“Then he’ll call you when he knows,” she shrugged. “So try not to freak out until then.”
I took another swig of my drink. Easier said than done.
Just as I reached for a spring roll, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I nearly jumped out of my chair.
“Jeez, Liz,” Cressida hissed. “You’re going to give me a heart attack. Relax a little.”
I smiled apologetically and fished my phone out of my pocket, checking the caller ID. It said it was private, just as it had when I’d received the call about the interview. But that didn’t mean anything. Lots of people blocked their numbers these days. It was probably a telemarketer.
“Hello?”
“Ah, Ms. Paulson. It’s Todd Franklin.”
I paled. Cressida must have caught my expression because she dropped her spring roll mid-bite and ran around to my side, pressing her ear close to mine.
“Hi Mr. Franklin,” I said. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”
His breathy laugh crackled through the line. “I didn’t expect to make a decision so quickly.”
I waited, not even daring to breathe.
“I am delighted to offer you the position, Ms. Paulson. Your interview impressed me and I don’t believe interviewing the other candidates will be necessary after all.” He chuckled. “I particularly enjoyed your proposed dissection of the foyer. I look forward to seeing what you can do with it.”
I dropped the phone, which turned out to be fine since Cressida snatched it before it even moved an inch. She always had my back.
“Wow, thank you!” I sputtered. “I—I’m so excited to get started!”
“Please meet me at the residence at nine a.m. on Monday. I’ll give you the grand tour, and then we can get started. Does that suit?”
“Yes!” I practically shouted. Then, quieter, “Yes, I think that will suit just fine.”
“Great. See you then.”
“Bye,” I said. “Th—”
Cressida took the phone away from my ear and hit the end call button before I could finish my words.
“I was just going to say thank you,” I said, snatching it back.
She shrugged and walked back over to her side of the table. “You can’t blame me for being cautious,” she replied. “You get really weird on the phone.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but she was right. I’d accidentally told the pizza guy I loved him once as I hung up. She still brought it up anytime we ordered for delivery.
“So you got the job,” she said in a measured tone.
I nodded. “I got the job.”
“And it’s Friday night.”
“It is.”
“And tomorrow is Saturday.”
I nodded slowly, narrowing my eyes in suspicion. “Yes. That’s how the days of the week work.”
She grinned, eyes lighting up with mischief. “Then methinks it’s time to go celebrate, girl.” She grabbed a mozzarella stick and thrust it in the air like a beacon. “To the bar!”
3
Elizabeth
The pounding bassline resonated through my ears, driving deep within me like railroad spikes. And we hadn’t even gotten inside yet.
“I told you Repeat was too exclusive,” I grumbled. “We should have just gone to The Juniper Tree like we usually do.”
Cressida was swaying on her feet, though not from drunkenness. If there was music playing, Cressida was dancing to it. Most of the time it seemed more subconscious than anything else.
“And I told you,” she said, “The Juniper Tree is no place to celebrate getting your dream job.” She smiled and batted her lashes at a passing stranger with dreamy blue eyes. “When you’re the best, you deserve the best.”
Sighing, I returned my gaze to the bouncers at the front of the line. We were close enough now that I could almost smell the sweat and bad decisions coming from inside. The buzz from my wine, however, had worn off half an hour ago.
“Relax, Liz.” Cressida punched me lightly on the arm. “Good things come to those who wait.”
Whether anything good would come out of this remained to be seen.
I was being cranky and Cressida didn’t deserve it. Not after she’d made me food and listened to me gripe about my job interview. Not after she’d dropped everything she was doing to get me out on the town as soon as I got the call from Todd.
I plastered on a smile and decided to enjoy the evening as best as I could.
The taller bouncer with the ginger beard finally waved us in, removing the velvet rope from our path.
“Here we go!” she whispered, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me inside.
We worked our way through the heaving darkness to the bar, where Cressida ordered us both a cocktail and a shot. I sunk my shot back with a grimace. It burned like hell.
“What the hell is this?” I asked.
Cressida waggled her eyebrows. “Good ‘ol whiskey.”
“It tastes disgusting. And it burns.”
She cackled and grabbed me by the hand again, jerking me toward the dance floor. We slipped through the cracks in the gyrating bodies and made a home for ourselves a little closer to the middle. Cressida always liked to be the center of attention. I didn’t mind. She threw off whatever emotion she was feeling and I sucked it up. In no time at all, I was swinging my hips and shaking my head like the world depended on it.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a still figure. Odd, since everybody here seemed to be moving.
I glanced over and suddenly everything around me quieted for a moment. My attention was fixated. Focused. I couldn’t even move.
“What is it?” Cressida yelled in my ear.
I jolted, my attention returning to the present.
“Sorry,” I replied, getting back into the groove. “I guess I zoned out for a minute.”
I chanced another look at the man across the dance floor. He smiled in amusement.
I hadn’t just zoned out, I’d had my mind completely wiped by the sheer attractiveness of him. He stood out in the fracas, tall and dark. But even from a distance, his eyes were piercing. And he had been looking right at me.
Cressida craned her neck to follow my gaze.
“Oh my!” Her breath blasted against my ear as she made herself heard over the music. “Were you and that guy just eye-fucking each other?”
A shiver went through me.
Were we?
I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “We exchanged a glance or two.”
Her grin ate up half her face. “Go talk to him!” she commanded. “He’s hot as hell.”
“Too hot,” I replied. “The kind of hot that gets you burned.”
Cressida rolled her eyes. “You’re always so dramatic.”
“I’m practical!”
She glanced over at my silent admirer again and her eyes bulged. I followed her gaze.
“He’s got a friend!” she exclaimed.
Tall, dark, and hot-as-a-blow-torch had been joined by another man. He was maybe an inch or two shorter, but still as tall and imposing as they came. His mid-length hair was sandy, and had clearly been styled to look like bedhead.
Thankfully, neither of them were looking at us anymore.
“Too bad,” I said. “Looks like their attention has strayed.”
Thinking that was the last of it, I resumed dancing. Cressida frowned but joined me. The next time I looked over, the men were gone.
I was hot, sweaty, and having one of the better nights of my life. Cressida and I landed at the bar with goofy grins and ordered two more cocktails and two more shots of whiskey.
It was still gross, but it was doing the trick.
My roommate elbowed me in the ribs, almost causing me to choke on my drink. “Look!” she hissed.
I glowered at her, rubbing my sore side, but swung my attention in the direction she was not so subtly jerking her head.
Across the bar, a pair of serpentine green eyes caught mine. It was the guy from the dance floor. My b
reath whooshed from my chest, heart beating at an even quicker pace than the high-powered beat of the pop music.
“Go talk to him!” Cressida urged, sliding my forgotten shot in front of me. “It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this.”
“I can’t go talk to him!” I insisted. “He looks like he took a wrong turn and ended up here instead of the cover of a magazine.”
Cressida nudged the shot even closer. “He’s probably thinking the same thing about you.”
“You know I don’t do one night stands, Cress.”
“How do you know that?” she asked. “You’ve never had one.” Cressida waggled her eyebrows at me. “Come on, babe. Who’s gonna know if you let loose for once in your life? What’s the worst that could happen?”
“And what are you gonna do?” I asked, trying not to let my bewilderment show on my face.
She grinned mischievously, her eyes darting to my admirer’s friend. “I think I can entertain myself.”
I groaned, but it was no use. I wanted to go talk to him so badly that my feet were tapping against the floor in their haste. I was just scared. Cressida could walk up to anybody and start a conversation. I, on the other hand, was a little more… reserved.
But what was I afraid of? Cressida was right—he wouldn’t be looking at me like this unless he was interested too. That or he was luring me into a timeshare opportunity, but if that was the case the joke was on him because I had no money.
Anyway, Cress was right. What was I afraid of, anyway? I was young, fairly attractive, and suddenly professionally successful. Didn’t I deserve a reward?
And he was one hell of a reward.
Was I really going to let my own stupid inhibitions keep me from enjoying myself, just this once?
“Fine.” I slammed the shot back and grimaced. “Let’s do this.”
I took one last look at the stranger, just to make sure he was still interested. He definitely was, and he seemed to know what was coming because he smiled seductively.
I gulped, but put one shaky foot in front of the other until I found myself in front of him. Cressida moved effortlessly beside me, slinking off to grab the guy’s friend by the elbow and talk in his ear.
Now that I was closer, I could see the faint trace of stubble on the man’s chin. I would have said he looked thirty to the day, with a jawline and cheekbones like a stone-carved statue.
My heart thumped again, the loud music the only thing keeping everyone around me from hearing it.
He’s even hotter up close.
“Hi,” I barked out.
The man turned away from the bar, facing me head on. He cocked his head to the side, studying me. “Hello.”
I barely heard his voice over the music but I could tell even then that it was silky as hell.
He leaned in and I gasped. His breath tickled my neck, sending a wave of goosebumps down my spine.
“I was hoping we’d get a chance to chat,” he said.
Get it together, Liz!
“I’m Elizabeth,” I said. It was an effort not to lean in further to his heat and heady scent. I inhaled the smell of pine, with a faint earthy undertone of musky heat.
“I’m Oliver.” He pulled back a little, spearing me with his gaze.
“What do you do, Oliver?”
He chuckled like I’d missed out on some sort of joke. Was I out of touch when it came to chatting up the opposite sex? I looked over at Cressida for reassurance, but she and Oliver’s friend were gone.
Oliver leaned in again, this time resting a hand on my waist. Heat flared in my core. How was that possible? He was barely even touching me.
“Elizabeth,” he said. “Come sit with me.”
I looked into his eyes, already dark with lust. Could I weather his brand of storm?
There was only one way to find out.
4
Oliver
She had curves that could call a sailor to his death, but that didn’t scare me. If anything, she should have been worried about crashing on my rocks. But it was too late for that now.
Her tiny hand wrapped around mine and I led us through the crowd as it parted around me. She watched in awe, flipping her auburn hair over her shoulder, eyes still scanning the dance floor for her friend. Damien had been entranced by the tall blonde since he first saw her. He thought it was fate. I thought it was testosterone.
The bouncer at the entrance to the VIP area nodded and let us through. I continued holding her hand as we ascended the stairs. Her skin was so soft.
“Is your friend meeting us here?” Elizabeth asked at the top of the stairs.
Almost the whole lounge was blocked off from the public eye, and the music was quieter. Muted.
I let out a derisive snort. “I hope not.”
I guided her over to one of the red leather couches in the corner of the room. She sank down onto it, hazel eyes fixed on me. She had such innocent eyes.
“I don’t normally do this,” she admitted.
I sat down, smiling at her. “And what is it you think we’re doing?”
Her eyes bulged. With red cheeks, she answered, “I wasn’t... I didn’t mean…”
God, I loved that. She was a woman who knew what she wanted, otherwise she wouldn’t be here. But she didn’t quite know how to ask for it.
“Relax, Elizabeth,” I said. “I just wanted to slip away from the crowd.”
Well, that was at least partially true.
She laughed at herself. “I’m such a complete weirdo. This is the second time today this has happened.”
I quirked an eyebrow at her.
“No!” she backpedaled. “I mean I’ve gotten super awkward twice today. The first time was this afternoon.”
She amused me more than I was used to. Normally, around now is when I’d switch the conversation to something a little more bodily. But I was curious about her.
Remember what curiosity did to the cat.
Despite knowing better, I couldn’t help myself. “What happened this afternoon?”
She relaxed back into the couch a little, tilting her head to look at me. Our knees barely brushed, but the electricity between them was palpable. I couldn’t wait to have her.
“I had a job interview,” she replied. Her full lips ticked up into a smile. “I screwed it up. Possibly insulted my interviewer.”
I laughed, genuinely amused.
“So you came out to drown your sorrows?” I rested my hand over hers against the soft leather of the couch, stroking the back of it with my thumb.
“Actually, we came out to celebrate,” she corrected. “Somehow I got the job anyway.”
Of course she did. I didn’t know anything about this girl, but I could already tell she was charming and bright.
“Congratulations,” I said. “In retrospect, perhaps your awkwardness was part of your charm.”
“Do you think it is?” Her cheeks were still a little pink in embarrassment, gaze hovering uncertainly between my eyes and lips. Sweet little lamb.
“Yes,” I replied.
I wanted to take her home. I wanted to spend hours showing her just how captivating I found her. I would make her scream my name over and over again, and when we were done I’d take her again just because I could.
But I was already breaking my own rules.
Never go for the girl who genuinely interests you.
Taking her home on top of that would only lead to more rule breaking, because my other golden rule was that liaisons like that could only ever happen once.
I could already tell that once would not nearly be enough with Elizabeth.
The young beauty furrowed her brow and looked uncertainly around the room. It was a quiet night and it was still early. We were alone in the VIP area. I could see the concern written on her face as she realized what she may have gotten herself into.
“What’s the matter?”
She looked down to where I still stroked her hand. “I don’t usually disappear with random strangers at a club.”
She shook her hair, letting it fling forward and off her shoulders.
“What do you normally do?”
She shrugged sheepishly. “Anytime I’ve met a guy at a bar, usually we dance a bit, share a sloppy drunken kiss, then I give him my number and go home to eat pizza alone.”
I laughed. “And how’s that been working for you?”
She winced and waved her hand in the international symbol for “so-so”.
I rose onto my feet and pulled her up. She stumbled in her heels.
“What are you doing?” she asked, staring down at the arm I wrapped around her waist.
I grasped her left hand and pulled her close. “We’re dancing,” I explained.
The electronic beats buzzed through the air, but I made a point to ignore them. We swayed to our own melody.
“This isn’t the kind of dancing I normally do,” Elizabeth said, finally relaxing in my hold. She rested her free hand on my chest. I spun her just so I could feel her rest it there again.
“That’s the point.” I leaned in close, lips skimming her ear. “None of this is going to be like what you normally do.” I moved down to brush the skin just below her ear. “It’s going to be… so much better.”
I felt Elizabeth’s hand bunch in my shirt as I spoke those words. I wanted to give her time to relax, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold off before I had to have her—especially if she kept doing things like that.
My eyes fixed on her plump lips, which were parted, when I pulled away to spin her again. She turned, smiling, and came back to rest against my body like she belonged there.
“So, is this normally the kind of thing you do?” she asked.
I chuckled. “Not exactly. I don’t remember the last time I danced.”
“Me neither.” She glanced down at her feet. “I’m not sure I’m doing it right.”
“You’re definitely not,” I laughed. “But it’s the effort that counts.”
Frank Sinatra crooned in my head, and the next time we were close I closed my eyes and blocked out the rest of the club. It was just me and Elizabeth, this strange girl whose warm body curved perfectly to meet mine. I hadn’t felt that kind of peace in a long time.
Billionaire's Bombshell Page 2
