Текст книги "Off the Record"
Автор книги: K. A. Linde
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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 26 страниц)
Chapter 4
AIRPLANES
Liz caught up to the waiter as he opened a side door that led to a flight of stairs. He held the door for her and allowed her to enter before him. They walked up the stairs and into one of the second-floor balconies that overlooked the patrons below.
The VIP lounge really wasn’t anything fancy. No different from the room below except more sparsely populated and with way more staff. Okay, so maybe the booths carpeted in a red velvet material were a bit newer and the black high-topped tables and chairs had more shine to them. It sure was nice to have a long horseshoe-shaped bar in the center of the room all to yourself, but none of it was all that extravagant.
This certainly wasn’t what she had been expecting VIP to look like. Where was the swanky furniture and crème-de-la-crème clientele? Apparently she had been watching too much TV lately. It wasn’t as if she had suddenly been transported to Los Angeles. This was still just Raleigh.
“Who am I supposed to be meeting?” Liz asked the waiter as she took a large drink of the whiskey sour he had brought for her. She couldn’t believe she was here right now. It wasn’t her style at all.
“The man is in the corner,” the waiter said, gesturing to the only full table.
“Which person?” Liz asked, her eyes scrutinizing the table.
“You can’t see him from here. He’s packed into the corner, but he’s expecting you,” the waiter said before disappearing into the stairwell.
“Thanks,” she mumbled, taking another sip to calm her nerves.
It was now or never. She took a deep breath and slowly walked across the room. She wanted to look calm and collected, as if guys in VIP lounges bought her drinks all the time. As she got closer, a blonde at the table glanced over her shoulder and snickered. Why did she look familiar?
Liz had always been good with details. Her high school boyfriend used to make fun of her for being able to remember every aspect of their relationship—every date they had been on, what shirt he was wearing, the exact date of their first kiss, first dance, and first time holding hands—the list went on. The skill had manifested at an early age, and it was damn good in journalism.
Crap. Liz knew where she had seen the woman before. That was Maxwell’s press secretary. Liz’s heart sped up…could this be related to her question for Brady? That didn’t seem to make sense to her. She was missing a piece of the puzzle. It couldn’t be from Brady himself…could it?
A number of heads turned to face her as she approached. She felt heat rise on the back of her neck.
“May we help you?” a short, stocky guy in a charcoal suit jacket asked her. He was more than pudgy, with caterpillar eyebrows and beady eyes that swept her body. He was like Trent, but with the authority and self-importance of a VIP.
“I was sent over here by a waiter,” she said. She held her whiskey sour up for their inspection.
“Did someone order a drink?” the guy asked, looking around the table with a knowing glint in his brown eyes. “Anybody?”
Two women in the corner buried their heads in their hands. The blonde looked amused, but said nothing. Now Liz was getting pissed off. Was this all a bad joke? Pick on a girl on the main floor…choose a likely victim? Was she being used for their amusement? She pursed her lips, feeling the edges pull down into a frown.
“Someone up here bought me a drink,” she said frostily. “I doubt it was you. So, if you could point me to the individual who has some semblance of class, I’ll be happy to get out of your way.”
The man glared daggers at her. He didn’t seem the type to approve of a woman with a mouth, and she couldn’t seem to close hers when she got angry. Controlling her temper had never been one of her strong suits. He managed to stutter out a laugh before responding, “We have a feisty one here.”
Liz rolled her eyes. She really didn’t have the patience for this. “Fine. I’ll take my drink and go then.”
“Hold on a second, hon,” he said, reaching out and grabbing her arm.
Liz gave him a pointed look and he hastily withdrew his hand.
“It’s all fun and games. No need to get so irritated,” he grumbled.
Liz shrugged. If he wasn’t being helpful, then she didn’t feel the need to be polite.
“Well, you’re no fun. He’s over there. Had to take a phone call,” he said, pointing at a man leaning against the railing, partially obscured by a crowd of women.
“Thanks,” she said, walking away as fast as could. She heard him grumble something under his breath, but she ignored him.
Liz reached the wall and was able to get a look at the guy talking on his smartphone.
Her heart sank along with her stomach.
Brady Maxwell III.
A sitting State Senator had bought her a drink. This was not real life. This didn’t happen to her. Hadn’t she just insulted him in front of a roomful of people? No, she had done her job. He had a pretty face, body, smile…okay, he was flat-out gorgeous, but it didn’t mean she would stop doing her job.
Was she even allowed to be here? She was going home to write an article about him, and it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine either. She couldn’t be seen with him. She looked down at her drink and eeped! She nearly dropped it onto the carpeted floor. She had accepted a drink from a man she was about to write a scathing article about. Was she insane?
“Sorry, Jerry, give me one second,” Brady said into the phone.
He turned to look at her and she froze. Her insides felt like Jell-O, or that wobbly feeling after getting out of the ocean after being tossed around by the waves. Her head was hazy, like a morning fog had taken up residence where her wit normally resided.
“Don’t go anywhere,” Brady demanded, staring at her intensely.
Liz looked away and then back up at him. Standing here right now was a bad idea. Maybe she should just head out after all. She wanted to know why he had bought her a drink…and he was so handsome, but she knew this had bad news written all over it. Still, she felt rooted to the spot.
She watched him finish his phone call and memorized every inch of his face in those couple minutes. Where he had been freshly shaven and clean cut early this afternoon, a five-o’clock shadow was growing in along his jawline. She could see that he liked to lick his perfect lips while he was talking, and they were slightly chapped due to the habit. He talked with his hands more when he was making a point, and she really liked those hands. She bet he had a firm handshake…a firm grasp. When he smiled, he got little creases around his eyes, making them light up with emotion, and the most adorable dimples formed.
Liz swallowed hard, trying to push down the growing heat rising in her core and her quickening pulse. Why did she feel like this? It hadn’t been that long since she had been with somebody, and she wasn’t one to get caught up. But just the thought of those strong hands grasping her hips was sending her imagination into overdrive.
She needed to shut down. Now.
“Thanks, Jerry. Tell Francine I said hello. I’ll try to get by to play some ball with Matt this week. Yes, see you.”
Brady hung up his phone and placed it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. He turned to face her, leaning against the railing, and smiled. “You showed.”
“Are you surprised?” Liz asked despite herself. He didn’t seem like a man who didn’t get what he wanted.
“You never know.”
“Well, you didn’t tell me who you were.”
“Ah,” he said, nodding. “Then you definitely wouldn’t have showed.”
Liz arched an eyebrow. He thought he had her pegged already. Well, he was in for a real surprise. She would have come up here for sure if she had known that he was more than some random guy, even if she would have been nervous as hell. “And yet I haven’t left.”
“I told you not to,” he reminded her. “Did you like your drink?”
Liz looked down at it in her hand. Empty. When had that happened? “Yeah. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said with the same smile that made her weak before.
Liz didn’t know what she was doing here. Why had he bought her a drink, and why was he making pleasantries? This wasn’t going to change her article. She wasn’t sure if he really cared all that much about the college paper, but this certainly wasn’t going to help him. Either way, though, she waited to find out what he wanted. She was too intrigued.
“Can I get you another?”
“No, thank you. I know my limits. I still have to get back home tonight.” Why was she telling him this? Wouldn’t no have sufficed?
“Are you sure?” he asked, his face a mask.
Something about him made her think he was tiptoeing around her. He still had the natural self-confidence she had seen in the press conference, but still there was something else, and she didn’t know what it was. Did he want to know about the paper? Did he want to know about her article? Something didn’t add up.
“Did you need something?” she asked, straightening her blazer.
“Need something?” he asked quizzically. His brows knit together. “Why would I need something?”
“I just thought…” She trailed off, embarrassed. “Just the paper…”
“Oh, no,” he said. His eyes seemed to bore into her, searching her. She wished she knew what he was thinking or where this was going.
“Do you enjoy flying?” he asked abruptly.
“What?”
She was taken off guard. Did he want to take her flying? That was ludicrous.
“Flying, like in airplanes,” he added.
“I don’t understand.”
“I never did. My ears popped, my parents argued, I never got a window seat, the lines were too long, and it always happened when I wanted to stay home.”
Why was he telling her this? He didn’t even know her name.
“I’d have panic attacks before boarding,” he informed her. “Sometimes my parents would give me medicine to knock me out so I wouldn’t hyperventilate.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, not sure how to respond.
“I grew out of it, of course. I had to, especially if I wanted to be a politician like my father, but I never forgot that feeling. My fingers and toes would get warm and tingle. I’d find it hard to swallow. My stomach would be racked with nerves. I couldn’t focus properly on what was at hand. I couldn’t keep my breathing even, and I also couldn’t seem to suck in enough air. It was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life.”
“I’ve hyperventilated before,” she admitted—she wasn’t sure why. “My sister made me run a couple miles to the store with her in the middle of the summer in Tampa, but I’m not a runner. I’ve never felt so terrible.”
His eyes glistened as they stared into hers. “Then you know what I mean?” He waited until she nodded. “Well, I’ve never associated that feeling with anything good in my entire life…until you asked me that question today.”
Liz’s mouth popped open without any intention on her part. “What?”
Her question had been tough. She hadn’t cared, though. She had wanted answers and all he had done was sidestep. She hadn’t thought he had given it much thought, and he certainly hadn’t thought about her.
“I think I hid it as well as I could, but I had to get off of that stage. I was suffocating under your scrutiny.”
“Me?” she squeaked, losing all semblance of composure.
“And I wanted to know how you did that.”
Liz didn’t know what to say. No one had ever said anything like this to her before. She felt like an idiot staring up at him, getting lost in the endless dark depths of his eyes. How was she supposed to respond to that? Only two minutes ago she had thought this was some kind of joke. Now he was saying that she completely disarmed him. Him. State Senator Brady Maxwell III.
“You seem surprised,” he said.
“Of course I’m surprised, Senator Maxwell,” she said formally. “I’m not entirely sure how to even begin to respond to that. I wasn’t doing anything on purpose. I just…asked you a question.”
“You asked one hell of a question,” he said, leaning forward into her.
“I’m not going to apologize,” she told him, standing up taller in her heels.
“I wasn’t requesting an apology.”
“Then what?” she asked skeptically.
“I was merely complimenting your reporting skills. How long have you had this position?”
Liz narrowed her eyes. “You’re complimenting my reporting skills?”
“It was a fair question,” he told her.
“I know.”
“Then why do you look like you might pounce? I’m not meaning to be critical.”
She glanced away from his overwhelmingly beautiful face, over the railing, and out across the main bar area. It was a crowded night. How had he even seen her in the growing madness below?
“I just…” Her eyes gradually shifted back to his, and she gripped the railing harder. “I’m not certain where this conversation is heading.”
“Why does it have to head anywhere?” he asked, scrutinizing her face.
She blushed and made the mistake of looking into his eyes. “I didn’t…that’s not what I meant.”
He laughed. “It’s all right. It seems you are more adept at sidestepping my questions than I was at sidestepping yours.”
Had he admitted to dodging her question? Was this off the record? Had they ever clarified?
“Seems you’re stuck here with me now. You’re going to have to answer me,” he said, taking another step toward her. His smile was playful. He was flirting with her…teasing her. Brady Maxwell was teasing her.
“I’d be happy to,” she said boldly. “It’s not like anyone is going to be writing an article about me.”
“That’s good. You don’t need to be in the papers. Then everyone would know about you, and I think I prefer you here all to myself.”
Her mouth went dry. She had no words.
“So,” he said, deliberately reaching forward on the railing and sliding his thumb against her hand. Sparks ignited everywhere he touched her, and she felt her body reacting instantly to him. It was the same feeling she had gotten in that conference room when he had walked onstage. He focused in on her, and she couldn’t breathe. “Let’s start with your name.”
She was pretty sure he had knocked the breath right out of her, but she found her confidence within and answered, “Liz. Liz Dougherty.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Liz,” he said, offering her his hand.
She placed her hand in his. “Handshakes and kissin’ babies,” she muttered.
“Such is the life. Though it’s typically not this enjoyable.”
“You seemed to enjoy yourself just fine today,” she responded. “What made you decide to run?”
“Now, now, none of that,” he said. She hadn’t meant for it to come off as a reporter question, but it was her life, after all. “I didn’t buy a reporter a drink. I bought Liz Dougherty a drink. And I want to know when I can see you again.”
Everything about the situation told her not to give in. What good could come from that? She was a reporter and he was a politician she was writing a story on. They couldn’t ignore that.
But for the life of her, she couldn’t do it.
“You want to see me again?”
He dug into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and extracted a business card. He placed it in her palm, and she fingered the thick embossed paper. It was an expensive card; that much she knew.
“I’ve already said I want to see you again. If you want to see me, give me a call on that number. It’s my personal line. If you can’t reach me, call my secretary at the number below that. I’ll get in contact with you,” he said with a penetrating gaze that made her believe he would. “I wish I could stay now, but I have some business to attend to.”
She couldn’t call him. She couldn’t see him. It wasn’t right for her professionalism or for her future career in journalism.
Maybe when she was finally away from him, she wouldn’t feel as heated and desperate to be closer to him.
“Hey,” he murmured softly, brushing his fingers across her jawline, “you want to see me. I want to see you. Call me. If you don’t, you’ll regret it.”
Could he read her mind?
“I’ll think about it,” she whispered, entranced.
“I look forward to your call,” he said, releasing her chin.
Her body was already missing his touch. She hated that he left her with the option, but he had already stated what he wanted. Now it was up to her. He wanted her to come to him willingly, and she certainly was willing. He had this undeniable, uncontrollable pull on her that she had never experienced with another man. He made her want to use this card.
But she knew she never would.
Chapter 5
MIXED SIGNALS
Liz walked in a trance back down the flight of stairs leading out of VIP. Her hand was clutching the business card Brady had given her, between shaking fingers. All of her attitude dissolved when she left, and she was wondering what the hell had happened.
Her feet hit the bottom of the stairs, and she exited the doorway back onto the main floor. She didn’t know how long she had been gone or if anyone had noticed her absence. All she knew was that Brady Maxwell, a sitting State Senator, had said he wanted to see her again. And what had she said? I’ll think about it. Really? Was she out of her mind? The man was the most gorgeous person she had ever laid eyes on, and the physical attraction she felt in his presence was off the charts. She would have gone to the ends of the earth for him, and still somehow she had told him she would think about it.
Not that it was a good idea to see him, but now that she was away…it felt like a much worse idea not to see him.
Liz tucked the business card carefully away in the pocket of her navy blazer and walked back to the table. Her head was down as she approached, her mind lost on Brady. He was all charm, and she shouldn’t have been surprised. He was a politician, after all. She just had never expected…him…that he would throw her so off-balance.
She had a strong head on her shoulders. Her dad had always told her that. It was why she had worked so hard in high school to get a full scholarship to Chapel Hill, and why she pushed herself at the paper to become a reporter. It was the same steadfastness that made her a long-term kind of girl, and that caused her to always be the one who ended things with her various boyfriends when she felt the relationship slipping. She might stay with them longer than she should, but in the end, it was always her choice…it was always her. Yet here she was, swept away by some politician.
“Where did you run off to?” Hayden asked, jumping up from his seat as she drew near.
“Uh…I went to look for you.” She wished she had a drink or something in hand. She didn’t want to tell Hayden about meeting Brady. That would bring about a whole slew of questions she didn’t want to answer with his enticing stare still burned into her mind.
“I only left for a second,” he said a bit defensively.
Before she had met Brady, she would have taken all of this personally. After all, Hayden was the one who had run off with Calleigh, leaving her alone with people she didn’t know. But now she wasn’t focused enough to care. The card was burning a hole in her jacket.
“So did I,” she said with a shrug. “Where did Calleigh go?”
“She’s still talking to Tracey. I came back for you, but Trent said you ran off.”
“Just came to find you is all,” she told him again. “I think I’m ready to get out of here.”
Earlier she would have stayed here with him all night, but now the mixed signals from Hayden were irritating her. Was he interested in her or not? Brady had been so up-front with her. Liz knew very few people had the self-confidence to pull off that attitude, but it wasn’t like Hayden was lacking in that department. At least Brady had told her what he wanted…even if that situation had its own complications.
“Yeah, I’m ready to get back,” Hayden agreed. “We have an article to write. I feel a long night ahead of me.” He cracked that smile that she was so fond of, and she tried not to compare it to Brady’s. That comparison wasn’t even fair. “Let me just say good-bye.”
A few minutes later they were walking toward the door of the bar when Calleigh appeared out of nowhere. Her burgundy hair seemed to have gained even more volume with the pressing heat in the room, and it only made her look more beautiful. Her bangs were falling haphazardly into her eyes, and she did nothing to push them aside as she latched onto Hayden’s arm. “You guys aren’t leaving, are you?” she asked, pressing into Hayden’s side.
Liz watched Hayden disentangle himself from Calleigh’s wandering arms and take a step away from her. At least this time she could actually tell that Calleigh was drunk.
“Yeah, we’re heading out. It’s late,” Hayden told her. Liz didn’t actually know what time it was, but it felt early.
“Hayden, you should stay here with me,” she said, the coy smile wiped off her face and replaced with blatant desire. Hayden actually looked uncomfortable. Liz could live with that.
“Appreciate it, Calleigh, but we have to get back to Chapel Hill,” he said.
“Thanks for the invitation, Calleigh,” Liz said. “Really had a great time.”
Calleigh looked at her blankly before returning her gaze to Hayden. “You’re leaving with her?”
Oh, this wasn’t looking good.
“Calleigh, let’s not do this,” Hayden warned with a sigh.
“I mean, after everything, and I haven’t seen you. I just thought…” She trailed off. Calleigh actually looked affronted. She clearly hadn’t thought the night was going to end like this, and Liz could only guess why by her comments.
Liz didn’t want to think about it, but the visual kept coming back to her. Calleigh and Hayden. Hayden and Calleigh. Of course, it made sense. They were perfect for each other. She felt like a fly on the wall as they stared at each other.
“We have to go,” Hayden said finally, ending the staring match. “I don’t know what you thought you were going to accomplish tonight, but it’s not like that. You know that. You’ve known that for a long time. I don’t know how much more obvious I can be. What more do you want me to say?”
Calleigh looked at the floor, clearly hurt by his words. When she met his eyes again, hers were steely. Liz didn’t want to know what she was thinking in that moment. “Fine. It’s not like she’s even a challenge,” Calleigh said, tossing her hand in Liz’s direction and talking about her as if she weren’t standing right there.
“Calleigh,” he said in a threatening tone, “keep it together. You’re embarrassing yourself. Now, we’re going to go. Good night.”
Hayden gripped Liz’s elbow softly and tugged her away from the ticking time bomb. She got one last glance from Calleigh, and she saw only a promise in Calleigh’s eyes…a promise that Calleigh wouldn’t forget tonight.
Liz stumbled out onto the blacktop parking lot. She felt the oppressive summer heat press against her suit, and she stripped her jacket off. Her mind was buzzing with the confrontation she had witnessed. Her body was still reeling. She couldn’t believe what Calleigh had said. Liz didn’t even really know Calleigh. She certainly wasn’t a threat to her. Whatever had happened between Calleigh and Hayden was something Liz wanted to forget…and knew she never would.
She stalked across the parking lot to his car. She hadn’t even realized how furious she was until she started walking. How dared she say those things! Calleigh had power and prestige, but that did not give her the right to treat Liz like this.
“Hey,” Hayden called, jogging to catch up to her long strides, “are you all right?”
“Fine,” she muttered, walking faster.
He latched on to her elbow and pulled her up short. “Are you really all right?”
“What do you think?” she asked, sneering at him.
“I’d say no.” He didn’t let go of her elbow. “I’m really sorry about…all that.”
“What was all that?” Liz asked.
“Calleigh and I were together last year before she took the job in Charlotte. It wasn’t anything serious.”
“She seems to think it’s still something,” Liz pointed out.
He shrugged. “I can’t control how she feels. It’s not whatever she thinks it is.”
“Well, maybe next time you shouldn’t go running off alone with her and then she won’t think it’s something,” Liz said calmly. She couldn’t believe that had come out of her mouth. It was what she was thinking, but never something she would normally say. Maybe Brady’s frankness had gotten into her system.
Hayden dipped his head in surrender. “You’re right. I didn’t mean for it to come off that way.”
“Intentions only go so far.”
“True,” he said, looking up into her eyes. She could see he wanted to say more, do more. But he didn’t. She wasn’t sure what was holding him back.
He was standing only inches away from her, and she knew she would give in to him if he made a move. Even with Brady’s words still ingrained in her head and Calleigh’s stinging words ringing in her ears. She was mad at him, but it didn’t hold back the crush that had been brewing inside of her for the past two years.
Hayden took a step in, and Liz’s breath caught, her heart fluttering at a rapid pace. He was so close. She took a small step forward until their clothes brushed against each other and tilted her head up to look at him. He smiled at her and she sighed softly, waiting for the kiss she knew was coming.
His mouth quirked up at the side and then he backed up. She was so confused. She had given him an open invitation, and he had backed down.
Liz quickly turned toward the car, her face burning.
Hayden cleared his throat awkwardly. “We should get back.”
She didn’t even have the strength to respond, just walked to the passenger-side door and waited for him to unlock it. She didn’t want to know what he was thinking. He had turned down Calleigh, only to reject Liz as well.
She would have been better off staying up in VIP. At least Brady had made his intentions clear. The hot and cold with Hayden was confusing at best.
Liz tossed her jacket inside and slid into the passenger seat of the Audi. The forty-minute drive back to Chapel Hill was quieter than the ride there had been. The radio was playing some hipster music that she wasn’t really into, but it was better than the silence.
He parked outside of the small run-down house she rented on the north side of campus. The neighborhood wasn’t all that great, but it was a short walk to the journalism school and was better than trying to find parking on campus. Luckily Victoria didn’t care about the decrepit nature of the building, because it was so close to the bars on Franklin Street.
“Thanks for the ride,” she murmured, grabbing her jacket and popping the door open. “I’ll start working on the article.”
She was all the way around the car when Hayden stepped out. “Liz,” he called, stopping her from walking up the grassy path to her house. “I’m sorry about earlier.”
Which part? she wanted to ask him. Was he sorry that he had run off with Calleigh? Was he sorry that Calleigh had been a bitch to her? Was he sorry for not kissing her when she had been expecting it?
Instead she just said, “It’s all right.” She didn’t even know what she was saying all right to.
“It’s not. Calleigh shouldn’t take out her anger about me on you,” he said.
Oh.
“Yeah, probably not,” Liz muttered. “Night, Hayden.”
“Liz,” he called again as she walked away. She turned around reluctantly. “I am sorry.”
She sighed and nodded. Please be over quicker. “I know you are. Don’t worry about what Calleigh said.”
“I just…don’t want this to affect our…erm…relationship.” Her ears perked up at that statement. “You’re a great reporter. I wouldn’t want you to think I’m using my authority or anything to come on to you. I would hate to lose you at the paper.”
Liz’s mouth dropped open. He didn’t want to lose her at the paper? Like that was even an option. The paper was all she wanted. Was that why he hadn’t kissed her? Was he afraid that starting something with her would be bad for the paper?
“Would you say you’re coming on to me?” She hadn’t thought that he was…not compared to Brady back at the club.
Hayden looked flustered, and she was glad. She had liked him for a long time and then after one evening together he was crushing it all. “I worry about how you took Calleigh’s comment. I don’t…”
“Just leave it, Hayden,” she said wearily. “It’s too late for this conversation. I’m tired.”
“Right. Sorry. I thought I was clarifying, but it seems like I’m only more jumbled. I’ll see you at the paper tomorrow.” He stepped forward and grasped her hand unexpectedly. Despite everything, she was still glad that he was touching her. She was angry about the way he was acting this evening, but she couldn’t hold back her feelings for him.
She saw him swallow as he stepped toward her again. She wasn’t expecting a kiss, not after the incident in the parking lot. In fact, she didn’t know why he was touching her at all, but she wasn’t stopping him. And she didn’t stop him when he pulled her into his arms.
They were strong arms, not particularly big but definitely not small. They fit well around her waist, and she could feel their definition as they circled her. Liz automatically wrapped her arms around his neck as he drew her into his chest. The hug was brief, but still, it was Hayden.
He broke away and looked as calm as before. She wished she knew what he was thinking, but unlike Brady, who broadcast his feelings all too clearly, Hayden was too much of a mystery. Maybe she wasn’t supposed to know.
But she damn well wanted to.
