Seducing Lola

by Jessica Prince Author

  “It wasn’t just one person, Gray,” I answered honestly. “Believe it or not, I used to believe in happy ever afters and all that naïve bullshit. Even when my father cheated on my mom over and over again and I’d lie in bed at night listening to her cry. I should’ve learned my lesson then, but I guess I’m too hardheaded.” I twirled strands of angel hair pasta with my fork and let out a self-deprecating laugh as I continued. “It took me a while, but after dating cheaters, liars, and one closeted homosexual, I finally started to see men for what they really are.”

  “And what’s that?” he asked as I took a bite of my food. The question wasn’t ridiculing or sarcastic in the slightest. He really seemed genuinely curious about what I had to say.

  I swallowed and wiped my lips with the impeccably clean cloth napkin. “That monogamy and commitment are a joke. And before you accuse me of being disenchanted because of a few bad experiences, let me just tell you, it wasn’t only my own bad experiences that made me this way. It was watching the people I love go through it too. Daphne was crushed when her fiancé broke off their engagement a month before the wedding. I sat with her for days while she cried her eyes out, trying to figure out what went wrong, only to find out the son of a bitch had been screwing her own mother for a year. Sophia was head over heels in love with my brother, thought the sun rose and set with him. She was convinced he was the one until she walked in on him banging the receptionist where he worked in their bed.”

  He sat and stared at me for so long I began to feel like I was being examined. “So, because of what you, your mother, and your friends went through, you’ve convinced yourself that we’re all cut from the same cloth. Is that it?”

  I took another bite while I considered his question. “No, I don’t honestly believe that all men are cheaters and users. I just think that the percentage of them that are out there is too high to warrant taking a risk. It’s not worth it, not when there are no guarantees.”

  “Well, that’s going to be a problem.”

  My heart dropped into my stomach as dread set in. Despite everything I’d just said, everything I truly believed, I was still overcome with fear that my negativity might just prove to be too much for Grayson to deal with.

  “Oh? How’s that?” I asked, surprised I could emit a carefree tone. I was shocked that my voice hadn’t broken. Outside, I was the picture of calm, but my insides raged like a sea during a thunderstorm.

  He set his fork down and clasped his hands on the table in front of him. The unaffected coolness he’d been radiating just seconds before gave way to the fierce determination that took its place. “The problem is I’m a very determined man. I see what I want and I bust my ass to get it. I don’t give up — ever. Not until I have what I want. And despite what you may think, what I want from you is more than just a quick, meaningless fuck.”

  I wanted to believe him. Desperately. But experience had proven that words couldn’t be trusted. I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling, and when I focused on Grayson once again, he still regarded me with such conviction that the breath froze in my lungs.

  “Don’t mistake me, Lola. I want to fuck you. I’m dying for it. But I also want to know you. I want to know what makes you tick. I want to know what your childhood was like, how you were as a teenager. I want to discover all the ways I can make you laugh and smile. I want to know what I have to do to make you take a chance on me.”

  My chest ached with the need to draw in air, but I couldn’t seem to get my body to behave.

  “I might want what’s in your panties, but I also want what’s in your head. You fascinate me. Everything about you is enchanting to me. And that’s where the problem lies, because you’re too stubborn to believe me, but I’m too stubborn to give up.”

  By the time he finished, my mouth was hanging open in shock. I snapped it closed as I struggled to put my tumultuous feelings into words, but all I could manage was a disconcerting sputter. “I… you… what the… what?”

  He sat back with a pleased smirk wreathing his face. “I’ll give that a chance to sink in. But there’s something else you need to know.” I could only imagine what that would be after the bomb he’d just dropped. “This charade, as you like to call it, is far from over. I’m going to milk this for everything it’s worth. I’m gonna take advantage of our situation so I can touch you and tease you and beat at those goddamned walls of yours until you have no other choice but to let me in. This is the only warning you’re going to get, so you better brace yourself. I’ll use my position as your boss, the media, I’m even willing to use your own friends if that’s what it takes. Once I’m done with you, I’ll have burrowed so far under your skin there won’t be a goddamned thing on this planet that could get me out. Is that clear enough for you, or do I need to explain what I want in greater detail?”

  My mouth opened and closed a few times like a fish out of water. I was at a complete loss for words — something that had never happened in my life. Given no other choice, since my vocal cords seemed to be failing me, I nodded. I didn’t think I could possibly handle him going into even greater detail; if he did that I would probably spontaneously combust. As it was, I was struggling not to launch myself across the table and give my body everything it was craving, right there in the middle of a crowded restaurant.

  Grayson picked up his fork and began cutting into his veal. “Good. I’m glad we got that taken care of. Now eat up. You’re going to need all your strength if you have any hope of fighting me off.”

  Those walls around my heart groaned and quaked under Grayson’s pressure. There was no doubt about it — if this continued on much longer, they were going to come crashing to the ground.

  I WAS NO less flustered by the time we arrived back at Hart Tower after lunch. My mind was racing a million miles a second, never settling on one thing long enough for me to process the brutal truths Grayson had laid down. I couldn’t seem to process a single thought.

  It went something like this:

  Want him.

  He smells good.

  I’m in big trouble.

  I bet he tastes yummy.

  …squirrel!

  My body was on autopilot, letting Grayson lead me through the lobby to the elevator banks.

  He hit the call button for the elevator and we waited in silence, standing side by side. “Hey. You okay?” he asked, pulling me from the jumbled mess inside my head.

  “Uh… yeah. No.” I gave my head a brisk shake, hoping to piece my brain back together. “I mean I am. I’m just… a little overwhelmed.”

  He took me by the shoulders and turned me so we were both face-to-face, leaving his hands on me as he hunched down to meet my gaze. “Because of me?”

  I arched an eyebrow and fought the smile tugging at my lips as I replied, “Well, you are the only one driving me crazy at the moment.”

  I hadn’t realized the double meaning of my answer until Grayson leaned in and whispered suggestively, “The feeling is definitely mutual.”

  “I didn’t… I meant…. Argh! See? This is what I’m talking about right here! I can’t think when I’m around you.”

  “Good,” he said in a hushed tone, stepping close, trailing one hand up my neck to my temple. He tucked my hair behind my ear, making my body — the hussy — shiver wantonly. His breath flittered over the shell of my ear as he whispered, “You think too much anyway.”

  Then he kissed me… for the second time. And I melted into a needy puddle of goo… for the second time.

  I was so lost in his kiss, so enveloped by all that was him, that I’d completely forgotten where we were. All I could think was want, crave, need, more as his tongue invaded my mouth and began warring with my own for dominance. My body responded, my hands diving into his silky hair and holding on tightly, as if scared he was going to pull away. In that moment, he was absolutely everything. Nothing else existed.

  That was until the sound of someone’s throat clearing cut into our private little moment and shattered it to pieces.


  My head jerked to the side to find Sophia and Daphne watching us with similar expressions of “Giiiirl, get you some” on their faces.

  “Sorry to interrupt the public snog-fest, but you’re blocking the button.”

  At Sophia’s words, I realized I hadn’t even noticed that the elevator had come and gone while Grayson and I were playing tonsil hockey in the middle of the lobby.

  “Shit,” I hissed. I tried to take a step back, gain some much-needed space, but at some point during the kiss Grayson’s hands had slid to my hips. At my movement, he tightened his hold on me, refusing my escape.

  “Sorry, ladies,” he said, not sounding sorry in the least. “Let me.”

  One hand released me just long enough to hit the call button again before coming back and wrapping around my waist. In the back of my mind, I heard the elevator ding and the doors slide open. But I was too focused on the man staring down at me to give it much thought.

  “Thanks for lunch,” he said, drawing my focus to his inviting mouth. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  He abruptly let me go and stepped into the elevator. I missed his touch instantly, but losing it gave me the clarity to realize what he’d just said.

  “Wait… tonight?”

  “Yeah. Dinner at my place.”

  “At your place?” I squeaked. “But—”

  The doors began to slide closed before I could finish my argument. The last thing I saw was Grayson’s smirk, and the last thing I heard was his rich voice telling me, “I’ll send my driver to get you at seven. And don’t make me track you down, Lola.”

  Then he was gone.

  Daphne’s low whistle hit my ears. I turned and shot a glare at my two friends. “Someone’s getting lucky,” she singsonged.

  Sophia laughed and hit the button for the elevator again.

  I shot daggers at them as I declared, “I hate you both.”

  Lola

  I’D BEEN HOT and bothered ever since that kiss by the elevators just hours before. As I got ready for dinner at Grayson’s house, I tried to smother the desire burning hot in my veins. My entire body felt like a livewire, like just one touch and I’d combust. I could barely go a minute without replaying that kiss in my mind. And each time the images replayed, that tingle between my thighs grew stronger.

  My cell phone trilled from the vanity as I leaned closer to the mirror to swipe a second coat of mascara on my lashes.

  Screwing the wand back into the tube, I looked down at the screen, surprised to see my father’s name flashing back at me insistently.

  I slid my finger across the face of the phone and answered, putting the call on speaker so I could finish applying my makeup. It was already close to seven. “Dad. What can I do for you?”

  “Ah, my beautiful girl! So good to hear your voice. I’ve missed you, bella.”

  I’d been in the middle of applying lipstick when his exuberance made every muscle in my body lock up. My father and I hadn’t had a good relationship since I was old enough to understand just what a despicable human being he truly was. Dominic had been better at looking past our father’s faults than I ever had. At best, he and I barely tolerated each other. I learned early on, and through countless heartbreaking disappointments, that Roberto Abbatelli wasn’t the type of man you put your faith in. He rarely ever called, but when he did, it was because he wanted something from me. Usually it had to do with some photo op for a piece being written on him so he could look like the doting family man.

  To have him call out of the blue was unexpected, but to hear him speak so lovingly set my teeth on edge.

  “What do you want, Dad?” I asked dryly. Cutting to the chase was better than dragging out whatever shit-show my father was trying to pull me into.

  “Now, baby girl, is that any way to speak to your dear old dad?”

  I rolled my eyes at my reflection in the mirror. “It is when the ‘dear old dad’ in question would sell his own kid to the devil to make himself look good.”

  In typical Roberto Abbatelli fashion, he attempted to lay on the charm. “Aw, baby girl. You break my heart.”

  “You’d have to have a heart in order for it to break. Pretty sure all you’ve got in your chest is a block of ice. Now tell me what you want or I’m hanging up. I have something to do.”

  “Would that something have anything to do with your new boyfriend?”

  And there it was. That son of a bitch.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I let out a loud bark of astonished laughter.

  My father’s entire demeanor changed as he asked, “Do you even know who you’re dating, Lola? Just how important of a man Grayson Lockhart is? How important his father is?” Gone were all pretenses of the doting father. He sounded frustrated and cold, like he sounded during his board meetings.

  “I’m well aware, Dad,” I deadpanned. “What I don’t understand is how it’s any of your business.”

  “Have I taught you nothing about business? It’s all about who you know. Having a connection to the Lockharts would be career gold. Can you imagine how it would make the company look if we handled the investments of the Lockharts? If things are serious between you two—”

  I cut him off, hot seething anger coursing through my blood. “What I do with my life and who I associate with doesn’t have a goddamned thing to do with you,” I snapped. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re nothing to me but a sperm donor. You think you can use to me to get to Grayson and his family, get in their good graces? You’re out of your mind, old man. You used Mom up until there was nothing left, and I’ll be damned if I let you do the same to me. Don’t call me again.”

  I disconnected the call and slammed my hands down on the vanity. My head dropped and my shoulders drooped like the weight of the world was resting on them. Nothing could put me in a foul mood like a conversation with my own father.

  I took several deep breaths to try and calm my raging heart. By the time I managed to get a hold of myself, the phone rang again, startling a short, high-pitched scream from my lungs.

  “Jesus!” I hissed. “Get a hold of yourself, Lola.”

  I grabbed the phone and answered the call with an agitated “Yeah?”

  “Ms. Abbatelli,” Maury’s voice returned through the receiver. “There’s a car here to pick you up, ma’am.”

  I let out a sigh and tried to rein in my temper. “Okay, Maury. Thanks. I’ll be right down.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I hung up and gave myself one last cursory look in the mirror. My paisley-patterned Boho dress nipped in at the waist and flowed down to just above my knees. It was casual yet cute, making it appear that I wasn’t trying too hard. I thought it looked fun and flirty. Not that I wanted to be fun and flirty… whatever. I paired the dress with a pair of silver strappy cork wedges that gave me the much-needed height I required and went for a light, natural look with my makeup. I grabbed the pale pink lipstick I’d just applied and tossed it into my silver clutch before heading out the door.

  I recognized the driver as the same man who’d taken Grayson and me on both our so-called dates. I felt a little embarrassed that I’d already met the man twice and still didn’t know his name. “Hi, I’m Lola,” I introduced myself as we pulled away from the curb and started the trip to Grayson’s.

  “Yes, ma’am. Mr. Lockhart told me your name.” That was all he said. Uh… okay?

  I tried to continue — well, start — a conversation without distracting him from the road. “And your name is…?”

  “Thomas, ma’am.” I waited for him to say more, but nothing else came.

  “Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much, Thomas? It’s kind of annoying.”

  I was able to see the corner of his mouth kick up in a smirk just before he responded, “All the time, ma’am. It’s a real problem.”

  “Oh!” I clapped. “You’ve got jokes! I get it. You’re the silent stunner. You like to sneak attack. I can appreciate that, Thomas. Kudos to you.” I sat back in my seat,
triumphant that I’d forced the quiet Thomas from his shell, somewhat. The town car filled with silence for several seconds before I finally worked up the nerve to ask, “So, Tommy. Can I call you Tommy? Tommy, how long have you worked for Grayson?”

  “Going on seven years, ma’am.”

  In the short time I’d known Thomas, I discovered that I was going to have to pull answers out of him. That was fine, I could live with that. What I couldn’t live with was being called “ma’am” over and over again like I was a senior citizen and this was some bizarre Driving Miss Daisy moment. Although… I studied Thomas the best I could in the darkness of the car. He could pass for a younger Morgan Freeman if I squinted and tilted my head a little to the right.

  “Tommy, call me ‘ma’am’ one more time and I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”

  Surprisingly enough, the deep baritone of his chuckle filtered toward the back seat. “I’ll refrain from calling you ‘ma’am’ if you’ll stop calling me ‘Tommy.’ How about that?”

  “Deal. Now quick, before we get there, give me all the dirt you have on Grayson. The man’s too damn perfect. I need something to hold against the stupid jerk.” I hadn’t planned on saying that last sentence out loud, but the words escaped before I had a chance to stop them.

  Thomas laughed at that. “I’m sorry to disappoint, ma—uh, Miss Lola. But there’s really no dirt to give. He’s a decent guy and a good boss.”

  “Well….” Think, Lola. Think! There had to be something. Those stupid, cheaply built walls around my heart were crumbling; I needed something to refortify them against that man. “How often have you done something like this? Pick up and deliver his dates to his house, I mean. I bet’s it’s a lot, huh?”

  “Actually, you’re the first.”

  “Really?” My question came out as a shocked squeak. I hadn’t been expecting that.

  “Mr. Lockhart doesn’t date all that often, but when he does, he rarely ever brings them back to his house. He’s had a few bad experiences.”