Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
JAMES
T he afternoon drags and my thoughts are not on my job for once. My mind is a few doors down the hallway and yet how can I continue exploring my fascination for my new accountant? The guy with the gun and the mafia vibe has a personal interest in her. What the fuck does that mean?
I’m not stupid. He warned me off because he knows every move we’ve made and I’m guessing will know the future ones as well. Who is he and why is he so interested in The Rose Foundation? Surely he would discover what he needs by rifling through his father’s office. There is something I’m not seeing and the one person who can help with that is currently off limits.
I wait until the clock turns to eight before I attempt to leave the office. More than anything, I need a fix and even the Club is not as attractive as my mysterious stranger .
When I pass by her office, it’s in darkness and disappointment stabs me in the heart knowing she has left for the night. I hoped—well—I desired her to be working at her desk, so I could take what I need with nobody any the wiser. Just the thought alone makes me hard and I hate myself more than anything right now.
It’s a good thing she’s gone because I hate the man I’m becoming around her. I’m telling myself it’s a fix, but even I know it’s more than that. I like her. I’m attracted to her and I enjoy her company.
She’s wild, adventurous and bright. Beautiful, sexy and educated. She is unlike any other woman I’ve known and deals with life in a way that is commendable. Her mind is as attractive as her body because she makes me question everything and if I chose my perfect woman, I’m guessing she would go by the name Annabelle Starling. The willowy blonde with stunning green eyes and a sexy accent that changes the more tired she gets.
Somehow, that thought stops me in my tracks because why haven’t I noticed it before? Her accent has a strange edge to it, but not all the time. I’m tempted to head back to my office and check her resume and credentials, but I’ve had a shitty day and could use a drink instead of what I really want.
The delectable Miss Starling can wait until tomorrow and so I head past security and onto the sidewalk, the chilling breeze wrapping me in its cold fingers, the glow of light from the nearby bar an oasis to a man who could murder a fucking whiskey right now.
As I enter the familiar gathering place of my fellow workers, my gaze instantly locks onto her.
However, this time she is not alone and my heart dives when I see a man’s hand on her arm.
The possessive fury that ignites inside me surprises me and it takes all my self control not to storm over there and pull his arm away from her.
Then he turns, and the relief hits me hard. It’s one of the other accountants from the office and one that I definitely have no need to worry about.
Eric has a boyfriend, if not several, and is the biggest gossip in the building and from the looks of it, he is sharing some of that with Ana as their heads are bent together and she is laughing at something he says.
More than anything, I want to head over there. To pull up a seat and join them, but then I remind myself of the warning I received earlier and with a sigh, turn toward the bar instead.
“Whiskey, neat.” I say gruffly, and the bartender nods as I slide a twenty across the bar.
“Bad day?” She asks with a sympathetic smile and I nod.
“You could say that.”
I park my ass on the stool and loosen my tie and, as she prepares my drink, she winks suggestively. “I get off in an hour if you fancy company.”
Before I can answer her, two hands cover my eyes and a sexy whisper causes my cock to twitch.
“Guess who?”
“Trouble.”
I pull her hands away from my eyes and Ana laughs as she takes the stool beside me. The bartender sighs and shakes her head. “I should have known you were already taken.”
She smiles at Ana. “What can I get for the woman who has it all?”
Ana laughs. “Vodka martini.”
As she pulls out a note, I nod to the twenty. “Take it from that and keep the change.”
As the bartender heads off to fix her drink, Ana leans forward and pushes away a stray piece of my hair that flops over my eye.
“You look like shit.”
She raises her eyes and I shrug. “Thanks. So, where’s your new best friend?”
A slow grin spreads across her face. “I take it you mean Eric?” She shrugs. “He left because his boyfriend called and said he had something hot waiting for him.”
I love the twinkle in her eye as she smiles sweetly. “So, what’s your plan for this evening?”
I sip my whiskey and shrug. “I’m at a loose end. Any ideas? ”
I note the brightness of her eyes and say firmly, “How many have you had?”
“One, this will be number two?” She sighs heavily. “I haven’t eaten though and could really use some food to soak up the alcohol.”
The fact my stomach is reminding me I’ve neglected it today puts us on the same page and I nod to the bistro across the street.
“Italian?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Her drink arrives and as her fingers close around the delicate stem of the glass, she raises it to my own tumbler and whispers, “To getting everything we want.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
Our eyes lock as we drain our glasses and I already know I’m playing Russian roulette with my life right now because there is no fucking way I am resisting this siren, even if it means a bullet in my brain as a result.
Some may say I have a death wish, I don’t. I just have one wish and that’s being inside the woman sitting opposite me as many times as possible tonight, tomorrow and every other night until the need wears off. So fuck the scary guy because if I’m about to go down, it may as well be on this woman as I slide her into hell with me.