Chapter Five — Remy

“Wow, this place is crazy beautiful,” Livvie whispered after she’d spent a good ten minutes gawking at the view.

Her enthusiasm was contagious and I smiled big as I watched her. I’d taken her to my favorite Italian restaurant. One of my buddies ran the kitchen and he never turned me away—even if it was technically after hours. Before I’d taken Livvie away from the club, I’d excused myself and sent out an SOS text to see if he could hook us up with a rooftop table. He’d replied immediately and gave me the green light.

The rooftop dining area only had a handful of tables, but by the time we arrived, the tables had long been abandoned. Half-eaten dessert plates were the only trace that any other people had been there that evening.

Livvie was standing at the ironwork barrier at the edge of the roof, staring out at the view of the famed Hollywood sign and the hills with the entire city laid out before it, the twinkling lights and the unique buzz of the LA nightlife.

I admired her shape, even more enticing in the soft, yellow-hued lights that were strung above the tables and the glow from the lanterns and fire pit. Her top rose up a few inches in the back as she leaned over the rail to absorb it all and I clenched my fists to keep from placing a hand on her back and stroking her exposed flesh. And her ass…fuck, it made me hard just looking at it. She certainly knew how to wear a pair of jeans.

Unable to resist her pull any longer, I joined her and leaned out to see what she was looking at. “This is one of my favorite spots. Especially nights like this. Beautiful view, beautiful girl, excellent food.”

Livvie turned and smiled at me. “Beautiful girl, huh?”

“Very.”

“Hmm. Well, you’re not so bad to look at, either.”

I faked a gasp of surprise. “Oh, the ice queen is melting!”

She laughed. “Hey, it’s not my fault you majorly stepped in it the other night. I mean really, what the hell was that?”

“You bewitched me somehow and I got ahead of myself.”

It was halfway to the truth.

“I doubt that. You know what I think?”

“Hmm?”

“I think you’re used to women throwing themselves at you and that you gobble it up…literally.”

She flushed a little at her own bold choice of words and I wanted to kiss her so much my lips were aching.

“Is that so?”

She nodded. “I’ve been thinking and yes, that’s my theory.”

“You’ve been thinking about me, then?”

“Ugh!” She groaned but she was laughing. She looked back at me and shook her head, a grin still lighting up her face, making her even more intoxicating. “You need to focus.”

“Oh, I’m very, very…focused.” I leaned in slightly, my lips inches from hers. She slid the tip of her tongue between them, giving them a moist shimmer that was hotter than any lipgloss or plumper or whatever that shit is women use.

“You’re a player, Remy. Don’t try to deny it. You’ve probably brought hundreds of girls on little dates just like this one, all the while thinking about one thing.”

My pulse quickened and I leaned in even closer, just a whisper away from her lips, ready to kiss her and make her forget all her accusations.

She took a step back and leaned away, dodging the near-kiss.

I straightened, slightly rattled by her move. I’d thought I was getting somewhere. Somewhere very near to the next step in my plan, but Livvie knew how to throw a curveball.

“Am I right?” she asked, her eyebrows raised.

“Well, I mean, if you’re asking if I’ve slept with women before, then yes. I’m guilty.”

Livvie narrowed her eyes further, pushing deeper into me. “That’s not what I meant. It’s not a requirement that the guys I become involved with are virginal rejects—I just don’t want someone who is into the use-it-lose-it game. Not my style. And Remy, I hate to break it to you, but it’s written all over your face.”

“Ouch!” Her cutting honesty and harsh appraisal of my character and motives surprised me. I wasn’t angry with her for calling me out, but I was left a little confused as to my next move—which was a rare feeling—a feeling I didn’t like.

“Shall we order?” Livvie asked, turning her attention to the small table that had been set for two. A waitress was standing over it, arranging the flatware and being very obvious about the fact that she overheard our entire conversation.

I nodded and crossed the rooftop to pull out the chair for Livvie. She nodded politely and took her seat.

“So, then, why are you here?” I asked, once we were seated and the waitress had hurried off with our drink requests. “If you think I’m such a scumbag, then why agree to come here tonight?”

“You really didn’t give me much choice, did you?” she asked before sipping at her lemon water.

“Come on, admit it. You wanted this,” I challenged.

“How did you know I’d even be at that club opening? Have you been stalking me?” she replied, completely sidestepping my question.

Jeez, this was going to be harder than I thought. Which, in reality…should translate to the payoff being even hotter than I imagined.

She was staring at me, waiting for my answer and for a brief moment, I considered coming clean. Of telling her the truth about JJ, but decided against it. “Fate, I guess.”

Livvie laughed again and gave a slight eye-roll like she wasn’t buying it. “Fate? Mmm-hmmm…I see.”

“All right, you really want to know?”

“I do,” she replied.

I sighed. This whole thing was un-fucking-believable. I couldn’t believe this girl had me whipped. With the flick of her sapphire eyes, she had me spilling my guts.

“Truth is, I found your business website and tracked you based on a post there. I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since the other night and wanted to see you again.”

“So, then, we’re back to my original question,” she said. “Which was, why?”

If I was wearing a tie, this is where I would have reached up to loosen it. I desperately needed to take back control of this conversation before it got too far away from me.

“Because I want you. There, are you happy now?” I confessed.

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I mentally put my armor back up. No more secrets. No more revealing things about myself.

“Aha, so you can be honest. Congratulations. Now, let me be honest with you.”

I waited, loving her Cheshire grin.

She leaned in close. “You’ve got trouble written all over your face, and yet I find myself wanting to figure out exactly what kind of trouble that is.”

After her confession, she sat back again and sipped from her water goblet. I swear my jaw was in danger of hitting the floor. She tongued the edge of the glass, licking up a drop that had sweat on the outside of it. She was staring into my eyes as her tongue ran up the side of the glass and around the rim before sliding back behind her perfect, full pout.

Shit. Fuck.

If I’d been able to stand, I’d have grabbed her and pulled her from the restaurant right then and there. As it was, my cock had gone to critical mass inside my pants and there was no way in hell I was going to be able to get up until it went down. I was known around town as a bit of a playboy, and that was fine, but I certainly didn’t need to put my package on full display and I wasn’t ready for Livvie to know just how much power she held over me. Her instincts had already told her more than I wanted her to know.

The waitress arrived and poured each of us a glass of wine. I’d already ordered food for both of us, careful to avoid all dishes that were heavy on garlic or onion. A definite mood-killer.

After she whirled away again, the air pressure seemed to have released slightly around Livvie and me. The charge between us was still there, but seemed to have dialed back a few degrees—which was a good thing—if we were ever going to make it past the appetizers.

Besides that, I still needed to figure out what she was playing at. She’d said she didn’t want a player, and yet she had very obviously been flirting moments after announcing her revulsion at my lifestyle.

“Since you seem to have already figured me out, I think it’s only fair that I get to ask some questions. You see, I’m not quite as quick of a study as you are, so I’ll need more information before passing judgment.”

She flushed again and I wasn’t sure if it was from the deep sip of wine or a slight twinge of embarrassment at getting a little taste of her own medicine.

If she was going to call me out, I was going to dish it right back.

The girl could handle herself…and if my instincts were right—and they always were—she’d be more than capable of handling me, as well.

“Shoot,” Livvie taunted.

“Why do you want to get into the entertainment biz?” I started.

“Good question.” She laughed. “It’s kind of cliché, I guess. I had an unconventional upbringing. I bounced around a lot. A lot, a lot, actually. Umm. Anyway, I ended up moving in with my grandparents by the age of ten and they raised me. Music was one of the things that really grounded me during those years. No matter where I ended up spending the night, no matter who was with me, or who wasn’t, I could always plug in my little CD player and had a little piece of something that stayed the same, no matter what else was going on.”

Her answer sucked the oxygen out of my lungs.

She took another sip of wine and seemed to shake as if shaking away the memories.

“I don’t say all of that to get pity, or whatever. It’s just the truth. I’m a horrific singer, so I figured the next best thing would be helping people make music and get it out there in the world, so that maybe, in some small way, it could help other people going through rough times—you know, like it did for me.”

I nodded, still unable to speak. My mouth went dry and my eyes misted over. So much of what she said hit me right in the gut. It was impossible to say anything more to convey my thoughts. I needed to take back control, to change the conversation back to a less emotional subject. She really did wreck me in a fucked-up sort of way.

“Umm. As for why I want my own business, I guess that’s kind of the same. I want to be in charge and have the say-so over what happens. I want to handpick the people I work with, and make the connections I want to make. I’m picking unknown bands because if I can find just one gem, one diamond, and get them as high as they can go, I’ll be set for life and I can take care of myself and not have to depend on others for support and I can give back to the people that helped me.”

She stopped and took another drink before letting out a long, low sigh. “So, that’s probably all TMI.” She fluffed her hair nervously.

“No, no. Please don’t say that. I’m just blown away a little, right now. I’m actually really happy you told me all that. Listen, no matter what happens, I meant what I said at the club. I want to help you build your business. I know I don’t really know you, but something tells me you’re going to get it done, and if I can help, I want to.”

“Thanks, Remy.”

Our dinner arrived, and we munched away and turned the conversation towards much more lighthearted topics of conversation. By the time we were stuffed full of homemade pasta, fresh-baked bread, pesto chicken and glazed endive, I’d learned that Livvie was a huge book nerd, loved action movies just as much as sappy love stories, she detested slugs, worms, and centipedes above all else, and the self-declared craziest thing she had ever done was take part in some kind of naked bike ride on a visit to Portland during her freshman year of college.

Which was, in fact, pretty damn crazy.

Hours had flown by and the candles were burning dangerously low in their little lanterns. My friend had come out to check on us and made sure everything about the meal was up to par. We assured him it was. Things were winding down and Livvie left the table to go inside and use the restroom.

I watched her go, completely enamored with not only her perfect ass but with everything about her. She was funny, smart, and smart-mouthed, she didn’t make excuses or gloss over the harder parts of life, but she also didn’t let her past hold her down or hold her back from having fun. And she had heart. Something I hadn’t seen a lot of in my quest for the perfect pussy.

The door to the restaurant swung shut behind her and I immediately found myself aware of the silence and chill in the night air that hadn’t seemed to be there moments before.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and although I figured it was some drunk-ass chick wanting a booty call, I pulled it out to check.

It was Madge. Fuck. She never called this late. “Hello, Mother,” I answered.

“How dare you defy me, Remington. I told you, very specifically, not to get involved with that—that tart!”

I glanced around, wondering how the hell she could possibly know I was out with Livvie. Or how she even knew who Livvie was. I hadn’t given her any names.

“Tart? Are you serious? Mother, I can date whoever I want to,” I said, cringing at how pathetic it all sounded.

“Be careful of your choices, son. Some of them might have longer-lasting impact than you might think,” she said and then hung up.

She always had to have the last word.

I shoved my phone back into my pocket and tried to shake off her warning and the anger brewing up before Livvie returned to the table.

As I was pushing around the pasta on my plate, I had a sick realization. JJ must have ratted me out. It was probably not intentional. I’d left out the part where Madge had accused Livvie of being a hooker. Ironic, considering that was what Livvie had accused me of calling her the night we met.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I was about to go ape-shit when Livvie stepped back into view and all thoughts melted away at the smile she was giving me. I watched her come closer to me, taking it all in.

“You ready to get out of here?” I asked as she sat back down. “I can have them box up the flourless chocolate cake to go.”

“Okay,” she whispered.