Captivate her: Laws of Seduction Book 1 (3 page)

“I don’t have any plans except for getting some dinner and maybe working a few hours.”

“Do you work a lot?”

“More than I should. What about you? Are you a hard worker?”

I laugh. “What if I said I was a slacker? Would you still like me?”

“Either way. I’m just trying to make conversation.”

“Well, in that case, you should know that I am a hard worker. I can’t seem to stop myself. I always want to be the best in everything.”

“You must be disappointed a lot of the time.”

This makes me laugh again. “Are you telling me that I am not good at anything?”

“No, not at all. It’s just impossible to be the best in everything. Why do you feel like you have to be the best? Isn’t second best okay too?”

I ponder this for a few seconds. “I think it’s fine to be second best as long as you try to be the best.”

“Touché.” I can hear the smile in his voice. I have an overwhelming urge to reach my hand up and feel the curves of his face.

I try to identify what it is about him that draws me to him so relentlessly. “So you always try to be the best too?”

“Yes, definitely. I am extremely competitive.”

“Do you play sports?”

“I am competitive in all aspects of my life, but to answer your question, no, I don’t play sports. I do not like games.”

Above us the light flashes on and off a couple of times before staying on. I hope this means we will be moving soon. I decide that this would be a good time to find the restroom. It is strange seeing James in the bright light after the intimate way we had been snuggled together. I feel like I should be embarrassed, but instead, I feel exhilarated. James insists on going with me to the restroom in case the power goes out again. I am surprised that no one is waiting to use the restroom and am thankful that everything works, including the lights and doors. I finish as quickly as possible, and as I am washing my hands, I notice my flushed face and overly bright eyes. I can actually feel the hormones zipping through my body. I didn’t even know that this sort of elemental attraction to another human being could happen. I have to get a grip. James and I have just met. We are sitting next to each other on a train, practically strangers. True, these are unusual circumstances. Once this is over, we will each go back to our own lives and forget that the other exists.

I wait for James to use the facilities, and then we return to our seats. Although the lights have come back on, it is still cold. James piles the extra clothes back on and pulls his overcoat over both of us again. With the lights on, I glance discreetly at James from under my lashes and am again reminded how handsome he is. I have to suppress the urge to reach out and touch him. I long to rub my hand along the stubble on his jaw and feel its roughness.

Before the fact that I am staring becomes obvious, the lights of the train flash on and off a few times before leaving us in darkness again. Panic at being trapped in a dark and confined space conflicts with the exhilaration of spending more time with James. I try to suppress the restless energy he inspires in me. He reaches over and pulls me closer as he whispers reassuringly, “I’m sure they will have us out of here soon.”  I wonder if anyone realizes that I am sitting here stranded on this train and if they are worried about me. Maybe James has a girlfriend or even a wife who is waiting for him. The thought of James with a wife makes me feel a bit ill. I must have unconsciously drawn away because James readjusts our positions, drawing me back. “What is it?”

I clear my throat to dispel the lump that has risen there. “Do you have a girlfriend waiting for you at home?”

“No, no girlfriend.”

He doesn’t elaborate, so I tease, “No mother, sister? Not even a dog?”

“My mother doesn’t usually get lumped into the same category as dogs, but no, none of the above. Not even a goldfish.”

Relief surges through me with the knowledge that James has not been so familiar with me while his girlfriend waits for him at home. That would be just too gross. I
 
hate to think that I was getting
 
comfortable on some other girl’s man, and I do mean “on,” since I was practically lying on top of him. 

James interrupts my thoughts with his next question. “How about you? Anyone waiting for you at home?”

“Just my roommate Sam.” James tenses and I wonder why my having a roommate should put him on edge.

He clears his throat. “You have a male roommate?”

It takes me a moment to process what he means. “Sam? What… Samantha? No, she is definitely a girl. Didn’t I mention her earlier?” I feel James relax beside me. Maybe I just imagined it, because surely he is not jealous. I chuckle inwardly at the thought of anyone thinking Sam was a man. She is a girly girl if I ever met one. If it weren’t for Sam and her sister, my wardrobe would consist of jeans and t-shirts, because I hate shopping. Don’t get me wrong. I love wearing beautiful clothes. It’s shopping for them that bores me to tears. Sam, on the other hand, could make shopping a full-time job.

“The one you are meeting for drinks tonight?”

I give a little nod. “Yes, that’s her, but I guess that won’t be happening now.”

“Is it just the two of you?”

I nod again. “We have lived together for three years now. We took over her sister’s lease on an apartment in Hell’s Kitchen two years ago. It was a good deal.”

“Where in Hell’s Kitchen?”

“51st Street, between 9th and 10th Avenue.”

I sense a note of censure in James’s voice. “That is not the safest area. I doubt you even have a doorman.”

In an exasperated huff, I chastise him. “Hell’s Kitchen is not some kind of slum. It has some really nice buildings and a lot more diversity than you would find on the Upper East Side. I’ll have you know that I live next door to the best falafel place in the entire city. I defy you to find better falafel. Besides which, not all of us can afford doormen and concierge service buildings.”

“Fine, fine let’s call a truce. I won’t criticize your neighborhood anymore if you stop talking about falafel. I don’t think I can handle any more talk of food, since we have now missed dinner and it looks like we will be lucky to get back to the city in time for breakfast.”

Hmm, good point. Somehow I don’t feel hungry, probably due to the extra-large serving of hormones dancing around in my system, but it has been a long time since lunch. “If you’re really hungry, I think I might have some gummi bears in my bag.”

I can feel James’s shoulders shaking with laughter under my cheek. “Since when do gummi bears belong to a food group? I think I will be able to stick it out until morning.”

I shove my hand in my bag searching for the package of gummi bears. “You should have some. It tricks your stomach into thinking it’s getting some food, and besides didn’t you know that sugar suppresses your appetite? Here.” Beaming at successfully locating the candy, I thrust the little plastic package into his hands.

“This seems a bit forward of you.”

Confused, I squint up at him in the darkness. A blinding grin gleams back at me. What is so funny about gummi bears. Looking down into the hand holding the gummi bears, I do a double take. That is not a package of gummi bears. It’s a condom. The condom that Nick had given me as incentive to start dating after Mark. I squeeze my eyes shut, wishing I could rewind the past five minutes of time. Reaching over, I take the condom package out of his hand and drop it back in my bag. “Please forget you saw that.”

“It’s good to be prepared.”

I can hear the laughter in his voice. “Okay, you’ve had your laugh. Let’s move on now.”

In the following silence my fears begin to grow again. “Do you think we will be stuck on this train all night?” I ask with growing apprehension.

“Not necessarily. I think they will have us moving soon. This is pretty unusual for the LIRR.”

“Do you ride the LIRR often?”

“No, I don’t get a chance to ride the train much, since I live and work in Manhattan, but I have always liked riding trains. We have a great system here compared to the rest of the country, and I think that we sometimes take it for granted.”

“Is this a little boy thing?”

I can hear the smile in his voice as he replies, “I guess you have discovered my secret. I have always been a sucker for trains.” He gives me a gentle squeeze.  “Why don’t you try to get some rest? I will wake you if anything happens.”

I close my eyes and breathe in the intoxicating fragrance of expensive cologne diluted by something that is the essence of James and try to commit the heady scent to memory. The train is quiet. Most of the other passengers seem to be sleeping. I will be glad to have this nightmare train ride behind me, but, I admit to myself, it may have been worth it because of James.

The sensation of moving forward slowly brings me back to consciousness. The train is rolling again. I sit up and look around. The lights have come back on, and it is much warmer. James is asleep beside me. I wonder how long we have been moving when I see that we are almost to Jamaica Station. We will be coming into Penn Station soon. I notice that the battery is running low on my phone, but I shoot off a quick text letting Sam know that the train is running again and that she shouldn’t wait up. James stirs beside me. He turns toward me and smiles. “It looks like our ordeal is almost over.”

I can’t help but feel a small pang of disappointment that we will soon be saying goodbye. James pulls down my suitcase and I re-pack my clothes. I finish just as we are arriving at Penn Station. You can sense the relief of the passengers as they de-board the train. In the background the sound of the LIRR conductor apologizing for any inconvenience echoes over the loudspeaker system. James helps me with my suitcase as we exit the train. I am thanking him for making the trip bearable when his phone rings. He glances down at the name of the caller and stops to take the call. It feels uncomfortable to stop and wait for him when I don’t have a reason to, so I give an awkward little wave and walk on.

CHAPTER 3

“I would have at least gotten his number,” says Sam before turning to look at some fresh cut flowers at Union Square market.

I give a little shrug, “I don’t think he is on the market for a girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend, schmirlfriend. Why do you have to label it? You could just hook up and have great sex.” I just give her a look and don’t say anything. She knows me well enough to know that that isn’t my style.

Sam picks out a bunch of white daisies. “How about these?” she asks me. I give a noncommittal shrug before she continues, “He was obviously into you. It sounds like you had a good time.”

I think back to the night before. I definitely felt some chemistry between us, but I’m not necessarily looking for a relationship right now.  I’m looking for a position as a first-year associate at a law firm where sixty-hour work weeks are the norm. I would not even be able to think about a serious relationship for months or maybe even years. The thought was depressing. Then I reminded myself of all the hard work that I had done to get to this point, undergrad in three years, and the top ten percent at NYU Law. I couldn’t lose my focus for some guy.

Sam returns with her flowers, and we head for a cafe where we are meeting Sam’s sister, Suzanne, for a late brunch. “It’s complicated.” I sigh as I glance up at the sky. The clouds overhead are starting to look ominous, and once again, I don’t have an umbrella.

“Everything is complicated with you. Can’t you just hook up with an attractive stranger? It sounds sexy and fun. I would do it in a heartbeat.”

I roll my eyes at her. “Yes, I know. Did I mention that he is a lawyer?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“We could end up facing each other in court. Although New York City is huge, it would be my luck to run into him on a professional level. That could be awkward.” We pick up our pace when we feel a few light sprinkles of rain. “This is all irrelevant, because although he acted as if he felt the connection too, he gave me a major brush off.”

“I can see that I won’t be able to convince you, but I think you are making a mistake. I know how much you feel like you have to be in control of everything around you. Sometimes I think that keeps you from living.”

Is it a mistake? Had I grown too fixated on being in control? After leaving James on the platform last night, I decided to take a taxi home instead of trying to deal with the subway. I ran into James again outside of the station. He put his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet in an unsure manner that seemed out of character. “Listen Lainey, I want to make sure you get home alright.”

“I will be fine. I’m going to take a taxi right to my door,” I reassure him with a polite smile. “I do return to my home late at night sometimes, you know.”

“I’m sure that you are good at taking care of yourself, but would you just humor me and share a taxi with me?”

I couldn’t argue with that. Then something occurs to me, “Don’t we live in opposite directions?”

James looks confused, but then laughs. “Despite what you think, I do not live on the Upper East Side.”

I give him a blank look. “You don’t?”

“No,” he says with a smirk. “I live in Tribeca. It will just be a little detour to drop you off.”