Fall Into Me (Heart of Stone) (5 page)

After
I'd done a few hours of work, I headed to my closet to search for something to
wear that night. That morning when I'd reached for my work clothes, I'd been so
nervous I hadn't paid attention to all the gorgeous clothes that hung next to
them. I had no idea when I'd purchased the wardrobe I stood staring at, but I
was sure it cost a fortune. Designer names, cashmere and silk, and dresses
unlike anything I'd ever owned before filled my eyes.

I
pushed each beautiful outfit past me, vetoing some because they were too long and
others because they just didn't feel right for the night ahead, until I found a
little black dress hidden all the way in the back. I held it up in front of me
and measured it against my body. It was perfect. Hanging to about three inches
above my knees, it showed enough skin to entice while still allowing me to look
classy.

On
the floor sat over a dozen pairs of shoes, each one more beautiful than the
last. Black pumps, red stilettos, tan patent leather sling backs, but none of
them seemed right for that little black dress. Then I spied a pair of gold
stilettos on the far right side of the closet, hidden behind other shoes and
knew instantly they were the ones.

I
wanted this night to be one I'd remember forever. Tristan had repeatedly said
we would make new memories, so tonight would be the first of many, or at least
I hoped it would. I still wasn't sure how I felt about him, but between the
jealousy that had nearly consumed me as I looked at those pictures with him and
the women he called actresses and the desire he'd created in me as I sat in his
room the night before and in his office that morning, I knew one thing for
sure. I wanted to know more about him than the caring boyfriend and the
accommodating boss.  

I
wanted him.

Five
o'clock came and I took one last look at myself in the mirror. Smoldering sable
eye shadow and the perfect red lipstick gave me the sex symbol look I was
aiming for, and my dress and shoes screamed seduction. I just had to hope that
Tristan was on the same page and hadn't fallen out of love with me after my
coolness toward him.

By
the time I reached the dining room, I was a complete nervous wreck. I didn't
know how I'd handled the first time with him before, but this Nina felt like
she was going to pass out from anxiety as she walked down the hallway from her
room. Seduction had never been my strong suit, and an attempt to seduce a man
as stunning as Tristan Stone made me feel like I was totally out of my league.

I
only hoped he truly did still love me.

Chapter Five

Tristan

"Dinner
will be ready in a few minutes, as you ordered," Rogers announced as he
walked into the dining room.

I
waited for something else to follow his dinner information, but instead he
simply stood silently watching me. "Is there anything else, Rogers?"

He
shook his head. "No, sir."

My
second sir of the day. Another person in my house who wanted to call me
something entirely too formal.

"Sir,
Rogers? There's no one but the two of us here, and even if Nina was here, she's
heard you call me by my given name before."

"As
you wish, Tristan."

Why
did I have the distinct impression that my butler was giving me the cold
shoulder? "Is there something you want to say, Rogers? And if it has
anything to do with our conversation the other day, don't bother. I'm not
interested in hearing it again."

"Then
I have nothing to say," he said as he turned to leave.

"I
do. Make sure Jensen is ready to go tonight. I'm taking Nina to the city."

Rogers stopped his movement toward the doorway and stood still as Nina entered the dining
room in a dress that was nothing less than stunning. She wore the gold shoes
she'd worn the night of the book party at the hotel and the effect was just as
incredible as that night. The memory of our time in the back of my car made me
want her right then and there.

As
I stood from the table to pull her chair out, I couldn't take my eyes off her.
I'd never seen her look so beautiful. "Nina, I'm happy you're joining
me."

She
twirled around to show off her outfit and tripped over her feet, sending her
stumbling into my arms. I looked down to see her face red from embarrassment,
but to me she looked more gorgeous than ever.

"Thanks.
I'm too smooth," she joked in the self-effacing way she always did when
she was uncomfortable.

"My
pleasure."

As
she stood back up on her feet, she added, "Thank God you were there or I
would have landed flat on my butt."

"I'll
always be there, Nina."

We
took our seats and her eyes lit up when Rogers began to bring the platters of
food in. "Is that roast beef? I love roast beef!"

"I
know. I thought it might be nice to have one of your favorites tonight."

Nina
rolled her eyes and smiled. "I swear you don't miss a trick, do you? I
better start learning some things about you so I can do nice things like this
for you sometime."

I
loved the idea of Nina thinking about me enough to surprise me, even if I hated
surprises. That I couldn't express that had nothing to do with her and
everything to do with me.

I
felt Rogers' stern eyes staring at me as she talked of how excited she was
about our planned night out. His disapproval filled the room, threatening to
ruin all the happiness she felt and I wanted to feel. I couldn't stand his
glaring at me as if I'd done something bad by falling in love with her.

Taking
my attention away from Nina, I waved my hand in his direction. "Thank you,
Rogers. That will be all for tonight."

He
glared at me and bowed in a way that was undoubtedly meant to mock me.
"Sir."

I
stuffed down my anger at him and turned back to see Nina looking at me with
reproach. "Are you always so short with your butler? He might smile more
if you were nicer."

"I
doubt it."

"Have
you tried?" Her blue eyes looked like they were staring into my soul, like
they were searching for the answer to her question.

Sheepishly,
I answered, "No."

"Well,
you can't know if you don't try. How long has he worked for you?"

"He's
been with my family since I was a child. He's known me longer than anyone else
in the world."

"Oh.
Have you always been like this with him?"

I
thought back to the countless times Rogers had picked up after me, first when I
was an insolent child who cared nothing for his belongings and then when I
became an adult and cared even less for the effect of my actions on others. How
many times had he cleaned up some mess I'd made, making sure some female was
driven home and sworn to silence or whisking me away from someone's apartment
before I could get arrested for possession of enough coke for a small town?

"Are
you hungry?" I asked, changing the subject.

She
grimaced, marring that gorgeous face for just a moment. "Guess we're done
talking about your cranky butler. That's okay. I am hungry, though."

"Good.
We'll eat dinner and then head to the city."

Dinner
was fantastic and by the time we left for the city hours later, Nina was
laughing and full of smiles. It took every ounce of restraint on my part not to
tell Jensen to forget the drive, sweep her into my arms, and take her back to
my room to show her how much I loved her. I wanted to believe she'd worn the
sexiest dress in her closet for me, but even if that was the case, we were
still playing the game all first time lovers play—a light touch here, a sexy
glance there, and no one truly sure of the other person's feelings, even though
I'd told her I loved her more than once since coming home from the hospital.

I
loathed the idea of going to a club, to be honest. After far too many nights
spent in supposedly the best places in the city doing things anyone with a
conscience should be ashamed of, I'd sworn off the city's nightlife, except for
the functions required because of my position as the head of Stone Worldwide. I
never even visited the clubs my company owned, but Nina wanted to go out to a
club, so I had little choice.

If
it made her happy, I'd go.

Jensen
dropped us off behind a club called ETA just outside of the West Village, and we snuck in the back door unseen by any of those leeches with cameras. ETA
was an enormous club that claimed to afford a person all the privacy he or she
desired as they sat amongst hundreds of other like-minded individuals. Its name
meant Estimated Time of Arrival, a not-so-clever ploy to get patrons thinking
even more about sex. Years ago, I would have been happy to come all over every
square inch of the place, but tonight I planned to find as secluded a spot as
possible for Nina and me and hopefully she'd enjoy herself.

We
were escorted into a semi-private room off the main club and seated in a dark
corner in a booth covered in soft purple velvet. Dim lights flickered around
the room and provided just enough light to see who you were with but not enough
light to notice their imperfections.

It
was the perfect place for people who craved privacy and those who didn't want
to face the reality of their night's companions. For us, it hopefully would be
secluded enough that no one would notice me and interrupt our time together. In
any event, I'd prepared for the worst, but I really hoped we could avoid any
unwanted attention and just enjoy being with each other.

The
beat of the music thrummed inside my head, making it hard to hear anything
else, so I pulled Nina close to me. "What do you want to drink?"

She
looked around the room as the place began to fill up and turned to smile up at
me. "What are you drinking?"

"Scotch."

"Do
I like scotch?" she asked with an innocence that made me rethink that idea
of not coming at ETA.

"No,
I don't think you do," I answered after thinking about that first night
we'd spent together. "Maybe something sweeter?"

"Okay,"
she said and then bit her lip nervously. "Any ideas?"

"I'll
have the bartender make something you'll love. Wait here. I'll be right
back."

The
guy behind the bar seemed to know exactly what Nina would like although I said
nothing more than 'make it something sweet', and I returned to the table with a
glass of twelve year old scotch and a chocolate martini.

Nina
looked down at the martini glass rimmed with sugar and then looked up at me.
"What is it?"

Leaning
over to whisper in her ear, I said, "Taste it. Lick the rim and then take
a taste of the drink. It's sweet."

She
tentatively slid her pink tongue over the frosted sugared rim of her glass and
took a tiny sip. The liquor slid down her throat, and she turned to face me
with a smile. "It's chocolate!"

A
tiny sugar crystal hung off her bottom lip, so I slid the pad of my thumb
across it to clean it off before I licked the sugar from my finger.
"Definitely sweeter than I'm used to," I joked as I reached for my
drink to wash the overwhelming sweetness down.

Nina
touched where I'd slid my finger across her lip and smiled. "You prefer
the harder stuff, don't you?"

"I
guess I do."

She
licked her lips and reached up with her fingertip to touch mine. When she
tasted the drop of scotch from her finger, she made a face like she'd just
sucked a lemon. "I think I'll stick with my sweet stuff and leave that to
you. That's gross."

"It's
an acquired taste, I guess."

 "Maybe
someday I'll acquire it," she said with a tiny smile.

I
shook my head. "You're more the sweet kind."

Two
hours later, we'd talked little more because the music had become so loud we
could barely hear one another over it. Memories of my time at clubs just like
this one washed over me, making me wish for somewhere far quieter. Nina seemed
to enjoy watching the sea of humanity that flowed past us, but I didn't get the
sense she was having fun.

My
suspicions were proven correct when she turned to me and said in my ear,
"I wish we could find a place just a little quieter. Can we go somewhere
else?"

I
was thankful to get away from ETA and had a place in mind that would be a bit quieter,
although I wasn't sure I should take Nina there. It was definitely more
secluded and out of the city, but was Top the right place to take someone like
her, even if I was part owner of the place?

Jensen
held the door open for Nina and as she climbed in, I said to him in a low voice,
"Take us to Top. Do you remember how to get there?"

As
stoic as Rogers, he simply nodded his head and waited for me to get into the
back seat of the car.

"Where
are we going?" Nina asked as we pulled away from ETA.

"A
club I know of. We'll be able to talk there. They have a private room we can
use."

"Where
is it? Near here?"

I
shook my head. "Outside the city. It shouldn't take long to get there."

Nina
talked about how she and Jordan had always planned a huge celebration for her
twenty-first birthday. The sadness at the time she'd lost was clear as her
voice dropped and she said quietly, "I wonder if we ever did that."

I
texted Top's owner, Chase Mitchell, that we were coming, and almost a half hour
later, we were in the suburbs at the club. The facade of the building gave no
indication of what Top truly was. An old warehouse, Chase had converted it into
a members only club three years ago, and other than an occasional visit now and
then, I'd been a completely silent partner in the business. Chase's fetishes
weren't my style, but the club had made a handsome profit for both of us, so
who was I to look down my nose at one man's turn-ons?

I
held Nina's hand as we walked up to the door and as I knocked on it, quietly said,
"This place will be more intimate."

Her
blue eyes widened and a look of fear settled into them. "What kind of
place is this?"

"A
private club that I'm half owner of. Don't worry. It'll be fun."

"Okay.
Promise you won't let anything happen to me, Tristan."

I
squeezed her hand and brought it to my lips in a kiss. "I would never let
anything bad happen to you, Nina. Never. You can trust me."

The
door to Top opened, and just inside stood Chase with a stunned look on his
face. "Holy fuck! I got your text and thought somebody was pulling my
chain. Tristan Stone as I live and breathe!"

Nodding,
I pulled Nina close to my side as the doorman shut the door behind us.
"Nice to see you, Chase."

"You're
just in time. The night's just getting started. But I'm more interested in who
your friend is."

Chase
turned his focus to Nina and extended his hand to shake hers. "Chase
Mitchell, owner—well, half owner of Top. What's your name, darling?"

Before
Nina could say a word, I pulled his attention back where it belonged.
"Remember your place in this, Chase. We want to find a secluded spot and
have a few drinks, so how about you show us to one of the private rooms?"

Nina
reached her hand out and introduced herself. "Hi! I'm Nina. What kind of
place is this?"

Chase
shook her hand and looked at her like she was some kind of morsel, ratcheting
my anger up a few more notches. "What kind of place is this? Love, this is
the finest private club on the East coast."

"Private
club?"

"Members
only and high rollers. Whatever they want, we have at Top."

Nina
looked up at me with a confused look on her face. There was no point in
explaining it. This probably hadn't been my best idea, but now that we were
there, that was a moot point. I really didn't want to explain anything in front
of Chase, so I merely shook my head.

Chase
continued to talk, testing my patience even more. "Tristan, I didn't
expect to see you so soon after last time. You looking for the same? What can I
interest you two in tonight?"

"Interest
us in?" Nina asked in a shaky voice as she stared wide-eyed up at me.

"You
look like you could be a walking schoolgirl fantasy, my dear. No wonder he
brought you here."

We
stood there surrounded by an awkward silence as I struggled not to knock Chase
on his mouthy ass. He got the gist of my glaring at him in little time, though,
and quickly escorted us to a dimly lit private room. Nina took a seat at one of
the tables as I excused myself to speak to Chase alone.