Always With You

by Layla Hagen

  “You are not an oddball. You’re just... amazing.”

  “Thanks for staying the night,” Hailey said softly. I lay next to her, pressing my nose to the crook of her neck.

  “I want you to call me whenever this happens, okay?”

  “Why?”

  “So I can watch over you, break my back. Again.”

  “You could have slept in my bed, you know. Plenty of space.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind for next time.”

  She shifted in my arms, rubbing her hands up and down my back. “I feel guilty that you slept on the couch.”

  I pulled my head back. “How guilty?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Huh?”

  “Just so I know how much leeway I have... you know, in getting my way.”

  “Just a bit.”

  “To add to that guilt, let’s just say I have a stiff neck.”

  “Well, then, I guess I have no option but to let you have your way with me.”

  “I guess so.”

  “Sooo... what are we talking here? Staying in bed all day, watching Netflix?”

  “I can think of a few other things we can do.”

  “Like what?”

  I pushed myself up on an elbow, hovering with my mouth over hers. She arched her back lightly, lifting her head, closing the distance. I only gave her a quick, teasing peck before moving lower. She was wearing a short, V-necked nightgown. I placed an open-mouthed kiss on her belly, rubbing the silky fabric against her skin.

  I didn’t want this moment to end. This intimacy we were sharing was deepening my link to her, my need to be in her life.

  I moved between her legs, kissing her inner thighs, watching her grip the sheets and push her hips forward, searching for my mouth. I had an entire day to explore her, and I planned to do just that. Explore every nook and cranny, taste every inch.

  I twirled my tongue slowly, drawing small circles as I went further up.

  “Reid. You’re driving me crazy.”

  I pushed her nightgown up, her panties down. I heard her suck in a breath, drag her fingers across the sheets, bracing herself. I teased her clit before flattening my tongue against it.

  She rocked her hips back and forth, searching for more friction, demanding more contact. I obliged her, spreading her wide, giving her my mouth and my fingers until she clenched around me.

  I removed her nightgown completely, needing her naked. When I drove inside her, she clenched around me instantly. My vision blurred at the corners as I rocked back and forth, taking her over the edge again before succumbing to my own climax.

  As we both drew in deep breaths, I held her tightly. I couldn’t get enough of that lovely flush.

  “You’re adorable, woman. Can’t believe I was lucky enough to meet you.”

  Even through the haze of lust, I knew my words registered, because she tightened her hold on my shirt. And then wariness crept into her eyes, mirroring my own fear that this was too all-consuming, but I didn’t let that deter me.

  “So beautiful. Smart. Loving.” I kept whispering against her skin, enjoying the way she soaked up every word. This wasn’t just about lust and attraction. I wanted to let her know how special she was to me. I had this incessant need to keep that expression of pure joy in place, to join in on her joie de vivre.

  This feeling was lodged deep inside me, and I knew it wouldn’t let go. It was unlike anything I’d felt before, and I didn’t want to fight it. I wanted to surrender to it.

  She’d already changed something inside me, though I couldn’t put it into words because I didn’t yet understand it myself.

  “I see. So this is what you had in mind when you said you want to make sure I’m recovering, huh?” Hailey asked.

  “Among other things.”

  “Oh? Do tell.”

  “Patience, Hailey. We still have the entire day ahead of us.”

  She grinned. “Now, that’s what I call a promise. Bring it on.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hailey

  With its never-ending traffic, and low-carb, low-everything obsession, Los Angeles could try your patience on the best of days. This wasn’t even a remotely good day. There was some kind of parade in Hollywood, which made the traffic on this side of the city even more nightmarish.

  I’d been stuck in it for two hours to get to lunch with a client, only to find out said client ditched me because she didn’t want to brave the traffic. Did I mention I’d chosen a restaurant that only served low-carb meals especially for her?

  Despite all that, I happened to be in a good mood, which wasn’t my usual MO. But I found a salad on the menu that didn’t taste half bad, and I had a delicious man who sent me naughty texts.

  I’d sent him a picture of my lunch, lamenting the lack of dressing and the missing client.

  Reid: I’m having a sandwich. But I’d much rather have you.

  Hailey: Oh? Any special requests?

  Reid: Naked and on my desk.

  Wow. That was extremely specific. As if he’d given it a lot of thought.

  Reid: Take some time for yourself :-) You work hard, baby.

  And then he went and said sweet things like that. He’d been at it for the past two weeks.

  Part of me had been convinced he’d bolt after the whole freak-out debacle. He wouldn’t be the first. I couldn’t believe how caring he’d been, fussing about me the whole day. The whole of last week, actually. He’d been so understanding about everything that I didn’t even get to feel too embarrassed about it.

  His article came out last week, and since then, I’d been obsessively monitoring any mention of him, reading the comments section of the online version. There was a subtle change in the narrative people were spinning around him. Some were questioning Marion’s claims.

  I went back to my salad, taking out my agenda and surveying my schedule for the day, making some notes for the client I was supposed to meet today.

  A few minutes later, a familiar name caught my attention.

  “We have your table ready, Ms. Carrington.”

  I snapped my head up, glancing toward the entrance. Marion Carrington in the flesh. Just my luck.

  She had no idea who I was, and I planned to keep it that way. Engaging an opposing party was never a good idea.

  I couldn’t look away, though. She wore a long red dress hanging off one shoulder and one of those large-brimmed hats, and she was absolutely breathtaking. When she took her hat off, her wavy blonde hair bounced around her, as if she knew exactly how much pep to put in her step to get that effect. She probably did.

  She was even more beautiful in real life. It was hard to believe this angel-faced woman was such a bitch. I felt a wave of repulsion for everything she’d done: cheating, lying, but mostly, instilling in Reid the idea that his love wasn’t enough, that he wasn’t enough.

  She stopped in her tracks in front of me, and for a second I wondered if my animosity had been written all over my face, but then I immediately realized what had caught her attention. The agenda I was holding had the name of my agency embossed on it.

  “Are you their client or working there?” she asked without any sort of introduction.

  “Hi. Have we met?”

  “I asked a question.”

  “I don’t make it a habit to answer strangers.”

  “So you work there.” She plopped in the chair in front of me, waving the waiter away. “I heard my ex is a client of the agency.”

  “We do not discuss our clients with outsiders.”

  She smirked, crossing her fingers together over the table. “That’s okay, I don’t have anything to discuss. But if your agency knows what is good for them, they’ll drop him.”

  “Now you’ve piqued my interest,” I said mockingly, leaning forward and mimicking her pose. She stared at me, dumbfounded, as if wondering why I wasn’t falling at her feet. “Why is that?”

  “Because I’m gonna roast him good. Wouldn’t look good for the agency.”

 
“We have an excellent track record of helping our clients out of difficult situations. You’re underestimating our abilities. And completely overestimating yours.”

  Her eyes flashed. “I read that article in LA Lifestyle. You think that’s going to do anything?”

  Yes, I did, but I wasn’t about to share that with her. Several gossip outlets had since picked up the article, quoting parts of it. While he didn’t mention Marion’s name anywhere, the article did serve its purpose. People tend to think that a party admits its guilt when it stays silent.

  “You think he’s going to look good after I’m done with him?”

  “I think that you’re trying to intimidate me. It’s not working.” I looked her straight in the eyes.

  “Well, that’s unfortunate for your agency, isn’t it? I have connections in this town. Connections he doesn’t have despite all his money because he’s never cared about people enough to actually interact with them.”

  I wanted to throw in her face that she’d cheated—that she’d betrayed Reid deeply. I wanted to start a full-on fight, but I couldn’t do that. The second I revealed this was personal to me, I was at a disadvantage.

  “Maybe he just chooses the people he lets in very carefully,” I bit back, immediately realizing I’d revealed too much.

  “So, he’s your client. Then you probably know he has an iceberg instead of a heart. Cares more about those damn hotels than anything.”

  “I don’t judge my clients. I just do my job.”

  There, that sounded neutral, not like I was personally involved with him.

  “Good luck. Being with that man was such a drag.”

  “So why were you with him?”

  “Hoped I’d convince him to back up an investment round in my upcoming TV show.”

  Was she for real? I blinked, trying to keep my composure, when all I wanted was to lean over the table and slap her. I’d read rumors that she was in talks to develop a show similar to America’s Next Top Model, but this was.... She’d just used him? Who did that?

  “By the way, if you use any of this against me, I’ll deny it. It will be your word against mine.”

  “I know how to do my job.” I smirked. I couldn’t use this, no, but it did give me a better idea of the snake Marion was. Reid had been too much of a gentleman—he’d skipped over some details. My heart clenched. What if he still had feelings for her? This thing between us was new, but I couldn’t bear the thought.

  Despite her venom, I couldn’t deny she was absolutely stunning. She was tall and willowy, with skin so flawless, I wasn’t sure she wasn’t airbrushed. Was it her beauty that had blinded Reid?

  “If I were you, I’d throw in the towel before this gets too messy.”

  “That’s not my modus operandi.”

  “Pity.”

  “You’re interrupting my lunch, and I don’t really care about the point you’re trying to make. Feel free to remove yourself from my table,” I said dryly. If she stayed here any longer, I would lose my composure completely.

  She jerked her head back, then waved at the waiter again, and when he approached, she said, “I’m ready to go to my table now.”

  After Marion left, I stewed on her words for a few minutes. I was pissed off. With her, for being in the class of people I despised most: the kind who didn’t care who they hurt as long as they got what they wanted. And I was pissed off at myself too, because I was usually at the top of my game even when taken by surprise, but I hadn’t handled this well at all. I’d revealed too much, been too aggressive. So much for my plan not to antagonize her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Reid

  “Your mind isn’t on the deal,” Deborah said. She’d brought me some documents at the gym, where I was doing my fifteen-minute cycling session.

  “You’re right. I want to read the contract again carefully before I sign it.”

  “They’re urgent.”

  “I know.”

  But so was my cycling. It helped me refocus. I came down to the gym every day in between meetings.

  “I’ll read it later in my office on the computer and sign the printed version.” It took me longer than your average person to read, but for some documents, I preferred slaving over them until I understood every word versus text-to-speech. And I did have software on my computer that sped up the reading and comprehension process.

  “Very well.” Deborah gave a strange smile before leaving the gym.

  An hour later, when I placed the signed deal on her desk, she asked, “So, where’s your mind? On that pretty PR girl you’ve been spending time with?”

  I looked around, but everyone else was gone. I really was overworking Deborah.

  “What? Thought I wouldn’t notice?” She leaned her chin in her palm, smiling from ear to ear.

  “How did you notice?”

  She straightened, pointing a finger at me. “Young man, don’t distract me. I asked you a question.”

  I laughed. Others didn’t understand my dynamic with Deborah, but I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that I wouldn’t be here today without her. Hell, the name on the hotels probably wouldn’t be Davenport anymore. She was the office manager, but honestly, she’d been my mentor.

  “Yes, Hailey has been on my mind a lot.”

  That was an understatement. I found myself thinking about Hailey all the time.

  “I’m so proud of you, considering you almost had smoke coming out of your ears after her first visit to the office.”

  “That was because you blindsided me.”

  “And didn’t that do you good?”

  “Deborah, stop giving me shit.”

  “How is this giving you shit? I just want to know what’s going on in your life.”

  “Now you do. Anything else you need from me before the meeting with the developer starts?”

  “Yes. Your parents called about Bianca’s preprom party. They want to know what’s going on and if they can help.”

  “No way in hell. Just tell them I have it all under control.”

  “But you don’t,” Deborah pointed out. “I’ve received no instructions, so no one’s organizing it. Unless you have another assistant I don’t know about.”

  “Bianca and I are taking care of it personally.”

  Deborah squinted.

  “Yeah, yeah. I know. Risky business. But we really can’t do worse than my parents.”

  “Fair point.”

  Last year, for Bianca’s birthday party, they decided she was old enough to have an adult party. Read: five-course meal, a quartet playing classical music, and a goddamn waltz to open the dance.

  Her friends had bolted before the cake was even brought out, leaving my parents’ acquaintances as the only guests. It had bored me, let alone my little sister.

  The meeting with the developer took well over an hour. I was toying with the idea of opening a third hotel. A risky endeavor, but I was ambitious. He’d given me some food for thought.

  I wasn’t cocky enough to think I had all the answers. Sure, I had decision-making power, but I liked listening to other’s viewpoints, especially when they were backed up by hard data. He’d made some interesting observations about making sure the development wouldn’t go up above a certain liquidity threshold. I had to check with the finance department, but that could wait until tomorrow. Now, I had Hailey on my mind.

  God, I missed her. We’d gone to dinner a few times since the night she’d gotten sick, but a few hours here and there weren’t enough. I wanted her all to myself all night long.

  I called her as I strode through the empty office. Deborah had left too.

  “Hello, beautiful,” I said when she picked up. “What are you up to?”

  “Just deciding what to have for dinner.”

  “Might I suggest me?”

  She chuckled. “Not beating around the bush, are you?”

  “Have dinner with me. Spend the evening here.”

  Hailey was silent for a few beats.

  “That
would mean waking up at five to go home and change.”

  Fuck. Was she just worried about logistics or was she brushing me off? It wasn’t my style to back off, though.

  “You can stop by your house first and get a change of clothes for tomorrow.”

  “You, mister, have some very, very good ideas.”

  “Does that mean I’ve convinced you?”

  “Hmm... the honest answer is yes, but I feel as if I should play coy for a bit longer, you know?”

  I laughed. “No, I don’t know. But feel free to explain.”

  “Well, what will you think about me if I just agree right out of the gate?”

  “That you want to spend time with me just as much as I want to spend time with you.”

  “Now you’re really disarming me. Tell me more.”

  “You have to agree first.”

  “Playing this for all it’s worth, huh?”

  “Definitely. Have some aces up my sleeve but won’t reveal them until you’re here.”

  “I need an hour to get home and then to the hotel.”

  “I’ll be ready to impress you.”

  “Knock my socks off, mister.”

  I walked up to the penthouse smiling like a fool. I wasn’t one to dwell too much on feelings, but since Hailey had entered my life, I found myself smiling more, and it always had something to do with her. Her funny nature forced me not to take myself so seriously, and I was surprised by how much I liked it.

  “Here I am, in all my glory,” she announced when she stepped off the elevator an hour later. She was carrying a hanger with a red dress and a backpack, in addition to her shoulder bag.

  “Let me help you.”

  I slung the backpack over my own shoulder, then kissed her hard, wrapping one hand in her dark hair, tugging a little. I’d missed her even more than I’d thought.

  “Oh la la. That’s a mighty kiss,” she murmured.

  “Come on, beautiful girl. Let’s get you settled.”

  Hailey was silent as we arranged her things in the bedroom, but I didn’t think much of it until she said, “I ran into Marion today.”

  I placed the backpack carefully on the bed, turning to face her. “How? When?”

  “At lunch. She happened to be at the restaurant where I was supposed to meet my client, and she noticed the logo of the agency on my notebook. Came to talk to me.”