Chapter 13
I’d waited so long for him to want me.
“Just you.”
My ears still hummed, thanks to the intense thrill that ran through my body. I’d never experienced such an intense orgasm before. It seemed that Noah was right when he said no woman ever faked it with him. The thought of how many he’d given to other women flew in my head, but just as quick as it entered, I let it fly out.
“Margo, did you hear me?”
“Yes.” An accomplished grin grew across his handsome face. “I meant to say, I heard you.”
He pulled out of me, and my body practically whimpered at the loss. Once he tossed out the condom, he climbed back on the bed, holding me. Lying on our sides, face to face, we stared at each other. The way his eyes bore into mine did odd things to my senses. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was obvious to him.
Noah Winston was known for his bachelor ways; how could I expect that would all change because of me? It was simple—I couldn’t. As much as I could see myself falling for him . . . scratch that. As much as I knew I had fallen for him, I wasn’t ready to let him know. You’d think he’d feel it when we were together, but all indications pointed to him being clueless.
Just as he opened his mouth to say something, his phone rang. He groaned and let it go to voicemail. But the caller was persistent, because it immediately rang again. He rolled out of bed and grabbed his phone. My heart stopped when he flipped the phone in my direction so I could see my brother’s name on the screen.
“Do you know what time it is?” Noah’s stern voice caught me off guard, but not Adam. No, I could hear him chuckling through the receiver. Then all I heard was Noah’s side of the conversation. “Yes, I told you I would.” He looked at me. “No, you don’t need to worry about that.” Then he smirked. “Because I’m seeing someone, and you’re lucky she’s cool with me bailing your ass out. Her name?” His lips twisted into a sinister smirk. I frantically shook my head and pleaded with him with wide eyes. “Sally, her name is Sally.”
I exhaled and mouthed, “Thank you.” But he wasn’t done. “Of course, she’s hot.” Another smile. “Would you like her?” He paused and shot me a sexy as sin wink. Tiny beads of sweat pebbled on the back of my neck. “No, I think you’d love her, but she’s here right now, and you’re interrupting.” Holy shit! I pulled the sheet up to cover my face, as if my brother could see me. “I know; you owe me one. I’ll talk to you later. And the next time you call, remember you’re in a different time zone.” I peeked out from under the sheet to find Noah stifling a laugh. “Okay, I’ll tell her. Bye.”
He tossed the phone on his nightstand and crawled into bed as if nothing had happened. “Excuse me, you’ll tell her what?”
“Oh, he wants to meet you when he comes home in a few days.” Noah started laughing, but my heart fell to the pit of my stomach.
“Great.” Then it hit me. “He’s coming home in a few days?”
Noah’s lips quirked up at the tips. “I hope he likes you.” He released a hearty chuckle, but that was the furthest reaction in my mind.
Noah was still asleep when my internal alarm went off. The sun wasn’t even up yet, but then again, it was only five in the morning. I took a moment to admire him in the moonlight shining through the slats of his blinds. He truly was a handsome man. How I ended up with him was beyond my comprehension.
Using very slow movements, I lifted the plush white comforter and slid out of bed. The soft rug next to the bed was a welcome discovery beneath my bare feet. I hadn’t taken the time to look around when I got here last night; I was a bit too preoccupied to notice anything.
Like Gretel, I followed the path of my clothes, picking each article up one at a time before I made my way to his bathroom. My hand skimmed the wall until I found the light switch. Noah’s scent engulfed me as I shut the door and waited for my pupils to adjust before I opened my eyes. His bathroom was pristine. A shiny black marble vanity matched the tile on the floor. Even the brushed chrome faucet was spotless. I was afraid to touch anything.
Then, I looked in the mirror and my squinting eyes widened at the sight of my terrifying reflection. My hair looked like a bird’s nest. It wasn’t just messy, it looked like a flock of crazed birds attacked it in the middle of the night. Knowing I slept well, I attributed it to his hands tangling in it when we had sex last night. Thick black lines circled my eyes. Shit. Thankful that Noah was still asleep, I hurriedly washed my face and ran my fingers through my hair the best I could.
Once I was dressed and looked quasi-presentable, I did the rest of my morning business, including using my index finger and a dab of his toothpaste to freshen my cotton mouth. Of all the mornings to look as though I’d been through a war, it had to be when the most gorgeous man was in the adjoining room.
A gentle knock on the door startled me. “Margo?”
His baritone voice made my heart race. A woman could get used to that being the first thing she heard in the morning. Deep down, I wondered how many had, but I pushed that thought out of my mind.
“Just a second, I’ll be right out.” With one more glance in the mirror and one more attempt to smooth my curls, I straightened my spine and opened the door.
“Well, good morning, beautiful.” Me? He was the beautiful one, and I almost said that, but before I could utter one word, he leaned in and kissed me on the lips. His bare chest and black boxer briefs were definitely a sight to see.
“Do you want to shower? Then, I can take you to your place.”
His large bathroom four times the size of the one in my apartment suddenly felt tiny. “No, thank you. I’m going to call a cab. I need to get to the office.”
“Just wait for me, please. I won’t be long. It isn’t even six yet. You can shower with me if you’d like to save time.” His devilish grin had me considering it, but I declined.
“Thank you, but I have a busy day.” Fine, I lied, but if I were to get naked with him again, his theory of saving time would be just the opposite. Would I love to run my hands all over his wet body? Yes, of course. Would I want him to touch me as warm water pulsated around us? What woman wouldn’t? But I couldn’t. My brain was in overdrive. Between the exclusive dating comment, the great sex, and my brother calling, thoughts swirled around in my head like a tornado. I needed to sort everything out and decide what was best for me.
“Please just let me drive you. I can shower at the office or come back here. I don’t want you taking a cab.”
I looked up at his kind yet forceful eyes. If I were to look at them any longer, I would have given into anything he suggested. “Thank you, but really, it’s fine.” I rolled up on my toes and kissed his cheek. “I’ll talk to you later.”
In a flash, I was back in his bedroom, clearly decorated for a man. There was a giant bed with a gray fabric headboard and gray accent pillows were scattered on the floor right next to an empty condom wrapper. As soon as I walked out and toward the small table, which held my purse, Noah was at my side talking on his phone. I heard my address and then him thanking someone.
“Daniel has a cab waiting for you.”
“Daniel?”
“Yes, the doorman.” His hand brushed my hair from my face. “I’ll be thinking of you today.”
I nodded. Tonight was the night he’d be going out with that other woman. And even though it was a favor for my brother, I was consumed with irrational jealousy. This was the part I hated about being in a committed relationship. It always felt that someone was lurking in the shadows to take my happiness away. I buried that thought, grinned tightly, and said, “Have fun at the gala.”
His lips turned downward. “You know I’d rather be going with you or not at all, right?”
I gave him the best smile I could. “I should go, thanks again for a great night.”
Work was dull and I was distracted. Once again, my messages were few and far between. If I didn’t get more business, I’d need to take out a loan to stay afloat. I sent some emails to clients, stores, and a few small boutiques announcing I was branching out into menswear. Sadly, most thought I already did that. I sighed because in a way they were right, but I never pushed this hard for customers before.
Word of mouth was what my business was built on. Well, that and reputation. The few clients I had were fantastic, but I needed more than just a few. My phone rang, and when I saw Haley’s name, I couldn’t wait to answer.
“Hi.”
“My girlfriend!” Her voice boomed through the phone so loud, it forced me to move it a few inches from my ear.
“Guess what?”
“You’re drunk?”
She laughed. “No, it’s not even noon. I’m just having a great day. Seth is away for a couple of days; how do you feel about a girls’ weekend? Do you have plans with Noah?”
“No, he has a date tonight.” Okay, that came out a bit snarkier than I expected, and my tone even surprised myself, not to mention Haley.
“What? Okay, then it’s settled. We’re having girls’ weekend. You can either come back to my place or I’ll come to yours. Let’s go to The White Orchid. They have a killer happy hour.”
I loved that bar; it was upscale without being stuffy. Plus, Tyler was one of my favorite bartenders. He made the best martinis, and I could really go for one or four tonight. “Okay, I’ll meet you there around six, does that work? And our place is fine.” I would always consider the apartment I lived in mine and Haley’s.
“Sure does. Love you, and I can’t wait to see you.”
“I can’t wait to see you, too.”
The rest of the day dragged. I had a bland salad for lunch, rather than the burger I really wanted. Which meant I’d be starving in about thirty minutes.
“Knock, knock.” Rochelle stood at my door holding a white square box with a pink bow on the top. She sniffed it. “It must not be cookies this time.”
I shook my head. “How do you even know it’s from him?”
Her cheeks turned the same color as the bow that adorned the box. She set it down on my desk. “I may have glanced at the card. But in my defense, it wasn’t in an envelope.”
I stood and read the card. “For our next date night. My place or yours—ladies’ choice.”
I pulled the ribbon, allowing the pink satin to fall around the box, slid the cover off, and smiled. I removed the contents and laid them on my desk while Rochelle looked on.
Popcorn, a box of chocolate-covered raisins, Junior Mints, a bag of Skittles, and a DVD of The Devil Wears Prada.
“Wow, how cute is he?” Rochelle let out a sigh. “A billionaire with a romantic side . . . who would have thought?”
Yeah, who would have? Without commenting, I put everything back in the box and covered it. “Why don’t you take off and start your weekend early? I’m going to head home myself.”
“Really? Great! I’ll see you on Monday.” Before she was completely out of my office, she looked at me with a goofy grin on her face. “You’re a pretty lucky lady; Noah Winston is quite the catch. You might need to hire security to keep his fans away from him.” She laughed, but I didn’t.
“Fans?”
Rochelle waved her hand back and forth. “You know what I mean. All the women who want him.” Her eyes narrowed. “You still don’t get it, do you?” When I remained silent, she continued. “He’s like a rock star. Women want him for his looks, money, and where he can take them–in and out of the bedroom. He’s a goal guy–what other men are measured against.” She snorted. “Like any other man has a chance, being compared to him.”
“I don’t want him for those things. When I first met Noah, he was just a normal guy, just as he is now.”
“And I’m sure that pleases him.” She shrugged. “For what it’s worth, I’ve never seen you this happy, so please don’t overanalyze it. Just enjoy it.”
“Weren’t you leaving?”
Rochelle laughed. “Yes, okay, I can take the hint. Bye, boss lady.”
When I heard the door close, I called the “rockstar that every woman wanted,” but it went to voicemail. Disappointment settled in my chest, which I hated. When the beep sounded, I left a message in the perkiest voice I could muster. “Thank you for the fun gift. The Devil Wears Prada is one of my favorite movies. I’m going out with Haley tonight, and she’s spending the weekend at my place, so I’ll see you next week.” I paused and then said what I needed to. “Have a great time at the gala. Bye.”
I pushed the red circle to end the call, tossed my phone in my purse, grabbed my gift, and headed home to get ready to see Haley.
As always, The White Orchid was bustling with business people and those looking for their Friday night hook-up. I spotted Haley laughing with Tyler at the bar.
“There she is!” Haley opened her arms up to me and gave me a hug.
“Hi, you look great!” And she did. Even with her hair pulled up in a knot on top of her head, her glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose, plain jeans and a lavender sweater, Haley looked beautiful. It didn’t even look like she put a lot of effort into her appearance, but she really didn’t need to.
“You look hot yourself. Is that a new top? I don’t remember borrowing that one.” God, I missed her as my roommate.
Tyler wiped down the bar in front of me, tossed a burgundy drink napkin down, and gave me his killer smile. He was tall, blond, and had model-worthy looks. One night when I was here, I told him he should be walking runways, but he just laughed and said he made enough money. “Martini?”
“Yes, please.” He moved away to make my drink. “So, what’s your news?”
“Let’s wait to get your drink first so we can toast.” Just as she said that, Tyler placed my drink down.
Haley shimmied on her stool before holding up her left hand. A big, round, sparkling diamond glistened like a star. “Holy shit! You’re engaged?”
She clapped her hands together. “Yes! Can you believe it?”
No, actually, I couldn’t. “Of course I can!” I pulled her in for a hug. “I’m so happy for you. When did this happen?”
“Last night at dinner. He was so romantic, he did all the cliché things, you know, roses, champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, soft music, but it didn’t matter that it was cliché because he did it for me.”
Her happiness was what counted. I just didn’t want her heart broken again. Pushing that thought aside, I raised my glass. “To you and Seth, may you have a lifetime of love and laughs.” We tapped our glasses together.
“Will you be my maid of honor?”
“Yes, I’d be honored. Did you already set a date?” Why did I sound more nervous than she did?
“No, of course not. He actually wanted to go to Vegas to elope, but I squashed that idea. I want the entire enchilada–gorgeous gown, him in a tux, my friends surrounding me wearing matching dresses, an enormous wedding cake and a romantic honeymoon.” Now that I completely understood. It’s what I had dreamed of since I got a wedding dress for my Barbie doll when I was nine. Haley grabbed my hands, “I know what you’re thinking, but he’s changed, and we’re really happy.”
“That’s all I want for you.”
Who was I to judge anyone’s relationship when my own messed with my head?
“So, tell me about Noah.”
Noah. What was he doing now? Were they having drinks, dinner? Would they dance together? Why couldn’t Adam have been home to take her himself? I shook my head, trying to rid my brain of the jealousy that started to weave its way in. I’d waited so long for him to want me—so long, in fact, that I never in my wildest dreams considered it would actually happen. But now he was mine, and I needed to figure out how to deal with it. Being the girlfriend of a known playboy wasn’t going to be easy.