Can't Touch This (19 page)

“Great, there’s the guy from SalesTracker,” Kyle notes.

“SalesWanker, more like,” Reagan corrects.

“Which one?” I ask coyly.

“Give it up, Vanessa.  You know who I’m talking about,” Kyle says.  “The one you’re staring at.”

Oh
.  I paste a weak smile on my face and am relieved when the waitress sets my drink in front of me.  I’ve got to play this down and not rouse any suspicions.  “Oh, right, that’s Rory.  We met him in Atlantic City, remember?”

“And Miami Beach,” Kyle adds.

I finger the rim of my drink.  “Right, he was there, too.”

Kyle raises an inquisitive eyebrow.  “He seems to be everywhere you are.”

I must turn the tables, so I spin to face Kyle.  “Say, what are you doing here anyway?”

His dimple pops when a devilish smile crosses his face.  “At this club or in San Francisco?”

“On this trip.  It seems weird that you’re here, out of the blue, without my knowing.  I plan these events, after all.”

He leans in closer; the heat from his body warming me.  “What, you don’t like my company?” he teases.

“Sure.  The more, the merrier,” I say, playing off his proximity.  Thing is, I don’t need my office distraction, well, distracting me, when I’m making plans with Rory.  With Kyle sitting here, I feel like I’m being disloyal—to whom?—by associating with Rory.

“I like being here, Vanessa,” Kyle whispers.  There’s an ache in my stomach that resembles a craving or a longing and I quickly gulp at the sweet cocktail to wash the sensation away.

Reagan watches us curiously and reaches to the middle of the table for handful of peanuts.  “Don’t mind me over here.”

Kyle reaches for his beer, his skin reddening over Reagan’s comment. Very un-Kyle-like.

I glance at the dance floor at Rory.  He throws a crooked smile my way and I nod, not really caring at this moment who sees it.  I need to fan myself from the spiced rum warming my insides.  Or maybe the heat is from the look in his eyes?

He excuses himself from his dance partner and makes his way through the crowd right to my table.  Looks like Rory’s not playing games anymore, either.

“Hey there DigitalDirection people,” he says, sliding into the booth next to Reagan.  “Rory Ellery.  And you are?”

“Reagan Vanbiesbrouck.  You work for SalesTracker, right?”

“He sure does,” Kyle says, sitting tall in the booth.

Rory points an accusatory finger Kyle’s way.  “Aren’t you the guy who stole EG Venture Capital away from me?”

Kyle is ice cool.  “Not my fault if they weren’t happy with your customer service and promises of product enhancements that don’t exist.”

Rory picks up the dirty martini the waitress left for Ted and pops an olive into his mouth.  “Trust me, our enhancements will shake the industry if I have anything to do with it.”

Kyle and Rory both adjust in their seats and puff their chests out at each other.  If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought they’d sprouted feathers, beaks and combs, and were about to go at it like fighting cocks. 
Roosters, that is.

Reagan goes into saleswoman mode.  “I spoke with Young Electronics and they said you’ve been out to see them.”

Rory snags a couple of cashews from the bowl.  His gaze touches mine briefly and he starts to answer Reagan.

“Reagan, don’t talk business with this guy, he’s trouble,” Kyle says firmly.  “No consorting with the enemy.  Right Vanessa?”

I give Kyle a bit of a curious look, wondering exactly what he’s getting at.  Rory seems perturbed and Kyle is in gloating mode.  I have to admit, I dig that Kyle swooped that account from SalesTracker.  I don’t want to talk business, though.

Instead, I answer Kyle’s question.  “I don’t want to consort, but I do want to dance.  Rory?”

“Absolutely,” he says as he winks at Kyle in triumph.

We groove to a jazzy Glenn Miller piece the band sounds out.  Rory spins and dips me and I swear Kyle is watching us with a keen eye.  I’ll probably get a lecture about dancing with the competition, but I don’t care.  I know I need to be cool, but I simply want to be with Kyle… er, I mean Rory.  Jesus!  What is wrong with me?  Must be too much rum in that drink.

We stay at the Starlight Room past one a.m. when Ted disappears again in search of more cigarettes.  Rory and I dance on and off the whole time, doing our best to be stealthy of our attraction to each other while we’re on display for all to see.  I want more from him.  My own one-on-one meeting.  I’ve got to get away from my work buddies.

We pile onto the elevator, but Reagan is a sloppy drunk, punching all the buttons and singing along with the Musak overhead.  Kyle holds Reagan around the waist, steadying her as we descend.

“I wanna goodnight kisssss,” she says with a slur.  “How ‘bout it, Nettles?  You’re cute.  You, too, SalesWanker guy.”

Rory lifts a brow.

“I think you’ve had too much to drink, Reagan,” Kyle says, intervening.  I feign a smile, but the green monster of jealousy has jumped on my back as I see the way Reagan is holding on to Kyle.  Her hands are everywhere and she’s making no bones about wanting to get him back to her room.

“Hey... Vanessa...” she says.  “Look at us with two hot guys.”

I don’t respond.

Kyle braces Reagan against him.  “I’ll help you to your room.”

“I can do that,” I snap.  “I mean, I’m a girl and all.”

“That you are,” Kyle says.  “You’re going to need help, though.”

Rory catches my eye and holds up his cell phone.  I glance at mine and see a text from a 206 area code.

Room number?

Anticipation circles around me and fills my nostrils as I breathe in.  With one hand, I text back: 
Room 1424.

Rory winks and my stomach lurches in tantalizing expectation.

“Goodnight folks,” Rory says as he steps off of the elevator.

I hope I’ll see him soon.

Kyle and I nearly drag Reagan to her room on the eleventh floor.  She’s playful and fights us a bit, trying to get her fingers inside Kyle’s shirt.

“Now now, Reagan.”

She rolls her eyes at him and tries to open her door.

Inside her room, Reagan reaches for the front buttons of her blouse.  “Okay then, you can help
me
take my shirt off, Nyle Kettles?”

“All right,” I say sternly.  I step between them.

 “Whoa there, Reagan.  Let Vanessa help you.”  Kyle runs his hands through his hair and takes a pace back.  “You got this under control?”

Pleased that I cock-blocked Reagan’s move on Kyle, I smile.  “Yeah, I’m fine.  I’ve got her.”

He steps to the door.  “I’m in 1409 if you need me for anything.”  He emphasizes
anything
a bit too much.

When he leaves, I get Reagan undressed as she swings her arms around in protest.

“He duzzzn’t know what he’s missin’,” she slurs out.  You’d think she would have learned her lesson with the server room fiasco.  Apparently she’s a glutton for punishment.  I don’t even try to get her to wash her face or brush her teeth.  I just get her to bed, tuck her in, and put her on her side. Before I leave, I nab the wastebasket and put it near the bed.

“I didn’t get my goodnight kiss!” she yells.

Dammit, I want
my
goodnight kiss from Rory.  I reach over the bed and place a quick kiss on her forehead and vamoose.

Kyle is standing in the hallway waiting for the elevator.  “She okay?”

“All set.”  I need to get to my room in case Rory’s waiting.  I step in the car with Kyle and we both reach for the “14” button.  “Ooh, sorry.”  My skin sings deliciously from the brief touch.

When the door slides open, I look down the hall.  Thankfully, Rory’s nowhere to be seen.  I feel so dishonest.  So sneaky.  So conniving.

“Looking for someone?” he asks.

“No, just couldn’t remember which way my room was.”  I bite my bottom lip at how quickly I’m able to come up with a cover story.  “Goodnight, Kyle.”  I wave to him and I rush to my room.

I know in my heart of hearts there will be a knock on my door soon, so I’ve got to prepare.  I kick off my shoes and run to the bathroom where I brush my teeth and splash some perfume on the appropriate pulse points.  Then, I go to the desk and turn on my computer.  Windows hums upon startup.  I plunder through my CD case.  What to choose?  I have vintage JLo and Cher, several House mixes, and a Ministry of Sound Best Of.  I choose something fast paced, with pulsating rhythms?  Might drive a man insane.  I pop The Director demo disk out of my drive and toss it onto the desk.  As I click on the multimedia player, there’s the knock I’ve been waiting for.

I can’t see through the peephole because it’s too high and I’ve lost three inches by tossing my shoes aside.  I know who it is, though.  I open the door and see his sexy smile and twinkling eyes.  I reach forward and pull him in by the hand and the next thing I know, he has me pressed up against the yellow and green wallpaper as he goes on the offensive.

“You’ve been teasing me all day, Vanessa.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“You didn’t have to,” Rory says as his lips close in.

We kiss like we’ve never done it before, breathing heavily and moving our hands everywhere to touch each other.  His tongue traces my mouth, fingers lacing through my hair.  He maneuvers me until I feel the soft mattress on the backs of my legs.

I knead my hands into the firm flesh of Rory’s back and slide them down to the waistband of his pants to yank his shirt free.  His hands are on my shoulders, tugging at my dress.  I rotate and push him to sit on the bed.  My fingers trail the buttons on his shirt until his broad chest is revealed to me in all its glory.

I can’t believe I’m being so forward, but I’ve been thinking about this for a while.  A new Vanessa who lives on the edge, takes what she wants, and demands attention.  This man wants to be with me.  There are no rules.  No regulations.  No judgment.

Rory peels my dress off my arms until it hangs at my waist.  His eyes take in my lacy black bra, and then his hands skim up my midriff to capture both breasts.  My head falls back as the breath nearly leaves my body.  His hands knead away gently, teasing my turgid nipple with his deft fingers.  I don’t think I can take anymore.  I’ve waited long enough.  Taking the initiative, I dive on him, laying us on the bed as we resume our foreplay.

He rolls me over and lowers his head to leave hot, wet kisses down my neck.  Then, he nips at the lace of my bra with his teeth before dipping his tongue underneath the fabric.  My back arches up off the bed to provide him with more of a playing field.

The blare of the room phone makes me jump.

“No!” I scream, and then cover my mouth in horror.  Rory laughs and moves aside.

On the third ring, he says, “You better answer that.  Might be important.”

“Who’s calling this late?”  I sit up, adjust my dress, and snag the receiver.  It’s way too late––or early, depending on how you look at it. “Hello?”

“Vanessa...”

Kyle?  My heart rate slams into overdrive.  “What’s wrong?”

“I wanted to make sure you’re okay.  You looked kind of panicked on the elevator.  You weren’t sleeping yet, were you?” he asks.  “Sounds like you’re having a party.”

I push my hair out of my face.  “Umm, no, I’m just playing some music on the computer.”

Rory’s weight lifts off the bed and he starts pacing.  I mouth, “I’m sorry.”  He waves me off and goes to sit at the desk.

Kyle asks, “So, is everything all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”  My heart accelerates hearing Kyle’s concerned voice.  I’m touched that he’s checking on me.

“That was really nice of you to take care of Reagan.”

“She would have done the same for me.”  At least, I hope she would.

I slice my eyes over and see Rory’s fiddling with my music CDs.  I turn away to try and finish this private conversation.  My blood is coursing through my veins so much that I can hear my pulse reverberating in my head.

Kyle clears his throat.  “So, what time are we supposed to be at the booth tomorrow, well, today actually.”

“We start at nine,” I say.  “Be there early to help set up the laptops, if you can.”

“Sure.  Whatever you need me to do.”  He pauses.  “You’re doing an awesome job, Vanessa.  You’re really an asset to the company.  I wish we had more people as dedicated and professional as you.  You’re a real team player.”

Guilt washes over me like the surf.  Yeah, a team player with the competition in her room.

“Thanks.  I appreciate it.  That means a lot to me.”

“I mean it and I intend to tell Jiles how great you are.”

I slump forward and hold my head in my hand while the other holds the receiver.  I wish Kyle hadn’t reminded me why I’m in San Francisco.  It’s not so I can have sex with someone I barely know.  All of a sudden, this is tainted and just…
wrong
.

What else is weird is that part of me wants to curl up on the pillows and talk to Kyle all night or until one of us falls asleep.  There’s something about his soothing voice.  No wonder the clients love him.  But, Rory’s still here and I have to figure out what to do now.

Kyle continues.  “That guy from SalesTracker wasn’t bothering you, was he?”

Taken aback, I don’t say anything.  I’m concerned about what Kyle thinks about me.  Were Rory and I obvious about our attraction on the dance floor?  “No, not at all,” I lie.

His voice lowers, as if he’s sharing a corporate trade secret.  “Look, I’ve heard he’ll do anything to make a sale and to get ahead.”

I’m touched that Kyle is concerned and I feel guilty lying to him with Rory—who seems to be public enemy number one—sitting a few feet away.

This isn’t right.  None of it.  It isn’t responsible or professional.  It’s
not
how to get ahead in business.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” I say quietly.

“So you’re okay?” he asks one more time.

“Umm, yeah, everything’s cool.”  I hope the alcohol in his system dulls the hesitation in my voice.

“Well, you have fun, Vanessa.”  He laughs.  “See you in the morning.”

I return the receiver and expel the breath I’ve been holding.

Great.  Now what the hell do I do?