Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Oh no. Nothing good could come from this pairing.

The next morning I walked over to the seating area off the lobby, where Weston and Scarlett were having coffee and laughing.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Scarlett sipped from her mug through her grin.

“This is late for you,” Weston chimed in. His eyes gleamed. “Must’ve been worn out last night.”

“What are you two doing?”

Scarlett feigned an innocent face. “Having coffee. What does it look like we’re doing?”

I rolled my eyes. “I need coffee to handle you two at the same time. Be right back.”

“I’ll take another caffè macchiato with one pump of vanilla, please.” Scarlett held up her mug.

Weston shrugged. “I’ll take a tall, black coffee.”

I squinted. “Not that I asked...”

I heard them chuckle as I walked away.

After a long wait in line, I put all three drinks on a plastic serving tray and walked back to where Weston and Scarlett were still looking cozy.

“What are you two talking about?” I handed Scarlett her coffee and then Weston. “You look like you’re enjoying yourselves a little too much.”

“I asked Weston if he knew of any good clubs nearby. We need to go out dancing. He told me about a place a few blocks away that’s become a celebrity hangout.”

“Oh really? I didn’t realize Weston was a club hopper.”

He sipped his coffee. “I’m not. Not anymore, anyway. Church is owned by one of my buddies from grad school. He built it in a closed-down cathedral. It’s all he posts about on social media.”

“Wes is going to get us in, so we don’t have to wait in line.”

“Wes?”

Weston grinned. “It’s what my friends call me. Maybe someday you’ll get around to calling me that, huh, Fifi?”

I sighed. This new bond made me a little nuts, which they clearly enjoyed. “When is this happening? Going clubbing, I mean.”

“Tonight.” Weston stood. “I’ll make sure both your names are added to the VIP list and let them know you’ll be there about ten. How does that sound?”

“That sounds fabulous,” Scarlett said.

“All right, then. I need to get upstairs to the conference room.” Weston buttoned his suit jacket and gave a slight bow in Scarlett’s direction. “Thank you for your company, Scarlett. It was enlightening.”

Weston grinned at me. “Have a great day, Sophia.”

I plopped down into Weston’s chair and scowled at my friend. “Enlightening? What were you two talking about?”

Scarlett waved her hand in the air. “A little of this and a little of that. He’s lovely.”

“Please don’t try to matchmake. What Weston and I have—occasional, meaningless sex—is perfect the way it is.”

“I agree.” Her tone was totally patronizing.

“Scarlett…” I sighed. “Even if you’re right and he’s a great guy under all the layers of cocky arrogance, I just came out of a relationship. I’m not looking for another one. Especially not one where the new guy has baggage and our families hate each other. It’s too complicated. Sometimes things are better kept simple.”

She smiled wider. “Okay.”

I squinted at her and stuck out my tongue.

“Very mature,” she gloated.

“I actually need to get upstairs to the conference room where my team is working, too,” I told her. “What time is your fashion show?”

“Eleven. I’m going to head over to Bergdorf’s first, as soon as I finish this second cup of coffee. But I should be back tonight by about seven.”

I stood and leaned down to kiss my friend’s cheek. “You drive me nuts, but I’m so glad you’re here.”

***

That night, I realized it had been a long time since I went to a club. I put on a pair of jeans, a cute navy blouse, and a pair of wedges I knew I’d be able to dance in. Scarlett knocked on my hotel room door at nine forty-five.

“I thought we were meeting downstairs in the lobby at ten?”

She looked me up and down and walked in with her arms full. “We were. But then I realized you’d be dressed like that without my help.”

I looked down at my outfit. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

Scarlett sighed. “You screwed a man in the laundry room yesterday. You’re not boring, yet you insist on dressing like you are.”

“This is an expensive shirt. And I’m wearing tight jeans and heels.”

She ignored me and held up a sparkly, flimsy silver blouse that draped into a V-neck in one hand and a pair of sparkly, strappy silver heels in the other.

“I like this one best,” she said. “But this one…” She tossed the silver garments on the bed and held up a bright green halter-top in one hand and a pair of sky-high black shoes I’d never be able to walk in in the other. “This one would look fabulous with your hair.”

I knew better than to argue with Scarlett when she didn’t approve of my outfit. Plus, I couldn’t deny that both of her choices were more exciting than what I had on.

“Fine.” I picked up the silver items from the bed, acting like it was a sacrifice.

But when I looked in the mirror after I’d changed, I realized my friend was totally right. The other outfit was nice, but this one was funnight out clubbing. And if I were being honest, it was kind of exciting to be dressed a little sexier.

I turned for Scarlett’s approval.

She shrugged. “I’d fuck you, if you had a dick.”

I laughed and looped my arm through hers as we headed toward the door of my suite. “You know, I thought I missed you. But actually, I think I missed your closet.”

***

Weston had done more than get us skip-the-line entry. We had a roped-off table in the upstairs VIP area with a bucket of champagne waiting when we arrived. The waitress told us she was our personal attendant for the evening, and a VIP host handed us keys to a special VIP ladies’ room that was always empty.

Scarlett and I took full advantage. We sipped champagne while scoping out the bodies swaying to a live DJ on the dance floor below and getting the feel for the place. Then we hit the dance floor like it was nobody’s business. One song led to the next, bodies pressed close all around us, and my heart seemed to beat in rhythm to the thump of the bass. After an hour, the back of my neck was slick with sweat, and my hair had pasted itself against it.

Throughout the night, various men tried to dance with us, but we were enjoying our time together and not interested in meeting anyone. Most took the hint. Though, at one point, a very good-looking guy walked over to Scarlett during a song transition and said something I couldn’t hear. Whatever it was made her laugh, and he started to dance with us. Unlike some men, who think a woman smiling on the dance floor means they have a license to dry hump you, the guy kept a gentlemanly distance, and we formed a small circle together, even though he clearly had eyes for Scarlett.

A friend of his joined us a few minutes later, and that led to us getting coupled into dance parties for two. The guy with me wasn’t trying to grope me or anything, so I kept dancing. I closed my eyes and swayed to the music, but a hand snaking around my waist from behind spoiled the moment. My eyes flashed open. I assumed it was the guy I’d been dancing with getting too friendly, but he was still right in front of me. I whipped around, preparing to tell some asshole to get his hands off me, but halfway through my first word, I realized it wasn’t just any asshole. It was my asshole.

Weston.

He tightened his grip and leaned over my shoulder to speak to the man in front of me.

“She’s here with someone.”

It was a total alpha move, but somehow he pulled it off without seeming obnoxious. The guy I’d been dancing with looked at me for confirmation, and I sighed but nodded. He politely disappeared without a scene.

I turned around to face Weston. “What are you doing here?”

He shrugged. “Dancing. What does it look like?”

“Here? You just happened to feel like dancing tonight?”

He grinned. “Nope. I was invited by Scarlett.”

I searched through the crowd to find my friend. When our eyes caught, I glared at her. She grinned and wiggled her fingers.

Cute. Very cute.

Weston took the opportunity to slip his hands around my waist again. His hard chest pressed against my back as he started to sway. Leaning over my shoulder, he lowered his mouth to my ear and whispered, “Relax and dance with me. You already know we have good rhythm together.”

I didn’t really have an opportunity to say yes or no. Weston just started to lead from behind, taking over the same way he did when we had sex—the same way I loved so much. It felt good, and our bodies really did move well together. So for once, I didn’t bother to fight it. I shut my eyes. One of Weston’s hands trailed possessively down my side as we moved, tracing its way from my ribs down over my hips to caress the top of my thigh. I lifted one arm and hooked it behind his neck, where his other hand held it in place.

We stayed that way for a few songs, and I could feel him swelling against the top of my back as time went on. Heat built inside of me, and I wondered to myself if the VIP bathroom was soundproof.

Weston leaned down and spoke into my ear again, “Want to take a break and get something to drink?”

I nodded. The music on the main floor made it virtually impossible to communicate unless there was a mouth right next to your ear. So we went back to the VIP table upstairs where we could hold a conversation.

The waitress came over the moment we sat down. She used tongs to pluck a chilled face cloth out of a basket and handed one to each of us. I used mine to wipe off the back of my neck, while Weston cooled off his face. We dropped them back into the basket and the waitress asked, “What can I get you to drink? Would you like more champagne?”

I smiled. “I’d love some. Thank you.”

“Just a water for me, thanks.”

I’d completely forgotten until that moment that Weston didn’t drink.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

Weston shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m the only one who needs to remember.”

“Isn’t it hard for you to be in this environment?”

He shook his head. “I avoided clubs and bars for the first six months. But now I’m okay with it. At least when it’s early. I loved the three-AM crowd when I was drinking. The later it got, the crazier the shit that happened. To me, that was the witching hour. I sometimes wouldn’t go out until one in the morning, so I could get shitfaced by three and be ready for the action. It’s funny, the first time I was in a bar at that time sober, I realized the people I’d thought were so much fun were really just a bunch of obnoxious assholes.”

“You had beer goggles on.”

“More like rum goggles, but yeah.”

I was so warm from dancing. I gathered the back of my hair into a ponytail and fanned myself to cool my skin.

“Hot still?”

“Roasting.” I looked down at the time on my phone. “I think Scarlett and I were on the dance floor for close to two hours.”

Weston nodded. “You were.”

My brows drew together. “How do you know?”

“I watched you from up here for at least an hour. Do you have one of those hair ties in your purse?”

I shook my head. “I wish.”

The waitress returned with my champagne and set down Weston’s water. “Can I get you anything else?”

Weston nodded. “Do you think you could find us one of those hair ties like you have in, to make a ponytail?”

She smiled. “Sure. No problem.”

“And can we maybe get another one of those cold towels, please?”

“Coming right up.”

After she walked away, Weston draped one arm casually along the top of the booth behind me.

“Thank you. I wouldn’t have thought to ask her for that.”

“I’m here to serve.” He winked. “Any other needs I can fill?”

I laughed. “Not at the moment, but I’ll let you know.”

When the waitress came back with a hair tie and fresh cool towels, Weston ordered me a glass of water. We sat looking down at the dance floor, but my mind wasn’t on the club or the people swaying to the music below. I was thinking about what Scarlett had said about Weston last night—how she’d noticed that he put me first, and Liam never had. Tonight alone, Weston had made arrangements for us to get into the club, made sure we got set up with VIP treatment, scored me a ponytail holder to put my hair up because I was hot, and asked the waitress for more cool towels and water. Even watching us dance from a distance and cutting in when two guys got a bit more friendly than most—Weston had a protective nature to him. Some of that was good old alpha-male, territorial behavior, but it wasn’t overly obnoxious. I found his jealousy kind of sexy.

Weston leaned forward. “You cooled off now?”

I nodded. “The ponytail holder really helped.”

He inched closer to me, and the hand that had been stretched along the top of the bench seat slid over to my shoulder. He gently nudged me to lean back against him, and I did. We’d seen each other naked plenty of times, but this simple cuddle was more intimate than we’d been in a lot of ways. Weston traced his fingers back and forth over my bare shoulder, and I felt my body relax into his touch. It felt good, really good even, and my head lolled back to rest against his chest.

I’d been staring down at the dance floor, not paying attention to anything in particular, when I saw Scarlett extend a hand to the guy she’d been dancing with. He took it and leaned down to say something. A few seconds later, his smile had wilted, and he walked away with his shoulders slumped. Scarlett raised her arms in the air, shut her eyes, and went back to dancing happily by herself.

“Did you catch that?” Weston asked.

“I did. Guess she was done with him.” I laughed.

“I like her a lot. She says what’s on her mind.”

“That’s Scarlett. People either appreciate that about her and love her, or don’t.”

“I’m guessing the ones who don’t she doesn’t consider a loss.”

“Definitely not. She jokes that I’m her only friend, and she’s been auditioning replacements ever since I left. But people would line up to be closer to her. She doesn’t let many into her circle, though.”

“You two seem to have a lot in common.”

I nodded. “I thought I would miss a lot about London, but she’s the only thing I truly miss.”

“Not Liam?”

I didn’t have to think about that. Shifting my eyes from the dance floor to meet Weston’s, I said, “Liam who?”

Weston smiled, and his eyes dropped to my lips for a moment. The music pumped loudly around us, and there had to be a few hundred people in the club, yet it felt like just the two of us. Weston had a way of making me feel special and desirable that didn’t require any words. My eyes fell to his mouth, and for a change, I didn’t overthink my actions. Leaning in, I pressed my lips to his. He wrapped a hand around my neck and kissed me back, but didn’t try to make out with me. Instead, we shared a very tender first kiss. After, he pulled back.

“You broke your own rule?”

“Eh. Fuck the rules.”

A smile spread across his face, and his eyes grew darker. “Yeah?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

He squeezed my neck and tugged my face back to his. The second kiss wasn’t tender; Weston kissed the living shit out of me until I was breathless.

After, he dipped his mouth to my ear. “How about we keep one of your rules? You come first.”

***

It was after two by the time the three of us walked back into the hotel lobby. Scarlett had kept us entertained the entire way with the worst pickup lines she’d heard tonight, plus some memorable ones from over the years.

Weston pushed the up button to call the elevator, and stepped aside for us to enter first when the car arrived.

“What’s your go-to line, Wes?” Scarlett asked.

He shrugged. “I usually go with…hey.”

Scarlett snorted. “I guess that’s all you need when you look like you do, pretty boy.”

Weston winked and tilted his head in my direction. “Worked on this one.”

I’d been standing in front of the button panel on the right side of the elevator, but forgot to push our floors. After a minute, Weston noticed we weren’t moving.

“Helps if you tell the elevator where you want to go, Soph.”

“Oh shit. Yeah.” I hit all three of our floors, and the car started to move.

Scarlett’s room was on the third floor, so her stop came first.

“Thank you for a lovely evening, Weston. I had a blast.”

“Anytime. But I have a feeling you have a blast wherever you go.”

Scarlett and I hugged, and then the elevator headed up to its next stop. Weston’s room was on the eighth floor. The doors slid open, but he made no move to exit.

“Are you…getting off?” I said. “This is your floor.”

Weston shook his head. “Nope. I’m going to your room to get you off.”