Chapter 2

Ican"t get comfortable on this couch. I try to lie on my side without any success whatsoever. I turn to the other side, and now I"m watching the wall, and my ass is hanging off the edge. I should have shopped for comfort instead of what looked good in my office. Oh, right, I didn"t shop for this; the "designer" got it all for me.

Turning again so that I"m resting on my back, I try to put my arms behind my head, and that"s when I slip off the couch and fall to the floor. I would have laughed if I could find humor in the situation. But I do hear someone laughing and look up to find my business partner Erik standing at the door. I shoot daggers at him from where I am on the floor, but it does nothing to shut him the fuck up.

"Is there something you wanted, Erik?"

He"s wiping tears from his eyes. That"s how much he"s laughing at me.

"I…I came to see how you were doing. I didn"t expect this. What the hell happened?"

"This thing is slippery as oil, and I don"t fit on it, no matter what position I get into."

"Still restless? You"re never over here this early."

"I tried to relax at home, but it"s impossible. It"s so quiet there."

"You need a vacation."

"Honestly? I don"t know what I"d do with myself if I went on a vacation."

"Then go out and get laid."

I look at him, trying to gauge if this is a real suggestion or if he"s trying to put one over me. His face shows he"s serious about this.

"Sex therapy?"

"I know you have this thing. But it"s not unbreakable, is it?"

"My vow of celibacy, you mean?"

"How long has it been?"

"Ten years this week. I guess that"s part of what"s been keeping me up at night."

I get up and move to the chair behind my desk. I feel more in control when I"m sitting there and not as vulnerable. This is not a conversation I want to be having right now.

"Let"s just say no woman has made enough of an impression to tempt me to break my vow."

"I know you don"t like to talk about it…"

"And I"m not going to now, either."

"Just go and spend some time in the VIP lounge and see what"s out there. Life is too short."

"Okay," I sighed. "I"ll give it a try. Thanks."

My tone is dismissive, so he knows I won"t talk about this any longer. He eyes me warily and then leaves, closing the door softly. I don"t want to agree with his "life is short" statement, but it truly is. I"ve immersed myself in my work for the past decade and kept everyone at arm"s length. But the pain I carry inside has been like an acid acting on metal, slowly eroding my walls. It wants me to let it loose. I just don"t know what kind of man I would become if I let the pain take over.

I make my decision. I go to my private bathroom and pull myself together in front of the mirror. I could try some flirting. I haven"t done that in a while, and I might be a bit rusty. It"s a place to start, at least. So I make my way to the VIP lounge and cringe when I see the women all over the men. I almost turn back when I feel Erik standing behind me.

"You can do this, Max." He says, low enough that only I can hear. Then he puts his hand on my shoulder, giving me some of his strength.

Once I"m inside, I stop a server and order a whiskey. I stand close to the balcony so I can check out what"s happening on the lower level of the club. Midnight Heat is my baby, and I"m really proud of how much success it"s had in the last few years. Working with my two best friends day in and day out makes it even more special. Theo is generally here during the day, but we all make a point to check things out during the night as well.

Erik works fast and brings a couple of ladies over to me, and we manage some small talk. My whiskey arrives and I"m relieved that I have something to sip on so I can blend in. My partner carries most of the conversation, and I try to pay attention while still observing the ground floor. That"s when I see her. A beautiful redhead wearing the most seductive dress imaginable.

She carries herself like a queen, and for the first time in years, I feel my blood heat and my interest surface. I follow her with my eyes and then see someone crash into her and drop their drink on her incredible dress. She looks like she wants to battle, but the other person just brushes her off. Then she looks resigned and moves toward the restrooms.

I think of going after her, but Erik interrupts my thoughts and brings me back to the conversation they"ve been having. It"s the story of how we founded Midnight Heat, and he always tells it to impress the ladies. He"s telling a part where he normally exaggerates, so I set him straight so that the ladies don"t think we"re some sort of geniuses who did this great thing. We are businessmen that had an idea and worked hard to get our business off the ground.

Keeping my eye on the ground level once more, I add comments throughout my friend's retelling of how we "built our empire." It is a mini-empire, I guess. There"s a lot more room to grow, though. I want to have locations in other places like New York and London. But that takes a lot of planning. That"s why we"ve been looking for an additional marketing person to help us grow.

We keep the small talk going, and then I feel it in the back of my head. This tingling and I know exactly where to look. Down at the bar. She"s there, and her eyes are trained on me. I immediately take off for the stairs so I can get to her. When I"m on the ground floor, I see her searching for something. She must be searching for me, but when she spots me, she opens her eyes wide and takes off.

I fight my way across the dance floor, but people keep stopping me to say hello or ask questions. I just nod and keep pushing through the sea of people. When I get to the doors, I ask security if they saw where the redhead was going, and he just points to the right. I immediately start walking down the street in hopes of finding her.

After a few minutes, despair fills me, but I keep walking. Then I see her through the window of The Dragon"s Lair, and I go in. I know the hostess, Cassie, and I tell her I"ve got someone waiting for me. When the redhead looks up, I wave at her and she smiles seductively and waves back. I guess that"s my signal to proceed. I want to see what this sultry stranger has that is making my blood boil.