Blended (Redemption #1) (45 page)

“You’re breathtaking.” He places his jacket on the bench at the end of my bed before he reaches me and rings his arms around my bare waist.

“You don’t clean up too bad yourself. Would you mind doing me a favor?”

He clears his throat as Lola enters the room. “Hi, you two. Hads, we need to get you dressed.”

“We do? What time is it?”

“It’s eight-fifteen,” Wade says. “Something came up at the office, and I wasn’t able to leave when I wanted to.”

I look up at him and trace his lips with my index finger before pressing mine to his. “It’s okay.”

Lola lays the dress on my bed after steaming it. “I’ll let him help you,” she says, winking at me, and leaves us alone in my bedroom.

“Other than the dress, what did you want me to help you with?”

“Well, the dress is backless, which means that I’ll need to go braless. Would you mind taking it off?”

His eyebrows shoot up as I turn my back to him. His warm fingers graze my back gently before reaching the clasp. With hasty movements, he undoes it and pulls the straps down my shoulders before placing his lips where the right strap used to be. “How am I supposed to concentrate this evening knowing that you don’t have much on underneath the dress?”

“You’re not. Where are we going by the way?”

“I’m taking you to Blended’s first annual Christmas Invitational for the members.”

I turn in his arms and place my lips against the column of his neck. “So it’s a date?”

I feel the rumble against my lips before I hear it. “You could call it that.” His hands come up to my breasts, pinching my nipples before he adds, “Let me get that dress on you before I lay you out on the floor and fuck you senseless.”

I pull back to look at him, pursing my lips in thought. “You know, I wouldn’t mind missing dinner.”

“I wouldn’t either, but I believe Isla would, considering she’s arranged all of it.”

I watch him take a step away from me with a grin on his face. I pick up the white dress as I step toward him, and he helps me into it.

“I never thought that I would enjoy dressing a woman. I’ve fantasized about undressing you many times, but I can see the appeal in this as well,” he says smoothly as he guides the fabric down my torso and then legs. He takes my hand as I step into my heels and then he takes a few steps back to look. “You’re never taking that off.”

“Do you like it?” I ask as I turn from side to side so I’m able to fully see myself in the mirror. After Lo’s alterations, the dress hugs every inch of my body.

“I do. I’ll need to personally thank the designer.”

“Go ahead, she’s right in the living room.”

“Lola made this?”

He bends down to pick up his jacket while watching me.

“That’s what I was told.” I grab my merlot-colored lip stain and toss it into my clutch along with my ID and cell phone before I follow him out of my bedroom. By the time I’ve shut the door, he’s speaking to Lola.

“I didn’t know that you were a designer. I’m rather impressed with what you have dressed Hadley in this evening.”

I watch as a blush sweeps over her features. “It’s just something that I had lying around, and it looks stunning on her.”

“It does. I’d be interested in seeing some more of your designs.”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“Not one bit. Put together a portfolio and I’ll have my secretary get in contact with you.”

She shakes his offered hand and agrees to have it ready by the end of next week.

“Wade?”

He turns to face me and his features shift from interest in what Lola is saying to wanton desire when he sees me again. He doesn’t say anything else to either of us as he makes his way toward me, tugging me by my hand until I hit his chest. “I’m going to show you off to every single person in Chicago this evening. Let’s go,” he says as he circles his arm around my waist.

“Bye, Lo,” I call over my shoulder as he leads me to the foyer. He has me out of the apartment door and down the hallway as the Parker brothers walk out of their place together. Both of them stop a few feet away from us as we wait for the elevator, staring unabashedly as Wade runs his fingers up and down my ribcage.

“You look good, Hadley,” Owen offers up, which causes Wade to turn and face them.

“Thank you. Lo is home if you were wondering.”

“Yeah, Hold and I are going to grab some dinner before I head over.”

I lift my head in Holden’s direction, and he’s wearing an expression that I’ve never seen on him before: wary and manic wrapped into one look. I realize that his eyes are on Wade’s and not on mine. The elevator opens, though, saving me for the briefest of moments before it closes and the four of us stand there in silence once again.

“Where are you off to?” Owen breaks the awkward tension radiating off of each of us.

I glance up at Wade as he starts to speak. “My company is putting on its Christmas socials this evening. We’ll start at one location and make our way around to a handful of my properties before the evening is up.”

“I thought that we were going to Blended?”

“We are; that’s the first stop this evening. I prefer to host them all in one night instead of having to attend each and every one of them on different evenings,” he tells me as he draws me in closer to his side.

“That sounds like more than one date, Waylon Brass.”

“That it does.”

His smile shatters my deepest fears as he leans down to take my lips. I think I blush as he kisses me until the doors of the elevator open and Holden clears his throat. My eyes pop open as I remember where we are. This handsome man not only makes me forget how to breathe, but he has this thing that he does where he steals me away from the rest of the world.

My eyes haven’t left Wade’s as he winks at me before leading me out of the elevator and into the lobby. I smile over my shoulder at the Parker brothers in a goodbye, but Owen seems to be pale while Holden looks as if he’s about to detonate.

Regret swims through my body. I truly didn’t mean for that to happen, but Whiskey just has a way of getting what he wants with me. He makes me lose my mind at the most unfortunate of times.

“Come,” Wade commands as he leads me out of the building and down to where Jacobs is waiting. He keeps ahold of my hand as I take my seat in the BMW. Once I’m seated, he leans into me and takes my mouth with his in a more sensual kiss than the one in front of the Parker brothers.

“I could stare at you all evening. I do not blame Holden for wanting you.”

I shrug and pull him back down to me by his lapels. “It’s a good thing that I’m committed to a rather domineering gentleman, then, huh?”

“It is.”

He moves around to the other side of the vehicle and gets in. His fingers intertwine with mine as Jacobs turns onto the street and heads toward the Magnificent Mile where Blended is located.

It doesn’t take too long to arrive at the library and when we enter I’m taken aback. Blended has been transformed into something breathtaking. White Christmas decorations are gracing the library with large round tables where I’m assuming that dinner will be served. It’s obviously decorated by a professional because nothing seems to be overdone or out of place.

Once we are able to walk farther into the room, we’re greeted by the stares of people I’ve never seen before. Isla sees us and claps excitedly before coming to join the people who have surrounded us to greet him.

“Hads, holy shit. I’m not known for being speechless, but Brass better keep you on his arm this evening because in the few steps I took to get to you, I lost count of how many men were talking about you.”

“Hi, Isla, it’s good to see you again . . . and I think you might be exaggerating.”

Wade’s arm tightens around me. “She’s not. Good evening, Isla.”

“It’s about time you showed your ugly mug. The members have been asking for you, and I’m never wrong.”

I step out of Wade’s arm to hug her briefly before I’m pulled back into my comfort zone.

“Jesus, Brass. Deprived much?”

“Incredibly,” he says to her while his eyes are locked on mine.

“On that note, you two enjoy your evening and let me know if you need me to save you from any other parties tonight. Dinner should be served in thirty minutes.”

“Thank you,” he says before I’m pressed up against him and he’s looking down at me like I’m the only person in the room. He leans down and places his lips against my cheek. “I love you, Rye.”

Heat runs down my back at his words, and I lace our fingers together. “I love you, Whiskey.” I feel instead of see the smile on his face before he pulls back and shakes an older man’s hand before introducing me as his girlfriend.

Every hand that I shake and every person that he introduces me to seems to be stunned that he has a woman other than Isla on his arm. I’m on my second tumbler of whiskey for the night, which has allowed me to loosen up a little bit, and I’m enjoying myself as we sit down for dinner.

I’m seated between Isla and Wade at the table that is now filled with men in designer suits. I heard Wade asking Isla to switch tables earlier, and I’m sure that it has something to do with the number of men here. We’re served a dinner of Beef Wellington with a variety of sides. I take a bite and almost moan as the flavors travel across my taste buds.

“Where are you two going next, Brass?”

“We’ll be attending the Christmas party for Mothers of Brass. We host two a year at each location, one for the staff and the other for the women and children.”

“Mothers of Brass? I’m not sure as to what’s involved with it,” I say as I take a drink from my tumbler.

Isla smiles as if I’m being let in on some huge secret. “It’s his favorite facet of Brass Global . . . other than Blended, of course.”

I watch him as he sets his whiskey down and turns to face me. “I founded Mothers of Brass eight years ago. It’s a charitable organization that helps women in domestic-abuse situations as well as single mothers to get on their feet again once they are free of their situations. It offers a variety of services, all of which are free, to the women and their children. It’s the reason we went to Sydney, actually. I had acquired all of those properties to set up the first safe house in Australia.”

“That’s unbelievable, Wade. I had no idea that you did all of this.”

He just shrugs and Isla jumps in. “He doesn’t tend to advertise it.”

I lean in and place a chaste kiss on his lips. “You’re incredible, you know.”

His lips turn up in the corner. “Barely, baby. It’s something that I carry close to my heart since my father was killed a few days after my birth and my mother was left to fend for herself.”

“I had no idea.”

We both seem to reach for each other at the same time and intertwine our fingers together. “Your mother is an exceptionally strong woman, and she should be proud of the mark that you are leaving in this world.”

“You’ll need to tell her that, which brings up another topic that I needed to mention to you.”

We’re interrupted then by a hand on his shoulder. When he turns to see who touched him, he seems uncomfortable until Jacobs speaks. “We should be leaving, Mr. Brass.”

“Very well. Are you ready, Hadley?”

He rises and tugs on my hand as I stand up, straightening my dress and picking up my clutch. “I am.”

After thanking Isla and saying our goodbyes to a few people around the room, we leave and head just north of the Magnificent Mile. When we arrive, Wade helps me out of the vehicle, and I glance up at the high-rise in front of us.

“This is Mothers of Brass? It looks like a hotel.”

“It is, and we treat it as such. It’s easier for the women and their children to feel at home, and it holds up its cover that way. It’s very seldom that we get men in here who are married to one of the clients. The entire place is staffed by women, which adds a comfort level to those who need Mothers of Brass.”

We walk into the building, and he’s right: it seems to be a hotel. It’s not overly glamorous, but it’s still gorgeous inside.

“Good evening, Mr. Brass,” a few women chime in as he leads me through the lobby and down to a ballroom, which is immaculately decorated. I realize that this party, unlike Blended’s, will be filled with women instead of men. My fingers tighten around his hand as the women all stand and start to applaud when they see him.

He gives a few nods of appreciation before he places a kiss on my cheek. “I have to thank them all for being here. Don’t move.”

“All right.”

He lets go of my hand and walks to the front of the room where a microphone stand has been set up.

“Hadley? Oh, sweetie, I thought that was you. You look unequivocally radiant.” I turn around, and I’m greeted with Lillian pulling me into her arms.

“Lilly, I had no idea that you would be here. It’s so good to see you.”

“Of course, I would be here. Who else do you think runs Mothers of Brass when my son is too preoccupied with his empire?”

“I had no idea that he did all of this until a few minutes ago.”

“He’s a good man.”

I look up when he starts to speak. “He is,” I say quietly as I drink him in. He’s positioned himself in front of the microphone and has one hand in his pocket while the other moves as he speaks.

“Good evening, ladies.”

I swear I hear the entire room swoon as his voice is amplified by the speakers surrounding us.

“First and foremost, I wanted to thank you all for coming. It’s my pleasure to host the eighth annual Christmas party here at Mothers of Brass. For those of you who have been with us for the last eight years, I could not be more grateful. I know that it wasn’t easy at times, but we seem to have found our rhythm. I greatly appreciate the efforts that are put into growing and making Mothers of Brass—Chicago the largest women’s-only organization in the nation. The vision that I had for this charity has been met because of each and every one of you and the many projects encompassing the different aspects of the organization. Thank you all sincerely for being true professionals. Please, enjoy this evening and Merry Christmas.”

He nods once when the women stand and applaud him again before he locks his eyes with mine and starts toward me.