Being Chased (3 page)

“
You sure? Nobody’s done or said something that’s upset you?”

“
Abso-posi-frickin-lutely sure.” She rolled her eyes then looked down at her glass for a second before raising them again to meet his, carefully keeping them void of any emotion. She jutted her chin out, the look in her eyes flat as she met his. She knew she really had no reason to be upset, but the way he’d watched her on the dance floor had to mean something, right? And besides, for some stupid reason she just couldn’t help feeling that way.

After a few second
s of holding his gaze, she looked down again and said just loud enough for him to hear over the booming music, “Why do you even care?”

“
It’s my job to make sure you’re okay.”

H
ow humiliating. Here she was thinking he was into her and he was just doing his job. She lifted her head and looked at him. 
It was his job
. Damn him. “I’m fine,” she finally bit out.

“
Okay, well, if you’re fine, I’ll be right over there at the bar.” He motioned with a tilt of his head.

“
Fine.”

“
Fine.”

“
Fine.”

He left the table going back to stand at his original place wondering why she was being so short with him.
He hadn’t seen anyone messing with her, yet she still acted like she was mad… at him. He chuckled to himself realizing he’d never understand the fairer sex.

Julia’s
friends came back to the table where they all ordered another round then they pulled her up to dance more with them. Well, she’d just forget about Chase and have a good time with her friends she told herself. To hell with him.

*
***

An hour later
, after several more drinks and plenty more dancing, she let him know she was ready to leave. He had the valet retrieve the car then helped her inside it. She was buzzing from the alcohol she’d consumed and felt a little loose-lipped, knowing her brain filter was probably on the blink but she couldn’t have cared less as she started quizzing him as they headed to the Tower. “Did you have fun tonight, Chase?”

“
Tons.”

“Do you get to go out often?”

“Not really.”

“I’m sorry. That’s not any fun.”

He didn’t answer her but noticed she was being nice to him now, seeming to be genuinely sorry for his lack of socializing, which made him chuckle. He guessed she must be pretty drunk since the last time they’d talked she’d acted as if she’d been mad at him.

“
Do you like to dance? Maybe I should’ve asked you.”

“
Looked like you had enough partners.” His tone sounded hard, clipped.

Oooh
. Was he a little jealous, maybe? “Would you have if I’d asked you?”

Hell y
es. Anything to have your body against mine again.
 “Probably not.”

“
Don’t you know how to dance?”

“
I do.”

“
But you wouldn’t have danced with me?”

Yeah, but it
would’ve only complicated things. 
“Probably not.”

Okay. Time to bust out the big guns.
“Did you like watching me dance?” She giggled a little at how bold she was being.

He snorted
at her lack of timidity. Yep, she was drunk. And cute. And of course he’d liked watching her dance but he couldn’t let her know that. He chose to remain silent.

Since she was on a roll, she thought she
may as well make good use of her moxie of the moment. “Sooooooooo, do you have a girlfriend?” She guessed she could always plead drunkenness for her
chutzpah
if she needed to.

“
No.”

“
And you still wouldn’t have danced with me?” she replied, her tone puzzled.

Silence.

Okay, different tactic needed.
“Would you have danced with someone else? Like that 
girl
 you were talking to?” She huffed a little.

Was she upset that he’d talked
to his friend? Was Julia interested in him? Was that why she’d been upset? Well, wasn’t that thought intriguing. “No.”

“
Who 
was
 that girl anyway?”

“
Someone from school. She was there waiting on her wife.”

“
Oh.”

“
Yeah.”

She was
so close to breaking down the barrier between them, so she continued giving him the third degree. “So, Chase, what do you do on weekends? What would you have been doing if you hadn’t gone with me tonight?”

Probably fucking the hot chick from one of my classes.
“Studying.”

“
Oh yeah. You’re going to be a lawyer, right?” She’d overheard Allen and him having a conversation about it a few times.

He was surprised. He
’d never talked to her about what he was studying. As far as he knew, she thought he was just her chauffeur. “Uh, yeah.”

“
What kind of law? You’re so secretive all the time, could it be you’re with the Mob and you’re going to be the law dude who gets them off when they murder someone? Like, when they put concrete shoes on him and sink him in the Hudson?” She snorted.

He chuckl
ed at this. “No, corporate law.”

“
Oooh, so you’ve probably made some deal with Allen, right? To work with him when you finish? Is he paying your tuition?”

He
felt as if she’d slugged him in the gut. What the hell? She really thought he’d let Allen pay for him? She must really think he was a huge loser.

“
No. I pay my own way,” he said through gritted teeth.

“
Oh.” She could sense his anger and knew she’d screwed up with her smartass questioning. Great. Back to square one.

They rode
in silence the rest of the way, which made her feel like an even bigger idiot about what she’d asked. As he helped her out of the car she turned to him after he’d shut the door. “I’m really sorry about that last comment. I was being a smartass and didn’t mean to offend you.”

“
It’s okay.” He turned to go back around the car.

She put a hand on his arm, stop
ping him, looking up at him when he turned back. “Chase?”

It happened so fast both of them were shocked. She
’d thrown her arms around his neck and he’d wrapped his arms around her and now they were in a lip lock that was filled with all kinds of want and need and longing. He was pressing her against the car with his hips, and she moaned into his mouth, which served as encouragement making his tongue tangle even more wildly with hers.

Julia
had wrapped her fingers in the hair at the back of his neck while moving her other hand over his shoulder then down his arm and over his chest, feeling how muscular he was. He let out a low growl as her hand dropped to trace over his abs.

In the meantime, hi
s hand had moved down her back to her butt and he pulled her closer, feeling himself get hard as she arched her back, causing her breasts to press against his chest. Damn, she was built. Her ass was so firm, her body so tight, and she smelled so good and felt so right in his arms. Her sexy moans compelled him to continue exploring her body with his hands, her mouth with his. God, he wanted her so bad.

And then
reality came storming in.

Holy shit. What
the hell was he doing? He’d get fired for sure. He snapped his head away, his lips leaving hers abruptly and he backed away, out of her reach, looking at her in shock, knowing that the kiss shouldn’t have happened. He walked to the driver’s side getting in, in a daze, everything going in slow-mo while Julia stood watching him leave.

As he drove away, he noticed she still stoo
d on the walk watching him. Damn it! He should’ve made sure she got inside safely. He shot a U-turn and came back down the street seeing that she’d already gone into the building. Thank God.

Christ.
What to do with this? He’d just have to act like it never happened. Yeah. Go back to the way things had been. He groaned as he realized this little plan wasn’t going to be easy. The attraction between them was blatantly obvious. Maybe she’d been so drunk she wouldn’t even remember. He held on to that spark of hope as he parked the car in the Tower garage and got into his old Bronco to drive across town to his apartment.

Julia
rode the elevator up in a trance, her fingers tracing over her lips. Damn. That man could kiss. She hadn’t wanted it to end. She’d felt great about it, but then she’d seen the look on his face when he’d pulled away from her then got in the car.

And
she knew he regretted it.

Julia stayed upset all weekend long. She didn’t understand why Chase had looked the way he had after they’d kissed. Maybe her kissing had totally grossed him out. She’d been told she was a good kisser, but maybe Chase hadn’t thought so. Maybe he 
did
 have a girlfriend and felt bad for cheating on her. Or maybe he was gay and had wanted to experiment by kissing her, deciding afterward that he’d stay batting for the other team. Who knew?

What she did know was that his look had hurt her more deeply than she cared to admit.

Chase, on the other hand, was thoroughly pissed with himself, knowing he’d possibly put his future on the line. He knew better than to get involved with Julia. But he was also furious with himself because he knew he’d hurt her and that was the last thing he’d meant to do.

So
each of them dealt with their feelings the only way they knew how.

Julia
wore her sweats all weekend, staying in bed, eating Chips Ahoys and watching reruns of 
America’s Next Top Model
. She pouted off and on, scolding herself for being such a wimp over something that had ended before it’d even started. She talked on the phone to Claire and Lily, whining to them about what had happened, asking them over and over what they thought. When nothing got resolved, she resorted to pouting some more, cursing men and vowing never to let herself be hurt again. The humongous bout of PMS she had going hadn’t helped her situation either, only making her that much grumpier. Yay for hormones.

Chase
spent his time either studying or working out on his and his roommate’s hodgepodge of weight lifting equipment. With each thrust of the bar when he benched pressed, he cursed himself for being such an ass. He just wanted things to go back the way they’d been before he’d kissed Julia. Then again he also wanted to explore this new development with her. Damn it. He was screwed either way.

He’
d talked to his roommate Brock Wilse about what had happened, hoping to get an answer to what he should do. Brock was pre-med, they’d met freshman year when Brock had applied at CEP and they’d worked some jobs together. They’d become roommates the next year. But Brock was a typical horny guy only telling him to “tap that shit before it gets away” and move on with his life. Chase could only imagine what Brock’s bedside manner was going to be like.

*
***

Lily
came over Sunday afternoon to check on Julia. When she walked into Julia’s room, she let out a low whistle. “Damn, girl. Did a thousand apes go through here ransacking things or are you just redecorating?”

“
Eat shit,” Julia muttered. She sat in the recliner with the foot rest out, a half-empty container of the blue-packaged cookies on her lap.

“
Wow. You’re seriously letting this get to you. I had no idea you liked this guy that much.”

“
I don’t. I mean, I do, but I don’t have a right to. I don’t even know him. I mean, I’ve known him for two years but I don’t really ‘know him, know him,’ you know?”

“
Sure,” Lily replied, giggling.

“
Look, I like the guy. But he kissed me then looked at me like he’d just screwed a camel. What the hell am I supposed to do with that? Ugh! This is going to be so awkward tomorrow when he picks me up! Damn it!” She put her face in her hands, shaking her head, then looked up at Lily as she got an idea. “Maybe I can convince Allen that I don’t need a bodyguard anymore. Maybe you and I can get that apartment we’ve always wanted. What do you think?”

Lily
chuckled. “Jules, that apartment we’ve always wanted isn’t in the picture right now. Neither of us can afford it. If we did move in together, we could only get a crappy place on our salaries. I think it’s best for right now that we stay put.”

Unfortunately,
Lily’s parents were just like Allen, thinking she needed to earn her way even though they were loaded and it would have been nothing to put her up in a nice apartment. Julia had never felt so trapped in all her life. Something had to give, and it’d better be sooner than later or she was going to snap and it wouldn’t be pretty.

****

“Dude. How many sets are you gonna do today? Every time I turn around you’re either benching, squatting or curling. What gives?” Brock asked as he walked around the weight bench Chase was lying on, snatching up a couple dumbbells off the rack and doing some flies.

“
I don’t know. Damn it. I don’t know what to do.”

“
You really got it bad for this chick, don’t you?”

“
Yeah, I do. Well, I mean, I like her. But I don’t want to lose my job because of it. And that sounds really shitty, but I need the job, man.”

“
I wish I had an answer for you, Murph. Maybe you should just bang her and move on.”

“
Goddamn it, Brock. Is that your answer for everything? To fuck her? You think that’s going to solve everything?”

“
Well, it might not. But at least you’ll feel good in the meantime.”

Chase
shook his head. Brock had to be the crudest asshole he’d ever known. Chase still felt just as confused as he had the minute he’d driven away from Julia’s apartment building.

****

Monday morning Julia was a wreck. She didn’t want to face Chase. She’d talked to Allen after Lily had left about her taking a cab to work or even getting her own car, but he’d had nothing to do with it.

“
By God, as long as you’re under this roof, you’ll abide by my rules, and that’s final,” he’d told her. “I don’t want anyone trying to get my mon-, er, my daughter.”

She
’d rolled her eyes. Allen and his precious money.

After much contemplation, playing out different scenarios,
Julia decided that she’d act like nothing had happened when she saw Chase. Just be herself. Then after a bit, things would go back to normal, with her trying to talk to him and him ignoring her again. Yeah, that was a good plan. She hoped she could carry it through.

Meanwhile,
Chase had made up his mind that he needed to talk to Julia, explaining to her his circumstances. He’d tell her he needed this job, that without it, he’d have to drop out of law school and he couldn’t jeopardize his future that way. He hoped she’d understand.

“
Good morning,” Julia said with a smile to Chase as she got into the car.

He was surprised she
’d taken the initiative to talk to him. “’Morning,” he replied.

They rode in silence for a bit then both talked at the same time.

“About the other night,” Julia began.

“
Look, Julia, I wanted to talk to you,” Chase started.

They both chuckled.
Julia told him to go ahead.

He was so nervous he didn
’t know where to start. He took a deep breath. “Look, Julia, I really need this job, I don’t know if you’ll understand, but the money—“

She stopped him right there.
“It’s okay, Chase. Don’t worry about it. I get it.” And she did. She’d watched every day of her life as money took precedence over everything including her. So this situation was nothing new.

Chase
broke his cardinal rule yet again and looked in the rearview mirror at her, but, ironically, she wouldn’t look back. As a matter of fact, it was almost as if she’d lost a little of her dazzle, her alacrity had diminished and that made him feel like a real ass. Why’d things have to be so damned complicated?

****

He's probably loving it now… now that I'm not talking to him anymore. He doesn't have to dodge my questions. I just want to flick the back of his stupid head…

She probably thinks I'm an ass now and doesn't want to talk to me...

Yeah, look at Mr. Drivey Driverton up there all smug and crap like he's all happy. Like nothing happened...

I wish I'd done things differently.
Not reacted to our kiss like a jerk. Damn. Why'd I have to kiss her? This is so uncomfortable. But the kiss was so hot. She felt so good… smelled so good… that body of hers… that firm, round ass…

Why'd he even kiss me? It's not like he's ugly or anything. He probably has women hanging off him all the time. I mean, he's so hot. He could have anyone. So why me?
But, damn, he can kiss… and his body was so muscular… rock hard…

S
he just looked so hot last Friday. Dancing all flirty… making eye contact. God, I really wanted her. I thought there might've been something there… but now I don't know… but, damn, I'd had a freaking boner for an hour after that… thank God Brock was gone when I got home and the shower was free…

And
he was watching me dance and that was so sexy. It was like there was something there… or at least I thought there was… but God, he'd gotten me so hot… thank God Johnny 
(as in Depp, what she'd named her vibrator)
 was there for me when I got home…

Wait, did I put that last load of laundry in the dryer?

Did I turn off my hair straightener?

Hm.
Great. Mildewed clothes.

Crap. I probably burned down the apartment.

But why's she so pissed now. It's not like a kiss is a crime or anything…

Look at him
all innocent like he’s done nothing wrong… dickhead…

"Thank you."

"Anytime."

Look at her going into work lik
e I'm nothing to her… spoiled princess…

Chase dropped Julia off at her office building. She was ready for another day of balancing
sales and expense reports while he had to get to class. He had a test in his Constitutional Law class that he knew would be harder than hell.

As far as their daily routine, nothing had changed for either of them.

But the car ride situation? Something different altogether. Yes, for the unaware observer, things would have seemed business as usual between them for the past week with Chase picking Julia up for work, dropping her off, picking her up for home, and dropping her off. But they both knew better. Nothing had been said about what had happened between them. Therefore, an ever-present big, fat freakin' elephant sat right in the passenger seat, looking back and forth between them, daring either of them to address the taboo topic, which could, in effect, tranquilize the tension. Maybe.

****

“Welcome to Car Ride Hell! Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Come be humiliated and miserable for ninety excruciating minutes each day!”

Julia chuckled as she imagined a carnival barker screaming out these words as she got into the car to be taken home that evening. These daily treks with Chase had become
about as much fun as having an Olsen twin be your personal stylist. Ick.

There
 
was
 some good news that went with this circumstance, though—she didn’t have to work at getting the gorgeous jerk to talk to her anymore. The bad news was she still felt like an ass for asking if Allen was paying his way in school.

In the meantime, Chase found Julia’s silence almost deafening.
Damn it. This catch-22 he had going on was really making him crazy. He needed to man up and make a decision—the girl or the job? He didn’t have a clue what to do. And, look at him. Wasn’t he the cocky one thinking she’d just run into his arms if he said the word? That way of thinking and the fact that she wouldn’t even
look
at him anymore was enough to make him just focus solely on the fucking job
. Christ. I’m such an arrogant prick.

But
this job was important to him. It not only insured his future, but he enjoyed doing it, was more than qualified in the field and he was proud to work for the family business. Chase’s father was a former Navy SEAL who’d been trained in various disciplines and combat techniques and had made damn good and sure that Chase and his brothers were too. After retiring from the Navy, he’d started CEP and had been very successful with it, even securing jobs over agencies that’d been around a lot longer.

And
Chase knew Julia had no idea how serious his job really was. She thought it was just some stupid chauffeur-type position, when actually it was a potentially dangerous one. They’d been lucky that the past two years had gone off without a hitch, but there was always the threat that something could happen. Every agent was licensed to carry a gun, and he knew Julia had no idea that his Glock was in the glove compartment.

So
to her he was just some guy who complacently drove her around when in reality he was willing to put his life on the line for her. And wasn’t that a kick in the pants. Oh, and now he had the hots for her. God must really hate him.

*
***

The next couple weeks were the same.
Julia would greet Chase in the morning and evening and thank him when she was dropped off. It'd almost gotten back to the way things had been for the past two years but for the fact that Julia never tried small talk anymore.