5. Hollander
five
Hollander
“ No, I’m not going to risk Hadley’s life by sending her to work undercover .”
I replay the argument I had with my boss, Vance, over and over in my head. What was he thinking, putting Hadley’s life in danger like that? She’s a hacker, not a trained bodyguard. I slam the untouched glass of whiskey onto the smooth black marble counter at the hotel bar.
Another part of the undercover charade concerns the sleeping arrangements.
It seems Senator Stinson can’t stand being without his stepsister, Klaire, by his side.
As a result, Hadley and I are expected to stay in the Presidential suite with them.
Our suitcases were delivered to the hotel earlier that day.
I tried to reach Hadley, but she didn’t answer her phone —she’s never done that before; she always answers when I call.
Tonight’s agenda includes dinner at the Grand Royal Restaurant, the hotspot for the rich and famous.
The plan is for Senator Stinson to meet me at the bar, with Klaire and Hadley arriving in his chauffeur-driven car to pick us up.
Normally, I would agree that it is a solid plan, but the thought of Hadley on her own has me grinding my teeth.
“Ouch, Hollander. You look like someone stole your favorite toy.” The Senator slaps my back, pulling me out of my thoughts of Hadley.
“Sorry, Sir,” I mumble, trying to regain some professionalism. “Are you ready to go?”
“I’d hate to keep the ladies waiting.” He motions toward the door, inviting me to lead the way. Without looking directly at his normally assigned bodyguards, I know this is part of my job, protecting the Senator’s front while the rest of his bodyguards watch the rest.
As expected, his car is waiting outside the hotel. I open the door, scanning the contents to make sure everything is safe, when my eyes land on a pair of extremely shapely legs peeking out from the slit of a long, red, sparkly cocktail dress.
My eyes trail up her legs, taking in every inch of her, and I know without even looking at her face that it’s Hadley in the back of the car.
When my eyes reach her face, I almost swallow my tongue—she’s stunning, though I already knew that.
The soft, sleek waves of her brown hair cascade down her back, paired with her subtle, sophisticated makeup, giving her an old-time movie-star vibe.
“Hads.” My voice sounds hoarse to my ears. I climb the rest of the way into the backseat of the limousine to sit next to Hadley when I’m brought up short by a soft giggle in the seat directly in front of where Hadley is sitting.
“You sit next to me, Hollander. You’re my date.” I glance at the beautiful woman, but she doesn’t compare to my Baby Girl.
“Right. Sorry.” I straighten my suit coat and slide into the seat next to Klaire, with the Senator sliding into the seat next to Hadley right behind me.
The ride to the restaurant is almost too much to bear as the Senator and Klaire openly ogle each other, while Hadley and I take turns stealing quick glances at each other. The dinner isn’t much better, with Hadley across the table and the Senator next to her. I can’t take my eyes off her.
Klaire notices and takes matters into her own hands, sliding her arm through mine and resting her head on my shoulder, which makes my whole body tense.
“Relax, or the paparazzi will figure it out,” she whispers, glancing up at me.
With a slight nod, I force my body to relax and will myself not to look at Hadley, focusing instead on the Senator, who is shooting daggers at me with his eyes.
“You too, Matthew,” Klaire says, smiling through her words so as not to alert the press to the real status of their relationship.
“Sorry, Klaire.” The Senator relaxes his expression and drapes his arm over Hadley’s chair in a possessive gesture, making both Klaire and me tense.
My gaze shifts to Hadley to see how she is faring, only to find her beautiful face as white as a ghost. “You know, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
” The Senator lifts his napkin to his mouth in the pretense of wiping away crumbs and whispers only loud enough for our table to hear.
“I think we need to go somewhere and loosen up a bit.”
***
“I never would have guessed the Senator’s idea of loosening up would be in the private back room of a semi-legal speakeasy,” Hadley whispers in my ear as we’re led to The Eighth Door’s back entrance and into a private room.
“Don’t worry. These are my people. They’re loyal to me—they won’t say a word.
” The Senator grabs Klaire around the waist, pulls her onto his lap, and kisses her deeply—almost as if he’s been starving for a taste of her.
The private room’s assigned bartender serves us drinks before we even have a chance to order, and doesn’t even blink at the Senator’s behavior.
With the Senator and Klaire locked in their make-out session, I turn my attention to Hadley, as I’ve been dying to all night. “You look beautiful, Baby Girl.” The nickname slips out before I can stop it.
Hadley’s eyes flare wide with a hint of desire lurking in their depths. “Thank you, Hollander.”
I growl at the professional tone of her voice, knowing she’s holding something back by not using one of the nicknames she always calls me. “Hads, what’s wrong? Talk to me.”
“It’s nothing.” She stands and dashes out of the room, but not before I notice the tears forming in her eyes.
A second later, I push myself out of the chair and chase after her, catching her in a secluded hallway.
“I said, talk to me, Baby Girl.” I grab her arm and spin her around, backing her up against the wall until our bodies are flush, my leg pressing between her thighs as my hard shaft presses against her stomach.
“Don’t call me that.” She tugs at her arm, trying to break free of my hold, and finally gives up when she realizes it's a losing battle. Her body goes slack in my arms as she accepts defeat. “This isn’t the real me. If you saw me earlier today, before I had the makeover, you wouldn’t be attracted to me.
” Her eyes drift down to where our bodies are touching as I finally understand what she is talking about.
“This has nothing to do with how you look tonight.” I lean closer to her, pressing my body against hers, emphasizing how hard she makes me. When she doesn’t say anything, I crash my lips into hers, showing her without words what she does to me.
She stays frozen under my touch for a few seconds until finally she starts to kiss me back. I pray that I’m kissing her correctly since I’ve never done this before—I’d hate to screw this up by being a bad kisser.
When she moans into my mouth and wraps her arms around my neck, I realize my kissing can't be that bad. With her mouth open in a moan, I take the opportunity to deepen the kiss, finding her tongue and rubbing mine against it.
Her kisses are like a drug—I want more of them, just as I want more of her.
I lift her leg, pulling her closer to me, but it still isn’t enough.
With one arm around her waist, I pull her tight against me, then run my hand up the slit in her dress until I reach her soaking-wet panties.
Like a man possessed, I push the wet material to the side and glide my fingers over her naked flesh, coating them in her arousal.
“Holls.” She moans, her head falling back against the wall. I dip two fingers inside of her, groaning as her pussy clamps down on them, pulling them into her core.
“You’re so tight.” I run my tongue down her neck, only stopping to suck on the tender skin. My thumb brushes over her clit, causing her to jerk in surprise. “Relax, Hads, and enjoy.” I pump my fingers gently into her tight heat as my thumb strokes her clit.
“Hollander, I’m going to come.” She thrashes her head from side to side, so far gone in pleasure that I decide not to punish her for calling me Hollander instead of Holls or even Vanilla Thunder.
“Right there. Don’t stop.” Her hips fall into a rhythm, meeting my fingers thrust for thrust. “Yes.” Her voice quivers as her body shakes as she comes, coating my hand in her lust.
A loud cough cuts through our sexual haze. “We should probably get out of here before things go any further.” The Senator says from a safe distance away, making sure to give us the privacy we need.
I glance down at Hadley, expecting the soft glow of a woman well pleasured.
Instead, the same damn tears threaten to spill from her eyes.
Before I can question her, she pushes my hands away and straightens her dress, then pushes past me as Klaire rushes to her side, slides an arm around her, and leads her out into the night, with the Senator and me following behind.
The Senator grabs my arm before I can slide into the back seat of the limo.
“Give her some space. I didn’t see everything that happened between the two of you in the dimly lit hallway, but I know that look on a woman’s face—she needs time to figure out what she’s feeling.
” His voice was only loud enough for me to hear.
“Respectfully, Sir, I’m not sure I can stay away from her, especially not now.” I don’t add that she has me so tightly wrapped around her little finger that just one taste of her lips won’t be enough—I need everything.
The Senator shakes his head with a smile.
“You know, maybe I should be more like you when it comes to women—you aren’t afraid of the unknown.
” He slides into the back seat, his eyes landing on Hadley and Klaire, who are sitting together, holding hands.
I notice Klaire glaring at me while Hadley stares out the window.
With a sigh, I take the seat next to the Senator, but I suddenly feel a sharp elbow in my ribs.
“Fix it,” he growls. Which is exactly what I plan to do. I’m not losing my Baby Girl.