20. Alex
20
ALEX
“What are you doing in Manhattan?” Jamie asked. “And why am I just finding out about it?”
With my phone held to my ear, I rested an arm on the cool glass of the window as I gazed at the sprawling city below. How did I tell my friend why I was in his neck of the woods without giving away my possible insanity and without lying to him?
“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing for a business venture.” That wasn’t a lie at least, and he wouldn’t question it because I traveled here all the time for work.
It really was an unplanned trip because I found out about Olivia’s possible lifeline just a couple of days ago. I was shocked that I didn’t hear about it sooner. It seemed she was learning to be more secretive about her moves.
“How long are you here for?” Jamie asked.
“Long enough for us to link up and have a few wild nights in the town, my friend.”
He laughed. “I don’t think so. Are you forgetting that I’m practically married? No more wild nights for me… unless it’s with my woman.”
I rolled my eyes. “You can tag along, sit in a corner, and be the lame old married man you’re going to be in a few months and watch me have all the fun then.”
Jamie chuckled. “I can probably do that. Let me know when you want to get together. I’ll have to clear my schedule.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, Mr. Business Mogul.”
“Later, man. And take it easy on Manhattan, okay? Behave .”
As I hung up, my shoulders shook with laughter. It was hilarious that all my friends ended our calls with that same reprimand. I’d never deny that I was the wild child of the group. However, I didn't get myself into as much shit as I used to though.
Shoving my phone into my pocket, I smirked as I stared at the gazillion lights illuminating the city. I planned on taking advantage of the nightlife here starting tonight. I was determined to go out and mingle, to hopefully find someone to wipe the taste of Olivia out of my mouth… literally. The taste of her sweet lips still haunted me and let’s not get started on the lips between her legs…
My mind drifted to my time between her sweet thighs. The way she writhed, tugged at my hair, and moaned my name as I drove her to ecstasy… It was once my obsession to bring her to that point, and I sure as hell enjoyed it the other night.
Shaking my head, as if I could shake Olivia out of it, I strolled through the luxury high rise that I bought a few years back. I preferred my own place over a hotel when I was in Manhattan.
It didn’t take me long to get ready for my night out. I was in a good mood when I stepped into the elevator. I felt like I was finally ready to get back to my old self, the one who enjoyed just about every night with female company rather than brood about one woman in particular.
Besides, I’d done my good deed by helping Olivia with her problem and she was fine now… fine enough for me to snatch that Brentwood empire from under her feet. The game was back on, and it amused the hell out of me that she had no idea I was on to her latest move.
When I reached the lobby, I considered going to the parking lot to get my rental. However, I decided not to go too far tonight. I’d hit the clubs after I was a bit more settled. Surely, I could find company in the restaurant that was within walking distance of the apartment building.
Five minutes later, I was being led to a table by the nice hostess in the trendy restaurant. She glanced at me over her shoulder with a coy smile, and I grinned back. She’d been flirting with me since I stepped into the place. She looked like a great candidate for a little after-hours fun. That smile she gave me said she was likely up for it.
She gestured to an empty table beside a window. It was perfect—right in a corner where I could have a peaceful dinner and then take her home after.
“Thanks.” I glanced at her name tag. “...Jessica.” I hit her with a smile that oozed with charm.
Her cheeks flushed. “You’re welcome…”
“Alex.” I held out a hand. “I think we should hang out later. What do you think?”
“We definitely should,” she purred.
“Perfect. I’ll?—”
A derisive snort pulled my attention away from the lovely blonde. My gaze dropped to the table beside mine and landed on an even lovelier brunette.
“Jeezus,” I muttered .
I was well on my way to putting Olivia out of my head for the night and what happened? She was in the same restaurant I chose to dine in. I knew she was in the city, scrambling to keep her hands on BioTech, but of all the restaurants on this side of Manhattan, she had to be in this one. Unbelievable …
“We’ll talk later, Jessica,” I said with a tight smile.
“I hope so.” She gave me another appreciative look before she sauntered away.
Sighing softly, I sat and looked at Olivia. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Yes. You look just about as happy to see me as I am to see you.” Her sarcasm was front and center.
I hummed a response because I was busy giving her a subtle once-over. She looked good in a classy black cocktail dress—as uptight as ever, but good. Was she meeting someone?
“What are you doing here, Alex?” she asked.
Our tables were close enough for us to carry on a conversation without shouting. “Well, Liv, isn’t it obvious? I’m here to do what people do in restaurants.”
“I mean, what are you doing in Manhattan ?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
As I gazed at her, I decided not to reveal why I was here. It would be much more satisfying to see her shock after her meeting with the man she thought was going to save her.
“Jamie recently got engaged. I’m planning a bachelor party… naturally. I’m scoping out the best spots in the city.” The part about me planning the bachelor party was very true. If I left that to the others, we’d end up sitting around Jamie’s dining table discussing the financial climate over shots of Stroh. Those guys would die of boredom without me.
Olivia’s shoulders relaxed and her eyes became less squinty. “ Oh. Of course, I heard through the grapevine that Winchester got engaged. Tell him congratulations for me.”
“Sure. What brings you to Manhattan, Liv?”
She lifted an eyebrow, probably because of what I called her. It hinted at us being friends, but it was simply a habit I couldn't break. “None of your business, Alex.”
I watched her with mild amusement. That smug smile of hers would be wiped off soon… “Meeting someone here?” I asked.
“So what if I am?” She turned to me with raised eyebrows and that goddamn smirk still on her face.
Just then, a waiter appeared at her table. “Hi, I’m Warren, your waiter for the night. Will anyone be joining you? Or are you ready to order?”
Olivia’s face flushed as she side-eyed me. “It’s just me,” she muttered. “Sure, I’m ready.”
I pursed my lips to hold back my chuckle. Even when she was embarrassed, she was adorable, and I was a little annoyed with myself for still thinking so.
When the waiter disappeared, she glared at me. “Shut up, Alex.”
“I didn’t say a word.”
“I can practically hear you laughing at me in your mind. There’s nothing wrong with dining alone.”
I chuckled. “No, there isn’t. I’m dining alone too, but I sure as hell won’t be going home alone.”
“Yeah. I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time with Jessica later.”
“Jealous?”
She rolled her eyes. “You wish.”
Smiling, I shook my head. It was just hard not to mess with her. “Since we’re both alone for now, do you want to just?—? ”
“No.”
I lifted my eyebrows at her vehement turndown.
“I’m fine eating alone,” she said.
“Suit yourself.”
I tried to ignore her, but it was hard to keep my gaze from straying to her every now and then. I was also surprised she hadn’t switched tables to get away from me. The longer I subtly assessed her, the more I could see the air of loneliness that seemed to envelop her.
It wasn’t just because she dined solo. There was also a melancholy about the way her shoulders dropped sometimes and her distant gaze. Whenever the waiter came, she smiled but when he was gone, that smile faltered and she looked sad. She quickly masked it when she glanced my way and saw me looking.
As dinner progressed, I found myself watching her, not out of amusement or a desire to provoke her, but out of a genuine concern that had crept up on me unexpectedly. I released a soft sigh because I knew this would happen if I was in proximity to her for too long. Olivia Brentwood would likely stay burrowed under my skin forever, whether we were in love or in hate…
I lingered at the restaurant for a few minutes after Olivia left, and I didn’t bother to pursue anything further with the flirtatious hostess. After seeing Olivia and sitting through three courses right beside her, the desire for anything with another woman was completely dead. There she went… still unwittingly ruining my sex life.
Slightly annoyed, I stepped into the lobby of my apartment building, told the doorman goodnight, and aimed for the elevator. Olivia was inside, and I paused for a moment when our gazes locked. What the fuck was she doing here ?
She looked just as shocked and irritated to see me. As I made a beeline for the elevator, her eyes widened and she frantically jabbed at something—the close door button, I presumed. Unfortunately for her, I made it just in time before the doors began to slide shut.
I stepped inside and turned to face her with a scowl. “Seriously?”
She shuffled her feet as her eyes darted to the floor. “Sorry, didn’t see you.”
“Yeah, right.” My eyes narrowed suspiciously when the slightest smirk lifted her lips. I snorted and shook my head.
There was a brief silence before she said, “You just keep popping up everywhere. It's very irritating.”
“Right back at you, Liv.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I live here.”
Her eyes bulged. “What? Since when?”
“I sort of live here. I own an apartment in this building. It’s more convenient than hotels since I’m in New York often. What are you doing here?”
Her sigh rang with frustration. “I’m staying here for a few days.”
I shared in her frustration with a sigh of my own because… what the fuck ? I couldn’t escape her. It was fine. Surely, we could avoid each other. It was a big building. However, my relief vanished when I noticed that she didn’t press the button for a floor other than mine. Olivia watched the indicator with furrowed eyebrows as if she was thinking the same thing I was.
“So, where’s Jessica?” she asked .
I glanced at her with raised eyebrows. “Is it me or do you sound super pressed about Jessica?”
“It’s just you,” she grumbled. “I’m curious, that’s all.”
“Yeah, well, mind your business, Liv.”
She gave me a seething look and returned her attention to the floor indicator. I stared at it with mounting dread too. There was no way she was on my floor. When the elevator dinged, and the doors opened, we glanced at each with mirrored expressions of horror.
We both stepped out, and she groaned, “Oh, come on.”
I looked skyward, wondering if I was being punished for my petty revenge scheme. I really didn’t want to be this close to her. It was just too dangerous. To my further chagrin, she stopped at the door right beside mine.
“What the hell?” I frowned at the closed door. “What happened to Ms. Preston? The judgy lady with the scowling cat?”
Olivia snorted, but I wasn’t sure if it was from amusement or not. I’d been running into Ms. Preston, a middle-aged woman, for the better part of two years when I was here. She always greeted me politely but gave me that judgemental look whenever she spotted me with female company. Her cat always glared at me, as if it was judging too, which was amusing.
“She’s in Maine visiting her daughter,” Olivia said. “She told me I could stay here for a while.” When I stared at her with disbelief, she shrugged and added, “She and my mother are friends. Mom arranged the whole thing when I told her I’d be visiting Manhattan for a few days.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face and murmured, “It’s like I’m stuck with you or something.”
Her outraged scoff echoed in the hallway. “More like I’m stuck with you . You’ve become a thorn in my side, for heaven’s sake.”
Yeah… like she was a thorn in my heart for the longest… no, make that a dagger, honed and precise, made to inflict the maximum amount of pain. Every encounter with her seemed to twist it deeper, reopening old wounds. I guess that was my fault because had I not set out for revenge, another nine years could have passed without us crossing paths…
Olivia huffed as she fished in her handbag. She came away with a key. Opening the door, she said, “It doesn’t matter if we’re neighbors for a few days. There’s a nice sturdy wall between us.” She stepped inside and turned to give me her ice princess smile. “Good night, Alex.” With that, she closed the door in my face, leaving me to glower at the piece of wood.
A disbelieving snort escaped me. That Princess Olivia sass used to turn me on… I guess it still did. I’d let her have the last word and her smug moment. She would soon be sorely disappointed.