BLUE ICE (ICE SERIES) (9 page)

              He stopped and looked at me. ‘You were feeling sick in the bar.’

              ‘Yes, I can remember that.’

              ‘Michelle was worried so I told her I would take care of you.’

              I was no longer using a small voice. ‘Oh you moron! Taking care, means taking me home, MY home, or putting me in a cab, not a fucking sleep over at your place!’

              ‘Lower your voice and don’t fucking curse!’ Again this hot ass was angry with me. ‘I took you here because I was worried that you would get sick again, all by yourself in your house. ‘

              ‘Oh God! You were worried about me? Yeah right!’ I even laughed defiantly.

              He raised his voice, warning me to stop being a bitch. ‘You slept for 12 hours straight, and I had to call a doctor to check with him. So yes, I was worried!’

              ‘Dylan I sleep for 12 hours on weekends every weekend! You didn’t have to call a doctor! I’ve just learned the bad way not to eat a shrimp taco in a street cart.’

              ‘You ate what?’ He was surprised, he hadn’t learned about my particular culinary tastes.

              ‘Yeah, you heard right! They had a delicious sauce and lots of lime, I couldn’t help myself.’

              ‘Don’t do that again! You threw up when we got home and you were already unconscious.’

              He was distracting me, that mouth saying the words home and we in the same sentence was taking me to dark places. I needed to pick up my game. ‘So that’s why you took my skirt off?’ I crossed my arms over my chest.

              That fucking smirk came back to his face again! ‘No, I took it off because you would have scratched me with the sequins.’

              ‘Did you sleep in this same bed?!’ I was shocked, my voice betrayed me and he was aware of my surprise.

              ‘Yeah, this is my bed Katherine.’

              ‘Oh God! You could have left me on the sofa! Or at my house! Or on the street! Not your bed!’

              ‘Why Katherine? What does my bed makes you think?’

              He was playing games with me again.
Play this asshole!
‘Nothing Dylan, that’s the interesting part, that makes me think about nothing. Now if you could tell me where my skirt is, I really need to get out of here.’

              I tried to stand up quickly, but I got dizzy and he had to grab me before I hit the ground.

              ‘It’s 2 o’clock and you vomited your soul out, so no, you’re not leaving. Take a quick shower, food will be ready in a couple of minutes.’

              He was crazy, I didn’t want to be naked any place near him, but I really wanted that quick shower. My little girl voice was on. ‘I don’t have any clean clothes.’

              ‘You can take anything you want from my closet.’

              ‘Thank God! I thought you were going to offer me the missed clothes of your one night stands.’

              ‘Sorry Katherine, no one night stands in this place.’

              ‘Only regulars?’ I couldn’t help it, I was really curious.

              ‘No, just no women here.’

              ‘Sorry Dylan, but I am pretty sure I am a woman.’

              He smirked at me. ‘I know, I took your skirt off, don’t you remember?’

              My face was blushing like a fireplace, I deserved that for trying to be funny. He laughed a little at my shocked face. ‘Breathe Katherine! I didn’t see anything, your damn’ shirt is way too long. Get into the shower and wear whatever you want, hurry up or I’ll come for you.’

              With that he left the room; before getting into the shower I went through his closet. It smelled incredible, just like Dylan. I was in clothes’ heaven, the closet that GQ would dream of. His threat came into my mind so I took a pair of tight jeans, the smallest boy shorts I could find and a plain white V-neck t shirt. I locked the bathroom and took the quickest shower I had ever had. His shampoo and soap smelled even more like him, I knew that after this shower I was going to smell like him all day and I loved it.

              I put on the clothes and my high heels, I looked a little slutty in high heels with my dark pink bra under his white shirt, but the vomiting part would remove any sexual thought from his mind. I threw my pretty, lovely shirt in the trash can, almost crying having to say good bye and left the room. Dylan was already sitting at the table reading a newspaper.

              ‘Dylan, I’d better go, I’m not hungry.’

              ‘Sit down now Katherine or I’ll tie you to the chair.’ He remained cool even though he was bossing me around.

              I sat down and stared at the plates, I was not up for arguing. This man saw me puking, that was my lowest point.

              ‘I asked for French toast and Eggs Benedict, I didn’t know what you would like.’

              I took the French toast and a cup of tea.

              He raised his face from his newspaper. ‘Not feeling like talking today?’

              ‘I am tired, and you saw me puking last night, I just want to leave.’ My voice was small and girly.

              Something softened in his eyes. ‘I also watched you sleeping, that make up for the puking.’

              ‘You are weird. Stalker kind of weird.’

              ‘It’s good I am only “stalker weird” with you.’

              Awkward
!!! We both ate in silence after that for a couple of minutes.

              ‘Dylan I have already finished, may I go now?’ I hate that my voice sounds a little childish sometimes, especially when I want something.

              ‘Come on Katherine, I am taking you home.’

              I knew it was stupid and stubborn but I didn’t want him to know where I lived. ‘It’s not necessary Dylan, I’ve troubled you enough, I’ll take a cab.’

              ‘Would you drop it?’

              ‘What?’

              ‘That humble girl act, you haven’t troubled me at all. I want to take you home, I never do anything I don’t want to, so let me do what I want, ok?’

              The little girl attitude came back, I just nodded, I was really tired to fight him back, and once again I promised myself this was a last time thing. I grabbed my things that were on the entrance table and followed him.

              We went down on his elevator in complete silence, I was too ashamed to be defiant. When the door opened I saw Max waiting in the black SUV, but Dylan walked away from it.

              ‘Max, we’re taking the Mercedes, thank you.’

              Dylan opened the door of a beautiful black Mercedes for me and then went to the driver’s seat.

              ‘So you can drive, even in New York.’ I said with lots of sarcasm, apparently I could still be defiant.

              ‘I can do many, many things Katherine.’

              That weird tone in his voice was making me uncomfortable again. We rode in silence. I checked my phone, but of course it was dead, the battery didn’t survive my 15 hour show. Then my brain started drifting away: why on Earth someone would wear a suit on a Saturday? Does he always look like the front page of Forbes magazine?
How he would look with his shirt off?
It seemed as if my head was always thinking of his abs and hips.

              His cell rang and it wasn’t until then that I noticed that the energy I was feeling for the last 10 minutes came from his hand on my leg. How long had it been there? It felt good, his touch was always good, but all the bad things feel good and tempting at some point. I decided I needed to distract him, so while I moved my leg to free it, I started. My mom has taught me enough to know that I needed to say something to sooth my rude movements.

              ‘Dylan, I know I am not that kind but I really want to thank you for taking care of me last night. I don’t know how to pay you back.’

              ‘Oh, I know how.’

              What?!
I was just trying to be nice, I wasn’t serious about paying him back.

              ‘Oh, so you do? Enlighten me please.’

              ‘You still owe me half of a lunch. Would you come on Monday to have lunch with me at my office?’

              ‘Mmm, ok, I’ll be there.’

              Yes I know, that was way too easy, but he had a point so I was just being reasonable. We stopped at my apartment. When he got out I noticed he wanted me to wait for him to open my door, but I have never been comfortable with that gesture, I simply don’t understand why I can’t open my own door. As I opened it by myself, he took my hand and after taking me out of the car he put his hand on my hip, pressing me back to the car door.

              ‘I’m looking forward to Monday Katherine.’

              I just nodded, what was I supposed to say? He kissed my cheek, again staying there too long for my taste.

              ‘Thanks for the ride and for taking care of me, Dylan. See you on Monday.’

              With shaky legs I walked towards my door, I did my best to walk as if I were on a runway, I hated the man but I knew he would be staring and I would make it worthy to watch. Breathless, I entered my apartment and just then noticed that I never told him my address. I didn’t know how that sneaky Blue Eyes learned that but I would need to check what else he had researched.

              I took his clothes off and hid them in my closet. I don’t like the guy but he smells like heaven and I wanted my closet smelling like that. I spent the rest of my Saturday and my entire Sunday in sweatpants, watching TV and eating junk food with some expectation for the next encounter.

              On Monday, I knew I had that stupid lunch so I tried to look good, not to make him like me,
who are you kidding?
But to be presentable. I went to work as usual, dealing with stupid Jenny when needed, and then noticed that it was time for lunch, but realized I didn’t know where I was supposed to go.

              ‘Mrs. Cherry, could you help me with something? I hate to bother you, but I need to go to Mr. Berkeley’s office and I have no idea where that is. Could you call his assistant and ask?’

              ‘Ms. Bianchi, Joe, Mr. Berkeley’s driver has been waiting for you for a while in the lobby.’

              That took me off guard. ‘Oh…ok…thank you. I’ll come back in an hour, in case John asks for me.’

              I took my big purse and walked out. I was wearing black leggings, black Loubis, a baby blue long shirt and a dark blue blazer. Even when I knew I looked nice, I wasn’t giving anything away, this was a chic, professional, serious look.

              ‘Hello there, big guy!’

              ‘Ma’am I thought I was not seeing you again.’ Joe opened the SUV door for me.              

              ‘I wish! This isn’t against you Joe, but your boss is kind of a jerk.’

              He rounded the car and took his seat. ‘He’s a good man ma’am, and he seems to be into you.’

              ‘Oh God big guy, you know better than that. Let’s go before that boss of yours comes here and fires your ass.’

              I made Big Guy blush, I shouldn’t be swearing in front of him. We walked into the newest skyscraper in town, of course, luxury was surrounding me in every single way. Big Guy directed me to the front desk.

              ‘Mr. Berkeley is waiting for her.’ The young man in reception was watching me closely.

              ‘Sure, I just need your ID Ms. Bianchi.’

              How would he know my name
? I gave it to the security guy and he handed it back with a badge that read BKY’s Enterprises. Big guy took me to the elevator, we were going to the top floor. It seemed like an eternity before we got to another desk. A perky nice blonde was working there.

              ‘Hey, I’m Katherine Bianchi, I’m here to see Mr. Berkeley.’

              ‘I know who you are Ms. Bianchi, let me call Mr. Rhode.’ She studied me while dialing Mr. Rhode.

              ‘Thank you.’

A nice, too thin, young guy, with the chicest glasses approached me. ‘Ms. Bianchi, nice to meet you. I am Jonathan Rhode, Mr. Berkeley’s assistant. Let me take you to him.’

              ‘Thank you Jonathan, my name is Katherine.’

              ‘I know that Ms. Bianchi.’

              ‘I am telling you so you call me that.’

              ‘Thank you, but Ms. Bianchi is ok for me. Here we are, just open the door he has been waiting for you.’

              ‘Thanks, Mr. Rhode.’

              This was way too weird, apparently he had sent a corporate email with my face on it, everyone knew me since I entered. I opened the door to see a huge office behind it. All in white and black, the terribly long walk ended on a large desk that was framed with a full sight of the city. It was breathtaking, just as breathtaking as its owner. In a dark blue suit, Berkeley was standing with his back to me, talking on the phone. I didn’t want to interrupt him, so I was turning back when he stopped me.

              ‘Give me a second. Katherine, I’m finishing, please just sit wherever you want.’

              Tough choice, in front of his desk were two nice white leather chairs. On the side, a couple of black leather couches and on the other side a discrete table with white couches. The stubborn in me went for the chairs. It’s terribly awkward to sit in comfortable lazy couches when you’re supposed to be professional. Soon he was finishing his call.

              ‘So, here you are.’ He was paraphrasing me from our Plaza debacle while standing in front of his desk.

              ‘Yes, it seems you don’t find me reliable enough to think I can make it here on my own.’ I was being playful, trying to make this attempt more relaxed than our last one.

              ‘I know, but Joe is a man of his word. Food is back there, so we should probably sit there Katherine.’

              I stood up and followed him to the white couches. ‘Why you don’t call me Kate?’

              ‘Because I like your name, Katherine.’