Chapter Twelve
Autumn
Ayden kept his cool until we got downstairs and into the back of the town car. Then he looked up at the ceiling and held his breath. I knew it was sinking in when he let out his breath in one long drawn out sigh.
"Congratulations," I said.
He reached for my hand as he tried to steady his breath. "So all that really happened? And did I declare to Darla that you and I were together?"
"Not in so many words, but I'm sure she'll put it together and spread the rumors before we pull away from the curb," I squeezed his hand and could not stop a giggle from bubbling up.
Ayden lifted my hand and laid a warm, lingering kiss on my palm. "That was quite an impassioned speech you gave in there. You know that is the only reason they voted me in. Without your support, I would be nothing."
I shook off the tingling stars his kiss was crowding into my head. "No, sir, you built your reputation on your own. All I pointed out was that Knight Holdings could use a new leader that strikes a little fear into people. Jace, god bless him, was too nice. He attracted people like David in droves."
"I'm sorry, where to?" the town car driver asked.
"Take Mr. King home first, and then drop me at my condo," I told him.
Ayden blinked his glassy blue eyes. "I'm glad you've got plans because I'm not sure I know what to do with myself. What are we doing?"
"I'm giving you a very small amount of recovery time before I'm taking you out to celebrate. Meet me at No Limits in an hour, Mr. King." I brushed my lips along his fingers tips and was rewarded with a shaky sigh of pleasure from him.
"Now that's a little black dress," the bartender told me with a wink. She pushed back her riotous red hair and grinned. "I know you didn't wear that to woo me so tell me quick, who's the guy?"
"Not too short?" I tugged at the sky-high hemline. "Not to low cut?"
We both glanced at my plunging neckline and then laughed.
"I don't think those words ever factor into a man's opinion," she said. "Still, on you it looks classy."
"Thanks, Cindy, I don't know how I got myself so nervous, but I am."
"Oh, I think I have some idea," she said and nodded over my shoulder. Ayden strode towards the bar and heads turned in his wake.
He'd forgone his usual black on black suit for a bold dark blue suit with a white shirt. The crisp shirt was unbuttoned one notch lower than usual. He'd added a dab of pomade to his hair that made the black waves shine and when the scent hit me, I felt my insides turn feral. I wanted Ayden King more than any man I had ever met.
"Here, honey," Cindy said. "I think we both need one of these." She plunked down two shot glasses and poured tequila.
"Got one for me?" Ayden said when he reached us.
Cindy smiled and disappeared down the bar while he took in my dress. The tequila made me dizzy and impulsive, so I stood up and twirled.
"What do you think?"
Ayden caught my waist, his voice guttural, "I think if you want to stay for a drink you better stop teasing me."
His hand flexing on my hip was an almost forgotten thrill. I could not even remember the name of my last boyfriend, much less the disappointments, when Ayden was stripping me naked with his sinfully blue eyes.
"On the house, Mr. King. No one here is going to let you pay for a drink all night. We heard what you did for Jace," Cindy said. She placed the top shelf tequila bottle in front of him. "Honor to meet you, boss."
Ayden took one shot quick and sighed. "The manager is hovering behind me, isn't he?"
"Go shake some hands and have some fun." I turned back to the bar to chat with Cindy. He brushed back my hair and pressed a kiss on my cheek that drove my temperature up ten degrees.
"Be back soon," he whispered against my neck.
"Oh lord," Cindy exclaimed, when he was gone. "I think I should get the fire extinguisher too."
"It’s not funny! Are my cheeks on fire? What is wrong with me?" I screeched.
"There is nothing wrong with you, and a helluva lot that is right with you two together," Cindy declared. "I've known you through some questionable relationships, but this is one I can wholeheartedly approve of."
I shook my head to fan my hot cheeks. "You hardly know him. That's all based off his reputation. By the way, what do people think of that?"
"Proud. Everyone is proud. Jace was a leader to love, but Ayden makes people roll up their sleeves and work harder. They know they can do their jobs, and no one in the corporate world is going to trade it away. Not with that fierce force of nature as the head of the company," Cindy said.
"He's only the interim CEO," I reminded both Cindy and myself.
"Look at him. That man is ready to prove himself. He knows what he wants, and he's ready to get it. Speaking of, you need one more shot to cool off. Those are some red hot looks you're getting."
I took the prescribed tequila and caught Ayden's laser blue gaze from across the crowded nightclub. My insides sizzled though all he did was smile. I was glad the tequila spread a mellow warmth along my limbs to counteract the electric excitement of Ayden's attraction.
"That's right, boss. Let the rest come to you. You deserve another drink. Autumn can pour for you." Cindy winked at me and disappeared down the far end of the bar.
"Friend of yours? I love that you know everyone everywhere." Ayden said with a smile.
I remembered how many boyfriends had been intimidated about that. One even chastised me for it and said it made me appear slutty. Ayden's opposite reaction had me reeling for a moment before I held up the tequila bottle. "Another?" I asked.
"Yes, please and thank you. With that rat David finally in jail, I can relax." Ayden settled onto the bar stool next to me with a happy sigh.
"I'm surprised he got to you. I mean, he turned out to be a horrible person that did unspeakable things, but he was always so intimidated by you."
Ayden swiveled his bar stool to face me and inched closer until my legs were sandwiched between his. His laser blue eyes traced up my thighs to where the hemline of my dress rode too high. Then he licked his lips and took the second shot of tequila.
"David made me feel like I was still in prison," he confessed. "Every time I was around him, I felt the jockeying for position, the push and pull of dominance. It made me feel like I should always look over my shoulder when all I wanted to do was look forward."
He pinned me with a smoldering look that I felt to the tips of my toes. I shied away from his gaze because it sparked the need to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him until we couldn't breath.
"Oh, who's that?" The man across the room was like a frigid draft, and I felt the hairs on my arms raise up.
"What?" Ayden turned to look, but I stood up between his legs and distracted him. It was a night to celebrate, not send him into another fight no matter how creepy the man stared at me.
"Let's dance," I said.
Ayden stood up and slipped his hands around my waist. "I like the way you celebrate, Ms. Bishop."
"Just give me a second to tell Cindy something."
Ayden moved away to say hello to another one of the manager's VIPs. Cindy saw my look and came immediately down the bar.
"Do you know that guy over there?" I asked.
She glanced and curled her lip. "Oh, I don't like the way he's clocking you. Want him 86'd?"
"No, just help me keep an eye on him, okay?" I watched her nod as Ayden pulled me to the dance floor.
Ayden's wide shoulders kept the rhythm as his hands snaked around my waist and pulled me close. I could feel his muscles flex and undulate as he danced us to the middle of the floor. I should not have been surprised by the sleek control he had over his body, but the sexy ease of his dancing surprised me.
"Not bad for an ex-con, right?" he grinned down at me as we danced.
Our bodies slipped into a groove and the whole packed dance floor spun away. All I knew was his flat stomach against me, the intoxicating smell of his soap, and the blazing fireworks his fingers caused, as they trailed up and down my arms. It could have been two minutes or two hours by the time the song ended and Ayden decided we needed another drink.
Cindy was waiting. "Sorry to say but your guy over there got worse. Definitely not your average gawker."
"What guy? Gawking?" Ayden's black hair flashed as he looked around.
"It’s nothing. Thanks, Cindy, but I can handle it myself," I bit out between pursed lips.
"Sorry, honey. I know you can handle these things, but you don't need to. I'm sending security over," Cindy glanced at the creepy man again and grimaced.
"What kind of policy is that? We can't just say we don't like the guy's looks and kick him out," I countered. "Let's just wait and see what he does."
"No. No thanks. I'm not really a wait and see kind of guy." Ayden followed Cindy's eye-line and stepped into the crowd.
I grabbed his arm and used my whole body weight to haul him back. "It’s no big deal. It happens, especially at clubs like this. Jace trained his security guards to keep an eye on oglers. Nothing is going to happen."
"He's made you uncomfortable, and I'm just going to let him know that's got to stop," Ayden said. His clenched jaw was anything but civil.
"Sorry, Mr. King, I shouldn't have said anything. Autumn's right. Plus I've seen her castrate whole groups of guys with a look. There's no need to actually go over there and talk to the creep. Let's have another drink and forget about it. Problems like that are definitely below your pay grade," Cindy tried to convince him.
I could not hold him and had to let go of his arm or be dragged through the press of people. Ayden sliced through the crowd and headed straight towards the unfortunate man.
He was still staring at me with a ghoulish hint of a smile that flipped my stomach. "This is not good," I whimpered.
Cindy agreed. She sent one of her bar backs out into the crowd to eavesdrop on Ayden and the creepy man. The young man slipped through the crowd slower than Ayden as he collected empty glasses, but he was still nearby when the two collided.
"Okay, that's really not good. Everyone in a four foot radius stepped back except your creep show there," Cindy said.
Ayden's body language was beyond threatening. He stepped right up, toe-to-toe with the man and got in his face. The man tried to brush him off, actually daring to step to the side and peek over at me. Ayden grabbed him by the collar and hauled him back.
The bar back reappeared with wide eyes. "I think it’s a little more than just ogling you that's the problem," he said.
"Why, what are they saying?" I asked.
The bar back shook his head and gave the men one more terrified look before he disappeared.
Cindy wisely poured one more drink as we watched the exchange, and I was smart enough to take the shot even though my hands were shaking.
* * * * *
Ayden returned to the bar still bristling from his encounter with the stranger. Cindy took one look at his face and found other customers to check on.
"So, was that worth the energy?" I asked, still annoyed that he had gotten involved at all.
"I'm not just going to stand by and let some creep make you uncomfortable," Ayden muttered. He poured another shot of tequila and knocked it back.
"You were in his face for a long time. What was he saying?"
Ayden shrugged his stiff shoulders. "I don't know. A lot of nonsense. Turns out he just wanted a job, and he knew of you from word of mouth."
I gritted my teeth against a shiver. The idea of that pale-eyed man asking people about me felt as pleasant as falling into a dumpster. "His plan was to walk in here and make me uncomfortable until someone talked to him? Not the best way to impress a potential boss."
The man appeared one more time on the opposite side of the dance floor. He was heading for the door with security watching closely, but he still paused and looked at me one more time. Then, thankfully, he left.
It took some time before the pulsing music, partying crowd, and tequila warmed over the ice on Ayden's features. He started to relax, and the knot in my own stomach finally loosened. The man was gone, and we had lots to celebrate. After another tequila shot, I was even willing to admit that it felt good to be so instantly protected against any perceived threat.
"Sorry, it’s work," Ayden laughed. He pulled out his cell phone.
"Go ahead, you know me of all people can understand. The CEO can never take a night off," I said.
Ayden's blue eyes flashed and the sensation was like the strumming of a guitar in my chest. Happiness, I realized as he walked away. His expression had been simple happiness, and my whole body responded to it with a surge of joy.
He answered the phone, blew me a kiss, and headed towards the manager's soundproof office. I turned to the bar and was grateful for a relatively peaceful moment to process my reverberating heartbeat. The music thumped mercilessly, but I did not care. One single sky blue moment of happiness in Ayden's eyes was enough to lift me into the ether.
I was still floating high when two young men approached the empty stool next to me. The braver of the two offered to buy me a drink, but Cindy cut them off.
"Look at her boys. She's out of your league. Plus, I'm picking up her tab, so you can move along."
They moved along, but I felt the shyer one's eyes returning again and again. "Why couldn't someone cute and harmless like that have stared at me instead of some pale-eyed nut job? I mean, he had to know he was creeping me out, right? Do you think he kept doing it on purpose?" I asked Cindy.
She shrugged and then dodged down the bar to corner the bar back. The young employee backed away from Cindy until I was able to catch his sleeve.
"Seriously, I didn't hear anything. You need to ask Mr. King if you want to know what they were talking about," he babbled.
Cindy held out both hands and boxed him in. "Oh, you're not going anywhere until you tell us everything you heard. And you know I know when people are lying."
He turned from his boss and pleaded with me. "It's loud in here. I don't know what I heard."
"Why did it make you so nervous?" I asked.
The bar back swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "The man was really strange. He didn't even blink when Mr. King got in his face. All he said was he had a message for Ayden and 'the pretty little thing over there.'"
"What was the message?" both Cindy and I asked together.
"All he said was Ayden and, um, you had to honor the agreement," the bar back squirmed. "That's all I heard, I swear. Mr. King asked him what he meant, but that was all he said."
Cindy released her employee, and he fled around the corner to the kitchen. "You don't think that was some guy he knew from prison, do you?"
"No, Ayden would have said so." I rolled my empty shot glass back and forth on the bar.
"Well, he was lying about it being nothing. You spotted that too. I know you did. That man was not here to ask for a job. He was here to deliver a message." Cindy folded her arms across her chest. She caught the attention of the nearest security guard who came right over.
"Did you see the man Mr. King confronted earlier?" I asked, peering up at the mountainous man.
"Yes, Ms. Bishop. Didn't like him one bit. Clocked him right when he came in," the security guard grumbled.
"Did you hear what they were talking about?" Cindy asked.
"No, ma'am, but the bar back told me the weasel was here to warn Mr. King. Something about an agreement that needed to be honored. Made the kid nervous as hell because he said the guy threatened Mr. King. Told him it was his one warning, and if he did not honor the agreement, there would be consequences."
I rolled the empty shot glass away, my stomach churning.
"Thanks, Charles," Cindy told the security guard. When he was gone, she plunked both elbows on the bar and leaned her chin on her hands.
We stared at each other for a few minutes before I broke the silence. "Ayden did not know the man."
"Agreed."
"He doesn't know what 'the agreement' is," I continued.
"Agreed," Cindy stood back up. "The only problem is that our Mr. King's reputation might be attracting a certain type of person. You know, the type of person that wants to make sure he is intimidated before they attempt to do business with him."
We started listing the shady sort of businessmen we had come across in Las Vegas, specifically the kind that were known to soften up others before engaging them in deals. We could have gone on for hours. Instead, we narrowed the list down to five major players, but nothing made sense. The three men and two women on the list already had agreements with Jace.
"Everyone loved working with Jace, no matter what. And if they did, then they heard about how much he loved and trusted Ayden. So it has to be someone new or someone that Jace did not bring to the table," I figured.
"I don't know, honey," Cindy sighed. "Your company is a huge conglomerate, so your best bet is to ask you-know-who for more details."
She nodded towards the manager's office door. Ayden emerged and winked when he saw me looking. Instead of coming straight over, he went to check with the bouncers at the door and then surveyed the main club area. He took a circuitous route around the bar and finally settled down on the stool next to me.
"Anything for your business manager to do?" I asked him.
"No, just a major business partner calling to introduce himself." Ayden ordered a beer from Cindy.
"Good, because I hear your business manager is at the bar causing all kinds of trouble," I joked.
He cracked a smile and sipped his beer. "So what did I miss out here?"
"A pair of cute college boys you could have scared the pants off," I said.
Ayden raised a sharp black eyebrow. "They try to buy you a drink?"
"Well, I was sitting all alone."
He chuckled. "You know I do believe you can take care of yourself."
"If anyone lets me," I grumbled. "That guy earlier, for instance, you don't think I could have told him off my self?"
"Sorry, Autumn, it’s not that. It’s just I'm not about to sit back and let someone be rude to you." Ayden took another sip of beer to cover his frown. He still seemed on edge.
"I know you're lying about the conversation you had with that creep," I said point blank.
Ayden swiveled his barstool towards me and took my hands. "You know what I saw in the manager's office? A photograph of you and Jace in a team Jell-O wrestling contest. Are you going to tell that story, or do I need to ask Cindy here?"
Cindy laughed. "I almost cracked a rib I laughed so hard that night. It was a fundraiser for the children's hospital, so Jace dressed up like a superhero and Autumn was his sidekick. That man knew how to do a pratfall, that's for sure."
I was annoyed that Ayden had brushed off my comment, but the story was too tempting. "Mind you, Jace only lost to the really scrawny guys or the very pretty girls. He took down at least three of our own bouncers. All in the name of charity."
"And all in a giant pool of lime Jell-O," Cindy hooted with laughter. "We have more pictures back there somewhere."
"Yes, please!" Ayden reached out his greedy hands.
I slapped his shoulder. "That's not fair, I never once teased you about those awkward teenage pictures I found of you and Jace. I didn't even tell anyone about the one of you dressed as David Bowie."
"Until now, and now I will not rest until I too have seen that photograph," Cindy grinned.
The evening spun on with an endless supply of wonderful Jace Knight stories. The other employees dropped in and out, sharing their own memories. It was the best way to celebrate Ayden's take over as interim CEO. By the end of the evening, he was flushed and his cheeks ached from laughing.
It was the most natural thing in the world for me to get out and walk up the front steps to the mansion with Ayden, but when he tugged me towards the home office, I dug my high heels into the thick Persian rug.
"Why don't you take a look at the guest suite Jace had designed for me," I told him. It took one gentle tug on his hand to convince Ayden to follow me up the grand staircase to my rooms on the top floor.
"He designed it for you?" Ayden asked, with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, he'd already hired the designer, but he and his then girlfriend had a massive fight. Jace knew I pulled a lot of all-nighters, especially with all the charity galas and nightclub openings, so he let me meet with the designer and, voilà, my own guest suite," I explained.
I stood back and let Ayden open the doors. The first room was a round sitting room with a glass-domed roof. Fig trees and lemon trees stood in large cobalt blue vases against the rich cream and white striped wallpaper. Dark hardwood floor was covered with deep blue patterned rugs. The right hand wall boasted a fireplace with a curved hearth of smooth limestone. A wide dark leather sofa was covered in jewel-toned pillows and soft throw blankets.
"You mean all this luxury has been up here the whole time, and you've been sleeping with me on that lumpy bed behind the home office? I'm flattered," Ayden said. He snagged me around the waist and tugged me away from the light switches. "Think we can see the stars?"
I glanced up at the clear glass rotunda and gasped as Ayden dipped me back in his arms. The strength of his iron muscles under my back made it feel like I could lift my feet off the ground and float in his embrace. The moment our lips touched gravity lost its meaning.
My fingers dug into his shoulders, gripping on to him. He lowered me gently to the plush rug, but it wasn't fear of falling that had me hanging on. Ayden was too good to be true. The hard press of his toned body, the tender brush of his warm lips, and the sapphire shine of desire in his eyes were more than I had ever hoped for.
"You have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?" he groaned against my lips.
"Funny. I could say the same thing to you," I joked, until his lips stole my mirth and replaced it with a yearning hunger.
I could not get close enough to Ayden, our lips crushed, our tongues tangled, and soon I could not tell whose breath flowed in my lungs. He broke free once to glance towards the bedroom and the luxurious queen bed I had there, but the thought shattered when I arched my body against his. I did not want to give up one inch of contact for one second.
Ayden answered with a devouring kiss. His hands trailed up my bare legs to discover the impossible short dress had already shimmied up to my waist. He tried to suppress the growl in his throat, but I felt the rumble of his desire and answered with my own gasps of pleasure.
I kicked off my high heels and hooked my bare ankles behind his back. I needed him closer. I needed all of him. My fingers fumbled with his belt and all pretenses burned away under the blaze of our passion.
The heavy pressure of Ayden inside me brought a sweet relief, and then he began to move. The pressure built so swiftly I barely had a chance to breath before I cried out my release. He held onto me, his hands brushing back the hair from my face as aftershocks rocked my body. Then, with his blue eyes darkened by lust, Ayden locked eyes with me and began again.
The slow, deep connection wound tighter and tighter until I could not tell if I was gazing in his eyes or out the rotunda into the star-filled night. Then the stars exploded, and we came together, drifting back to earth in pieces to find ourselves entangled and satiated on the heavenly blue rug in my sitting room.