A Playboy's Love Affair (2 page)

“You wouldn’t dare.” His angry stare fixed on her.

Carly crossed her arms, and regarded him from where she stood. “Try me.”

“You’re going to regret this.” Matt grabbed the ring.

“Why would I regret breaking up with a cheater and a liar? Have a nice life, Matt.” Carly extended her arm in the door’s direction.

Matt turned on his heel, and stopped right at the stand by the door to drop off his keys.

“Don’t even bother. I’m having the locks changed,” Carly said, shutting the door on his back. She walked back to her brushed canvas designer sofa and paced back and forth in her perfectly decorated, clutter-free living room. Breaking up with Matt hadn’t been easy, but truth be told, she was glad it was over and done with.

Check. The first task on her to-do list was complete. Now, the second task was up: Get Alex St. Jones out of her head. But how could she? What had she been thinking when she walked up to Alexander St. Jones of all men? Let alone, asked him. No. Demanded that he kiss her? Carly had done a lot of stupid things in her life but that one topped them all. She’d been under that timeless tree for a good forty-five minutes before Alex showed up.

The man must have a sixth sense or something because it didn’t take him long to spot her in the shadows under that tree. There’d been many things she could’ve done. She could’ve waved, nodded, smiled, or simply ignored him. Whatever made her walk up to him, she didn’t know. At the time, she hadn’t cared. Carly had just caught Matt with his assistant and wanted time alone to think, but the infamous Alex St. Jones drew her out of hiding in the shadows with that irresistible wicked gaze of his.

Carly had never met him before last night. She’d finally seen for herself Alex was just as drop-dead gorgeous in person as in magazines pictures where he was always portrayed as “the famous financial mogul’s son stirring trouble time and again”. He was a rich man playing the grownup Little Rascal, or his own version of James Dean rebel without a cause with his family. Carly breathed in. He was the bad boy every woman wanted but she wasn’t every woman, and Alex St. Jones was definitely not the man for her.

****

Celebrity News!

Where is Alex St. Jones?

“Welcome to another show of Celebrity News!” a beautiful tall, blonde entertainment anchor said to the camera. “The party of all parties was held this past Friday night. Alex St. Jones and his partners celebrated their firm’s ten-year anniversary in grand style. Let me tell you, their anniversary gala was a smashing success. Well, we all know they wouldn’t have had it any other way. Needless to say everyone who is anyone was in attendance. Partygoers didn’t leave until the wee hours of the night. That’s how good that party was!”

The anchor tossed her hair back. “The question is: where did Alex go?” She waved her hand to the screen in back of her where Alex’s picture displayed. “He was spotted earlier in the evening then as if by some kind of magic he disappeared in thin air. Ladies, my source tells me for the first time ever our playboy may have left the party alone. That’s hard to believe, don’t you think?”

Chapter Three

Alex strode into Paul’s office. “What the fuck?” he said, letting the door slam behind him.

Paul gave Alex a side glance without fully removing his attention from the blueprints displayed on his twenty-two inch computer monitor. “What’s gotten into you now?”

“You know what!” Alex paced back and forth in Paul’s rather large office.

Paul shifted his gaze from the monitor, leaning back on his black leather chair as he studied his friend. “Okay, cut it out and just tell me what the heck is going on.”

Still standing a good six feet from Paul’s desk, Alex faced his friend, trying to give some thought to the words he’d say next but the words just came out. “How come you didn’t tell me Carly Mitchell was Matt’s fiancée?”

“What the hell happened to you?” Paul stared in shock at the black and blue eye Alex was sporting.

“Don’t ask.” Alex inclined his head in warning. “Just answer the damn question.”

Paul frowned. “Why would I have told you? It’s none of my business. What am I now, your private eye? Last time I checked, we were business partners. What does it matter to you anyway? It’s not like you knew her before the gala. Or did you?”

Alex ran a hand through his hair. “N-no—”

“You slept with her, you son of a gun!” Paul sprang to his feet. “Is that why you’re sporting a black eye? Matt kicked your ass?” Paul ran a hand over his face. “Jesus! From all the women at your disposal you have to go and mess with the one you shouldn’t.”

Alex raised his left hand. “Whoa. Whoa. Hold it right there. First of all, that sorry excuse of a man didn’t kick my ass, he caught me by surprise, that’s all. Second of all, no, I didn’t sleep with her. I met her at the gala. And…”

“And what?”

“I kissed her—” Alex was caught mid-sentence by the new visitor at the door.

“You what!” Dominic and Paul exclaimed.

“It was more like she demanded I kiss her. When I didn’t, she kissed me.” Alex dropped into one of the two visitor black leather chairs across from Paul’s desk. “Close the door, Dominic. I don’t need any more of an audience.”

Dominic shut the door and sat next to Alex.

“Like hell she kissed you. A simple kiss wouldn’t earn you a black eye, would it? Even you don’t believe that yourself.” Paul shoved a hand in his pants’ pocket, pacing to the ceiling-to-floor glass window in back of his desk.

Meanwhile Alex held to every piece of self-control he had not to punch Dominic’s silly grin off his face.

“Let me get this straight.” Dominic moved to the edge of his chair. “You met Carly Mitchell, who happens to be our most important client’s fiancée, and you kissed her, not realizing who she was until today. Did I get it all right?”

Alex and Paul locked their amazed gazes on Dominic. “Yes, you got that right,” Alex answered, breaking the silence. “Just how long were you at the door before you decided to barge in?” he asked.

Dominic looked from one friend to the other. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” His stupid grin was long gone, and in its place was now an outraged Dominic. “Paul, how are we going to remedy this?”

“How should I know?” Paul shot back, raising his hand in Alex’s direction. “Why are you asking me, anyway? Ask Casanova here!” He sat back on his chair.

“Hold it right there,” Alex cut in. “I did say I didn’t sleep with her. She kissed me. Carly said she was running from her ex.” He then realized she’d never bothered to tell him it was her
fiancé
who she was trying to hide from—the little minx. There’d be hell to pay. He regarded his friends. They had every right to think the worst of him, but the least he expected was for them to try and believe his story. Alex stood and walked to the glass window facing the neighboring skyscrapers. “Did I mention we no longer have Matt’s green home project?”

“Nor everything else Matt brings, I presume,” Dominic responded.

“Of course we don’t!” Paul swirled on his chair in Alex’s direction. “What should we expect? You screwed up. You kissed his fiancée... It doesn’t matter whether you knew Carly was his fiancée, the fact is you kissed her and even if you didn’t sleep with her, you still managed to screw us all in the process.”

“Don’t you think for a minute I don’t know that? I’ll cover the financial damage this brings to our firm,” Alex said over his shoulder, staring out the glass wall window.

Paul crumpled a paper and tossed it in the trashcan to the side of his desk. “Next time keep your dick in check and stay away from our clients’ fiancées.”

Silence reigned in Paul’s office for what seemed an eternity, when in truth it probably had only been a minute. Alex took in what his friends had said. Matt’s business would leave a hole on their firms’ books. Everything they’d worked for those long last ten years could crumble overnight if the wrong move was made. He needed some time alone to take it all in and devise a plan of attack. He wouldn’t lose his firm, even if he had to crawl back to his family, to his father, the famous Wall Street financial mogul. Thanks to his lucky stars he wasn’t there yet, he had reserves his friends didn’t know about. Alex was confident the firm would stand as strong as it’d always been.

In the meantime, he had to collect something that was due from no other than Carly Mitchell. That little liar owed him more than an apology, and she’d have to come forth with more than just a kiss. Alex wouldn’t sport a black eye for days without claiming its prize. Before Carly’s not-so-little lie, his plan had been all about how to forget her and that darn kiss. Well, no more—her lie had changed everything. Calling any of the women in his little black book wouldn’t do anything for him anymore. He no longer wanted to forget Carly or her sweet lips.

Alex now had a few items on his to-do list: One, make some calls to cover the hole Matt’s business had left on their books. Two, think about how he’d claim his prize from Carly. Three: keep his dick in check or not. Hmmm…

On second thought, perhaps what he needed was just the opposite and go for the kill instead. Yeah, that had to be the reason he couldn’t get her out of his head. Carly had all he liked in women: luscious lips, curves he could get himself lost in, and beautiful long hair to tangle his fingers in. Alex had the answer to his problem—he had to have her. He had to get Carly Mitchell out of his system. He was sure once that happened everything would go back to normal.

Chapter Four

Alex completed the first task on his to-do list, he’d made some transactions and, based on his calculations, the firm would stand firm until they landed a new big client. Now, Alex was more than ready to take care of task number two on the list. His plan would fail miserably if he tried to do things the right way by scheduling an appointment with Carly’s assistant. The thought alone gave him chills. No, Alex would do things his way. After all, he had a reputation to keep and his pretty little liar would see him today like it or not.

Alex exited off the elevator on the tenth floor to Cardew & Partners Interior Designs LLP. For an interior design firm, this one seemed pretty top notch. It turned out Cardew & Partners occupied the entire tenth floor. His searching eyes appreciated what had to be a beautiful strawberry blonde with gorgeous periwinkle-blue eyes greeting him with a smile as he made his way to the reception desk.

Alex was sure the receptionist missed her calling as a model or an actress. If it weren’t for Carly, he’d probably ask her out for a drink. Then realization dawned, putting him right back on track. He was there for a different reason, and that didn’t include asking the receptionist out on a date. Alex donned his wickedly famous St. Jones’ smile and asked her for directions to Carly’s office. On his way down the hallway, a haughty, mighty brunette intercepted his path. He was willing to bet she was his midnight temptress’ assistant.

“Excuse me sir.”

Alex walked right past her and into Carly’s office. He hadn’t known what to expect, but the beautiful sight of Carly immersed in a beach theme bedroom design took his breath away. She was surrounded by paint and fabric swatches on either side of her and special color pencils were spread over her desk. Her glasses had slid down to the tip of her nose, and she’d pulled up her long chocolate tresses in a ponytail.

Carly brought her head up at the sound of the intruders in her office. Just like it had happened a few weeks ago, green eyes met caramel brown, and everything went still for a few seconds.

“I’m sorry, Carly, I tried to…” Liv, her assistant, broke the silence, giving Carly an apologetic look.

“It’s okay, Liv. You can leave. I’ll see to Mister St. Jones here.”

Liv was reluctant to leave Carly with Alex but after one last look at them, she closed the door.

Natural daylight filled Carly’s spacious office, which Alex recognized was a welcomed luxury in their line of work. His gaze surveyed the room approving of every item that came across its path, thinking they may just have more in common than he’d realized.

“What happened to you?” Carly gestured to the cream leather chair across her desk. “Please have a seat.”

“Why did you lie?” he asked without preliminary and taking the offered chair.

“What do you mean?” Carly removed her glasses with one hand, and opened the drawer to the right with the other.

“Don’t play innocent with me, Carly. I’m warning you.” Alex rearranged his gray pants, and undid the single button in his black blazer revealing a blue shirt opened at the collar

Carly placed her arms on top of the desk and leaned toward him. “Listen, Alexander St. Jones, I don’t know why you’re here, or who gave you that horrendous black eye, which I’m sure you fully deserved, but that’s none of my concern. No one—listen to me—no one, strides in my office and warns me of anything. I’m busy, have yourself a good day.”

Alex stared back at her. “What? You’re trying to dismiss me? Try harder.” His lips drew back revealing straight white teeth. “Now, you listen to me because I’ll only say this once. No one ever dismisses me, especially not you. You’ve cost me this stupid black eye, millions of dollars, a fight with my closest friends, and almost my reputation. If you think I’ll walk out that door just because you say so, think again, Sweetheart.”

Carly blinked in disbelief. “Who do you think you are to come in my office and give me orders? How did I cost you that stupid black eye? Oh, let me guess, you got in a bar fight over some girl because you can’t keep your… your…” Her hand moved in the direction of his pants, a soft pink blush covered her cheeks, betraying her train of thought it seemed because she was suddenly out of words.

“My dick? Come on, you’re a big girl, say it,” he dared.

She opened and closed her mouth, narrowing her eyes at him. His gaze lingered on her lips, recalling how delicious she’d tasted that night. His hand balled into a fist, ignoring the sudden need to caress her lower lip with his thumb.

“I think you’re done here.” Carly moved the swatches in front of her to the opposite side of her desk. “On your way out, please tell Liv to come see me,” she ordered over her shoulder.