Crew

If I were the type of man who expected anything from a woman I would have been sorely disappointed this afternoon when Adley didn't call or text me to thank me for the flowers. I didn't hold my breath waiting for that to happen. It wasn't because I had three meetings and a photo shoot for our new lipstick line to manage.

It's because Adley York is old-school when it comes to thanking anyone for a gift. If she doesn't write out a thank-you note by hand, she delivers the words in person in the form of an enthusiastic hug. 

As I watch her exit the elevator to the VIP level of the club, dressed in a sleek red strapless dress and matching heels, I already know what the first three words that pass over her pink-stained lips will be.

Thank you, Crew.

"Fuck you, Crew," she says as she approaches.

Why do I like those words so much more?

"It's good to see you too, Ad. You look like a dream."

"You're a nightmare."

She has no idea how badly I want her. Visions of me pushing her onto her back on one of the low tables and tasting her cunt get crossed with images of her bent over the metal railing that overlooks the crowded club while I inch up that dress and fuck her from behind.

"Did you skip the nap?"

That draws the corner of her mouth up in an almost smile. "I had a nap."
I wish I would have been invited along for that ride. If that were the case, she'd look a lot less rested, but much more satisfied than she does right now.

"Something's changed about you since this afternoon." I tap my index finger on my bottom lip. "Did you pick up a new attitude on your way over?"

I'm gifted with a full smile, perfect white teeth and all. This woman is beyond beautiful.

"You went to see Dr. Hunt today."

The man didn't waste any time. When I stopped by the clinic after seeing her, I asked him to keep our discussion private until I had a chance to tell Adley my plan, but so be it. There's always a workaround in my world.

"I did."

Her eyes rake over me stopping on my jaw. I shaved since I saw her this afternoon. Everything else is exactly as it was. Gray suit, black shirt, killer smile. I flash her one for good measure.

She scowls. "Why would you go behind my back like that? I need that job, Crew."

I lean my hip on the metal railing, briefly glancing over at the club below. We're as busy tonight as we are every other night. "You have that job, Ad. You're not going to lose it because you take some time off."

"I don't want to take time off."  Her shoulders go back. "The clinic is short-staffed. I can't just skip out without a good reason."

My hand itches with the need for a glass of something. I bypassed the bar on my way up here and sent the VIP staff down to the first floor so I could spend time alone with Adley. I'm regretting that now. "You have a good reason for taking a long weekend. Besides, you weren't booked to work next Saturday or Sunday. Monday is technically the only day you have officially off."

My words do little to placate her. She's vibrating from anger or frustration, maybe a little of both. "Explain to me why you did it because from where I'm standing it feels like you're trying to fuck my life around."

I am. I'm trying to take her out of her comfort zone so she can see the world, and us, through fresh eyes. I look into her stormy blues.

"When's the last time you took a vacation?"

Her chin drops. I know the answer to that because I've been a constant in her life since shortly after we met.

Reaching out, I rest my index finger on her chin and draw it up, so she's looking directly at me. "I'll answer for you. It was when you went to Vegas to visit Ellie. That was two years ago, Ad."

She can't afford to travel. I've never offered to send her on the trip of her dreams because she'd push back with so much resistance that it would damage what we have. This time is different. We're hanging by a thread of something that neither of us can define. 

"That was the last time," she agrees softly.

"My family owns a home in the Hamptons." I doubt like hell I've ever mentioned it to her before because I haven't been there myself in years. "Take the weekend to go there and relax."

"The Hamptons?" Her face brightens. "Is it close to the ocean?"

"It's oceanfront. You can hear the waves as you fall asleep."

She shoots me a look. "Part of the deal is you going with me, isn't it? You want me to spend three days in a house all alone with you."

That's the plan although it's not quite as cut and dry as she thinks. "You'll be in the master suite. I'll take up residence in one of the other bedrooms. I'm going to head up there on Friday morning to get the place ready for you. I'll be there for the weekend too, but I'll need to work. That will give you plenty of time on your own. "

"You're working this weekend, but I'm not?" Her brows lift. "This is the problem, Crew. You think it's easy for me to tap out of work but you can't pull yourself away from your own."

I stare at her for a beat before I say anything. "I can work remotely. I have endless resources but bringing the clinic and all its patients to Westhampton Beach isn't one of them."

She rubs her hand over her mouth trying to hide a smile. "So you'll work and I'll sunbathe?"

A jolt of desires races through me at the thought of her in a bikini. That's a bonus I didn't consider when I hastily planned out this trip.

I saw how ragged she looked earlier. She's driving herself to the edge without a safety belt. This is a break that she needs. "You'll sunbathe, read, swim in the pool, sleep, or whatever the fuck you want to do."

"Why are you doing this?" she asks with nothing but honesty in her expression.

"I don't think we can solve everything in this club tonight." I gesture to the dance floor with my chin. "This getaway will give us a chance to figure out where we stand. You'll have time to do your own thing. I'll cook for you and we'll come back here in a better place than we are now."

Her eyes meet mine. "I don't want to play Truth or Dare again."

I translate that to mean she doesn't want to kiss me again or do anything beyond that. I get it. If she felt the same insane hunger that I felt when our lips met, she's running scared. I'm not about to. I've never experienced anything close to that with a woman before. I want more. I know she does too. She can't mask her feelings as well as she thinks she can.

"You set the rules. I'm there to cook for you and hang out with if the mood strikes you."

Her lips purse. "I'll go, but I can do half the cooking."

I shake my head. "I need to come back to New York in one piece, Ad. Your talents are not in the kitchen."

She smiles that smile that tells me that I've got a chance. I'm taking it because if I don't, I'll regret it for the rest of my life.