Release Me (12 page)

Allie had walked past the John Hancock Center countless times over the course of her life. Situated between the Drake Hotel and Water Tower Place, the iconic building was not only one of the most recognizable silhouettes on Chicago’s skyline, but it sat in the heart of one of the city’s busiest tourist destinations. She’d even been inside the one hundred-story structure once or twice for meetings when she worked at Better Start, but she’d never been all the way to the top, much less dined at the famous restaurant it housed.

Hudson placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her into the elevator. “I still find it hard to believe you’ve never been here. Isn’t this place on the must-see list of every guidebook? At least the observation deck.”

Allie’s eyes grew wide. “Please tell me your plans don’t include that tilting thing,” she said, referring to the latest attraction that dangled tourists a thousand feet above the street. “Because there’s no way you’re getting me to lay on a piece of glass. I don’t care how safe they claim it is.”

“Safety is relative. The only danger you’re in is from me making you come over and over again until you’re begging for a reprieve. As for laying you out, rest assured Iwill have you on your back before the end of the evening.” His words sent a surge of pleasure coursing through her. “But as for the restaurant, you’ve never dined here?”

She shrugged. “I guess it’s one of those things locals always say they’ll get around to but never actually do.” And considering the image he’d just conjured, she was really wishing she wasn’t doing it now, either. But Hudson seemed ecstatic to be dining with her amongst the clouds.

“So a first, then,” he said, “for both of us.”

“One of many, I hope.”

“Indeed. This wasn’t even at the top of the list, but given I had about ten minutes to plan this evening . . .”

“You have a list?” she interrupted.

“Oh, yes. It’s quite long. And varied. One even involves an unexpected visit to my office. Rather like tonight.” He smirked, “But with a few adjustments.”

“Sorry about that. It wasn’t very professional of me to storm into your office like that.”

“You can storm into my office any time you’d like, Alessandra.” His eyes darkened. “Although preferably naked under your coat next time.”

“You expect me to walk to your office naked?” She barely recognized the sound of her own voice, shocked and yet undeniably aroused all at once.

“Hmm.” Hudson’s hand slipped inside her coat and cupped her breast through the thin fabric of her blouse. “Your bare skin against your coat. Imagine how hard your nipples would be from rubbing against the rough material, how they would ache for the soothing feel of my tongue.” His fingers skimmed over her waist and hip. “Think about how the cool air would rush against you,” he said, his hand discreetly kneading her backside beneath her coat. “How wet you’d be by the time I was finally inside you.” He pressed against her, right where she ached for his touch, and her lips parted on a silent gasp. “Are you wet for me now, Allie?”

The elevator dinged their arrival on the ninety-sixth floor. Hudson dropped his hand. “After you,” he said, stepping back and gesturing for her to exit.

Allie wobbled off the elevator and into the Signature Room. The Art Deco interior and warm wood accents set a tone of understated elegance, but they paled in comparison to the main event. Floor-to-ceiling windows spanning the entire building offered dazzling three-hundred-and-sixty-degree views of the city. If her head weren’t already spinning from Hudson’s rather detailed account of his office fantasy, the breathtaking view would have been enough to do the trick.

A man in a black tuxedo greeted Hudson within seconds of their arrival. “Good evening, Mr. Chase.”

“Good evening, Ernesto. I trust you were able to make the arrangements I requested.” He helped Allie out of her coat and handed it to a woman who had appeared out of nowhere at his side.

“Absolutely. And it was our pleasure.”

“Thank you. I realize it was a lot to ask on such short notice.”

“Not at all. We were happy to accommodate you.” Ernesto smiled at Allie. “Especially when you mentioned it was a special occasion.”

Hudson wrapped his arm around Allie’s waist. His gaze was soft and warm on her face as he spoke. “Very special, indeed.”

“Camille will show you to your table. Please let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

“I thought you said you’d never eaten here?” Allie whispered as they weaved through the crowded lounge.

“I haven’t.”

“Then how did you know his name?”

The corner of Hudson’s mouth quirked up in a confident grin. “I’m considering a silent partnership in their management group.”

Allie smiled and shook her head. Hudson Chase had clearly taken Chicago by storm. It was only a matter of time until he’d turned the country’s third-largest city into his own personal Monopoly board.

The hostess led them to a round marble-top table next to one of the windows and handed Hudson the leather-bound wine list. When the waiter arrived a moment later, he ordered a bottle of Dom Pérignon.

“We’re currently out of the 2004 Dom Pérignon, sir. Might I suggest the 2003 Bollinger?”

“That’ll be fine.”

The contrast to Julian’s reaction in a similar situation was hard to miss. She’d only experienced that tirade over the phone line, but even hundreds of miles away it had made her uncomfortable. Once again she found herself wondering not only what she ever saw in him, but how she could have been so blind as to have actually agreed to marry him. She pushed the unwelcome questions from her mind. Tonight wasn’t about the past, it was about the present and the future. A future she hoped to share with the man seated across from her.

Allie watched as he handed the wine list to the relieved young man and turned his attention back to her. “Champagne?” she asked with a lifted brow.

“Customary for celebrations, is it not?”

She met his smile with one of her own. “Yes. Although I must warn you, champagne goes straight to my head. I can’t be held accountable for my actions after two glasses.”

“Duly noted. A second bottle it is.”

She laughed. “Let’s start with one and see how it goes.”

The waiter returned with the champagne, which he opened with an understated flourish. After filling two crystal flutes, he placed it in a sterling silver ice bucket that stood conveniently next to the table.

Hudson raised his glass. “I suppose I should say something profound. But at the moment the words escape me.”

What Hudson failed to understand was that for Allie, no words were necessary. The way he was looking at her said it perfectly. She smiled and lifted her glass, clinking it gently against his. “Cheers.”

They both sipped their champagne in silence for a moment, each of them drinking in the sight of the other. Allie wondered idly if the other patrons noticed the unabashed lust that pulsed between them like a tangible force. Not that it mattered. She and Hudson were finally together, and there wasn’t a person in the world who could ruin this moment for her.

“Drink your champagne,” he said. “I have plans to take advantage of you later.”

Thank God
. With a little luck, maybe she could even convince him to skip dinner and call it a night after cocktails. She drained the rest of her glass, hoping he’d take the hint. Almost instantly she felt the warmth bubble inside her. “You could have taken advantage of me in your office, you know. No champagne needed.”

“I’m aware.” He shifted in his seat. “A missed opportunity, to be sure.”

She held her glass out and watched as he lifted the bottle out of the ice bucket and refilled the delicate flute. Outwardly, he was the picture of composure. But she knew he was just as affected as she was, perhaps more. A hopeful smile stretched across her face. “Why Mr. Chase, you’re not regretting that decision, are you?”

He chuckled quietly to himself as he worked the bottle back into the ice. “Only since the moment we left my office.” He lifted his glass and licked his lips. “But the anticipation will make it all the sweeter.”

Damn
. She slugged back another gulp of champagne. It was going to be a long night.

Behind her a string quartet began to play. Allie turned to find a parquet dance floor where several couples swayed to the music.

Hudson stood and held out his hand. “Would you dance with me?”

As if she could deny him anything.

Allie placed her hand in his, unable to take her eyes off him as he led her to the dance floor and pulled her into his arms. Something was different. The shadows that had marred his beautiful face at his office were gone, and in their place was a smile unlike any she’d ever seen on him. He looked relaxed, yes, but it was more than that. She just couldn’t put her finger on it. “What’s that look for?” she finally asked.

“Happiness,” he said, tugging her closer and pressing his lips to her temple. “It’s not every day a man gets what he’s always wanted.”

She reared back to look at him, confused. “We’ve danced together before.”

“If you’re referring to the gala at the Field Museum, it was hardly the same.” He spun them slowly through the now sizable crowd. “And if you’ll recall, that dance was cut short.”

How could she forget? She’d been so caught up in the memories of her teenage romance with Hudson that she’d barely remembered her own name, much less that she had a fiancé. When Julian put his hand on her shoulder that night, she’d nearly jumped out of her skin.

“I was thinking more about the night we danced barefoot in the living room of your lake house,” she said.

“That was nice.” The gleam in his eye told her exactly where his thoughts had wandered. “What followed was even better. Left a distinct impression, if memory serves. But dancing with you wasn’t what I was referring to.”

She tilted her head to one side. “Then what did you mean?”

“This, out with you at my side. Looking at me as if nothing else exists in the room but the two of us.”

And at that moment, nothing did. Allie’s world narrowed to just him. The way his eyes darkened as they drank her in. The way his hand cradled hers as he held her in his arms. The way his lips parted as they hovered a breath away.

Their dancing slowed to nothing more than a gentle sway. “Allie, I . . .”

Someone bumped into her as the couples surrounding them made their way back to their tables. Allie glanced around the nearly empty dance floor. When had the music stopped?

Over her shoulder something caught Hudson’s eye and he gave a tight nod. “It appears our table is ready.”

Allie started toward the grand staircase that led to the dining room one floor below, but Hudson stopped her with a hand on her elbow. His lips brushed against her ear. “Go to the ladies room and take your panties off,” he whispered.

She gaped at him. Her first thought was to ask if he was serious, but the look in his eyes left no doubt as to his intentions.

“Go,” he commanded quietly. “And when you’re done, meet me in the Michigan Room.”

Allie blinked up at him. “We’re not dining in the restaurant?”

“No, I’ve arranged for a private room.”

“I thought the whole point was to take me out in public?”

“I shared you with the rest of the world during cocktails, but I’m a selfish man, and for dinner I want you all to myself. Besides, as much as I like tormenting you in public, knowing you’re wet and naked under that skirt will undoubtedly make my cock hard.” He leveled his dark stare. “Now go.”

Allie turned, her heart pounding a furious beat as she made her way to the restroom. Once inside, she bypassed the vanity and headed straight for one of the stalls. If she gave herself time to think about what she was doing, she would never have the nerve to follow through. Reaching under her skirt, she shimmied out of her panties. The cool air rushed against her aching core and she shivered. She suspected her reaction had less to do with the temperature of the room than it did with the idea of Hudson touching her overly sensitive skin. The mere thought of what he had planned for her during dinner had her body trembling with anticipation.

On her way out she stopped to check her appearance in the mirror. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were flushed, but other than that she looked completely presentable. No one would suspect she was about to walk through the restaurant pantyless, consumed by the thought of Hudson’s skilled fingers bringing her to climax again and again.

The Michigan Room was on the south end of the building. When Allie pushed the door open she found the intimate space to be completely empty except for one lone table. Draped in white linen, it was set for an elegant dinner for two. Black-and-white china with gold accents sat atop gold chargers, perfectly accenting the city lights that glimmered in gold at her feet. Groupings of crystal stemware flanked each setting, and in the center of the table flickering votives circled an arrangement of fresh flowers.

But it wasn’t the sight of the sumptuous private accommodations that rendered Allie speechless as she walked into the room. It was Hudson, standing against the backdrop of the city’s skyline, that took her breath away.

“Hi,” was all she managed to say when she was finally standing in front of him.

He smiled as he pulled out her chair. She sat, taking note that the other chair was adjacent to hers at the square table and not across. The words ‘within arm’s reach’ popped into her mind and she shifted slightly in her seat.

“You look so lovely in the candlelight,” he said, joining her at the table. “But then, you look lovely in any light.”

Allie felt a warm flush spread across her cheeks. Why in the world was she so nervous? Was it because she was sitting at a table perched high above the city with her panties in her purse? Or because she was sitting at a table perched high above the city with the man she loved? While it should have probably been the former, she suspected the latter was more to blame. Sex had never been a problem for them. They jumped into that rather quickly and their chemistry was undeniable. But a relationship was unchartered territory for them. How would it be now that they didn’t have to sneak around? How would their friends and co-workers react?