If I Say Yes (17 page)

“This is a rare occasion,” he whispers in my ear. “Us going out
again for another fun filled night. It’s only fair we do it right.”

“Of course it is.” I smile. “Only this time, it’ll be better than our last attempt.” My attitude is better than it was earlier today. It’s just as surprising to me as it is to Eli. I can see the confusion written all
over his face as he attempts to figure out why we are going to Gravity
on a Monday night. I’m not sure what sparked the idea, either, but I
just want to go with the flow. Eli stares at me, his smile not quite
reaching his eyes. Nothing in his expression gives me any indication
that he isn’t going to go along with it. I’m glad, because whatever this
is, I’m not ready to let go of it just yet.

It has to be the high from getting through those few letters.

A line from the front of the club wraps down and around the block.
It’ll be close to closing time before we get in. Of course, the limo pulls
up directly in front of the club. Eli climbs out first, helping me out. He
pulls me close to his side just as a popping noise sounds and a light
flashes in my face. Of course, the paparazzi is here again. Eli holds me
close as we walk right up to the door. The bouncer moves the rope
aside,
allowing us entrance. I can’t fight the laughter that escapes past
my lips at the sounds of groans growing behind us. It doesn’t matter
what day of the week it is. This is the hottest club in town, and everyone
wants in.

Tonight feels different than the last time I was here. The last time,
I was practically forced to come here, and I came in through the back.
I
was a nervous wreck and almost lost control with a certain guy on the
dance floor. This time, however, I thrive under the strobe lights flashing,
the DJ masterfully spinning the music, and the sight of bodies grinding
on one another. My head turns towards the dance floor, and I stop short.
Jacob and Millie are here. Eli glances in the direction I am staring and
squeezes my hand in reassurance. I smile, silently second-guessing my
spur of the moment decision, and then I brush it off. Tonight belongs to me. Nothing is going to stop that.

“Let’s get a drink!” I shout over the music to Eli, and he nods. Eli
keeps me close as he leads me to the neon lit bar near the dance floor.

A classy bartender wearing a white button up dress shirt and
short brown hair approaches us. Eli places his credit card down on the
counter. The bartender smiles and takes it to open a tab. “A whiskey for me, and a rum and coke for the lady,” Eli says. I smile at the fact that he remembers my favorite drink. The bartender nods and makes our drinks quickly.

We finish our drinks near the bar and take a few shots, which vary
from vodka to a bit of Patron. I know I am going to regret this in the
morning when I am at work, but right now, I really don’t care. A warm
tingling sensation creeps through my body. I’m ready. I grab Eli’s hand
and drag him to the dance floor.

The music is loud, the bass vibrating through my body, and I
welcome it. I’d forgotten what it feels like to lose myself on the dance
floor. Why did I ever deny myself this?
You know why
… I shake the
thought from my head. Nothing is getting me down. I’m fully enjoying
myself for the first time in six years. Song after song plays. My body is
covered in sweat, and I love it. Eli mumbles something about needing
a break and something to drink. I nod at him and remain on the dance
floor. I lose myself to the music again. Just me, myself, and I.

That is until I feel someone
press
their
body against me. I automatically
assume it’s Eli and keep grinding my body against him. Hands run
over my body, caressing my breasts, down my arms, and along my
abdomen. Lips brush against my ear, startling me; everything about this is out of the norm for Eli, but I keep dancing anyway. “You look absolutely delicious tonight.”

I stop and face Reid.

Without hesitation, I slap him across the face. His eyes go wide, and he stares at me. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You were obviously enjoying it.”

“I thought you were someone else,” I practically spit at him. I turn,
making a beeline for the bar, when he lightly touches my arm and stops
me. “What do you want?”

His eyes soften. “Can we talk?”

“We have nothing to talk about.” It comes out harsher than I want.
He lowers his head, pleading with his eyes through his dark, long
lashes. I sigh and search for any sign of Eli. This is not on the agenda for tonight. “Fine. You have five minutes.”

Reid lifts his head, a wide grin spreads across his face. “That’s all
I need.” He grabs my hand lightly, and I try to ignore the jolt of energy
pulsating in my veins. I allow him to lead me through the crammed
dance floor. We stop next to a door in the corner of the club, and I
watch as he enters a code. The door opens, revealing a set of stairs. At
the top of the stairs, we walk into a cozy office. A large one way mirror
overlooks the entire club, and to my right is a wall lined with large
flat screen TVs with different angles of the club broadcasting on them.
A couple of leather chairs are placed in front of the TVs with end tables
next to them

“What are we doing in here?” I say quickly and glance over my
shoulder, back towards the door. “We can’t be in here. We have to
leave before we get caught.”

Reid laughs, walks over to the fully stocked bar along the back wall,
and pulls two glasses off the rack hanging from the ceiling. Without
answering, he starts to make a couple of drinks. Near the bar is a large
oak desk and another large leather chair. “Relax,” he says, walking back
to me with a glass in each hand. I take the one he offers me and sip. Rum and coke.
How does he know?
“This is my office. We won’t get in
trouble, and we certainly won’t be interrupted.” His eyes glisten with
a hint of humor behind them.

“Your office?” I say. “What do you mean, your office?”

“I own this club. Well, at least half of it.” No, he doesn’t. I remember
when the club first opened up nearly eight years ago. The only person
the media talked about owing the club was some guy named Phillip Draco; nothing was mentioned about Reid being a partner. “Phillip is my cousin.” I gulp and take another sip. His cousin? “I helped him get this place going.” I take another drink and try to absorb this new
information. He helps fund the build of a new adoption center. He helps
fund a night club. And he works in the Romance department of a top
literary agency.
Who the hell is this man?
To say I am not intrigued to learn more about him would be a lie. I want to know
everything, despite
what
I keep telling myself. In another two gulps, my drink is gone.

“Want another drink?”

“No,” I answer quickly, bringing a smile to his face. Another drink
isn’t the smartest of ideas, considering that between the shots and my
drink earlier, the alcohol is taking effect. I am not thinking with a straight
head. “You have five minutes… starting now.” I place the empty glass
on the desk. Reid closes the distance between us in a couple long strides.

He brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his dark eyes gazing
into mine. “Do you know the effect you have on me?” I whimper and
turn my head away. He’s too close. I need to get away. I take a step
to move away from him and don’t get very far. Reid wraps his arms
around me, pulls me close, and stares me straight in the eye. This is not
in the plan. This is not how tonight is supposed to go, yet I cannot
stop it. His lips come crashing down onto mine. They taste of mint
and alcohol. I try to fight it, which only lasts for a split second before my alcohol-induced hormones take over. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling his lips harder against mine. His tongue dances over the top of my lips, and I part them all too willingly.

Reid groans and pulls me towards one of the leather chairs. I
straddle his lap and take his lips with mine, not wasting one second. He releases my hair from its ponytail and grabs a handful. My hands
run over his shoulders, stopping only to undo the buttons of his shirt.
I make it halfway down before placing my hands on his rock hard chest
and rubbing the contours of his muscles. His finger traces the hem of
my dress, his hand slipping underneath the thin material, and he cups
my cheek.

The cell phone in his pants pocket begins to vibrate against my leg,
sending a thrilling sensation through my body. After a few seconds, it
stops. I grind against his growing erection and moan with pleasure as
he leaves a trail of kisses along my shoulder. I start to undo his belt
buckle when a knock comes from the door, shattering the moment
and bringing me back to reality.

“Damn it,” Reid curses under his breath. That’s all it takes, and I
quickly jump off his lap. The shock of what I was just doing hits me
like a freight train. I adjust my dress, pulling it back down to cover
myself. I turn, planning to bolt for the door. “Liza?” His voice stops me;
the sound of hurt and confusion surrounds me. Tears soak my eyes, and I turn to look at him.

“This is a mistake,” I say. Reid flinches like I slapped him across the face again. “It will never happen again.”

As I turn to walk out the door, I crash into a broad set of shoulders.
“Liza?” The sound of Eli’s voice instantly relieves me. “Are you okay?
H-H-He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

I fight back the tears and shake my head. I glance back over my
shoulder at Reid, who is standing there watching the two of us. His face
gives nothing away. I gaze back at Eli, who now has an arm wrapped
around
me for support, and I give him my
best smile
. “Nothing happened.
I’m fine.” Eli stares at me before shifting to his attention to Reid and glares coldly at him. “Really, I’m fine. I just want to go home.”

His body tenses. I sense that he isn’t ready to leave just yet, and
now he has Reid to blame for my sudden desire to go. “I’ll have the
driver come get us.” I hear Reid scoff behind us.

“I want to go alone.”

“Liza,” Eli says softly, “I do—”

“This isn’t up for debate.” I say in my best stern voice. I cross my arms, pull away from him, and stare straight into his eyes.

“Fine.” Eli gives in all too easily. “I’ll have the car pull around to the front.” I relax, give him a hug, and dare to steal one last glance at
Reid. His body is rigid, and his stone cold eyes have glossed back over;
his walls are back up. I say nothing to him as move past Eli on the
landing and make my way outside to wait for the car.

TONIGHT HAS BEEN
one big, fat mistake. Something I seem to be making a lot of. How I ever thought going out to Gravity was a good idea is beyond me. But how was I supposed to know that Reid was a silent partner in the club? All I want now is to get home, pour myself
a glass of cheap wine, and soak in the tub. It’s already near midnight,
which is just another reason why I shouldn’t have gone out tonight. I
have work in the morning. My head spins, and I feel sick. Not because
of the alcohol I consumed, but because of the foolish mistakes I have been making. The first being that I thought it was a grand idea to go out, and the second was following Reid to the private office.

I sigh, lean my head back
against
the
seat,
and r
emember
once more
how Reid’s lips felt against mine. The sensation of his erection pressing
against me as he caressed me had filled me with desire. The sexual
tension is undeniable. If we hadn’t been interrupted, I’m pretty sure things would have gone a lot further. Hell, maybe I should just give
in and sleep with Reid. I can finally get him out of my system and back
on track.

Of course, I won’t though. That would be breaking the most sacred
rule on my list, which is to not have sex with a man I am not going to marry. No, the next time I give my body to someone, that person will be the one I am spending the rest of my life with. Though marriage is
the furthest thing from my mind right now. I doubt I will ever even get
married. The surest way to avoid any complications is to avoid all men,
sex included. I’ve never been the kind of person to have a ‘no-strings
attached’ relationship, or casual sex. To be honest, I have only been with
one person my entire life, and it wasn’t all that enjoyable.

No wonder he strayed to your mom…

No. I shake my head. I need to stop going there. I’m not going to
add that to the mess that I have made these past few weeks. I may not
have complete control of my life, or my dreams most times, but the one
thing I can control is not thinking of
her.
The thought of my mother, her
mutilated body, her death caused because I couldn’t keep my
ex-fiancé
satisfied, is more than enough to put me in a downward spiral for weeks.
I know because this has happened before.