Seduction (Club Destiny) (8 page)

“Me too.” She
admitted when he didn’t continue. “But that doesn’t mean it’ll work out.” There
were no guarantees, she knew, and just because they had spent years dodging one
another, the thrill of the chase leaving them both wanting more, didn’t mean
anything.

“I think we
should start over.”

Staring out at
the water shimmering in the moonlight, Ashleigh contemplated how they could do
that. Starting over usually meant that everything in the past was to be
forgotten. Her problem? She couldn’t forget the past. Even if he couldn’t
remember it.

But sitting here
beside him, Ashleigh was content for the first time in as long as she could
remember.

“What if it’s
not that easy?” Ashleigh asked him, the question weighing heavily on her mind.

“Why couldn’t
we? We deserve to give this a chance.”

Give
what
a
chance? The chemistry? Where would that leave her when it was all over?
Ashleigh didn’t like the idea of giving in to this man for however long he was
willing to have her only to be left wanting something she knew he would never
give her.

Then there was
the experience issue. Alex was so far out of her league when it came to experience
with the type of sexual chemistry that pulsated around them when they touched.
At twenty eight years old, it was difficult to admit it, but she was a virgin.
The closest she had ever come to having intercourse had been with the very man
sitting beside her, and they had never even gotten out of their clothes.

How would he
handle knowing that? It wasn’t like she was going to tell him. Or maybe she
should, just to gauge his reaction.

She couldn’t
answer his question because she was confused. Confused and scared of her
answer. Instead, she glanced over at him, “I really should be going.”

Alex nodded his
head, acknowledging that, for now, the subject was closed. Before she could
stand, Alex made his way to his feet, gently pulling her up by her hand until
she stood nearly at his height on the steps.

“Just so we’re
clear, I can be relentless in my pursuit of what I want.” Alex said calmly,
quietly. “And I want you, Ashleigh. I’ve always wanted you.”

Ashleigh swallowed
down her rebuttal, wanting desperately to remind him that he had been the one
to push her away all those years ago. He had been the one to turn and run when
she would have so easily given in to him.

“You don’t know
anything about me, Alex.” She warned him, knowing that if he knew who she was,
this would be all the more difficult.

“I know more
than you think I do.”

But not the
pertinent parts, she thought to herself.

“Let me walk you
out.” Alex offered, taking her hand.

Surprising her yet
again, Alex didn’t plant another soul scorching kiss on her before she left.
Instead, he told her to expect the unexpected.

The good thing
was… that was her motto.

~~*~~*~~

Alex did as he
promised, he gave Ashleigh space. How he managed, he still wondered.

For the last two
weeks, he’d only seen her twice. Once they had gone to Club Destiny for drinks,
which he’d practically had to beg her to do, and the other time, he had
convinced her to go horseback riding.

If he never got
on the back of a horse again, it would be too soon. Although there weren’t any
mishaps, thank goodness, Alex much preferred to keep his feet planted firmly on
the ground. Not have his ass perched on top of an animal that could crush him
if his mood changed.

She had laughed
at his obvious distaste, which as it turns out, only made him want her more.
And hadn’t that been a swift kick in the ass. The staying away from her part
was what got him the most.

Thankfully he’d
been a little preoccupied with other things. First of all, work. CISS was
eating up all of his time which had led him to finally reach out to Cole
Ackerley. Admittedly, he needed help and Ackerley was one of the best in the PR
department. Having him come onboard would reduce some of the stress on Alex.

Since Dylan wasn’t
quite pulling his own weight, Alex was trying to cover that as well, which was
beginning to pull him under. It wasn’t that Dylan didn’t have the necessary
skills to succeed, but the man seemed to be lacking the motivation. And that
was the reason Alex was taking the time to meet with Dylan for lunch.

“Table for two,
please.” Alex told the hostess when he entered the restaurant.

Due to their
conflicting schedules, Alex had opted to meet for a late lunch so they could be
on neutral ground for the conversation that was inevitable. Since the
restaurant was more or less empty, Alex didn’t need to request a table that
would offer a little privacy.

The hostess
seated him promptly, and he advised that he was expecting someone. When the
waiter stopped by, he ordered two beers and then began checking his email on
his phone while he waited.

Prompt as
always, Dylan joined him a few minutes later.

“Hey.” Alex
greeted his friend and business partner as Dylan took the empty seat across
from him.

“Is it just the
two of us?”

Nodding his
head, Alex grabbed a menu from the holder on the table. “I ordered you a beer.”
Then he found himself stalling.

Earlier that
day, the idea of this meeting had been a good one. The conversation had played
out seamlessly in his mind while he drove to the restaurant, but now that Dylan
was sitting across from him, he was beginning to have second thoughts.

The two men
perused the menu, drank their beers, chit chatted about nothing significant and
otherwise avoided the issues at hand. When the waiter came back around they
ordered then waited for him to step away again.

“Spill it.”
Dylan stated in his laid back Texas drawl so much like his grandfathers. “I
know you have more appealing choices in lunch companions, so why don’t you just
cut to the chase."

“Alright.” Alex
said, downing the rest of his beer before signaling the waiter to bring
another. Dylan was right, Alex just needed to come out and say it. “I don’t
know any other way to say this, but when I asked you to come onboard, I wasn’t looking
for a receptionist.”

Dylan’s reaction
wasn’t one of surprise, or even anger, which was what Alex originally expected.
Instead, he glanced down at the table briefly before meeting Alex’s eyes once
more.

With a resigned
sigh, Alex elaborated. “When I asked you to be a partner in CISS, I didn’t mean
a silent partner. I didn’t need money, and I don’t need someone to answer the
phones.” Alex told him, all of the pent up frustration coming to the surface.
“You sit around the office answering the damn phones like it’s what you were
born to do.”

“Someone has to
answer the phones.” Dylan remarked without heat.

“But not you.
Fucking hire someone. Or just have them forwarded to my phone like they’ve always
been.” Alex told him, sitting back in his chair. “Look. We’ve been friends for
a long time. I know what you went through, and I’m still so very sorry, but,
Dylan, she’s been gone for eight years.”

“I know.” The
sadness in Dylan’s eyes shone bright, making Alex feel like a jackass.

“Meghan wouldn’t
want you to stop living. Now that the kids are older, you’ve got the rest of
your life ahead of you, man.”

“Preaching to
the choir, brother.” Dylan said, taking a long swallow of beer. “I’ve heard it
all before, and I’ll tell you the same thing I tell everyone else. You don’t
know what it’s like. You don’t know what it’s like to go from one day having
the love of your life and your best friend right there beside you, only to have
her taken completely away the next. She’s gone, and I feel like I died right
along with her. The only thing that has kept me going was taking care of my
kids. Now that they’re old enough to take care of themselves, I don’t have
anything else.”

“Bullshit, man.”
Alex bellowed, sitting forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table.
“You know that’s a load of shit, Dylan. You’ve got Stacey and Nate, Xavier,
Ashleigh. Every one of them depends on you.
Needs
you.”

“I get it.”

Alex knew he
wasn’t telling Dylan anything he didn’t know already, but when it came to CISS,
he needed to take it to the next level. Bringing on Samantha and now Cole meant
they were equipped to branch out. Something Alex had dreamed of. And he wanted
Dylan to be part of that.

“Cole accepted
my offer,” Alex said, changing to a less sensitive subject. “He’s officially
onboard starting next week.”

“That’s great
news.” Dylan stated, picking at the label on his beer bottle. “I think he’s
just what we need to help divert some of the strain off of you. And yes, I know
I need to do more.”

Alex wanted to
hear how Dylan planned to do that.

The waiter
interrupted, bringing their food and offering them a brief reprieve. Alex took
the opportunity and let Dylan breathe for a minute.

When Alex
finished, in record time no doubt thanks to not eating that morning, he pushed
his plate away and downed more of his second beer. “What’s your plan?” He
prompted.

Dylan pushed his
plate away, then leaned back in his chair, propping his elbow on the empty
chair beside him. “Since the residential security services are growing
astronomically, I think I’m going to focus on that. I’ve got some ideas, and I
want to bring on a couple of people – sales people.”

Alex noted the
renewed interest in his partner’s eyes. Dylan needed something to focus on and
bringing him onboard had been one of the best decisions he’d made. Once Dylan
took off, there would be no stopping him, Alex knew.

Dylan continued
before Alex could contribute. “We’ve got all the installers we need, and I want
to hire someone to manage them, but I need some folks driving sales. What do
you think?”

“I think this is
the reason I wanted you to go in business with me, man. You’ve got great ideas
and the direction you’re going is one I wish I had time for before now. Do you have
any candidates for the sales positions?”

“I’ve got one.
Guy named Jake. I went to school with his aunt. If you know of anyone, send
them my way. I’d like to get them hired by the end of next week if possible.”
Dylan’s voice had gained a significant amount of confidence.

“I’ve got a
couple, actually.” Alex added.

This was the
Dylan Thomas he had known before his wife had succumbed to cancer eight long
years ago. The man who stopped at nothing to accomplish his goals. The man who
was like the Energizer bunny… kept on going because each idea was bigger and
better than the one before.

“Alex, I want to
thank you.” Dylan interrupted Alex’s thoughts, surprising him.

“For what?” Alex
asked. “I should be apologizing –”

“Don’t.” Dylan
stated adamantly, his tone containing none of the laid back country boy that
Alex was used to. “I needed this. I need to get on with my life. Moving was the
first step, which I can thank my sister for. Speaking of…”

Oh shit
. Alex hadn’t
expected the sudden topic change, and he wasn’t quite ready to talk to Dylan
about his little sister.

“I’ve heard you
and Ashleigh are seeing each other.” The laid back, country drawl was present
once again. Alex wasn’t deceived by his friend any more than he was by Xavier
when he pulled the same stunt.

“We’re seeing
each other.” Confirming Dylan’s statement, Alex wasn’t willing to go further.
“Trust me, man. You don’t have to warn me off of her. I’ve been doing it for
years. I can only promise you that I won’t intentionally hurt her. As for
anything else, I don’t know, but I’m going to see where it goes.”

Dylan laughed,
making Alex’s back straighten.

“Man, I was just
gonna ask whether you were taking her to Luke’s reception.”

Fuck. Way to
speak out of turn, McDermott.

“But now that you
mention it,” Dylan began, “I trust you have her best interest in mind. She’s my
little sister, and I’m protective of her, but you already knew that. I don’t
want her hurt, but she’s also a big girl who can take care of herself. You
won’t see me trying to interfere.” Another laugh. “But I can’t say the same for
Pops. You know he’s going to be all over this as soon as he gets word.”

Oh, Alex was
more than aware of what Xavier would have to say as soon as the news got out.
Even if Xavier did have a hand in pulling the two of them together, he’d still
have something to say.

Alex didn’t look
forward to that day.

***
~~ *** ~~ *** ~~ ***

Ashleigh no
longer had to worry whether her cell phone was working or not. The call from
her agent proved that it was. Even though her original excitement over who
might be on the other end had been doused when Madeleine’s sweet voice echoed
through the speaker, it had been renewed after five minutes on the phone.