Angel After Dark (9 page)

“What aren’t you telling me?” Becca asked and picked up a barbell to start lifting beside Angel.

Angel shrugged. “I really don’t know much about him, other than he’s rich, and he wants his relationships all business.”

“Mmmm, well if he fucks as good as he sounds, I’d want to get down to
business
and fast.”

“Becca! You’ve got a one-track mind.” Angel smirked in helpless response to the humor. “He was a caller. Nothing more.” She hesitated, wondering if it was wise to say the next words. “Even if I was curious about him, he’s my boss’ best friend.”

Becca was steadily pumping iron, her toned arms taking the weight easily. She stopped as her eyes widened. “Darian knows him?”

Turning, Angel walked back to the weight rack and replaced the dumbbell where she’d found them, took a deep breath, and answered. “Yes. But that’s all I know.”

“And you have no intention of finding out about this man? Are you dead?” Angel rolled her eyes while Becca helped place a barbell across her shoulders for the legwork.

“He sounds sexy, sure. So what? It means nothing. If he’s attractive, no doubt he’s a heartbreaker. Those types of men are a dime a dozen. I don’t need to turn into one of the desperate women who call the show. I’m not going down that road.”

Angel dropped down into a squat as Becca started counting them off with a frown settling on her face.

“Maybe it’s a trip you should take, Angel. At least, check out the travel brochure. What could it hurt? Your wheels have to be getting a little rusty, girlfriend.”

“Ugh! I told Darian last night that I wasn’t interested, so it’s really a moot point, Becca. Can we move on? I want to get this shit knocked out and go get my Jillybean.”

Becca’s features softened at the mention of her daughter’s name, but she wasn’t distracted from the subject at hand. “Is Darian trying to set you up?”

“Not exactly.” She grunted as she began another set of squats, the sweat starting to bead on her forehead and seep through her top on her back and under her breasts.

“Oh, for God’s sake! Will you just come out with it?”

“He called Darian’s phone and asked to speak with me after I cut him off. I said I wasn’t interested loud enough for him to hear me.” Angel rolled her eyes and kept up the squats without breaking her rhythm.

“He called. He fucking
called
.” It was more of a statement than a question. “You didn’t even talk to him? He’s obviously interested. Aren’t you even the slightest bit curious? If his dick is anything like his voice… I mean,
shit
!”

Angel burst out laughing. “Becca, take this, please. You’re incorrigible!”

“And you’re insane!” Becca removed the bar from Angel’s shoulders and set it along the mirrored wall. As usual, there were a number of men eyeing the two beautiful girls, one of them even moved closer, clearly interested in Angel. His eyes roamed over her small, well-toned frame in appreciation. Becca glanced his way and caught what he was about to do and waved a finger at him. He was tall, blonde, and muscular, but too meaty for Angel’s taste. “Oh, no, honey, this girl is a vegetarian. You’re wasting your time.”

The man got a perplexed look on his face. “What? Are you two dykes or what?”

Angel bit her lip, trying to keep the hysterical laughter at bay while Becca huffed in response, looking over the man in disgust, taking in the thickness of his legs, body, and especially the neck.
Dude, we don’t like men whose neck circumference exceeds that of their skull,
she thought and wished she could say it aloud.

“Uh… no!” Becca’s blue eyes flashed to Angel and then back again. “Apparently, she has a new aversion to meat. If she’s not up for filet mignon, she’s not interested in ground round.”

By now, Angel was shoving Becca back toward the cardio room again, both of them laughing uncontrollably.

“Shut up, Becca! Oh, my God!”

The man stood entranced, watching them move away from him. “Huh?”

Another fit of laugher shook Angel’s shoulders, and she wiped at the tears leaking from her eyes.

“Exactly!” Becca quipped to him over her shoulder as they disappeared through the locker room doors. “I know steroids shrink their balls, but I guess the brain goes, too.”

“Stop, Becca. My sides hurt!” Angel threw out, and it was Becca’s turn to laugh. “Is it just their balls?”

“No… you know teeny peens never were my fave! I mean, seriously, all that muscle except where it counts. Dumb asses.”

“How much, um,
research
have you done on the subject?”

“E
nough
! And Angel, you need to research that sexy voice.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay. Running or stair-stepper today?”

“Running. Three miles at intervals. Start with a jog.”

Angel pushed the start button on the machine and began a slow jog while Becca joined her on the treadmill next to hers. “You could use a good bone. Maybe Mr. Velvet Voice can throw you one. Just sayin’, Angel.”

Angel smiled again. “You’re the one who won’t let go of the bone. You’re like a rabid dog. Why don’t you concentrate on getting yourself a good man, and let me worry about me? Let’s run. Maybe if you’re out of breath, you can get off my ass about this guy. Do you want to meet him? I’ll ask Darian to set you up.”

“He called
you
. You can’t tell me that doesn’t make your panties at least a little bit damp. What are you afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid, but I’m not an idiot. Men like him are dangerous to women in general. I’m not looking for a relationship, but if I were, he’d be the last type of man I’d want. He’s too detached. You heard him. He needed sex and having a monogamous relationship was a convenient way to get it. Call me crazy, but if you’re only fucking for a fling, okay. But I already have someone for that. I don’t need to complicate my life with someone like him.”

“Oh, yes. How is Kenny?” Becca crinkled her nose in distaste, took a big swig from her water bottle, and then wiped the moisture from her mouth with the back of her hand. “He’s just so… bleh.”

Angel shook her head. “He’s a nice guy.”

Kenneth Gant was a lawyer that Angel met when she first starting working as guardian ad litem for the Cook County Circuit Court. He’d taken a strong interest in her from the first time they’d met. Angel dated him for a while, but now it was mainly a sexual relationship once or twice a month. Even that was getting too much. Her rule—sex with no strings for short-term only—was sorely stretched on this one. Funny though, he was the one with feelings, not her.

Angel sighed. When she thought about it, it was about scratching an occasional itch. Maybe it wasn’t so different from Alex’s situation, except he treated the girl like they were in a relationship, so the boundaries got blurred. With Ken, she was honest and told him, in no uncertain terms, that they had no future together. Kyle had hurt her badly when he cheated on her with one of the band’s groupies, and she wasn’t about to open her heart like that again. No man was going to control her, or her life, or her emotions ever again. It wasn’t worth it to her.

“Nice is girl code for
bleh
,” Becca pointed out with a cringe, and Angel shrugged.

“He’s been good to me. I’m not seeing him that much anymore, anyway. I felt like I was leading him on. I know he wants more and I don’t.”

“No shit? Probably the bleh factor kicking in,” Becca deadpanned. “He’s not bad looking, but his personality—not so much.”

“He’s not
that
bad. He’s sweet.” Angel shook her head and chuckled.

“Yeah? There you go with more code-speak again. Translation?
Boring
. You need to get out more, Angel.” Becca shook her head knowingly. She was well aware that Angel was not into this lawyer at all. “When you start using adjectives like amazing, fuckhawt or magic peen,
then
I’ll know your vag is at attention.”

“Magic peen is an adjective
and
a noun,” Angel pointed out with a smirk.

“Yeah, well, I think you get my point.”

*****

Alex paced back and forth in front of his desk, impatient for Cole to call him back. It was Saturday and the office was empty, most of the lights were off, and it was eerily silent. Avery Enterprises had three entire floors of
the John Hancock Center
, and Alex’s office was on the Southeast corner of the top floor. Of course, it was the best view of the city and the waterfront, and it was more like a small apartment, with luxurious furniture and a full private bathroom, sitting room, and closet. The sofa was oversized and Alex had found himself asleep on it many times while working late on an acquisition deal or schematics for a new hotel.

Ever since that damn phone call last night, his thoughts were consumed with the incomplete glimpses he’d seen of the mysterious woman named Angel Hemming. He didn’t have her face, but he had her words. Just that sultry voice intrigued him more than he was willing to admit, and he was compelled to know more about her. Words were the only thing between them, yet he’d been more aroused than if she’d grabbed his cock and begged him to fuck her.

He huffed in disbelief at his own weakness as his mind darted to the picture Darian had sent and the mystery surrounding the woman attached to it. She was intelligent and seemed to understand how a man’s mind worked. Which, in and of itself, was a huge turn-on and something he hadn’t come across before. Topped off by that damn snarky, teasing banter, and he was captivated. Alex wanted to know more. Much more.

He hadn’t slept much and dawn was breaking over the horizon, shining into his penthouse. As coffee brewed in the kitchen, Alex was already in his personal gym. He spent an hour rowing and running until he’d exhausted himself; the sweat casting a thin sheen on the skin of his muscular chest and arms and running lightly down his face. His original plan had been to drive out to his house and pick up his dog, Max, before going to his parents’ acreage on the north side of the city. Instead, he found himself in front of his computer Googling Angeline Hemming.

He shook his head in utter astonishment.
Alex fucking Avery Googling a woman
?
Pathetic.
The worst part was, he found almost nothing. A nod to her chairing some women’s empowerment organization, and small mentions about her in articles surrounding a couple of the highest profile abuse cases that Chicago had seen in the two years since she’d gotten her PhD. The nature of her work kept the details quiet as most of the case files were sealed, but it was apparent that she was well respected and sought after. Alex was impressed. She was professional and she had ethics. The only other thing he found was a press release issued about the new radio show being a platform for her charity work. Nothing personal. Not one damn thing. And what burned Alex’s ass more than anything was that there wasn’t a single picture to ease his burning curiosity.

He moved across the room, raking both hands through his thick hair, and stopped in front of the windows. It was a clear day and the water of Lake Michigan sparkled in the sunlight, contrasting its dark hues against the light blue, spring sky.

“Fucking hell,” Alex muttered to himself. He felt irritated that his thoughts were consumed by a woman he’d never met, and he was angry at Darian for taunting him. He shook his head in disgust. He hadn’t even seen her face.
Stupidly, I fell for the goddamned bait!

It had only been minutes, yet seemed like hours when his brother finally called back.

“Cole, what the hell took you so long?” Alex admonished sharply. He was younger than Cole by two years, but of the three Avery children, Alex was, by far, the most responsible. Cole worked because his father and brother forced the issue, but if he had his preference, he’d be laying on a beach in the Bahamas or Bali instead.

“I’m not home. Otherwise engaged, dude.”

Alex grimaced at the slang term.
Ugh.

“Uh, can’t say I give a shit what your state of engagement is, Cole. What’s the name of that investigator? The one that Dad has on retainer?”

“Whoa. The CFO doesn’t remember the name of the investigator?” Cole teased lightheartedly. While Alex was serious and focused, Cole could make any situation into a joke. “I mean, if I was in charge of all the money, I sure as shit would know who the head of security was.”

Alex sighed and ran his hand impatiently through his hair again, his fingers stopping to yank on the strands. “Cole, if you want to be in charge of the cash, I suggest you take it up with Dad. For now, can you help me out?” His voice was flat and resigned, like a parent dealing with a disobedient child.

They shared brotherly love, but there was a decided competition between the two. Cole held a degree of resentment toward Alex because he was technically his boss. Their parents, especially their father, Charles, didn’t trust Cole’s slacker nature. It was always Alex who stepped in to clean up the mess, and it didn’t go unnoticed. He was the model child; always excelling, always doing what was expected and more.

“Bro, forget work. Let’s go to the Cubs game this afternoon. Get Darian and Dad, and I’ll call Josh, too,” Cole rattled on. His complete lack of focus made Alex’s mouth tighten in annoyance.