“You, too. I didn’t realize you were in town.”
“Yeah, I have the long weekend off before I have to fly to Japan on business.”
“Oh, interesting. So glad Adam clued me in,” she said, glancing at her boyfriend.
“Can’t be mad at him. I never told him.
I just never know when I’ll be in the city.”
“Ah,” she said with a smile.
“Hey, we’re gonna go clean up, and then let’s get lunch. We won’t be long,”
Adam told her.
“Alright. I’ll just wait out front.”
Chyna stole a glance at John once more before exiting. He was staring at her rather attentively, his eyes smoldering.
She made a hasty retreat. Not good.
She walked off the court and back over to the front desk area. The blonde attendant was on the phone talking insistently to a girlfriend of hers rather loudly. Chyna tried to tune her out as her thoughts drifted to what had just happened.
She didn’t want to be attracted to her boyfriend’s brother. This had never been a problem before because…well, she had never had a boyfriend that she stuck with for more than a couple of weeks. There was something about Adam that she really liked. She wasn’t sure what that was exactly, but she did like him. He wasn’t the kind of guy that she normally went for by a long shot but damn if he wasn’t so sincere. He liked her for who she was and had never cared about anything else—not her money, her family issues, or her illicit social life. He had helped her out in her time of need when he totally could have taken advantage of the situation, and he had asked for nothing in return. She knew labeling someone a nice guy was the kiss of death, but Adam brought nice guy into its own category.
Then, why was she swooning over his brother? Because he had broad shoulders with tattoos and a smirk? She really needed little else.
Why the f**k was Alexa at the beach with her boy toy this week ? That was so inconvenient. She should have known that Chyna was going to have a hot guy melt- down.
Chyna whipped out her compact and reapplied a coat of lip gloss. She already knew that she looked good; some guys had been checking her out while she was shopping with Frederick. Still, she wanted to double check. She didn’t want to look sloppy the first time she hung out with her boyfriend’s brother. That was all, right?
God, she couldn’t do this. She couldn’t be attracted to John. It was out of the question. She wasn’t like her parents—she didn’t cheat! Inside, she preferred to just not get attached. If she was going to be with Adam, then she was going to f**king be with him. It didn’t mean she couldn’t look at and admire his brother—what girl wouldn ’ t? — but that was where the line was drawn. She could eye-fuck John and his goddamn tattoos but nothing else. This would be an exercise in self-control.
Lord, help us all!
Chyna replaced her mirror into her purse and immediately began chewing on her glossy bottom lip. She could do this.
Yep. She could totally do this.
“Hey.” She heard someone call behind her. She turned away from the desk toward the entrance to the locker rooms.
Oh, holy hell! Fuck! Really? How could one man be so attractive? She couldn’t get past that strong jaw, those hazel eyes, and those f**king shoulders.
When did he have time to build that Adonis body? All she knew about him was that he worked all the time, and now, she wanted to know everything. Did he actually have that good of taste in clothing, or did he have a personal assistant? Those dark-wash jeans fit him a bit too well, and the green button-up shirt mostly hidden beneath the grey pea coat was outstanding.
If he didn’t have someone dress him and he actually had a fashion sense well enough to look like he had walked out of a Barneys catalog, she might die. She would take two, please!
Had she responded to his welcome?
She just smiled, deciding it would only sound dumb at this point.
He ran a hand back through his still damp hair and returned her smile. “Adam takes forever to get ready. Thought I’d come out here, so you didn’t have to wait alone,” John said, walking over to where she was leaning against the desk.
“Thanks,” she said, hating her natural instincts right now. She knew she could take him home in a heartbeat. If this were anyone else in any other situation, he would already be in her penthouse, and her tongue would be tracing those tattoos.
“So, what do you do?” John asked, smiling warmly.
“Uh…I’m in between work right now,” she said with an unapologetic shrug. “I try not to define my life by my career. Instead, I just enjoy living it.”
“To define is to limit. I get that,” he said with that smirk.
“Something like that. What do you do exactly that has you leaving for Japan?”
He shrugged as if this was the most boring subject, but he had brought it up.
“International business. I negotiate business transactions overseas for my clients who want to expand their enterprise globally.”
“Huh, sounds like a lot of work,”
Chyna commented. She had never wanted to work that much in her life.
“Yeah, it can be. I’m good at languages though. I’d love to be stateside a little bit more, and I’m working on bringing some global companies to the states, but I can’t really complain.”
She wasn’t complaining either. A successful businessman who spoke multiple languages and had tattoos? Where the f**k did he come from?
“Yeah, it must be hard to be away from your family and your girlfriend all the time,” she said, looking up into his hazel eyes. She knew it was a bad line, and he might even see through it, but damn, she couldn’t help herself. She was curious.
He chuckled softly, glancing away. Oh, he had picked up on it alright .
“No girlfriend for me. Not much time, and I’m picky,” he said, returning his eyes to hers.
He could afford to be picky. She cleared her throat and broke eye contact.
Keep it together.
“Adam’s always been the girlfriend type anyway.”
“I noticed,” she said with a smile.
Adam was an excellent boyfriend. So nice . Too nice . Too good for her . “I’m just getting used to it.”
“To Adam or a boyfriend?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m more of a party girl myself.”
“I can see that.”
What did that mean? And why did it look like he could appreciate a party girl?
“When you grow up in Manhattan, it’s just a way of life.”
“I can see that, too.”
Adam jogged out of the locker room then. “So, where are we going?”
Chyna broke away from John. When had they gotten so close, and why did it feel like they gravitated to each other?
“Somewhere with a bar,” she answered immediately.
Adam laughed, pulling her close and kissing her lightly on the lips. “Whatever you want.”
It was a promise.
They exited to the garage where Adam’s hybrid sat waiting for them. She slid into the passenger seat, feeling all the more awkward. She’d had her town car for as long as she could remember. She didn’t even know how to drive.
Adam veered into traffic as he directed them across town to a grill he swore by. He pulled into a line for a parking garage, and she tried not to roll her eyes. She hated waiting.
“Just valet the car,” John said with a clear hint of impatience.
Finally, someone who understood!
“It costs more,” Adam responded, not moving.
“But, it’s faster.”
“By only a few minutes,” Adam said, still not budging.
She had never seen him so stubborn.
Usually, he was relatively compliant.
“Come on, Adam,” she said, reaching out and touching his arm. “I’ll pay the fare.”
John muttered, “You have only a few years in which to live really, perfectly, and fully…time is jealous of you.”
“Always quoting Wilde,” Adam said with a shake of his head.
This seemed pretty common between them, and for some reason, it got Adam to move the car.
“Always,” John agreed. “The man knew what he was talking about.”
“He was a philandering, flamboyant extremist who saw the world through rose-colored lenses of beauty,” Adam quipped testily.
“Perhaps you should live no other way,” John said with a smirk as Adam pulled in front of the valet.
“Wasn’t he gay?” Chyna asked.
Both guys started laughing at once.
Chyna missed the joke.
“Yeah, he was,” John said.
Was she misreading the situation entire ? Was John gay?
Chyna looked over her shoulder, turning around in the car to peek at John, who was still chuckling at her. Nope . No way . Not with that look . She could pick out desire like she had a f**king radar.
Adam handed the keys to the guy at the entrance and took a slip from him. The trio walked into the restaurant, and they were instantly ushered to a table. Chyna took off her long black pea coat and handed it to someone to hang for her. Both boys seemed to appreciate her figure, clad in a short V-cut sweater dress that hugged her curves like a glove. She couldn’t have picked a much better outfit for the occasion.
“You look great,” Adam said, kissing her cheek and running his hand across the small of her back before sitting.
“Thanks,” she said, seating herself across from him.
John pulled out a chair and sat down between them.
“I wish I’d known you had the weekend off,” Adam said, turning to his brother. “I would have taken some time off, too.”
“They were impressed with my latest find, so they gave me the time. Wasn’t expecting it to happen.”
“I don’t know why you don’t take all those clients of yours and start your own company. You’re too good to be where you are,” Adam told him.
“I’m doing perfectly fine, and anyway, the Global International name is well- known.”
“Wait, Global!” Chyna gasped.
“See,” John said, gesturing to Chyna.
“My mother worked through Global for a while when they were negotiating the Corsa fashion line,” she explained.
Global International was a huge conglomerate that demanded and received results. Her mother had worked with a partner, of course, but it was rumored that all of the representatives were incredible.
“My point exactly. Anyone who is anyone comes through Global. I’m good right where I am.”
“Who knew a Harvard MBA would get you there?” Adam said with clear admiration in his voice.
Chyna’s ears perked up. Harvard?
Was this guy for real? Her dad was a Harvard alum.
“God, you sound like Mom,” John said, running a hand back through his hair.
“Someone’s gotta do it. You hardly see her.”
“I hardly see anyone,” John said, just as the waiter arrived.
They all ordered drinks, and Chyna couldn’t wait to get her hands on her martini.
“Do you want me to be like Mom and tell you that you could have gone to Harvard too if you hadn’t followed in Dad’s footsteps to bum-fuck-nowhere liberal arts college?” John teased.