Chapter Ten — Livvie

Forty-eight hours without Christopher’s smooth voice purring in my ear cleared my mind and helped me see straight again. It had been fun and exciting to be lost in his high-end world for a spell, but at the end of it, that’s all it had turned out to be. A spell. After I rejected his advances at the club, he’d backed off. The only problem was that I felt more or less back at the beginning of my crisis, at least as far as my business was concerned. Without Christopher’s pull, I was suddenly blocked from contact with club owners that only days before had been throwing out the red carpet for me. It wasn’t me they were interested in at all. It was Christopher’s ‘old money.’

***

“This is it?” I asked myself, straining to look up at the tall high-rise. I compared the address to the one on my phone’s screen, and it seemed right. But what would Kaylee be doing at a place like this?

I went inside and approached the front desk. “Hi. Uhm, this is a little weird, but can you point me in the right direction? I need to go to suite number 3258.” I flashed him the address on the phone for good measure.

“Ah, Mr. Maddox’s residence,” the man behind the desk said with a knowing smile.

My stomach twisted into a pretzel. “I’m sorry, did you say Maddox? As in Remington Maddox?”

Please say no, please say no, I silently pleaded, hoping my ears were just playing tricks on me.

The man’s smile faltered. “Yes. That is who you meant, isn’t it?”

Before I could answer, the front desk phone rang and the man swiped the receiver up in a fluid motion. “Okay. Yes, sir.” He set the phone back down and smiled over at me again. “You can go right up. He’s waiting for you.”

I looked back at the glass doors that I’d just stepped through and considered running through them as fast as I could and never looking back, but something pulled my gaze to the central elevator bank, and up the long, glass-encased tube that led up to the higher floors above me.

“Miss? Would you like an escort?” the man asked.

“No, but if you have any variety of alcohol behind the desk, that would be swell,” I quipped. I turned away before he could reply and marched to the elevators. I smashed the up button three times, taking out my instant irritation on the LED panel.

I rode the elevator up to the top floor and sooner than I would have liked, found myself standing in from of Remy’s front door. All of my emotions were at war inside of me, clashing and mashing together inside my chest, but I forced my hand to push the ornate doorbell.

Seconds later, the door opened and the devil himself was standing there, looking way hotter than I’d expected in a dark purple, V-neck t-shirt and a relaxed pair of jeans. The tattoos on his arms were showing and I didn’t know why, but it surprised me. Maybe because he’d always kept them covered in a long sleeve shirt, or jacket—and he’d definitely been working out recently. His hair was tousled and pushed back like he’d been raking his fingers through it all day, and his green eyes were laser-focused on mine with heart-stopping effect.

My heart.

“Livvie.”

It was one word, but that was all it took to destroy my wanna-be calm, collected exterior. Before I could fully launch into a tirade, Mitch and Kaylee stepped into view over Remy’s shoulder.

“Hey, Liv,” Mitch said, with a slight wave.

“What the hell is going on here?” I said, skipping over Mitch’s greeting.

Remy stepped back and waved me inside. I stalked in, my hands shaking as I cast a heated glance between my two employees—people I’d considered friends—right up until this moment. Seeing them in Remy’s house was jarring and I wondered what they were doing here.

“Livvie, I can explain,” Remy started.

I whirled back around. “I sure as hell hope so!”

“Calm down. I’m trying to help you. I’ve been working with Kaylee and Mitch for the last twenty-four hours and we’ve made quite a bit of progress,” Remy continued.

“I’m sorry, you what? Progress? You had no right to do this, Remy!” I exploded. “How could you guys go along with this? Without telling me?” I practically yelled at Mitch and Kaylee who were now huddled together like scared puppies.

“Livvie, we had to promise to not tell you,” Kaylee answered, her voice soft and sad.

“All right, slow down. Before you go off, let me explain,” Remy added. He reached for my hand but I pulled away and took a step backwards, bumping into an out-of-place file cabinet. “Livvie, please?”

My eyes darted frantically between the three of them. Kaylee mouthed, “It’s okay,” and I looked away, back at Remy. His eyes were intense but soft around the edges. Right now was not the time to melt. My heart was already pounding in my chest just looking at him and listening to his deep voice.

“Give us a minute,” Remy directed to Kaylee and Mitch. They nodded and disappeared down the hall. Remy watched them leave before turning his attention back to me. “I know you’re mad. But, I swear, this is only for your own good. Come here, I’ll show you.”

Without waiting, he started walking away and I had to do a half-jog to catch up. He led me into a room that had a couch, TV, and a few bookshelves filled with old books and fancy knick knacks. I wondered if he’d decorated himself, or if all the items contained on the shelves had been meticulously selected by a designer.

Once the door was shut, Remy took a deep breath. “I don’t need your staff to hear the nitty gritty here, if you don’t mind. God knows that the last thing I need is for word to get out that Remington Maddox is a broke joke.” He let out a sharp laugh at his own statement.

“Broke?” I repeated, arching a brow at him. “I hardly doubt that. I mean, what, broke in your world means you can’t upgrade your half a million dollar car on an annual basis?”

He didn’t so much as crack a smile at my joke and I got the feeling that I’d hit a little below the belt.

“I gave it all up. I told my mother to fuck off and I’ve officially been cut off from the family money. I drained my trust account and the personal savings I’d set aside and moved it to a separate account. I’ve distributed half of it to cover my general living expenses and such, of course, and the other half is for your business.”

“My—my business?” I stuttered, suddenly feeling the need to sit down.

“I have a slide show, if you want to see,” Remy said, turning my attention to his phone.

“Wait, slow down. I mean, back up. I don’t understand,” I said. The room was spinning and I really, really needed it to stop before I got sick all over his priceless carpet.

Remy rubbed the back of his neck. “Right. Well, truthfully, I was in talks to buy a restaurant with my personal savings—and that’s nothing to sneeze at. I told you, I’m not just some pretty boy, rich jerk. I’ve wanted a restaurant for a while now, I’m sure you can tell I’m kind of a foodie. I mean, how many guys have you gone out to dinner with that know what a flourless cake is? Or the right kind of wine to drink with Italian food?”

“Yeah,” I said, grinning. “I did notice you were a little more passionate about food than most, but what has this got to do with Conquer?”

“Well, I had an extensive three-year plan built around that dream. But, right now, you need it more than I do and I want to be a part of your dream. So, I pulled the money out of my project and invested it, for you.”

My chest felt like a truckload of bricks had been dumped on it, all but stopping my heart. I stepped closer and lowered Remy’s arm with a gentle push, forcing him to look at me. “Wow, you seriously did that for me?”

“Yeah, I did.” His voice came out thick.

“I don’t know what to say,” I replied.

“All I need is a thank you,” he replied, offering me a smile.

I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to tell him it was too much. The gesture was too grand, too extravagant, and too risky. But my mouth was dry and my mind was tangled with possible responses to the point where nothing came out when I tried to speak. I turned away and walked to the large-paned windows and stared out at the city streets below.

“Liv, I was kidding,” he said with what sounded like a slightly forced laugh.

“Kidding?” I snorted. “I—I just don’t understand, I guess. I’m trying to process it all.”

I felt Remy step closer. He joined me at the window, leaving barely an inch between us.

“Livvie, talk to me. What’s going on? Why aren’t you happy?” he asked, his voice a little shorter than before.

I snapped my attention back to him. “This was my dream, since I was a little girl. And I know I was kinda sucking at it big time, but it was mine, ya know.” I turned around to face him. The dark green flecks in his eyes nearly melted me on the spot. “I really didn’t want to take your help when you first offered it, but I knew it was the best shot I had—the only shot I had. So now, for you to do all this just feels like too much. It’s too heavy, way too much responsibility. Now, it’s not just me that’s on the line, it’s you, too, and…” my voice cracked. “Ugh. I’m grateful, but I think you made a mistake. I think maybe you bet on the wrong girl.”

Without another word, Remy wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled my body against his until my curves were melted up against the hard, firm lines of his torso. My lips parted, ready to object, but Remy’s mouth descended on mine before I could utter a sound. His hungry fingers searched my body, sliding down my waist and over my hips, anchoring me to him with a firm grip. He released me long enough to grab a fist of my hair and pulled my head back to expose my neck and collarbone, which he then inspected with his lips, tongue, and teeth.

I moaned as he made his way south, over the outline of my breasts, his hot breath steaming through the thin fabric of my shirt.

“Remy.” I whispered. My body wanted more.

Remy’s hands went up the front of my tee, over my stomach and traced a circle around my navel before skimming over each rib as he made his way to the lacy edge of my bra.

“I don’t want you to wear bras anymore. At least, not when you’re with me,” he growled, his fingers working to shove aside the silky cups. “These are too damn beautiful to keep in a cage anymore.”

“Are you talking about my tits or caged animals…?” I almost giggled but Remy’s lips closed in on my nipple and I sucked in my breath.

He continued his exploration and I arched back, pressing against him, desperate for relief. His tongue ran between my breasts to taste and tease my other nipple and I shivered, moaning at the feel of his hot tongue on my body. The sound of my own pleasure stirred me back to reality. I stilled my hands on his firm back muscles as he bent over my chest. “Remy! We can’t do this right now. Not here,” I said, although my plea was admittedly weak and breathy-sounding. Not at all convincing.

“Yes, we can,” Remy insisted, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me up into his arms. He ignored my protesting whine and resumed the intense search of my body as he walked over to the couch, clutching me against his chest.

He tore off my shirt and laid me out on the couch before returning his lips to my nipples. My brain turned off as my body took over, wriggling and writhing under Remy’s slow teasing when a noise from the other room startled me and broke my concentration.

“Shit,” I gasped, jolting to an upright position.

The noise stopped, but I pulled my shirt back on and gave Remy a delirious but sheepish look as I gathered my hair into a messy ponytail over my shoulder.

“That was a little crazy,” I said, smiling over at Remy.

“That was not even close to crazy. But, once we get rid of your friends out there, I promise to give you crazy,” he murmured into my ear before nipping at my earlobe.

“Shhh! Remy!” I squealed and he grabbed a handful of my ass and pulled his hips up against me before capturing my lips in another deep, hot kiss.

“We should probably get out there and finish up the work then,” I breathed against him as we rested our foreheads together in the aftermath of the insane kiss.

He let me go, and I straightened out my shirt and picked at the hem for a moment before tracing my eyes back up his body. I wanted more. So much more. My whole body pounded, filled to the brim with anticipation and desire. His eyes were wide and dark, the green all but hidden by his dilated pupils. His expression was that of a starving animal glaring at its prey.

And I was more than ready to fill his appetite.

Somehow, we both managed to keep it together for the rest of the evening, discussing business plans, marketing strategies, and reviewing potential office spaces, all while doing a magnificent job of not letting on what had really happened—but we were ready to jump one another as soon as Kaylee and Mitch went home for the evening.

And finally, three hours, twenty-five minutes later—I counted—we were alone and free to fully enjoy the rewards for our patience.