“Sex on the beach?” I chuckled. “Coming right up.” This night was shaping up to be more than I hoped for. Forget the drink and cigar by myself. Haley was better company than I’d had in years. I wanted to get to know her better.
7
HALEY
Parker’s driver pulled up in front of my apartment building, and I glanced out the window. It was very nice of him to offer a ride yet again, and despite the accident being his driver’s fault, I thought it generous for him to offer to fix my car when I tried to refuse the help. I decided it was only polite for me to invite him up for a cup of coffee or something.
“Would you like to come up for a while? We could continue our conversation and have a cup of coffee. Or maybe I could order takeout. There is an amazing Thai place around the corner.” I shifted in the seat, the leather squeaking as I moved.
“Sure, that sounds great.” Parker tapped on the window that separated his driver from us and it lowered.
“Yes, sir?” The man turned over his shoulder and waited.
“Gordon, I’m going to walk Ms. Spencer up to her apartment. We may have a drink. You go ahead and head out. I’ll call you if I need anything.”
I swallowed hard. He was sending his driver home, not just telling him to wait. It made the butterflies in my stomach so much worse. His driver, Gordon, was an older man, maybe in his sixties or so. I wondered what he thought of Mr. Danvers takingme up to my apartment, whether he had done this with other women too.
“Of course, sir. I’ll be on standby waiting for your call.” The window slowly rose back into place, and Gordon appeared at my door, opening it with a smile. “Ms. Spencer, it was lovely seeing you again.”
“Thanks, Gordon. I appreciate your driving me home.” I took his hand and stepped out of the car. As I did, Parker greeted me. He had let himself out the opposite side.
“I’m very sorry about the car. With the snow I didn’t see you coming at all.” He held my hand a moment, his bare fingers pinching my leather glove.
“It’s okay, really. That’s why we all have insurance.” I patted his hand. “Just be safe on the way home. It’s very slippery.”
The older man nodded and shut the door, and I took Parker’s arm and we headed for the building. The lobby was empty, no sign of the doorman as usual this time of day. Naveen typically spent the hour taking packages up to residents who hadn’t passed through. Often, when I came home, he wasn’t at his post. It wasn’t unusual to see him only in the morning for a week or two in a row.
“No doorman?” Parker pressed the elevator button and glanced around.
“Probably delivering packages.” I shrugged. The alcohol I’d consumed made my eyes a little heavy and my steps a little uneven. Once inside the elevator, I selected my floor and the doors shut. Parker said nothing to me as we ascended, and I remained quiet as well. It was the first time I had been completely alone with him, and I felt nervous. I peeled my gloves off and unbuttoned my coat. The elevator felt hotter than normal.
At my floor the doors opened, and I dug my keys out of my pocket. “It’s this way,” I told him, gesturing to the right. Hefollowed me to twelve-B and waited while I unlocked the door and let us in.
My apartment wasn’t much, a two-bedroom flat I found a few months after moving to Chicago. It was in a nicer neighborhood, and rent was ridiculous, but it afforded me space to have a devoted office at home. I wasn’t much for décor, though. The walls were bare, the furniture monochromatic. Beige and cream were the bane of my existence, but they were home.
“Want a drink?” I dropped my purse and keys on the bar that separated the living room from the kitchen and shed my coat, draping it over a chair. I didn’t have a fancy coat tree in my home the way Parker did in his office.
“What do you have?”
Turning, I watched Parker shed his coat and scarf, following my lead by hanging them on the back of a chair. He looked at ease, not at all out of his comfort zone. A billionaire, but not even slightly put off by my substandard housing. It was good enough for me, and I hadn’t thought a thing about it when I invited him up. He must’ve been used to luxury and elegance.
“Well…” I chuckled. “I have a nice boxed wine. We call thatGooch.” I turned toward the kitchen and thought about what other things I had. “I have some vodka and orange juice. I could make fuzzy navels, or?—”
“Do you mean screwdrivers?”
I turn and blush. “Yeah, well you can see why I’m not a bartender.” I snickered and shrugged. “I have beer?”
“I’ll take a beer.” He winked at me and moved closer, trailing behind me into the kitchen. I grabbed two beers from the fridge and the bottle opener, then turned and headed back toward the living room, but I turned too quickly. The momentum made my already alcohol-heavy body sway, and I wobbled on my feet. Parker’s arm was there, scooping me up before I smacked myhead. “Whoa. Easy does it,” he joked, pulling me against his body.
I was so embarrassed, finding myself pinned against his chest, legs tangled in a mess with my hand full of drinks. My heart raced. Our eyes met, and I couldn’t think of a single thing to say. I panicked and stuttered out a few unintelligible phrases as he held me. The air thickened around us, electric signals passed between my chest and his as I tried to get my feet under me, and before I was able to right myself, his lips pressed against mine.
At first I froze, tensing in his embrace as he tenderly kissed me. My shoe fell off, and I pressed my toes to the ground, finally able to stand again. The deeper he kissed me, the more I lost myself. I tried to set the beer on the counter and missed, dropping both bottles to the floor. One of them shattered. I felt the liquid splash on my already cold legs, but I ignored it in favor of having free hands to tangle in his dark brown tresses.
His embrace got firmer, his lips hotter.
When he first kissed me, I was shocked but pleased. But the longer he kissed me, the more I wanted him to keep kissing me. The pent-up sexual tension between us intensified when Parker cupped both of my cheeks and held me still. I had his biceps in my hands, helpless to resist him. I thought I’d pass out from a lack of breath until he ripped his mouth away from mine.
“What are we doing?” I panted, staring into his eyes.
