Everything had been fine until Owen had gone in for the good-night kiss. Well, she’d kissed Theo and there hadn’t been any problems.
A light bulb went off.
Leaning forward, she said, “Excuse me. I’ve changed my mind, can you take me to Alto club, please?”
Thirty minutes, one wrong turn, and a long wait in line later, cold seeped through Chloe’s coat. She wrapped it tightly around her body and soldiered on. She could have texted Theo to let her in, but she needed the time to sort out in her mind what she wanted to say to him before she blurted out her request. Would he do what she’d asked after everything he’d done for her already? Probably not. He’d already told her no more favors. She would just have to convince him to change his mind.
Was he even in the club? Or if he was in his penthouse, would the doorman to his building let her up? Should she go around and find him? No, she’d been in line for fifteen minutes already; she didn’t want to lose her spot. She shuffled forward a few steps. She tapped her toe on the pavement. Another ten minutes passed. This was a mistake. As she turned to go, someone called her name.
She turned back; Blake jogged toward her. “I thought I saw you. Why are you waiting in line?”
“Umm… isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?” She didn’t know any other way to get into the club without calling Theo to let her in.
Confusion flashed across Blake’s features. “Hasn’t Theo put your name on the list? You just have to give security your name and show them your ID, and you have VIP access.”
“Oh, I don’t know if he has.” She’d already asked so much of Theo, asking to get onto Alto’s VIP list seemed… well… selfish.
“I’ll check. Come on, let’s get inside. It’s fucking freezing out here.” He held on to her hand and guided her into the club. “You’re here on your own. Didn’t your date go well?” he asked as he checked her coat.
“You know about that? Of course, Theo would have told you.”
“Yeah, he did.” Then frowned like something troubled him. Before she could ask him if everything was okay, he smiled. “Theo’s at our table. Want to join us?”
She nodded, and he led the way. They zigzagged through the crowd until they reached the table. “Look who I found waiting outside the club.” He paused, realizing that only Logan and two chic women were seated there. “Hey, where’s Theo?”
“He went upstairs to his penthouse. Hey, Chloe, join us for a drink.” Logan waved for her to sit.
If she joined them and ignored the reason she’d come to the club, what would that achieve? She’d still have her sneezing issue. “I would love to, but I need to talk to Theo. Do you think I could go up and see him?” she asked Blake. Then a thought hit her. “Is he alone?” What if he was with another woman? A chill prickled down her spine.
“With the mood he’s in, he’s scared everyone away,” Logan said with a laugh.
That didn’t sound good. Should she turn around and go home?
“Come on, I’ll take you to the elevator.” Blake placed his palm on the small of her back and guided her away from the table.
Deciding to stick with the plan, she followed him, not able to stop thinking about the last time she’d walked this way. To the night she’d almost slept with Theo. After she told him what she wanted, would he reject her again? Her stomach rolled.
When they reached those shiny black glass doors, Blake gave her a hug and whispered, “I’ll see you later, Chloe.”
Stepping inside the carriage, she took a deep breath and watched the numbers ascend. She wiped her sweaty palms on her dress, and before she could settle her racing heart, the doors slid open. She stepped out, expecting that she’d have to knock. But the door to his penthouse stood open. Was he anticipating company? That funny chill made a reappearance.
A lamp in the corner bathed the room in a golden glow. Through the glass windows, a hazy moon hung low in the sky, dimmed by the city lights. A dark silhouette stood in front of the windows, his back toward her with a tumbler in his hand by his side.
“I told you, I’m not going back to the club, and tell Logan to stop texting me,” he said with an edge to his voice.
“Logan had his hands full with two women,” she said around the frog in her throat.
Theo spun around. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be on your date?”
“The date’s over.” Chloe stepped farther into the room.
Gone were the expensive tailored suit and styled hair. He was dressed in gray sweatpants and black T-shirt. It looked like he’d run his fingers through his hair multiple times. His feet were bare, and he looked just as gorgeous in this casual outfit as he did in a suit.
He walked to her, placing his glass on the coffee table. From the looks of his red-rimmed eyes, it wasn’t his first drink. What was he upset about?
“The date’s over already? Wasn’t Owen ‘the one’?” he said, screwing up his nose.
“He could be. I like him.” But with Theo standing in front of her, Owen paled in comparison.
