Heart of Ice (2 page)

“Nice try.”

“How can you not like this one? You’re
incorrigible!”

“Good, you’re using your brain.”

“Chris! We all can’t be child prodigies like
you.” Christina ignored Sarah as she continued to whine. She poured
herself a cup of tea and grabbed her tablet. She was ready to
escape into the world of fantasy. Who didn’t love a good werewolf
novel? Having someone destined to be your partner and take care all
of your needs. She couldn’t wait to sink into the story.

“Hey!” she shouted as the iPad was snatched
from her.

“C’mon. Sarah give it back! I’m tired.”

“Not until you promise to go out.”

“I don’t want to.”

“You’re still a virgin for crying out loud!
You are going to end up like the old lady who lives in her
shoe.”

“Sarah, I’m not casual like that.”

“I’m not asking you go out and get ravaged
tonight! I simply want you to get out. It’s not healthy; you’re
living in a fantasy world. It’s the only one you know. You
shouldn’t be so detached from reality.” Christina rolled her eyes.
If Sarah was going to go all psychoanalytical she would have to go
out just to get her to shut up.

“Fine.” Sarah squealed and pulled Christina
towards the bedroom. Christina just hoped she wouldn’t regret
it.

***

Matt sat in the jet furious. Collum sat
across from him with a smug smile on his face. Matt was ready to
pummel him, it had been years since his friend made him this angry.
He hadn’t been this upset since Collum stormed into his condo, beat
him senseless and called him a coward. Letting Collum pummel him,
had brought some type of feeling back. Matt had been numb.
Wallowing in his pity, it still burned him that Natalia could
simply cast him aside so easily only to run into the arms of
another man. He hadn’t seen her since. He all but fled the city. He
was glad for the company’s expansion.

“Where are we going?” he inquired. He
finally got past his anger and now curiosity was getting the best
of him. Collum smiled, he knew Matt would come around. He always
had a horrible temper. He was glad that this time Matt didn’t take
to his fists. The beating Collum gave Matt was only because Matt
allowed it. He smiled.

“Nashville, Tennessee.” Matt didn’t get what
was so special about Nashville.

“What so special about Nashville?”

“Everyone knows who you are. We need to go
somewhere were the media isn’t hounding us. We’ll stay in a regular
hotel, and go to a nice normal club. No one needs to know that one
of the wealthiest men alive is in their neck of the woods. Plus, I
want to test out that southern hospitality,” he said giving Matt a
devious smirk. Matt groaned this trip was probably more about
Collum than him. Matt chuckled, as Collum poured them both a glass
of champagne.

“To southern hospitality.”

Collum had more that he wanted to talk to
his friend about, but he didn’t want to push his luck. Maybe if
Matt was drunk enough he wouldn’t be so mad.

“Matt, you know I always have your best
interest in mind.” Matt looked at his best friend, it looked like
this wasn’t going to bode well for him.

“Go on.”

“I took the liberty of booking you a cabin
in Colorado—all the bells and whistles. You used to love skiing. I
want you to enjoy yourself, and if you happen to see a little
lovely and wished to invite her too, then do it.” This was all said
in a rush. Matt looked at his friend through shrewd eyes. What
could Collum be up to?

“The company?”

“Will not go down in flames without you for
two weeks.”

“Two weeks?”

“I want you to really take a break and just
enjoy life again. C’mon Matt.” Matt rubbed his eyes. Collum did
have a point. He hadn’t had a vacation in ages. One of his favorite
hobbies was skiing. He loved the mountains and their breathtaking
views. He should thank Collum; he would be able to enjoy his
solitude.

***

Christina looked at herself in the mirror.
Her grey eyes had been accentuated with a light smoky eye to make
them pop. She had a natural look going on; she stopped Sarah from
putting any foundation on. She was twenty-one for crying out; what
she would need with foundation? A little lip-colored gloss, her
long black hair pinned up and she was good to go. She wore a nice
little strapless dress. She looked stunning, but if she was
stunning Sarah was gorgeous. Her thick wavy blonde hair hugged her
shoulders. She opted for dark smoky eye with a loud deep red dress.
It suited her personality. Both wore Lui Vuitton heels. Sarah
smiled at their reflections. They were dressed to kill.

Sarah had a good feeling about this. If she
failed her exams, it was worth it. Christina was gorgeous and had
was oblivious to the fact. She had a nice tight little body, was
about 5’6 with curves. She smiled, her plan was finally
working.

Chapter 2

Tension filled Christina as she got out of
the car. She was so out of her element but she wanted to prove a
point. Trepidation filled her as she followed Sarah. Upon entry
into the building, she found herself pleasantly surprised. Instead
of loud music making her head bang, she encountered a nice cozy
mellow environment. It was an upscale bar but the lounge put her at
ease. She just wasn’t prepared to grind all night long with some
unknown stranger. The bar was softly lit and invited conversation.
It was then that she noticed the two men at the bar. They sat side
by side, and they were in casual wear. The darker haired one was a
couple of inches taller, and seemed much more imposing. She
realized, she stopped as her eyes latched onto him scaling him from
head to toe. Receiving a tug from Sarah she knew she had paused too
long. She hurried behind her friend, glancing back for one last
look. Her breath caught as his green eyes pierced her. She felt the
blood rushed to her face. Damn it, he caught her. Hearing Sarah’s
snickers she now knew that she was aware of everything that
transpired.

“Why didn’t say you something! I’ve totally
made a fool out of myself. He caught me!” They sat at a nice little
table off to the corner and away from the bar. It was still in
sight, so Christina figured she could still sneak peeks at the
delicious looking man at the bar. He probably was out of her league
anyway and experienced. She could feel her neck heating up at the
last thought. Why was she thinking about sex anyway? She needed a
drink. Like magic, two drinks appeared. She studied the drink in
front of her.

It was in a short glass and amber in
color.

“Just drink it. See how it taste.” She
looked at Sarah with one eyebrow raised as the leggy blonde began
drinking her cocktail.

“But where did they come from?”

“Sometimes you’re so oblivious Chris. The
gentlemen at bar…does that ring a bell?” Sarah said turning to wave
at the men at the bar. Christina grabbed her hand.

“What the hell are you doing? They’re going
to come over here. I can’t do this.” The panic was racing around in
her veins; she still couldn’t help glancing at the dark haired one.
She quickly averted her eyes and her legs automatically clasped
together. What was wrong with her? Why was her body acting this
way?

“Chris calm down, they aren’t going to
devour you,” she said trying to place a reassuring hand on her.
Christina didn’t understand how Sarah could just be so calm and
relaxed. She hated social interaction.

“This is going overboard; I’m clearly out of
my element. Eek! They’re coming this way. Hide me!” she said
desperately, as her eyes shot around the room looking for an escape
route. Sarah simply smiled at her.

“You little devil you purposely called them
over here! I’m leaving!”

“Oh sit down Christina; it’s not the end of
the world. Who knew a little intellectual conversation would scare
the child prodigy off.” If there was one thing Christina prided
herself on, it was her intellect. Sarah knew this and took
advantage of the fact, calling her out. Christina tossed her drink
back. The burning feeling at the back of her throat made her feel
better.

“Let the games begin.”

***

Matt and Collum entered the lounge area. The
bar looked very inviting tonight, its cherry oak wood shined in the
soft light. Immediately the bartender served them their drinks.
Matt had a scotch on the rocks, while Collum had a long island.

“I was prepared to be uncomfortable for the
rest of the night, but you’ve done well my friend,” he said sipping
from his drink and taking a look around. There were already a few
women there who’d tried to catch his eye, but they weren’t exactly
what he was looking for. Not that he was looking anyway.

“Would I steer you wrong my friend? Wait a
minute don’t answer that.” Matt joined his friend as they roared
with laughter. It felt nice to get out, although Matt would never
admit that to Collum. If his friend knew how right he was, he’d
never hear the end of it.

“Hello, southern hospitality.” Collum
whispered. Matt saw the two women that entered. The shorter and
curvaceous one caught his eye. She walked practically hunched over;
perhaps she was in a predicament similar to his own. He called the
bartender over, and order two house drinks for the pair of ladies
that came in. In the midst of ordering, he felt a heavy gaze settle
upon him, turning he was surprise to encounter a pair of bright
grey eyes. A masculine chuckle escaped him, as he noted the blush
that swept the young lady’s face. The night just got better. It was
time to make their acquaintances. It seemed him and Collum were on
the same page. They moved towards the women.

***

Christina thought she was going to
hyperventilate as an angel of darkness made his way over towards
her. Her appearance projected that she was calm, cool, witty and
collected but on the inside it was a different story. It took
everything she had to not get up and run screaming from the table.
On her second drink, she gulped it heavily. It wasn’t her fault,
she was nervous and it was the only thing she could do. She wiped
her sweaty palms on her dress, before handing her hand over to the
sun-kissed Apollo. He looked like a player, and a knowing smile
spread across her face as she saw Sarah’s expression. It seemed
like Sarah may have met her match. It was handing her hand over to
the dark haired devil that made her nervous. The man looked like he
would devour her on the spot, hell she wished he would. Uh oh, that
last thought wasn’t hers, maybe she had too much to drink; at least
that was what she told herself.

“It’s a pleasure,” he said kissing her hand.
Christina wanted to swoon. This guy was pulling out all the stops
and it was working! Oh no. She was done for! A goner, her heart
leapt in her chest. Was it her or was it getting hotter? She
restrained herself from throwing her drink down like some crazed
woman with no manners.

“I’m sure it’s all mine,” she managed to
squeak out. Joining his friend at the table he sat across from her.
Now, how was she going to survive? Sarah patted her hand. Christina
snatched it away. It was all her fault after all, dragging her out
here, getting her drunk, and throwing this hunk of a man in front
of her. Her interaction with the opposite sex was the equivalent of
a two year old trying to perform heart surgery. Impossible. She
would not fail, she breathed a little easier when Sarah started the
conversation. That’s right girl, she got them into this mess she
could get them out.

“So what brings you two down, to little ole’
Tennessee?” she asked as she sipped her drink. The server
disappeared after replacing Christina’s drink in front of her. She
lost tracked of what number she was on three or four, at least she
wasn’t driving tonight.

“We’re here on vacation, sightseeing,
touring, Nashville is anything but small,” Collum answered the
blonde. Sarah wanted to roll her eyes, that question was for Matt.
Christina’s attraction to the man was all but glaring obscenely at
her. Lucky for them, both men were dense and didn’t pick up on such
things, or maybe they did only when it suited their needs, it was
her job to find out which one applied to this situation.

“What about you ladies?” Collum asked
sparing a glancing at the dark haired beauty that held Matt’s
attention. Matt had been oddly silent, since meeting her. He gave
her a friendly smile. She blushed. Look at that. Collum’s smiled
grew, she became all the more endearing.

“Christina’s an associate professor at
Vanderbilt University.” Sarah said with pride.

“Sarah!” she gasped. She didn’t like people
knowing what she did for a living, if they put two and two
together—her age and the position together, she’d be the weird one
again, being a super genius apparently made you different, and
people felt inferior to you no matter how hard you tried to be in
their terms ‘normal’. Interest flashed in Matt’s eyes. He called
for the server, ordering another drink.

“If it’s intellect you want, Matt’s your
guy.” Christina faintly heard what Matt’s friend said, the second
she became the center of his attention, her body reacted. Her hair
follicles stood on end, her heart raced in her chest, and sweat
dripped between her breasts. Her nipples were instantly hard. She
hoped he couldn’t tell. She felt like some wanton whore. She hoped
someone would rescue her from her latest predicament, sad to say,
the friend who was to do the rescuing was busy flirting with the
player across the table from her.