Playing Dirty: Windy City Kink, Book 3 (19 page)

“Emma, did he say anything to you?”

All eyes turned to Emma, who grew very still. Her smile disappeared. “I haven’t talked to Kevin for a while.”

They all exchanged glances. “Oh no,” Paige said. “How come?”

Emma shrugged and one corner of her mouth kicked up. “He’s doing his thing again. Retreating. Cooling off. God!” She sat back in her chair. “He’s driving me crazy with this hot-and-cold thing.”

They were all concerned, but Sasha especially looked worried, forehead creased, nibbling her bottom lip. She was a friend of Kevin’s, had known him long before he’d met Emma.

“I wish he’d talk to me,” Emma continued, poking at her quiche. “He’s so open and honest about so many things, so easy to talk to…but when it comes to talking about us and his feelings for me, all he says is that he cares for me.”

“He does care for you,” Sasha said. “Don’t doubt that.”

“I do doubt it! How can he care about me when I haven’t even heard from him for…five days?”

“That sucks,” Mallory said. “I’m starting to think you should dump his ass, Emma.”

Paige nodded. “I agree. You don’t have to put up with that.”

“He’s got stuff going on,” Sasha said, an edge of defensiveness in her tone. “Give him a break.”

Emma lowered her chin and looked at Sasha. “Give him a break? Seriously? This has been going on for months.”

Mallory and Paige looked at each other. They hadn’t known Emma and Kevin that long, but it had definitely been going on since before they’d met them.

“I’m getting to know Kevin better,” Paige said. “I really do think he cares about you, Em. And I really like him. As a friend. But it bothers me that he treats you that way.”

“I don’t want there to be problems between you and Kev,” Emma assured Paige quickly.

Paige shook her head. “No, that’s okay. There won’t be.”

Emma looked back to Sasha. “What ‘stuff’ does he have going on that he can’t share with me? I could help him deal with it. I’d do anything for him.”

“Are you in love with him?” Mallory asked softly.

Emma pressed her lips together and her eyes got shiny. “Yeah, I am.”

Sasha closed her eyes and sighed.

“What?” Emma demanded of Sasha. “Is that bad?”

“No! It’s not bad. It’s good. It’s just…”

“Tell me,” Emma said. “Please.”

“I can’t.”

Emma’s forehead wrinkled. “Why? I don’t understand.”

“It’s for him to tell you,” Sasha said.

“But he’s not! Jesus.” Emma shook her head. “What’s the fucking mystery? I know he’s not close with his family. Is it family stuff? Is he in debt? Is he a secret gambling addict? Is he dying? Tell me!”

Expressions passed over Sasha’s face and Paige could tell she was struggling. Finally she said quietly, “I can’t.”

Emma stared at her. “Thanks. Thanks a bunch.” She stabbed her quiche with her fork.

Heavy silence fell over their table. Paige met Mallory’s eyes and they shared an uneasy look. Tension shimmered around them, the noise of the busy restaurant a backdrop to the discomfort they all now felt.

Paige tried desperately to come up with a change of subject, but her mind was blank. She didn’t want to go back to talking about Raff. Okay, she did, but…she didn’t.

“So,” Mallory said. “I’m off to London next week on a business trip.”

They all went with that, but the vibe had changed, Emma’s unhappiness and the dissension between her and Sasha making the rest of the evening painful. They all ended up going home early. Paige didn’t like this. She’d just become friends with these women and hated that things were strained. But she didn’t know what to do about it.

Maybe she could try talking to Kevin.

Chapter Nineteen

Raff had an interesting lunch with Jack Grenville. They talked about Jack’s passion for aikido, a form of martial arts, Raff’s love of boxing and a shared interest in hockey, and they talked some business. As two guys who’d been successful at a relatively young age, they found they had a lot in common.

“Okay, so come clean,” Jack said at the end of their lunch. “What’s up with the lunch invite? Sasha told me all about your weekend with Paige. This isn’t a coincidence.”

Raff grinned, appreciating his bluntness. “Nope. Not a coincidence. I’m totally using you.”

Jack lifted an eyebrow, but looked more amused than pissed. Thankfully.

“Paige was giving me a hard time,” Raff said. “Kept turning me down.”

“Imagine that,” Jack murmured.

“I know. I think we came to an agreement last night, but here’s the deal. I intend to be in her life. I want her in my life.”

“Fast work.”

“Yeah, I know. Not sure I get it myself. Just know how I feel.” He shrugged. “So I want to know the people in her life who’re important to her.”

Jack laughed. “Not sure that’s me, bro.”

“Your girlfriend is important to her.”

Jack lifted his chin. “Yeah.”

“Look, I know it sounds like I’m using you to get to her. Not gonna deny there’s an element of that. But really…I wanna know her friends. I wanna know the people she cares about.” Fuck. Did he sound like a loser who had no friends of his own? Or did he sound like a psycho stalker?

Hell, the truth was he
didn’t
have a lot of friends. He had a lot of acquaintances, most of them through business, and most of them people who wanted to hang out with him because he was rich and could make things happen.

He glanced at Jack and saw the other man studying him across the table, lips pursed, eyes serious. “Paige is kinda…fragile,” Jack said.

Raff nodded slowly. “Yes. And no. She definitely brings out my protective instincts. But she’s got a pretty strong core.”

Jack lifted an eyebrow. “Know that already?”

“Yeah.”

Their eyes met. And held. Jack’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Raff leaned forward. “You don’t need to worry I’m going to hurt her. I’d kill anyone who hurt her.”

Jack tipped his head to one side. “Pretty strong words, considering how long you’ve known her.”

“Probably, yeah. You get me though, don’t you?”

Jack’s fingers tapped the tablecloth as he pondered that. “Yeah,” he finally said. “Think I do. Because it’s how I feel about Sasha.” He regarded Raff appraisingly. “You want me on your side.”

Raff gave his head a violent shake. “Fuck no. This isn’t about taking sides. You’re obviously protective of Paige too. That means we’re already on the same side.
Paige’s side.
”

A slow grin spread across Jack’s face. “Fuck. You know what? I like you.”

Raff rolled his eyes. “Great. Wanna hug?”

Jack laughed. “Hell no. Okay. When are you seeing Paige again?”

“Tonight.” He hadn’t talked to her yet, but he knew that. “Gonna take her to the hockey game. Got people coming to watch in my suite.”

Another grin. “Me too.”

“You’re going to the game?”

“Yeah. My company got a suite this year.”

“Sasha gonna be there?”

“Yeah.”

“Great. We can get together during intermissions. How about the four of us go out for a drink after?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Raff and Jack parted ways after a short battle over the bill, which Raff won, as in he bought lunch. Then Raff returned to his office. From there, he called Paige.

“Hey,” he said, happy to hear her voice. “What’s up?”

She chuckled. “Lots of stuff. How about you?”

“Yeah. Busy. So listen. We’re going to the hockey game tonight. Game’s at seven. You need to go home to change?”

After a short pause, she said, “We’re going to the hockey game.”

“Yeah.”

“This is how you ask a girl out?”

He gave a low laugh. “No. This is how I tell my girl what we’re doing tonight.”

“Raff. You are moving way too fast. We agreed we’d try this out and see where it went. Also, you said you’d
ask
and not just tell me things.”

Christ. She was right. “Fuck. Sorry. Okay. Paige, would you like to come to the hockey game tonight? We can enjoy the game in the comfort of my private suite, with a few other guests, unlimited booze and food. Also, the Blackhawks have a good shot at winning tonight since the team they’re playing is on a huge losing streak.”

“There,” she said. “You had me at unlimited food and booze.”

He laughed. “Good.”

“I don’t need to go home, I guess.”

“Good. Pick you up there at six.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Love it when you call me sir.”

She made a choked little sound. “Bye, Raff.”

He grinned and ended the call.

Okay. He had serious work to do today before he could get out of there to pick up Paige at six.

His afternoon passed in a blitz of meetings and a conference call. Then he took an elevator ride up to his condo to do a quick change into more casual clothes, a pair of dark denim jeans and a black turtleneck sweater, before heading out to pick up Paige.

Once again he shook his head at the neighborhood as he found a spot on the street to park. He jumped out and strode up the cracked sidewalk to her door. His eye was caught by a car parked at the curb right near Paige’s building, the motor off but interior lights on. He took another look and saw a man sitting in the driver’s seat in the dark. Just sitting there.

He frowned.

He knocked on Paige’s door, giving another glance at the car. As he looked, the car started, quickly pulled out and drove away.

Weird.

Paige opened the door and he stepped inside, shutting the door firmly behind him. The warmth of the space blanketed him, and the sight of Paige made his heart squeeze. Fuck, she was beautiful.

He reached for her, hauled her into his arms and bent her back over one arm to lay a hot, heavy kiss on her. She grabbed his upper arms and held on, making a muffled squeak, but her mouth opened for him readily.
Sweet.

He lifted his head to smile down at her. “Hi.”

“Raff.” Her eyes went sideways and he followed her look to see Trenise grinning at them.

“Hi, Trenise. How’s it going?”

“Better now.” Trenise already had her jacket on. “Okay, boss, I’m outta here. See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. G’night, Trenise.”

Raff released Paige so they could move out of Trenise’s way, and she left with a wave. Fuck. Into that dark, crappy neighborhood. Thank fuck they were moving soon.

“I’m ready,” Paige said. “Just need to get my jacket and purse.”

He watched her walk away from him, admiring the curves of her ass in snug jeans. She wore them tucked into those knee-high, flat-heeled boots, and on top a purple cardigan, buttoned up to show a hint of silvery lace beneath, with a big soft scarf in multiple shades of purple and blue looped around her neck.

Tonight she wasn’t wearing the long red coat he’d given her, rather a short, fitted pale-pink jacket. She slung her big purse over her shoulder. “Okay! Let’s go.”

“You look beautiful.”

She blinked at him. “Thanks. Um…I hope this is okay for a suite. I’ve never been to one.”

“You’re perfect.” He curled a hand around the nape of her neck under the scarf, pulled her to him and kissed her forehead. “Gonna be fun tonight.”

She smiled. “I hope so. Because if this is our second date, you have a long way to go to top the first one.”

He laughed. “I’ll keep trying.”

She set her alarm and locked up, and they walked the short distance to his car. It had started to snow—big, fluffy flakes that drifted down from the luminous sky, the even covering of clouds lit by the city lights.

He had VIP parking at the United Center and it wasn’t long before they were in the suite. A few people were already there—some of his team, including Ravi and Paul. No sign of Dutch yet. He’d invited him and Maria so they could meet Paige.

He greeted people, introduced Paige, and they got drinks. Hot and cold food was spread out on the counter. “You probably didn’t eat, did you?” he murmured in her ear.

“No.”

“Hungry?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Let’s get something to eat then.” He led her to the food with an arm around her waist. They filled plates and took seats on leather couches to eat, chatting with the others.

A few minutes later, Dutch and Maria walked in. Raff felt a weird oscillation in his gut that might have been nerves. He’d never introduced a woman to Dutch. The significance of that both excited and scared the shit out of him.

He lifted a hand to catch Dutch’s eye. The guy was always worried that he was going to be out of place there, which was stupid. Dutch lifted his chin, then his gaze fell on Paige. He looked back at Raff. Raff smiled.

“Hey.” Raff nudged Paige. “Dutch is here. Come meet him.”

She turned big eyes on him, lips parted. “Dutch?”

“Yeah, baby.” He rose and pulled her to stand, hearing a low mutter from her as she wiped her fingers on a paper napkin and set it on the coffee table. They moved toward Dutch and Maria.

“Hey man, you’re here.” He shook Dutch’s hand, adding in a half hug and back slap. Then he turned to Maria. “Hi, M’ree.” He hugged her and kissed her cheek. She gave him a tight hug back.

“Rafferty. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you.”

He resisted an eye-roll at her use of his full name. “I invite you guys to games all the time. You never wanna come.”

“I came last week,” Dutch said, “with Chris.”

“And I’m not the biggest hockey fan,” Maria reminded him. “You come for dinner some Sunday. That’s an order.”

“Okay.” He grinned. He reached for Paige’s hand and tugged her closer. “I want you to meet Paige. Paige, this is Maria…and Dutch.” He could feel the tension in Paige’s body, the stiffness in her posture.

They all shook hands and murmured polite greetings, and he sensed Dutch’s and Maria’s interest and attention. He slid an arm around Paige’s waist and pulled her close. “Dutch is a retired police officer,” he told her, although he was aware she already knew that. “And Maria has put up with him for over thirty years.”

“Such a hardship,” Maria said. “Paige, it’s lovely to meet you. Do you like hockey?”

“I do, yeah.”

“Maybe you can explain it to me. Dutch doesn’t have the patience.”

“I’ve explained it five hundred times,” he muttered. “No one has that much patience.” But his lips twitched and his eyes were soft as he looked at his wife. Raff felt Paige relax a little against him.

“Come on in, let’s get you drinks and food.”

More people arrived and the room buzzed with chatter, along with the music that was blasting in the arena for the pregame skate. He watched Paige chat with people, especially Dutch and Maria, because, dammit, he wanted them to like each other.

When the game started, they moved to the rows of seats at the front of the suite. And, yeah, Paige and Maria did talk as they watched. By the first intermission, the Blackhawks had a comfortable lead of 3 to 1 and people had moved to the back of the suite for more drinks and food, standing to watch the game and chat.

Paige pulled out her phone, presumably because it had vibrated, and swiped the screen. “It’s Sasha,” she told Raff. “She and Jack are here. They want to know where we are.”

“Suite 202. Tell them to come on down.”

She lifted her head and fixed a glare on him. “I totally forgot. What was up with you and Jack having lunch?”

“You heard about that, huh?” Guess that was to be expected.

“Yes I did. Raff. What were you doing?”

“Honestly?” He moved close to her, set his hands on her hips and pulled her against him. He gave her a steady look. “I want to know your friends.”

Her lips parted and her head tipped. “Why?”

“Why do you think? Because I want to know you. And you weren’t exactly inviting me in.”

“So you just push your way in.”

His chest clenched and his smile faded. “Well yeah, babe, I am kind of a pushy guy.”

“I hadn’t noticed.” She gave a tiny eye-roll.

One corner of his mouth kicked up. “I have good intentions.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head.

Then two people walked into the suite, peering around, one of them Jack. His girlfriend, Sasha, was almost as pretty as Paige, also blonde, but Sasha’s hair a little darker and longer. She spotted Paige and her face brightened.

“Paige! Hi!”

The two women moved together and hugged, then Paige and Jack hugged. Raff shook Jack’s hand. “Raff, my girlfriend, Sasha Bandel. Sasha, this is Raff who you’ve already heard a lot about.”

Sasha’s eyes sparkled as she shook his hand. “I think Paige might’ve mentioned you.”

Raff grinned. “I’m happy with a mention. Nice to meet you, Sasha. I know your father and your brother.”

Sasha’s eyes widened. “Oh really?”

That got the conversation started, time flew and when the intermission was over, Raff said to Paige, “Jack and I thought the four of us having a drink after the game would be a good idea.”

Paige narrowed her eyes at him. “Really?”

“Really.”

They took their seats for the second period. “Good intentions, huh?” Paige muttered next to him.

He took her hand, picked it up and rested it on his thigh, his fingers still curled around it. “Yeah, honey. Good intentions.” They watched the action on the ice for a few minutes, then Raff said, “Were things not going well today for you?”

She cast him a sideways glance. “Things were fine. Why?”

He hitched a shoulder. “When I asked Trenise how things were going, she said ‘better now’. Are there problems with the move?”

“Oh. No. Not with the move. Trenise has problems, though.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

Paige sighed. “Her younger brother is in some kind of trouble. She doesn’t know what.”

Raff’s instincts prickled. “Trouble? How?”

“He’s been acting different. He came home last weekend all beat up and wouldn’t tell her or her dad what happened to him. Wouldn’t go to the police.”