Exposed (3 page)

"Kayla knows someone who knows someone." She twists her hips so she can pull down the hem of her dress. "Let's get inside."

I follow her lead and we enter a beautifully decorated space. I look around the room breathing in the exquisite ambiance. There are groups of people all huddled together around small tables, enjoying glasses of wine and plates of food that look like works of art. This is definitely going to be a treat.

"This way, ladies." The hostess hesitates on the word ladies and I wonder instantly if it's a cheap barb at the way Alexa is dressed. I can't blame the woman for judging her. She does look a little underdressed for the occasion.

"Alexa, Sadie." Kayla bounces to her feet, almost falling over in the process.

I cringe as I realize she's already a bit tipsy. "Happy birthday." I reach to give her two air kisses, one on each cheek. The girls in Alexa's sorority have never tried to veil the fact that they don't like outsiders. I didn't pledge so I've always gotten the brush off whenever we hang out with them.

"Kayla," Alexa shrieks her name loud enough that several people at the tables near us crane their necks to see what's going on. "You look gorgeous." I recognize the slight edge of sarcasm in my best friend's voice. I vaguely remember a few days last summer when Kayla was the enemy because she was dating someone Alexa wanted. I smile knowing I'll never be pulled into that.

I sit down and pretend to listen to their conversations. A waiter appears and takes my drink order. If I'm going to get through a few hours with this bunch I'll need something stronger than sparkling water so I order a dirty martini. I heave a heavy sigh of relief when he doesn't ask to see some identification. I get carded so often I'm shocked when it actually doesn't happen.

"I'd do him in a heartbeat." Kayla's slurred announcement perks up everyone at the table and we all instantaneously follow the path of her index finger as it waves in the air towards the restaurant's entrance. "Have you ever seen anyone as hot as that?"

I careen my neck trying to gaze past a group of women who are gathered a few feet away. I'm greeted by the sight of a gorgeous man. He's tall. His brown hair is pushed back from his face revealing a strong jawline and deep brown eyes. He glances briefly in our direction before his gaze is pulled behind him.

"I should go talk to him." Alexa pushes herself into a standing position, her breasts almost spilling out of her dress. "Fuck Danny. I'm going to fuck that." She waves her half full wine glass in the direction of the entrance. She shrieks when the wine comes spilling out, splashing onto the table and her dress.

I grimace at the sight of her standing there so disheveled. I try to catch her eye to motion for her to sit back down but it's to no avail. Mr. Gorgeous from the front door is now walking in our direction.

"Holy shit, he's coming over." Christie, one of Kayla's friends tries to whisper but her tone is so loud that I'm sure everyone waiting outside the front door can hear her.

I hang my head down focusing on the napkin sitting in my lap. I don't want to be a party to watching these women trip all over each other trying to get that man's attention. Maybe I can pretend to go to the ladies' room and I can bolt out the door and catch a cab home. I debate the move as I hear the frantic voices of Alexa, Kayla and their friends arguing over who gets to go home with him.

Suddenly, they all quiet. There are faint whispers and I know that he must be standing at the table. "Sadie? Sadie Lockwood?" A deep voice breaks through the low hum in the room.

I pull my gaze up to see Hunter Reynolds standing right next to Mr. Gorgeous.

Chapter 5

I can feel everyone's eyes on me as I struggle to respond. "Hey," I say. Hey? Really? That's all I can come up with? All of these girls I've secretly envied for years are now staring at me because one of the two hot guys standing in front of our table actually knows me.

"Sadie. I didn't know you'd be here."  His eyes scan the faces of the other girls before they settle on me again. "Which of these lovely ladies is celebrating her birthday?"

"That's me." Kayla bounces from her seat. Her hand pops out and reaches towards Hunter. I have no idea whether she's about to shake his hand or grab his crotch.

"Happy birthday to you." Hunter takes her hand in his and brings it gently to his lips.

Kayla giggles and flashes us all a look that screams this one is mine.

"Sadie, aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?" Christie snarls.

I shake my head slightly at the irony of the situation. How did I suddenly become the one with hot male friends? What alternate universe existed inside Axel? It's no wonder everyone is scrambling to get a table here.

"This is Hunter Reynolds." I motion towards him. "And this is..." my voice trails. I have no idea who the man with Hunter is.

"Jax Walker," Hunter interjects. "He's a business associate from Manhattan and an old friend."

Jax nods and locks eyes with me. "It's great to meet you, Sadie." His voice is warm and calm.

"You could join us." Alexa is standing now too. "We can make room." She motions for all of us to scoot our chairs over. The other girls gleefully comply and I'm suddenly shoulder-to-shoulder with two very ample chested friends of Kayla's.

"Thanks for the invitation." Hunter motions for a waiter. "But we've got some business to discuss."

"What is it, Mr. Reynolds?" The waiter taps his foot anxiously. "What do you need?"

"Whatever these beautiful women want is on me." He waves his hand over the lot of us.

"That's kind of you." Kayla reaches for him. I think she's about to kiss him. I stare in stunned silence as Jax steps aside to give Kayla uninhibited access to Hunter. The grin on his face mirrors the one on mine.

"Any friend of Sadie's is a friend of mine." He skillfully steps aside skirting Kayla's roaming lips. "Now, if you'll excuse us. We have business to discuss."

I swear I hear Kayla moan in utter disappointment as they both turn to leave.

"Sadie." Hunter stops and turns back around. His eyes latch onto mine. "Come see me at my table before you leave."

I nod and smile. The sheer delight of imagining what these girls are thinking is going on between Hunter and me has given me a huge appetite.

"You heard the man. It's on him." I reach one of the menus in the center of the table. "Let's eat."

Chapter 6

"That was incredibly generous of you." I say over my shoulder as Hunter pulls out a chair at his table for me to sit in. "Thank you for that."

"It was my pleasure." He pats my hand as he sits down next to me.

"It was also unnecessary." I frown. "You barely know me and you don't know Kayla at all."

"I know you're college students," he says with a grin. "I remember my limited budget back then. Did you enjoy your dinner?"

"It was delicious," I say the words with a sigh. "It may be the best food I've ever had in Boston."

"I'd agree with that." Jax pushes the plate containing the remnants of his dinner away from him. "Hunter tells me you're a student at Harvard."

"I am." I feel a bit flushed from the second dirty martini I had with my dinner. "It's a great school."

"She's going to be a doctor," Hunter states boldly.

I turn my head to look at him. How does he know that? Someone at the party last night must have told him. I blush slightly knowing that he was curious enough to ask about me.

"What do you do?" I focus my gaze back on Jax. I can't look at Hunter right now. The martinis, combined with the fact that he knows more about me than I realized has me worried that I'm going to misread him again and make a fool of myself.

"I work with my girlfriend, Ivy, right now." His face lights up as he smiles. "She's a jewelry designer." He reaches into the pocket of his suit jacket to retrieve a business card.

I run my hand over the embossed lettering. Whispers of Grace it says along with an address in Manhattan. "That must be very exciting," I mumble. "I'm not creative at all."

"You're just a genius." Hunter's voice is low and composed.

"That's not true," I chuckle. "I'm just a good student."

"It is exciting." Jax interjects. I'm grateful for the escape from Hunter's unexpected compliments. "I'm unsettled though. I've got some other irons in the fire. Some with this guy." He nods in Hunter's direction and I suddenly realize that I know absolutely nothing about what he does for a living.

"What kinds of irons?" I direct my question at Jax who is throwing Hunter a quizzed look. It's the same look I shoot at Alexa when I don't want her revealing my entire life story to someone.

"Restaurant irons." Hunter straightens in his chair. "I do consultations for new restaurants."

Jax chuckles and I toss my gaze in his direction. He takes a long drink from his wine glass and darts his eyes around the room, avoiding mine.

"Consultations? What does that mean?" I know I don't sound worldly but now I'm curious about what exactly Hunter does with his time. "You help new restaurateurs?"

"Yeah. Exactly." Hunter nods. "I help them before they open."

"How did you get involved in that?" I'm going to push the issue. He's a mystery and any tidbit of information I can gleam from him or his friend is a jewel.

He shoots his eyes across the table towards Jax before he answers. "My dad owns a few restaurants. I grew up in the business. I know what works and what doesn't. It's a good fit for me."

"That makes sense," I whisper. "Did you help with this restaurant?"

They laugh in unison and I immediately feel like the outsider in an inside joke. Why am I even having this discussion with him? How did I end up sitting at his table?

"Not this one. No." Hunter tries to regain his composure as he answers.

I'm overcome with uncertainty and I realize that this is my cue to leave. I've thanked him for the dinner and met his friend so it's time for me to make my timely exit. My bed is beckoning me anyways. It's been a very long couple of days.

"I'm going to say goodnight now." I stand to leave, reaching for my purse on the table. "It was great meeting you, Jax." I offer my hand and he takes it gently in his.

"It was great, Sadie." He smiles. "If you're ever in Manhattan stop by Ivy's store and say hi."

"Definitely," I say as I run my thumb over the card. I can't recall the last time I was in New York or anywhere other than Boston. Since I've started school, studying and working has been my entire life. Adventures aren't a part of the picture at this point.

"I'll get you home." Hunter reaches for his suit jacket, which he lazily shrugged off his shoulders during dinner. "You shouldn't be wandering the streets alone at night."

I furrow my brow. "Wandering the streets?" I ask. "I'm going to walk out the front door, get in a cab and go home." I turn to leave.

"I'll take you." The insistent tone of his voice causes me to stop in my tracks.

"That's silly." I sigh. "Stay here and visit with your friend." I nod towards Jax who is now leaning back in his chair listening to our game of verbal tennis across the table.

"We'll catch up tomorrow?" Hunter doesn't wait for Jax's response as he takes my elbow guiding me towards the restaurant's entrance. Why do I feel as though this is an evening I'm not soon going to forget?

Chapter 7

"Wait here for me Joe." Hunter tells the driver as we pull up to the curb in front of my parent's townhouse. "I won't be long."

I feel disappointed by his words even though I knew that he'd likely drop me off before he made his way into the bed of another woman. Why do I keep torturing myself into wanting him when he's made it clear he views me as some helpless waif who can't take care of herself?

"I can make it to the door myself." I open the car door and dart my right leg out. "Thank you for the ride."

"Don't move." Hunter taps my forearm as he jumps out of the car and races around to my side.  I smile as he holds out his hand, helping me exit onto the sidewalk.

"How gallant are you?" I tease.

I'm rewarded with a bright smile and it catches my breath. He really is handsome. Being this close to him makes me realize just how powerful an attractive and confident man can be. The boys I've dated couldn't measure up to him in any way.

"I better get inside." I break free from his gaze to fumble through my purse for my keys. "Thank you again for dinner and for the ride home."

I turn to walk up the concrete steps towards the front door and I sense that he's right behind me. I cannot only smell the sweetness of his cologne but I can hear his measured breathing. Everything about him is appealing. I haven't touched myself in so long but tonight I'm going to find my release while I think about him. I curse inwardly at myself. Why am I thinking about that right at this second when the man is not more than a few inches behind me? I have to calm down. I have to stop thinking about him that way.

"You want to kiss me, don't you?" His breath trails across my neck as I reach the door.

I drop the keys in response. I know I didn't hear that. I wanted to hear that. He must be on his phone making a booty call. That has to be it. Don't overreact Sadie. Don't make a fool of yourself again like you did last night.

I crouch in silence to pick up the keys in the dim light. I hold my breath waiting for him to continue his conversation but I'm greeted with barren stillness. All I can hear is a dog barking somewhere in the distance and the shrill screech of a car alarm. I raise myself back to my feet slowly and try to push the key into the lock to no avail.

"Sadie." I can feel him pressed against me now. His body is strong, the weight of it pushing against my back. I want to feel more of him. I want to know what it feels like to feel his hardness pressed against me.

"Yes?" I ask in a hushed tone as I finally push the key into the lock and turn it.

"Turn around." He commands. His breath flows across my neck as his hand lightly grazes my waist.

I close my eyes and pull the cool night air into my lungs. This isn't really happening. It can't be happening to me.