Page 5 of One Last Time?
“Look, lady, if you give me your address, that will be it. You’ll get home in one piece.”
“Are you married, or have a girlfriend?” I asked ignoring his comment.
“No… What does that have to do with anything, or in common with the other stuff?” He intensified his stare, pursed his beautifully sculpted lips together and his brows drew in.
“It’s the same to me. Ax murders, strange men, and cheaters.”
“Is that what happened to you? Cheating, I mean, not the other stuff.” Curiosity sparked in his eyes.
“That’s enough questions,” I snapped. I looked at him, and something dawned on me. “Why are you being so nice?”
He lifted his chin slightly. “You don’t like nice guys?”
“There is no such thing,” I fired back. “Men.The whole damn lot of you are evil bastards waiting to take advantage of women like me. I may be rich, but I’m still human. Wanting a nice guy is exactly my damn problem. No more, and now that I think about it, you can go to hell. I’ll walk home.” I whirled around, and that was it. The worst mistake of the evening. The whirling made the bile rise from my stomach right up to my throat.
I didn’t know how I had the good sense to move to the bushes as it filled my mouth. Maybe the part of my brain that didn’t want me to embarrass myself in front of this guy kicked in. I dropped my purse and the rum, then practically jumped into the bushes.
Andjumped,as in when I went to take the leap, I tripped over my feet and fell near the bush, where I started vomiting.
Thank you, universe. All I needed was this part to add to my day.
I couldn’t have felt sicker, and it was probably best to stay here just like this. Me, Miss Goody Two Shoes, drunk and disorderly.
I was pretty certain that little show would have sent Mr. Gorgeous fleeing, but to my surprise, he crouched down next to me. He smirked, and a dimple appeared in his cheek. Inside the bar, his eyes had mystified me for the glacier-like appearance. Out here against the moonlight, they looked silver with an otherworldly appearance.
“Do you think you’ll allow me to help you now?” he asked biting the inside of his lip.
Help.
It was more like I needed to be saved.
“Yes, please.”
Chapter 2
Dylan
* * *
What should I call this?
Karma? Fate? The universe being an asshole?
Or, coincidence?
Coincidence felt like it was too simple a word to describe this encounter of mine.
Sure, this wasn’t the way I thought my first introduction to Taylor Cartwright would go, but add the fact that we just happened to be at The Glow at the same time, and that pretty much took me to coincidence territory.
I might take it one step further and throw in that offer for sex, because damn it to hell, only days ago, I’d promised my father I’d represent the company well and I absolutely wouldn’t be sleeping with our clients. Not like I did before.
Oh yes…This was coincidence, alright, and I thought too that the fucking universe was being an asshole. Picking on me and throwing me the beautiful Taylor Cartwright, who appealed to me even in the state she’d been in tonight.
The reality of the situation was this…
Her father had just hired my father’s business consultancy firm to work with him. The job was to guide his daughter, who he was considering handing the business over to, for the next ten weeks. Her father, Peter Cartwright, had hired my father’s company, Patterson Inc., because we were the best at what we did. We were just as good as the other big brand firms, but we were the little guys hoping to rise up and swim with the bigger fish.
This was our chance because Cartwright wasn’t just offering a handsome six-figure sum for the ten weeks; it would be publicity for us.
