‘Yes, really,’ Bethany said. ‘Now go get packed, you’ve only got ten minutes left.’
The excitement surged, but with it came the panic. ‘But... What if I fall in love with him?’ Even as she said it, though, she could hear how cowardly she sounded, and how melodramatic.
Seriously, Ellie, are you a smart, brave, single woman about town, or the too-stupid-to-live heroine in a cheesy romcom?
‘Honey, I guess what you’ve got to ask yourself is, is the ride worth the risk?’ Bethany said. ‘In my experience you never regret the risks you take. Only the ones you don’t. And spending Christmas in Manhattan with a guy like Alex Costa... That promises to be one hell of a ride.’
Ellie slammed the dishwasher closed. ‘You’re right,’ she said as the giddy rush of adrenaline threatened to burst right out of her chest.
‘Of course, I am,’ Bethany said. ‘Now scram, before he leaves without you.’
CHAPTER NINE
Five days later
ALEXSATINthe muscle car, in the back alley behind Columbus Circle, the heating purring as the sprinkle of snow whirred around the neon sign announcing the exclusive cocktail bar where Eleanor had worked for five nights straight.
It was close to two a.m. And he had an important meeting downtown in under six hours.
Why had he agreed to let her work her butt off into the early hours of the morning?
Because she didn’t give you a choice, buddy.
He scowled, willing her to come out of the damn bar so they could go home, as he recalled her stubborn expression when she’d come out of Sully’s with her backpack slung over her shoulder, and he’d been sure all his Christmases had come at once.
‘I’ll come with you, but only if I can work. That’s my final offer.’
Agreeing to her ultimatum had seemed like the lesser of two evils at the time, because he’d been about to stride into Sully’s, chuck her over his shoulder and kidnap her when she’d finally appeared. And while he would have been okay with that, so confident in his ability to keep Eleanor so sexed up she would have had a hard time objecting, his legal team would probably have pitched a fit.
And now here he was, paying for his moment of weakness big time. Not only had they not had sex for the last two nights, because she’d been way too exhausted, she’d even objected to having his car and driver pick her up at the end of her shift.
‘Honestly, Alex, you can’t make the poor wee man sit outside for hours when I’m perfectly capable of walking four blocks.’
In the middle of the night? In the snow? Four inches had blanketed the city last night but she’d arrived at the penthouse having dismissed his driver six hours before, shivering from the cold and with the dirty New York slush dampening her jeans to the knee. And the ‘poor wee man’ she was so determined not to inconvenience was a six-foot-two-inch retired Navy SEAL whom he paid a very generous salary to sit in the car at any time of the day or night. He’d been so frustrated he’d wanted to cuss her out for putting herself in danger, but she’d been so cold and tired and miserable he’d been forced to hold onto his temper.
He swore, and switched off the radio, which was playing the type of elevator jazz that could send a hyperactive toddler into a coma.
So here he sat, hanging around waiting to pick her up himself at two in the morning, like a besotted teenager, instead of a thirty-something billionaire who’d never been besotted in his life.
He didn’t even recognise himself any more. And he didn’t like it.
He checked his phone for the fifteenth time. One minute after two.
Her shift was over. Grabbing his jacket, he got out of the car, put the jacket on and, sinking his fists into the pockets, headed to the front of the building. The door was locked, but he could see Eleanor at the back of the bar, stacking glasses. Her shoulders were slumped. She looked shattered.
The shot of frustration was joined by the ripple of concern.
He banged on the door. A tall black guy, almost as tall as him, answered it.
‘Sorry, man, bar’s closed.’
‘I’m here to pick up my...’ He paused. What even was Eleanor? His date? His girlfriend? His mistress? His live-in lover? He’d never got to the stage of labelling the women in his life—because all his relationships had been so casual. ‘Eleanor,’ he managed at last. He nodded to the back, when the guy sent him a blank stare.
‘Oh, you mean Ellie,’ the guy said, glancing over his shoulder, where Alex’swhateverwas so absorbed in wiping down the bar she hadn’t even noticed his arrival.
‘You her guy?’ the man asked.
‘I guess,’ Alex said, kind of surprised he wasn’t that bothered to own it.