Red Hot Obsessions (59 page)

26

Piper was having a good time. Better than she thought she’d have when she rolled out of bed this morning. Tom was a great companion and she found, not for the first time, that they shared an easy connection. Almost like brother and sister. They just clicked.

The steady flow of traffic should have made it easy to blend into the crowd and lose a few hours, but Piper had found her brain constantly occupied with thoughts of Tate, who sat at the table reserved for the authors at the head of the room. For hours, she had caught herself in his hard gaze. No matter where she went, no matter how she tried to shield herself, she could never quite shake the feeling of his eyes on her. It should have made her uneasy, completely off kilter, even, but she wasn’t. She was aroused.

Just the idea that Tate wanted her badly enough to keep her in his sights was an aphrodisiac.
Was he jealous?
She asked herself that question several times throughout the day, and each time she did, she found herself leaning closer to Tom, hanging on his every word. Each step she took, she let her hips sway a little more, her laugh reach a little higher. What was he thinking, watching her enjoy herself with another man?

“How are you enjoying Vegas so far?” Mr. Bradshaw directed his question at her and Piper struggled to compose herself.

She cleared her throat. “I’m afraid I haven’t been able to get out yet, but the hotel is nice.”

“Ah,” Mr. Bradshaw said, expressing his understanding. “I’m sure the preparations for this afternoon have kept you fairly busy. I tend to forget those small details when nothing more than showing up is required of me.”

Piper grinned, finding the man charming in a stiff, businessman kind of way. He wasn’t exactly personable, but he was certainly attractive and she didn’t know why, but she imagined that under that posh business suit and proper way of speaking, he was just an ordinary, fun-loving guy.

“If you can get away this evening, I recommend you visit the MGM. They host a lot of great shows and have a host of activities that shouldn’t be passed up.”

“Thank you,” Piper said, inclining her head. “I’ll keep that in mind.” As Mr. Bradshaw directed the conversation to Tom, Piper slid her gaze discretely around the room.

The problem with watching someone so closely was that she knew the exact moment when Tate left his seat and began heading in her direction. A brief glance over her shoulder, that’s all it took to set her heart thundering in her chest.

There she was, standing among a group consisting of her boss and a few fellow Bookish Temptation employees with Tom’s warm hand resting gently on her hip, and a couple of suits she wasn’t familiar with. They were talking shop and she was bored to tears. She felt his approach like a swift breeze, a storm threatening on the horizon. The tension he radiated was a palpable force, and she knew without a doubt that Tate was coming their way.

Moments passed and Piper chewed lip in nervous anticipation, her belly filled with the flutter of butterflies, but nothing happened. Tate never stormed his way into their group. He never whisked her away or staked his claim. By the time Piper was finally able to break away, she couldn’t find him anywhere. Gone, like a phantom in the night.

The disappointment that flooded her then was almost crippling. Piper had to force herself upright. She recalled Tom asking her if she was feeling alright, and she had responded with barely a nod, her voice failing her. The game was over and she felt like a complete fool for ever thinking that Tate would come after her. This wasn’t a movie. He wasn’t a hero and she was far from any heroine, and there would be no rescue—not that she needed rescuing from someone as honorable and caring as Tom.

But that didn’t stop her from wanting it

Insisting that she get off her feet, Tom directed her to an empty table and dashed away to find her some water. While Piper sat there, staring off into the sea of people, her eyes constantly scanning for the one person she wished to see most, she finally got her wish.

There, beyond the hotel’s walls, stood Tate with a woman nearly half his height, tucked into a secluded corner of the building. No doubt, from where they stood, they thought they were completely alone. With just a glance at their surroundings, they might have noticed that they were in direct line of the windows where everyone could take in their exchange if they happened to look up.

They weren’t even technically together, so the rush of jealousy took Piper by surprise. She was transfixed by the tiny woman. Was this Tate’s new bedmate? Was she why he sneaked out on her last night, or was this her replacement for this evening? Piper’s chest ached with a pain that superseded anything she had experienced after finding Tyler in bed with her roommate. This was a different monster entirely, one that threatened to pull her under into a bottomless pit of despair that she may never be able to climb out of. The realization was startling, but one she knew she was beyond escaping. Somehow, Tate had managed to affect her, and she wasn’t certain how to become
un
affected.

As they talked, she analyzed every expression, every angle of their bodies, reading between the lines what she couldn’t hear in words. What she gathered: they were something to each other. There was history there. She couldn’t be sure how they were connected, of course, but they were. Of that she had no doubt. She caught a hint of upset flit across Tate’s face before being replaced by something fiercer. It instilled in her a hint of hope, but that was all dashed when moments later, the woman threw herself into his arms and he welcomed her into his embrace.

He was smiling when they stepped away from each other and she didn’t have to guess at the fact that they had settled whatever problems they’d had with each other moments ago. When she saw Tate turn to head inside, Piper leaped from her seat. She couldn’t be there. She couldn’t face him right now.

Wending her way toward the door, her only thought was to escape before Tate returned. Her game, the game Shelia had put her up to, had blown up in her face. Big time. And that was how she ended up standing here, just outside the conference room amid a sea of guests and staring into the glossy metallic doors that reflected her desperation back at her. She had just jabbed the button on the elevator when a firm hand came down on her shoulder.

She yelped in surprised panic.

“Hey, where are you running off to?” Tom stood over her, his expression a mix of confusion and concern.

“I um—I’m sorry, Tom, but I need to go lie down.” Piper’s eyes darted down the hall nervously, the excuse rolling off her tongue with hardly a thought. Tom’s gaze followed hers and when, to Piper’s horror, Tate rounded the corner, understanding reflected back at her.

“Care if I walk you back?”

Piper tore her eyes away from Tate and looked up into Tom’s chocolate depths. The tenderness she saw there was nearly her undoing. Behind her, the elevator dinged its arrival and she bit her lip, thinking quickly. Would it be wrong of her to invite him up when her emotions were in such tangle? She knew that Tom liked her. She like him, too, but it wasn’t enough. He was a nice guy and she couldn’t deny that she was attracted to him, but he just didn’t inspire the same intense feelings she got when she was with Tate. Even so, she found she couldn’t turn him away.

Grateful for his offer, Piper accepted with a small nod. She twisted around, preparing to board the car, but was forced back as a pushy couple shoved their way in first, knocking her back slightly. Tom’s hard chest braced her back and she felt him tense, irritated by their behavior, but true to his nature, he didn’t say anything. The opportunity for comparison jumped at Piper, and she thought of how different Tate’s reaction would have been in this situation. No doubt, the couple would no longer be smiling as widely as they were now.

With a gentle nudge, Tom urged Piper forward.

The moment Tom stepped inside, Piper felt the air around them shift to accept him. Tom was a big guy, quiet and reserved she was learning, but his confidence devoured everything in his path. Right now, he commanded the small cube, driving back the other riders and dissuading any hopefuls from climbing on with them. Piper, glad to have him at her side, like a silent sentinel, smiled weakly up at him—he was a good friend.

That single thought suddenly put everything into perspective. Without intending to, Piper had put Tom firmly into friend territory.

Reaching past her, Tom punched in the number that would carry them to their floor. As the doors began to slide shut, Piper heard someone shout her name. She didn’t have to look up to know who that someone was, but she did anyway. Because, as she had already surmised long ago, she was a glutton for punishment.

Tate’s flushed face appeared as the doors began to slide shut. Piper watched several emotions cross his face as he tried to make it to her in time. First, relief, followed by puzzlement at whatever look he saw on her face, then, when he noticed who she was riding with, downright fury. And then he was gone.

Piper drew in a deep breath. Her lungs felt constricted, her throat tight. Her skin was hot despite the blast of cool air being piped down from above. Behind her, she could hear the hushed whispers of new love. Her stomach dropped.

More than anything, Piper wanted to be angry. Angry with Shelia for suggesting this stupid plan, angry with Tate for having foiled it, but most of all, angry with herself for ever believing it could work. Unfortunately, the only thing Piper felt was bone deep sadness and a need to climb into bed with a bucket of Rocky Road and eat her sorrows away. She would have to settle for the unfamiliar hotel bed and a frozen yogurt bar she’d spied in the mini fridge instead, but she could make it work.

The ride up seemed to take forever and by the time Piper stepped off onto their floor, she was practically sprinting to her room.

“Hey, hold up,” Tom said, jogging to her side. He snagged her hand in his and pulled her to a stop just outside her door. “It’s a good thing I was there for what happened just now or I might be inclined to think you were running away from me.” He smirked, but when Piper didn’t smile back, his face turned serious. He stepped closer, invading her personal space. “Wanna talk about it?”

Piper slanted a look at the floor, noticing that their hands were still locked together. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Bending his knees, Tom lowered himself to her level and searched her face. “You sure? I grew up with two sisters and I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but I’m a pretty good listener.” She couldn’t help it. Piper smiled. “Ah, there’s my girl.”

Warmth cascaded over her at his endearment. It wasn’t the type of warmth that came with passion or even anticipation, but the kind that made Piper feel cared for. Protected, even. It was a nice feeling, especially when she was so far away from her home and friends.

“I’m tired. I should probably head inside and let you get back,” she told him, withdrawing from the situation. Taking a step back, Piper tried to reclaim her hand, but Tom’s firm hold kept her in place.

“They can live without me for a while longer.” He uttered the words, and Piper heard the intent in them clearly. She stared up at him, frozen in place, as Tom used their joined hands to tug her closer and dropped his mouth to hers.

It was a nice kiss. Sweet and tender…and everything it shouldn’t be when two people connect in a romantic way. As her head cleared, Piper told herself that she needed to stop this, that she was leading him on, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Decided, Piper drew back, smiling softly.

Tom stood tall before her, looking down on her with nothing short of pure adoration shining in his eyes. He was incredibly handsome in all his black and white finery. Why couldn’t she want a guy like him—polite, caring, generous and undeniably
nice
? Glutton, she ruefully reminded herself once again.

When Piper would have severed the connection and ducked into her room muttering a thousand and one apologies, Tom caught her off guard. Releasing her hand, he reached up and cupped her face in his palms. His thumbs stroked her cheeks as he looked deep into her eyes. She didn’t know what he saw there, but whatever it was; it encouraged him to move in once again.

Despite what her body and clearly addled brain wanted, it was obvious that waiting for a guy like Tate to come around, hoping that he might change his playboy ways for her—or anyone—was about as likely as Hugh Hefner settling down with just one wife. It wasn’t going to happen. Ever.

This time, Piper decided she had nothing to lose. Tom was a good guy and she’d had enough of bad boys to last her a lifetime. It only ended in heartbreak and staggering mental health bills. It was time to make a smart decision for once, time to break the old good-girls-want-bad-boys idiom, and grab hold of something that could make her happy and not send her racing back to her bedroom at the end of the day to cry over a tub of ice cream and digging into her emergency stash of chocolate bars.

Rising onto her tiptoes, Piper met Tom halfway and returned his kiss. Like the first time, she didn’t experience the sparks of electricity or the flooding of rampant hormones in her loins, but she felt the warmth of companionship. Of a promise that went beyond a roll in the sack. It might never go beyond friendship, or it might turn into a mutual respect and caring for one another that would translate into love somewhere down the line. She could be happy with that, she thought as she set herself back on her heels.

“What would you say if I asked you to come out with me tonight? We could get something to eat, roll some dice, maybe.”

Piper bit her lip, contemplating his offer. She’d never been to Vegas before, and it would be a waste not to explore all it had to offer. She sucked in a fortifying breath and grinned. “I would say it sounds amazing.”

27

As days went, Tate’s was rounding out to be a pretty crappy one. Beginning with a standoff with his almost brother-in-law and former best friend, followed up by an encounter with his ex and somehow letting himself get suckered into going out with her and said ex best friend, and finally catching Piper sucking face with the cook as he stepped off the elevator and rounded the corner to his room.

He’d been on his way to apologize and get her away from Mr. Touchy Feely when he was sidelined by his ex. By the time they finished talking and he was on his way back into the convention, she was boarding the elevator. He wasn’t exactly happy to see her riding with the cook, which was putting it mildly. So he jumped on the next available car. By the time he arrived on their floor, it was too late.

Maybe he had no right being angry with her. After all, he had left her lying in bed alone, so to say she was most likely pissed at him was an understatement. She was probably entertaining thoughts of chopping off his balls the next time they saw each other. As far as he was concerned, turnabout is fair play and she had it coming after doing much the same to him not so long ago. But, as his mother and sisters taught him growing up, two wrongs don’t make a right and a woman scorned is nothing to screw around with. In other words, he was in trouble.

Is that why she decided to make it with the help? Was she trying to get back at him, show him that she could get any man she wanted? Well, he had news for her. He already knew that. The woman was gorgeous and if forced to admit it, he might even say she was easy to get along with. Any man would be lucky to have her at his side.

So why was he hesitating?

He knew he should break them up, interrupt their little tryst with a fine how do you do, but he was rooted to the spot, caught somewhere between a fit of anger and despair. So he stood there, watching as the two made out in the middle of the hall and blocking him from accessing his room. He had two choices: go through them or wait it out. He chose the latter. Nobody was forcing him to watch, but that’s exactly what he did. He watched until his stomach cramped and his fingers ached from squeezing them into fists for so long.

In the end, his refusal to look away paid off in an unexpected way. Before that smarmy bastard Tom released her from his hairy paws, Tate overheard his request to take her out on the town, and she accepted. The wheels started turning and soon a plan began to take shape.

Once Piper closed herself away in her room, Tate slunk back a few paces, pulled himself together, then set off toward his room as if he hadn’t just been standing there, eavesdropping on a very private public affair.

He managed to direct a tight smile as the cook passed by. “Mr. Revado.”

“Mr. Larson,” the cook returned coolly.

Locked inside his own room, Tate combed over the details of his plans for that evening and for the first time since their breakup, he was glad Casey hadn’t left him alone.

*

Nervous excitement coursed through her veins as Piper stepped off the elevator. After Tom left her earlier that evening to finish wrapping up downstairs, she’d engaged in a much-needed pep talk with herself in the mirror.

It was silly to feel nervous because, come on, it was Tom. He was possibly the most laid back guy she knew. She flat-out refused to feel guilty either. It was okay to have fun and she was a free bird. She could be with whomever she wanted and she didn’t have to answer to anyone, least of all her boss. Yes, he was her boss and she would do well to remember that.

Not that it seemed to make much of a difference before when she was jumping into bed with him. Sex with Tate was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Where it had always been a part of a relationship, something that progressed over time, with Tate it was always an explosion. It blazed out of control in what she could only describe as a fierce flooding of emotions that overtook her sensibilities, until she was nothing more than a mindless, pleasure-seeking machine.

She could hardly keep from rolling her eyes at the thought of how pathetic she was to constantly fall for the man when she knew from experience what a terrible idea it was. Thank goodness for Tom saving her tonight. Had he simply let her go, she would probably be stuffing her face with every junk food she could get her hands on and crying into her phone about how unfair life was. Instead, she was going out for a night on the town with dinner and drinks and fun, and she would be experiencing it all with the handsome and charming Thomas Revado.

Dressed in a slinky, purple, off-the-shoulder number and heels that should be considered a deadly weapon, Piper relished the feeling of weightlessness as she walked side by side with Tom through the lobby. And boy did he look good.

He was a vision in black. His midnight hair was slicked back with just a hint of wave showing where the ends touched the collar of his black button down. He’d tucked the shirt into a pair of black dress pants and finished off the look with a black silk tie with contrasting shiny black stripes and a nice pair of, you guessed it, black shoes.

“You look nice,” she commented as they strode past the check-in counter. She noticed a few eyes turning his way and smiled inwardly at her luck.

“Thank you. And may I say that you look ravishing?” Tom had already made a point of telling her how amazing she looked, but it never hurt to hear it again.

“You may,” she said coyly, remembering how fun it was to openly flirt with another human being. With Tate everything was so secretive. This definitely was a nice change of pace. It would be a lie if she said that she had completely forgotten about Tate the moment she and Tom made their plans. In fact, her mind was spinning with thoughts of him, wondering what he was doing at this very moment, who he was with and what he would do if he knew she was heading out on a date with another man. But then it didn’t really matter because he only played with women. He didn’t keep them, and that’s all she was. A play thing. She’d held his attention for a short time, but now that time had passed and she needed to expunge any idea to the contrary.

Hand in hand, Piper let Tom lead the way outside where he assured her a cab awaited them. The moment the doors whisked open, she felt the cold slap of reality hit her square in the face.

Standing alongside the tall, well put together Mr. Bradshaw and the same waifish woman she’d spotted with him earlier, was Tate. Even under the glaring lights illuminating the portico and everything within a twenty-foot radius, he looked incredible. For a moment, her eyes clung to the soft taupe cotton hugging his butt and the way the knit blue sweater matching the exact shade of his eyes in moments of great emotion wrapped around his broad shoulders.

His back was to her, but the other pair, the ones that looked as if they could pass as brother and sister, which was a tad disconcerting, was facing her and so when she walked out, they noticed almost immediately. What should have been a passing glance quickly turned into a curious once-over when they noticed her preoccupation. Their attention caught Tate’s and he twisted around to see what they were looking at.

If he was surprised to see her, he didn’t let on. Piper, on the other hand, felt the familiar jolt of being under his watchful eye envelope her. His blue eyes held her in an unblinking stare that seemed to penetrate all the way to her core. Her legs wobbled slightly as Tom pulled her to a stop at the edge of the drive to await their cab. Staring out into the night, Piper focused all of her energy on locating the right car in a sea of them as they coasted up the drive to pick up and release guests. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t completely block out Tate’s lingering gaze or his voice as he spoke with his friends.

As they waited for what seemed like an inordinate amount of time, Piper managed to pick up bits and pieces of their conversation. They were going out for a bite to eat, maybe a club. The woman’s name was Cas. Was that short for Cassandra? She didn’t know. Gambling was definitely on the table for the night’s events, and Tate was planning to get wasted.

By the time their car arrived, Piper was eager to get the hell out of there. Tom opened the door for her and she dove in. As the cab pulled away, she couldn’t help herself. She looked back, and got caught in the steely trap of Tate Larson’s unyielding eyes.

*

For all the turmoil she was in on the way there, Piper’s troubling thoughts fled her completely the moment they walked into the MGM. Opulent wasn’t an adequate descriptor for the emerald building or it rich designs. Towering ceilings, television screen lined walls featuring all manner of sports, including horse racing and golf. And a noise level set at deafening.

Everywhere, people shouted, games pinged, change clanged, until it all blended together to create a cacophony of noise that easily surpassed some of the clubs she frequented back home.

As Piper’s virgin eyes struggled to take it all in, Tom guided her across the floor with one strong arm wrapped securely around her waist.

“I was thinking we would start with dinner,” he said, bending closer so she could hear him. “What’s your favorite food?”

Piper felt her stomach grumble as she thought over his question. “I’ll do anything except sushi.” She shuddered at the thought of eating raw fish. She didn’t care how thin they sliced it, how clean their hands were, or how much everyone else in the world swore by it, raw meat of any kind did not sound the least bit appetizing or sanitary.

“No problem. I’m not a big fan of the stuff either.” Tom continued to move them through the throng while he came up with a game plan. “How about Mexican?”

“Like Taco Bell Mexican or traditional Mexico Mexican?”

The look Tom passed her was memorable. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that and assume what you meant to say was ‘Hell yes, I love Mexican!’”

Piper giggled. “Well, what can I say to that?” The question was meant to be a rhetorical one, but one look from Tom said it all. “Hell yes, I love Mexican!” she shouted enthusiastically.

His face split into a toothy grin. “Then Mexican ye shall have.”

The restaurant he took her to was located inside the massive MGM grounds and was decked out in the bright, lively colors one might expect to find in a club, yet it somehow managed to come off as warm and inviting. Orange walls and pink booths lined the perimeter and small round tables surrounded by red art deco inspired plastic chairs decorated the floors. A bar sprawled off to one side and showcased a glowing blue wall of—what she assumed to be—very expensive liquor. Everything was clean lines and simple design, right down to the white dinnerware and black cotton napkins.

Piper loved it.

They were seated by a very pleasant woman who looked to be in her early to late thirties with brown hair drawn back into a softly waving ponytail and makeup that made Piper feel plain in comparison.

They each ordered tequila and a side of water to start.

“To a great evening,” Tom said, holding up his glass in a toast.

“To a great evening,” Piper echoed, clinking her glass with his and tossing back the shot. Tom held up his hand to signal another round. By the time dinner arrived on the table, Piper was feeling a little tipsy. They were having fun, tossing around jokes and comparing childhoods just like she did with the girls. Like old friends.

“So where did you grow up?” Tom asked, cutting a cube of steak and offering it to her.

Leaning forward, Piper didn’t think twice about wrapping her lips around his fork and accepting the juicy hunk of meat. When they were first presented with the menu, neither of them could decide what to choose, so they agreed to both pick something that sounded good and share it. He got the Oaxaca carne asada, which was just a fancy way of saying spicy steak, and she got the chicken enchiladas. Both turned out to be delicious.

Taking a big swig of water to wash away some of the burn, Piper began assembling another wrap. “In a little town in Alabama.” She shrugged. “It’s not much to write home about.”

“Is that why you came to Chicago?” He leaned in to take a bite of the enchilada she held out for him. “Mmm, yum.”

“Pretty much,” she said, tipping her head from side to side. “There isn’t a lot of opportunity in Wilcox.” Simple explanations, she had learned, were the way to go when a person didn’t want anyone digging too deep into their past. She didn’t have anything to hide, but she would rather leave her time in Wilcox in Wilcox.

“What about family? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Mom, dad, aunts, uncles?”

“One younger brother, and yes on all other counts.” She sat back to look at him. “What about you?”

“Yes to all of the above,” he said with a firm nod. He lifted his water glass and peered at her over the rim as he brought it closer to his lips. “But they’re all in Puerto Rico.” He took a drink as silence came down over the table.

Piper wasn’t sure what to say, how to respond. Was what he said a good or bad thing? “I’m…sorry?”

He left her hanging for a moment longer, and then chuckled softly. “Don’t be. I grew up in Puerto Rico with my family. We had a good life. But by the time I turned eighteen I was sharing my bedroom with my three younger brothers. My four sisters were sharing the second bedroom and my parents had converted the living room into a part-time master suite. To say it was crowded would be putting it mildly.

“So when my grandparents announced they were planning to move to the states, I expressed my desire to go with them. We took all the necessary steps, filled out all the necessary paperwork to pass guardianship to my grandparents, and before I knew it, I was living in Chicago and pursuing the American dream.”

“I thought you had to have a visa to come here. You make it sound so easy.”

“Nope, no visa,” Tom said with a shake of his head. “Puerto Ricans don’t need that kind of paperwork to enter the states. As for making it sound easy, maybe, but it wasn’t. I had to work hard to get where I am today, but I imagine you know a little something about that.” His eyes expressed an infinite amount of understanding that words alone would never do justice.