Chapter 21
“You come here often?” Grayson was rewarded for his humor with a melodic laugh that warmed him to his toes.
“As a matter of fact, I come here quite a lot.”
“Hmm. I wonder why I’ve never seen you.” He continued to play the part as his gaze studied every curve.
She laughed again and turned to her friend.
“Mia, this is Grayson, my roommate. Gray this is Mia.”
“Nice to meet you,” Gray said, holding his hand out.
“I work at Hasher Borne too. Liss has told me many things about you.” She smacked Alyssa in the arm. “You said he was okay looking.”
“Okay? I’m only okay?” Gray complained with a frown.
“No, baby. You’re way more than okay.” Alyssa was a bit drunk, which made Grayson smile wider.
“Uh-huh,” Mia said with an eye roll. “I think I’m going to go take that blond guy up on his earlier offer. I can see we’re done here.”
“Thanks for tonight, Mia,” Alyssa said, resting her head lightly on the woman’s shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah. I know when I’m being replaced by a penis.” Mia waved them away with a smile as she got up and went to a table with a few guys sitting there. She shoved one of the guys in so she could sit down.
“She’ll be okay?” Gray checked.
“She’s fine. We know them.”
“How was your night?” he asked.
She shrugged and took a sip of the drink Gray had bought her. Maybe that hadn’t been a good idea. She was safe with him. He’d make sure she got home.
“Kind of boring actually.”
“You didn’t have any takers in that outfit?” Gray asked doubtfully.
“I had some offers.” She bit her bottom lip, not saying anything else.
“And…?” He sipped his beer going for nonchalant. Why weren’t they together? He could tell by her earlier reaction she wanted to be with him. Would she ever admit it to him? To herself?
“I’ve been out of the loop for a while.” She shrugged again, and he knew that was all she was going to say.
When she finished her drink, he held out his arm.
“Are you ready to go home?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She gave Mia a thumbs-up and Mia returned it while a guy was kissing her neck.
Alyssa was sober enough to walk in the heels, but Gray still put his hand at her back. Mainly because it felt so nice to touch her.
His earlier plan to give up on her abandoned, he kissed her in the elevator in their building. She had her hands on his ass, pulling him against her.
“I love these jeans,” she mumbled.
“I love—” He stopped. Now wasn’t the right time. “Love that you love these jeans.”
He helped her get undressed since she was a little wobbly. He even hung her dress up on the hanger.
“You’re a good guy,” she said as he handed over one of his T-shirts.
“But not good enough, right?”
“Too good.”
“Why would you say that?”
She didn’t answer, and went to brush her teeth. He took his turn when she was done. When he came out, she was crawling into his bed. A small piece of him wanted to tell her to go to her own room, so he could maintain the small detachment he’d managed to gain. The rest of him was happy for the reprieve. One more night.
He slid in on his side and she moved into her spot. They felt so right.
“We said we would be honest with each other, but what if I want to tell you something that will upset you?” he asked.
“I’d want you to tell me anyway. That’s what honesty is all about.”
“You’ve met my parents, you’ve seen how happy they are together—even when they’re picking on each other.”
“Right.”
“I always assumed I’d have that by now. Someone who laughed at my fish stories and told me to watch my cholesterol because she wanted me around for as long as possible.”
“You didn’t tell me you have a cholesterol problem.”
“I don’t. It’s an example.”
“Are you accusing me of wanting you to die early from an unchecked medical problem? Have you had your cholesterol checked? It might be hereditary.”
“I missed you tonight,” he blurted it out before he lost the courage. “I’m sure that breaks the rules, but I can’t help it. I can’t expect you to trust me one moment when I’m keeping my real feelings inside.”
She let out a breath and sat up.
“It totally breaks the rules, but I’m glad you told me the truth. Then I don’t feel so bad to tell you I missed you too. I was trying to convince myself I wasn’t getting attached, but the truth is that I only want to be with you,” she admitted. “I don’t know what to do next.”
“It doesn’t matter. We’re together now. We’ll figure the rest out later.” He pulled her closer, not having an answer but relieved she hadn’t shut him down. Her admission should have made him happy, but she seemed so heartbroken, he couldn’t feel any real happiness.
“Don’t let me go.” Her voice faltered.
“Never,” he promised. This was how it should always be.
She was the one he should always be with.
If only he could convince her.
* * * *
Chanda threw her ribbon tool across the empty space and let out an obscenity. Her voice echoed back to her. She couldn’t work like this. She couldn’t create anything.
She’d been so angry at Doug after he wrecked her show she hadn’t even let him explain. She’d kicked him out and told him she never wanted to see him again.
Now she was rethinking that. In truth, she’d regretted her words as soon as she’d calmed down. Which had been only a few minutes after he left.
She picked up her phone and frowned at the blank screen. She hadn’t gotten so much as a text from him since that night. Of course, when someone tells you that they don’t want to see you ever again, it’s not a huge jump to assume he won’t reach out.
The buzzer rang for the front door and she rushed to get it.
“Hello?” Her heart pounded in anticipation of hearing his voice.
“Hi Chanda, it’s Becca. I have your check from the exhibit.”
She never thought she could feel such disappointment from having someone show up with a large check.
“Come on up.” She buzzed the woman in and opened the door at the top of the steps.
“How’s it going?” Becca glanced around at the supplies she’d thrown around.
“My muse is on vacation.”
Becca frowned and held out the check.
“I’m sorry about the sale for Thunderbirds falling through.”
“Well, when your boyfriend starts a fist fight in the gallery, it kind of hurts sales.”
“I heard a rumor.” Becca frowned. “I think I know why he might have hit Mr. Brenner.”
“Why?” Chanda desperately wanted an answer as to why her world went to hell.
“Mr. Brenner made a comment to Ms. Faum that your father buys your work and donates it. He inferred that no one would buy your work otherwise.”
“That’s not true.”
“I know that. But apparently, it’s widespread gossip throughout the art community.”
“Doug hit him to defend me?”
“That’s what it sounds like.”
Regret choked her once again.
She’d dated a lot of asshole guys in the past. After the exhibit, she thought Doug was the same, just better at hiding it. She should have known he wouldn’t have done anything to intentionally hurt her.
He’d been standing up for her and she kicked him out of her home and her life.
* * * *
Alyssa looked up as Mia slipped into her office Monday morning and shut the door.
“I’m in love,” Mia announced.
Alyssa made a show of looking at her calendar.
“We went out on Friday night. You said you needed to get laid.”
“Yes. Turns out I also needed to fall in love. And I did both.”
“All I did this weekend was my laundry.” Alyssa frowned.
“It was the guy I met at MacGregor’s. The blond guy.”
“You weren’t even going to go for it. You said you’d put more effort into Saturday night.”
“I know, but then you bailed and I wasn’t ready to go home.”
“And it was good?”
Mia wasn’t the type to fall in love. Sure she was always searching for Prince Charming, but she still had trust issues from all the times Prince Charming turned out to be a troll. But Mia’s trust issues were the normal kind, not the Department of Corrections type.
“His name is Andy and he is so sweet.” Mia’s eyes fluttered as she held her hands in front of her.
The skeptic in Alyssa doubted Andy was so sweet. He’d been found in a bar.
“He’s only in town visiting. His friend lives here and was showing him where he hangs out. How crazy is it that I might not have met him if my friend hadn’t wanted to celebrate that day?”
“So he’s leaving?”
“Yes. Back to Philly.” She winced and tilted her head to the side. Alyssa could almost hear it before she said it. “I’m thinking about moving there with him.”
“What? Are you crazy?” Alyssa stood up, ready to jump on her friend to stop her from running off to Philadelphia.
“Crazy. In love. Same thing.” Mia smiled all dreamy-like as Alyssa made a choking sound.
“No. No way. I’m not going to let you run off to another state with some strange guy you just met.”
“Liss, this is it. I’m telling you. It’s going to be okay.”
Okay? First Kenley—the virgin non-dater—leaves town, marries her boss, and is having a baby. Now Mia’s following the same path? What the hell was happening?
“I’m going to have to take the train to Philly to identify your body!” The bum-bum from the opening of Law and Order played through her mind.
“Relax. That’s not going to happen. He knows some people, and he can get me a job down there.”
“I swear if you say he’s a talent agent, I’m going to shake you.”
“Look, I know this isn’t for you. I understand. I felt the same way. I didn’t think I could ever let go and trust anyone. But when you find the right person, it’s a lot easier than you would expect.”
While she was truly concerned for her friend and her life choices, Alyssa had to admit, part of her reaction was because she found herself wondering if maybe she could have it too.
No. No she couldn’t. Even if she wanted more with Gray, she didn’t deserve to be happy when she’d caused someone else so much pain.
“I’ll be here for you,” Alyssa said with her jaw clenched. It wouldn’t help to continue her rant. It was obvious that Mia was going to do this with or without her permission.
Mia let out a sigh.
“You mean you’ll be here for me when this all goes to hell and I need a place to crash while I suffer a breakdown.”
“Probably not the crashing part, since it’s not my place, but yeah.”
Mia stepped closer and rested her hand on Alyssa’s arm, smiling like she knew something Liss didn’t.
“I’m not going to have a breakdown or need an escape plan. I’ve found the one.”
Alyssa bit her tongue to keep from saying, “The one who will lock you in his basement while he wears your shoes.”
“What does Freddie say?”
“He’s ecstatic. He says he only has one more of his princesses to marry off.” Mia pointed at Alyssa and raised her brows. “You don’t even know what’s coming. You’re next, sweet cheeks.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Am not.”
“Am not, what?” Grayson asked by the door. “Sorry, I knocked and thought someone said come in.”
“I said ‘coming.’ As in she’s not ready for what’s coming. And look. You showed up.” Mia thumbed over to Grayson. “Did you see that?”
“Shut up.”
“You okay?” Grayson pointed at her pout.
“This one is running off with some strange guy to Philadelphia. All my friends are growing up and I don’t wanna.” She stuck her tongue out at Mia who returned the gesture adding devil horns.
“Stop it, both of you. If you’re good, I’ll take you for ice cream later.”
“I’ll be good,” Mia offered.
“Sorry, my offer was meant to cheer up Liss, not consort with the deserter who I have no shot of getting into bed. I’m sure they have ice cream in Philly.” Grayson’s joke made them all laugh.
“It probably sucks.” Alyssa added, and Mia gave her the finger.
“Enough, girls. Liss, I came in here to tell you we have a meeting. The grown-up kind. So get your crayons and come on.”
“Shit!” Alyssa grabbed up her tablet and folder as she headed for the door. “We’re not done with this conversation.”
“Yes, we are.” Mia waved and started off toward the elevator.
“Last I saw her, she was sitting on some guy’s lap,” Gray mentioned.
“Not some guy, apparently. The guy.”
Liss sat next to Gray in the meeting room, mainly because it was the only seat available, but also because she felt unsettled and being close to Grayson made her feel more secure. He was like a security blanket with a penis.
As the meeting started, Alyssa found herself thinking about where this was going. Being close to a man was a bad thing, something she wanted to avoid. Somewhere in the next hour, she was so focused on how she was feeling about Grayson, she wasn’t paying attention.
“…and we want to congratulate Alyssa for taking on the Leedom Enterprises account. I’m sure it’s the first of many we’ll be able to throw her way.”
She jumped when Randy said her name. Everyone smiled and clapped. She nodded in thanks, hoping nothing was said before that. No one asked for a speech, and the meeting continued, so she could go back to her analysis.
“You okay?” Grayson whispered while reports were handed out.
“Yeah. I’m good.” She wasn’t good. She was freaking out. If Mia could flip from the detached single person to love-swept automaton in the span of a weekend with a perfect stranger, what hope did Alyssa have of fending off Mr. Perfect sitting next to her?
It was the damn feelings from that night on the dock that had messed up everything. Ever since then, she was having difficulty getting things back to normal. Well, she was going to do something about that. Their first encounter was nothing more than attraction and sex. It had worked for her many times before. She would go back to what she knew worked. Plain old sex without any connection.
Right now.
Or as soon as the meeting was over.
* * * *
Something was up with Alyssa. Grayson was sitting two feet away from her and could feel the tension snapping in the air.
He had an idea it had something to do with Mia and her new development. While he had doubts about a relationship developing into love in only two days, he did feel optimistic that it was possible to turn a committed single person into a romantic. Maybe he had a shot with Alyssa. They hadn’t talked much about their confessions from last Friday night. They’d chatted, and talked about work, but she’d slept in her own room on Saturday and Sunday night. He hadn’t pushed.
When the meeting was dismissed, he was surprised when she followed him back to his office. And even more shocked when she closed the door and slid his guest chair over in front of it.
“You okay?” he asked.
“No. I need sex.” Giving the door a look and a nod she stepped up in front of him and reached for his pants.
“Now?”
“Yes. Now. Just sex. No funny comments that only we would understand. No telling me I’m pretty or sexy or any of that. Just sex without emotions or speaking.”
“I don’t have a lock on my door.” He studied the chair and frowned.
“That’s why I braced it shut with the chair.”
“There’s no way to explain why we’re in here alone with the door braced—which I doubt would even hold if someone pushed on it.”
“Then you’d better be quick about it. Because we’re doing this.”
“We can’t—” She’d opened his pants and grasped him firmly. “God. Okay.” And just like that, he was onboard with this stupid, stupid plan. “How do we do this with the least amount of difficulty?”
“I think pants down, me bent over your desk.”
“Christ.” He had to pull away before he went off from just the thought of it. However stupid, it was still very hot. “Do you want to face the door or the window?”
“I don’t care, just hurry before someone comes in to talk with you.”
“Just let me check my emails to make sure no one has scheduled a meeting.”
“All you do is go to meetings.”
“It’s not all I do. Apparently, I also have sex with my coworkers at ten-thirty in the morning.” No messages. Good.
“Gray, you’re being cute. Stop being cute. This is supposed to be just lust.”
“You think I’m cute?” He winced. “I have my pants around my knees. Cute? I’d prefer sexy or maybe wicked hot. Cute? I don’t—whoa. Okay, this is really happening.”
Her pants were now down at her knees and she was leaning over his desk facing the door. That was probably the best choice. If someone came in he might be able to convince them she was choking and he was administering the Heimlich.
He didn’t have time to think about a better excuse or anything for that matter. She had an agenda.
“You’re going to have to get closer. You’re not that big.”
“And now you’re insulting me? I kind of need a minute. I wasn’t really prepared for this. I thought you were coming in to tell me you noticed Derek scratching himself when he was pointing out the levels of integrity.”
“Grayson Hollinger III, get over here and do this before I pull my pants up and leave.”
“I have to say the bossing with the name thing is really good.” They hadn’t been together for a while so his body was definitely on board with the plan, but he wasn’t the type to use someone without some kind of affection. No matter how much the other person might demand he do so.
He rested his hands on her hips and leaned back before pushing into her. She cried out.
“You’re going to have to be quiet,” he whispered by her ear. They worked together perfectly. She was able to keep a handle on the normal cries of passion, but her breathing was so heavy, he worried Doug might hear from his office next door. It didn’t matter.
She was clenching the profit and loss statement he’d spent an hour on this morning. No worries, he would just print a new one. Did he have tissues in his desk? He probably had some extra napkins from the coffee shop. Would it be rude to offer her a napkin with a smiling coffee cup on it? She probably wouldn’t care.
A small moan was the only warning she reached point B. The spasms caught him off guard, and he didn’t resist as he rode them out with her. He hoped his groan of release was quieter than it sounded in his head.
He didn’t pull out of her right away and to his surprise, she didn’t try to wiggle away. He opened his second drawer and found he also had plain white napkins as well as the smiley coffee cup ones. He handed the whole pile over, except for the one he kept for himself, and moved away.
“I don’t know about you, but that was the hottest fifty-seven seconds of my life.” He wasn’t even exaggerating, his computer was on, counting away the seconds right in front of him. She stood and buttoned her pants.
“How’s my hair?”
“I didn’t touch it.” No matter how much he wanted to.
“I’ll see you later.”
“You feel better?” he asked as she moved the chair out of the way. He’d done what she asked, but maybe he misread the situation. Maybe this hadn’t been about needing sex at all.
“No,” she answered and walked out without looking back.