Page 24 of Only for the Moment
Chapter Ten
The thumping of bass and the sound of laughter hit Kennedy as she stepped off the elevator on the penthouse apartment floor. She had to fight the urge to turn her butt right around and go back to her office without knocking on Isaac’s door, maybe send Cooper or her assistant to check on him and his crew, but that would nullify her professional obligation to take care of theirhighest-profile client.
As if that’s all this is, Kennedy.
Right, of course. Vincent had told her to go in with her eyes open, and that meant more than just knowing what Isaac expected. She had to be honest with herself, too. The personal need to see him with her own eyes, see if everything she’d felt between them the last time they’d been together was in fact real, had grown inside her everyminute for the past two days. She couldn’t wait any longer to know if this was all a fluke, to look into his eyes and see if he still wanted her to say,I’m interested.
Isaac as a client deserved attention, but her heart needed the reassurance, especially after her talk with her brother. Nothing would distract her from getting the answers she needed, not even a penthouse full of groupies.
Asmile quirked her lips. If the distraction was Isaac’s incredible body, she might just agree to a delay. So sue her.
Squaring her shoulders, she marched the length of the hall to knock on the door. Her hard rap hurt her knuckles, but with that music pounding on the other side, volume was a necessity.
The door opened. A tall man with dark, curly hair glared down at her. “May I help you?”
Atleast he got the grammar right. “Kennedy O’Connell, from management, to see Mr. Anschau.”
The man mumbled into a mic that angled from his ear to his mouth. A few moments later he obviously received a response, because he stepped back to allow her inside. She nodded his way as she passed.
The living area seemed to be a mass of jumbled bodies. They covered every surface—sitting on counters andtables, draped across furniture, congregating in every clear space as they writhed to the music. How the hell this many people had made it past Mr. Tall, Dark, and Curly, she didn’t know, but there was only one person she was interested in seeing, and he didn’t appear to be among the crowd. Nick was, though—the masses parted like the Red Sea for the big man, allowing him to make a beeline in herdirection unhindered.
“Kennedy!”
“Nick.” She laughed a little as he swooped her into a bear hug, then placed her delicately back on her feet. “I’m just—”
“Here to see Ike, right?”
Before she could answer, he’d turned toward the stairs.
“Nick!”
His hand went to his ear—his mic, probably. Was he calling Isaac downstairs? What if Isaac didn’t want to be disturbed? She grabbed the back of Nick’sshirt and tugged. “Nick.”
He turned, ducking his head toward her. “He’ll be down in a sec.”
She glanced around at the crowd, her mouth going a bit dry. “You didn’t have to disturb him.”
“Right. I’d rather my boss not shoot me today.” He jerked his chin toward the furniture. “Have a seat. He’ll be right here.”
Every bit of confidence she’d had alone in the hallway seemed to have taken a nosedive.There were too many people, too much noise jarring her nerves. They couldn’t talk in a crowd like this. She should wait till later. Still, she found herself wandering through the penthouse, taking in the scantily clad groupies hanging all over the crew, wondering how many of them would jump at the chance to be with Isaac, to let him tie them up. How many of them didn’t have her hang-ups?
Shewas smart, confident. So she struggled in one little thing. And yet…
She glanced up, realizing she was looking out the penthouse windows, open to the sunset over Red Rock. The memory of taking Isaac there—and what they’d done—made her thighs clench together. That was why she was here. Doubt wasn’t her MO, and she sure as hell wouldn’t let it steal the answers from her.
“Hey there, pretty lady.”
She turned toward the unfamiliar voice, her professional smile firmly in place. “Hello.”
The guy was tall, with a mop of curly brown hair and a smile that got him laid frequently, if she had to guess. She recognized him immediately as a member of the band, the guitarist.
And obviously the requisite player.
He stuck out a hand. “Matt.”
“I remember.” She gave his hand a firm but brief shake.“Kennedy O’Connell.”
His eyes went wide, the smile losing its hard-core Romeo edge and softening into something more genuinely friendly. “Wow. Now I understand why V never has you around. Protective older brother, I bet.”
