What's a Girl to Do? Read online

  ‘If I said these were on me, would you think that’s another line?’ Mr. Cool was standing right next to her and she had to take a deep breath to orientate herself.

  That was the wrong thing to do. He’d switched the spicy aftershave for something musky and that had an even stronger effect on her hormones. Eau de Pheromone, maybe? She hoped it was expensive so all the creeps in the city didn’t catch on.

  Shey turned to him and squared her shoulders. ‘I’d say I’m perfectly capable of buying my own drinks.’ She fought the urge to thank him for the offer, especially when she saw the wry smile.

  ‘How about we start again? I’m Calvin.’ He extended his hand.

  Placing her hand in his, she shivered at the electric contact. It woke up her insides like she’d swallowed a couple of hormone pills. His head bowed over her hand, but he never took his attention off her face. Her breath caught as his lips brushed her knuckles and she had to jerk her hand back.

  The flash fire that burned over her skin was epic and worse, Shey wanted him to kiss her again. Crazy. Even though he seemed to be trying politeness on for size, he had this confidence that said he knew she’d end up naked on his bed, and though her body went wild with the idea, no thanks. Shey was the result of her mom’s stupidity. Felicity had fallen for a charmer, and all it had done was stall her mother’s career.

  Quickest way to cut off his interest would be to lie through her teeth. ‘Sorry, I have—’

  ‘Shey, fibs are unattractive. I know you’re single.’ He stepped closer, too close, and her heart kicked off on a mamba.

  ‘How do you know my name?’

  And why did the sound of it rolling off his tongue get her even hotter?

  Calvin smiled, showing every one of those flawless white teeth, and she was dazzled. Christ. She needed to pull it together, fast.

  ‘Your friend Mandy and I spoke.’

  Shey frowned. She was going to kill Mandy.

  ‘A woman like you shouldn’t be single. Unless you’re the kind of woman who likes variety.’

  ‘Another line?’ She tried to hold the scowl, and failed. The way he said variety had her thinking about all the different things he’d do to her body. She had a feeling he’d take her higher than any man ever had, and that was based on her own reaction to him, not to mention that arrogant confidence which pissed her off and got her hot all at the same time.

  ‘I told you earlier Shey, I don’t need them.’

  Saved by the shots. The bartender placed down a tray and, even though she’d ordered three for each of them, it didn’t seem like enough. Hell, jumping into an ice bath didn’t seem like enough to calm her down. She paid the guy and told him to keep the change. Before she managed to scamper away with the tray, Calvin spoke.

  ‘I’ll see you soon, Shey.’

  She frowned at him, thinking that wasn’t going to happen. ‘You know, there’s a club full of women here tonight who I’m sure would be more than happy to give you what you want.’

  ‘What is it you think I want?’

  Those eyes, all dark and intense, scrambled her thoughts. ‘An easy lay.’ The second the words left her lips, her face heated.

  Calvin raised a dark brow. ‘Where’s the fun in that?’

  She sent a message to her feet to get them to move, but they ignored her. She was trapped again, her body wanting what she wouldn’t let it have and now she could see it in his expression. He was thriving on the challenge she’d presented him, instead of giving her a half-assed come-on like earlier.

  But it didn’t matter. When they met he’d hit on her in under three seconds, without even knowing her name, and those kind of guys didn’t do fancy dates. They wanted women in their beds and if they had to work a little to make it happen, that was fine with them. She wasn’t going to join the notches on his bedpost.

  ‘You’re wasting your breath with me.’ This time when she turned to leave with the tray of much-needed tequila, her feet obeyed.

  Calvin got the last word. Again. ‘I always get what I want.’

  Chapter Two

  Unease twisted Shey’s empty stomach as she followed Mandy up the stairs on Monday afternoon. Why Marco, the big-dog editor and chief, would want his receptionist and an assistant editor to check out the upper floor was beyond her. She went anyway, clutching her purse tightly to her side. The sooner they got this over with and she could scoot to the deli across the street, the better. She was starved.

  Mandy opened the door to the twelfth floor, and Shey’s breath caught in her throat. Mr. Cool—Calvin—stood in the entrance lobby next to a table draped with a thick white cloth. A bottle of Merlot was open, two glasses poured and two candles lit, but she didn’t notice what was on the plates. She couldn’t take her eyes off of his.

  ‘That will be all, Mandy.’ His voice, gentle yet commanding, shivered through her.

  Mandy scurried back to the stairwell just as Shey’s shock cleared. She reached out and blocked the doorway with her arm.

  ‘What the hell’s going on here?’ she asked them both, though it was pretty obvious. She’d been set up. The you will not talk about me to strangers again speech she’d given Mandy earlier had clearly gone in one ear and out the other.

  ‘Shey, I hoped you would join me for lunch.’ There was no demand in his tone now, only charm, and she didn’t trust it one bit.

  ‘I think it’s romantic.’ Mandy let out a dreamy sigh and Shey rolled her eyes.

  She couldn’t deny the gesture was sweet, in its own way. She wanted a guy to make the effort for her, and Calvin had brought that in spades. Didn’t mean she appreciated the sneaky way he got her there. Still, she gave him points for his smarts. There was no way she’d have come if she knew what was going on.

  The effort alone deserved a gentle let-down, since her rejection on Friday night hadn’t gotten through that beautiful head of his.

  ‘Fine. I’ll stay, but only because I’m starving.’ And were those chocolate truffles? Yeah, she’d stay for dessert before she put her foot down.

  Mandy winked, then she was off down the stairs with a clatter of heels hitting concrete. Wisely, Calvin didn’t smirk, only pulled a chair out for her. She slid in, breathing through her mouth in case he was throwing out the bottled pheromones again.

  He disappeared behind her and then she heard the click of the door closing. She whirled the top half of her body around to face him, a skitter of unease dancing down her spine. ‘What are you doing?’

  Part of her wondered if this was a bad idea. She was alone with a man who drove her body crazy, a man she barely knew. He could be a rapist or a murderer. But if he was either of those things, getting Mandy to bring her up here would blow his cover, wouldn’t it? Mandy would know the last person Shey was with, and there was CCTV all over the building.

  Calvin left the key in the lock and sauntered back to her with a manly gait that drew her gaze down his body to take in every inch of that tailored suit. Shit, even his walk was sexy. The corner of his mouth pulled up and her heart stuttered.

  ‘I want to make sure no one interrupts us.’

  She watched as he sat across from her at the table, wondering if what he said was true.

  ‘I’m not going to hurt you, Shey. You don’t need to be afraid of me,’ Calvin said seriously.

  Stupidly, she believed him. But he meant physically, not emotionally, and to her the latter was all that counted. ‘Why lock the door? It’s not as if anyone will come up here.’

  One eyebrow rose as he studied her expression with intent eyes, like she was exhibit A, and she stifled the urge to squirm in her seat.

  ‘You’re really not afraid,’ he said, a warm smile curving those lips.

  ‘I have pepper spray in my handbag and grew up in the Bronx.’ She tried for an angelic expression.

  Calvin laughed and her smile slipped. Every time she heard that sound it felt like he was zapping her with little electric currents. His eyes worked like twin lasers, heating her from the inside.


  This was just like what had happened to her mother, except now it was happening to her.

  Every conversation she’d had with her mom about boys came flooding back into her mind and dulled the connection with Calvin. Being here with him was risky, even though she’d ruled out physical danger. The last thing she needed was to lose her head and her control when she was with a man. She should leave right now.

  ‘I didn’t mean to laugh,’ he said, sensing the tension in her. He leaned forward. ‘I’ve never met anyone like you, Shey.’

  The way he focused on her was so consuming, she lost the ability to speak. Her imagination ran wild for a second as she imagined herself walking around the table, undressing him and letting him do all the dirty things those eyes promised.

  But reality snapped her back to her senses. Shaking her head, she stood, and he rose too.

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘This can’t happen.’

  Shey could tell by his incredulous expression that he couldn’t believe she was shooting him down. The reality was that they had no future beyond lunch, and staying for that long would be risky. He was a man used to getting what he wanted, and she had a feeling there were many before her that he’d taken at his will. Scores of women who, no doubt, fell at his feet.

  There was no room for a player in her life, messing with her body and giving her what it desired. Accidents happened, she was living proof. But she was smart and learned from her mother’s mistakes. Passion led to carelessness and that led to the end of careers. A carefully planned romance that she was in control of would be much safer.

  ‘Sit down. We’re just having lunch.’

  They weren’t and they both knew it. This lunch was a form of foreplay, and damned effective.

  ‘Just lunch?’ Shey asked, unable to move. Those truffles were calling out her name, even though she knew a moment on the lips was a lifetime on her hips. He nodded and she slid into the chair.

  ‘Tell me why you panicked. The truth,’ he added, like he couldn’t stand lies.

  His eyes latched onto hers with an intensity she shied away from. She ignored his question. After all, she didn’t panic. It was self-preservation, which her body clearly wasn’t interested in.

  ‘How do you have a key for here, and why were you at Storm on Friday?’ If this was the last chance she’d get to ease her curiosity, she had to go for broke.

  His grin sent a heated shiver through her, chasing away the last shred of her fear. ‘Ladies first.’

  Shey stopped the frown before it happened. He was… infuriating really. She reached for her wine and took a sip to calm herself.

  ‘I’m not sure what you expect, but I can’t give it to you.’

  He picked up his own wine, a calculating glint in his eyes that told her he was looking for another angle to persuade her. Yeah, it was flattering that he wanted her this much, but whatever was between them couldn’t go anywhere. She had to keep her focus or she’d be screwed, and not just literally.

  ‘Calvin—’

  He leaned forward, elbows on the table. ‘Stop fighting me. Maybe I just want to have lunch with a beautiful woman, is that a crime?’

  She grinned. ‘Is that a line?’

  He chuckled and she couldn’t help joining in. The tension in her shoulders melted away, and she had to admit the guy was smooth. Either that or she didn’t really want to leave in the first place.

  Shey glanced down at the plate. He’d bought all her go-to-lunches from her favorite deli. She thought again about the effort he must have put into this meeting. It warmed her heart, especially when she glimpsed the fairy lights above. It was almost romantic. Not to mention over-the-top, since she got the vibe he was only looking to take a dip beneath her panties.

  ‘How about you answer my other questions?’

  The air crackled with something taboo, and Shey felt drawn to him like he was a black hole, sucking her in. She tried to fight it, but that was the hardest thing she’d ever done. She needed to keep her head.

  ‘I own the building. Marco wanted to renegotiate the rental agreement to expand Storm’s offices to this floor.’

  Suddenly the effort she found so romantic didn’t seem that way anymore. Sure the fairy lights, the candles, and the hamper of her favorite foods, were all lovely. But that was the extent of it. Surface stuff that didn’t involve any more effort than picking up a phone and ordering someone—probably Mandy—to do it for him.

  ‘You look disappointed,’ he observed.

  Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she shrugged. ‘I only agreed to lunch to tell you that you’re wasting your time. I’m not interested.’

  He grabbed her wrist; his hold firm but gentle. Her skin sizzled, and she tried to keep her mind sharp, but all she felt was a stronger pull and she couldn’t stop herself from falling into the spiral of urgent desire. He traced his thumb over the veins on the underside of her arm and Shey’s breath caught in her throat. Calvin’s smile slipped, and his eyes promised things she should know better than to want.

  ‘I think you’re as interested as I am, though I seem to be the only one willing to admit it.’

  Shey snatched her arm back, his self-assured observation giving her the strength she needed. ‘Lust is irrelevant. It’ll take more than some sandwiches and wine to get me to swoon over you.’

  He picked up some parma ham and cheese with his fingers. ‘I don’t want you to swoon over me. Eat.’

  Calvin popped the food into his mouth. Shey watched that sculpted jaw work as he chewed. She forgot for a second what he’d said. His thick throat bobbed and her heart raced, the pull in every cell of her body intensifying as she wondered what it would be like to lick her way from the hollow in the center of his collarbone all the way up over his Adam’s apple.

  She reached for the wine and took a huge gulp. It was smooth as silk, just like him. The fruity taste was divine. Not even close to distracting her from his presence, though. He seemed to dominate the entire lobby, his impressive Armani-clad body the only focal point.

  ‘Then what do you want?’ she found herself asking, even though she knew.

  ‘You. In a bed. For a few nights, perhaps a week.’

  The husky tone of his voice touched her like a caress and his words painted images in her mind of the two of them naked, rolling around sweaty and desperate. She tried to pull herself together; after all, he’d pretty much told her he wanted to fuck her and nothing else, but her body reacted like it was readying itself to welcome him inside, and her mind clouded over.

  ‘I want to do things with you, Shey. Things that will bring us both immense pleasure. I want to fuck you with my tongue, fingers and cock until you can’t stand. Then I want to do it all over again.’

  Before she could stop herself, his deep baritone voice roused more dirty fantasies. Her clit swelled, her nipples ached and a volcanic rush of hormones vibrated through her. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think of a cutting remark to throw at him to make him stop the assault on her senses.

  ‘Why?’ she asked, cussing the fact her voice was all breathy.

  His gaze dipped down the upper half of her body, and when he returned his attention to her face, his eyes were wild. ‘You are every man’s wet dream, Shey Lopez. Curves in all the right places. Gorgeous. I can’t not want you. Believe me, I’ve tried.’

  She swallowed.

  ‘And you want me just as much.’

  Unable to speak, she stared at him.

  That was when he rose, stalked around the table, and offered his hand.

  God help her, she placed her hand in his and then she was off the chair and pressed against his chest. Lost in the darkness of his eyes. Lost in the crude words that made her want to spread herself out on the table in offering. He ran a finger up her spine over the silk dress, enticing a shiver and igniting a sharp need at her core.

  But that was the problem, wasn’t it? Losing control was dangerous. It led to bad things, like the end of a career and ac
cidental pregnancies. The thought gave her the strength to pull away. His mouth opened in disbelief, but she wasn’t giving him a chance to let him talk her around again. Shey grabbed her bag.

  ‘Thank you for lunch, but this is a bad idea.’

  Her heels clicked urgently across the floor. Just as she was about to turn the lock, he spoke.

  ‘I never would have guessed you’d be uptight about sex.’

  Her hand froze on the key and her teeth clenched. She wasn’t uptight, just careful.

  Then Friday night’s conversation flashed into her mind. Safe and controlled relationships were all she allowed herself. Ever. But every cell inside was screaming to turn around and let him kiss her, and maybe more. And why not? She could do crazy, just once, couldn’t she? As long as she kept her head, it didn’t have to go too far.

  Shey turned. Calvin’s expression was closed off, but he couldn’t hide the heat in his eyes. She dropped her bag, then walked back to him slowly, with an extra sashay in her hips.

  ‘I’m not uptight about anything.’

  The grin was back as he rested his hip against the table. ‘I’ll believe that when you stop running from this.’

  She stopped right in front of him. ‘I’m not running anywhere.’

  ‘What changed your mind?’ he asked, but his attention was on her lips.

  ‘I had to prove you wrong.’

  He chuckled again, and the noise shivered through her. Grabbing her hips, he maneuvered her until her ass hit the table, and he closed in. Her heart rate spiked, her breath coming in short gasps.

  His palms rested on the table either side of her. ‘I’m happy to be proven wrong in this case.’

  Calvin’s head lowered slowly. She closed her eyes, totally lost in the unique scent of him, but still retaining control of herself. His body pressed so close to hers she could feel his erection prodding her stomach, his hard pectorals buffering the soft flesh of her breasts. She was sliding into the erotic moment with him; the urge to let go and enjoy was overwhelming.

  His lips brushed her earlobe, soft as a whisper, and she made an incoherent sound in her throat. ‘Is this what you want, Shey?’