Relatively Famous (7 page)

“Okay, but I’ll just say it was kind of sweet. When you finally do check out your dad, watch that interview first.” She pops the last bit of her croissant in her mouth and relaxes into the cushions, casually scanning the room. “Holy fuck Sydney!” Leah is pointing at something and screaming, coiling back in fear.

“What! What! Is it a rat? Do I have a rat in my house?” I jump up onto the couch and scan the room for the offensive creature.

Leah shoots up, runs over to my fireplace and snatches up the fire tongs. She whips around and with a pained expression, walks back over to the coffee table and uses the tongs to pick something up. “What on God’s green earth is this
?”

Hanging from the end of my fire tongs is Drew’s nasty old baseball hat.

Chapter
7

On the verge of hyperventilating in my bathroom, I’m attempting to take deep breaths to calm myself down before my second date with Drew. “You can do this” I keep repeating over and over again.

I move back and do a final assessment in front of the mirror. I have to admit I look hot. Leah had convinced me to spend the day with her at the spa to relax. We had e
very service you could think of. I was buffed, waxed, plucked and massaged. My hair is hanging in perfect auburn waves down my back. My skin is dewy and clear. The aesthetician even managed to get rid of my ever present under-eye circles.

Drew had said to dress up, so I put on my short black Alexandre Vauthier. I love the loose long sleeve top and the tight miniskirt. I slide my feet into my beloved grommet-studded Manolos. A handful of thin gold bangles and my small gold hoop earrings and I’m ready.

I still have a few minutes to spare so I walk over to my bedroom window and watch the busy city to gather my wits. I seriously contemplate having a few shots of Patrón when the buzzing of my phone causes me to nearly fall over in my stilettos. I shout out a curse and grab the phone to read the text.

Waiting for you outside.
Same black Town Car. Can’t wait to see you.

I had asked Drew to text me when he got here so he wouldn’t have to come upstairs. He protested, saying it wasn’t gentlemanly to
not come to my door but I won. I convinced myself that it would feel too much like a proper date if he came up to get me, and I was afraid that I would want to shove him down on my bed and rip his clothes off if he came inside my loft. He’s just too tempting.

I fetch my coat and keys, swallow down my insecurities
, and head out to enjoy my night.

As I cross the large foyer I spot the sleek black car waiting outside. Approaching the car, the driver’s side open
s, and Bruce comes around to open the door for me. “Thank you so much.” I give him a small smile. “For your help the other day that is.”

“My pleasure Sydney
.” He guides me to the car and helps me to get inside. As I sit, I’m hit with the enticing smell that is Drew. Body wash scented like grapefruit mixed with the purely masculine fragrance of his body, it saturates every surface of the car. I inhale deeply and turn to see him sitting next to me with a huge grin on his face.

“Sydney, you look stunning”. His greedy eyes look me up and down as he takes my face in his hands and presses a soft kiss on my lips.

I can feel the hot blush creeping up my neck under his dark gaze. “Drew, you clean up rather well yourself.”

Holy shit he is even hotter than I remember!

His thick brown hair is haphazardly styled so that the pieces stick up randomly on his head. His face is clean shaven for the first time since I met him, so I can see his dimple clearly. I think about what it would be like to lick it, and know that I must be turning a deep crimson again. He is wearing a beautifully cut dark gray suit and black shirt with a black tie. I’m having a hard time reconciling this sleek, beautiful man with the unshaven, nasty hat wearing guy from yesterday.

“Shoot. I forgot. You left your hat at my place.”

I see his mouth quirk up at the corner, a habit I’m starting to like. “My hat. Yes, I’ll need to get that back. It’s sort of my lucky charm.” He reaches out and casually puts his hand on my knee and my nipples instantly tighten from his touch.
Shit
, if he can get me this turned on just from a casual kiss and a hand on the knee, I’ll never make it through dinner without incinerating.

I’m able to choke out a sentence, even with his overwhelming presence and my racing hormones.
“Lucky charm? Why is it lucky?” I look at his hand on my knee, then up into his brilliant green eyes.

“I was wearing it
when I bumped into you at the coffee shop after I was convinced I’d never see you again.” He says it so simply, and so honestly, that I stop breathing for a minute. Surely this fascinating man isn’t as taken with me as I am with him. I swallow and hold his gaze.

“Sydney, we’re here.” He breaks eye contact with me and takes my hand to help me out of the car. I step onto the pavement and find myself pressed against him. Time seems to stop as I feel the warmth from his body seep into me. His eyes fix on me and his lashes drop in a hooded stare. “We’d better go in, it’s cold out here,” he whispers as hi
s thumb brushes across my lips.

“I hadn’t noticed,
” I whisper. Then the cold cruelly rushes against me when he turns to walk into the building. He takes my hand just like he did the other day, and I look around as we walk. We’re in a small parking lot surrounded by tall buildings. It’s well-lit, but secluded, as if hiding from the prying eyes of Manhattan.
Sort of like me
.

“What is this place?”

“This is Sunset House, on 76
th
street. We’re using the back entrance. I’ve reserved us a private dining room.”

Private dining room?

He continues toward a non-descript red door located in the middle of a brick building.

“Oh. Why
a private dining room?”

He opens the do
or and speaks softly as I enter, his velvety voice sending a rush of blood to my sex. “So I can spend time with only you, of course.”
Of course
. I swallow down my nerves as he reaches for my hand again. Jesus, I can hardly be near him without turning into a quivering mess. Drew holds my gaze, his eyes unwavering as he continues, “And you’re too sexy for your own good. I don’t like to share, Sydney.”

Holy shit!

Before I can say anything, a young man in tailored black dress pants, shirt and tie, welcomes us in a small foyer. “Mr. Forrester, Miss Allen, welcome to Sunset House. I’m Chase and I’ll take care of you tonight. We have your room ready, please follow me.” We go up a flight of stairs to a short hallway with three doors, all located on the same side of the hall. Chase opens the first door and ushers us through.

Wow!
I have seen some things in my life. I have money, I have famous parents, I’ve been to many upscale restaurants in many different countries, but I have never seen anything like the private dining room at the Sunset House.

The room isn’t small but it somehow feels cozy and intimate. It
’s an inviting mix of steel and cable and warm woods, most likely African Zebrawood, I think, noting the bold striations on the buffet by the door. A table for eight, but set for two sits in the middle of the space, low light emanating from industrial style pendants hanging overhead.

But w
hat makes the room so special is that the far wall is made entirely of glass. Looking out, you can see the entire restaurant below. From the busy kitchen in the center of the room to the tables surrounding it, everything is visible. The interior designer in me is impressed. The girl on a second date is a little overwhelmed. I had no idea that Drew had money like this. And now I’m nervous that people will be staring at us from the main dining room, like animals in a cage.

“Don’t w
orry,” Drew whispers in my ear, his hot breath sending a delicious shiver down my spine. “The glass is one way. No one can see into the private rooms from the main restaurant.” I’m about to ask Drew how he knew what I was thinking when Chase interrupts to take our coats, hanging them in a small closet near the door.

Drew pulls out a chair for me and once I’m settled, he takes the seat next to me. “I hope you like champagne, I ordered some for us.” No sooner h
ad he finished his sentence than Chase is back and filling two flutes for us, leaving the bottle behind in a bucket of ice. He exits just as quickly, giving us the privacy that the room promises.

“So, I’m impressed, Mr. Forrester.” I finger my glass of champagne and look at Drew amusingly. “I guess I should find it odd that the host knew your last name and I didn’t and we’re on our second date. Or should I be more creeped out that
you know mine?”

The corner of his mouth twitches
in that sexy way. “Well, Miss Allen, if you must know, your doorman used your name last night. That’s how I know it. I promise I didn’t go through your mail to find out. And you never asked for my last name, so now you know it. There’s no secret motive behind my actions, I just enjoy spending time with you and want to get to know you better.” Thankfully, Drew looks amused, so I didn’t make him angry with my accusation that he might be a stalker.

“A toast then, Mr. Forrester?” I hold my flute a little higher and arch an eyebrow.

“To getting to know each other better.” His eyes meet mine and I lick my lips in anticipation.

“Yes. I’ll toast that.”
As long as you don’t ask questions about my parents
.

The ride back to my loft is filled with
tense, humming desire. Dinner had been perfect. We enjoyed the food immensely. The chef even came up to our room to explain his farm to table menu and how he only uses local produce. Drew became very animated speaking with the chef about organic food, his New England accent
Boston, I’m guessing?
getting more pronounced the more excited he got. We ate and drank while we watched the other diners like voyeurs, spying from our crow’s nest as servers scurried around the room.

Small touches between us
during dinner started a slow burn between my thighs that is now a raging fire. It’s bad enough that his warm, rough hand is drawing slow circles on the inside of my leg. It’s all I can do to stay in my own seat and not jump on Drew’s lap and tear the clothes off of his mouthwatering body in the back of the car.

God, he’s turning me into a clothes-
ripping crazy person!

We pull up to my building and he seizes my hand so I can’t get out. His other hand moves from my leg to my face,
brushing across my cheek. My tongue darts out to lick my suddenly parched lips and my gaze falls to his perfect mouth. “Drew,” I pant.

“Can I come up?” H
is voice is husky with need.

I smile, glad
he is just as affected as I am. “Of course, I have to give you your hat.”

The corners of his mouth twitch for just a second, then his eyes
cloud over again and he leans over and tentatively kisses me, just a brush of his lips on mine. The low smolder that had been building inside me all night ignites into an inferno and I can no longer hold back. I weave my hands into his silky hair and pull his face closer to me, our lips moving together in a fury of tongues and teeth.

Breathless, I groan when Drew shifts away from me
and exits the car. My door opens seconds later and he leans in to help me out. His delicious scent assaults me as he growls in my ear, “I don’t want to take you in the back of the car, Sydney. And if I don’t stop now, I won’t be able to.” Nodding, I take his hand and we duck across the dark sidewalk and into my building.

The second the
elevator doors close, Drew spins and forcefully pins me against the wall with his hard, masculine body. He looks into my eyes as he skims his hand up my thigh stopping just inches from the moisture pooling between my legs. I can feel his rigid length pressing into my stomach as he leans in and sucks my lower lip into his mouth, nibbling on it gently. The uncontrollable lust I felt in the car comes back full force.

I knot my fingers in his hair and
give it a sharp pull, drawing a guttural noise from Drew’s throat. He opens his mouth to me and I shudder as his tongue explores me with long, slow licks. My hand drops from his head and I squeeze his tight backside, pressing my clit against his leg shamelessly. The groan that escapes from him is the sexiest thing I have ever heard.

When the elevator stops
we break apart, both of us breathless and disheveled. I fumble in my purse for my keys, my head so full of everything “Drew” that I can barely function.

After a few tries,
I’m able to open the door and we step into the foyer. I turn and face this rugged, yet exquisite man, removing my coat and dropping it to the floor. He shrugs out of his and tosses it on top of mine. Reaching out, I take his hand and lead him to my bedroom.

Maybe this is a mistake, but I have to be with him, now.
I need to feel his incredible body on mine, his hard muscles under that tan skin underneath my hands, his hot mouth on my intimate places. The ache between my legs that started the first day I met him is almost painful after a week of fantasizing about this.

The city casts a pale light a
cross the dark room. I feel Drew press against my back when I stop in front of the big window, looking out at the vastness of it all. He gathers up my hair and places it over my shoulder so he can drag his lips across the back of my neck. It’s so quiet that all I can hear are the shallow breaths that are coming from both of us.

I shudder in pleasure and
arch back against him, feeling his thick erection hot and hard behind me. The warmth from his body seeps through the thin fabric of my dress, heating up my already scorching skin. Inexplicably, just like at his gym, I feel calm, almost protected when I’m with him. Like no one can ever hurt me again.