5. Ivy
IVY
I’m not going to be a plaything. I haven’t built my reputation as a businesswoman on being a pawn in a man’s game.
I won’t kiss for a deal, no matter how much I want Stone to perform, and no matter how devil-may-care charming the rocker may be. I won’t be waylaid by games. This is business.
I swallow the rest of my drink, focusing on the steel heart my parents instilled in me.
“Stone. I appreciate the cupid in you. It’s adorable.
” I slide into full-on hotelier mode. “But let’s talk about this as a win-win for both of us.
I love your music. I always have. And I hear you when you say this wouldn’t be a comeback.
I get that, I respect that. You don’t need to relaunch.
But The Extravagant does.” My tone stays intensely serious.
“I would frame it as our comeback. Not yours. This hotel needed a change, so we took it on. And this is how I want to let the world know we’re back in business.
By bringing one of the most talented musicians in the world to our stage. ”
Stone scratches his jaw. “So you wouldn’t bill it as my return or anything?”
I shake my head. “Not at all.”
For a few seconds, nerves flicker across his green eyes, maybe even vulnerability.
And in that instant, I can see the naked poet’s soul in him.
I can see that he masks some hurt, some fears, with his swagger and his million-dollar smile, with his ink and the wild lifestyle I’ve read so much about in the tabloids.
“Are you sure?” He sounds so young when he asks, and Callum leans in closer, as if he’s protective of this man. “People say it is. When I saw my dad, he said I need a comeback. That I took too long doing nothing. He never understands.”
Curling a hand over his shoulder, Callum shakes his head, his tone intense.
“He’s wrong. And don’t you ever forget that you did what you needed to do these last few years.
You needed inspiration. You took your time.
You traveled the world. Hell, you gave a ton of money away to orphanages in the cities you visited.
You’re a good man. Your dad is wrong and always has been.
” Callum raps his fist on his friend’s sternum, and the tenderness, the protectiveness, between them tugs on my heart. “You’ve got it.”
A lump forms in my throat. I love seeing this reassuring friend side of Callum.
As if I need another reason to be drawn to him.
But there it is.
“Thanks, Cal,” Stone says under his breath. “I need you, man.”
“I know. And I’m always here for you. And now my friend needs you,” Callum says, simple and direct. “Ivy needs you.”
That’s my cue. “I’m a marketer, Stone. I’m good at this—at presenting complicated situations in a positive light.
I will position your concert as a comeback for the hotel.
You are simply the man whose legendary performance here will become part of the tapestry of ‘Can you imagine being there when that happened?’ And that will be amazing.
You will be able to help us return this hotel to what it once was.
And I have no doubt your performance will be talked about for years to come. ”
Stone nods several times, as if he likes the sound of all of that. “People will whisper about where they were when...”
“They will,” Callum says, his voice strong and confident.
Stone inhales deeply. “Well, I like the sound of that.” He offers a hand to shake. “I’m in.”
A burst of happiness zips through my body. I reach across the table, hug Stone, and then hug Callum, because I’m so damn thrilled. This is what I need. I embrace him tightly, wanting to share my enthusiasm as I wrap my arms tighter around him, my breasts pressed against his firm, hard chest.
I’m so near to his face, so deliciously near, I can smell Callum’s aftershave, and it drives me wild. So wild, in fact, that I do something I rarely fantasize about. In my dirty dreams, I never make the first move.
But tonight, I do. Maybe it’s the Long-Distance Lover. Maybe it’s the deal making.
Or perhaps it’s simply gratitude meets friendship.
I kiss him. A soft thank-you kiss.
At least that’s how I intend it.
I pull back, wishing I had a legitimate reason to keep going. But as delicious as the kiss was, I can’t push it, no matter what Stone thinks he knows about Callum’s wants. A man needs to put his own wants on the table.
But as I break the contact, Callum makes a growling sound in his throat, masculine and carnal. In a flash, his palm curls around my neck, under my hair, and he tugs me back to him.
Oh, my.
Oh, holy hell.
I definitely didn’t expect him to kick it up several notches, but he has.
Oh hell, has he ever.
Because there’s nothing soft about how he kisses me back.
It’s not a gratitude kiss. There are no pleases and thank yous in the way his lips touch mine. This is an I want you kiss. A get your lips on mine kiss.
He’s making his wants known loudly as he seizes my lips, taking it in a whole new direction. He’s hard and fierce, and his stubble rubs against my cheek, and in seconds, he’s kissing me roughly and passionately.
As Stone watches.
Something about that excites me desperately.
The idea of someone watching us sends a rush of pleasure down my chest, right between my legs. The idea of my private life being seen, even by one other person, is a wicked thrill. One I’ve never indulged in. A thrill I know I shouldn’t enjoy so much, but I do. Oh hell, do I.
When I break the kiss, I swear I don’t know where I am.
What I’m doing.
All I know is this—I need .
I need Callum.
I need him tonight.
I’m woozy and lust-struck. My knees buckle and I’m not even standing. I’m ions and atoms and electricity.
And desire. Most of all, I’m comprised of desire.
“Looks like my work here is done,” Stone says with a supremely satisfied grin. He stands and plants a kiss on my cheek. Then he claps his friend on the back. I’m still in a kiss-fueled haze.
“You’re leaving?” I ask, breathing a little harder than usual. “I thought you two were hanging out.”
“I am leaving, because I can see you have unfinished business.” Then he swaggers out of the bar.
I look to Callum, still buzzed on his kiss, his eyes full of heat.
“I’ll take you to your suite,” he says, sliding a hand around my back as I rise.
He keeps his hand there the whole time as we leave the bar, walk through the hallway, and head for the elevator banks. I enter the private key code that’ll take us to my floor.
When the doors close, his hand slides lower, then lower still.
This night is heading in a whole new direction.
Or maybe it’s always been hurtling down this path.