Page 16 of Hawke

“What happened tonight?” Emery asked.

“I’d met Chase like I do every Friday night, and he was there. I didn’t know it at first, though. I’d gone to the bathroom, and when I was finished, I opened the door and there he was.”

“He’s starting to sound like a creeper, Char,” my friend told me honestly, and I couldn’t really argue with that. “So, did he pretend the two of you running into each other was a coincidence? You’d be surprised at how many times a month I hear that line.”

“No, he demanded to know who I was there with,” I answered before bringing my glass back to my lips. “At first, I wasn’t going to tell him anything, but when he kissed me, all my resistance disappeared.”

I sighed. Hawke certainly knew how to kiss, and I was sure that skill came from experience. For all I knew, he could be somewhere right now with his tongue in someone else’s mouth.

“Sounds like he’s jealous. I think the two of you should just fuck and get it over with.” My friend shrugged before finishing off her second glass of wine.

“Like I told you earlier, it’s hard to work up to anything when he keeps pushing me away.” I now had the opening I needed to ask for the advice I sought, and figured I better do so before losing my nerve. “I’ve only been able to elicit a reaction from him twice. Every other time, he’s so rigid.”

“Rigid is good if in the right spots,” my friend retorted, and I covered my face with my palms. “I know, I know. That’s not what you need. I’ll tell you what you do, though…”

Emery paused, and I waited to see what kind of advice she was thinking up. Using the silence, I took another sip of my wine. “So, how do I get him to notice me more?”

Emery tapped her chin with her long, manicured nails, then finally grinned broadly. “I think you need to make him jealous, and with someone who’s most definitely not one of your brothers, even though those three are hot as fuck.”

“I don’t want to hear that about them,” I said, then laughed. “And I don’t think making him jealous is the answer. I’m so confused.”

I groaned, then held onto a glimmer of hope that Emery would have another suggestion. When my friend finally spoke, I sighed in relief.

“Then make sure you’re around him a lot. Since you’re planning an event with him, it would make sense to be in close proximity,” she told me, and it actually didn’t sound like a terrible idea.

“That might just work. I have two weeks until Valentine’s Night when he’s hosting his event.” I already started to run through ideas in my head. Normally, I would do most of the planning from my office because it was easier, but after one of my client’s anniversary party this Sunday, I would have a lot more time. I could easily commute between Syn and Platinum Dreams since they were only within a few miles of each other.

“Then it’s settled. You’re going to tease the hell out of that man until he’s the one ready to drop to his knees for you, Char.”

I giggled, knowing full well that Hawke would never drop to his knees for me. He was much too arrogant for something like that. “I’ll have to let you know how that goes.”

Emery jumped up from her seat. “Awesome, and all this talk about sexy men. I say we hit up Sub Zero after all.”

“Okay,” I said, then glanced down at my clothing. “I’ll need to borrow something from your closet.”

Standing up, I followed Emery into her massive bedroom, and started the arduous task of finding something to wear for a night of dancing and fun.

11 – HAWKE

“Carmine, Vivian?” I asked, only half understanding what she was talking about with the color.

My interior designer started to launch into a tutorial about color wheels, but my attention was diverted to the blonde across the room. Charlotte Maxwell. Over the last few weeks, she’d spent a lot of time at Syn doing a number of things I thought she could do from her office.

For the most part, I kept my distance from her, but despite my best attempts, she still managed to invade my space, and more importantly, my mind. I had never had this sort of reaction to a woman in my entire life, and it was unsettling, to say the least.

“Hawke?” Vivian’s nasally voice got my attention once again.

I looked to see where she was pointing, and I nearly rolled my eyes. If it’s red, just fucking say it. “Carmine will be fine,” I told her.

I’d never heard of that shade before. Thankfully, getting the silk bedding was one of the last things my designer had to do before her job was finished. I’d be glad to have all of it done with, not that she had been that bad to be around. The opening of the club was stressful, and a huge undertaking. I had to basically convert it from a dingy warehouse to a place where one felt comfortable enough to unleash their wildest inhibitions. It was a feat enough on its own, but because I only had a limited amount of time to work with, it’d been that much more stressful.

“Perfect!” she exclaimed. “My team should be able to finish this within a few hours. I’ll let you know when the rooms are ready for their final walkthrough.”

“Thanks,” I replied curtly.

Once she’d walked away, I moved to the corner. Even when I used to frequent The Box, I’d stay out of sight, but I was always watching, fully aware of everything and everyone around me. It’d been something I did for survival because life hadn’t been easy for me for as far back as I could remember.

I certainly didn’t want to think about the past, so I looked back over at Charlotte. She was so fucking beautiful. Her light blonde hair fell in waves, framing her face in an ethereal glow. She emanated purity, innocence, and everything else that should’ve had me running in the opposite direction, but I couldn’t force my feet to move.

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