The Wilde Side (26 page)

Chapter 15

"I
t's after six, and I'm leaving pretty soon to meet Dana for dinner," Alex said to Scott as he strolled into his brother's office at Nolan and Sons early Wednesday evening. "Are you planning on working late tonight?"

"I just have a few more things I want to finish up before I leave." Scott glanced up from the financial report he was reviewing as Alex settled himself into the chair in front of his desk. "I'm going over the budget on the St. Claire project."

"How does it look?" Alex asked, business taking precedence for the moment.

"Pretty damn good." He handed his brother the budget summary to evaluate for himself. "I'm happy with the numbers, and the profit margin is right on target. Dad was thrilled with the latest financial statement I sent to him, and it looks as though those profits are going to exceed what we estimated."

"That's great news." Alex smiled as he set the piece of paper back on Scott's desk. "You took a huge chance with this St. Claire project, but it looks like you got exactly what you wanted with this job."

Scott understood what Alex was referring to. Yes, it appeared that he'd achieved success on a business level, which had been his main objective from the beginning. Nolan and Sons was busier than ever with companies contacting them for bids and estimates on upcoming commercial and restoration work – based on the quality of work on the St. Claire project and the reputation they'd attained as a result.

He'd set out to win his father's respect after his failure with the Wrigley Building project, a financial disaster that had nearly been the downfall of Nolan and Sons. His father had never made him feel accountable for that huge financial loss, but it had been Scott's sole focus over the past few years, nonetheless. And now, he was so close to accomplishing his goal. His father's pride had been unmistakable when he'd seen the numbers on the St. Claire project, which was exactly what Scott had been striving for.

Undoubtedly, his father's admiration and approval had felt damn good, but it wasn't quite as important as it had been when Scott had initially embarked on this project. The determination to make the company flourish and prosper was still there for him, and it always would be. The company was his livelihood and he was grateful for his new successes, yet he was coming to recognize that Nolan and Sons wasn't the main driving force of his life anymore. It was just a small part of who he was, which left a whole lot of room for other personal pursuits.

It had taken Ashley to make him realize that he wanted more for his future. While the company was important to him, he was ready to find a healthy balance between work, play, and maintaining an intimate relationship with the hopes of settling down with one special woman – and soon.

And that one special woman was Ashley St. Claire.

With a heavy sigh, he glanced back at his brother, who was lingering behind longer than normal, especially when he had a date with Dana awaiting him. Obviously, Alex had something on his mind, or he would have said a quick good-bye and been out the door by now.

"Is everything okay with you?" Scott asked.

The one question was all it took to get Alex to open up and talk. "I've just had a lot on my mind since Adrian's wedding last Saturday. All three of our cousins are happily married, and two of them are already starting a family. I'm beginning to feel like the odd man out."

"I hear you," Scott said, completely commiserating with his brother's statement. "And we're certainly not getting any younger, are we?"

"No." Alex's wry grin faded into a much more somber expression. "I'm getting to the point where I'm ready for a wife and kids."

Funny how Alex's thoughts echoed his own in terms of relationships and commitments. Then there were Joel and Mia, both of whom embraced being single and had no intentions of settling down anytime in the near future – if at all.

"How are things between you and Dana?" Scott asked. Last time they'd talked, Alex's emotional declaration to Dana had spooked the woman. "Any progress in the
love
department?"

"No, unfortunately. From Dana's perspective, we're fine," he grumbled. Then a shrewd look entered his gaze. "But we'll get that worked out, one way or another."

Scott felt an ultimatum coming on between the two, and he understood his brother's frustration all too well. He was in the same position with Ashley.

"I'm more curious about you and Ashley St. Claire," Alex went on. "Especially after bringing her to Adrian's wedding. I can't remember the last time you brought a woman around to meet the family."

Yes, that had shown a huge commitment on his end and had let Ashley know how serious he was about her,
about them
, without verbally saying so and scaring her off. Yet nothing had changed between them since that incredible day together, and he found that discouraging as hell. She was still putting up emotional walls between them that he was having a difficult time scaling.

"We're
fine
, from her perspective," Scott said, using the same words his brother had about Dana, because they were oh-so-appropriate.

Alex laughed. "And you'll get it worked out, one way or another?"

"We have to." And he had only a handful of days in which to settle things between them. "Another week and she'll be living in San Francisco, and I'm not into long distance relationships."

Alex winced. "That's gotta be tough."

Tough, yes, but Scott was fully aware of what he was up against. And he knew what he had to do. It was time for him to raise the stakes between himself and Ashley, to lay everything on the line for her, to let her know how he felt about her and hope she believed in him, and herself, enough to give them the chance they deserved.

*

Ashley hung up the phone in her office after talking to her sister – or rather, after listening to Madison go on about how wonderful things were with Adam now that they'd managed to resolve the issues in their marriage and had increased their level of intimacy in the bedroom. Madison had thanked Ashley for her help, insisting she couldn't have gone through the seduction attempt on her own. But Ashley knew better. Her sister had grown into herself over the past few weeks, and her newfound determination and confidence was a tangible thing.

Ashley was happy for her sister. But at the same time she felt a twinge of loss, too. After years of being the older, dependable sister to Madison, and the person she turned to for advice, Ashley knew her sister didn't need her as much as she used to.

It was what Ashley had wanted – a month ago. She'd craved a new, independent kind of life that moving to San Francisco represented, where there were no expectations weighing her down, no constraints, and no familial influences or pressures. But during the course of her relationship with Scott, something within her had changed, something she'd yet to fully define or understand; yet it definitely threatened everything she believed she wanted and needed in her life.

A light knock on her door brought her out of her troubling thoughts, and Ashley glanced toward the entrance of her office. Her new executive manager of the boutique, Joan, stood in the doorway, and Ashley welcomed the distraction.

"There's a messenger out front, and he has something for you," the other woman said. "But he'll only accept your signature as a delivery confirmation."

Ashley found that strange, considering she hadn't been expecting any documents to be delivered. "I'll be right there."

After grabbing her license from her purse for identification purposes, Ashley headed out to the front of the boutique. By habit, she cast a quick, automatic glance out at the lobby.

Not only was she surprised to find Scott and a small crew working at the hotel on a Saturday afternoon, but she was startled to see Evan and her father there, too, talking to Scott – most likely about the restoration work that was nearly completed. His company had done a phenomenal job, transforming the lobby into a beautiful, elegant showcase of gold-threaded marble that added a depth and richness to the old world charm of the St. Claire hotel. She knew both Evan and her father were pleased with the results, and they'd even discussed the possibility of Nolan and Sons restoring yet another section of the hotel, which would certainly be quite a coup for Scott.

"Are you Ashley St. Claire?" the messenger asked once she'd reached him.

"Yes, I am." She showed the young man her I.D. and accepted a manilla envelope from him in exchange for her signature on his delivery form.

There was no return name or address present, which piqued her curiosity. Not wanting to share the contents with her manager and employees, she took the envelope back to the privacy of her office and opened it there. She withdrew a sheet of stationery, unfolded the paper, and a hotel key card fell to her desk. Frowning, she picked it back up, recognizing it as a St. Claire Hotel key card.

Even more confused, she read the attached letter, written in a man's bold, masculine script:

An erotic fantasy awaits you tonight, if you dare to take a walk on the Wilde side with me. Rendezvous meeting place: The St. Claire Hotel, Suite #1483, 7 PM. Yours for the night, S.

A frisson of excitement rippled through her, chasing away all her previous doubts and concerns. Did she
dare?
Oh, yeah, she most definitely did. This was what she wanted from Scott, and there was no way she'd refuse the chance to be with him intimately again.

It appeared he was giving her the going away present she'd been hoping for.

*

Later that evening, after making her way up to the fourteenth floor as inconspicuously as possible, Ashley used the key card Scott had sent her to unlock the designated hotel room. With her anticipation at an all-time high, she quickly stepped inside.

She was instantly enveloped in a romantic, seductive atmosphere, complete with a candlelit dinner set up on the linen-draped table in the middle of the suite's dining area, soft music playing in the background, and the same beautiful view of the city that she had from her penthouse upstairs.

But the most breathtaking sight of all was Scott, who was sitting casually on one of the high-back chairs at the table, watching her with a devastatingly sexy smile on his face. His gaze took in the outfit she'd chosen just for him, a classic black slip dress with thin shoulder straps and a low-cut, form-fitting bodice that made wearing a bra unnecessary. The hem was knee length, and her heels were high and strappy, accentuating her long, slender legs.

Very slowly, his eyes traveled their way back up to her face. "You came," he said, his voice low and inviting.

She remained where she was and tipped her head, causing her hair to tumble over one bare shoulder. "You doubted I would?"

"There was a definite risk factor involved, considering where we are."

She understood what he was insinuating – they were in the St. Claire Hotel, surrounded by employees that knew both of them. She'd been careful about making her way up to the suite and, yes, even a little worried on some level that a worker might wonder what she was up to. But she'd decided that seeing Scott, and being with him, was more important to her than any risk involved.

She told him so. "You're worth it."

A lazy smile curved the corners of his mouth. "That's nice to hear."

Unfolding his lean body from the chair, he stood and approached her, took her hand, and escorted her into the dimly lit room. She saw the bottle of Dom Perignon champagne chilling on ice, the rose petals on the table, the beautiful crystal flutes at each setting, and was completely swept away by all the time and effort he'd put into their date – not to mention the cost.

He held out her chair for her to sit down, then took off the silver dome covering her plate, revealing a small assortment of light finger foods. She slanted him an appreciative glance as he took his own seat across the small table from her.

"Wow, you certainly know how to seduce a girl in grand style."

He reached for the bottle of champagne, removed the stopper, and poured the bubbly liquid into her fluted glass. "I wanted only the best for you, though I didn't think food would be the main focus for tonight, so I figured I'd feed you just enough to ensure you keep up your energy so I can have my wicked way with you later."

She laughed at that. "I can't wait."

Lifting his own drink, he raised it toward her in a toast. "Here's to an evening neither one of us will forget."

Shivering at the shameless glint she caught in his blue eyes, and wondering what else he had planned, she touched her glass to his and took a sip of the fine champagne. She was certain she'd find out soon enough what the evening entailed, but she wasn't about to rush all that came before – not their dinner or the comfortable, everyday kind of conversations that always ensued between them. These were the simple things that she loved about being with Scott, the effortless connection they shared, and the emotional intimacy that superceded the physical aspect of their relationship.

"I saw you working at the hotel today and talking with my father," she said, as she dipped a chunk of lobster in the dish of warm, drawn butter. "Is everything okay with the job?"

"Couldn't be better. Your father and I were just discussing some detail work he wants done." He ate a cube of imported cheese and followed that down with a few grapes. "I like your father. He's a good, fair man."