Fixed on You (6 page)

“That’s an awfully generous
payment.” Too generous. And just like I jumped to buy a lottery ticket whenever
the pot got particularly high, I wanted to jump on his offer. But nothing that
paid that well ended in good.

“It’s worth it to me to see this
project succeed, Alayna.”

My answer was no. I’d already
decided. It had to be no. There was too much risk at entering into an
arrangement—any arrangement—with him.

But I couldn’t help but want to
know more of the details. “What exactly would you want me to do?”

“Pretend we’re a couple. I’d
invite you to several gatherings where my mother would see us together. I’d
expect you to hang on my arm and behave as though we’re madly in love.”

“And that’s all?” I couldn’t
imagine it would be that hard to pretend to be in love with Hudson. And that
was the problem with the whole damn thing. Pretending to be in love with
someone who already affected me so intensely was a big fat trigger for
obsessing.

“That’s all.” His shoulders had
visibly relaxed. He thought I was taking him seriously, that I was considering
his ridiculous idea, and I almost wondered if I actually should. 

 I swallowed. For eighty thousand
dollars there had to be more he expected. Since he wouldn’t spell it out, I
tiptoed around the topic myself. “This pretend relationship—to what extent
would I be expected to perform?”

 “Don’t pussy foot about it. You’re
asking about sex.” His eyes darkened again. “I never pay for sex, Alayna. When
I fuck you, it will be for free.”

There it was, the promise that I’d
both longed for and feared. His stark declaration had me squirming in my seat.
I had never been so aroused and so confused all at once. We were at my work,
for Christ’s sake! I had to start my shift in less than half an hour, and all I
wanted to do was respond to his crude remarks with equally naughty behavior.

Somehow I forced my mouth to
speak. “Maybe I should go.”

“Do you want to?” It was an
invitation to stay.

“I’m n-not sure,” I stuttered. “Yes.
I think I should.” But I didn’t move. I couldn’t.

Hudson took advantage of my
weakness, pressing me to indulge him with reasons. “Because you’re
uncomfortable with my proposition? Or because I told you that I’m going to fuck
you?”

His profession had no less impact
the second time. “I’m…yes. That.”

He cocked his head, contemplating
me with puzzled eyes. “But I‘m certain that’s not a surprise to you, Alayna.
You feel the electricity between us. Your body language expresses it quite
well. I wouldn’t be surprised to find you’re already wet.”

My cheeks heated.

He flashed a wicked grin. “Don’t
be embarrassed. Don’t you know I feel the same?” He shifted in his seat. “If
you were to carefully read my body, you’d see the evidence.”

 I knew then that he was hard. My
sex clenched with the knowledge. If my brain hadn’t completely turned to mush
I’d be in his lap by now, taking his length into my hands, sucking him off with
my mouth.

Hudson seemed to find my misery
fascinating. “Let’s table my proposition to hire you for a moment and discuss
this other thing further. Please understand that they are very separate from
each other. I’d never want you to think my sexual desire for you was in any way
part of a sham for my parents and their friends.”

Ridiculous giddiness flowed
through me.
Hudson Pierce desired me.
And I was going to wreck it all
with my flabbergasted reaction. I furrowed my brows in concentration. “I’m—I
don’t know how to react to someone stating they desire me.”

He frowned. Even with his lips
curled down they begged to be kissed. “Has no man told you that before?”

I fumbled with my glass,
caressing the beads of sweat that still accumulated from the pile of remaining
ice. “Not in so many words. Actions sometimes. Certainly not so bluntly.”

“That’s a shame.” He reached
across the table and stroked a thumb across my hand, his touch making me dizzy.
“I plan to tell you every chance I get.”

“Oh.” I pulled my hand away. It was
too much, too fast. Maybe I could end up in Hudson’s bed and it would be all
right and I wouldn’t freak out.

But this wasn’t his bed. This was
the club. And whether I freaked out or not, mixing work with sex was never a
good idea.

Ah.
Was that what David
had been saying when he broke it off with me? What a moment for understanding
to click in.

I put my hands on the edge of the
table. “I, uh, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. I need to go. You’ve given me a
lot to think about.”

I stood and he did too.

“I wish you wouldn’t. But if you
must…” He sounded needy, reflecting how I felt.

I couldn’t look at him. If I did,
I’d stay. “I’ve got to get to work.”

I moved to the door and placed my
hand on the knob. But Hudson’s palm pressed on the top of the door, holding it
closed and trapping me between him and the wall.

He lowered his head to my ear.
“Wait, Alayna.” His breath tickled and burned simultaneously. I closed my eyes,
taking it in, bearing it. “I apologize for overwhelming you. That wasn’t my
intent. But I want you to know that whether or not you decide to help with my
situation, I will continue to seduce you. I’m a man who gets what he wants. And
I want you.”

Um, holy wow.

Turned on did not begin to
describe how his statement made me feel.

Then his mouth was on me,
nibbling at my earlobe. I drew in a sharp breath. Involuntarily, I let my head
roll to the side, granting him better access.

 And, man, did he take what I
gave, nipping a trail down my neck, sending ripples of desire through my belly.
I moved my hand off the doorknob and grabbed his arm to steady myself. He
curled his other arm around me, his hand settling on my breast. I gasped at the
contact, leaning in to his touch.

He kneaded my breast as he
nuzzled his face in my hair. “I should have told you earlier,” he said softly.
“You look absolutely beautiful tonight. I can’t keep my eyes off you. Serious
and sexy wrapped into one package.” He pressed against me and I could feel his
erection at my lower back. “Kiss me, Alayna.”

It was so hot how he used my name
freely. As if it was his to use. And in many ways it was. Almost no one called
me anything but Laynie. He’d claimed my name when he claimed me.

All that was left was for me to
accept it.

His mouth was waiting as I turned
my head. Instantly, he captured mine with his own and I whimpered. He slipped
his tongue in possessively and skillfully, urging mine to come out and play.
His kiss was just as demanding and confident as he was, his firm lips driving
the tempo, stealing my breath and sending a firm buzz to my lady parts.
God,
imagine his lips down there…

 I shifted my body, needing more
contact, and instinctively, he turned too so we were face to face. Wrapping my
hands around his neck, I pulled him deeper, wanting to feel him in every part
of my mouth. He knew what I needed, licking and stroking into me, as his hands
slid down to clutch my ass.

 I wanted all of him. Screw my
shift and any other excuse I’d made to myself during the course of the
conversation. Even if it led to obsessing, I needed him inside me, and not only
with his tongue. I rolled my hips against his, begging for him to touch me
there, to ease the ache at my core.

Hudson responded, moving his
hands from my behind to my shoulders. Then he gently pushed me away, breaking
our kiss, but leaving his hands on my shoulders as if trying to hold me at that
distance.

My mouth felt empty and cold as I
struggled to calm my breathing. Hudson’s breaths were equally ragged, and he
panted in rhythm with me. As my brain returned from a state of blissful haze, I
became uneasy, unable to understand his sudden retreat.

Recognizing my concern, Hudson
moved his hand to brush my cheek. “Not here, precious. Not like this.” His
other hand wrapped around my neck and he pressed his forehead against mine. “I
will have you beneath me. In a bed. Where I can adore you properly.”

His statement was a promise. A
sensual threat that had me itching to make it come to pass.

But I had to get to work. And he
was right. A fast fuck in the bubble room would not nearly be enough for what I
wanted with Hudson. No,
needed.
Hudson was far from what I wanted. But
I’d gone beyond that now. I had to have him, bad for me though he may be.

I closed my eyes as Hudson
trailed a hand down to my bosom and reached inside. My eyes startled opened
when, instead of feeling his fingers on my breast, I felt my phone being removed.

He unlocked the screen and dialed
a number. A moment later I heard his phone ring. “Now we have each other’s
numbers. I expect you to use it.” He replaced my phone inside my bra cup, his
eyes lingering on my cleavage before pulling me in to brush his lips across
mine. “Call me when you’re ready. Tomorrow.”

He kissed me swiftly and then was
gone, leaving me to wonder if I’d be “ready” to call him as soon as tomorrow.
And if I could wait that long.

I woke up right before noon the
next morning when I heard my phone buzz an incoming text. It was plugged in on
the nightstand next to me, but I wasn’t ready to wake up, having gotten to bed
after six.

Lying with my eyes closed, I
grinned into my pillow and recalled the events of the night before. The things
Hudson had said to me, the way he’d kissed me, touched me—my heart sped up at
the memory. Had all of that really happened? My obsessive relationship disorder
made it really easy for me to imagine that things happened between me and
others that actually hadn’t. It had been several years since I had fallen into
those old habits. Now, was I doing it again?

No, I wasn’t making it up. I
couldn’t make up a kiss like that. It had happened. And I had wanted more to
happen. But in the morning with distance and fresh eyes, I could see so much
better how it shouldn’t happen. As much as I wanted him, I was already thinking
about him way more than was healthy.

I went through the steps of
recognizing unnatural fixation in my mind:

Did I think about Hudson to
the point that it affected my work or daily life?
I’d certainly thought
about him a lot after he’d left the club, but I’d managed to work my shift
without a problem.

Did I think he was the only
one for me?
No way. In fact, I suspected I shouldn’t be mixed up with him
at all.

Did I believe I would never be
happy if I didn’t see him again?
I’d be disappointed, but not devastated.
Well, probably not devastated. All right, I’d be devastated.

Did I call him or visit him
obsessively to the point of stalking?
 I didn’t know where he lived or
worked. If I was fixating, I’d have figured that out before I’d gone to bed
that morning. I didn’t even have his number.

Oh, wait, I did. But I hadn’t
used it. I was fine. For the moment.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder
why he wanted to be with me. Hudson Pierce held celebrity status. He could date
supermodels and pedigreed women—why would he want
me
? The lack of an
answer kept me doubting what had really occurred between him and me.

And then there was his ridiculous
offer to pay off my student loans in exchange for hanging on him like arm
candy. How on earth did I qualify for that? If I were another type of girl, one
with dollar signs in the eyes, I’d be all over his—what did he call it?—
proposition
. 
Fortunately, money didn’t speak to me beyond what I needed for survival. The
only temptation was the opportunity to spend more time with that delicious
specimen of a man. But I’d already been through this—it was not a good idea.

Besides, if I’d understood him
correctly, the option to spend time with him stood with or without accepting
his job.

Not an option, Laynie!

It was a confusing idea anyway.
Sleep with him without a relationship but pretend to have a relationship. Why
not just have a relationship?

And there I was, already trying
to make his offer more than it was.

I sighed and stretched my arms
above my head. Clearly I wasn’t going back to sleep and Hudson was too much to
contemplate without coffee. I turned over and grabbed my phone to read my text,
secretly hoping it was from him.

It was from my brother.
“Be
there in twenty.”
 

I sat up, panicked. Did I forget
a visit from Brian?

Scrolling through my texts I saw
he’d sent one at seven in the morning.
“Court cancelled. Taking a fast train
to NYC. We need to have lunch.”

I threw my phone onto the bed
next to me and groaned. As my only living relative, I loved Brian with extreme
depth and neediness. But his role in my life had transformed from sibling to
caretaker when I was sixteen after the death of my parents, and in an effort to
compensate for all he knew I’d lost, he’d alienated me in many ways.

He’d also saved me, and I’d be
eternally grateful.

Plus he paid the rent for my
apartment. So when Brian trekked out from Boston on a weekday to have lunch, I
better be ready and waiting. Even though I knew a surprise visit couldn’t mean
anything good.

I took a deep breath and jumped
out of bed. I didn’t have time for a shower. Brian and the patrons of whatever
swank place he took me to would have to settle for the smelly version of me. I
pulled on a pair of taupe dress slacks and a cream blouse and sprayed myself
with a generous amount of Pear Blossom Body Spray before throwing my long brown
hair into a messy bun. I’d just located my keys and purse when my phone rang.

I pulled the door closed behind
me and stepped toward the elevator as I answered.