Off Limits: Playboys of New York Series

by Low, JA

  “I’m fine.” He brushes himself off. “Are you?” He looks me over with concern written in his eyes.

  “I am now.” Wrapping my arms around him, I give him a hug. My body begins to shake as the shock of the situation hits me.

  “Chloe,” my brother shouts bounding up the stairs. “Are you okay?” He stops in his tracks when he sees me wrapped in Noah’s arms.

  “I think she’s in shock,” Noah tells him.

  “Did he touch her?” my brother asks Noah.

  “Yeah. But I took care of him.”

  “Thanks.” Elliot gives Noah one of those man nods.

  “Guys, I’m standing right here,” I remind them both.

  “You look a little pale.” Noah runs a reassuring hand over my cheek. “And you’re still shaking. Maybe we should get out of here?”

  “I’m coming,” Elliot states.

  “No. Please. No. It’s your night.”

  “You’re more important than this.” His face softens as he waves his hands around the space. “You’re my family.”

  Shit. I burst into tears, rushing into his arms and holding him tight.

  “I’m sorry, Chlo. I had no idea he was coming. He wasn’t on the list. I just—”

  “It’s okay…” sniffling, “… it’s not your fault,” I say reassuring him.

  How could anyone have known he’d turn up?

  “I’m going to go have a drink and calm down. Then I’ll be back partying away.”

  He doesn’t seem the least bit assured by my comments.

  “I’ve got her,” Noah tells him.

  Elliot slaps his friend on the back and lets us pass.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Noah links his fingers with mine and pulls me through the crowd, security shows him to the back exit, so we don’t have to run the gauntlet of the paparazzi. Noah pushes the exit door, and we’re in the gaming area. The bright lights and sounds of the games hit us immediately.

  “This way.” Noah pulls me to the side, looking for the lifts to his floor. “Why are these hotels so fucking big?” he curses, never letting my hand go.

  It feels nice. We walk all around the edge of the gaming room until we find the right lift for his floor. He swipes his keycard, and we head up to the executive suites. The doors close, forcing us into an awkward silence for a couple of beats.

  I stare at him, the florescent light which is highlighting his bruises. “He did a real number on you.” My fingers gently touching his skin. Noah winces ever so slightly as I come into contact with the open wound. “Your lip.” My finger gently traces over his plump lips. Noah looks at me through dark lashes. “Thank you for tonight.”

  He doesn’t say a word. His body’s tense, the adrenaline from the fight still coursing through him.

  Finally, we reach his floor, and Noah grabs my hand again and pulls me out of the lift. He swipes his keycard against the door and enters his room. He releases my hand and walks directly over to the built-in bar in his suite. Pouring himself a tumbler of something amber, he throws it back in one large gulp.

  “Noah?” Placing my hand on his tense shoulder.

  His head hangs as he places the empty tumbler back on the bar. Noah turns around, pain is etched across his face. “I couldn’t get there in time, Chloe.” What’s he talking about? “I saw him with his fingers around your neck and…” The look on his face almost breaks me.

  “Oh, Noah…” pulling him into my arms, “… this isn’t your fault.”

  He wraps himself around me. “I saw you from downstairs and couldn’t get there in time, Chlo. I tried. But there were too many people in my way.”

  Grabbing his face with my hands to stop him from blaming himself. “You’re a good guy, Noah Stone. And I won’t have you thinking any other way. You hear me?”

  Those green eyes widen. “If anything happened to you…” Noah whispers. The air between us changes.

  “Noah…” Not sure if I’m warning him away or desperately wanting him to move closer. The next thing I know he’s picking me up and placing me on the bar, pressing himself between my legs. His hands resting on my hips, those green eyes looking up at me, sparkling with need, but he’s hesitant.

  “When he said you were his, I saw red, Chloe.” Sucking in my bottom lip nervously I continue to listen. “Like you’re his possession.”

  Reaching out, I touch his bruised cheek again. He closes his eyes as my fingers explore his face, including the small cut at the edge of his lip.

  I shouldn’t be doing this.

  He’s my boss.

  My employer.

  He’s off-limits.

  Maybe it’s the adrenaline running through both of us after what happened because it’s the only reason why I choose the following action. Leaning down, I press my lips against his ever so gently.

  Strong fingers dig into my hips as we touch. I shouldn’t be doing this, but I need something to wipe away Walker’s touch from me.

  “Chloe…” My name sounds pained coming from his lips.

  “I know we shouldn’t be doing this,” I confess.

  “We shouldn’t,” he agrees on a whisper, but he doesn’t pull away.

  “Just one kiss,” I urge him.

  “Just one,” he agrees. His palm cups my cheek as his fingers dig into my hair, pulling me to him.

  His lips are on mine while I’m pressed against his hardening self. This is so wrong, yet it feels so good. His lips are soft, and he’s an expert kisser.

  Just a little longer and then I’ll put a stop to this.

  Noah intensifies the kiss, pulling me closer to him, and my legs wrap around his taut hips, pressing myself against him. Hands begin to roam as we tentatively explore one another until we pull apart, both of us panting as we move away.

  My lips are swollen—there’s tension running across Noah’s body.

  “I shouldn’t have done that,” Noah tells me.

  My stomach sinks.

  I know we shouldn’t have kissed, but I don’t feel like it was a mistake.

  Dammit! I’m such an idiot. Pushing myself away from him, I jump down from the bar. “I better go.” I’m attempting to collect myself before dying of embarrassment.

  “Chloe….” Noah grabs my arm. “Are we okay?”

  “We’re fine,” I say through gritted teeth besides the fact that it was one of the hottest kisses I’ve ever experienced.

  He lets go of me, and I move through his suite toward the door, but next thing I know Noah’s blocking it. “Chloe, talk to me.”

  “What do you want me to say?” Throwing my hands up into the air, I’m becoming angrier by the second, not only at Noah but also myself for being so damn stupid.

  “You’re angry that I kissed you. I get it. I shouldn’t have. I’m your boss. It goes against our contract. But I don’t want to lose you. You’re brilliant at your job, plus I value your friendship, too.” Noah’s words rush out, stopping me in my place.

  “I thought you thought it was a mistake,” I say quietly while letting my vulnerability show.

  “What? No. We shouldn’t have done it, but I wouldn’t change a thing.” Noah moves toward me, reaching out and pushing a stray hair away from my face. “You will never be a mistake, Chloe.” His kind words hit me dead in the chest and resonate through my body.

  “I know we shouldn’t have done it for so many reasons… but I agree, it wasn’t a mistake.”

  This makes him smile.

  “It’s going to suck going back to the office and having to watch those lips move and try not to remember how they felt against mine.” His thumb runs over my bottom lip sending goosebumps all over my body.

  “Did you really mean it when you said you value my friendship?” Noah’s hand falls to his side.

  “I did.”

  “I value yours, too.”

  He gives me a smile. “So, friends then?” he asks.

  “Friends and colleagues.”

  “So, it won’t be weird, if… um… you know…
” He shrugs nervously.

  “That I see you with a gaggle of supermodels?” Raising a brow at him, I ask the question which makes him laugh.

  “I don’t just date supermodels.”

  I roll my eyes because they all look like supermodels to me.

  “Most of those women I don’t sleep with.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Seriously. They’re just there to raise their profiles.”

  “So, you’re doing a community service to those poor, unfortunate, supermodels who don’t have enough likes on Instagram. You’re such a giver, Noah.” Sarcasm drips from my mouth, and it makes him laugh.

  “I do what I can. I’m a man of the people.”

  We both burst out laughing until Noah turns serious for a couple of beats. “We’re okay, aren’t we? I didn’t—”

  “Yeah, we are.” He looks relieved. “Thanks for tonight. Not for what just happened, but for saving me.”

  “I’d do it again.” And I believe him. “Don’t go,” Noah tells me. “Stay.” Raising my brow at him, not entirely sure what he’s suggesting here. “I know I’m irresistible, so it’s going to be hard for you to keep your hands to yourself.” I slap him. “Ow…” He smiles. “Just stay, hang out with me.”

  “You don’t want to go back to that party alone ‘cause all your friends seem to have abandoned you,” I reply, then smile.

  “Please don’t make me look like a lonely loser.” Noah presses a hand against his chest.

  “Fine. I’ll stay. But it’s going to cost you.”

  “Anything,” he adds quickly.

  “Don’t tell my brother, but I’m starving. The stupid waitress kept missing me with the finger food.”

  “Consider it done.”

  10

  Noah

  “This is so good.” Chloe licks her fingers, and my thoughts go straight to all the other things she could be sucking right now. I take a deep breath and count to ten and begin to think about gross stuff to keep my dick at bay.

  We’ve set ourselves up on the carpet in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows which look out over The Strip. It’s like a mini picnic. I ordered a heap of food, and we’ve been slowly picking away at it while drinking champagne and chatting.

  That kiss earlier was good. So good. So good that I want to do it again. My eyes are drawn to her plump lips as she talks, and I can’t stop imagining them against my own, which isn’t a good idea.

  We’ve both agreed friends and colleagues—it’s what’s best for the company.

  Never mix business and pleasure, that has always been Logan’s and my motto.

  But at this moment, having a picnic in my hotel room with a beautiful, intelligent, funny woman is making me question my ‘no workplace romance’ stance.

  Chloe’s relaxed. She’s changed out of her red dress and into one of my t-shirts, which is riding up her tanned legs as she lays back against the sofa cushions on the floor.

  “I bet you’re not used to a woman enjoying food like this.” She turns and looks at me.

  “It does suck taking a woman to dinner, spending all that money, and all she eats is air.”

  Chloe laughs. “You need to stop being so shallow,” she jokes.

  “I’m not shallow,” I argue.

  “Oh, that’s right, you’re the community service provider for unfortunate supermodels.” She chuckles, and I can’t resist throwing a bread roll at her.

  “Hey.” She throws it back. “Have you ever dated a woman bigger than a supermodel?”

  “I don’t date,” I tell her.

  She tilts her head at me. “Why not?”

  “One… I don’t have time. And two… I’ve seen what happens when a gold digger gets her claws into someone.”

  Looking down at the bread roll in my hand, I draw my eyebrows together. “Wow! That’s a little pessimistic.”

  Not many people know the story of why Logan and I are so guarded about our love lives. But I have a need to tell her, explain to her that I will never be any more than her boss, who she’s had a little flirtation with.

  “My father fell for his secretary. Cliché, I know. They had an affair for years.” That tight feeling in my chest returns when I think about it. “Mom got sick.”

  Chloe reaches out, her hand landing on my forearm.

  “She had cancer. It was quick.” Sucking in a deep breath while thinking about Mom always makes me uneasy. “Dad married his mistress two months after Mom passed away. Logan and I were devastated. We thought it was totally disrespectful to Mom, who was barely cold in her grave, and he’s off running around town with a woman half his age.”

  My anger bubbles to the surface.

  “As soon as she had the ring on her finger and no pre-nuptial agreement signed, that was it, Shelly turned into a monster. She demanded my father hire staff to look after her. She, in turn, treated them like slaves. She demanded luxury holidays. The latest couture. My father worked his fingers to the bone to provide for his new wife until he got himself into a huge amount of debt while we were in college. He was bankrupt, and guess what? Shelly disappeared with his business rival when the money stopped coming in.”

  This next part kills me.

  “My father lost everything… the love of his life, his business, everything he spent his entire life working for. Then he lost Shelly to his arch-enemy. He became a joke in his community. So, he ended it. Took the easy way out. Logan and I came home early one weekend and found him dead in his bed from an overdose. He’d been there for a couple of days.”

  “Oh, Noah…” Chloe moves, wrapping her arms around me, “… that’s horrible.”

  Trying to shake away the hurt from me, I apologize, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dump all that on you.” I don’t share that story with many people.

  “You don’t have to apologize. It’s your story.” She pulls me closer. “I get it.” Feeling her warmth all around me makes me feel good.

  “I lost my parents, too.” Looking up at her, I had no idea. “Plane crash. Faulty electrics. Bad weather.” Reaching out, I take her hand in mine. “We’re a pair, aren’t we? Great dinner conversation,” Chloe lightens the mood with a small smile.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened tonight, instead?”

  Chloe moves away and starts to tidy up the food. “There’s nothing much to tell.”

  “There is a ton to tell, but I’m guessing by the way you’re madly packing up you don’t want to talk about it?” She stops what she’s doing and sits back on the floor.

  “He scared me tonight.” Wrapping her arms around herself, she continues, “I’ve never seen him like that before. Like he’s gone mad.” Chloe shivers. “He’s never touched me like that. Never physically hurt me.”

  “I was downstairs and looked up to check on you, and that’s when I saw him with his hand around your throat. I tried to get to you, but there were so many people downstairs.” My heart thunders in my chest reliving that moment where I simply couldn’t get through the crowd.

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “I should have gotten there sooner,” I tell her, feeling guilty that she had to go through such a scary time by herself.

  “Still, not your fault. Walker hates to lose, and I guess me leaving him makes him feel like he’s lost.”

  “I think you should consider getting extra security at EJ’s place.” Chloe turns to me, a surprised look on her face. “I have a friend who lives in LA who runs one of the best security firms in the States. We use him for all our hotels.”

  “Don’t you think that’s a little much?”

  I give her an ‘is she serious’ look. “The way he said ‘mine’ gave me the creeps,” I tell her.

  “You might be right…” she hesitates. “I’ve been looking at moving out of EJ’s. Wanting my own space, but maybe I shouldn’t.”

  “What? No. You can’t let him stop you. We just need to be more vigilant.”

  “We?” she questions me.

  “Yes
, you’re part of The Stone Group now. We look after our own.” She nods her head, unconvincingly. “Look, I own a couple of brownstones side by side. The tenants have moved out, so it’s currently unoccupied. There’s a beautiful outside deck which is so rare in New York. It’s close to work. There are great restaurants and shops in the area. Central Park isn’t far. You’d be my neighbor. Interested?”

  Probably the stupidest idea you have ever had, Noah, putting temptation right next door to you.

  “So, you would be my boss and landlord, too?” She raises a brow at me.

  “I guess so.”

  She mulls it over. “Are you going to pop in to check up on me?” Her eyes narrow.

  “Not unless you invite me to.”

  “Are we going to carpool?”

  Hadn’t thought about that.

  “I run in Central Park most mornings, so probably not.”

  She nods. “Are you sure? I don’t want to cramp your style by being next door.” She gives me a cheeky smile.

  “Maybe it’s the other way around. I don’t want to cramp your style. A single, beautiful woman in New York, you’re going to have men knocking down your door. Lucky you’ll have extra security.”

  She gives me the side-eye. “After Walker, I think it’s going to be a long time before I even think about dating again.”

  “Don’t let one douchebag stop you.”

  Why the hell am I encouraging her?

  “I think I’m just going to concentrate on me for a while. You see, I have this boss that is a real hardass.” She giggles.

  “Your boss sounds like a great man.” Smiling at her, I don’t really have female friends, and it’s not because I don’t think males and females can’t be friends, I just never took the chance. Plus, I usually want to sleep with most females I hang out with on some level, and as much as I want to sleep with Chloe, I value her friendship more.

  Man, what does that mean? Shit… am I growing up?

  “He’s a good guy.” She gazes over at me. “I’m lucky to have him in my life.”

  “I think he’s pretty happy to have you in his life, too.”