And she was right.
They started dinner on the north side of the Strip. She had always been very comfortable around Hawk, but for some reason, she felt nervous tonight. Everything she did—everything he said—she suddenly analyzed in her mind. Kathryn knew that it was a bad idea – she knew that he was very likely just being nice to her while he was trying to figure out what was going on with the company, but that didn’t change how she felt for him.
Next, they took their excursion to one of the large night clubs. They danced the night away, but Kathryn found it difficult to concentrate and have fun. She felt that she wanted to be closer to Hawk, not in a sexual way, but in a more intimate way. Though she felt that she knew him well already due to their history, she was having a difficult time feeling satisfied with how she knew him now. She wanted to have the chance to talk to him more, to get to know him better.
He had changed, and she wanted to know exactly how—and why. After only an hour at the night club, she told him she wanted to go to somewhere smaller.
“I’m sorry, there was just too much noise going on in there,” she said as they walked along the Strip, heading for a smaller bar. Hawk gave her a confused look, and she smiled, feeling as though he could see right into her very soul. She felt as though she was going to blush, and she fought as much as she could to keep from doing that.
“That’s not like you,” he said, and she nodded.
“I know it’s not, but I just wanted to do something a little quieter tonight. You know, after all we’ve been doing the past couple days, I felt that something a little more laidback might be better,” she smiled, but he looked concerned.
“If you would like to head back to the hotel room, I can let you get some sleep,” he said, but she was quick to shake her head.
“No, no, no, not at all! I don’t know, I was just thinking that we might have more fun if we were to go somewhere a little smaller—you know, we might get the chance to talk,” she said. She thought he would balk at the idea of talking about anything—he certainly would have years back—but instead, he slipped his hand into hers, and they walked together along the Strip. For the first time in as long as she could remember, Kathryn felt as though she was on top of the world.
She was pleased to be the one on his arm, and she felt that everyone who looked at them when they passed was jealous of what she had going on. A perfect figure, a perfect guy, and a perfect night. As much as she hated to admit it, she liked the feeling she was having in her heart. It was scaring the hell out of her, because it was a feeling she hadn’t felt in months or years, even.
She was falling in love, and she knew it.
Chapter Fifteen
Hawk
“How’re things going? You enjoying yourself?” Cole’s voice came through the phone, and Hawk yawned lazily on the bed. He was lying with one foot dangling over the edge of the bed, Kathryn still sleeping on his chest. They were both naked once again, but this time, they were up in his room rather than hers. She had convinced him to go up to the penthouse suite for a variety of reasons, but he knew the main reason had to be the better room service that was provided up there, along with the bill going to him rather than her.
He didn’t mind. He knew she was worried about the finances she was going to be faced with in the coming months, and if her dad still had her disowned by the time she got back home, she was going to have to figure something out before she could even hope to begin paying those debts back. Just because she came from money didn’t mean that she was going to go straight into money herself, and he wanted to do what he could for her in the meantime.
They had enjoyed the evening together, though they hadn’t had sex. As usual, Hawk had woken up before she did, but instead of getting out of bed and leaving her to wake up without him there, he’d decided to allow her to stay asleep on his chest while he stared at the ceiling and tried to figure out what his next move was going to be.
They were both tired, having not returned to the hotel until well after two in the morning. They had stumbled through the door, doing his best to take care of her as she was drunk with her heels on, while also trying to get the proper directions to their room.
It wasn’t even a question whether they were going to spend the night together; the biggest question had been whether they were going to spend the night in her room or his. She did have a point, drunk though she was, that he wasn’t getting his money’s worth out of the room. Though he had tried to explain to her once again that it was the company that was paying for the room, she’d insisted that they stay in there anyway.
He’d obliged, and as soon as he’d opened the door, she had stumbled in and fallen face down on the bed. Her heels had still been strapped to her feet, and her dress had still been as beautiful as ever, though it was tight around her body as she lay on her stomach. Hawk had a brief flashback run through his mind, remembering a very similar situation back in college in the dorm rooms.
It had been much the same as now, only they’d been much younger then, much more consumed with themselves and lust—and a lot more drunk. Though at that time had had taken the opportunity for an easy lay, things had changed over the years. Now, he had walked over to the bed and helped her out of her shoes and her dress, then he’d set a glass of water on the bed for her to wake up to in the morning.
Hawk had passed out shortly after, but the sound of his phone going off first thing in the morning had roused him from his slumber. He had to admit, he was slightly hungover for the first time in a long time, and he was secretly hating himself.
“Hello? Hawk? I asked if you were enjoying yourself?”
“As a matter of fact, I am,” he said belatedly in reply to Cole’s question. “Why?”
“Turn on the news,” Cole said. Hawk glanced down at the sleeping woman on his chest, then he turned his attention back to his phone.
“I didn’t do anything,” he said.
“Just turn it on. I think you’re going to want to see this,” he said. Hawk sighed. He desperately hoped that he hadn’t done anything that he would be embarrassed of, but as much as he was wracking his brain for what had happened the night before, he couldn’t think of what it might have been. He remembered the dancing and the fun, but he hadn’t even gotten into a verbal altercation with anyone.
He hung up the phone and flicked on the news, turning it down so it didn’t disturb Kathryn. She stirred slightly, but calmed down once more against him as he put his arm around her. He put the subtitles on the TV, reading what they were saying more than hearing it. He had to catch himself before sitting straight up in bed, surprised at what was happening.
The screen showed police officers walking out of an office building downtown, and in handcuffs was Jack Perry. The man was cussing and making accusations and threats at the police officers, but it was clear that they weren’t listening to anything he had to say. They were guiding him into a police car that was waiting on the street, and the news cut off as he was taken down to the station.
All we know is that Mr. Jack Perry isn’t the only one who has been working on this scam. The extent of the problem is not yet known, but it is certain that there is more to this than meets the eye. This is a developing story.
Hawk turned off the TV with a feeling of triumph in his heart, but it was short-lived. If Jack had been arrested, that meant that It wouldn’t be long before Jones would join his friend, and they would both likely be facing jail time, if not prison.
His phone started ringing again, and Hawk answered it without looking at the caller ID.
“I saw, and that’s rich!” he said, thinking it was his brother.
“Hello, Mr. Parker?” an unfamiliar voice said. Startled, Hawk looked at the phone and realized that he didn’t recognize the number.
“Who’s this?” he snapped.
“My name is Frank Perry. Jack Perry is my father, and unfortunately, there has been a terrible turn of events that has led to his arrest,” the voice explained.
“I’ve heard,” Hawk replied in a rather dry tone.
“I’m sure you have. It seems that the entire country knows by now. Anyway, I am aware that you have had a bad experience with my father’s company in the recent past, isn’t that right?” he asked.
Hawk laughed. “I guess you could say that,” he said.
“You don’t know this, but things have been going downhill for a while. We knew this would eventually happen. Even though we couldn’t prevent it, we did have a contingency plan in place. I’m going to be taking over my father’s company as the new foreman, and I want to work with you. As you can imagine, this scandal is going to be far more than any of us are going to be able to pay for, and we would rather my father did not end up locked away with millions of dollars in fines for us to shoulder. Anyway, I shouldn’t bother pushing all this on you, but yours is the first contact information I was able to find.” The man was rambling on the other end, and Hawk felt his head falling forward, falling asleep once again.
“Would you be interested in continuing to work with my company?” he asked suddenly, and Hawk’s eyes flew open. He sat up quickly, but settled down again to keep from disturbing Kathryn. She stirred once again, but rolled over on her side and freed him from beneath her. She opened her eyes for a moment and, seeing he was on the phone, she rolled over and buried her head in the pillow, doing her best to drown out the light that was coming in from around the curtains.
“I know that it is a lot to ask, but I would love to have a meeting with you to go over some things. We are cleaning house, so to speak, and eager to start fresh with some new companies. As Parker Industries has been with us for quite some time, I wanted to offer you the first opportunity.” The voice was optimistic, and Hawk sighed.
As absurd as it was, Hawk didn’t want to leave Las Vegas without anything to show for the hard work he had put into it. He hadn’t worked for much of anything in his life—nothing except getting some woman in bed. But now, with Kathryn lying on the bed next to him, he suddenly cared about his work.
“Where would you like to have this meeting?” he asked. He hated to leave Kathryn alone at all, but he knew she wouldn’t be able to come with him, and it would be far easier to simply leave her at the hotel and tend to this business on his own than try to keep her entertained in the waiting room while he was inside the office. If he was going to have a meeting with this kid, he was going to come out on top. Besides. Kathryn wasn’t a kid anymore and she didn’t need to have someone entertain her. She could take care of herself.
For as much as Hawk hated handling the Parker Industries business, he knew he was shrewd, and a sharp negotiator. With an hour and a shot of whiskey, he could convince this kid to give him just about anything he asked for—something that would give him major bragging rights when he got back home—especially with Cole, who was supposed to have been the one down here in his stead.
“If you come down to the office, I’ll get you in right away. I am sure you are quite busy with your own affairs, Mr. Parker, and I would like nothing more than to get something sorted out between us as soon as possible. We really do not want to lose your account, and I would be most grateful if you would give me a bit of your time.” Frank’s voice sounded sincere, and though Hawk would have far preferred spending the day with Kathryn, he knew that he was going to have to go through with this.
“Give me an hour and I’ll be down there. And Frankie, you better not disappoint.” Hawk spoke directly into the phone, doing his best to be as intimidating and nonchalant as possible. He wanted to show this kid who was boss from the beginning, starting with how he treated the guy on the phone.
“I won’t. I will see you in an hour sharp. Thank you, Mr. Parker.” The voice on the other end sounded relieved, and Hawk hit the end button before setting his phone on the nightstand with a thud. Kathryn rolled over and put her head back on his chest and draped her leg over his, turning her face upward toward his, but keeping her eyes closed.
“Are you leaving?” she asked groggily.
He gave her a light kiss on the forehead, then threw off the blanket. “I’ll call you as soon I get this taken care of,” he promised, and smiled as she grumbled and flopped back onto her stomach, falling right back to sleep. He slid his feet to the floor and heaved himself out of bed, reluctant to face the day but knowing that he had to. He couldn’t imagine why Blake would insist on getting up and heading to the office as soon as possible every day, as times like this always reminded him how much he disliked early mornings.
When he reached the office, he gave the receptionist a flirtatious smile, but rolled his eyes when his back was turned. He knew he was charming, but it was ridiculous how gullible some women were, especially around him. He heard the girl announce his arrival, and the office door opened. Hawk took a deep breath and walked inside.
He knew exactly what he was going to say.
Chapter Sixteen
Kathryn
Kathryn took her time getting out of bed. She had wanted to stay in the penthouse suite herself, but had found it was already booked. Now, with Hawk gone, she had the chance to really pamper herself without too much interruption. Not that she felt he was any kind of interruption to her, but it was going to be nice for her to catch a bit of time to herself. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been so engrossed with someone that she was seeing.
The thought came to her and stuck like she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. She didn’t know if she was truly seeing Hawk once again, or if this was some kind of fling they were having while she was in Vegas. Of course, that was exactly what she’d said she wanted, to have some kind of a fling for a few days while she blew off some steam from her father.
She slipped into the shower and took her time washing herself using Hawk’s shampoo and body wash. She thought it was funny that he had told her that he hadn’t packed his own toiletries, but there they were. Perhaps he’d thought she would be offended if he was using hers when he had his own. It was hard to say with that man.
The room was quiet when she stepped out, and she grabbed her phone. There were no text messages waiting for her that morning—a welcome break from the way things had been. She still hadn’t heard from her father since the last argument they’d had, and she wondered if she ought to reach out to him to see how things were going.
Though he infuriated her more often than not, she would always be his little girl, and she would come to miss him when enough time passed between them speaking. Of course, it was short-lived and she would always find herself regretting it in the future, but right now, she missed him.
Or did she?
She felt a wave of loneliness wash over her, and for the first time in as long as she could remember, she felt as though she were missing something out of her life. Ever since her last breakup, she had been enjoying the single life, living it up where she wanted when she wanted. Seeing who she wanted, then breaking up with them and forgetting all about them.
Nothing had been serious to her for the longest of time, and she had anticipated Las Vegas to fit into that same line of thinking.
But ever since she had run into Hawk that first day, she couldn’t get him off her mind. The way he had interacted with the man at the pool, the way he had treated her the night they had gone out for the first time. The way he had made love to her. She shook her head at the thought. Perhaps that was the reason it was so much different this time. She felt that they had made love to each other; there was so much more of connection between them than she had ever imagined there could be, and it felt so good.
Kathryn tried to remember all the reasons she and Hawk had broken up in the first place, but with the way she had gotten along with him during their time in Las Vegas, she couldn’t remember if any of those reasons were valid. Sure, they hadn’t been able to get along; sure, there had been a lot of tension between them for a very long time when they’d decided to split; and yes, neither one of them had ever thought that they would be together long term, but none
of that seemed to matter now.
Now, she saw a different side to Hawk. Now that he had been out in the world away from her and his parents for a few years, it was as though he had grown up in ways she’d never thought that he would before. He had made his fair share of headlines over the years, but there was something about the bad boy attitude that she found alluring.
She didn’t care what the scandals were, she still loved him just the same. Yes, loved him. No point denying it. And having made love to him for so many times during the past few days, she knew that she really meant it this time. But there was another side to this affair, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to handle it. Kathryn was a very smart woman, and she knew Hawk didn’t like commitment.
He was the kind of guy who would want her for himself, but as soon as she said something about moving on to the next phase of the relationship, he would be gone. He would vanish from her life just as soon as he had come back into it, and she would find herself reeling from it all over again.
Kathryn shook her head. She didn’t want to think about what had happened between them any more than she wanted to think about what most likely was going to happen between them again. In spite of all her optimism, she felt that this relationship had to be doomed in one way or another—and she was going to wind up getting hurt.
It wouldn’t be her fault, and it certainly wouldn’t be his; it was just what happened when she gave her heart to a man who was afraid to do anything with his own. Kathryn gathered up all her things out of the room, feeling despondent about what she was certain was the inevitable. She had her own room she could hang out in, and she knew she ought to do it.
After all, tomorrow she would be going home.
Love in Lust Page 9
