The Winner Takes All (Complete Collection)

18. Sexy Ergo

18

SEXY ERGO

Zane

With two cocktails in hand, I weave through the crowded speakeasy in Chelsea, past throngs of twenty-somethings out for a night in the city. A guy in a goatee, lounging on a blue velvet couch, tips his chin my way. “Dragons suck,” he mutters.

“Thanks, man,” I say. Nothing can bring me down tonight. We destroyed the Comets in a ten to three rout. Three of those runs were batted in by me. Off Cohen . I already sent my brother a thank you very much note .

“Comets rule,” the fan adds, louder this time.

“Not tonight they didn’t,” I toss out over my shoulder, then make my way to a dark nook in the back, a corner spot away from the crowds. I rejoin Maddox for our second round of drinks. I hold up the bright red concoctions, complete with silly umbrellas. “For the man of the hour. Wait. That’s wrong. The man of the night.”

He grins, and that’s my invitation to keep going.

“The man of the week? The month? The man of the year.”

Rolling his eyes, he pats the couch. “I’m just doing my job. Sit down.”

Sternly, I stare at him. “No.”

“No, you won’t sit?”

“No, you do not get to downplay what you pulled off,” I say.

“Zane, I’m not going to pat myself on the back,” he says, then tips his forehead to the couch cushion. “C’mon.”

I puff out my chest. “That’s why I’m going to pat you on the back. You deserve it,” I say. That’s what tonight is for—the chance for me to show him I respect and appreciate him. We can pull this off, snapping right back into place as agent and client. That’s all I can have of him, but it’ll have to be enough.

Sitting next to him, I catch a whiff of his fading ocean scent, then do my best to ignore its effect on me.

I hand him a frozen strawberry daiquiri.

“Can’t believe you really like daiquiris,” he says, amused, as he takes the glass.

“I’m man enough to like a scotch and a daiquiri.”

“I wasn’t doubting your manhood.”

“Good. You better not,” I say, then I tip my glass to his, clinking. “To you.” I knock back some of my drink and…my brain freezes. “Holy shit, that’s cold.”

“Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth,” he says with his brand of calm savviness.

“Press your tongue against the roof of my mouth,” I suggest, since I’m helpful like that.

He laughs until my brain freeze fades.

“Whew. Time for another one,” I say, then take a smaller drink. “Ah, yes. I’m imagining I’m on a tropical beach now.”

What I wouldn’t give to lounge by the water with him.

But that’s not in the cards. I mentally wave off those dirty dreams as I stretch my arm across the back of the small couch. I don’t touch him. I don’t want to tempt him or me. “I wouldn’t mind being in Cabo ordering daiquiris. Or Hawaii. Or Fiji,” I add, and I don’t say with you , even though I want that.

I’m a dog learning new tricks.

“So basically all the tropical places,” he says drily.

“I like beaches. I like oceans. I like cocktails. You know what else I like?”

“What’s that?”

“I like patting you on the back. So I’m going to.”

He sighs, but relents. “Fine.”

I set down the drink, then rub my palms together. “All right, let’s start with the basics. Last fall, I asked Vance to pursue some deals. He worked on the video game company, but that fell apart,” I recount, and I’m no longer irked by that failed negotiation. “I was the wrong guy to endorse that company. And you’re the one who had the guts to tell me.”

A small smile tips his lips. Like he’s proud I see him as an upfront agent.

“Then, there was Energize Drinks. You had to give me the bad news about that deal the night we met. And you were tough enough to do it even though you thought I was gonna walk because we’d hit on each other.”

“I was admittedly concerned,” he says.

“And through it all, you had a plan. Find the right fit for me . You were like a doctor diagnosing the condition,” I say, fueled by the passion this man brought to the job. “And you had the medicine.”

“All I wanted was to get the right deal for you,” he says, trying to downplay his work.

I’ll have none of that. “And you did it in mere weeks,” I say, riled up. The hair on my arms stands on end with a new realization—Maddox went the distance, outperforming anything Vance ever did. No shade on the dude who’s repped me since the start, but Maddox walked in and took care of business out of the gate. “You’re the problem solver,” I declare. “Your tie video idea was fantastic. It’s baller that you pulled this together at the last minute.”

Maddox waves a hand dismissively. “You had that tie with you. Both of them.”

That reminds me…

“Funny thing. I took that tie to the ballpark,” I say, laughing again in remembered surprise.

He knits his brow. “The bow tie?”

“No. The burgundy one. I stuffed it in my pocket after I did that video for Priyam, then forgot about it. And later, I found it in my jeans when I was in the locker room.” I reach into the pocket of my jeans and I pull it out, dangling it in front of him.

He doesn’t say anything at first, but then he takes the fabric, grazes his fingers down the silk. A charge rushes through me as I imagine his fingers running down my shirt when I tell him to undress me.

Mine traveling fast over those shirt buttons when I decide to tear his clothes off.

Then, ours linked together when I fuck him. I can’t escape the images of us tangled together in bed.

Except tonight is not for sex. It’s for a friendly celebration. I have to stay the course. For me and him.

But when Maddox lets go of the material, his gaze glimmers with the spark of desire. “Have you always liked this color?” he asks, a little husky. It’s the first time tonight he’s even let a hint of lust show.

That little preview tugs on my own lust. Causes it to sit up.

I tilt my head, studying his face. We agreed nothing could happen, so what’s the point holding back the answer to his question?

I drop the tie to my lap. “No. But I got this tie the other day because it reminded me of you,” I say, matter of fact.

His eyes squeeze shut for several seconds. He’s at war with himself. I can see it in the set of his jaw. The tightness of his muscles. I should be the stronger one. I need to look out for him. But when he opens those whiskey eyes, they’re vulnerable and full of fire at the same damn time. “I had a feeling that’s why you got it. I could tell when I saw the video.”

“How?” I ask, my brow knitting. I didn’t let on in the how-to that I’m hot for him. I was careful not to reveal my hand. “That was just a fun video. How did you know?”

“The way you touched the tie. It was the same way you touched the sapphire tie on me the day in Venice,” he says, and holy shit. I was barely aware I was fondling the neckwear affectionately, but now that he mentions it, I was picturing him wearing it. I don’t even know what to say. I’m just floored he read me so easily. “And,” he continues, “you once told me purple was your favorite color. Team color and all. But then, today you said it's burgundy. And you ran your fingers over the tie like your lover was wearing it. Ergo…I could tell the tie reminded you of me.”

My throat is dry. My head is hazy.

How on earth is ergo sexy? But it is on his tongue. Everything he says is seductive as he reads my emotions like that . “The tie reminded me of the night we met,” I admit, slipping already, slipping so far into feelings for him. So damn far I throw in the towel. “I guess I was missing you.”

His breath hitches. “Zane,” he warns, but it’s half-plaintive.

I ball my hands into fists. “I said I’d stop. I will stop. I care about you so damn much. I don’t want to put you in a bad position.”

His lips twitch. “No, you want to put me in every position.”

Oh, hell. He went there, into the dirty zone. I inch closer. “I do. I really fucking do, Mad. But I promised I wouldn’t tempt you. I’ve been eaten up with guilt. I don’t want to compromise you.”

“I know you don’t,” he says in a barren whisper, so much trust in his voice.

That’s what’s flaring between us tonight. A new level of trust.

I trusted him to look out for my interests. He trusted me to keep this secret about us. We could trust each other after dark. He’d trust me to tie him up, drive him crazy, fuck him to the ends of the earth.

I want that badly, but I feel so much more for him than lust. Deeper emotions are taking root in me. And I have to protect him. “I’ll stop,” I add, in a strangled breath. “Stopping feels impossible, but I’ll do it.”

Maddox is quiet once more, and I can see the battle play out on his face for several taut seconds, till he says, “I’ve never wanted you to stop.”

My heart kicks hard in my chest. “Yeah?”

There’s a moment when he seems to stand on the edge of a cliff. Looking down. Calculating the fall. Then he dives into the welcoming waters. “I told you I was good at reading people. Ask me what I could read in you the night we met.”

My dick is ready to lead a parade. I know where he’s going. And I am going to make him feel extraordinary tonight.

I take the request and run with it.