by J. D. Chase
I was about to refuse and excuse myself when he continued. “If you want to photograph it without any occupants, you should do it now. Since your redesign, it is in constant demand. Mr Norman and I almost came to blows over whose turn it was this morning.”
His eyes twinkled and I knew he was joking so I laughed politely. “Well, if you insist. I shan’t be long.”
“I need to get home. I am taking my wife to the ballet,” he rolled his eyes. “Ask Clark to lock up when you’ve finished.”
He locked his office door and bade me goodnight. As the echo from his footsteps faded, I headed into the conference room. I was even more delighted with this room than the reception area. It was dominated by a mahogany desk that could easily seat 20 people comfortably. The same white quartz covered the floor and the outer wall was now totally glazed. At the touch of a button, the clear glazing clouded over to block out the sun’s glare and to cut off the breathtaking view over Manhattan.
I took some photographs whilst the glass was transparent, wondering if I would ever fail to be excited by the view from up here. Checking the display to ensure that the quality of the last photo looked okay, I decided to change the setting of the glass. “Obscure,” I said, as I pressed the button, and as if my magic, the glazing frosted over.
“I have been called worse,” that oh so deep and sexy voice murmured behind me.
Oh my god! “I meant the glass,” I croaked as I gestured weakly to the window with my hand.
A husky chuckle filled the air, but it did nothing to diffuse the tension. I willed my heart to maintain its slow steady rhythm and it did, for a minute.
“I apologize for my behavior earlier,” he said suddenly.
“What do you mean?” his unexpected apology, threw me off guard and I turned to face him.
He was leaning against the doorframe, arms folded against his chest, looking at me somewhat cautiously. I noticed that the expertly tailored black suit that he had worn during our very recent encounter had been replaced with a slim fitting sleeveless black tee that emphasized his broad shoulders and slim waist .I let my eyes slide down taking in his black combats that hung from his narrow hips and down his long legs. God, with his change of clothing and that styled to perfection post sex hair, he looked like a rock god. I thought I might just faint with desire. I found myself silently willing him to throw me onto the huge conference table and take me there and then, fast and hard. I realized that I was almost panting.
My hungry eyes sought out his face and, once again, our gaze locked. Even at that distance, I could see that his eyes were the soft, midnight blue that intrigued me so much. I realized that I wanted to close the distance between us, just so that I could lose myself in them. Once again, his arching eyebrow broke the spell and made me curse inwardly. What was it that made me act like a teenager around him? “Damn my sex ban!” I thought bitterly, desperately blaming that for the reason of my lack of self control.
“Excuse me?” he drawled, his mouth twisting with amusement.
Oh my god, did I just say that out loud? I looked up, horrified. Just kill me now!
“Can I help you?” I snapped irritably. I was annoyed that he seemed to be enjoying my mortifying behavior.
“Oh, I sincerely hope so,” he murmured sexily.
It was my turn to raise an eyebrow and he gave a deep throaty chuckle. The atmosphere instantly relaxed and he smiled warmly. “I understand from Doug Wilde that you are responsible for the transformation of this room and the reception area.”
“Yes, that’s right,” I replied, realizing that now he had relaxed, my head felt clearer. I could breathe and speak … and control my lustful thoughts. Relief flowed through me. I was back in control of myself.
“I have several projects that require a good interior designer,” he announced. “Doug recommended you without hesitation. That’s what I came down here for earlier - to see your work for myself.”
“Oh, right. What type of projects?” I asked, intrigued.
“I am planning on converting a large commercial building into residential apartments,” he said, and his face was suddenly animated and his eyes became that deep cobalt color. “If you are interested, I would love to hear your thoughts.”
“Oh okay, where is the building located?” I asked, back firmly in professional mode now.
“Just a few blocks away,” he answered.
I explained that I was new to Manhattan and had yet to fully explore the area. He didn’t seem surprised but what he said next made me catch my breath. “If you are heading home now, I could walk with you and point it out, if you like. I have the keys if you wanted to take a look inside. That‘s if you might be interested and that you have the time, of course.” His face was so animated; his eyes shone and I realized that he was passionate about this project. I could relate to that. It was so satisfying to see a disused building given a new purpose.
I instantly agreed but said that I needed to grab my purse from my office and lock up. He said that he needed to collect the keys from his so we agreed to meet outside my office. I watched his back retreating from the conference room and almost pinched myself to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming again. Of course I wasn’t dreaming - we would both be naked by now if I was!
I had totally forgotten about taking photographs of the frosted glass window, I realized when I put the camera in my desk drawer. My thoughts then drifted to Lucas Hunter’s proposition. I knew that if I could secure that contract, it could really launch my career. I was just locking my office door when he appeared behind me in the corridor. How does he do that?
“All set?” he asked with a smile.
I said that I was and he held out his hand, gesturing me to walk in the direction of the elevator. Not wanting to share his private elevator then? We waited in silence for the elevator to arrive. When it did, I felt the gentle pressure of his hand on the small of my back as I stepped inside. My heart fluttered. Oh stop already! I turned to face the door and broke the contact. I immediately felt calmer until his arm brushed against mine when he leaned forward to press the button and it generated butterflies in my stomach. Get a grip, woman!
As we stepped out into the lobby, I felt his hand return to the bottom of my back, steering me away from the front entrance. I stopped and looked at him questioningly. “Private entrance,” he grinned. “Owner’s privilege.”
Suddenly, I remembered that I needed to ask Clark to lock up Norman & Wilde for me. When I told him, an emotion that could have been anger flashed through his eyes for a split second and he dragged his hand through his designer messy hair, irritably. With a sigh, he turned and gestured for me to walk towards the main entrance. I was shocked by how quickly his moods seemed to shift.
As we neared the guard’s station, Clark stood and faced us. His face looked almost comical due to his eyebrows almost disappearing into his hairline and his mouth falling open in surprise. He quickly rearranged his features but his eyes remained wide. He quickly agreed to lock up the office before he left and then bade us goodnight. I could feel his eyes on my back as I walked through the revolving door. I got the feeling that Lucas Hunter never, ever used the main entrance.
We walked without speaking for almost a block before I found it uncomfortable.
“So can you recommend any good places to eat nearby?” I asked, just to break the silence. “Oh, and which venues have the best nightlife?”
He frowned before replying. “I really have no idea, sorry.”
“Oh,” I said. “Not a fan of eating out or partying then?”
He shrugged. “No, not really.”
I was intrigued. “So what do you do in your spare time?”
An irritated expression flashed across his face and I regretted asking such a personal question.
“Sorry,” I blurted out. “That was a very personal question and I had no right to ask it.”
He stopped walking and turned to face me, his expression unreadable. “Why did you then?”
“I was just curious, I guess. I thought most people in our age bracket spent much of their free time engaging in such activities. Well, until they settle down …” I broke off as the idea that he might not be unattached crossed my mind. Oh god, tell me that I haven’t been flirting with a married man! Practically throwing myself at him.
His voice interrupted my mortified chain of thought. “Miss Prince, I certainly haven‘t settled down and don‘t plan to - ever!” His eyes darkened to midnight blue and his gaze bored into my eyes before he continued, his voice strong and yet barely a whisper. “And you really have no idea how unlike most people I really am.”
I felt a chill run down my spine before he looked away and then I felt his hand on my back as he propelled me into motion. I jolted when he touched me. As we walked, I could hear his words echoing in my mind. You have no idea how unlike most people I really am. It wasn’t really the words that bothered me - it was the way he said it and the chilling sensation that they had evoked. We didn’t speak again until he came to an abrupt stop. He looked at me and although I could tell that he was excited, he also appeared to be nervous. I raised my eyebrows questioningly and he immediately gestured to the building before us. I must have been so deep in thought that I hadn’t noticed it as we arrived.
I looked up and gasped. The building was beautiful. It reminded me of the infamous Dakota apartment block that was nearby but on a much smaller scale. It had a similar mix of Renaissance architectural styles with deep gables roofs scattered with dormers. There was an array of spandrels, niches, balconies and balustrades. It was simply breathtaking. “You own this?” I gasped.
“I do,” he said proudly. “Do you like it?”
“I love it,” I replied without hesitation. “It’s … awesome. A mini Dakota”
“It is awesome, isn’t it?” he grinned down at my overwhelmed face. “Mini Dakota … I like that. Shall we go inside?”
“Yes … no, I haven’t finished admiring the exterior yet!” I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t stumbled upon this building before. It was just a few blocks from where I lived.
I stepped back to the edge of the sidewalk so that I could get a slightly better view. I barely noticed him follow me until I felt his arm around my shoulders, gently squeezing my arm. I looked up at him in surprise but he didn’t seem to notice. He was like a kid looking at his main present on Christmas morning. I laughed when he grinned down at me, eyes full of life. “Can we go in now?”
“Yes,” I laughed. “We can go in now.”
He bounded up to the huge gated entrance and unlocked the gates, holding one open for me to pass through into the once elegant courtyard. This place just gets better and better.
Once inside, we talked about the previous use of the building and the type of development that would take place and I asked a whole barrage of questions. I knew that part of the reason that my career had taken off was my ability to listen to the client’s wishes then probe deeper to gain a full understanding of their tastes and needs before I began the design planning stage. As we walked around, I couldn’t help but wonder what I would do if given a free rein. I suddenly noticed those blue eyes watching me intently and I realized that I must have had a dreamy expression on my face as I imagined what the building could be.
“Tell me what you were thinking,” he said. “You looked so absorbed yet at peace. I don‘t think you’ve heard a word I‘ve said for the last five minutes.”
I felt my cheeks coloring and I bit my bottom lip. “Sorry, I just got carried away with possibilities.”
“Possibilities?” he repeated, as if testing the word. “For what?” he added, the ghost of a smile playing with his lips.
“For this place!” I said, shaking my head, slightly. “What else would I have meant?”
As he walked into the next room, I could have sworn I heard his voice muttering, “Well, nothing obviously, because you are on a sex ban!” I stood rooted to the spot in embarrassment thinking that I had spoken my thoughts aloud again until I realized that the voice I had heard was definitely masculine and incredibly sexy.
Oh so he is laughing at you now! Well, that’ll teach you not to engage your brain before your mouth!
When I caught up with him, his eyes were once again bright and full of life. I wondered whether it was because of his parting shot or whether it was caused by his obvious excitement of his planned development of the building. We continued the tour without incident and we relaxed more and more in each other’s company. All too soon, I found that we were back to the main entrance.
“Well, what do we do next?” I asked, taking one last lingering look at the front of the building.
“Excuse me?” he said, tilting his head to one side and stepping away from me slightly.
“Interior design? You wanted my input? I just wondered how you wanted to proceed. Or have you changed your mind?”
He exhaled and visibly relaxed. “I will get my assistant to contact you and find a mutually agreeable time that we can meet up. I am meeting with my architect again first thing tomorrow morning which will give us some more information on what we can and can’t do.”
“Sounds good,” I said, trying to suppress a smile at his obvious relief that I was only talking business. “Well, I should be going. I will await to hear from your assistant, Mr Hunter.”
“Very well, Miss Price,”
“Please, call me Issy,” I said with a friendly smile.
“Only if you call me Lucas,” he said returning my smile.
“Goodnight Lucas,” I said with a giggle.
“Goodnight Issy,” he said in that voice as those midnight blue eyes lingered on my eyes for just a moment. Then, he turned and walked back the way we had come, leaving me standing there feeling oddly bereft once more.
As I approached my apartment, James hurried over to me. “Oh, Miss Price, Miss Roberts has been looking everywhere for you. She appears to be in quite a flap.”
“Thank you, James,” I smiled and hurried up to our apartment, wondering why Angel was looking for me.
No sooner had I opened the door, than something flew at me. Angel! She hugged me so tightly that I could hardly breathe and I realized that she was crying. “Oh Angel, what on earth’s the matter?” I asked. “What’s happened?”
She pulled away from me and I could see her bright blue eyes were red ringed from crying. “Where in hell’s name have you been?” she demanded, harshly.
“Work?”
“You liar,” she hissed viciously and I recoiled from her, instinctively.
“Come here, Angel,” said Chad softly, appearing in the doorway. He pulled her to his side and wrapped his arms around her. “I think that we should all calm down and discuss this rationally.”
“I think I should open a bottle of wine or three first!” I muttered.
Wine glasses in hand, we settled down on the sofa. Angel’s slowly subsiding sobs punctuated the silence.
“Well?” I demanded when no explanation was forthcoming.
Angel took a deep breath. “I tried to call you at the office towards the end of the afternoon to ask if you wanted to eat out tonight. There was no reply on either your office phone or your cell. I tried several times, leaving messages on your cell for you each time. You need to get an answer phone sorted for the office, by the way.”
“Oh, yeah .. thanks,” I muttered as I fished around in my purse for my cell.
“When it got really late and your cell started going straight to voicemail, I called directory assistance and found the number for the guard’s station at your building,” she continued. “I spoke with Mr Clark and he informed me that you had left the building, some considerable time ago with Lucas Hunter.”
“Yeah … so what?” I could not understand why that would create the scene that I had just witnessed.
“So what?” she echoed my words incredulously, her eyes huge in her petite face. “So you admit to leaving with him? The Phantom?”
“Yes,” I shrugged. �
�Why wouldn’t I?”
She looked desperately at Chad for assistance. He held up his hands muttering “You can leave me out of this” which earned him a withering look from Angel.
“Issy, you don’t know anything about that creep! Anything could have happened to you!” she said quietly.
“Lucas isn’t a creep and there is no need to be so melodramatic!”
Her eyes narrowed at my use of his first name. “You have said yourself how weird he is. Remember how freaked out you were when you found that bouquet on your desk. And when he stalked you in the elevator! How many handsome, loaded, twenty-somethings do you know who are totally reclusive? How can he be one of the richest men in New York and yet be an unknown? Why couldn’t you find out anything about him on Google? Not one image! Something is just not right about him.”
