Complications Read online

“I can’t go out like this, Hol. I feel like I’m walking around naked!”

  “That’s the idea.” Her roommate grinned. “You’ll have every man in the room groveling at your feet within thirty seconds—and probably a few of the women too.”

  “Looking like a high-priced hooker’s not going to help me snag any interviews.”

  “You don’t look like a hooker. You look fucking gorgeous. Why do you think Eric sent you the dress in the first place? Trust me—you show up wearing that, and you won’t have any problem getting people to talk to you.”

  Ally smoothed down the front of the dress, shivering as the silk tickled her skin, raising gooseflesh all over. “You really think so?”

  “If I’m wrong, I’ll take the couch for the next month.”

  As promised, Eric’s limo arrived at the stroke of seven-thirty. Ally slid into the spacious leather-upholstered backseat, unsure whether she should feel more like a fairy princess about to be whisked off to some magical land, or the proverbial lamb waiting for a hammer between the eyes.

  Her mouth went dry as Eric opened the penthouse door and ushered her inside—and not just because he looked devastatingly handsome in his tailored Armani tux. When he’d mentioned a soirée the other night, she’d envisioned a small, intimate gathering, but there had to be at least fifty people here, filling the living room and spilling out on the balcony. She gave the room a quick scan and recognized two or three CEOs, a couple of prominent hedge fund managers and several other major players in the financial world.

  Crowds didn’t usually put her so ill at ease, but it had been a long time since she’d faced a throng of this caliber. Eric had obviously noticed her anxiety; he tucked her hand around his arm and gave it a warm squeeze. “You okay?”

  “I, um, wasn’t expecting anything like this.”

  “Why don’t we get you something to drink before we start mingling?”

  “Good idea.” She followed him to the bar before realizing it might be best to keep a clear head tonight. “On second thought, I’d better not.”

  Eric handed her a tall glass of something fizzy, garnished with a thin slice of lime. “It’s club soda.”

  “Thanks.” A couple of sips helped ease her dry-mouth problem, but unfortunately, Eric’s hand on her shoulder wasn’t having the desired calming effect on her nerves.

  “You ready?” he prompted gently.

  “I guess I’ll have to be.”

  “You’ll do fine.” He held out his arm to her again. “C’mon, let’s go work the room.”

  They wandered about for the better part of an hour, dropping in on conversations already in progress. Ally couldn’t help admiring Eric’s ability to pick up on any subject and speak about it knowledgably, though it really shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Nobody achieved what Eric had without being incredibly sharp and focused.

  Eric’s enthusiasm proved infectious, and Ally soon felt like her old, considerably more animated self again, laughing and riposting with the best of them. Holly was dead-on about the dress; it did all the work of attracting an audience, leaving Ally free to bowl them over. By the end of the evening, she’d collected half a dozen business cards, along with several leads for new articles.

  She was getting ready to call it a night when Eric sidled up to her and said, “There’s someone I want you to meet before you go.” They picked their way through the dispersing crowd over to the balcony, where a tall, slender man with a well-trimmed beard stood peering out at the breathtaking view of the Hudson. “Ally Taylor, I’d like to introduce Martin Atkinson. He’s that MSNBC producer I told you about.”

  She shot Eric a pointed glance as he moved off to usher out some of his departing guests. No wonder he’d been so insistent about her coming tonight. Then, pasting on her tried-and-true networking smile, she shook Atkinson’s proffered hand. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you,” she said sincerely. “I’ve been following your work for a while now.”

  “Likewise,” Atkinson replied, with a disarmingly lopsided smile.

  Ally blinked. “I haven’t had that much work to follow. Not lately, anyway.”

  “Didn’t you write that article on the latest developments in green technology in Mother Jones a few months ago?”

  “Yes,” she admitted, “but I didn’t think anyone had actually read it.”

  “Oh, I read everything. You never know when something good will pop right out at you. It was an exceptionally well-written piece.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his card. “I’m heading out of town for a few days, but if you’d like to give my office a call next week, maybe we can schedule some time to talk.”

  “About what?”

  Atkinson laughed, then leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “Eric mentioned that you’re between jobs right now.”

  “Oh, did he?” Ally spied Eric halfway across the room, and, once his eyes locked on hers, proceeded to look daggers at him. Then, turning back to Atkinson, she added, “If you’re offering to interview me, I’m flattered, but I might as well tell you, I don’t have any on-camera reporting experience.”

  “We’re not necessarily looking for that, although I can tell right now you’d be a natural. I think you’d do fairly well starting off as a staff writer, and we’ll see how it goes from there.”

  “Sounds like you’ve already made up your mind.”

  “Eric’s never steered me wrong where financial advice is concerned. I doubt he’s off base in this instance either.” He drained his glass and set it down on a nearby table. “I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you.”

  She stayed out on the balcony for another half hour, waiting for the rest of Eric’s guests to leave. Once the room emptied out she strolled back inside, poured herself another club soda and took a seat beside Eric on the couch. “Did you enjoy yourself tonight?” he asked, reaching up to loosen his tie.

  “Eric, you’re such a liar,” she said. “This party wasn’t already planned, was it? You put it together for my benefit.” His sheepish shrug served as her confirmation. “How’d you get all those people to show up at such short notice?”

  “I made some phone calls, called in a few favors. It was nothing, really.”

  “Nothing?” How could he say that as if it didn’t even matter, when just thinking about it made her head spin? “God, I’m an idiot. I should’ve suspected as much when I got this damn dress this morning.”

  “A dress that looks damn good on you, I might add.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t need your help!” She banged her glass down on the table. “I’m perfectly capable of landing a job on my own.”

  “Did I ever imply otherwise? Martin already knew who you were when I mentioned your name. All I did was facilitate the introduction.”

  His calm, measured tone should’ve had a soothing effect, but it just pissed her off more. “You can’t buy me, you know.”

  “What’re you talking about?”

  “This dress, the party, taking me to Alfredo’s the other night. I know why you’re doing all this.”

  “Because I like you, and I enjoy spending time with you?” He sat up, forehead crinkling. “Is there something wrong with that?”

  “Is that really all it is, just friendship?”

  “Why? Do you want it to be more than that?” The touch of his hand on her arm sent her pulse spiraling, and when his eyes locked on hers, deep, bottomless blue, she was a goner. Damn, but Eric was a good-looking man. Why hadn’t she ever noticed before? “Say the words, Ally. I can’t read your mind.”

  Oh, hell. “Will you shut the fuck up and kiss me already?”

  She wasn’t sure what to expect, but as usual, Eric surprised her. He nipped slowly at her lips at first, teasing her open before darting his tongue inside, deepening his kisses until the room started to spin and Ally could barely catch her breath.

  It was like water from the coolest, purest well on the face of the planet, and she drank it down greedily, winding her fing
ers in Eric’s hair to make sure the precious fount didn’t slip away. She’d forgotten how fucking good it felt, needing the touch of a man’s hands and mouth like this. It was all she could do to keep from dissolving in grateful sobs. Her entire body thrummed like a plucked violin string, every molecule vibrating.

  Eric trailed his lips down to her throat, found her fluttering pulse point and sucked hard while at the same time easing a hand behind her, scrabbling in vain for something at the middle of her back. “What’re you doing?” she mumbled thickly, puzzled and irritated by the distraction.

  “Trying to unzip your dress—or maybe I should say my dress, since I paid for it.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him.

  “Do that again, and I’ll send you home in the limousine naked.”

  “You, you wouldn’t.”

  “Oh yes, I would.” He grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head back, kissing her so hard she knew her mouth would be bruised and swollen the next morning. But as long as he kept on doing it, she didn’t give a damn. “Maybe I’ll ride along and fuck you in the backseat with the windows rolled down, so everyone we drive past can look in and see us. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  She choked out a tiny, desperate laugh—but was she more afraid he’d actually do what he’d threatened, or he wouldn’t? “I had no idea you were so kinky.”

  “From the way your heart’s racing, it doesn’t seem as if you object.” Flashing a smirk, he got up and held out his hand out to her. “C’mon, let’s move this to the bedroom. We both know you’re not going home tonight.”

  It was a good thing she hadn’t had any alcohol, though lust drunkenness evidently still counted; even with her heels off, she nearly tripped over her feet twice before she’d made it down the hall. Eric laughed and swung her up into his arms, carrying her the rest of the way to the bedroom. Ally had never envisioned him as the caveman type before; the mere thought had her dissolving in giggles.

  He set her down on her feet, then slipped off his jacket and started unbuttoning his cuffs. “Wait,” she said, putting one hand on his wrist to stop him.

  His eyebrows shot up. “Wait, you don’t want me to get undressed, or wait, you’d rather do the undressing yourself?”

  “A little of both,” she purred, turning so that he could unzip her gown. That done, she slid it slowly off her shoulders and let it slither to the floor. “Since you’re so eager to get this back, I thought I should oblige you,” she added, swinging around to face him.

  To his credit, Eric’s eyes didn’t immediately zoom in on her bustline. Instead, he gave her a measured, leisurely once-over, from her toes to the top of her tousled head. “You honor me,” he whispered, leaning down to brush her lips with the softest of kisses. She trembled with delighted, delicious anticipation, her knees nearly buckling again. “But are you sure you want to do this?”

  “I’m still here, aren’t I?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t want either of us to wake up tomorrow morning thinking this was the biggest mistake of our lives.”

  “Not gonna happen.” Smiling, she drew him down onto the bed, every bone in her body turning to rubber when he started raining kisses down upon her face and throat. “I, um… I’ve got a kink or two of my own.”

  “Tell me.”

  “I’ve, uh, always had this fantasy about being fucked by a fully clothed man.”

  Eric grinned. “You just want to see my cock sticking out of my pants, don’t you?”

  She flushed hot all over. “Oh, definitely.”

  “Whatever the lady desires. Although I should probably grab a condom before we take this any further.” He rolled away for a moment to rummage in the bedside table, kicking off his shoes before he came back. “Let’s move up a little, get you more comfortable.”

  He put a nice fluffy pillow under her head, and another under her hips. When she shot him a quizzical look about the second one, he merely winked and said, “Trust me, you’ll love it.” Then he spread her thighs and put his face between them—and when he started puffing warm breath over her clit, she nearly came unglued.

  He sucked, licked and flicked every dripping-wet millimeter of her cunt, and if she’d had her way, he could’ve stayed down there for the rest of the night. He was right about the pillow—it tilted her hips at the perfect angle to meet his slick, agile tongue. At last he stopped licking and pushed a finger inside her, followed by another. The pressure felt strange at first, until he found her G-spot and began working it mercilessly. She shuddered and screamed, staring up into his triumphant blue eyes as she came.

  He waited for her spasms to subside before sitting back on his heels to unzip his pants. His cock popped out, rosy and fully erect, glistening with moisture at the tip. He rolled on a condom and positioned himself between her legs, dipping down to give her a deep, scorching-hot kiss before sliding inside her.

  She could tell within a few seconds that this wouldn’t be a lengthy session; he’d waited too long, making sure he got her off first, and now he was hovering on the edge, teeth gritted, desperate for release. She reached up to wind her fingers in his sweat-drenched shirt, savoring the rough chafe of it against her skin, but he slapped her hands away and grabbed her wrists, pinning them over her head.

  “This is what you really want, isn’t it?” he growled, slamming into her, pounding her so hard he shoved her right off the pillow. “C’mon, do it again. I know you can.”

  She hadn’t thought it was possible, not after the brain-melting orgasm he’d just given her, but the firm, masterful feel of his hands holding her down flipped a switch in her brain she hadn’t even known was there. When he finally let go with a broken roar, she followed suit, tightening her thighs around him, urging him as deep inside her as he could go.

  The next thing she was aware of was Eric wiping her down gently with a damp cloth. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, his sandy-blond hair slicked back, still wet from the shower.

  “That, that was…” She coughed, her throat feeling as if it’d been scrubbed out with sandpaper. Eric darted into the bathroom and came back with a glass of water, holding it for her while she took a sip. “Thanks.”

  He smiled, pressing a soft kiss to the palm of her hand. “It’s been a while for you, hasn’t it?”

  Going on four months, though she wasn’t about to tell Eric that. She’d dated a coworker from her last paying job, but hadn’t heard from him since they were both laid off. “That bad?”

  “Not at all. It’s actually quite flattering, having a partner who’s so hungry for it.”

  As if on cue, her stomach rumbled. Ally blushed. “Oops.”

  “I suppose club soda and hors d’oeuvres don’t make much of a meal.” He stood. “Shall we go see what we can find in the fridge?”

  “You sure you want me to stay?”

  “Are you?”

  Took her half a second to make up her mind. “Definitely,” she replied with a smile.

  Chapter Three

  Ally awoke the next morning to the tantalizing aroma of French roast. Cracking open one bleary eye, she spied a shiny thermal carafe on the bedside table, next to a single cup and saucer. With a groan, she sat up and poured herself a cup. She took a moment to inhale the delectable fumes before chugging it down greedily, relishing its dark, smoky flavor along with the much-needed caffeine.

  God, every muscle in her body ached. She sank back onto a pile of soft feather pillows, sighing at the sheer, luxurious comfort of it. This certainly beat Holly’s lumpy old couch. And as for the rest—well, if sex really was like ice cream, last night was a triple-scoop hot fudge sundae with extra nuts and whipped cream. Ally had never felt so thoroughly, decadently debauched.

  “Morning.” Eric emerged from the walk-in closet, already impeccably dressed in a dark suit and crisp white silk dress shirt. He finished knotting his tie and came over to kiss Ally on the cheek, then sat down on the edge of the bed to fasten his cuff links. “You slept like the dead last night.”


  She stifled a yawn. “This bed’s a slice of heaven. I could stay here all day.”

  “Feel free to sleep in as long as you like. My housekeeper will be glad to make you anything you want to eat when you get up.”

  “Oh.” She sat up straight, yanking the lilac-colored sheet up over her breasts—a sudden stab of modesty that struck her as rather ridiculous, even if she couldn’t help it. “I should go. I don’t want to be any trouble.”

  “It’s no trouble. In fact, she’ll be thrilled to have someone to cook for. I hardly ever have meals at home anymore.” He reached for her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Look, there’s no reason to be embarrassed. It was just sex. Nothing between us has to change.”

  Now she wasn’t sure whether to be hurt or relieved. She drew up her knees, hugging them tightly with both arms. “Is that your way of saying you’d rather not do this again?”

  “That’s entirely up to you. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize our friendship.” He stood up. “I’m running late, but I’ll call you tonight.”

  “That’s what they always say when they’re walking out the door.”

  He caught her by the chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “If I say I’ll call, I will.”

  Whatever doubts she’d had about his sincerity vanished, though not the sudden fluttering in her belly. “Okay,” she replied softly. “But if you could wait till next week, I’d appreciate it. I’d like some time to think.”

  “All right. I’ll drive myself in today and leave the limousine at your disposal.” He leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the lips, then headed for the door. “Talk to you soon.”

  Despite the coffee, Ally found herself growing drowsy again. The clock read a quarter till ten when she finally opened her eyes. She rolled out of bed and padded into the bathroom to use the toilet and splash cool water on her face. Two robes hung on the back of the door, one flannel, the other thick terry cloth. Both were too big for her, but she rolled up the sleeves of the flannel one and double-knotted the belt around her waist before venturing out in search of breakfast.