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“Oh, no. Alright, spill it. Do I need to hop on a plane right now and beat the crap out of someone? Well, do I need to tell you to beat the crap out of someone? You’re much better at it than I am.” Rebecca giggled on the other end of the line while a series of cheers of “Shots! Shots! Shots! Shots!” raged on in the background.
“No, nothing like that. It’s just forced downtime, and you know how well I do with that. My dad throws me some extra cash and expects me to happily go spend it on Fifth Avenue like it’s therapy.”
Her friend scoffed. “It is therapy. I’ve told you, I will make the sacrifice and go spend the money for you any time you need.”
Layne grinned and made a mental note to at least snag a new pair of ridiculously expensive designer workout leggings for Rebecca this week so when she returned, they both could hit spin class together with fabulous-looking asses.
“You’re right, as usual. I won’t keep you from all the fun any longer. I just needed to feel a bit more grounded.”
“That’s my job, I will see you when I get back and we will have a girl’s night and catch up, okay?”
Layne agreed and they said their goodbyes to one another. The talk was everything she needed to get a kick in the ass to go and do something like a normal twenty-something. She gathered her things and was out the door less than thirty minutes later.
She drove down to the fashion district where she could waste her time hopping from store to store. A few of the clerks at the concierge desks at several stores recognized her and were sure to give her the VIP treatment, champagne, and all. If there was one thing that Layne knew about high-end shopping it was that champagne never hurt.
Selecting a few items to try on, she headed back to the dressing room while her assigned security guard stuck to his post right outside the store’s front entrance.
She finished off the flute of champagne as she stepped into the excessively large fitting room. It was large enough to be considered a bedroom by comparison to places like Old Navy or Macy’s. In the center of the square-shaped room was a round pedestal with mirrors coming from all angles on the walls to ensure one could give themselves a complete visual inspection.
Layne peeled away her shirt, exposing the black lace racerback bra she had on underneath. Before she could slip on one of the three tops she had gathered, there was a knock on the door of the dressing room.
“Thank God, this is going to need more champagne.” She muttered quietly to herself. When she opened the door, instead of it being the female sales associate she had been working with, it was a familiar face that she hadn’t realized how much she missed.
“Joey?” She blinked a few times as he slipped into the room with her. His gaze slowly looked over her as his hands slid onto her hips. Before he could attempt to dial up the charm, she stepped back and snatched one of the shirts from a hanger.
Layne may have missed him, but she sure as hell didn’t miss the fact that they were supposed to be a short and hot fling. He was supposed to go back to his life and she hers.
“Don’t get dressed on account of me,” he slyly remarked.
She shot him a slight glare as she yanked the shirt down over her head, and pulled her hair out from underneath it afterward. “What are you doing here?” Then, the more she thought about it she changed her question. “How did you know I was here?”
He shrugged but gave her the space she had created for herself. “I have my methods.” Joey leaned his shoulder against one of the walls casually as he kept his eyes on her and his hands tucked in his pockets.
“Fine, whatever. Why are you here then? I figured you’d be off to find your next conquest.” Layne defaulted to her defensive mode when she needed to stomp down on any nagging feelings that were going to cause complications in her life.
He placed a hand over his heart. “Ouch. That’s what you think of me?”
“That’s what you made clear to me when you broke into my house.”
“That’s because,” he pushed away from the wall and stepped up behind her his hand traveling over her shoulder and up onto the side of her neck before sliding over the front of her throat, “I didn’t realize how addictive you were going to be.” His breath tickled over the delicate skin of her neck, while he left a steamy trail of kisses in his wake.
Not realizing how long she had been holding her breath, she slowly released it. “Knock it off.”
Joey straightened. “What’s the problem?”
“Nothing, I just figured you’d be elsewhere and with someone else.” She looked at her reflection in the mirror, trying to gauge whether or not she liked the shirt. She was leaning towards not.
He took her arm and spun her around to face him. “It’s more than that.” His fingers came up to hold her chin. “Tell me what it is.”
Layne tried to turn from him, but his hold on her kept her in one spot unless she wanted to choose violence. While it was still on the table, she opted to be civil for the time being. “I have obligations to my family, and you’re a distraction from that.”
He had the audacity to slap an amused grin on his face. “Hm, how much of a distraction?”
She let out a flustered sigh. “Joey, I don’t have time for this.”
“Bullshit, your boy out front is paid by the hour and daddy’s credit limit is wide open. Don’t make me ask twice, Layney.” His tone grew impatient with her responses.
Her legs just wanted to melt the way he called her that little pet name, and that right there was a reminder of how effective of a distraction he was.
