The Wilde Side (2 page)

Oh, she planned to. An evening of wicked, wild fun. "I will," she said, and stepped from the vehicle.

Once inside the hotel, Ashley made her way across the lavishly decorated lobby, then used a key card to open a locked door next to the registration area and slipped inside. There were offices on either side of the carpeted corridor, including Evan's, and halfway down was a private elevator that led to the penthouse suite where she lived. At the end was another door, and this one led to a restricted garage with limited parking for herself, Evan, and her family – so they all could come and go as they pleased without employee scrutiny.

She pressed the button for the elevator, which immediately opened. Stepping inside, she punched in a code on the key pad, and the lift took her directly up to the forty-fourth floor of the hotel ... and the place she called home. No one had access to her level except herself her family, and Evan for emergency purposes – and all of them respected her privacy and never came up to her place unless they called beforehand.

That was the first rule she'd set down after making the decision to accept her parents' offer of living in the penthouse. It had been the perfect arrangement years ago since she spent so much time working at the hotel, but there were times when she wondered if living here had stifled her independence a bit and had made her too reliant on what was easy and comfortable and safe.

Which made her think about the move to San Francisco she'd been considering for the past few months – for a change of pace and to make the St. Claire Hotel located there her new home base while she still traveled and managed the Chicago and New York hotel boutiques. She hadn't made any firm decisions just yet, but lately the idea of being completely on her own, away from any familial influences, was becoming more and more appealing.

The elevator doors opened directly into the penthouse and a spacious marbled foyer. With tonight's mission on her mind, Ashley headed directly for the master bedroom suite. Once there, she kicked off her favorite pair of Ferragamo pumps and stripped out of her conservative Albert Nipon skirt suit. The diamonds in her ears and around her neck came next, followed by her new birthday bracelet. No way could she wear such an expensive piece of jewelry to a bar on the outskirts of Chicago. Besides, she wanted to blend in, not stand out like a neon advertisement for Tiffany and Saks Fifth Avenue.

She pulled the pins from her chignon and ran her fingers through the newly shorn and highlighted strands of her hair. In her bare feet and lacy bra and panties, she crossed to her enormous walk-in closet and surveyed the contents, looking for something that would show off her tan and flatter her figure, but didn't scream
rich girl
. Everything she owned was a designer label of some sort, but she supposed if no one peeked at the tags in her clothes, she'd be able to get away with a cute Betsey Johnson ensemble she'd bought a few weeks ago.

Retrieving the white eyelet miniskirt and the pink stretch top edged around the low-cut bodice in crocheted lace, she put on the outfit and slipped her bare feet into a pair of sexy Antonio Bossi slides. She finger-combed her hair into the soft, tousled shape the hairstylist today had taught her, which gave her a sultry kind of look, then reapplied a very light layer of makeup, just enough to enhance her features and green eyes. She spritzed her favorite fragrance on all her pulse points and dabbed a bit behind her knees, too.

After putting a pair of plain gold hoops in her ears, she stood back and surveyed her image in her dressing mirror and grinned at her reflection. All traces of the wealthy, conservative Ashley St. Claire were gone, and in her place was a woman who looked as though she was prepared to have herself a good time – a confident, sensual woman who was ready to celebrate her thirtieth birthday in grand style.

Now all she had to do was find a man who could rock her world like never before.

*

"Jee-sus, would you take a look at the hot babe that just walked in the door."

Scott Wilde glanced up from the pool table and the shot he was considering to see what his brother, Alex, was talking about. Sure enough, just a few feet from the entrance of Nick's Sports Bar stood one helluva sexy woman who immediately stirred a basic, primal kind of lust in his blood. And judging from the way every other man in the joint was ogling her, he wasn't the only one who was affected by her vibrant, and very provocative, presence.

"Oh, yeah, that's the sweetest thing I've seen in here in a long time," his other brother, Joel, chimed in.

Scott had to agree. He and his brothers and cousins had been coming here for the past few years, and they all knew the regulars that frequented the place, especially the single women, since the ladies had done their share of hitting on the Wilde men – without much success. And no one had ever caused quite the stir of interest that this one was generating.

The stunning blonde shifted on her feet as she glanced around the establishment, drawing Scott's gaze to her heeled shoes that boosted her height a few inches. From there, he took in her shapely calves and endlessly long, tanned legs he could too easily imagine wrapped around his hips in the throes of passion.

The short white miniskirt she was wearing afforded him a glimpse of her smooth, slender thighs. Enjoying the view, he slowly slid his gaze upward. His mouth went dry as he took in curvaceous hips, a slim waist, and a top that molded to generous, perfectly rounded breasts and showed the faint outline of her nipples pressing against the pink, stretchy fabric.

Her face was classically beautiful, and even from a distance her skin looked creamy and flawless. Her hair, the color of rich butterscotch, appeared as though she'd just tumbled from some man's bed ... and wouldn't mind tumbling right back in.

And damn if
he
didn't want to be that man.

She had soft, full lips and a sweet mouth designed to give a man all kinds of erotic pleasure. The thought caused his stomach to tighten with awareness and made other parts of his male anatomy leap to attention, as well.

Finally, he met her gaze, surprised to see that she was staring at him, too, from across the barroom. Then she smiled like an angel – a direct contradiction to her blatantly seductive appearance.

Momentarily taken aback by that contrast, Scott studied her more objectively. Outwardly, there was no denying she was a combustible combination of temptation and original sin, yet there was something about her, a barely perceptible level of uncertainty he detected that told him she was completely out of her element. Despite the sexy clothes and her attempt at fitting in, her entire appearance made him think of a brilliant diamond nestled amongst dull rhinestones.

The distinction intrigued him like nothing had in a very long time – especially when pertaining to a woman – and this one undeniably piqued his curiosity, right along with his libido.

A young, good-looking guy who frequented Nick's Sports Bar approached her, his gait cocky and way too confident, as if he thought he was God's gift to women. His name was Tom, and Scott and his brothers and cousins had nicknamed him appropriately "The Tomcat," because he was always on the prowl for a new conquest.

The blonde's gaze shifted from Scott's to the other man's, and her smile visibly faltered. Tomcat leaned close and said something to her that made her stiffen and take a step back.

She shook her head, and Scott read the words, "No, thank you," that formed on her lips.

Score one for the angel
, he thought in amusement. He was gratified to see that she had great instincts when it came to men. And those types were obviously of no interest to her. Which made him wonder all the more what had brought her to a casual, off-the-beaten-path place like Nick's.

Pulling her shoulders back determinedly, she started toward the brass-and-mahogany bar, walking with an elegance and grace that made her look as though she was gliding across a ballroom instead of a crowded barroom. Yet another contradiction when compared to every other woman in the place. Her hips swayed gently, her long, toned legs took confident steps, and her full breasts jiggled with just enough bounce to make Scott entertain the thought of how those soft mounds would feel in his hands, his mouth....

The thought made him hard, and he bent low to make his shot, as well as to hide his reaction to the blonde with the centerfold curves.

Joel groaned, echoing Scott's sentiments. "Lordy, she has a body that makes me want to fall to my knees and beg."

Alex snickered from where he sat on a nearby bar stool as he watched the game of pool in progress between his older brothers. "More like howl like the dog you are," he ribbed good-naturedly.

"Whatever works to get myself a treat or two." Joel shrugged unapologetically and took a long drink of his beer.

"Would you guys knock it off." Scott made his shot and sank a solid ball into the corner pocket, even as he watched from his peripheral vision as the woman slid her trim backside onto a seat at the bar and ordered a drink, then crossed one long leg over the other. "You're acting as though you've never seen a good-looking woman before."

"Either you've gone blind or you've turned into a monk," Joel said incredulously. "She's not just good-looking. We're talking
hot
. Sizzling hot. And it looks like a few guys in this place are trying to get lucky with her."

Sure enough, another guy sauntered up to the blonde to hit on her. Scott felt unjustifiably aggravated, then alternately pleased when she turned him down, too. Her drink, something pink in a cocktail glass, was delivered, and she took a sip as she glanced around the bar. Her gaze found his again, and that brief eye contact between them was stunning in its intensity and sent a surge of heat spreading through his veins ... until another guy stepped in front of the woman and put an end to their silent, and too brief, connection.

"Come on, Scott," Alex said, drawing Scott's attention back to his brothers and the next shot he was about to take. "I've got Dana who is pretty damn sexy, and I can still appreciate a little eye candy. You can't be immune to that hot little package up at the bar."

No, he wasn't immune at all. A man had to be dead or seriously dysfunctional not to react to the woman – and it was obvious that the steady stream of guys approaching her at the bar felt the same way. He'd seen at least five men try their best to capture her interest, only to bite the dust with a rejection. But that didn't stop others from trying their luck with her.

"You know," Alex contemplated thoughtfully. "If she doesn't grab your attention or make you feel a bit hot under the collar, then that's proof that you've been way too long without a woman."

Scott lifted an inquisitive brow Alex's way, unwilling to admit to anything. "And how would you know how long it's been?"

"Hell, Scott, you're my brother, and I work with you every day of the week. That's how I know." Alex grabbed a few peanuts from the bowl on the table and cracked them open. "When I take off for the night you're still in your office, pouring over plans and estimates and bids that could wait until the next morning. Trust me, if you had a woman you wanted to be with, like I do with Dana, you'd be on your way out of the office the minute the doors are locked for the night and the phones have stopped ringing."

"You know we have that big job coming up for bid this next week," Scott said, defending himself and his reasons for spending so much time at the office lately. "It's a top priority if we want to expand the business to include commercial structures and renovations. I'm determined to get the job, and that means making sure our estimates are as tight as possible."

But to his brother's credit, Scott had to admit that Alex's comment hit too close to the truth. It had been over two years since Elaine had duped him in a major way and shattered his trust, and since then he'd focused all his excess time and energy into the family business, instead of women. He'd gone out on a few dates, but none of them had turned into anything serious, mainly because none of those ladies had stimulated his interest longer than a few weeks, tops.

Ultimately, he was a one-woman kind of man, and playing the field wasn't his thing. Never had been. He'd just turned thirty-three that year, and the singles' scene no longer appealed to him, either – unlike his younger brother Joel, an ex-Marine turned security specialist who claimed to enjoy being a bachelor and all the perks that went with it. Which meant a new flavor every month.

But this woman at the bar ... she made him feel restless. Hungry. Aroused. And it had been forever since anyone of the female gender had elicited that kind of response from him. She tempted him and would no doubt haunt his dreams tonight, leaving him hard and aching by the time he woke tomorrow morning.

Inhaling a deep breath, he eyed the eight ball and called the side pocket just as Alex piped in with, "Damn, another one crashed and burned."

Joel chuckled. "She's a tough lady to please."

A woman who was picky and selective. Not a bad thing in Scott's estimation, and her critical opinion said enough about her character to let him know that she was discriminate when it came to the opposite sex. Just as he was.

"Maybe she just needs to be introduced to the right guy," Scott said, and lined up the final shot for the game win.

"You know, I think you're absolutely right," Joel drawled, and leaned his black-jean-clad hip against the far end of the pool table, cue in hand. "Why don't you go and see how far the Wilde charm gets you? And just to make things more interesting and give you an added incentive, here's fifty bucks saying you'll go down in flames, right along with all those other guys." Withdrawing the cash from his wallet, Joel set it on the table.