Play Me to Infinity (The Broken Men Chronicles Book 3) (5 page)

Part of me was relieved that Nicole had retreated and shut herself in her room.  The tension between us had grown so thick that I was on the verge of doing something stupid.  Like kissing her.

She’s trouble,
I reminded myself,
plus, you gave her your word you wouldn’t make a move.

After dropping my luggage off and ordering a room service dinner I’d only picked at, I headed down to the hotel’s bar and found a stool.

“Two shots of whiskey and a beer chaser,” I told the bartender.  With a nod, the man went to work.

Most of the next hour was spent watching football, which was interrupted in the third quarter by a familiar giggle.  I turned to find the source of said giggle, and promptly jumped to my feet, heading toward the exit, hoping to all hell that I wasn’t spotted when my escape entailed walking past her.

Thinking I was in the clear, I was proven wrong when my name was called out.

“It is you!”  The woman got up and launched herself at me after I’d turned to face the music.

“Tracey,” I said, less than charmed.

“You’re back?”

I pulled her arms from around my neck and set her back.  “Just for business.  Listen-”

“Oh, Mikey!” I welcomed the interruption and turned to find Nicole heading in our direction with what I can only describe as a strut meant to seduce.  “I’ve been looking all over for you, baby.”  When she reached us, she subtly wedged herself between me and my ex, pressing her front into my arm.

I detected a slight scent of wine and chocolate on her breath as I peered down at her.  Was she drunk?  “Nicole?” was all I could manage, too shocked at the turn of events.

“Who’s this?” Tracey asked, arms crossed at her chest and stiletto tapping on the floor.

“My…” But the words evaded me.

“His girlfriend,” she said and looked proud of it, extending her hand, “and you are?”

“His fiancée!” she stated on a dry tone.

Nicole turned to me.  “I thought you said she was your ex-fiancée?”

I have to admit, Nicole was convincing.

My gaze left Nicole’s and set itself on Tracey.  “She is.”

By then, I’d gotten over my shock.  I wrapped my arm around Nicole’s shoulders and pulled her into me.

“Babe, you remember what we talked about earlier?” Nicole went on and I nodded, choosing to keep playing her game.  At least it got Tracey to back off.  My savior got closer, crooking her finger so my face lowered to her height.  “I want more.”  She pressed her tits into my chest and gave me a peck on the lips.  Just as quick as her lips touched mine, they disappeared and she stepped back.

“I’ll be right behind you,” I told Nicole.

“See you up there, sexy.”  She winked at me and sent Tracey a nasty look before retreating from the bar.

“Tracey, I wish I could say it was good to see you, but we both know it’s not.  Go back to your date, I’ve got to go!”

Taking my leave, I high-tailed it out of there, and caught up with Nicole who was waiting at the bank of elevators.

“Glad to see she stayed behind.”  Nicole’s sarcasm was potent.

“Yeah, about that…”  I motioned behind me with my head.

“I figured I owed you for how you helped me with
Dean,” she said.  “When I saw you standing there, stiff as a board, I looked around you and realized who she was.”

The elevator arrived and I motioned for her to go ahead of me.

“How do you know about her?”

“Danica showed me a few pictures of you two after she moved back,” she explained.  “I don’t know what happened between you two, only that you were together and getting married one minute, and then you weren’t.”

“Oh.”

I walked Nicole to her door.  “Nice delivery on that scene by the way.”

“I’ll take that as a thank you,” she blushed, “but it doesn’t mean anything.”

“What were you doing down there anyway?”

“Having a drink.”

“Alone?”

She shook her head.  “Damian joined
me.  I saw him off and noticed you.”

“You had drinks with Damian?”  Jealousy was an ugly sentiment, but I recognized it for what it was.  “Was it a date?”

“Oh, hell no!  He’s not my type.”

“Good,” I said and felt myself calm, “because he’s a player in every sense of the word.”

“Takes one to know one.”

“And there you go ruining a nice conversation.”  I sighed.  “Goodnight, Nic.”

“What, no more fight left?”  She was goading me?

I paused and shook my head.  “Goodnight.”

“Mr. Player is out of words!”  I could hear the smile in her voice.  “Wow!”

Enough!
  I turned and ended up with her backed against her door.  She gulped and looked up at me.

“Honey, if you’re going to play the game, play it right.”  My voice had gone husky.

“Are you insinuating that I’m playing you?”

“You couldn’t play me even if you tried,”
I told her with an air of smugness, smirking for effect. “It’s not like you.”

“Really?”

“Really.” My eyes paused on her parted lips before they moved to her eyes.

“I bet I could give you a run for your money.”  She ran a fingertip down my cheek.  “You see, I know how you guys work.” My head bent toward hers.  “So I know what it takes to…”

I licked my dry lips.  “To what, Nic?”

I felt her breath on my face.  “To… um…”

My lips crashed onto hers and there was no doubt that she was interested in what I had to offer at the moment.  Her arms wound around my neck, pulling me in, and when I traced the seam of her lips with my tongue, she moaned, opening to let me invade her mouth.

For a quick moment, it felt like a current flowed between us, and then the moment broke like a slap in the face…

Wait a minute!

Hand to cheek, the sting radiated heat under my palm as I realized I had indeed been slapped.

I backed up a few steps, letting my arms fall at my sides, and looked at a shocked Nicole who held a hand over her mouth, shock at her actions all too evident.

“Mike-”

“Like I said… you couldn’t play me if you tried.”  I smirked at her and started for my own room.  “You’re not capable of that,”
I added over my shoulder.

I felt her gaze on my back the entire way to my room.  The door shut behind me and a few seconds passed before I heard the discernible click of hers.

Heart racing, I cursed at the effects this latest altercation had brought.  Nicole was getting under my skin and I wasn’t sure if there was anything I could do to stop it.

I tossed.

I turned.

I couldn’t sleep.

I paced my suite so many damn times that it was surprising that my feet hadn’t worn through the plush Berber carpeting.

What seemed like hours later, I found myself down at the hotel’s gym, trying to work out my frustrations.  No matter how much I did, I couldn’t get rid of the feel of Nicole’s lips pressed against mine, her tiny frame wrapped around my body, her taste, her smell…

Fuck!

Walking away from the gym, I knew I wouldn’t be able to find sleep despite the physical exhaustion I had subjected myself to.  Pausing at Nicole’s room’s door, I heard the television’s low chatter.  Somehow, knowing that she too seemed to be having issues with insomnia satisfied me.  I kept moving toward my room, my foot catching on something when I walked over the threshold.

A note.

Jackass,

If it’s a game you want to play, I’ll play it to your little heart’s content.  Fair warning though… I NEVER LOSE.

Yours truly,

Ice Queen

And here I had been debating an apology for my earlier words and actions.

I shook my head, letting my ass drop to bed’s edge before picking up my phone to dial Nicole’s room’s number.

She picked up on the first ring.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“You scared?”

No.  Nervous… crazy…
  I chortled.  “Hardly!  Game’s on!” I declared and hung up.

At some point in the wee hours of the morning, I managed to fall asleep.

It was the pounding on my door that had me jumping three feet off the bed and rushing to answer it the next day.

Where the fuck is the fire?

“Why hello, handsome!”  Nicole stood there smirking at me, looking like she’d had a full night’s sleep, and then I realized I was in nothing more than my boxers.  The wicked gleam in her eyes couldn’t be missed.  “Maybe I should have brought up this little game of ours sooner.  Working for you does have its perks.”  My jaw dropped at her words. When she made to walk in, I backed away from her.  “You should be dressed and ready to go by now, Mr. Withers.  I guess I’ll meet you at the office.”

She made for the door, but I caught up to her, wrapping my arm around her waist and pressing my front into her back.

“I think you can wait,” I rasped in her ear.

“This isn’t a good time to show you how it’s done.”  Her words held humor.

“I’m sure you’d love that.”  I nipped her ear.  A whoosh of air left her lungs.  “I bet I could show you a thing or two myself.”  My words were laced with promise and my erection proved my utmost capability.  I rubbed it on her skirted backside.

“Mike.”  Her voice had gone a few octaves lower, raw and sexy.  She turned in my arms and set her palms down on my bare chest.  She whispered, “We’re going to be late,” against my lips.

Before I could lay one on her, she backed away.
 
“Tease!” I growled.

She smirked.  “You asked for it, stud.  Now, get dressed so we can go, please.  I have no urge to have to explain our tardiness when, only yesterday, you were the one to complain about wasting time.  Do you?”

She was right, this game of ours would simply have to wait.

On the way up to the Austin offices, Nicole filled me in on the day’s preparations.  “I made sure that refreshments and everything else you requested were provided for today.” Her businesslike tone was back.  “We’ve got the phone system, projector, laser pointer-”

“Thank you.  I’ll need you to take today’s minutes.  I suspect that we might see fireworks before the day’s end.”

“I’m hoping!” Her double-entendre hadn’t gone unnoticed, and I wondered what she was playing at.  A few seconds later, she moved closer to my side.  Next thing I knew, a gentle hand glided over my crotch.  My breath caught.

As quick as it had happened, it was over.

I looked down at Nicole whose shoulders were bobbing up and down in silent laughter, her eyes trained forward.

I groaned.  “I hope you’re having fun.”

“I’m enjoying myself… um… immensely.”  She looked down at my crotch and the ding
of our lift was followed with its doors opening.  The woman hurried off with a seductive sway to her hips.

Taking a cleansing breath, I followed.

“Good morning everyone!”  Nicole proceeded to introduce herself with a handshake.

Men stood and shook my hand, nodding their approval of my new assistant.

If they only knew how much trouble she could be…

The day had gone great, with the exception of a few minor glitches.  By glitches, I mean my focus being diverted on occasion by a certain someone’s hand making its way onto my thigh.  It wasn’t so much the hand, but what the hand was doing: the gripping, stroking, it’s subtle yet suggestive taunts.  It was safe to say that I walked away from a day’s worth of board meetings with a massive case of blue balls thanks to Nicole.

And we still had dinner to contend with.

It was six-thirty in the evening and I was knocking on Nicole’s door for our anticipated dinner with Winthrow at some posh new restaurant of the man’s choosing.

Nicole opened with a frantic look on her face.  “Help me out, I’m stuck.”

My eyes travelled the length of her body.  She stood in black four-inch heels, one arm folded behind her, holding a champagne colored cocktail dress from falling off of her body.

This could be fun.

After an entire day of being at her mercy, payback could quite possibly be my own delight if I chose.

The door clicked shut behind me.  “Turn
around.”

The minute my fingers touched the skin of her lower back to assess the situation, I saw the goose bumps spread on her skin.  My lips tugged upward at her reaction.  All was fair and all that jazz, right?  “The zipper’s snagged,” I said, not putting forth much effort to get the material free.  The zip slipped from my fingers with a jerk.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s just more stuck than I thought it would be.”  I reached for the tab again and the scent of her perfume wafted toward me.  Damn she smelled good.  So good, I moved closer and nuzzled the tender skin behind her ear.

Her breathing had sped up and her coloring was flushed, but only slightly.  “What are you doing?”

I nipped her earlobe to be greeted with the hiss of an exhale.  “It would be so easy right now.” My fingers freed the snagged material.

“Mike.”

I zipped her up all the way.  “There!” I said and patted her on the ass as I took a step away.  “Let’s go.”

“Thanks,” she muttered with an eye roll and passed me when I opened her room’s door, her matching clutch in hand.

I grinned.  “You’re welcome, sweet cheeks.”