The Rebound Guy (11 page)

Dexter stopped her as she brought the glass to her lips.

“You don’t need to drink alcohol to be able to face your ex. That’s what I’m here for. But, to be honest, you don’t need me either.” He put a finger underneath her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his. “You are beautiful, Asia. I’ve only known you a few days, and I already can see that you are intelligent, funny, and incredibly sexy. Don’t allow him to make you believe you are anything less than everything that you are.”

She stared into his light-brown eyes and nearly forgot to breathe. A pleasurable tingle pulsed from where he still touched her, quickly traveling along her nerve endings.

“God, you’re good,” Asia breathed.

One corner of Dexter’s mouth turned up in a grin. “Come on. It’s time for us to make this Cortland character green with envy.”

Asia slipped a twenty underneath her nearly full glass of Chardonnay and scooted off of the stool. Dexter’s hand rested at the small of her back as they left the bistro, and those earlier tingles graduated into full-blown electric sparks.

It was the suit. It had to be the suit.

And the body that wore the suit.

And the face on the body.

She glanced at him as they continued along 19th Street, walking underneath the scaffolding that seemed a permanent fixture on Manhattan sidewalks.

“Look, Dexter,” she said. “I know my original plan was to make Cortland jealous, but I honestly doubt it will work. I don’t think he cared enough about me to become jealous at the sight of me with someone else.”

Dexter’s brow hitched. “You were together for four years?” She nodded. “He’ll be jealous. I don’t care that he was the one who broke it off. Seeing the woman he’s had exclusive rights to for the past four years getting cozy with another man...he has no choice but to be jealous.” He winked. “We’ll make sure of it.”

They came to the entrance to the building. Asia took a deep breath and entered the door Dexter held open for her. A hostess escorted them through the front of the lounge, past the patrons seated at the rich mahogany bar. The dimmed lights reflected off of the tin ceiling, adding to the warmth created by the dark wood and exposed brick walls.

They were guided to the rear of the bar, where one crimson-velvet curtain was pulled back, leading to the private room where the GPPR biannual mix-and-mingle event was being held.

Upper management had created the event as a way for company employees to network with clients under more relaxed circumstances. Of course, no one was ever relaxed. It was the usual jockeying for position within departments, with everyone trying to make an impression that would stand out to the powers that be. Because of the open bar, there would undoubtedly be a few who would overindulge and make the
wrong
impression.

A drunken, impromptu serenade by a junior account manager in the market-research department had fueled office gossip for at least a week after the last mixer. Maybe Asia could entice some young employee to overdo it on free drinks tonight; it would quell any gossip that may still be going on about her breakup with Cortland.

Moments after entering the room, Asia was approached by someone from the speech-writing department. She introduced Dexter to him and several other co-workers.

She had just concluded a conversation with GPPR’s managing director when she spotted Cortland and Nina walking through the crimson curtain, he in the Christian Dior she’d picked out for him, Nina in an underwhelming gray pantsuit. At least she could take comfort in the fact that she looked better than “the other woman” tonight, dressed in a black sheath with lace overlay and her favorite Ruthie Davis peep-toe pumps.

She had managed to avoid running into either of them at the office since that horrid display on the street outside of Rodney’s apartment building a week ago. It had not been difficult to accomplish. The legal department was six floors down from her department. She would often go weeks without seeing Cortland at the office.

But seeing him now, in this setting, with his new woman?

Asia’s stomach pitched and rolled, and she immediately regretted not finishing that earlier glass of Chardonnay.

Dexter leaned over and whispered in her ear, “That’s him, isn’t it?”

“How did you know?” Asia asked.

“Your body stiffened.” He set the glass of soda he had been drinking on a nearby table and said, “Come on.”

Asia tugged his arm. “What? No.”

He brought his face closer and whispered, “I thought the point of me being here is so that he can see you with your much sexier, handsomer new man?”

His warm breath against her neck sent a waterfall of excited tremors cascading down Asia’s spine. “Uh...let him come to me,” she managed to choke past the grapefruit-size lump of lust that had lodged in her throat. “And if he avoids me all night, that’s fine, too. As I said before, I’m not sure this effort to make Cortland jealous will work.”

“I give it twenty minutes, tops. He’ll be here as soon as he spots you,” Dexter said with a self-assured chuckle.

Dexter had overestimated by ten minutes. Cortland ambled over to their side of the lounge, thankfully not accompanied by Nina. Asia wasn’t sure she could stomach playing nice with the two of them, and a company function would not be a good place for a catfight between her and Nina.

She mentally chastised herself for even picturing herself fighting another woman over Cortland. As if she would ever make a fool of herself over him again.

Yet, she was paying a man ten thousand dollars in the hope of making him jealous. What did
that
say about her?

Suddenly, Asia wasn’t sure hiring a professional rebound guy had been the right course of action. What if Cortland saw right through her? It would be ten times as humiliating as the spectacle that took place on the Upper West Side last week.

“You have nothing to worry about,” Dexter whispered against her temple.

That tingle traveled up her spine again. This man exuded sexuality as if he had a special stash of it that he kept stored in his medicine cabinet. In the sexy department, Cortland didn’t come close.

Still, Asia had to brace herself when he appeared moments later.

“Hello, Cortland,” she said, because it seemed as if speaking first put her at an advantage.

“Good evening, Asia.” He gestured to Dexter. “Who’s your friend?”

Count on Cortland to address the question to her, as if Dexter was incapable of answering for himself.

Dexter put his hand out. “Dexter Bryant.”

“Cortland Stewart, legal counsel for Global Partners. Are you here representing one of our clients?”

“I’m with Asia,” he said.

Cortland’s brow lifted. “Really? That was quick. Or was I not the only one getting a little something on the side?”

Asia’s skin flushed with anger. “This is not the place, Cortland. But let me make one thing clear.” She took a step forward. “I never cheated. Don’t lump me in with the likes of you.”

The muscle in his jaw ticked as he brought his highball glass to his mouth and drained it. Wouldn’t it be poetic justice if
he
was the one who got drunk and made an ass of himself tonight?

Cortland motioned to Dexter with his empty glass. “So, Dexter Bryant, are you from Rent-A-Date?”

A sudden rush of heat engulfed Asia’s entire being. She
knew
that bastard would see right through her.

She was about to speak when she felt Dexter give her arm a light squeeze. His perfectly shaped lips tilted in a wry smile.

“Does this look like a woman who would have to rent a date?” His eyes glittered with a look of desire that Asia had to remind herself wasn’t real. “To be honest, I couldn’t believe she said yes when I asked her out to dinner on Wednesday.”

“Wednesday?” Cortland’s brow hitched nearly to his hairline. “And you’re already attending a corporate event together. You move quickly, don’t you?”

Dexter captured Asia’s wrist and brought her hand to his lips, placing a light kiss on the backs of her fingers. “I don’t see the use in waiting when I see something I want.”

Oh, yeah
, Asia thought.
He is worth every penny
.

***

As he stood there with Asia’s nails biting into his skin even through the fabric of his suit coat, Dexter had to wonder how in the hell she’d put up with this pompous ass for four years. He’d only known her a couple of days, but could already tell she was way too good for this guy.

Whether or not she was any good for
him
was another story.

She had elicited sensations within him that Dex categorically denied himself to indulge in when he was with a client. She had demanded a hands-off policy, but from the moment she’d turned around on that stool back at the bistro, all Dex could think about was getting his hands on her.

He pinched his eyes closed for a second, commanding that he regain control over himself. It took more effort than it should have. He wasn’t in this business as a means to score women, but attraction was attraction. Sometimes it couldn’t be helped.

Cortland, the asshole, apparently decided that he’d had enough of The Asia and Dex Show. He murmured something sarcastic and walked away.

Dex felt Asia’s body shudder in relief against him. Looking down at her, he shook his head.

“Are you serious?” he asked.

“About what?”

“
That’s
the guy?” He gestured in the direction the asshole had just walked. “That’s the guy you were considering
marrying
? I have never met a more uptight asshole in all my life.”

“He hasn’t always been so...uptight.”

He slid her a sardonic look. “There’s not a proctologist in all of New York with the skills to pry the stick out of his ass.”

Asia’s bark of shocked laughter drew stares, including one from her ex-fiancé across the room. Dex grinned as she looked at him with wide, laughing eyes.

“Tell me you don’t agree,” he said.

She shook her head. “My sister said the same thing.”

“That sister of yours seems pretty smart. I’ve been meaning to ask whether she got an earful from you.”

She tilted her head to the side, a confused look on her face.

Dex lowered his voice and leaned in close. “Remember the morning I came to your office and told you that it was your sister who set up the appointment with me? You looked ready to commit murder.”

“Oh, that. Well, I was able to cool down before I talked to her. I’ve never been good at staying upset with her, anyway.”

“My big sister is the same way with me,” he said. “You should know that we younger siblings knowingly take full advantage of our older siblings’ soft hearts.”

“Oh, don’t think I don’t already know.” Asia threaded her arm through his and looked up at him with sobering eyes. “Thank you,” she said, her voice changing from amused to sincere. “I’d love to think that I would have been strong enough to get through that alone, but I’m happy I didn’t have to. You made facing him easier.”

Dex put a finger underneath her chin and lifted her face higher, capturing and holding her gaze.

“That man never deserved a minute of your time, Asia. I can’t believe you gave him four years. Don’t give him a second thought for the rest of the night.”

The gratitude shining in her dark-brown eyes reached a part of him that he had desperately tried to shield. She seemed to possess the frightening ability to slip past those mental barriers he normally had no problem keeping in place.

As they mingled for the next hour, Dexter got a taste of Asia Carpenter, the professional. He had a better grasp of what she did for a living—a firefighter, as he’d described her earlier. He noticed her slight grimace every time someone mentioned the Rochester incident. Her pat answer was “I have everything under control.”

Overall, the one thing that struck him was the respect Asia commanded from just about everyone. Even people who were not in her department, but only knew of her by name, seemed to hold her in the highest esteem.

“You, Ms. Carpenter, are badass,” Dexter told her when they took a breather during their mingling marathon.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said with a soft laugh.

“It was meant as one. From the look of things, this company would crumble if you weren’t a part of it.”

She shook her head. “It would survive without me; it just wouldn’t run as well. Because you’re right, I am badass.”

Dexter held back the urge to kiss the smile that traced across her lips, but just barely. He’d been dying to kiss her, had come close so many times over the past hour.

He really needed to get himself in check.

“Can you excuse me for a moment?” he asked her.

“Sure. One of my team members just walked in. I need to speak with her.”

Dexter found an empty seat in a darkened corner on the way to the restroom. He sat and rested his elbows on his thighs. He dropped his chin to his chest, pulling in a couple of deep breaths.

This was nearing unprecedented levels of ridiculousness.

He touted himself as a professional; he
had
to put a stop to the surge of lust flooding his bloodstream. He needed to treat Asia as any other client, which meant no sudden urges to press any of his body parts against any of her body parts.

The worst thing he could do was have her call this entire thing off because he couldn’t control his body’s reaction to her. He needed the money Asia was paying him to stand next to her and look good. So that’s what he would do. He would play the besotted new love interest, but he would remember it was all a damn act.

He would erase thoughts of how good she smelled and how her soft laugh drizzled down his spine like honey. He would ignore how amazing her body felt next to him. He’d forget it all.

Until he was in the privacy of his own home. Then he would let his imagination run wild.

Dex bit back a groan of frustration and leaned his head against the exposed brick wall. He counted to ten, but after realizing he was still on the verge of embarrassing himself with the happy dance taking place in his pants, raised the count to fifty.