I rolled my dress down to get my bra on, then snatched up my purse and checked my phone. There were twelve missed calls and three text messages from Ann-Marie. Please tell me you’re alive, her last message read.
Rolling my eyes, I took my purse and ventured out into the penthouse. Just as I’d expected, I was completely alone. A note from Xavier waited for me in the kitchen, one that apologized for having to go to work before I woke and telling me he had a “great time last night.” The message made me smile, so I folded it up and tucked it away in my purse.
Perching on one of the bar stools, I called Ann-Marie. She answered right away.
“Riley?!” Panic made the single word a near screech.
“Who else would it be?”
“A serial killer pretending to be you.”
“Nope. It’s just plain old me.”
“Thank God,” she sighed. “Next time you’re not coming home, do me a favor and let me know.”
“I will. Sorry about that. You didn’t call the police, did you?”
“Almost. I’m serious. I was just sitting here thinking about doing that. You’re supposed to text me the address of the place you’re at. Remember? We made up this safety plan years ago. And if you’re not coming home, freaking let me know.”
I pushed my hair out of my face. “I know. I’m really sorry. I guess I was really caught up in the moment last night.”
“You mean you got laid, right?”
“Yep.”
There was a new lightness in her voice. “How was it?”
“Amazing… like, wow.”
“Where are you now?”
“I’m at Xavier’s. He left for work.” I looked around the kitchen and adjourning dining room. It was as stylishly decorated as the master bedroom but, just like Xavier’s room, completely lacking in personal taste. With no photographs or knickknacks laying around, I felt like I was in the middle of a model house. The place seemed to be selling the idea of what a home should be, rather than actually being a home.
“Are you going to go through his stuff?”
The question made me burn with embarrassment as I remembered the box under his bed. “There’s really not much to go through. It doesn’t look like he has a lot of fun here.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“God, don’t get defensive. I just mean he seems kind of, I don’t know, boring.”
I was defensive, I realized. “Well, he’s not. And you were saying yourself that he probably gets around.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s interesting.”
“We had an awesome time last night.”
She laughed. “I bet you did.”
“He might not get around. I don’t see any woman’s things here.”
“Sorry, Riley. That means he probably is active… if you know what I mean.”
A muffled voice said something on her end. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Riley? I have to get back to work.”
I pressed the heel of my hand into my eye. “Please tell me no one has been listening to our conversation.”
“Okay, no one has been listening to our conversation. But Leslie does want to know how the package was. Also, was it delivered standard or express?”
“Ann-Marie!” I admonished as two voices broke out into laughter.
“I gotta go,” she chuckled. “See you at home.”
“All right. Bye.”
I hung up and went into the bathroom to fix myself up before the subway ride home. I might have been wearing last night’s dress and heels, but at least I could wash my face and redo my makeup so my walk of shame wouldn’t be that obvious. Though I’d slept till ten, I was still exhausted. If I hurried home, there would be time to nap for an hour or two before I needed to get ready for this afternoon’s bar shift.
Once I looked decent, I took my purse and made my way through the foyer. Before closing the door behind me, I gave the penthouse one last look. Was my one night spent in it the beginning of a semi-regular thing? Or would I never see the place again?
In reality, I was wondering about Xavier. Now that we’d slept together, was he done with me? Or would he surprise me and turn out to be nothing like the man I was afraid he was?
I couldn’t think too much about it. And I couldn’t wait around for his call. I’d drive myself insane. We had an amazing night together, and it didn’t matter what I now wanted. I needed to focus on the things I had to get done. I needed to close this door and get on with my life, no matter if I heard from Xavier again or not.
And so I did just that… or at least tried.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Xavier
“According to Vanessa, if the numbers work out well, we should be seeing an increase in revenue by September. I’m e-mailing you last week’s reports now. Did you see the Forbes article I sent? Mr. Fields?”
I jerked in my chair and turned to look at Kenneth. My assistant blinked back at me from over his laptop. “Is everything all right?” he asked. “Would you like another coffee?”
I looked down at the barely touched cup on my desk and cleared my throat. “No, I’m fine. What was… what was that about the reports?”
Kenneth plunged on, giving me this number and that number. His words quickly became an endless stream of meaningless babble. It wasn’t his fault. The whole morning had been that way. Ever since I left Riley at my penthouse.
The image of her sleeping came back to me. The way she curled up on her side, one hand clutching the edge of the pillow… I wanted to burrow back under the sheets with her and never leave. I’d thought of waking her before I rolled out of bed so that we could have a quick repeat of last night’s activities, but she looked so perfect laying there I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
It wasn’t often that I had such desires. Usually, only the most special women made me want to go for a second round. But, when it came to this case, I really couldn’t be surprised. I knew Riley was different the second I first set eyes on her.
All morning, my mind had been occupied with ideas and plans. I was going to take Riley out again, but our next jaunt needed to happen on a whole new level. Dinner and a dance on a rooftop wasn’t enough. Any man with half a brain could come up with such a basic date. Riley deserved more. And I wanted to give her more.
At least for a little while. I couldn’t keep her all to myself for long. I wouldn’t be able to. There were… rules… stipulations.
Eventually, she’d need to go on the list, just like every other woman I’d slept with. It was a promise I’d made to myself, Davis, Julian, and Seth. And it was one I’d never once gone back on. As far as I knew, the same was true for the three other men. We may have had our occasional issues with each other, but the list was sacred. It was the holy grail of our small group, and we didn’t disrespect it.
Once Riley’s name was added to that list, she’d no longer exclusively be mine. She’d be fair game, subject to the attention of the three other men. If one of them saw her picture and decided he wanted her, all he’d have to do was look up her information and make a move.