I’d thrown myself into work. Taking on anything and everything to not stop and think about a certain, tall, sexy man. I had to consistently stop myself from thinking about our kiss and what more he could do with that talented tongue of his. Imagine if I let him trail it down my body… and not stop. Fuck. I’d avoided any meeting where there was a chance I’d bump into Tate Hillside, and instead assigned it to Asher. I didn’t want to be alone and have to address the fact that he wanted me to be his girlfriend. Seriously, immature. I wasn’t sixteen but still I couldn’t face him. I didn’t want to be the one that raised the subject and be ridiculed for a joke. I’d be a laughing stock. Nope, it was better to remain hidden out of sight as long as I could.
I managed two weeks. Two whole weeks, but Asher wasn’t blind.
A knock at my door had my heart in my mouth. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and I’d cleared my schedule for the day.
I pressed my buzzer but there was no reply from Billie. I was paranoid and scared as the knock came again.
“Sutton, open up, it’s me,” Asher called, as I went up to the door and pulled it open.
“You scared me then, I thought it was…”
“Me, maybe?” Tate questioned as he appeared from around the corner and headed straight towards my office door. “Thanks mate, I owe you.”
“You sure do,” Asher sniggered as I turned my back on both men and headed straight back into my office, towards the window to gaze at the sights overlooking London. “Sutton’s going to make me pay for this.”
I wasn’t about to hide how pissed off I was at the pair of them. I can talk to whoever I please. I didn’t need any help from Asher to try and force something that I hadn’t even decided I wanted. Asher knew he’d be in for strong words later for his meddling ways as he patted Tate on the shoulder and headed for the lift.
“Looks like we’re finally alone,” Tate announced as I heard the click of the door close behind him. “Are you going to acknowledge me?”
I turned around and placed my back against the cool glass panels, glad of the ice-cold shock to my overheated body. I’d planned to lay straight into Tate but as he leaned against my office door, head down and knee bent with his hands in his fitted slate grey suit pockets; I couldn’t help but lose my train of thought.
“Shall we sit down, Sutton?” Tate asked, as he pointed to the two chairs next to each other. “I think we need to talk.”
“Okay,” I replied as I walked over to my office chair and sat down, scared to get too close to him. I closed my eyes and took a shaky breath. “I don’t appreciate you using Asher to get close to me. You want to talk to me; arrange a meeting like every other client of mine. Don’t,” I snapped, “don’t try to force your way into my office.”
“And there she is.” Tate grinned. “I was scared I’d knocked that fire out of you.”
“Fuck you, Tate,” I cursed as I realised what I said. “I mean…”
“You said exactly what you meant,” Tate sniggered, as he stood up and moved his chair around to mine, so the desk no longer separated us. “If that kiss was a taste of what’s to come, Miss Wilkinson, then I can’t wait to see what’s next.”
Tate placed his hand on my knee, and I gulped back as the warmth traveled up my thigh. I didn’t want it to stop. If anything, I wanted his fingers to travel higher and relieve that ache in between my legs. My core throbbed and I needed a release – from him.
“I thought you were here for business, Mr. Hillside?” I cocked my head to the side and looked into his darkened gaze.
“I am, my business is this.” He ran his fingers in slow motion across my leg, as my breath hitched. “Sutton, give me a chance, please. That’s all I need to show you what this – us – could be like.”
I let his words settle as his fingers continued to drift across my skin. Every touch felt like a spark of electricity. With each hair on my arm stood up and the warmth intensifying with each graze of the pad of his fingers as it jolted straight throughout my body.
“Tate,” I warned as I looked up at him, “Billie could be back at any moment.”
“Yes, I know.” He bent down and peppered sweet kisses down my neck before his finger swept along my collarbone until he stopped at the rounded curve of my breasts. My breaths quickened and my chest jutted out toward him. A movement that didn’t go unnoticed by Tate as he lifted his brow. “Sutton, eight at Piccolos.”
Tate got up and walked towards the door, his hand on the handle before he turned back to face me with pure unadulterated lust in his eyes.
“A date. One chance. That’s all I ask.”
He opened the door and left as I slumped back in my chair.
Chapter10
Tate
Piccolo’s restaurant came into view; I prayed that I wouldn’t be stood up. I’d taken a chance by involving Asher into my predicament with Sutton – could I even call it that? I was shocked to know that he already knew. Had Sutton been confiding in her older brother about what was happening? If it had been anyone else, I wouldn’t have questioned opening my mouth and asking directly, but this was Sutton. Her thoughts belonged to her and when – if – she wanted to tell me then I’d be here.
What was happening to me? I wasn’t a man who cared about women and how they felt. I’d go to their house, never mine, and be long gone by the time they woke up; but Sutton was different. I didn’t want to be in her sheets, I wanted her in mine. I wanted her to wake up in my bed, my apartment and fuck, be in my life.
I opened the door to the restaurant. “Table for two. Hillside,” I said to the hostess at the door.