RISK (6 page)

Nolan

"Take it as a sign that you need to keep your hands off of her." Crew takes a large bite of pizza, washing it down with a pull from his second bottle of beer. "If you fuck Ellie, we'll lose her, and Matiz needs her."

"Why would we lose her?" I push my empty paper plate aside. "I can fuck whoever I want. This has nothing to do with Matiz."

His throat works on another large swallow. He's shoveling the pizza in at a pace I can't keep up with. I had eaten half a cheese pie before I tapped out. "Every time you bed one of our employees, she quits. You don't give them the time of day after you've had a taste."

"That's bullshit." I swipe a paper napkin across my lips. "You're full of it."

"Name one woman who is currently employed at Matiz that you've fucked."

"Donna," I say smugly.

"She split four days after you drilled her in her office."

I roll my eyes. "Gwendolyn. The blonde from accounting."

"Gwen?" He rubs his stomach through the dark green polo he's wearing. "She left a week after you took her to the Met Gala. That was supposed to be a platonic date, Nolan. She was the best accountant we've ever had and you literally fucked her over. She couldn't leave fast enough."

"Both of those were years ago," I point out. "I haven't screwed anyone out of a job in a long time."

"That's because now you chase women who aren't employed by us." He tips his beer bottle toward me. "Cheers, pal, for keeping it locked up at work."

"It would be different with Ellie," I argue. I mean that in every way. I sense it. Fucking her wouldn't be like the others. I feel it when I'm near her. I know it. I saw it in the way she had looked at me before she told me she was meeting someone else tonight.

I don't understand how she already has a date when she's only been in New York less than a week. Actually, I do understand. What man in his right mind wouldn't ask her out?

"It would be exactly the same with Ellie." He finally rests his napkin on the empty paper plate in front of him. "You're still an asshole to women after you've screwed them. You know that, right? You haven't changed that much."

"I appreciate the insight but you can fuck off anytime, Crew." I laugh. "You should be meeting someone by now, shouldn't you?"

His eyes drop to his watch as if he's checking to make certain he's not late for his appointment to charm a woman, he hasn't met yet, into bed tonight. I've watched Crew in action for years. His method never changes.

He approaches a brunette, talks to her for what amounts to less than five minutes and he's saying his final farewell to her a couple of hours later. He's the quintessential rich single guy in New York City.

I used to be the one sitting next to him, seducing a different woman every night. I'd lose track of who I had fucked on Monday by the time Friday rolled in. It was the life.

Work, wealth and women.

I would have ridden that addictive train forever if I hadn't derailed. That happened one Tuesday night a few years ago. Reality slapped me with her scathing palm right across my face.

"You're telling me you want me to get lost?" He furrows his brow. "Say the word and I'll disappear, Nolan."

"I need to get home." I brush a few crumbs from my pants. "Thanks for coming back to the office. The pizza was good. The company better."

He stands, smoothing his hands over the thighs of his jeans. "If Ellie's into someone else, back off. Let it be."

"I don't see a ring on her finger." I stand too, buttoning my suit jacket. "There's no harm in getting to know her better."

"You're not interested in Ellie because you still think she's Kip, are you?"

I don't fucking know. Kip was pure light. She was everything I wanted to protect a decade ago. She was too young for me to kiss, too innocent for me to dream about touching. She was an angel who ran into the devil's fist one night.

It was the same night I risked losing my future to guarantee she'd have one.

"Ellie is having a drink with some other guy right now." Crew points out as he scoops his key fob off my desk and into his palm. "Leave her alone, Nolan. There are thousands of other women in Manhattan."

That's true, but Ellie Madden is the only one I can't stop thinking about.

***

"I didn't expect you to make a list of recommendations, Ellie." I stare down at the piece of paper. Perfect feminine handwriting details twelve separate items that she'd like changed at the store. At every Matiz store, actually. Considering we have more than a hundred locations across twelve states, this is going to cost me dearly.

"I thought you'd appreciate it." She crosses her legs at the knee.

"When did you have time to compile this?" I go there because I want to know what time her date ended last night. I have no right to know, but that's not stopping me. "You mentioned having plans when I saw you at the store last night and it's now just past ten. I didn't expect you to be this prepared for our meeting."

She gives me a look that I imagine a monkey with two heads would be accustomed to seeing. "Your assistant, Eda, called me at eight this morning and said you wanted to see me at ten with a few suggestions on how you can improve security in the stores."

I no longer have to wonder whether Eda is actually writing down word-for-word what I say when I call her into my office. I thought the pad of paper and the pencil were for show; apparently, she's documenting every word that comes out of my mouth. She must be hiding a third hand behind her back because the pencil never leaves the spot where she tucks it behind her ear.

"I did ask her to convey that message to you."

She fists her hands together in her lap. "Do you want me to go over each point with you, Nolan? I have some suggestions on fixes."

That would make sense, wouldn't it? I'd tell Eda to get us more coffee. We'd roll up our sleeves and get down to business. I'd keep it professional because that's what a man in my position does.

"Did you have fun on your date last night?" I lower my tone, so it's skimming against the dangerous edge of desire. I know I shouldn't do this. It's not just Crew's words that are echoing in my ear. It's my own vow to never again sleep with a woman who relies on me for a paycheck. I'm losing sight of it again as I stare at Ellie's pale skin and her naturally pink lips.

She eyes me cautiously. Her mouth is twitching as she tries to hide a smile. "I never said it was a date."

"You said you were meeting someone for a drink."

"I did say that, yes."

"Did you meet a man last night, Ellie?"

"Several." Her head tilts to the side. "I met Randy. There was Liam and I think I might have met a Drake too."

"I see." I lean back in my chair. "So you're saying you met a friend for a drink? A female friend and the two of you understandably attracted a fair bit of male attention."

"I did meet a friend and we attracted some male attention."

Jealousy, in all its unwelcome glory, slithers through me. Whoever the fuck those three men are they got something I didn't get last night. They got Ellie Madden's attention. I was the one who asked for it, but she offered it up on a silver platter to a trio of strangers instead.

I let out a long breath. Focus is what I need right now. I need to focus on work and not on the mental image of Ellie leaving a bar with another man. I have to concentrate on her security concerns for the stores and not on the way her legs look in the white pants she's wearing, or the sheer black sleeveless blouse that reveals her lace bra underneath.

I hear someone clearing their throat just as I catch sight of Crew in the doorway of my office. The expression on his face is one I'm painfully familiar with. I'm on my feet, my phone in my hand before he says it.

"Mayday." His voice is calm and clear.

I cast my gaze down to my phone's screen. Three missed calls and four text messages, all from the same number. Each attempt to reach me spaced precisely one minute apart.

"I silenced the ringer before my meeting," I tell him. "Where the fuck is Eda? She didn't get a call?"

"She takes coffee at ten every day. She's not at her desk. I got a call less than a minute ago. That's why I'm here." His tone is even. "We need to go. Now, Nolan."

I nod to Ellie, round my desk and bolt straight out the door.

Ellie

"Mayday?" Adley taps her forehead. "Is that some bro code thing? Is it like when you call me when I'm on a bad date pretending you're having an emergency so I can slip away?"

"It wasn't like that. It was definitely something serious." I pick at the fried chicken on my plate. Adley is great at many things. She can tell you at any given moment what the weather forecast in New York City will be for the next ten days.  Her ability to sing, without taking one lesson, is inspiring. She can't cook, though, but that's not for lack of trying.

Tonight's main course is overcooked chicken breast and soggy green beans. The appetizer was a spicy chorizo soup that made my eyes water and my throat burn after one spoonful. I'm now filling up on the freshly baked loaf of sea salt focaccia I picked up at the bakery at the corner on my way home from work.

"Mayday is a distress call." She uses the blade of her knife to push all the green beans into a pile near the edge of her plate. "Maybe there was an emergency in one of the stores."

"I hung around until his assistant, Eda, got back from her break." I cut a small piece of chicken in half. "I wanted to see if she knew what was going on."

"Let me guess. She didn't tell you a thing,"

"She told me one thing." I hold up my index finger and wiggle it. "She said that he left the building and might not be back for the rest of the day so if I had anything further to discuss with him, I'd have to schedule another meeting when he's free."

"Are you going to do it?" She takes a bite of chicken and frowns. "This is dry. It's really dry, isn't it, Bean?"

"Am I going to do what?" I ignore the invitation to criticize her cooking. Now that I'm back in Manhattan and I have a job that offers financial stability I can finally do a few things to thank Adley for all she's done for me the last few years. The first thing on my list is cooking lessons for both of us. If I ask her to tag along with me, instead of pushing her to go on her own, she won't be offended, and ultimately I won't have to eat chicken this overcooked again.

"Schedule another meeting with his lap."

I smile, counting the remaining beans on my plate. Seven. I'll eat them all and the chicken too. I always clear my plate. "I didn't sit on Nolan's lap during our meeting today."

"I don't think he would have minded if you had." Adley pushes her plate aside, reaching for a chunk of bread.

I laugh at the mental image of me walking into Nolan's office and settling on his lap. "What happened in Vegas was a one-time thing. I'm back here now and I work for him."

She washes down a bite of bread with a swallow of lemonade. "I saw the way he looked at you in Las Vegas. I'm not just talking about when you were rubbing your ass all over him."

"I wasn't rubbing my ass all over him," I say with an exaggerated scowl. "How was he looking at me?"

"Like you were an answer to a prayer."

"You're such a hopeless romantic, Ad." I flutter my eyelashes. "Unless Nolan Black has been praying for someone to clean up the lax security in Matiz's stores, I'm not an answer to any of his prayers."

"You're wrong, Bean." She slides her chair back from the kitchen table. "He feels something for you and I have no doubt that he'd be okay with you sitting in his lap during every meeting you two have, business or otherwise."

"No more talking about Nolan's lap." I spear a piece of chicken with my fork. "I'm going to finish my dinner. Do you want to go to Cremza when I'm done to split a scoop of cookie dough ice cream?"

She pauses, stopping as she reaches for her plate. "That's a deal as long as I can treat you. It's my turn to pay."

"We haven't gotten ice cream together in more than a year. How do you remember who paid last time?"

"It was the day you left for Vegas." There's a sad note in her voice. "It was one of the worst days of my life. I remember every single second of it."

I push up to my feet, wrapping my arms around her. "I'm back now. This is where I belong. I'm never leaving again."

***

"Randy is meeting me here." Adley glances around the small, very crowded ice cream shop. "I sent him a text on the way over. You don't mind, do you?"

"Randy from last night?" I walk back through my mind trying to pinpoint which of the three men we met last night was named Randy. I didn't care enough to notice. Adley did, though. I could tell when one of the men sat next to her and the top of her cheeks flushed pink.

She nods. "He gave me his number before we left the bar. I was going to wait two days to text him, but life is short."

My fingertips brush over the screen of my phone. I didn't take any numbers last night, although two were offered. My excuse was that I just moved back to the city and still needed time to adjust. The truth was that neither of them seemed all that interesting to me.

"I'll order our ice cream." Adley approaches the counter. "Should we get one or two scoops of cookie dough?"

"One." I smile as she scans the menu hanging on the wall. "We don't want to waste any."

"Ice cream never goes to waste when I'm near it." She pulls a twenty from her wallet. "I'll get one scoop, two spoons."

I step back while she orders, my gaze scanning the people in the store. It's a mix of young professionals on their way home from their offices and parents with kids in tow. The noise level is loud enough to drown out the people ordering but quiet enough to entice me to look for an empty table for us to sit at to enjoy our frozen treat.

I see a man rise from a stool, his order of a pint being pushed across the counter toward him. He turns to leave, but I already know who it is. The back of him is as distinguishable as the front. It's the first time I've seen him in anything other than a suit. Tonight it's gray slacks and a black V-neck T-shirt. He looks elegant in the sea of khaki shorts and tanks tops that are a necessity in August in this city. Even as the calendar marches toward fall, the heat hangs over the city, the humidity heavy.

I look down at the strapless white romper and flat sandals I'm wearing. It's fine for dinner at my apartment and a walk to get ice cream. It's not what I'd ever choose for a chance meeting with Nolan.

"I may be the luckiest man in New York." His voice is deep and delicious as he approaches.

"Why is that?" I ask, my eyes flitting across his face, landing squarely on his ear.

"Out of all the ice cream shops in the city, you walk into mine."

My mouth curves. "Yours? Are you claiming it as your own?"

He steps closer, his fingers grazing my bare shoulder as he shields me from a man pushing his way toward the line. "Am I claiming what as my own, Ellie?"

I shiver, unsure if it's from the intensity of his touch or the air conditioning. "Cremza? Do you own it?"

His eyes settle on the outline of my nipples that have pebbled into stiff points. "I don't. I'm a regular. I live near here."

I cross my arms over my chest wishing I had put on a strapless bra when I decided to venture outside. As much as I try not to, I glance at his ear again. "I don't mean to pry, but is everything all right? You rushed out quickly during our meeting this morning."

He blows a puff of air out from between his lips. "I apologize for that. There was something I had to take care of."

It's a response, intentionally vague. I don't know him well enough to press for more. Not on that subject at least. His ear is an entirely different topic and I'm too curious about that to ignore it.

"I didn't realize you had a pierced ear."

His fingers follow the path of my gaze to his right ear. They flutter over the lobe and the red and black crystal ladybug stud that is there. "It's not pierced. This is a clip-on."

"A clip-on?" I step closer to get a better look.

He leans in until his breath is brushing over my cheek. "You smell incredible. It's Matiz Mist, isn't it? Matiz Mist and you."

"Why are you wearing a ladybug earring?" I tuck my hair behind both of my ears.

"I misplaced the butterfly one."

I stand in silence. I have no idea how to respond to that. Luckily, Adley approaches with a pink cardboard cup filled with my favorite ice cream in one hand and two white plastic spoons in the other.

"Randy's here." Her voice is shaky as she pushes the ice cream toward me. She doesn't look in Nolan's direction at all. "He brought Liam with him. He's totally into you, Bean."

I glance at the entrance to the shop. I see two of the men from last night. I know, just by their appearance, which one is Randy. His eyes are locked on Adley. He's dressed as Nolan was earlier, in a tailored dark suit complete with gray patterned tie.

Liam is the opposite. His shoulder length dirty blonde hair is pulled back into a messy bun on his head. His jaw is covered with a beard. Last night he was wearing a dark, long-sleeved sweater and jeans. Today it's the same jeans, but the tight white T-shirt he has on emphasizes how muscular he is and shows off the black and gray tattoos that cover his arms.

He turns heads, both men and women gawk as he approaches. It's not surprising. The man is a full foot taller than me. He hovers right around the six foot five mark.

"Ellie," he says my name casually. "How's my favorite redhead?"

Annoyed.
I didn't take his number last night because I wasn't interested in seeing him again. He's a nice guy, but he's not my type at all. I prefer my men all cleaned up, polished and put together. Liam doesn't press any of my hot buttons.

I feel a brush against my arm as Nolan extends his hand past me. "I'm Nolan Black. I work with Ellie. It's nice to meet you."

"Liam Wolf. My friends call me Wolf
.
" Liam grabs Nolan's hand and gives it a firm shake. "We've met before, haven't we?"

"It's possible." Nolan's jaw clenches. The earring is gone, the only hint that it was ever there is the fading red spot on his earlobe. "I have an ice cream delivery to make. It was good to meet you, Liam. Until tomorrow, Ellie."

"Until tomorrow," I repeat as I watch him walk away.