Not anymore, though.
Rachel padded up behind me and slid her arms around my waist. “I loved that look you get in your eyes when you’re in love, Cash. I thought since I saw that look again tonight that you might ask me to come back.”
Her words resonated through my body, but they meant nothing anymore. For the first time since we broke up, I didn’t want her. Turning in her hold, I looked down at her beautiful face. “It’s been over for a long time with us. You knew that better than I did.”
“You never forgave me, did you? You forgave him, but not me. That’s the truth, isn’t it?”
“No. I never forgave him really either. I just don’t have a choice in that.”
We stood there silently until I saw in her eyes she understood this was it. “You’ll be fine, Rachel. I imagine you already have a few on the hook besides me.”
She ran her hand over my chest until it came to rest over my heart. “She’s a lucky woman this one who’s captured your heart. Any one of the dozens I’ve seen you out with?”
Shaking my head, I chuckled. “No. You wouldn’t know her. She’s not like you. She’s not like anyone I’ve ever met.”
Rachel laughed. “Really? You’re doing the ‘she’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met’ thing with me? I’ve known you since you were just that rich teenage boy with too much freedom and money to blow. I’ve met practically every woman you’ve slept with since we broke up too. I doubt she’s unlike the rest of us, Cash. You like a certain type. I can picture her already. Tall, legs that go on forever, platinum blonde, or she might be the occasional brunette, but only if she has black hair like mine. Am I close?”
I shook my head at how wrong she was. “No. Not even close.”
“So you’ve decided to fall for a dumpy girl with mousey brown hair? Really, Cash. Is this some kind of thing to show me you can go on without me?”
I took the last gulp of whiskey in my glass and pushed past her as she continued with her questions. She wouldn’t get anything more out of me on this. For the first time since I was that teenage boy, I wanted whatever Olivia and I would be to remain private. No parading her in front of cameras for publicity at social events just to promote the club. No telling Rachel about her in some misguided attempt to make her jealous or show her I’d moved on. No showing her off to impress others.
No, Olivia was unlike anyone else I’d ever met. Intelligent, confident, and sweet, I wanted to protect her from the life I’d led all these years and the people I’d included in that life. Taking my seat on the couch again, I said, “Rachel, this has nothing to do with you. We had a good time for a while. Let’s leave it at that.”
For a moment, she got a look on her face that made me think she might actually miss me, but then it was gone, replaced by a perfect smile and a roll of her eyes. “As you wish. You know your happiness has always been important to me.”
“Thanks, Rachel.”
She dressed and grabbed her bag. Walking behind the couch, she leaned over and gave me a kiss just below my ear before she whispered, “Be happy, baby. Maybe we’ll be even better at being friends than we were lovers.”
I didn’t answer because I had nothing to say anymore. My mind was already past Rachel and onto Olivia and what would happen Friday night. Whatever the future held, I was about to break my cardinal rule I’d lived by since opening Club X. I just hoped it wasn’t the biggest mistake of my life.
Chapter Seven
Olivia
By the time Friday came, I’d lost five pounds from worrying. The minute I pressed Send on the email to Kane to request a fantasy room I regretted it. I wasn’t that type of woman, even if I’d always wanted to be. I was the timid girl afraid to send a man a drink in a bar even with my friends egging me on. I was the nose-to-the-grindstone bookworm who felt more comfortable around facts and figures than men.
But I didn’t want to be that woman anymore.
That didn’t mean I should turn into some Lady Godiva wannabe at my workplace. What was I thinking? I had to work with these men, and now they’d think I was some kind of oversexed woman who didn’t have brains enough to shed her inhibitions in private.
Even worse, although Cash hadn’t mentioned anything about my request, he’d seemed distant for the last two days. Or maybe it was just my being paranoid. I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t even sure I’d go up to the top floor at midnight like Kane had instructed me to in his email back to me.
The sound of the music pounding in the club outside my office made concentrating impossible tonight. Now I knew why I usually preferred to work my eleven to seven schedule, but the truth was I wouldn’t have been able to get much work done even if it was dead silent outside my door. My mind raced with the implications of my decision to follow my friends’ suggestions to let loose and enjoy myself. What if Cash found out? What would he think?
Who was I kidding? He already knew. That’s why he’d become colder than Mr. Frosty suddenly. If only Stefan was my boss. He’d understand. The younger March brother wouldn’t pass judgment on me. Hell, he’d probably join me. Instead, I worked for the owner who was all business, even though I’d tried in my own very timid way to let him know I liked him.
I stared at my laptop screen, realizing the truth. I was as pathetic as Josie and Erin thought I was.
“Olivia?”
I lifted my head at the sound of a deep voice and saw Cash closing my office door. He looked incredible in a black suit and sapphire blue dress shirt. Damn, he filled out a suit well!
“Yes?” I answered, my mind filled with how good he looked standing there.
“I’m going to be out of the building tonight. I know this is the first time you’ve chosen to work while the club is open, so if you have any problems, just text me.”
“I don’t expect to have any problems. No one even knows I’m back here. If I need anything, I can just ask Stefan since he’ll be close by.”
My suggestion meant to help Cash leave behind the worries of the job for one night caused him to frown. “No. I don’t want you bothering Stefan. If you need anything, text or call me. Are we clear?”
“Oh…oh, okay,” I stammered out, stung by his sharp rebuke of my kind gesture.
“Have a good weekend,” he said, his voice back to its usual sexier softness.
I wished him the same, and as he turned and walked out into the club probably to some great date with a gorgeous supermodel, my heart sank. Even though I’d worried about him knowing what I planned for later tonight, some tiny part of me had secretly hoped it would have made him open up a little more and maybe show me he liked me too.