Unexpected Chance (3 page)

She looked at me and then at Alex. She extended her hand to him. “Mr.
Logan, I didn’t know you were here. I don’t know if you remember me, Julie
Michaels with Walker-Stone Marketing.”

He shook her hand. “Of course I remember you, Julie. You were
just here last week.” He smiled that ridiculously sexy smile.

“Right, excuse my interruption, but can I borrow Aubrey for a moment?”
Julie actually blushed.

“By all means, I’ll be waiting, Aubrey,” he said with a grin. I
couldn’t help but smile back.

Was Julie just as affected as I was? She sounded so odd around
Alex, definitely not like my confident best friend; that’s for sure.

“Aubrey, what the hell are you doing with Alex Logan, and how do
you know him?” I moved further away from the table to ensure Alex didn’t hear
us and Julie followed.

“I just met him, Jules.” I looked over at him; luckily, he was
looking at his cell phone and didn’t appear to have heard anything. “He’s
totally hot though, right?” She looked stunned, mouth agape and eyes wide.

“Aubrey, we need to talk about that, but right now I could smack
you because you rated the lowest on all the scorecards. What did you do? Tell
them you had an STD? No one wants to be your match.” She looked disappointed
and a little pissed.

I laughed and snorted a little. “Of course not, you saw the guys—they
were wretched. Alex, on the other hand, is amazing, and if you don’t mind, I’d
like to get back to him and my research.”

I walked away from a shocked Julie. I actually shocked myself and
went back to my table. I apologized to Alex and told him that I was right: I
didn’t score well and Julie was on to me. I shrugged my shoulders because I
really didn’t care. I was hoping for that outcome.

“Okay, back to my questions, I believe you still need to answer
the first one.”

“Ah yes, what do I like to do on dates?” He rubbed his chin. “Well,
that all depends on the woman and what she likes. If she hates Chinese food, I
guess going to a Chinese restaurant is out of the question. But I guess in
general, I like doing things that allow us to talk. That’s why I never go to a
movie on the first date. I like a nice quiet dinner or something that allows me
to get to know her, like a nice walk in the park.”

Hmm, okay, that was a decent answer. I hit him with the second
one. “Do you like to travel
?

“I do. I prefer to travel the States and Europe, primarily France.”

Good, while we’re there, we can drop in on my parents.
Why
the hell did I think that? Holy shit, I really was losing it!

I started rattling off the other questions. “Do you like sports? Are
you close to your family? Are you in a relationship?”

He rubbed his jaw as he answered each question in order: “Yes . .
. No . . .” He paused and looked concerned and said, “That’s complicated.” He
rubbed the back of his neck. He suddenly seemed completely stressed.

What the hell did that last answer mean? I had to mentally think
of the order of my questions. He liked sports, wasn’t close to his family, that
one made me sad, and his relationship status was complicated. Was he still in
one? I felt the smile fall from my lips and my chest hurt a little. I couldn’t
continue this . . . whatever this was, if he were in a relationship, complicated
or not. That totally went against what I believed in and was definitely not
romantic. I would never be the other woman.

I took my purse off the back of my chair and stood up to leave. I
stretched out my right hand. “It was nice meeting you, Alex.” He didn’t put his
hand out. He looked up at me as if he had more to say.

He ran his hand over his shoulder and around his neck. “Was it something
I said?” He looked confused. The neck rubbing must be his tell for being
nervous. I’d have to remember that.

Yeah, how about complicated—complicated because you have a wife
sitting at home? I noticed he didn’t wear a wedding band, but that didn’t mean
anything. “Yes, as a matter of fact, it was something you said. I’m not
interested in complicated.”

“What are you interested in?”

“I’m interested in dating someone who isn’t complicated. I made
sure to use finger quotes when I said “complicated.”

“Let me buy you a drink and explain what I meant by that.” His
deep blue eyes stared at mine; they pleaded for me to comply. I felt something
in me when he looked at me, a feeling I’d never felt before.

Chapter 3

I felt apprehensive, yet intrigued and interested in
hearing his explanation.
Who knows? It may help me come up with a title for
my book.
I reluctantly nodded and agreed to hear him out. He led me to the
bar where Julie was wrapping up the night’s events over an apple martini. She
smiled when she saw us. I knew that smile; it wasn’t authentic. She was
nervous. I wondered why. Was she nervous that I would blow this, or did she
know something more about him?

Alex asked what I wanted to drink and gestured for the bartender,
who walked over. “Tyler, would you please get this lovely woman whatever she’d
like?”

“What’ll it be, hon?” His voice was almost as deep as Alex’s.

“I’d like a chardonnay, please.”

He winked. “Sure thing, babe.”

Alex glared at Tyler, who looked as though he’d just stepped out
of a male modeling magazine. I wondered what that glare was about. Maybe he’d
broken a rule by calling a customer “hon” and “babe.”

Tyler came back, set my wine down on a silver cocktail napkin, and
did the same with Alex’s beer. He shook hands with Alex and went to help more
people. I leaned toward Alex to thank him, when a leggy blonde sidled up to him
right between us, forcing me to back up. She was stunning and tall with perfect
curves; she could have just stepped out of the same magazine that Tyler did. She
rubbed Alex’s arm, ran her pointer finger behind Alex’s ear, following his hair
line to his neck, and in a sexy voice she said, “Save me a dance tonight, okay,
lover?”

“Not tonight, Leah, I’m kind of in the middle of something.” He
nodded toward me. She turned up her nose and said, “You know where to find me
when you get bored.” She strutted away. My eyes followed her as she strode back
to a table at which I could only guess were her friends, apparently also models
or wannabes.

Does this happen to him all the time? Was he this woman’s
lover? Is that what he meant when he said, “It’s complicated?”

“If you’ll excuse me, Alex, I’ll be right back.” I needed to escape
the funky feeling that engulfed me. He stood when I left and looked a little
concerned. Maybe he thought I wasn’t going to return. He could be right. I
decided I would head to the ladies’ room to collect my thoughts.

Julie saw me get up and walk away, so she followed me. The club
was getting crowded. There were more women than men; it almost looked like a
cattle call. Some women were dressed provocatively, trying to look older and attract
men, and then there were older women trying to appear younger. The guys didn’t
really seem to have a preference; they probably all just wanted to get laid. As
I walked through the club, I noticed that lovely scent again. I figured it was
piped through the vents since it was everywhere.

We finally made it to the ladies’ room, and as soon as the door
closed behind us, Julie immediately started in on me. “What is going on with
Alex, Aubrey? Do you realize who he is?”

I glanced at another woman in the room and looked at Julie,
almost embarrassed that a stranger heard her scold me. I tried to whisper, but
I was getting agitated. “Other than just finding out he owns the club, no, I
don’t know who he is since we just met. How is it that you know him so well?”

“Aubrey, he is
the
Alex Logan.”

“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

The other woman continued to fix her lipstick then smirked and
looked at me. I felt like saying, “What? Do you have something to say too?” But
I refrained for fear that she did. Maybe she was one of his complicated women
or something.

“He’s loaded and he owns this place! His Dad is Jack Logan, one
of the richest business men around. He owns Logan Industries. Alex is a great
catch, but he’s a total player. You did see that blonde who strolled up to him,
not giving a shit that he was with you, right? Well, she is Leah Pierce, a rich
bitch from the city who lives off her trust fund and who feels superior to
everyone else and entitled to whatever and whomever she wants. And to answer
your question, he’s a client of Walker-Stone Marketing, the company that
employees me. We prepare all the marketing for the club, but you knew that. I
don’t know him outside of business and what I’ve heard and seen here at the
club.”

The other woman walked into a stall. Maybe she felt uncomfortable;
I sure as shit did.

There was so much to absorb; my brain was on overload. “Okay, I
get it. Maybe he won’t be good for my romance research, but when I talked to
him, he seemed a little more genuine than the way you’re portraying him. Plus,
every romance novel has a villain, right?” I shook my head and exhaled. “You’re
right. I should just move on. We’re at a club, right? There are a lot of guys
here. I noticed some real winners on the way in here, or better yet, maybe I
can catch that five-foot-tall awesome specimen of a man from earlier.” My
sarcasm was obvious.

“I have to say that when I saw him I thought there goes her high-heeled
shoe collection!” Julie looked at me and we both laughed.

“Look, if you think that Alex is what you want, go for it. Just
remember everything I said.” She made it sound like a warning.

I tried to look happy, but apparently didn’t pull it off, since I
could feel my face drop. Julie looked at my reflection in the mirror.

“I’m sorry to burst your bubble about Alex. Maybe he is a decent
guy. Maybe he’s changed and I’m way off base. I can only go by what I’ve heard
and seen. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

I shrugged and nodded. “Remember the purpose of this: the novel I
want to write—that’s all.” I tried to sound convincing, pulling my shoulders
back and smiling. What I was really thinking was that I needed to get to know
Alex. There was something about him that made my heart expand.

We turned to walk out of the bathroom when Leah and her entourage
strolled in, making us back up. They smiled at the woman who’d just walked out
of the stall. Apparently, they traveled in packs, and they were friends with
her. Leah gave me the once over from head to toe with her big brown eyes and
smirked. “So you’re Alex’s playmate of the night?”
What is with this chick?
She leaned in and whispered in my ear, making my skin crawl. “Here’s a tip. Don’t
get too attached.” Then she smiled the fakest smile I had ever seen. I was
floored and tongue-tied.

“Why, Leah, is it the lighting in here, or are you turning
green?” Julie was definitely not a fan of hers, and her tongue was definitely
working.

“Go to hell, Julie. You know that I can have any man, anytime,
anywhere.”

Holding the door open for Julie, I looked at her with pleading
eyes to end the verbal battle that was about to commence. I just wanted to
leave before it got worse.

Maybe Julie was right. I seriously doubted every emotion Alex
brought out in me. Maybe I was stunned by his looks, but when he touched my
hand, I really thought I felt something indescribable. Maybe I forgot what it
felt like to have a man touch me and I mistook that feeling for something more.

We walked back to the bar. Julie stopped me and could see that my
expression had done a one-eighty. “Don’t listen to her, Aubrey. She’s a total
bitch. Forget what I said before. Go for it. Go for him. Fuck her. You are so
much better than she is. She’s been around the block so many times that if she
had an odometer it would be broken from spinning too much.” We both giggled.

Back at the bar, Alex was talking to a hot guy and Tyler. I
looked over at Julie and noticed she appreciated the group as much as I did. She
looked at me and winked. Alex looked our way and smiled; he stood and pulled
out bar stools for us.

He introduced us to his friends. “Aubrey and Julie, I’d like you
to meet my friend, Brett, and, Aubrey, you already met Tyler.” I noticed Alex was
curt when he spoke about me having already met Tyler.

Brett was extremely attractive, about six feet tall, with light
brown hair and hazel eyes, and he had a great body. I could appreciate Tyler
even better now since he wasn’t behind the bar. He was tall and slim. He had
the body of a runner. I pictured him strutting on a catwalk. Julie began to blush
when she shook Brett’s hand. I knew that look of hers. He must have sensed it
too because he asked her if he could buy her a drink, and she shyly nodded. What
happened to my outspoken friend? He had her resorting to nodding. I looked at
her and raised my eyebrows. She just shrugged and grinned.

I turned back to Alex and smiled. He returned the gesture, laid
his hand on my shoulder, and whispered in my ear, “Would you like to dance?”

I loved to dance. “Sure, I’d like that.”

We weaved through the crowd. The beat of the music was
intoxicating. There were people everywhere. It took us a while to get to the
dance floor since everyone stopped Alex on the way over. He had men wanting to meet
him and women wanting to touch him and get a moment with him. He took my hand
in his and laced his fingers with mine; we fit together perfectly. He brought
me to the center of the dance floor. There were quite a few couples dancing. I
was a little nervous and grateful the music had slowed down a little. It wasn’t
what you would classify as a slow song, but it was slow enough that Alex held
me close to him. Our hips connected, and my knee slid in between his. We swayed
to the beat of the music as he led me through our first dance. I wondered how
many dances we would share. I hoped this wasn’t the first and last.

His arms slid around the small of my back while mine were draped
around his neck. He pulled away a little and looked in my eyes. “I’m sorry
about the woman at the bar. That’s what I meant when I said it’s complicated.”

I just looked up at him. I realized I was playing with the back
of his hair, so I stopped and moved my hands to his shoulders.

“This club consumes my life, and I’m here all the time, so
relationships are hard to keep because of that. It’s not that I haven’t had a girlfriend;
it just makes it complicated.” He shrugged his shoulders. “If I had a girlfriend,
she’d have to put up with my hours and the women who are constantly here; they
aren’t exactly shy. I’m sure Julie told you that I don’t have the best
reputation.”

I hated to admit that Julie and I had talked about him, but I
nodded.

We were dancing slowly to the music and never realized the music
changed to something faster. We glanced around and noticed the floor started getting
really crowded and the dancing got a little crazy. He took my hand and brought
me back to the bar where Julie was talking to Brett. I looked around and noticed
that Tyler was at Leah’s table and that they were practically in each other’s
laps. Leah was running her fingers up and down his chest, and I swear she had
her tongue in his ear. Alex grabbed my hand and my glass of wine and told Julie
and Brett to follow us.

I needed to know, so I asked. “Does it bother you that Tyler is
with Leah?”

“No, what they do is their business; it doesn’t affect me. Leah
is just well . . . Leah and Tyler is a guy, so . . . yeah, that about sums it
up. So I don’t care who they’re with.”

That was good to hear.

He brought us all upstairs to a VIP area, which was much quieter,
and we could actually hold a conversation. It was very nice: plush jewel-toned
couches and chairs with a table in the middle and an arrangement of white
orchids in the center. Julie sat down next to Brett, and we sat opposite them
on a different couch. That’s it. There it was again, that scent. It was
definitely orchids.

“So The White Orchid. What made you pick that name? Don’t get me
wrong. The flower is beautiful, and they smell lovely, but it doesn’t seem like
a typical name for a club.”

Alex’s eyes fell a little. “They were my mom’s favorite flower. She
passed away when I was twelve, but I remember that she always loved her
orchids. It’s just a way for me to keep her close to me.”

I felt tears prick my eyes.
Holy shit, why did I bring that up?
“I’m really sorry, Alex.” I felt awful.

He rubbed circles on the back of my hand that he was holding. “It’s
okay. It was a long time ago.”

I forced a smile and nodded. I still felt like crap.

“I’m glad you came to the dating event tonight, and I’m glad that
I met you. I would like to get to know you better if that’s okay with you. You’re
so different from the women who usually come here. You’re like a breath of
fresh air.”

My mind was trying to comprehend that he was talking about me. He
wanted to get to know me?

“Let me take you out sometime.” That was more of a statement of
fact than a question.

I literally shook; my knee bounced a mile a minute. “That would
be great, Alex.” My heart told me there was something special about him. I also
knew I wasn’t naive and that I was not the type who would tolerate dating a man
who was tempted to be with multiple women, not to mention worrying about how
many women were trying to attach themselves to him. But I shouldn’t get ahead
of myself. He asked me out on a date, not to marry him. Then I thought about my
original purpose . . . research.
I can do this. I just won’t get attached
.
I wondered if he was a romantic. He obviously didn’t have to woo a woman to get
her attention.

“Great. How about tomorrow? It’s Sunday and the club is closed. We
can grab lunch and then go to the park.”

“Okay, that sounds great, Alex. I should probably get going,
though; it’s getting late, and I have to call a cab.”

“I have a driver here; I’ll have him take you home.”

“That’s okay. I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“It isn’t an imposition. A car is always here for people who have
a little too much to drink. I don’t want anyone driving while impaired.”

He really was a good man. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as Julie said he
was. “Thank you. I appreciate the ride.”