Текст книги "Remind Me "

Автор книги: Ann Marie Walker

Соавторы: Amy K. Rogers
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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

Chapter Twenty-two

All eyes were on Hudson as he flipped the pages of the contract his lawyers had drafted that afternoon. He could sense their collective flinching with each stroke of his red felt tip. The thing was a fucking mess. It was taking every ounce of restraint to keep from hurling the POS with enough force to defy the laws of physics, making his legal team play 150-page pickup.

In his peripheral vision, the skirts and suits shifted in their seats as if their asses were in a frying pan. The striped tie checked his watch, the gray skirt her cell phone. His jaw tightened. He was in no mood for bullshit. And it wasn’t just the scrap in his hands that was frustrating the hell out of him, but his personal life as well. As if picking up on his vibe, gray skirt carefully set the phone front and center.

Good call.

Reaching the last page, he tossed the phone book–size contract down the length of the glossy conference table. The thing looked like it was bleeding to death as it skidded to a stop in the center. Hudson’s tone was clipped and impatient as he rose out of his chair.

“I need the amended contract by morning.”

His lawyer glanced down at the carnage. “Those changes will take hours. Even if I keep the whole department—”

Hudson cut off the whining. “I don’t care if they’re here till dawn.” This acquisition, more like an assault, would launch Chase Industries to the top. No one was leaving until he was satisfied.

He leaned forward and planted his palms on the mahogany. “You’re not going soft on me, are you?” He’d hired the guy because he had a pair. But since he’d gotten married he seemed to have handed his nuts over to his wife and tucked his dick between his legs.

“We’ve been at it for over forty-eight hours, Mr. Chase . . .”

Hudson’s blue eyes narrowed. Lawyer guy seemed to relocate his brain and snapped his mouth shut. Riding a crest of aggression, Hudson pivoted away. With his back to the door and his muscles coiled tight, everything about him resonated get-the-fuck-out. “You have work to do.”

In the window, Hudson watched his lawyer’s reflection as he grabbed the decimated file from the center of the table and fled with the rest of his staff. When the room was empty he went over to the bar, poured himself a few fingers of scotch, and loosened his tie. Making his way back to his desk, he eased into his chair and swiveled toward the tireless view. He gripped the glass and stared out the window at a city that was his for the taking. The move to Chicago was proving beneficial. The deal that had brought him here was ahead of schedule, his name was blasted into stone on the goddamn building, and the press couldn’t keep their lips off his ass. Hell, he’d even pushed Rahm off the front page of Crain’s.

But when he thought of Allie, he felt like his life was spinning out of control.

That woman was a distraction that left him perpetually hard. And he had no time for distractions when a multibillion-dollar deal was on the line. But fuck, he wanted to see her, and the fact that she was attending a pretentious gathering her mother was throwing in the name of charity was riding him raw.

Of course she couldn’t take him with her. Not that he’d wanted to subject himself to another glad-hand event, although he would have. To see her in her element. To watch the secret blush color her cheeks when he whispered all the ways he wanted to possess and pleasure her. To stand beside her and support her. He wanted that privilege.

This was his time with her. A fucking two-week window to prove their connection extended far beyond the bedroom.

The ultimatum he almost gave her when she broke the news of her mother’s little party would have laid it all on the line. He’d been so tempted to put an end to this bullshit and make her choose. But he’d made the conscious decision at the start of this to wait the two weeks.

And timing was everything.

So he choked on his words to avoid ruining a night that started with dinner and ended with her for dessert. She’d been so beautiful spread out on his dining room table, her skin flushed with arousal and her body bowing off the surface. He tossed the rest of his drink back and the liquid slid sinuously over his tongue and down his throat. As it did, he thought of how his tongue had teased her swollen flesh and pulsed inside her as she came against his mouth.

Hudson let out a curse and tugged his shirttails out of his pants. With his free hand he reached for the phone and dialed Allie’s number, waiting to hear her voice before his palm fused to his cock.

Chapter Twenty-three

Only Allie’s mother could convince Chicago’s A-list to drive all the way to Lake Forest on a Tuesday night, let alone get the weather to cooperate. But when Victoria Sinclair decided to throw a party at Mayflower Place, no one dared decline. Not even Mother Nature.

She’d determined a gathering was in order—“something intimate, a dinner perhaps”—when the final numbers revealed that the museum gala had far exceeded expectations. The target of a spring groundbreaking was all but guaranteed and Allie’s mother thought the board of directors at Better Start should be thanked for their efforts.

What had begun as a simple affair for the board and a few key staff members had turned into a full-blown event. Valets greeted guests as they rounded the fountain court. Tuxedo-clad waiters passed hors d’oeuvres on silver trays. And a string quartet played under the glow of tiny lights strung above the limestone terrace.

So much for an intimate dinner.

Victoria had relented at the last minute and, at Allie’s urging, extended invitations to the entire Better Start staff. They’d spent countless hours ensuring the event’s success and deserved a show of appreciation far more than someone who simply lent their name to the program. Of course Allie knew they would have never exceeded their goal without one very generous donation pledged in exchange for a dance.

Her heart sank as she pushed through one of the many French doors spanning the rear of the house, and in a moment of clarity she realized why. It wasn’t because she was dreading the customary small talk with board members or her mother’s constant attempts to work Julian and the wedding into every conversation. It was because she already knew the person most deserving of thanks, the one whose face she suddenly longed to see, would be nowhere in sight.

Allie walked to the edge of the terrace and leaned against the stone balustrade. The grounds of the estate were still in full bloom thanks to the unseasonably warm weather, and the sweet scent of jasmine hung in the air. Copper lanterns lined the stone steps, their flickering candlelight leading to an expanse of perfectly manicured grass. In the distance, Allie could make out the silvery shores of Lake Michigan just beyond the esplanade. She took a deep breath. Watching the water ebb and flow usually soothed her, especially on nights like this when her mother was in high gear. But as the small whitecaps crashed on the sand, she couldn’t help but wish she was enjoying the view of the lake from Hudson’s penthouse.

She needed to get a grip. It was only one night. But if this was how she felt spending one night without Hudson Chase, how would she ever endure a lifetime?

“I have to hand it to Vicky, she certainly knows how to throw a party.” Harper was suddenly behind her. She was wearing a tailored floral sheath dress that would have surely caught Don Draper’s eye, and from the looks of it, had just relieved a waiter of several salmon crostini. “Find out what caterer she used and let’s call them for our next event.”

“Food’s that good?”

“No, the waiters are that hot.”

Allie laughed at her friend’s ability to see every situation as her own personal version of match.com. “I thought you were planning to marry the waiter at Tavern.”

“Found out he was still in college,” Harper mumbled as she crammed an hors d’oeuvre in her mouth. “I’m all for dating younger men, but I have to draw the line somewhere.” Allie could practically see the lightbulb turn on over her head. “Hey, Mr. Moneybags doesn’t happen to have a younger brother, does he?”

“Harper!” Allie checked to see if anyone was in earshot.

“Oh relax. No one knows which Mr. Moneybags I meant. Look around,” she said with a snort. “The place is crawling with them.” Harper grabbed a flute of champagne from a passing waiter. “You can’t keep dodging me. Sooner or later I’m getting the scoop,” she said before taking a sip.

“I haven’t been dodging you.”

“Please, for the past two days every time I’ve come near your office you’ve either been conveniently on the phone or dashing out the door to some mysterious meeting.”

Allie didn’t mean to hurt her friend’s feelings. But how could she explain her roller coaster of emotions when she didn’t understand them yet herself? She was about to assure Harper it was nothing personal when she heard someone call her name. The unmistakable voice sounded like fingernails on a blackboard. Oh great.

Allie and Harper turned as one to find Hillary Prescott, heir to the country club throne.

“There you are! Your mother told me you’d be here.” She greeted Allie with an air kiss to each cheek. “I’ve been looking everywhere.”

“Well here I am.” Trapped. Allie caught sight of Harper smiling over the top of her champagne glass as she drifted away.

Hillary reached for Allie’s left hand. “Let me see that ring your mom keeps bragging about.” She cursed under her breath and yanked the ring closer. “So you’re really marrying a duke?”

Allie would have corrected her former classmate if she’d given her half a chance.

“How are the plans coming? It must be horrible trying to balance wedding planning with a full-time job. No wonder you look so exhausted.” She lowered her voice. “I have a face guy who works miracles. Call me and I’ll give you his number.”

“Thanks, but—”

“Oh my God, that reminds me. Have you seen Meredith since she got back from the spa?” Hillary emphasized the last word with a harsh laugh. “Right, a spa that doubled her cup size.”

“How was your game this summer?” Allie asked, desperate to change the subject. A smile spread across Hillary’s face. “Club champion again this year. You know, if we team up next summer, I bet I could take the doubles title, too.”

“Oh thanks, but with work I couldn’t—”

“Work?” Hillary grimaced as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. “After the wedding? I just assumed—”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Allie said, a smile plastered across her face. “But I see my boss and there’s something I really need to discuss with him.”

“Oh, sure. Call me, we’ll do lunch.”

As she walked away, Allie almost felt bad for lying. Almost. And besides, it wasn’t a total lie. She had seen her boss. He was standing off to the side shifting his weight from one foot to the other and looking as uncomfortable on her mother’s terrace as he had at the museum gala. Bob Ellis was a man committed to seeing underprivileged kids get the education they deserved, and as the director of Better Start, he knew that fund-raising was essential. But that didn’t mean he had to like it. In fact, he once told Allie that even after decades of working for nonprofits, he’d still rather have a root canal than talk a prospective donor into parting with their cash. When Allie came onboard as the head of fund-raising, he’d welcomed her to the team with open arms.

He smiled as she approached, his warm brown eyes crinkling around the edges. “Now there’s a familiar face.” For a moment he looked as though he might try to extend his hand, awkwardly juggling a small china plate and a glass drained to only ice. Allie came to his rescue by way of launching into conversation.

“Did you try the beef Wellington?” she asked. “Harper was raving about the caterers.”

“Wonderful. Everything is just wonderful. And very kind of your mother to invite the entire staff.” A waiter passed by with an empty tray and her boss handed him his plate and glass. Realizing too late that he still had his napkin, he crumpled it and shoved it into the pocket of his khaki pants. “The gala was a lot of work. You should be very proud of how well it turned out.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ellis.”

“You’ve done a terrific job, Alessandra. And not just with the gala. We’re certainly going to miss you.”

“Miss me?”

“Yes, your mother said you wouldn’t be returning after the wedding. At least not on a daily basis.” He tugged on the knot of his knit tie, loosening it ever so slightly. “I must say, I was sad to hear it.”

Allie’s face flamed. Overruling her on wedding details was one thing. Allie couldn’t care less what flowers were in the centerpieces or if the ballroom chairs were covered in silk. But tendering her resignation? That was a step too far, even for Victoria. “Will you excuse me, Mr. Ellis? I just remembered my mother asked me to check on the wine. Can’t have the caterers running low, now can we?”

She tried to mask her anger with the same saccharine smile she’d used on Hillary. She’d had a lifetime to perfect the expression and yet struggled to keep the facade in place as she weaved through the crowd in search of her mother. She found her chatting with one of the ladies from the club—Hillary Prescott’s mother, to be exact—her delicate laughter barely audible above the quartet.

“Mother,” Allie interrupted, not caring if she’d think her rude.

“Oh, Alessandra, perfect timing. I was just telling Elizabeth all about the wedding plans.”

“Your mother tells me you’ve moved the wedding up to the beginning of December.” Allie watched as Mrs. Prescott’s gaze swept over her, tensing when it lingered a bit too long on her stomach. “It sounds like it will be lovely, dear. Late enough for the decorations to be up but still plenty of time before we all flee the dreadful cold on holiday.”

Victoria nodded in agreement. “That’s exactly what I was telling her. The lights on Michigan Avenue are beautiful that time of year, and wouldn’t it be perfect if the park in front of the hotel had a fresh blanket of snow?”

Allie gaped at the two women as they discussed how much snow they’d like to see—enough to cover the grass, but not freeze the lake—and when they’d like it to fall—so enough time has passed to clear the roads, but not so long that it turns black at the curb. When she could take no more, she cut them off with a crisis sure to attract her mother’s undivided attention. “The caterer needs to speak with you, Mother. Something about a substitution on the brand of caviar.”

Her mother sighed. “Honestly, if it isn’t one thing it’s another.”

“Always something,” Mrs. Prescott said. She brushed cheeks with Victoria before joining another group of women.

“Did he say what brand, because I specifically ordered—”

“Relax mother, there’s no caviar emergency.”

She looked utterly confused.

“Did you tell Mr. Ellis I was resigning after the wedding?”

If it weren’t for the recent injections, Victoria’s eyebrows would have shot up in surprise. “That’s what all this is about?”

“You had no right to speak on my behalf,” Allie snapped.

Victoria turned to ice. “Watch your tone.” Her voice was much louder than Allie expected, but she regained her composure quickly. The smile returned to her face, and when she spoke again her tone was hushed, though just as lethal. “I’m your mother. I will not have you speaking to me in that manner.” Taking Allie by the arm, she led her away from the crowd. “I’m sorry you didn’t get the chance to tell Bob about your plans. The subject came up and I mentioned it. Simple as that.”

The last line was said with complete finality. Allie knew from past experience her mother considered the conversation over, but she was far from done discussing the matter. “I haven’t decided what—”

The sound of Allie’s cell phone stopped her midsentence.

Victoria’s face lit up. “Oh, is that Julian? Be sure to tell him how much he’s missed this evening.”

The screen read “private caller,” but Allie seriously doubted the call was from Julian. Other then the message he’d left on her answering machine, she hadn’t heard from him since he arrived in Paris. “Hello?”

“Excuse yourself.” The sound of Hudson’s deep voice sent a chill down her spine.

“I . . . um,” Allie’s eyes darted to her mother. “I’ll need to call you back later.”

Victoria tsked. “It’s late in Paris. Talk to the man.”

“Tell whomever you’re with that you need to take this call,” he instructed. “Move to some place private.”

Allie waited until her mother drifted out of earshot. “Can we discuss this after the party?”

“No.”

“Hudson, I can’t—”

“I’m not a patient man, Alessandra. Don’t keep me waiting.”

She turned away from the crowd and lowered her voice. “There are people everywhere. Where exactly do you suggest I go?”

“I’m sure there are at least a dozen rooms upstairs,” he said through clenched teeth. “Pick one.”

“I can’t just disappear. My parents are hosting the event.” She stole a glance over her shoulder. “They’ll be looking for me”

“Do. It. Now.”

His command made her knees go weak. What was it about this man that could be so aggravating one minute and so unbelievably hot the next? Allie gave a resigned sigh and, against her better judgment, started toward the house. She kept her head down, trying not to draw attention to herself as she weaved through the mingling guests. Fearing her mother might be consulting with the caterer, she avoided the kitchen and dining room altogether and slipped through the glass doors of the conservatory instead.

When she reached the foyer she paused briefly to make sure no one was watching before dashing up the stairs to her childhood bedroom. It looked exactly as it had when she was a little girl: French provincial furniture, lace bedspread, porcelain dolls. God, how she’d hated those porcelain dolls.

“Okay, I’m in my old room. What was so important I had to—”

“Take your panties off.”

“What?”

His voice dropped. “You heard me.”

Allie felt her face flame. “Hudson . . . I can’t do that.”

“After some of the stuff we’ve done, don’t get squeamish now. I had you cuffed to my ceiling, Alessandra. Something I hope to do again.” His words were more promise than threat. A promise she suddenly found herself wanting to hold him to. “Or maybe next time I’ll cuff you to my bed, every inch of your fuckable body at my disposal.”

His possessive tone sent of rush of heat through Allie’s body and a flood of erotic images along with it. She envisioned herself tied to Hudson’s bed, completely at his mercy and delirious with pleasure.

“You’re picturing that, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Because right now I can’t stop picturing you bent over my desk, naked and wet. Your hips lifting in anticipation, greedy to have me inside you. The hell if my assistant is mere feet away, because it has to be here. It has to be now.”

A small gasp escaped her lips. “You’re at work?”

“Yes. I kicked everyone out of my office in the middle of a deal.”

“You did?” Her heart beat faster. “Why?”

“I started thinking about last night, how you were spread out on my dining room table, rocking against my mouth. Fifteen hundred dollars an hour for the best legal opinions money can buy and I couldn’t focus on a damn word they were saying. All I could hear were the sounds you make when I’m inside you, those little moans of pleasure when you’re about to come.”

Allie’s breath hitched. His confession shocked her and at the same time she found herself incredibly aroused. She pressed her thighs together, amazed at how a simple phone conversation could have her aching with need.

“I cleared the room to call you and at the moment I’m looking out the window with my cock laying hard against my stomach. Does that turn you on, Allie, knowing my cock is out and ready for you?”

“Yes.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she pictured him stretched back in his chair. Jacket off, tie loosened, pants unzipped.

“Now do as you’re told and take your panties off.”

Allie drew a deep breath and reached under her dress. Her fingers trembled as she hooked her thumbs into her lace panties and swept them down her legs.

“Are they off?”

“Yes.”

Hudson’s voice was low and rough, but his tone turned sensual. “Lie down on the bed.”

She flipped the lock on the door, the small click echoing in the darkness. A sliver of moonlight guided her to the bed, where she followed his instructions, lying back against the ruffled pillows.

“Pull your dress around your hips.”

Her fingers curled into the green fabric as she inched her dress over her hips. Cool air rushed against her naked core, making her feel vulnerable and exposed. She knew what he wanted, what he would ask for next, and she braced for his instructions.

“Touch yourself. Feel how hot and wet you are.”

Allie hesitated before tentatively brushing her fingers up the inside of her thigh. The sound of laughter floated up from the patio and she tensed. Even if she could somehow manage to block out the rest of the world, it wouldn’t be enough. The ache between her legs begged for his touch, not hers. “I can’t,” she whispered.

Hudson groaned. “Fuck, Allie. I’ve never been so hard and thick. I need my fist gripping and stroking my cock like I’m inside you.”

The thought of Hudson pleasuring himself sent an unexpected wave of excitement coursing through her. She swallowed hard. “What’s stopping you?”

“Because I want you right there with me, baby. We’ll take it nice and slow. Close your eyes and caress your hands down your neck, let them cup your breasts. Feel how perfect they are.”

Allie’s eyes drifted shut. She followed his directions, letting her hands glide down her throat past the neckline of her dress. Her breath caught as she cupped her breasts.

He was quick with his next command. “Squeeze them how I would.”

She did as he described, and in the darkness he was with her. His warm body pressed against the length of hers. His hands squeezing and kneading her breasts. His lips trailing down her neck.

“That’s it. Get your nipples nice and hard for my mouth.” His deep voice resonated through her body, magnifying every sensation as she drew her fingertips across her breasts. Her nipples strained against the thin fabric of her dress as she slowly circled them. “Pinch them, as if I’m dragging my tongue from one to the other and pulling them between my teeth.”

She trapped her nipples between her fingers and thumbs, imagining Hudson’s teeth grazing her skin as she tugged and pulled.

“Now feel my hands sliding over your stomach and trailing soft kisses as I go.” Her breathing grew louder as his words caressed her skin. “That’s it, baby, I can hear how turned on you are.” Every inch of her body hummed with anticipation. “Now touch yourself for me. Feel my fingers parting you, sliding over your skin.”

Music wafted up the stairs, a distant reminder that they weren’t alone, but Allie no longer cared. She was far beyond shyness or shame. She was lost in the moment, focused solely on Hudson’s voice as she slid her hand between her thighs. She gasped from her own touch and moaned his name.

“Tell me what you feel, Allie. Are you ready for me?”

“Oh God, yes.” She was so wet, so ready. She needed him there with her, filling her, possessing her.

“Stroke yourself, feel my cock rubbing against you.” His voice was tight with restraint and she knew he was fighting his own release, waiting for her to join him. “Let me hear how good it feels. You want me inside you, don’t you?”

“Please,” she moaned his name and was lost, surrendering to each of his commands as he brought them both closer to the edge.

“Come with me, Allie.” His words pushed out on an explosive breath. “Fuck.”

White knuckles gripped the bedspread as searing pleasure ripped through her. She turned her head toward the pillow, letting it absorb her cries.

“This is what you do to me, Allie.” Hudson’s breath was still harsh in her ear. “You have the power to make me come harder than anyone and yet it’s never enough. Come to my place tonight, I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

“Yes,” she managed to say, still trying to collect her wits. Allie sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. She didn’t need a mirror to know her face was flushed.

“Oh, and one more thing, Alessandra.” She could hear his grin through the phone. “Enjoy the rest of the party.”