Chapter 16: Chapter 16

KATE

“Oh no,” I mumbled, rolling over in bed. Unsure of whose bed I was in, I looked around the room. It looked like something out of a magazine and was vaguely familiar.

Recognizing the nude color palette and matching furniture, I realized I was in a spare bedroom at my penthouse.

Fingertips traced my stomach, making me nearly jump out of my skin. I was more than relieved when I spotted Tyler’s completely naked body lying beside me.

I had never been more into Tyler than I was then. If he hadn’t shown up at the bar when he did, who knows where my friends and I would have ended up?

I reminded myself to yell at Sara for drugging me without my consent. Even more than my dire need for sex the previous night, I was worried about word getting out, or, God forbid, video or pictures circulating.

I had big shoes to fill and needed to be taken seriously as a young woman owning and running important businesses. My anger for Sara boiled under my skin until Tyler opened his eyes, the dark brown irises watching me intently.

“Morning beautiful,” he mumbled.

I leaned down, running my lips across his tattooed back and arms. His muscles tensed beneath my touch, reminding me how much I had missed him during our two-day hiatus. Pathetic, I know.

“I am so sorry about last night,” I urged. “Seriously. I feel horrible and I’m beyond grateful for you. I don’t know what I’d have done without you.”

Something flashed in his eyes. I wasn’t able to pinpoint the emotion, but it almost looked like pain. He then sat up, wrapping me in his stronghold.

His warm breath fanned across my neck, nearly melting me right then and there. That boy made me weak in the knees.

And while the sex last night was indeed euphoric, I realized I felt the same way every time I’d been with him. It wasn’t the ecstasy that had made sleeping with him that amazing, it was the chemistry between us.

I laid my head back down, closing my eyes. Images from last night flooded my brain: dancing in the DJ booth with Piper, singing degrading things about women much too loud, and Piper pulling my dress down for the crowd to enjoy.

Then I remembered Tyler saving me, carrying me away from whatever stupid thing Piper and I were about to do. I even asked~ Chris~ to have sex with me when Tyler had been responsible and said no.

I groaned. Tyler turned to me immediately, showing his concern. “I begged you to have sex with me after you turned me down.” I closed my eyes, unable to face him. “I am so embarrassed and so sorry.

“Obviously I’ve never done drugs before, and I’ll yell at—”

He raised a hand to my mouth. “Stop, Kate,” he said. “Just stop.” Leaning over me, he pressed his warm lips against my forehead. “I should have said no, you weren’t in a position to make decisions.

“I’m the one who’s sorry. You did beg, and I couldn’t say no to you. I should have, but I just couldn’t. I am truly sorry for taking advantage of you.”

He sighed and my eyes shot open. “You’re sorry?” I asked. “You can’t be serious. You took care of me last night. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up.

“I’m thankful for you, and you didn’t take advantage of me. I literally begged you for sex,” I said with a grimace. I’d never spoken those words out loud,~ ever~.

Unable to help myself, I climbed on top of him and kissed him deeply. It had been a long few days without him, and I wanted to show him that morning how thankful I was and how much I’d missed him.

After we showered, Tyler made me some much-needed food in my kitchen. I wondered if his mom had taught him how to cook; he sure as hell was a lot better than me in the kitchen.

Wearing only his boxer briefs and nothing else, Tyler was a dream to watch. His abdominal muscles tightened as he leaned to get salsa from the refrigerator, his impressive biceps bulging as he opened the jar.

I was trying not to be perverted by looking at that man like he was a piece of meat, but that was proving to be too hard. I finally understood why so many men stared at women like that.

My phone began ringing obnoxiously, with Piper’s name flashing. She was probably still with Ben and wanted to make sure I was alright.

“Hey Pipe, what’s up?”

“I’m heading into the office,” she replied.

Glancing at the clock in my kitchen, I saw it was already ten in the morning. She had taken her new position as my second assistant extremely seriously. She worked a lot, but not at my demand.

Piper and Bill were both hard-working, and I appreciated them more than they could ever imagine. I planned to surprise Piper with an apartment in my building so she could get out of that shit hole she called home.

“You don’t need to go in,” I said to her. “I told you not to, you should be resting today.”

“Not necessary, I’m no virgin to ecstasy. Anyway, Bill called and we’re meeting to discuss something he’s come up with.”

The loud hustle and bustle of New York City came through from her end. It was Tuesday morning, and the streets were no doubt filled beyond capacity.

Piper cursed at someone who apparently bumped into her, then it sounded like she dropped the phone. “Piper?”

“Yeah, I’m here. Anyway, are you still with Tyler?” she asked, saying his name in a lovey-dovey voice.

“Yes, I am. He’s cooking now, but I’ll meet you at the office after.”

I hung up on Piper and started making a pot of coffee. “You’re heading to work?” he asked. I nodded. “How do you do it, Kate?”

I looked up, surprised. “Do what?”

He turned back to the stove, flipping the omelets. “You’re so young but so brilliant. You’re running what…a five-hundred-million-dollar corporation?” Tyler chuckled to himself.

“No,” I replied with a smile. He smiled back, and I wanted to kiss him for the rest of the day. “It’s in the billions, but I have a lot of people who make that possible. My dad didn’t do it by himself, and I sure as hell can’t.”

Tyler’s mouth fell open. “Are you fucking serious?” he asked.

“Yes?”

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I mean, I knew you were rich, but not that wealthy. Shit.” He paused, and I could tell thoughts were turning in his head.

“What the fuck are you doing with someone like me?” he asked and then continued rambling. “I mean, I’m not implying that you’re with me in a relationship. Unless you wanted to be, of course. Shit.”

I hadn’t ever heard Tyler nervous before. He was rambling away, waving his hands charismatically. I pressed my lips tightly together, trying not to laugh at him.

I glided over to stand in front of him. Wrapping my small hands around his rough and calloused ones, I squeezed him tight. He seemed to calm himself down for the moment, at least.

“It’s a billion-dollar corporation, but I don’t have that much sitting in my bank accounts or anything,” I said, laughing. “And I’m not a materialistic person, Tyler.

“I did grow up with money, but I also worked my ass off. I have an MBA from Columbia, and I ran and operated the company’s foreign sector single-handedly while my dad was in New York.

“I’ve been sitting in on business meetings since I was six years old. Literally.”

“You’re still—”

“No. Whatever you were going to say, just don’t. I don’t care, nor have I ever cared, about how much money you make. I know, of course, because you signed a contract with my team, but that doesn’t change anything.

“It shouldn’t matter which one of us has more material possessions—”

He cut me off, pressing his lips into mine. I held up a finger, and he pulled away from me.

“The truth is, I do want to be with you.” His eyes lit up, and he grabbed my waist, drawing me closer to him. “But I think we’re treading dangerous waters, Tyler.”

He still held me close to him, but the fire in his eyes faded. “I know you’re right,” he replied. “We’ll keep us on the down low for now.

“Maybe we’ll be spotted together a time or two, but we won’t make statements when the media harasses us. We’ll let them draw their own conclusions and then let their stories die down.”

I wrapped my hands around his neck and pulled his head down so I could reach his lips. “I think you’re far more brilliant than you let on.” Tyler laughed his contagious laugh.

“You sure you wanna go through this trouble for an old lady like me?” I asked with a grin. “The media will degrade both our characters.”

Tyler pulled away from me. Plating the omelets, he looked back at me with an icy look I had only witnessed before he went into a game. “I don’t give a shit what they say. I’d risk it all for your old ass.”

I laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” He grinned.

I put on a simple white dress and navy-blue high heels. Tyler made a point not to rip that dress when he decided he couldn’t wait until later for more sex.

Normally, I would have said no; but this was Tyler, and I wanted him, probably more than he wanted me. I left the penthouse before Tyler and told him he could stay as long as he wanted.

The Blades were playing later that night, and I planned to pull Uncle John aside and casually bring up the consequences of dating a player. I hadn’t figured out exactly how I was going to do that, but I had all day to mull it over.

I took the elevator up to the top floor of the immaculate Martin Financial building. The mostly steel interior never ceased to amaze me.

The only downfall was the lack of womanly touch to the place. I had made small changes here and there, but only to my office. I had kept most of my dad’s memorabilia but had added a few pots of flowers and some more pictures.

I fell into the large leather chair and spun around a few times. I sighed and opened my laptop. I had a few emails in my account.

Piper sorted through every email I received and passed on only the ones she could not personally respond to. I was skimming through the emails before responding when I heard a knock on my door.

Seeing it was Bill through the glass windows, I waved him in. Smiling, he stepped into my office, a cup of coffee in hand.

“How many times do I have to tell you I don’t need you to bring me coffee? I can get my own.”

He grinned at me, placing the cup on my desk. “I know, but I enjoy bringing it.”

I shook my head at him but returned his happy smile. He was one of the sweetest men I knew, and sometimes, I just wanted to hug him. In fact, sometimes I did just that.

“Where’s my sweetheart today?” I asked.

His shoulders relaxed, and he seemed happier than ever when speaking of Tessa. “She’s with the new babysitter. Tessa adores her, but not as much as she does you.” He began walking back toward my office door.

“I love her too,” I replied. Bill hesitated at the door a minute too long. “Everything alright?” I asked.

“I almost forgot. Your sister called the office this morning.” I raised a brow. ~Why didn’t she call my cell phone?~

“You weren’t in, so I took a message.” He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and walked back over to me.

~Please don’t hate me. She’s crazy.~

I looked up from the note. “Um, this is weird. I’ll call her. Thanks, Bill.”

“Oh and Kate? Any chance Tessa and I can join you for the game this evening?” he asked. “She’s been bugging me to see Tyler again.”

“Of course. Seven o’clock.”

He smiled, nodded, and left me on my own. I peered through the glass as he took his seat at his desk beside Piper’s. She glanced at me cautiously, and I wondered why they both were behaving oddly.

I waved her in next. “What’s going on? You both keep looking at me weird.”

She straightened her button-down white shirt, then moved on to smooth her black pants. “Bill showed me the message from your sister,” she said. “It just worried me.”

After Piper left my office, I called Nicolette ten times, none of which she answered. It wasn’t until three o’clock in the afternoon that I was finally able to speak with her.

Unfortunately, it was when she had come barging out of the elevators onto my floor at Martin Financial.

I had given her a security tag, so she was able to enter. However, I was confused about how the person beside her was able to get in. She shouldn’t have been allowed.