Writing Mr. Right

by T. K. Leigh

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  A SUBTLE KNOCK SOUNDED on my apartment door and I rushed down the hallway, carrying a pair of strappy heels. I checked my reflection in the mirror, my smile wide. Tonight marked Noah’s and my one month “dating, not fucking” anniversary. I had a good feeling tonight would finally be the night he caved. It didn’t matter that Noah and I had already had sex and had been doing plenty of other things over the past few weeks to satiate our thirst. Excitement had bubbled in my veins all day as I wrote Avery and Jackson’s first sex scene. Thankfully, I’d been able to find a recent version of my original draft on one of my backups.

  Turning from the mirror and smoothing the lines of my silky red gown, a long slit showing off my leg, I opened the door. It felt like the breath was knocked out of me when I was treated to the sight of Noah in a tuxedo. I’d seen him in suits almost daily, but there was something about the crisp lines and contrast between the deep black and stark white that made me completely weak in the knees. He took tall, dark, and handsome to the next level.

  “Wow,” I exhaled.

  A smile tugged at his full lips as his eyes raked over my body. “I could say the same about you.” He leaned toward me, his breath warming my neck. “You look good enough to eat.”

  “Molly’s House of Pussy is open twenty-four hours a day,” I murmured, lost in the feeling of his lips on my skin. I was ready to combust with the amount of sexual tension that had built between us for the past month. I felt like a virgin who was about to offer her body and heart to the man she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with. In fact, I couldn’t remember being this eager when I had sex the first time. Then again, there was nothing romantic about losing my virginity in a fraternity house my senior year of high school. He thought we were soul mates. I just used him for his fake ID.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” He pulled back, winking, then handed me a long, narrow box.

  “What’s this?”

  “Just a little something I thought you should have.”

  I tugged the ribbon loose and opened the box, my eyes falling on the silky royal blue material. I pulled it out, giving Noah a coy look.

  “You thought I should have your tie?”

  “That’s not just any tie,” he reminded me.

  “Oh, I know that. I have an impeccable memory.” I’d never forget tugging on this exact tie the night we’d first slept together.

  He licked his lips. “Then you should recall I wanted to save that for later.”

  I nodded, my heart rate picking up at the hunger and yearning in his clear blue eyes.

  “I believe later has arrived, Ms. Brinks.”

  A chorus in my head began singing “Hallelujah!” as electricity ran through me. I wanted to do a happy dance and tell the world I was finally getting laid tonight.

  I grabbed his hand and started toward the bedroom. I didn’t care about the dinner for some foundation he was on the board of. I didn’t want to waste a second.

  “Whoa!” Noah pulled his hand from mine, then locked me in an embrace. “First things first.” He planted a benevolent kiss on my lips. “We have to get through this evening.”

  “Why?” I whined. “Do you have any idea how frustrated I’ve been?”

  “All part of my master plan.”

  “Your master plan sucks.”

  “Perhaps, but just imagine how amazing it’s going to feel later on tonight.” He grasped my hand again, pulling me toward the front door. Spotting my overnight bag, he grabbed the handle. “Ready?” He raised a brow.

  “More frustrated than anything,” I huffed.

  “You and me both.” Winking, he stepped out of my apartment. I slipped on my shoes and found my clutch, then locked the door behind us. I followed him onto the street where a limo waited, much to my surprise.

  Thinking of all the fun we could have in the back seat, I didn’t even notice when I almost ran into someone.

  “Shit. Sorry,” I offered, then did a double take. “Drew?” I cocked a brow, studying his appearance. His normally scruffy hair was short and well-groomed, his beard gone. He wore a charcoal, tailored suit that looked impeccable on him. I hadn’t seen him this dressed up since his hockey days. “What are you doing wearing a suit?”

  “Molly.” He drew in a shaky breath. “I…,” he stammered. “I just had some business to attend to.” He tore his worried expression from mine. “Good to see you, Noah.”

  “You, too, Drew.”

  “Are you sure everything’s okay?” I asked. It felt like I hadn’t seen much of him lately. Between my deadline, spending time with Noah, and the girls being out of school for the summer, both of our lives had been hectic.

  “Yeah. Everything’s great. Better than great.” He smiled, reassuring me. “Listen, there are a few things I need to talk to you about.”

  My breath caught, unease visible on my face.

  “It’s nothing serious,” Drew interjected quickly. “But let’s try to get together for a drink sometime next week, okay?”

  My shoulders relaxing, I stood on my toes, planting a kiss on his smooth cheek. “You got it. Love ya, Drew.”

  “Love ya, too, Molly Mae. You look great tonight,” he whispered. “Noah looks good on you.”

  “I think so, too.” I gave him a smile, then walked to the waiting limo.

  “Ready?” Noah asked.

  “Yes,” I answered, although I really just wanted to get this dinner over with so I could spend the evening in a luxurious hotel room where Noah and I would do anything but sleep.

  He helped me into the limo, then slid in beside me. Once settled, the driver pulled into traffic.

  When Noah had asked me to accompany him to this gala, my gut instinct was to tell him no. I’d be surrounded by people on a completely different intellectual level than I was. I couldn’t help but think bringing me to something like this would make Noah realize I wasn’t good enough for him. Thankfully, Brooklyn had come to the rescue and convinced me nothing could be further from the truth. Now, as I looked down at my dress, I found myself reconsidering.

  “Everything okay?” Noah asked, cutting through my thoughts.

  “Of course,” I answered quickly.

  “Molly…,” he countered, a hint of caution in his tone. Regardless that we’d only been dating for a month, he somehow always knew when I was lying. Apparently, I had a really shitty poker face. “What is it?” He linked his fingers with mine. The contact comforted me, but it was short-lived.

  “Are you sure you really want to take me to this thing? You can drop me back off at my apartment. I’d completely understand.”

  His brow furrowed. “Why do you say that? You’re my girlfriend, Molly. Like I’ve told you before, I want everyone to know you.”

  “But this is different than just going to dinner with your college friends. You’re on the board of this amazing foundation that’s done so much to advance research to try to prevent Alzheimer’s. You’ve done so much with your life.” I lowered my eyes, avoiding his gaze. “I can’t compete with that. All I’ve done is write a bunch of books that are filled with a lot of kinky sex.”

  “Oh, is that all?” I could hear the sarcasm in his voice. “Most people couldn’t even fathom being able to do what you do. To make people fall in love with your words, to feel what your characters feel, to cry, laugh, and cheer with them.” He leaned toward me, his lips a breath from mine. “To be so turned on, they go jump on their spouses. That’s a fucking gift.” He ran his fingers down the line of my neck, the contact light as a feather. “You’re a fucking gift.”

  Noah’s lips met mine, his kiss tender, soft, reverent. I didn’t know how he did it, but he always seemed to know exactly what I needed to hear. For years, I’d masked my fears and insecurities in my sarcasm and writing. It was freeing to be able to finally give a voice to all these things I’d kept locked inside.

  “Are you sure I can’t persuade you to skip tonight and just go straight to the hotel room?” I nibbl
ed on his lower lip.

  “And waste such a stunning dress?” His hand skimmed my stomach, making me desperate for more of him. “I’ve been looking forward to dancing with you all week.”

  “I know a few horizontal dance moves we can do instead.” I wiggled my brows.

  He laughed, his smile reaching his eyes. “I don’t doubt that. Believe me, we’ll get to those. All in due time, Ms. Brinks.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  “THIS WAY,” NOAH INSTRUCTED as he led me into the lobby of a luxurious hotel across the street from the Common. My heels clicked on the marble tile of the cavernous entrance, people dressed in designer clothes surrounding me. He steered me down a long corridor and toward a palatial ballroom. Crystal chandeliers hung overhead, servers roamed the room carrying champagne on trays, and guests wearing beautiful gowns and perfectly tailored tuxedos milled about.

  Spotting the bank of restrooms just past the entrance, I turned to Noah. “Can you excuse me for a minute?”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Of course. I just need to reapply all the lipstick you kissed off in the limo, you fiend.”

  “I don’t think you’ll be complaining about that later tonight.”

  “Or sooner, if I have my way.” I winked.

  “Is that a challenge?”

  I gave him a demure look, then walked away. Able to feel a pair of lust-filled blue eyes watching my every move, I swayed my hips a little more than necessary and slipped into the restroom. Once inside, I locked myself in a stall, shimmying out of the pair of red silk panties. I grinned as I considered how Noah would react when he found out I wasn’t wearing anything under my dress.

  I scrunched my panties in my hand and left the restroom, spotting Noah chatting with a group of people. When he saw me walking toward him, his smile brightened and he excused himself from whomever he was speaking to.

  “What is it?” he asked, noticing the conniving expression on my face.

  “Let the games begin, Dr. McAllister,” I whispered, shoving my panties into his hand.

  He looked down, toying with the soft fabric, then shot his eyes toward mine. Stuffing them into the pocket of his pants, he bit his lip, his nostrils flaring. He brought my body against his, gripping my hip hard. “Are you telling me you have nothing on underneath this gorgeous dress of yours?”

  “How observant of you.”

  His hold on my hip tightened as he blew out a heavy breath. “You’re killing me, Molly.”

  “That’s the point.” I smirked.

  “You’ll pay for this later.” His tone was deep, guttural, hungry.

  “I do hope so.”

  “Dr. McAllister!” a voice called out.

  Noah shot his head in the direction of the voice, secretly adjusting himself. He cleared his throat. “Daniel!” He placed his hand on the small of my back and leaned toward me. “I’ll deal with your panty issue later,” he muttered. “For now, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

  “Great.” I plastered a smile on my face. Once I gave Noah my panties, I’d hoped we’d rush straight upstairs. No such luck. I was going to have to up my game.

  Skirting the tables and the hundreds of guests, Noah led me across the floor toward a man of average height with broad shoulders, sandy hair, and narrow eyes. When his features became clearer, I inhaled quickly, my heart dropping into the pit of my stomach. Bile rose in my throat.

  “Good to see you again, Dr. McAllister,” he said, shaking Noah’s outstretched hand.

  “You, too, Daniel. I appreciate the mayor taking the time to make some remarks here tonight.”

  “Not at all. As you know, his mother suffered from this horrible disease.” He offered a tight smile.

  “Daniel, this is Molly Brinks. Molly, this is Daniel Cardiff, the mayor’s chief of staff.”

  Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Daniel turned to me, his smile becoming borderline salacious. I wanted to smack it off his face. “Molly. Nice to see you again.”

  Noah straightened his spine, shifting his gaze between us. “You two know each other?”

  I blinked, wishing I could find a hole to bury myself in. I worried this day would eventually come. That I’d run into someone I used to have an arrangement with. I had shrugged those fears away. Most of the men I’d slept with in the past ran around in different circles. Now I was faced with a ghost of my past, and not even a good one. The idea of Noah learning about all my former indiscretions made me sick.

  “Oh, yes,” Daniel responded, still the slimeball I remembered him to be when he’d been my muse for a book about an up-and-coming young senator who fell for the daughter of his opponent. Things took a turn toward the end, making me attempt to write my next book without a muse to avoid going through the same drama with yet another guy.

  “I know Molly quite well,” he continued. The smugness in his gray eyes made my skin crawl.

  “Yes,” I said quickly. “It’s been a few years. How’s your wife?” I tried to hide the irritation in my voice. “Is she here tonight?”

  While my approach to dating could have been described as unconventional, at best, I refused to get involved with a married or otherwise attached man. Daniel lied to me, insisting he didn’t have time for a commitment or any other serious distractions. I took him at his word. He didn’t wear a band, and there was no tan line where one should be. I’d never felt as humiliated and guilty as I did when I saw him one day, a wife and two kids in tow.

  “Unfortunately, she couldn’t make it,” he responded, oozing all the professionalism he could muster. This man was the reason I hated politicians.

  “Please give her and the kids my best. The Museum of Science just opened a butterfly garden exhibit. You should take them.”

  His lips formed a straight line, his irritation with my comments loud and clear. “I’ll be sure to do that.” Adjusting his belt, he looked from me to Noah, offering him a curt nod. “I hope you both enjoy your evening.”

  “You, too,” he responded, smiling as Daniel walked away. Once he was out of earshot, Noah turned to me. “What was that about?”

  “Nothing,” I insisted. “The butterfly exhibit is really cool. I figured his kids would enjoy it. Alyssa and Charlotte did.”

  He studied me. “Are you sure?”

  My response to seeing Daniel was probably not the best. Still, I didn’t know how to tell Noah all the shit I’d done in my past, all the men I’d slept with. Men could hook up with a different girl every night of the week and be lauded a stud. If a woman slept with the same guy for a long period of time but refused to have a committed relationship, as I had done for years, she’d be labeled a slut. I couldn’t bear the thought of Noah thinking of me that way.

  “Of course.”

  “You’d tell me if there were?” The compassion in his eyes made me want to tear up. Nevertheless, I lied.

  “You know I would.” Wanting to move on and forget about seeing Daniel, I stood on my toes, nibbling on his earlobe. “Tell me,” I said in a throaty voice, “how are my panties? You seem to be keeping your hand in your pocket an awful lot this evening.”

  “Do you blame me?” His voice turned light. “I’m not going to lie, Molly. I really want to haul you upstairs.”

  “I won’t protest. Just a quickie, then we can come back down and you can do all your doctor schmoozing.”

  “There’s no such thing as a quickie with you. I told you before that you’re a gift. You deserve to be pampered, to have all of your desires and fantasies catered to. I need all night to do that.”

  “All night?” I lifted a brow.

  “That’s right.” He kissed me softly, sweetly, freely, with no reservations about who was watching. “All. Night.”

  “I do hope Sir Braveheart is nice and rested.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Come on. They’re getting ready to serve dinner. Eat up. You’ll need the energy.” He placed his warm hand on my lower back and steered me toward a table.

/>   ~~~~~~~~~~

  AS THE EVENING WORE on, I’d been able to relax and forget about the fact that a vestige of my past sat at the table directly behind me. Noah was right. His friends and colleagues had been impressed to hear I was a writer. Several of the females at the table had heard of me and read my column regularly.

  Glancing at Noah to see the pride in his eyes as I discussed my writing, I felt empowered, emboldened. So much so that I even mentioned my alter ego, Vivienne Foxx. Much to my surprise, quite a few people, both men and women, were familiar with my books. Once word got out, the conversation at our dinner table turned down a path I hadn’t been expecting. While most other tables probably discussed advances in Alzheimer’s research, the purpose of the evening, our conversation had been a bit on the naughtier side. Before Noah entered my world, I never considered what I did to be a real profession. He changed all that. I began to realize that Noah had changed everything.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said to him as we mingled by the bar with a few of his associates after finishing our decadent dinner of roasted lamb. If I didn’t think I’d look uncivilized, I would have licked that plate clean.

  “Are you okay?” Noah asked. I loved how concerned with my well-being he had been throughout the evening, even going so far as to keep clear of Daniel.

  “I’m great, but nature calls.”

  “You’re not going to come back and hand me a bra, are you?” He raised his eyebrows.

  “No.” I leaned toward him. “The only thing left is the dress,” I murmured. “And the shoes and jewelry, of course, but what’s the fun in that?”

  “Try to keep the dress on.” He winked.

  “I can’t make any promises.”

  Groaning, he stepped back. “On that note, I’ll let you do what you need to do.”

  I kissed his cheek, then headed toward the restrooms. After I went about my business, I checked myself in the mirror, reapplying more gloss to bring my lips back to life. Once satisfied with my appearance, I headed back to the ballroom. As much as I wanted to finally have some alone time with Noah, I loved how he showed me off, how he looked at me with such pride and adoration, how his hand always seemed to find mine.