Here For Her
JAMES
He was being watched.
James Grayson almost laughed at the random thought.
What the fuck did he expect?
It was Friday night and he was standing at the bar of one of Chicago’s hottest nightclubs. When he should damn well be working on his code. Sebastian and his goddamn need for a wingman. It was fucking ridiculous since his friend wasn’t actually at this place trying to pick up a woman.
“What the hell are we doing here?” He nearly had to yell to be heard over the sound of the grinding music.
“Assessing the competition,” Sebastian Masters replied and James knew he was dead serious. Sebastian was about to open a new club that would be in direct competition with places like Frenzy. He’d been scoping out the nightlife with a serious critical eye lately. Tonight, he had managed to drag James out with him, but Sebastian had not tried to persuade gently.
“Get out of this fucking office and you might actually get laid.”
James flipped him the bird but had given in. It grated to admit, but he’d really had been all work and zero play lately. The bid his company was preparing for the Department of Defense was due in two months and there was no time to fuck around. Dual Dynamics was the top contender, but James was not in the business of underestimating his competition.
“This music fucking sucks,” James grumbled, taking a pull of his beer. The pounding beat was going to give him a damn headache. Returning to his office and reviewing the code for the new software his company was developing was likely a pipe dream if he didn’t get out of this place before mild throbbing became full blown headache.
Sebastian tipped his head in the direction of the overcrowded dance floor, cool brown eyes assessing critically. “People like it.”
True enough. The mass of bodies writhed and grinded along with the annoying, almost techno-like beat. Sleek booths and gleaming wood hinted that the atmosphere was supposed to have a touch of class, even while appealing to young, modern professionals.
“People are idiots,” James said simply, but what the hell did he know. His twin brother Josh was the party animal. James was much more at home pumping out code than pounding back shots. He was a killer with computer software, his tech-wired brain--along with a healthy dose of relentless determination had allowed him to build Dual Dynamics from a small start-up he began during business school with his best friend to a multi-million-dollar company. But the more successful his company got, the more all he did was work.
Not that he didn’t love work. He fucking loved it. Work was the way to make sure his family would never again feel the overwhelming financial strain that had nearly killed his father. Raising four kids on just above minimum wage salaries in Sterling, Illinois had been grueling.
His father had worked himself into an early heart attack when James was a teenager. He’d never forgotten that year. It was the first time he’d realized poverty could actually kill you. His oldest brother Alec had enlisted instead of going to college, sending home every paycheck over their parents’ objections. Work was the reason his parents no longer had to work if they didn’t want to, no longer had to sacrifice after sacrificing so much for their four children.
Work was how he paid his mountain of student debt within four years after leaving grad school. So yeah, he was never going to begrudge the time and effort he put into his company. Still, maybe Seb was right and he needed to get out more. Hell, maybe he should scope this meat market out, pick the right girl and just have an all-night fuck fest.
Except, he wasn’t looking for, or interested, in a hook-up. One-night stands were not really his style, and even if they were, he was fucking exhausted. Sadly, a woman could parade naked in front of him right now and James was likely to yawn. God, he needed some sleep…
What the fuck?
Again, James got that sense of eyes on him. His skin began to prickle as if someone was drilling tiny holes into him with some kind of high-powered laser. He looked around while Sebastian pulled out his phone and began typing notes rapidly. James had no clue how he could concentrate with all the noise. Even back in grad school, Sebastian had been able to study in the middle of a party. James needed absolute and total silence.
Shaking his head, James took a few steps away from the long bar. Curious, he looked around again, trying to figure out what he was sensing. James didn’t consider himself to be particularly paranoid or to be in possession of any sense other than the standard five, but there was definitely…ah, right fucking there.
Well, she wasn’t naked, but she didn’t need to be. He suddenly wasn’t so sleepy, after all.
In a filmy-looking, white dress, she was standing at the end of the long, curved bar, gripping the counter like a lifeline. The lighting was too shitty for him to be able to decipher eye color at this distance, but James thought they might be dark. Just like the riotous waves of curls falling around her shoulders. She looked small and almost fragile, but her stare was making his stomach clench. Her floaty, innocent white dress stood out amidst the sea of skintight black.
She was tiny and he liked it. James couldn’t tell exactly how tall she was, but he’d bet no more than a few inches over five feet. At six three, he had a height advantage over most women, and he was certain to tower over her. Fuck, just thinking it was making his dick hard. He had a weakness for soft curves and this woman looked soft everywhere. He could practically feel those curves under his body, yielding to every goddamn inch of him.
Well, goddamn, I stand corrected. Picking up one particular woman right now sounded like the best idea he’d had all night.
Her heated gaze moved over him, raking him like burning coals. When she finally reached his face, his eyes locked with hers. Even across the space between them, James could see her delicate shoulders stiffen as if surprised he’d caught her staring. He stifled a chuckle.
Oh yeah, baby, I sure as fuck did.
Without even thinking about it, he was crossing the space between them. Unwilling to break eye contact, his eyes remained pinned on hers. Something told him that if he lost that eye contact before he got to her, she might flee.
When he got close enough to slide behind her on the bar, he hesitated a moment. Unblinking stare down was not quite the same as invasion of personal space. A dude in a man bun to her right started creeping closer to her, clearly trying to make a play.
Fuck it.
His palms slapped down on the counter, arms bracketing her tiny frame. Her honeyed scent hit him like a backhand when he leaned down to speak in her ear. He was close enough that she could easily put him in his place with an elbow to the gut. Instead, he got a tiny press of her back to his chest.
Thank fuck.
Any thought of going back to work disappeared like so much smoke. All he could think about was working her over all damn night long. Hunger rocketed through him almost shockingly. Holy shit, he wanted to take this woman home. And gave zero fucks that she was a stranger.
He was suddenly wide awake, exhaustion melting into adrenaline. Two minutes ago, he’d been wondering what the fuck he was doing here, but suddenly, James knew.
He was here for her.
