Attraction: (A Temptation Series Stand-alone) (The Temptation Series Book 4) (2 page)

I once read in
Cosmopolitan
magazine that men notice
women’s nails because they fantasise about being scratched by them. I also read
that men like hosiery because they think women who wear hosiery also wear a
sexy garter belt. Oh, and men like long hair because they want to grab hold of
it while they fuck you from behind.
Okay, so the magazine didn’t say that. I
just know that for a fact.

Regardless of what men like, I keep up my appearance for
myself. I like my long ash-blonde hair. I like to wear the latest fashion. And
I like to adorn my face in MAC and L’Oréal.
Because I’m worth it.

I giggled to myself. I loved those ads.

‘Is it time yet?’ Ellie asked, her finger hovering nervously
over the button.

I looked up at the clock and took note of the time.
Urgh
... I wish it was.
‘No, one more minute,’ I informed her.

She bopped her head eagerly. ‘Okay.’

God, I can’t wait for tomorrow.
I hadn’t seen Lexi
since she fled to her parents’ farm, soon after finding out about Rick’s
infidelity; at the same time she also found out that Bryce had paid Rick five
million dollars to allow Alexis to spend a week with him — ‘him’ being Bryce.
I
told you, Days of Alexis’ Life.

Apparently, Bryce discovered that Rick had had an affair.
He’d also discovered that Rick was desperate for money, so Bryce offered the
five mil to Rick for him to come clean to Alexis, which inevitably sent her
directly into Bryce’s waiting arms.
Fucking genius if you ask me, although I
never told Lexi that.

Despite my appreciation of Bryce’s ingenuity, I still
fretted over Lexi being in the middle of a love triangle to end all love triangles
and that her marriage was in disarray. She had always been grounded, content
and settled, having been with Rick since the age of seventeen. So I was
concerned when her life went to shit, and not only because she found out that
her husband was a cheating arse-wipe, but because she also had a charming,
hot-as-hell wealthy man pursuing her relentlessly at the same time.

As exciting as that concept sounded, it had worried me. Lexi
was not used to so much drama. It wasn’t until I saw her and Bryce together
that I realised he was her saving grace — they just clicked.

Ding. Ding. Ding.
The bell sounded and Ellie turned
to me with an expression that sought approval. I gave her a thumbs-up and sent
her on her way.

‘’Bye, Miss Henkley. Have a good weekend.’

‘You, too, Ellie,’ I replied, watching her smile as she
skipped out the door with her schoolbag, which was nearly bigger than she was.

With the end of my working week behind me, and the ringing
bell prompting a huge smile to form on my face, I casually leaned back in my
chair, putting my hands behind my head and spinning in a 360° twirl.

TGIF!

CHAPTER TWO

The following day, I drove my Suzuki Swift Sport — known as
Suzi — toward the waiting valet attendant at City Towers, which was Bryce’s
hotel. He owned the entire City Towers Entertainment Complex, which comprised
three hotels plus a shopping and entertainment precinct. According to Alexis,
his company — Clark Incorporated — had many hotels worldwide. She’d told me
that she tried not to think about it all too much because it freaked her out.
Personally, I thought she was bloody crazy. She was shacked up with one of the
wealthiest and sexiest men on the face of the earth. What’s not to think about?

Stepping out of the car, I handed my keys to the waiting
attendant.

‘Thank you, ma’am,’ he said with a courteous smile. I
checked him out for the slightest of seconds, taking in his baby-cute face.
Na,
too young.

Continuing toward the lobby, I stopped and craned my neck,
looking up at the forty-three storey building towering over me while shielding
my eyes from the rays of sunlight that shone through the overhead glass awning.
I had been here numerous times, but never to the penthouse apartment. And I had
never used the hotel’s valet service before. I felt a bit spesh.

Last week Bryce had sent me a text message explaining that
he was organising a birthday party for Alexis and I was invited to help
celebrate. Of course I would help celebrate. Lexi and I had been at each
other’s birthday parties every year since we were four years old, birthday
number six being one of our finest celebrations. I’m not sure whose idea it was
— probably mine, seeing as it involved getting naked — but we had decided that
games such as pass the parcel and pin the tail on the donkey were boring,
opting to strip off our clothes and roll around in the grass and mud instead.
What
better way to spend one’s birthday in none other than one’s birthday suit,
right?

I wished I had thought of that particular excuse at age six,
because ‘mud feels good between my toes’ and ‘Alexis told me to do it’ did not
cut it in the face of my mother’s questioning. Let’s just say that we put our
clothes back on after Mum and Maryann gave us an eardrum scolding. They also
took incriminating photographs which reared their ugly heads at both of our
twenty-first birthday parties.

Making my way to the reception desk after a bellboy kindly
received my funky Kate Hill overnight bag, I stopped at the counter and was
greeted by a vivacious young man.

‘Good afternoon, ma’am. How can I help you today?’ he asked
with a courteous yet chirpy tone.

‘Hi. My name is Carly Henkley. I’m checking in as one of the
guests attending Alexis Summers’ birthday party.’

‘Oh, you’re Carls. Alexis has told me all about you,’ he
said with a mischievous grin, shedding his professionalism like a snakeskin.

I narrowed my eyes, spying his identification badge and
taking note of his name. ‘Liam,’ I said as I met his eyes, ‘Alexis is full of
shit ... unless what she has told you is all good and nothing but good.’

Liam smiled and leaned to the side, placing one elbow on top
of his counter. He quickly scanned the room and then lowered his voice. ‘Don’t
tell her I said this, but she mentioned once that you reminded her of a horny
Barbie doll on crack.’

Slapping my hand to my chest exaggeratedly, I feigned insult
at Lexi’s almost-accurate description. ‘Me ... a Barbie doll? These are real,
my friend. AND ... I don’t do drugs. Drugs are bad. I learned that in school,’
I replied while cupping my double D-sized breasts and hoisting them up.

Just as I performed my self-grope, a hot businessman walked
through the foyer. Liam and I followed his toned arse as it teased us with its
perky deliciousness.

‘You must love your job,’ I said with a jealous tone, my
head tilted to one side, hands still cupping my breasts, and eyes still glued
to hot businessman’s butt.

‘Uh huh,’ Liam drawled.

‘What room is he in?’ I asked, still fixated on the way his
trousers gently caressed the skin under them.

‘Hopefully mine.’

My eyes snapped back to Liam’s. ‘Don’t tell me a hot little
sex toy like yourself is single?’

‘Sadly, yes,’ he replied as he broke free of his smut-stare
and began to type on his computer keyboard.

‘Really?’ I asked excitedly.

‘Yes,’ he deadpanned.

‘Hmm.’

Liam’s lips pursed, and he raised his eyebrow. ‘What’s “hmm”
mean?’

Smiling conceitedly, I assessed my fingernails. ‘It means I
have a friend of a friend. How old are you?’

‘Depends, is this friend of a friend decent?’

‘Yes,’ I said with absolute certainty.

He lowered his voice. ‘Is he out? As in “Mum and Dad know I
blow guys”?’

I cracked up laughing. ‘Oh, I like you, Liam.’

‘What’s not to like?’ he said with a wink as he handed me a
room card.

Poking out my tongue, I snatched the card from his hand.
‘The SpongeBob SquarePants jocks you are probably wearing. Later,’ I said with
a wink.

‘Have fun at Lexi’s party, Barbie,’ he called out.

‘’Bye, SpongeBob,’ I said as I waved my hand over my shoulder
at him, smiling at the thought of possibly setting him up with Brooke’s — also
known as Miss Lewis to her grade one students — room-mate’s brother. Somehow I
think they would work.

***

As I stepped into the elevator, I retrieved my phone from my
handbag, realising I forgot to remind Libby that she was in charge of feeding
Sasha and Rico for the night. Rico, my Mexican walking fish, was king of his
tank. I loved him.

Libby answered her phone after two rings. ‘What did you forget?’
she asked in a condescending tone.

Her question offended me. Well, not really. I forgot shit
all the time, hence the phone call. ‘You’re feedin’ Sasha and Rico tonight,’ I
informed her.

‘Who says I’m gonna be home?’ she replied haughtily.

‘You’ll be home.’

‘Will not.’

‘Will so.’

The line was silent for a moment.

‘Lib, you got a date?’ I asked, teasingly.
She so hasn’t
.
Lib was a couch dweller and a bedroom hermit. She ventured out for shopping and
the occasional walk with Sasha. If I was lucky, I’d get her to come dancing
with me, which was pretty much never.

‘What if I have?’ she stuttered.

‘I’d tell you to shave and wear sexy underwear. Oh, and
don’t go down on him on the first date. It’s unladylike and you, Lib, are a
lady.’

‘You’re disgusting,’ she responded, ‘and fine, I’ll be
home.’

‘Thanks, love you.’

Making a kiss sound at my phone, I disconnected and smiled
at the fact I could read her like a book. I then glanced at the elderly couple
standing beside me. Wifey was glaring at me with a contorted face, her
expression indicating that I smelled of dog shit. Hubby, on the other hand,
clearly thought I rocked, his expression an impressed smile.

‘Blow jobs are for special men,’ I informed them. ‘They need
to prove themselves first.’

The elevator dinged and they both exited the cart, wifey
shooting out as if she were about to run a race against Usain Bolt. As the
doors closed tight again, I let out a giggle.
I am so bad. Although I bet
hubby gets a bit tonight.
That was my good deed done for the day.

***

The elevator cart took me to the thirty-third floor.
Nice!
I’m staying in a suite on the thirty-third level of City Towers. Lexi, Lexi,
Lexi, you really have secured yourself Mr Prince Charming.

Shaking my head, I smiled happily for my best friend. She
deserved happiness with Bryce. Although the strange thing was that I — together
with everyone else in her life, including Lex herself — believed she was happy
with Rick. That’s why, when she told me about his secret affair, I could hardly
believe it. Of course, I did believe she was telling me the truth, it was just
... he always seemed to have idolised her.

From the moment they hooked up at our year eleven formal,
there was no separating them. It was Lexi and Rick, Rick and Lexi. They were
engaged by age twenty-two and married by age twenty-three. She gave birth to
Nate at age twenty-six, and Charli three years later. Then, out of the blue, it
was finished: the end. Rick had made the biggest mistake of his life and as
soon as Alexis informed me of what he’d done I knew he was screwed, even if Lex
hadn’t known that for herself. You see, I knew Lex. I knew her better than she
knew herself. I also knew that although she was one of the strongest people I
had ever come across, there was one thing that could always crack her:
betrayal.

The thing about my Lexi was that she bounced back. Talk
about bouncing ... she was like Pooh Bear’s pal, Tigger! That girl bounced
right into Bryce’s arms and has stayed there ever since, quite happily. Hmm ...
Mr Bryce Clark. Now, I know I shouldn’t inwardly salivate at the thought of
him, but fuck, it was pretty much impossible not to and I’m sure Lex wouldn’t
mind. Actually, I’m certain she wouldn’t mind, because she would then rub it in
by telling me that while I fantasised about his hard luscious cock, she was the
one who had it in her mouth. I knew this because she had said it ... more than
once.

Swiping my card through the slot at the door, I heard it
beep then click open. Almost instantly, I was faced with a ceiling-to-floor
window which had beige, sheer curtains hanging at either end. The room was huge
and looked as though it had never been touched, the linen on the bed
ultra-white and crisp. I noticed a card sitting in the centre of the pillows,
my name clearly visible on the exterior.

Snatching it up eagerly, I unfolded it and read:
Carly,
please enjoy your stay. If there is anything at all that you require, press 1
on the in-house phone and ask for Abigail. Help yourself to the minibar, and
feel free to order room service. I’ve also arranged for you to use the hotel’s
spa if you so desire. Party starts at 7 p.m. See you then. Bryce

Holy fucking shitballs! Free minibar ... sweet!

Skipping and twirling over to the fridge, I opened it up. I
loved mini things; mini cheese, miniskirts, and mini people. But most of all, I
LOVED mini alcohol.

Reaching in, I grabbed a teeny tiny bottle of vodka and
knocked it back while doing a little dance. Then, without hesitation, I dived
back in the fridge and retrieved the mini bottle of champagne.
Pop!
Swigging
it from the bottle, I got even more excited when I spotted the mini tube of
Pringles.
Mini-gasm!

Placing the bottle of champers on the bedside table, I
jumped on the bed just as there was a knock at the door. I scooted off the bed
and made my way to the door, opening it without even looking.

‘Ms Henkley, your bag,’ the bellboy informed.

‘Thank you,’ I replied, reaching out to take it from him.

Bellboy subtly snatched it back. ‘I’ll just put it in your
room for you,’ he politely explained, nodding his head in the direction of the
interior of my room. I turned slightly and looked over my shoulder to where he
was indicating, thinking it was kind of strange. My bag was not the size of the
Titanic — more a gondola — and I was quite capable of carrying it myself.