Chapter 2
“He really said that?” Jane was leaning over her cocktail, staring at Christie with wide eyes.
Christie sighed and nodded, “Well it’s not like I’m making this up for my health, Jane.”
Jane nodded, “Yeah, I know but…well, I’ve never heard of this happening before!”
They were sitting at the bar. It was going on seven o’clock and they had been talking about this since arriving at the bar an hour earlier. Christie was still nursing her first drink, but Jane was on her second one, at least. Jane frowned, looking concerned, “So what are you going to do?”
Christie shrugged, feeling the dizzying dream swirl back up in her gut, “What can I do, Jane? I have to at least try, don’t I?”
Jane nodded and took a long sip of her drink, “I know, but…damn” She sighed and Christie saw real worry in her friend’s eyes for what seemed like the first time.
She wasn’t the only one feeling worry. That morning Christie had been filled with such optimism for her job, such surety that everything would be okay, that everything would turn out alright. Now, though, now she just wasn’t so sure anymore.
The meeting with Mr. Casey seemed surreal, and Christie’s guts clenched at the thought. The meeting had started off well enough; he had made a point of praising her performance and Christie had felt bubbles of happiness rise up within her. Hope had been well and truly in her grasp. Then it had all fallen away. With a sad look in his eye, Mr. Casey had explained that the company didn’t have the money to keep around fluff writers. He acknowledged that she was a good writer but they needed writers who could deliver the big stories right off the bat. She hadn’t been able to do that and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to talk the board into keeping her on board.
The regret and sincerity in his voice had seemed very real, but it didn’t make the blow any easier to cope with. In fact, Christie had felt physically sick.
Mr. Casey had looked at her frankly, “You still have a few weeks. If you can find a good story, I can convince the board. The rest of your work is impeccable, so if you can do that, I’ll be able to help you. If not…” he sighed and looked her sadly, “I will give you a good referral letter and I’ll have to send you on your way. I’m really sorry, Christie.”
It had been a difficult blow to take, but Christie nodded and thanked him most profusely. She had respectfully left the room, and it wasn’t until she was at her desk that she had grabbed a tissue and dabbed at her eyes, feeling the crushing weight of his words in all their entirety.
She had gone home as fast as she could without making a scene and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to pick herself up. She’d taken a long shower and made a point of shaving her legs and scrubbing every inch of her skin. She’d styled her hair, done her makeup and put on her best dress and heels.
She felt lower than she had felt in a long time, but she wasn’t about to let anyone see how badly this was getting to her. She had to keep her pride and look her best if she wanted to find this story. It was out there somewhere, if she just had known where to look.
Her brave new attitude, though, had not lasted long. The moment she saw Jane’s happy face, she thought she was going to start crying right there and then. Instead, they ordered drinks and Christie talked while Jane listened.
“Look, if I hear about anything good, I’ll let you know.” Jane looked at her honestly, “I mean, you just need one good story right? You can do that, I know you can.”
“Thanks.” Christie smiled, but she knew that it looked shaky.
Jane nodded, and then smiled, mischief lighting up her eyes. She never could stay serious for long. An hour of comforting and listening to Christie must have been some kind of record and Christie felt lucky that her friend had taken so much time to be serious and supportive.
That said, Jane was changing track now and Christie decided that it was best to just go with it. After all, she couldn’t let this beat her.
“Now, you need to take your mind off this for the evening.” Jane said with a grin, “The best way to do that is to find someone sexy.”
“Jane!” Christie found herself blushing red at her friend’s words.
“What?” Jane was grinning, “I think it’s the best medicine. Someone for a quick fling, not a full blown romance, if you catch my drift.” Jane winked.
She scanned the bar, her eyes falling on a man at the far end, “I’ll be right back.”
“Wait, I don’t-” Christie tried, but Jane was already out of earshot. Christie sighed and leaned back against the bar. She followed Jane’s path through the bar, her eyes falling on the stranger in the corner.
He was a big guy and Christie could see the outline of his muscles through his t-shirt. He wore a button-up over that, left undone and a pair of dark jeans. His eyes were piercing and Christie could see how blue they were from across the room. His hair was dark and he wore fingerless gloves.
Christie felt something inside her shift, her stomach tightening at the sight of him. There was something there that called to her in a way she didn’t understand, something that called her to talk to him. He wasn’t her type and anyway, she wasn’t looking to hook up. She had more pressing matters to attend to.
Still, she couldn’t deny that he was attractive. Maybe Jane’s taste in men wasn’t completely terrible. She didn’t have to wait long for Jane to storm back to her, “Forget him. He’s not your type.”
Jane’s words came out as almost a shout and Christie could tell she was angry from a mile away. She knew that look and she knew it well. Jane had been rebuffed. It wasn’t something that happened very often, but it wasn’t something that Christie would soon forget. Jane didn’t like being slighted.
Christie bit her lip to hold back her laughter. Instead, she scanned the bar to find someone that suited Jane’s tastes. She leaned in and whispered into her friend’s ear, “That guy’s been looking at you, you should say hello.”
Jane threw Christie a dirty look, “We’re looking for someone for you, honey.”
“I know, I know…but you don’t want to leave him hanging, do you?”
Christie smiled, “No, I suppose not. But you better go and talk to someone- you’re too much of a wallflower.”
Christie laughed as Jane walked off to the unsuspecting man at the bar. He seemed nice enough and she had a feeling those two would hit it off. Besides, it freed Christie up to have a less stressful evening, and to apologize to the man in the corner who Jane had all but attacked.
Christie made her way over to him, feeling a stranger sort of nervousness build in her stomach. She pushed it aside. She wasn’t looking for love, or for a hook-up tonight. She just wanted to apologize. There was no reason for the butterflies that tumbled around her stomach.
Christie’s breath caught in her chest and she smiled, introducing herself. “Hi, I’m Christie Carson.”
He was quiet for a moment, looking her over. Christie could see tattoos peeking out of the neck of his shirt, along his chest. They were dark and tribal looking and Christie found herself wondering what they looked like on his bare chest.
“Christie. So you’re the one she was talking about.” He snorted, a dismissive sound, and Christie felt the flames of anger stirring in her heart. Instead of acting on them, she smiled.
“Yes, that’s me. I just wanted to apologize for that. Jane can get a bit, uh…enthusiastic.”
He looked at her and raised an eyebrow, “Enthusiastic? She’s rabid.” He shook his head and turned away from her, leaving the conversation at that.
Christie felt the anger burn in her chest. Who was he to say that about her best friend? Christie wasn’t usually one for confrontation, and she wasn’t usually the type who stuck up for herself, but this was a different matter entirely.
This was a man who thought he had the right to insult her best friend, the only person who had ever befriended her in this new city, who had gone absolutely out of her way to make Christie feel comfortable, to help her get out of her apartment and out of her head.
Who was this man to judge her? Sure she was eccentric and she could be a bit much for some people, but there was no reason to treat her like that. Christie thought she was going to explode right then and there.
“Excuse me, but who the hell do you think you are?” Christie’s voice was quiet, but it carried across the distance with ease. She saw the man stop and shift his shoulders towards her to look at her again.
He opened his mouth, but Christie cut him off before he could even speak, “No! You don’t get to talk trash about my best friend and then make up some excuse. I don’t want to hear it!” She narrowed her eyes, “Men that have nothing better to do than to talk crap about women are the worst kind of men.”
Anger that she didn’t even know she’d been holding back, began to tumble out of her. “Jane is a hard working person. She works much harder than you ever could, and you have no right to insult her like that.” She folded her arms, “You’re at a bar. What, you don’t expect to be hit on? Why? Because it’s a man’s world? Get over it!”
By the time she finished, Christie was all but panting for breath, staring him down, daring him to argue with her, and daring him to make a move against her or Jane.
The man stared her down for a long moment with an intensity that almost frightened Christie. Then he smiled, “Always nice to see a woman with guts.”
Christie opened her mouth, but she didn’t know what to say. She felt heat flush to her cheeks.
“I’m Ace. Ace Norris,” He chuckled, and the sound was low and warm, “Look, I can’t say I’m in love with that friend of yours, but she’s not rabid, alright?” He chuckled again, “Usually a woman would run off in tears, or storm off to complain to her friends. If she’s really feisty, she’ll throw a drink, but that’s about it.” He leaned back against the bar and looked her over, “That was a breath of fresh air.”
“You’re a jerk.” The words were out of Christie’s mouth before she had a chance to recall them. She wasn’t sure how she felt. Something about him was aggravating but charming as well. Something about him made her want to punch him in the face and kiss him all at once.
“So I’ve been told.” Christie looked into his eyes and shivered as she looked deep into his blue eyes. She felt like she could stare into them forever, “Makes life interesting.”
“So you say.” Christie slid onto a chair beside him, leaning against the bar. Something about this man made her more confident than she usually was. He was not her type; not in the slightest. He looked bad. He looked dangerous. He looked like a one night stand and Christie felt reckless abandon take flight in her chest. She shuddered at the thought.
She couldn’t afford to lose her head, but the way he looked at her, with a dark, predatory sort of hunger made Christie’s heart quicken. When he leaned in, his breath smelt faintly of whisky but she could tell that he was not drunk.
Something in his eyes struck Christie. He looked like a man who was one hundred percent in control of his actions. He knew what he was doing and what he was saying. Every move was with intention, and Christie was curious to know what his intentions were about her.
Then Ace leaned in and Christie let him. His hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her in, and she let him, moving against him, feeling the tight muscles beneath his shirt. Then his lips pressed against hers and she kissed him back. It was electric.
Christie couldn’t remember a kiss ever feeling that good. It was fierce and passionate. Kissing him left her feeling swept up in the tide. She grabbed his shirt and held on for dear life. His hand was caressing her back, moving along the curves of her spine and Christie felt the warmth blossom between her thighs. She gasped and tried not to moan with pleasure and delight.
She wanted this man like she had never wanted another in her life. For once, she didn’t care about what happened in the morning. She didn’t care about the consequences of her own actions. She was going to live in the moment and enjoy every minute of it.
Something in this man called to her on every level, physically, mentally, spiritually. Something about him drew her to him and Christie welcomed it. Ace moved and before Christie knew it, she was pressed against the wall, his hands running down her curves, exploring the shape of her body through her clothes.
“Penthouse suite, the Pandora building.” His voice was breathless in her ear and Christie shuddered at the implications of what he said. His lips brushed the skin of her neck and he sucked on it, sending desire spiking through her, fierce and deep.
“Ace.…”
“Shhh….” His voice was soft. “I won’t hurt you.” He murmured and Christie felt herself relaxing. She trusted him, for some inexplicable reason, she trusted him.
When he pulled away, Christie found herself staring deep into his eyes. He smirked and Christie felt a shiver run down her spine, “Half an hour.”
Something about his words seemed forceful, and yet Christie knew she could walk away at any time. Something about that thrilled her. The lack of obligation when everything else was weighting on her and dragging her down.
And suddenly the thought occurred to Christie that maybe, just maybe, this was something that he needed too. Maybe, beneath all of his bravado, there was a man who was craving just the same way she was.
When she rested her hand on his, his eyes widened in surprise and Christie caught a glimpse of the outline of Ace’s manhood under his jeans. She liked what she saw. She murmured, “I’ll be there.”
Then she smiled, her eyes light with mischief.
“You better bring your A-game. I want the whole nine-yards”, she said. Her teasing was brash and bold and usually, it would have made her blush and stammer.
Now, though, in this moment, all it did was make her head swim with a giddy sort of freedom and with a playfulness that she thought she had buried with her ex.
This would be a new adventure for her and she wasn’t going to be stuck in the past. This was the new her and she was plunging into it head-on.
Ace smirked and Christie felt herself go weak at the knees, “Oh, you’ll get it. You have my word on that.”