Fare Game

by Cade Haddock Strong

  Kay had just plucked an olive off her cocktail pick, but she winked at Riley and gestured for her to sit. The bartender appeared out of nowhere. “May I get you something to drink?”

  “Yes, please.” Riley nodded toward Kay. “I’ll have what she’s having.”

  “One dirty martini coming up,” the bartender replied.

  Riley scanned the room. The place had a pretty good vibe for a hotel bar. There was a decent crowd, but it wasn’t too packed and upbeat jazz piped through the speakers overhead. The bartender set a martini glass in front of Riley, added three plump olives and theatrically strained the contents of his shaker into it until the cloudy liquid reached right to the rim. Once he was gone, she slowly lifted it and looked toward Kay. “Cheers.”

  “Here’s to an unexpected night together in Tokyo,” Kay said as they gently clinked glasses.

  “Ah, that tastes good,” Riley said after she’d taken a few small sips. “It’s been a while since I had a good martini.”

  “I’ve been watching him,” Kay said, waving toward the bartender. “He’s quite a mixologist and his martinis are shaken, not stirred.” She tossed back the last few drops of her drink and set the empty glass on the bar. “So, what did you do with yourself today?”

  “I just wandered around the Ginza shopping district, and actually,” Riley tugged at her shirt, “I got this there.”

  “Wow, that’s beautiful,” Kay replied. “I love the delicate flowers that are sewn into it, and the color really brings out the blue in your eyes.”

  “Thanks,” Riley said, blushing slightly. “What about you? What did you do today?”

  “I went for a run, of course…”

  “Of course.” Riley was learning that Kay was a bit fanatic about her running regime.

  “After that, I did a little work and then went to the National Garden. I tried to read but I think I did more people watching than anything.”

  “The people watching in Ginza was out of this world.” Riley said as she twirled the olives around in her drink. “What are you reading, or maybe I should say, what were you trying to read?”

  “Promise not to judge me?”

  “Promise.”

  “A steamy romance novel. Kindles are a wonderous thing. No one can tell what you’re reading.”

  “No reason to be ashamed of that,” Riley replied. “Nothing beats a good romance novel. Gosh, life can be so hectic and intense. Sometimes it’s nice to escape.”

  Kay gave her a soft smile. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

  The bartender wandered back over. “Care for another round?”

  “Yes, please,” they replied in unison.

  “Do you want to just stay here and have dinner?” Kay asked once the bartender headed off to make their drinks.

  “Works for me. Let’s ask the bartender for menus when he comes back.”

  They ordered an array of appetizers and a bottle of red wine and settled into the bar for the night. At first, conversation centered around work, but eventually it turned more personal.

  Kay spoke about growing up outside New York City. “My dad was based out of JFK,” she explained. “Being a pilot meant he was gone a lot, but it also meant he was home for long stretches at a time. During those periods, he was a super engaged father. His schedule kept him from coaching any of my sports teams, but when he was around, he came to every single one of my games.”

  “What about your mom?”

  “My mom’s a pediatrician. She still works, although she’s cut back on her hours significantly. My dad has flight benefits with Logan for life, so my parents travel a ton. Paris is their favorite place to visit. On top of that, they’re trying to run a marathon in every state before their bodies give out.”

  “That’s impressive. Now I know where you got the I-must-exercise-until-I-collapse gene.”

  “Ha ha. Believe it or not, I’m the laziest person in my family.”

  “No way.”

  “It’s true. All my brothers play soccer, tennis, golf, you name it, and my parents have been avid runners for as long as I remember.”

  “So, is that how you got into running?” Riley asked. “Because of your parents?”

  “No, not really. As a kid, I was always active, but I hated running just for the sake of running. I’d happily run around the soccer field for hours but good luck getting me to do a 5K with my parents. No, running is something I took up on my own after college. I think I felt a little lost without sports after I finished school. I played sports all through college. Running not only helps keep me in shape, it’s also a really great way to clear my mind.”

  “I’ve heard you’re into marathons.”

  Kay nodded. “Yeah, I’ve done a few, mostly at the urging of my parents, but I’m not breaking any world records.”

  “I think you’re being modest.”

  Kay shrugged her shoulders. “What about you? Where did you grow up?”

  “Georgia born and raised. My parents live in Buckhead. They’re crazy conservative. I haven’t even told them I’m gay.”

  “Oh, wow, really?”

  “Yeah, I know. It sucks. I’m too darn chicken.” Riley could tell Kay was a bit taken back by this news, but she didn’t want to get into the myriad of reasons why she was still closeted to her parents, at least not right now. Instead, she moved on. “Anyway, my dad’s a lawyer and my mom stayed at home with us kids, although now that we’re all grown up, she does a ton a volunteer work and plays a lot of tennis and golf.”

  “Siblings?” Kay asked.

  “Yeah, I’ve got two older brothers. What about you? You mentioned brothers…”

  “Uh-huh,” Kay said, “Five of them, all older. My mom said she wasn’t giving up until she got a girl.”

  “That’s awesome. Things must have been insane at your house. Ours was pretty out of hand with only three of us. Tell me some stories about growing up,” Riley begged.

  Kay obliged and made Riley laugh so hard she almost spat out her wine.

  After dabbing the red liquid off her upper lip, Riley said, “That certainly wasn’t ladylike. My mother would be horrified.”

  Kay waved her off. “It’s my fault for making you laugh.”

  “More wine ladies?” the bartender asked.

  “I’d love another glass, but we should probably call it a night,” Kay said.

  Riley nodded. “Just the bill, please.”

  After they settled up, they made their way across the lobby to the elevators. Kay raised an eyebrow when Riley stabbed the button for the top floor. “Oh, yeah, I forgot you got the big upgrade.”

  Riley’s mind flashed to Kay’s earlier comment about being captivated by skylines at night. “You want to come up and see?”

  “Sure, I’d love to.”

  Kay’s eyes grew wide when she stepped in Riley’s room. “Holy cow, I can’t believe how massive this room is.”

  “You ain’t seen nothing yet. Follow me.” Riley made her way across the room but stopped midway. “Wow, what’s this?” she asked, pointing to a large metal ice bucket sitting in the middle of her coffee table, the telltale neck of a champagne bottle sticking out. A small white card next to the bucket indicated it was compliments of the hotel’s general manager. “No idea what I did to deserve this. Want a glass?”

  “Sure. I’d hate for it to go to waste.”

  “Will you do the honors? Opening champagne terrifies me. I’m afraid I’ll take someone’s eye out with the cork.”

  Kay unwrapped the foil around the top of the bottle and carefully wiggled the cork off with a towel, muffling the pop. She handed Riley a flute of the hissing liquid.

  “Cheers again,” Riley said. “Thank you for a wonderful evening, Kay.”

  “The pleasure was all mine. Now, where’s that view you promised?”

  She slid back the glass door to her balcony and motioned for Kay to step outside.

  “Shit, you weren’t kidding. This view is absolutely stunning.” />
  They stood side by side, sipping their champagne in silence. It was a clear evening and sparkling lights stretched as far as the eye could see.

  “I think I could stand here all night,” Kay said quietly, not taking her eyes off the skyline.

  Riley set her glass on the table and rested her elbows on the railing. “Yeah, me too.”

  Kay linked an arm through one of Riley’s. “Be careful. It’s a long way down.” They were standing inches apart and when their eyes met, Riley’s throat went dry. Her gaze drifted toward Kay’s lips and she leaned forward but hesitated, pausing to seek out Kay’s eyes again. They told her what she needed to know. They both wanted the same thing. She cupped Kay’s cheek with her hand and closed the gap between them, eliciting a whimper from Kay when their lips met. The kiss was soft and lingering.

  Riley pulled back slightly and whispered, “I’ve been dying to kiss you all night.”

  The breeze had blown some of Riley’s hair out from behind her ear and Kay tucked it back in place. “Me too,” she replied.

  Suddenly, Riley felt shy. She looked down at her feet. “You have?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Kay tugged them together and Riley sought out her warm lips again. This time the kiss was deeper, more passionate, and somewhere, in the back of her mind, Riley was aware she was kissing Kay Corbett, the drop-dead gorgeous VP who she’d lusted after for months. Kissing Kay was far better than she could have imagined. Minutes passed before they finally broke apart, and when they did, Riley’s limbs felt numb. She’d never in her life been kissed like that. The fire between them was undeniable. Kay literally took her breath away, something Riley thought only happened in movies.

  “You all right?” Kay whispered.

  Riley nodded but remained completely still. Kay reached for her hand and led her inside. They kissed for a long time before Kay stepped back and slid Riley’s new blue shirt over her head. Riley didn’t protest. She felt incredibly aroused. Kay slowly undressed her, stopping often to place soft kisses on her skin. Her body tingled as warm hands smoothed her bare breasts.

  Kay paused to peel off her own shirt and release her bra, revealing her full breasts. Riley’s fingers trembled as they traced Kay’s collarbone and drifted over her chest. They fell together on the bed, their bodies touching for the first time. Riley succumbed to Kay’s touch and let herself go completely.

  The sky was still dark, with only a hint of orange peeking over the horizon, when Riley woke up the next morning. She eyed the tall, trim body sleeping soundly next to her and smiled. She pressed her breasts against Kay’s bare back and placed a few soft kisses behind her ear.

  Without opening her eyes, Kay turned in her arms and smiled. “Morning.”

  Riley brought their foreheads to touch. “Morning.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Too early for a run,” she replied and snuggled into the crook of Kay’s arm. She closed her eyes and fell back to sleep. When she opened them again a few hours later, the bed beside her was empty. The sun was beaming in the hotel room window and she used her hand to shield her eyes. “Kay?” she called out. There was no response.

  She swung her feet onto the floor, padded to the bathroom and flicked on the light. There, tucked neatly beneath her toothbrush, was a note scrawled on hotel stationery.

  Riley,

  I have to catch my flight to London. You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t dare wake you. I had a wonderful evening. I’ll see you back in Atlanta.

  Kay

  As she brushed her teeth, she felt a mix of excitement and anxiety. Everything about the night with Kay had been amazing. Still, she had no idea how they’d ended up in bed together. She’d wanted Kay, there was no doubt about that, but she was not exactly in the habit of one-night stands, especially where a coworker was involved, and not just any coworker—Kay-fucking-Corbett.

  She spat out her toothpaste and stared at her reflection in the mirror. A million questions coursed through her head. Was last night a one-time thing? How did Kay feel about it? Was something more even possible between them? Would Kay brush it all off as nothing more than a quick roll in the hay?

  Chapter Seven

  Kay settled into her business class seat for the long flight from Tokyo to London and felt a quiver in her stomach as she thought back to the night before. Riley was an incredible woman. Beautiful, funny, smart and sexy as hell, and although she couldn’t put her finger on it, there was something about her, something really special. Kay couldn’t believe they had ended up in bed together.

  She’d been attracted to Riley since the first day they’d met, a day that was still vivid in her mind. They’d had the kick off meeting for the Kamadori project, and the moment Riley had walked into the conference room, she’d taken Kay’s breath away.

  Unfortunately, this wasn’t a simple case of mutual attraction. Riley was a coworker, a coworker who happened to be junior to her. They didn’t work in the same department, and Kay wasn’t her supervisor, so there was nothing in Logan’s HR guidelines that said they couldn’t date each other, but still, it wasn’t an ideal situation. On top of that, Kay’s life, with everything that was going on with Concordia, was complicated enough. Was it really a good time to be starting something new? Was it fair to bring someone into her life when it was full of so much chaos? Maybe I should have thought of that before I jumped into bed with her. She pinched the bridge of her nose. Why did things always have to be so damn complicated?

  “Anything to drink before we take off, Ms. Corbett?” a flight attendant asked, pulling Kay from her thoughts.

  “Just some water please.” She rested her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. Images of Riley filled her mind. It had been a very long time since someone affected her the way she did. Kay did not want to walk away. She wanted to go full steam ahead. She wanted something with Riley. Why should the mess with Concordia prevent me from following my heart? There were a million reasons why it wasn’t a good idea, but love didn’t always happen at a convenient time.

  The plane backed away from the gate a few minutes later. Once they were airborne, she nibbled on her breakfast and dug her nose into work before her eyes grew heavy, likely from the lack of sleep the night before. She closed her eyes and thought of Riley as she drifted off to sleep.

  With the time change, it was mid-afternoon on Saturday when Kay’s flight touched down in London. She hopped the Heathrow Express train into the city, switching to the Tube when she got to central London and surfacing a few blocks from her hotel near Hyde Park. She checked her watch. There was just enough time for a quick run before she was due to meet her friend Jessica for dinner.

  A few miles around the park did wonders to shake off her jet lag, and by seven thirty she’d showered and was on her way to the restaurant. She waved when she spotted her friend sitting in a small booth at the back of the old wood-paneled restaurant.

  Jessica stood and pulled her into a hug. “Kay. It’s so damn good to see you.”

  “It’s been way too long,” Kay replied as she slid into the worn red leather seat on the opposite side of the booth. “I haven’t been coming to London as often as I used to.”

  “We need to fix that.” Jessica pointed to her half-empty pint. “Want a beer?”

  “Nah, just a water for—”

  “Nonsense,” Jessica said, motioning toward the waiter.

  Kay relented and ordered a Guinness.

  “Since when are you a teetotaler?”

  Kay shrugged. “Just jet lagged.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Okay, fine.” A smile crept across Kay’s face. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

  Jessica gave her a knowing look. “You sly dog. Who was she?”

  “Promise not to judge me?”

  “Promise.”

  “A coworker, a younger coworker.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, ‘oh’ is right.”

  “A one-night stand with a cowork
er? And here I thought you were an upstanding citizen.”

  “Bite me,” she countered. She took a sip of her Guinness while she decided just how much to tell Jessica. They’d known each other since college and Jessica had always been a voice of reason. “The thing is, I really like her.”

  “Like you want something more with her? That kind of like her?”

  Kay nodded. “Yeah, but I’m conflicted.”

  Jessica’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, my God. Are you her boss?”

  “Shit, no. Come on Jess, I’m not that bad. We work in different departments and we just happened to be put on the same project. That’s why we were both in Tokyo.”

  The waiter appeared and they ordered some cheese and bread to share. “And I assume you aren’t seeing anyone else right now?” Jessica asked once he was gone.

  “No, there hasn’t really been anyone since Tabatha. That relationship left me a little jaded.”

  “I know, and that’s understandable.”

  “I’ve had a few flings here and there, but nothing serious.” She leaned back against the padded wall of the booth and let out a sigh. “Truth is, Jess, I’ve been so focused on work over the last few years, climbing the corporate ladder and all that, I just haven’t had time for—”

  “A personal life?”

  Her shoulders sagged. “Yeah, one of those.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Riley. Riley Bauer.”

  Jessica let out a deep laugh.

  “What’s so funny?”

  Jessica rested her elbows on the table and looked Kay in the eye. “The way you said her name. Your eyes sparkled and you got all dreamy.”

  “Did not.”

  “Did so.”

  Kay felt her face get hot. “I think I could fall for her.”

  Jessica sat up straight again, the expression on her face softening. “Just be careful.”

  “I will.” Kay drained her beer and set it back down on the table.

  “How are things at work? I mean when you aren’t screwing your coworkers.”

  “Ha ha, very funny. For the record, this is the first coworker I’ve ever slept with. But, to answer your question, things at work have been stressful, really stressful.”