left a message. She shrugged off the foolish disappointment and went out in
to the reception area.

  “Kate, if Matt happens to come in or call before I get a message back to him, tell him I’ll be waiting at the Gualdoni site.”

  A look around her sunny, well appointed office made Shelby recognize the depth of her depleted spirit. Instead of feeling perky and eager, she wanted to flop on the sofa and go blotto for a week.

  A colorful reflection from a corner table received her glare. The last lavish bouquet from Nick. “I’ll just get rid of these before I go.” She wanted no wilted reminders of him. She considered ripping out the page in her address book that held all his personal numbers, but instead calmly collected her things and walked toward the lobby door.

  Looking up in time to see Matt sauntering down the hall. He came in everyday to check for any alterations in the plans. She wanted to discuss the new idea she’d come up with, a way to get the project finished far ahead of schedule. Until now, she’d always asked her father his opinion on difficult decisions. Matt wouldn’t ask as many questions, but her father would say she was begging for trouble.

  “Matt.” She juggled an armload of folders and motioned for him to follow her. With the door of the office shut, she let her guard down. “Is there any way we can bring the Gualdoni project in ahead of time? A lot ahead of time?”

  “Not a chance.” He gestured toward the paperwork she had laid on the desk. “There’s too much work left. No possible way.”

  “That’s not what I wanted to hear.” She walked to the window and stared out at the beehive activity on the street below. “There’s a way and we’re going to do it.”

  “Excuse me.” Matt joined her at the window. “I don’t think I heard you.”

  A possible end to her personal hell might be in view and Shelby breathed easier. “It will all be on the up and up. Absolutely legal. We’ll just have to work a little overtime. I’ll leave it up to you to hire all the sub-contractors and extra men we need. They have to be the best in their field.” She crossed her arms at her waist and waited for his comment.

  “My men and I will give it all we’ve got, Shel. ’Course you know that.” He reached behind him, patted his wallet and grinned. “You also know skilled craftsmen don’t work cheap. You sure you want to do this?”

  “I don’t give a damn what their scale is. Just get them if they are out there.” Her bravado dimmed a bit. “If we go over budget, I’ll pay them out of my pocket. When it’s finished, I want to hand Nick a punch list so clean a saint would eat off it.”

  He twirled his hat in his hand and grinned. “You still ticked off at Gualdoni?”

  “Our disagreement is on-going.” She realized it wouldn’t do to let her hurt and anger be so visible. She smiled and picked up her car keys. “Let’s just make sure he’s home with his parents for the holidays.”

  “Gotcha.” He slapped his gloves against his thigh. “See you down the road.”

  Shelby could hear him chuckling as he walked toward the elevator ahead of her. He grinned like a Cheshire cat when he turned back to look at her.

  “Say, you probably don’t care, but I got a call from Nick this morning. Said he would be tied up in meetings all day and would probably spend the night in Wichita.”

  The delight she felt must have registered in her eyes. “Is that so?” God, she had always been pathetic at hiding her emotions.

  “He told me to tell you that.”

  “Thank you, Matt. That news is almost as welcome as rain for this drought.”

  She watched from the window as his big red pickup pulled away from the curb and out into traffic. He probably wondered what the hell had happened but wouldn’t think of asking questions.

  * * * *

  Shelby couldn’t believe Nick wouldn’t be breathing down her neck for an entire day. With all the freedom, she could drop in to visit her father, or go back to the office and download months of entries in her computer. If by the slightest chance Nick told her the truth, she had to know how it happened and who might be responsible.

  All of her high blown idealistic plans fled when Nick’s apartment building loomed up on the crest of a hill. The busy thoroughfare would take her straight to his penthouse. Her hand went out to silence the keys that jangled against the ignition.

  The plot that came from nowhere might be evil, but it made her smile. She took mental inventory. Nick’s apartment. Nick’s door key. Nick out of town. The musical notes from the swinging keys rang like tolling bells with a message. So dishonest, so foolish and so easy. Her course had been set. She would break into his pad and commit petty something. Well, not really. She did have a key.

  After parking three blocks away just like she had seen done in a detective television series, Shelby got into the building and up to his apartment without incident. The cute little doorman waved her on and went back to his racing form.

  Hot blood pumped through her veins with a roar. She could hear her pulse beating in her ears and it made her dizzy. Flushed with guilt and a sense of adventure, Shelby got off the elevator and skulked to his door. There in front of her loomed number 601. A grin wavered on her lips when she worked the fancy brass key in the lock. Smooth like cream and quiet as snowfall. The door swung open on well-oiled hinges.

  Ransacking a place would be a new experience. It began to be a source of amusement after she had let herself into the quiet confines of Nick’s place. What to look for? She had no idea and let the rumbling in her stomach lead her into the kitchen. He always had a nice supply of bagels or sweet rolls and a quick search gained her a fragrant banana-nut muffin.

  She took it with her and walked straight to his bedroom and to the nightstand. While devouring her food, a plan of action jelled in her mind. Search everything with a drawer and pick locks if necessary. She’d seen it done in movies and figured it could be done with a nail file.

  With the confidence of a professional cat burglar, she opened each drawer and rummaged the contents. Nothing but the usual stuff except for a cellophane wrapped fun condom that featured bumps for extra oomph left over from their last party time and a piece of bubble gum that she popped into her mouth. She chewed furiously while working over his personal phone book and frowned after discovering nothing but business numbers.

  The apartment held no secrets since she already knew what lay in every drawer and on every shelf in the place after having spent a lot of time there. But, this time she deliberately searched for incriminating evidence. For all her trouble, she found nothing.

  His massive bed the one thing in the room she had not touched. But, it beckoned her like a sinfully rich dessert. What the hell? One last romp for old time’s sake. Stepping out of her shoes, she walked to the bed and sank down on it. Oh, the comfort and memories. She rolled back and forth across the firm mattress until the mammoth walnut wardrobe caught her eye.

  She knew the contents had been neatly hung on wooden hangers and the shoetrees had actual shoes on them. When it came to his personal grooming and his apartment, the man was no slob. The place had a sensual yet clean scent, a place where she could go to sleep if she didn’t stop daydreaming.

  After a moment of letting familiar sounds and scents deter her from pillaging, she got up and opened the heavy doors of the wardrobe, swinging them wide. Fingering the fine cloth of a shirt, she thought of Nick’s smiling face.

  Fun time came to an abrupt end if she’d heard correctly. She’d heard a door opening and closing. Her head swiveled like an owl’s to look behind her. That sound had come from the living room. Nick had come back.

  She dove into the wardrobe and pulled the doors closed behind her. While she choked on her gum and cursed herself for being a coward, new panic set in. What should she do if he wasn’t alone? He wouldn’t dare drag a woman to his apartment so soon after their breakup. The interior of the wardrobe heated like an oven. She was furious over the possibility and barely got her anger under control before she heard him coming into the bedroom.

  Scuffing sounds outside her lair meant Nick had her trapped. Her skin pri
ckled. He was too quiet and she squeezed back a sneeze and her bladder screamed for relief. To make matters worse, the doors of her hiding place slowly opened.

  Everything happened at once. She let go a healthy sneeze and crossed her legs. The tension in her throat burst out in a shrill scream when the doors flew open and she found herself looking at a Colt .45.

  “Shel!” His voice broke, but his eyes flashed fire from Hades. “What the hell? I could have hurt you!”

  He didn’t give her a chance to respond before pulling her from the safety of the wardrobe. She didn’t need for him to voice his thoughts. His expression of pure contempt said clearly he considered her an idiot.

  With her thighs squeezed tight against a threatening embarrassment, she blinked against the light. In a display of maddening arrogance, he herded her back against the wardrobe and stared at her. She may as well have been wearing a clown suit, complete with bulbous red nose.

  “So.” He set the safety on the gleaming weapon, handling it like a pro. “You’re robbing me? Again?”

  Her mind went blank, except for the flight button that blinked red. Grasping for a safety net, Shelby answered in a rush. “I remembered some things I left here and I….”

  Did he believe her? Not if his lip curling up in a sneer meant anything. And now, he placed the Colt on top of the wardrobe, making a tsking sound of repudiation. He had obviously been changing clothes when he figured out he wasn’t alone. The light blue shirt he wore hung open and she eyed his muscled chest, waiting for his next question.

  “Un-uh. You don’t give a damn about a pair of panties and a toothbrush.” His smile was sardonic. “What were you really looking for?”

  “Oh, all right. I need money.” The lie slipped off her tongue with ease, and she gave him a benign smile.

  Imitating his power stance, Shelby crossed her arms over her breasts and gazed at him with no obvious regret over being caught like an unskilled criminal.

  His laugh came quick and cynical. “Why did I ask? You lie too damned well to bother.” He pressed forward, stealing her oxygen, his gaze fusing with hers. “Did you rifle my shorts drawer?”