MadLoving

N.J.
Walters

Allison Lewis finds herself in another world when she enters
Hatter’s, a trendy New York nightclub. She’s a Midwestern girl living in the
big city and has recently been through a bad breakup. But tonight she wants to
put all that behind her. And she’s found just the man to tempt her to break out
of her conservative mold—the sexy Nevar Hatter.

Running Hatter’s takes up most of Nevar’s time. He never
comes on to patrons, but he’s more than willing to make an exception for
Allison. Fiery passion leads to a one-night stand. Nevar wants more but Allison
is running scared. He pulls out all the stops, including a private tea party of
their own to entice Allison to trust him with not only her body, but also her
heart.

A
Romantica®
contemporary erotic romance
from Ellora’s Cave

Dedication

For all of you who believe in whimsy, tea parties and love
at first sight. Thank you for jumping down the rabbit hole with me.

“You have to go. Everyone is talking about the place.”

Allison Lewis eyed her friend and fellow employee at the
School of Visual Arts across the cheap wood-grained tabletop. The busy café was
buzzing with the lunchtime crowd, but they ate here often and were used to it.
Voices rang in the background, some low, others in a near shout as the staff worked
hard to fill their customers’ orders and get them back out the door in a timely
manner.

Barb Calloway epitomized New York chic. Today she was
dressed in a black pencil skirt that fell several inches above her knees and
had topped it off with a wildly patterned gauzy blouse and three-inch purple
pumps. To Barb three-inch heels were conservative enough for work.

She, on the other hand, looked exactly like the small
Midwestern girl she was in her brown flats, white blouse and brown, knee-length
skirt. She’d lived in New York for three years now, but the polish and style of
the city had never quite rubbed off on her.

“I don’t know, Barb.” Allison wasn’t much for clubs,
preferring to head home after a long day’s work. But Barb and several of the
women who worked in administrative positions at the school were always nagging
her to go out with them.

Barb picked at the salad on her plate, taking a bite before
pointing her plastic fork at Allison. “You don’t go anywhere anymore. Not since
you and Bradley broke up.”

Which was a polite way to say Bradley dumped her for another
woman. Allison took a big bite out of her turkey sandwich and chewed. Too bad
the breakup hadn’t taken her appetite with it. No such luck. Allison was
blessed with a healthy constitution and a work ethic drilled into her from the
time she was born. It wasn’t in her DNA to mope or miss work.

Especially not for a louse like Bradley.

“We’re all going. Just come out for an hour. Spending all
that time at home alone isn’t good for you.” Barb patted her lips with her
napkin and set it back down on the table.

Allison was amazed that her friend’s lipstick was still
perfect. No smudge. No smear. She knew her own lipstick was long gone. She
didn’t know how Barb did it.

“Promise me you’ll come.” Barb reached across the table and
caught her hand, giving it a quick squeeze. “It’ll be good for you.”

She was really lucky to have such a great friend. All her
friends and family back home had warned her before she moved here that New
Yorkers were cold and aloof, but that simply wasn’t the case. All the women she
worked with were sociable and Barb was a great friend, bringing cookie-dough
ice cream and a shoulder to cry on when Bradley cheated on her.

“Okay, I’ll think about it.”

“Great.” Barb stood as if everything were settled. And in
Barb’s mind it was.

Several appreciative male gazes came Barb’s way, but her
friend didn’t even notice. With her black hair, blue eyes and slender figure,
she was a knockout. But it was hard to be jealous of Barb because she was just so
darn nice too.

“Where is it we’re going again?” Allison cringed slightly
when Barb raised her perfectly sculpted eyebrow in question. She’d only been
listening with half an ear when Barb had been going on and on about the
nightclub she and the other girls from work were all so excited about.

“It’s called Hatter’s. You know, like the Mad Hatter in
Alice
in Wonderland
.”

“A theme bar?” That wasn’t Barb’s usual style at all.

Barb laughed. “Loosen up, Allison. It’ll be fun. I’ve heard
they do all kinds of fancy drinks and the atmosphere is dark and mysterious.”

Her friend was right. She really needed to loosen up and get
past the funk she’d allowed herself to become mired in. She wrapped up the rest
of her sandwich and shoved it into her purse to take back to the office.
“You’re right. I do need some fun.”

“That’s the spirit.” Barb wrapped her arm around Allison’s
shoulders as they worked their way through the crowd to the front door. “Give
yourself a break. Let down your hair and enjoy a night out with the girls.”

They left the café and headed back to the office. Allison
took a deep breath, inhaling the smells of the city—exhaust, heat, grease from
the food truck parked by the curb. Even after three years, she couldn’t believe
she was actually living and working here. She loved the excitement, the pulse
of the people who inhabited the city. She felt more alive here than she ever
had back home.

Or she
had
felt more alive. Since the breakup with
her cheating ex, she’d allowed herself to fall into a funk. No more.

Barb chatted about an upcoming sale at Macy’s. Allison loved
how animated her friend got when talking about a sale. Her eyes twinkled and
her skin flushed. Barb’s passion was clothing, not men, who she’d declared
off-limits for the next year. Allison wasn’t the only one who’d been through a
bad breakup.

“I’ll see you tonight,” Allison promised as they parted
ways. She headed to her office, tucked her purse away and settled into work.
But she couldn’t concentrate. The air-conditioning was on the fritz again,
working only when it wanted to, and the heat was making her uncomfortable. She
undid the two top buttons on her blouse, but that didn’t help much.

Her shoulder-length, curly hair flowed down around her
shoulders, making her even warmer. Allison shoved her work aside and reached
for her phone. The number she wanted was in her contacts and she didn’t
hesitate to press it.

It rang once. “Come on,” she coaxed. “Answer.” It rang again
and was picked up just before the third.

“Anton’s,” the deep male voice announced.

“Hi, Anton. It’s Allison Lewis. I was wondering if you had
an opening this afternoon.” Anton was her stylist and he’d been after her for
the past few months to change her look.

She could hear rustling in the background and knew he was
checking his schedule. “I had a cancellation at three,” he told her.

She checked her watch. Why not? She’d never left work early
and knew her boss wouldn’t mind. “Pencil me in. I’ll see you at three.”

Satisfied, she tossed her phone onto the desk and dove back
into her work. If she was going to leave early, she needed to put a good dent
in the stack of papers on her desk.

* * * * *

“Wow, that looks amazing.” Allison stared at herself in the
mirror, hardly able to believe the woman staring back was actually her. The
thick mass of curls was no more. Instead, she had a short, pixie cut that
suited her face well and made her eyes appear huge.

Anton stood behind her looking supremely satisfied. “I told
you it would look good, did I not?”

“You did indeed.” She ran her fingers through the much
shorter locks. The curls were gone, but there was a wavy texture to her hair
that gave it body.

“You like it?” He smiled, his teeth appearing even brighter
against his dark skin. Anton was about six foot six and had to weigh two-fifty.
Not what she imagined when she thought about a hairdresser, which just proved
you couldn’t judge a book by its cover. When it came to hair, Anton was a
genius.

“Like it? I love it.” Impulsively, Allison jumped out of the
chair and hugged him.

Anton’s booming laugh filled the space. Several other women
getting their hair done turned at the sound and smiled. “I’m glad.” He steered
her toward the front desk. “Big night tonight?”

She shook her head, loving how light she felt without all
that hair weighing her down. “No. I just decided it was time.”

“Ah.” There was a wealth of meaning in that one word. “There
has to be a man involved in there somewhere.”

Allison shrugged. “There was. About three months ago. I’m
ready to move on.” And she was. Not that she wanted to get into a serious
relationship anytime soon, but she was ready to go out with her friends and
have some fun.

Anton lightly brushed his huge hand over her hair. “His
loss.” He rang her up and she handed him credit card, tucking it back into her
wallet, along with the receipt when the transaction was done. Allison was
careful with her money. Sure she made a decent salary, but living in New York
wasn’t cheap.

“Bye,” she called as she went through the door. Anton waved
her off.

There was a spring in her step as she hurried down the
sidewalk to her tiny apartment. The sun was still bright and people were
starting their commute home. Thankfully, Anton’s shop was only a few blocks
away from her place so she was almost there.

The nondescript building came into view and Allison sighed
with relief. She’d be happy to get out of these work clothes and into something
cooler. She let herself into the building and trudged up three floors. Her next
door neighbor, Mrs. Anderson, was just on her way out when Allison reached the
landing.

The older woman stopped and stared a moment. “Well, don’t
you look lovely. That new cut suits you.”

“Thanks, Mrs. A.” Allison reached up to touch her hair. “On
your way to bingo?”

Mrs. Anderson smiled. “I am, indeed. Feeling lucky tonight.”

Mrs. A always said that, but she was right more often than
not. “Good luck.”

Allison unlocked her door and tossed her purse onto the
small antique dresser just inside the door. Four hundred square feet and all of
it hers. The tiny kitchenette was off to the right and the bathroom to the
left. The main living space with one large window was directly in front of her.

She took off her shoes and stored them in the shoe rack
behind the closet door. Closing the door, she surveyed her space. It might be
small, but it was all hers.

Two walls contained white bookshelves that held baskets and
books, as well as her television and laptop. Her daybed was in front of the
window so she could sit there at night and look out over the city. The baskets
and throw pillows added a pop of color to the place.

It had taken her months to get the space the way she wanted
it. She’d scoured secondhand furniture shops for the bookshelves, coffee table
and daybed, but she’d purchased a new mattress and chair, not wanting to go
secondhand on those.

The bathroom was tiny, but she was used to maneuvering in
the small space. She stripped off her clothing and stepped into a cool shower,
careful not to get her hair wet. The water felt amazingly good against her warm
skin, but she didn’t linger and finished quickly.

The woman staring back at her from the mirror looked much
different from the one who’d left the apartment this morning. Allison smiled as
she dried off and wrapped the towel around her. The new hairstyle really gave
her a sense of confidence she hadn’t had in months.

Deciding to continue pampering herself, she dug in the
cabinet beneath the sink and found the lavender lotion that Barb had given her
for her birthday last month. Allison knew it was expensive and used it
sparingly. Tonight, she slathered it on, enjoying the way it softened her skin.
The relaxing scent of lavender enveloped her.

When she was done, she hung the towel over the rod and drew
on her robe. The big question was what was she going to wear tonight? She
picked up her clothing, depositing all but the skirt in the laundry hamper. She
hung the skirt in the tiny closet and began to go through her choices for
tonight.

“No. No. No.” Everything she owned was boring, suitable for
work. Which was fine most of the time, but she wanted something special
tonight. She was celebrating the start of the rest of her life.

She’d reached the back of the closet when her hand paused
over a hanger. The dress. The one Barb had talked her into buying months ago.
The one she’d worn that fateful night to surprise Bradley. Instead, she was the
one who had been surprised when she’d gone by his place and found him in bed
with another woman.

She’d come home, taken off the dress and shoved it to the
back of the closet.

Tonight was the night. It was time to put the past behind
her.

Lingerie came first. She pulled on a black lacy bra and
matching panties. Feeling daring, she dug out a pair of silky thigh-high
stockings and smoothed them over her legs. Then she slid the dress off the
hanger and pulled it on. You could never go wrong with a little black dress.
This one had three-quarter length sleeves and a V-neck that showed a hint of
cleavage, not that Allison had an overabundance in that department, but the
neckline flattered her. The hem hit just above her knee. It was tame by most
women’s standards, but was more daring then her usual clothes.

She dug into her jewelry box and pulled out a hammered
silver cuff she’d gotten for a steal at a thrift store and slid it on her
wrist. Perfect.

She only had one small purse, but thankfully it was black
and matched the outfit. Going to her everyday purse, she transferred ID, money,
one credit card and her phone to the small bag.

Allison glanced at the clock. She was about two hours early.
Sighing, she padded to the window to stare out. Should she bother with dinner?
She wasn’t hungry. She’d finished the rest of the turkey sandwich she’d brought
back to the office. Still, she was in New York City and she was dressed up and
ready to go out.

Shoes and a wrap? She headed back to the closet and found
two-inch suede black pumps she’d bought for a holiday party last year and a red
shawl that her grandmother had given her.

Ready to go, she took out her phone and checked a city map,
easily finding Hatter’s. There were plenty of restaurants between here and
there. She’d stop at one and grab a bite before meeting her friends.

At the last second, she detoured into the bathroom, grabbed
her travel toothbrush and shoved it into her bag. Now she was ready.

Locking up behind her, Allison headed out for her night on
the town.

* * * * *

Nevar Hatter checked the list on his clipboard. Everything
was ready for another night. The staff was already here, prepping for a busy
evening. Hatter’s was his baby. Well, his and his brother’s. He and Rabb had
conceived the idea several years ago. It had taken a while to make their dream
a reality but they finally had. Now Hatter’s was one of the hottest spots in
Manhattan.