by KB Winters
“Remy! Hey, man. How’s life?” JJ greeted me as I stepped into his office on Tuesday afternoon.
I flopped into one of the wingback leather chairs and offered him the best smile I could muster. “I’m all right. How’s business?”
“Whoa, back up. I’m not buying it. What’s going on?”
“Are you a PI or a shrink?” I asked, half-heartedly joking.
The truth was, the whole Livvie situation had fucked me up. I’d stooped so low as to go clubbing to find a distraction, a last ditch effort to get Livvie off my mind, and even the pair of leggy brunettes I took back to my place weren’t enough to shake her. And believe me—the sight of those two going at it like they were high-schoolers experimenting at a slumber party should have more than done the trick.
Something was seriously wrong with me.
“It’s about a girl, isn’t it?” JJ asked. He sat down behind his desk and propped his elbows on the edges of the oak surface as he leaned in to prepare for my story.
I laughed and ran a hand through my hair. “God, this is so fucked up, but yeah. I need your help tracking a girl down.”
“Bro, this isn’t a dating service.”
“No, no. It’s a girl I’ve met before,” I said, giving him a sneer. He knew I had no trouble finding ladies to entertain me. He’d gone out with me a handful of times and had begged me to teach him my tricks. I’d tried, but then this girl, Amanda, came along and he got lost in puppy love like I’ve never seen before. They got married last year in Cabo.
“All right, start at the beginning.”
It took me less than ten minutes to tell him what had happened. Especially since I left out my mother’s disapproval of Livvie. JJ was technically on my mother’s payroll so it was already going to be a sticky situation to get him involved, but I didn’t know who else to trust. I’d tried to find her on my own but without a last name or any other information about her—it had proved to be pretty pointless.
“All right. So Livvie, most likely short for Olivia. Twenty-four. Just graduated, but we don’t know from where. Has a business, something to do with entertainment, but no name or place of business. Am I missing anything?” JJ asked.
I shrugged. “That’s all I know.”
JJ laughed under his breath. “Wow, she must be something special.”
I felt my chest tighten. “How so?”
He straightened in his chair and waved off my question. “Nothing, man. I’ll see what I can do. But to be honest, with this little information, it’s not gonna be easy.”
I nodded. In a city as big as Los Angeles, it would probably be even harder than the whole needle-haystack thing, but I was hoping that at least checking into it would somewhat relieve my overly consumed mind.
By Thursday, I had my answer. My phone rang as I was on my way into the gym in my building.
“Dude, I found her.”
My heart raced and I hadn’t even done a warm-up yet. Holy shit, the hold this girl had on me was starting to scare me. I paced back to the locker room. “Really?”
I tried to keep my voice cool, but I’m pretty sure it was an epic fail.
“Her name is Olivia Sanders. Her business is called Conquer Entertainment and she registered it with her name as the sole proprietor. So, from there I got her name, address, phone number. I emailed you a link to her social media feeds so you can see it all. And might I say, I can understand what all the trouble was for. Damn!”
I had to fan out a jealous flame. “Aren’t you still considered a newlywed?”
JJ laughed. “Have fun, man.”
We hung up, and I immediately logged into my email and tore apart all of the information JJ had sent over. I couldn’t keep my body under control. My heart raced and I was starting to get a stiffy just thinking about seeing her again. Her social media pages were flooded with pictures, little update posts, and opened up a very intimate, first row seat into all things Livvie.
The best part was that she had RSVP’ed to a new club launch downtown for the following night.
I saved the details to my phone and went back to the gym where I shattered some personal best records without feeling a thing.
***
The music poured into the streets and I could see the spotlights flashing in the sky before I’d even got in the vicinity of the club. I’d heard about the event months ago, but had passed it up. However, upon finding out Livvie was going to be there, I had quickly changed my RSVP from NO to YES.
My driver, Kent, pulled up alongside the curb and I surveyed the scene from the backseat for a moment, wondering if I’d waited long enough, I’d see her pass by. The sidewalk in front of the club was full of people—mostly women looking to get laid. I knew that inside would be even crazier and sleazier, and for the first time since JJ’s call, I wondered if I was making a fool out of myself.
As I sat there mulling it all over, I saw women wearing practically nothing parading by my car. I knew as soon as I stepped out, they’d be all over me like I was some fucking movie star. Once I’d been at the same party as some boy band superstar and I’d still gotten more pussy. The kid had gotten all pissed off and stormed out when he saw me scooping up all his ladies.
I laughed at the memory and got out of the car.
Just as predicted, every woman in my line of sight had their eyes on me as I made my way to the front of the crushing line. Any other time, I’d play the game and go home with a few of them—all at once—but tonight, I wanted Olivia.
I gave the bouncer my name, he checked his tablet, and ushered me right inside. Several women called out after me, begging me to go party with them, but I didn’t even bother looking back.
Also, as predicted, the inside of the club was ten times louder and more crowded than the street outside. I couldn’t hear my own thoughts as the music amped up in some beat made to get bodies on the floor as quickly as possible. The dance floor occupied the majority of the space and people were taking advantage of it. No doubt about it—as I scanned the room, I was pretty sure I saw more than just one couple fucking in the midst of all the other people dancing.
For the first time, an ugly, unpleasant thought crossed my mind. What if Livvie was here with another man? Trickles of jealousy crept over me as I searched the room even more laser-focused than before.
The room had two bars, one on each side of the floor. I went to the one on the right and ordered a whiskey from the very hot bartender. She looked young, like nearly too young to be working in a bar, and her top was so short that with every move she made, her tits were nearly exposed. The teasing effect had caught the attention of every other man at the bar and I smiled at the thought of how much she’d walk away with in tip money when the night was over.
Normally, this would have been my perfect opportunity. I loved situations where I zeroed in on the girl all the guys wanted to fuck and then showed up, in front of all of them, and walked out with her at the end of the night. The look of envy and anger on their faces was priceless. Childish, but fun. And it stroked my ego.
Not tonight, though. Unless things turned south, the only girl I wanted to fuck was Livvie. She had thrown down some sort of gauntlet and I wasn’t capable of giving it up until I’d made her scream my name.
As if on command, the crowd parted, just for the briefest fraction of a second, and I saw her.
She was at a corner booth with three other guys. They were talking and laughing and sharing a bottle of champagne.
This ends tonight.
Chapter Four — Remy
I snagged my drink off the bar, threw down some bills, and headed across the room. If my eyes were capable of shooting flames, everyone who stepped in my path would have been reduced to cinders. I had no game plan, no lines— just pure, unfiltered desire and a throbbing cock when I stepped to the side of the table and immediately brought a halt to the conversation.
“Remy?” Livvie looked up at me like there were stars in her eyes. “What are you doing here?”
�
�I came to clear up our misunderstanding from the other night,” I said.
The three guys at the table seemed to sense that I was in charge and they all immediately silenced.
Livvie’s face changed from surprise to irritation with the blink of her gorgeous, blue eyes. “I’m in the middle of a business meeting right now, so this chat you want to have will need to be put on ice.”
“Who are these guys?” I asked. I hated to acknowledge their presence, but I needed to figure out who they were so I could best figure out how to get rid of them. The things I wanted to say…and do…to Livvie were not fit for an audience.
At least, not tonight.
Livvie hesitated, her eyes darting between me and the three faces across from her. “This is Chad, Kyle, and Axis. They are members of Klang, a band that my company is very interested in working with.” She added the last part as an aside to the three guys. “So, as I said, whatever you came down here to say will have to wait.”
I stared at her for a moment. I didn’t know her well enough to know how she’d react, but considering how much I’d paid to track her down, I wasn’t about to leave.
She turned her attention away from me and I took the opportunity to slide into the seat, next to her. Her eyes shot to mine at the intrusion as she tried to scoot away from me as quickly as possible. However, the booth was already tight and she couldn’t put more than a few centimeters between us. I could feel the heat radiating from her body and desperately wanted to put my hand under the table to feel what she was wearing, hoping it was something that exposed some of her skin. I hadn’t nearly seen enough of her yet.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed.
This time, I ignored her and extended my hand across the table. “My name is Remington Maddox. You can call me Remy. I’m actually an investor with Miss Sanders. I want to assure you that I have the financial means and industry connections to launch you from playing for this shit to packing out stadiums, within two years.”
I glanced over to Livvie and she was stunned. Her face was completely slack and I could tell she didn’t know whether to hit me or kiss me. It was an amazing combination on her. One I had a feeling I’d be seeing on a regular basis if this thing between us was to continue.
“Wow, you’re Remington Maddox?” one of them asked—I had already forgotten their names.
Livvie arched a brow and I turned back to the gents. “That’s right.”
I lifted one of Livvie’s business cards off the table and studied it for a quick second before passing it to the guy in the middle. “So, you’ll give Miss Sanders a call, then?”
“Absolutely!”
With that, they shook hands with both of us and then scampered off towards the bar, likely to get plastered and celebrate their impending riches.
“What the fuck was that?” Livvie fired off as soon as they had been swallowed up by the crowd.
“Let’s go, it’s too fucking loud in here.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her up from her seat as I slid out of the end of the booth.
As she stood, I sucked in a breath, finally getting to see her entire body. Fuck. A tinge of jealousy swept over me as I thought about other men looking at her the way I did. The low cut black top she wore had some sort of sheen that made it look like wet leather, and the dark jeans looked as though they had been stitched to fit her every line and curve, molding to her perfect legs and…I spun her around…her ass.
“You’re gorgeous,” I said, spinning her right around again.
She pulled her hand away from mine and crossed her arms. “I already told you, I’m not available for hire.”
“I know. That’s why I came here tonight. I don’t want to hire you. I want to take you out. You know, on a date.”
The offer sounded foreign on my lips. I hadn’t asked a girl out on a date in God knows how long. Most of the time, the women I hooked up with were well aware of my intentions before we left the bar, club, coffee shop, gym, party or high-end shop. There was no need for a date. It was a cut to the chase, one and done—sometimes two and done, depending on the girl—and everyone went home happy.
This…Livvie…was flipping the script without even knowing it.
Truthfully, I wasn’t even sure when it had happened. But, I’d already gone to lengths unheard of before, at least for me, so I figured I’d let myself fall completely down the rabbit hole and see where I landed.
“A date?” she repeated.
I nodded to confirm. “Yep.”
“When?”
“I’m free now,” I offered, holding out my hand to her again.
“Well, I’m not. Remy, I have three other bands lined up to talk to tonight.”
“Aha. Well, let me help you, and then we can go get a drink afterward to celebrate your new clients.”
She stared at me, her arms still crossed, as if she was still trying to figure out if I was for real. She had already seen how powerful my name alone could be for her business, and I knew that had to sweeten the deal for her. When we’d met, one of the first—and only—things she told me about herself was in regards to her business. That alone told me everything I needed to know about it. This business of hers was one of the—if not the—most important things in her life. And if I wanted to find a way in, this was going to be it.
I got tired of waiting for her answer. “So, where do we find the next ones?”
She sighed and uncrossed her arms. “They come to me. I told them I’d be at this table, waiting.”
I squinted at her, not understanding. “Waiting? What if they don’t show up?”
She shrugged. “It happens. I can’t control what other people do.”
Hmmm. That was an interesting concept. Other than my mother, I’d always found it fairly easy to control others. It was all about leverage and motivation. As soon as I could unlock that, the rest was cake.
“After you, then,” I said, waving to her previous place at the table.
She gave me one more intensely skeptical look before sliding back into place. I slid in besides her, pressing in as closely as she’d let me, and then turned my attention to polishing off my whiskey. As soon as I set the glass down, a server, also skimpily dressed, came over and set down a refill.
“You got those on tap, huh?” Livvie asked, sipping her glass of champagne.
“I could have turned it away,” I said with a shrug.
“Well, yeah, but they already poured it. If you sent it back, they would have to dump it out.”
“That’s not my problem. They made an assumption that I’d want more. If I didn’t, why would I drink another just to make sure they weren’t inconvenienced or put out?”
Livvie sighed and took another drink from her champagne glass.
I reached over and studied the bottle in the center of the table. “Jeez, what is this shit?”
“Hey!” She slapped my hand away from the bottle. “Leave it alone. I like it and it was the best I could do.”
I pulled my hand back, more than a little shocked by her boldness. “Hmmm.”
I flagged a server down and ordered a bottle of their finest. When I turned back, Livvie was visibly not impressed.
“Was that really necessary?” she asked.
“Yes. If my name is attached to your company, I can’t have you giving away this shit to the clients.”
Livvie laughed. “Your name is not attached to my company. This is my baby. Not yours.”
“I see. Well, then, what are you going to tell those guys,” I asked, pointing to the three guys who’d left not so long ago. As I’d imagined, they were already two drinks into their celebration and had found some lady friends to join their party. “Seems to me they’re pretty set on the plan I just laid out.”
Livvie bit her lip as she stared at them, her sparkling eyes clouded with worry. She flicked them back to me and the fire instantly returned. “Yes, but you did that without my permission.”
I shrugged again. “Just say it.”
“
What?”
“You need me.”
Livvie flung her head back and laughed. “I need a lot of things, Remy. But I can assure you, a guy like you is not one of them.”
Her reaction stung, and yet at the same time, made me want to fuck her even more. She was a firework and I wanted to see the whole show.
“I’ll make you a deal. You let me take you out tonight, and I’ll invest in your business. I wasn’t lying before. I really do have connections to just about anyone you can think of in the music world. I can hook your clients up and have new ones knocking down your door, begging for your services. You’ll be able to charge obscene prices and roll in the money and perks of being a big-time boss in this town. Guaranteed.”
Her eyes narrowed at me as if trying to send me through her own, internal bullshit scanner. “Why are you trying to help me?”
It was a valid question. Less than a week ago, she was just some hot girl at an otherwise dull charity dinner. My initial plan had been simple—charm her right out of her sweet little panties. However, things had shifted and now she had me running in circles trying to chase her down. Which, for me, should have been a red flag. But all it did was make me hungrier for her.
“I like you. You’re different. You didn’t fall all over me,” I answered, not wanting to stall for too long and make her think I was lying or feeding her a line.
She continued to stare, her eyes wavering as she searched mine. “One date? No expectations?”
“One date.” I sure as hell had expectations, but I wasn’t about to let her in on those quite yet.
“Deal.”
She pushed back and held out her hand for me to shake.
Which I took, with pleasure. I flipped her wrist and brought the back of her hand up to my lips and pressed a soft, barely-there kiss to the ridges of her slender knuckles. Her eyes stayed locked on mine and I swear a jolt of static electricity shot between us at the point of contact.
Fuck, I needed to get her naked.
I released her hand and she took a sip of the first-class champagne the server had swapped out for us. I wanted to say something, to continue our conversation, but before I could get anything out, a grungy-looking group approached our table. I was about to tell them where the alley was—in case they needed fresh boxes to sleep in—when Livvie jumped up and pushed past me to greet them each as if they were long lost friends.
