The VIP Room(139)

I made my way to the exit and stepped outside the restaurant before answering the phone. “Sarah?”

“Mr. Hammer!” Sarah barked, urgency in her voice. “Thank God, I’ve been trying to reach you all day.”

“I know,” I apologized. “Been busy.”

“Well, sir, you might want to be busy getting back to New York. Collin has gone off the reservation.”

“He’s what?” I asked, not taking her meaning.

“He’s flipped his lid, sir. Lost his mind. Gone psycho!” Her voice grew more frantic with each word.

“Calm down, Sarah,” I suggested. “What’s going on?”

“Apparently, after you left, Collin decided that he as going to unseat you, sir. He’s talking with investors and the rest of the Board. They’re going to shut you down, sir. They’re taking over Hammer Industries.”

My jaw all but hit the ground as my bear raged inside. Collin was a dick, but I’d never thought he’d go so far as to try taking my company from me. Everything inside of me screamed for me to head back to New York immediately and utterly destroy the man.

“Sir? Did you hear me?” Sarah’s voice sounded over the phone.

“Yes,” I said flatly, forcing my inner predator to subside. “Loud and clear.”

“Should I charter a flight, sir? I’ve already checked. We can have you home by midnight.”

“That’s not necessary, Sarah. I’m not ready to come back just yet.”

“But, sir!” I heard Sarah say as I ended the call. Despite my better judgment, Hammer Industries could wait. The company wouldn’t fall apart by morning, and I still had plenty to do here.

I heard footsteps walking up behind me and I turned to see Andrea exiting the restaurant. “Everything okay?” she asked, obviously concerned.

I nodded and flashed her a smile. “Would you be interested in continuing our evening elsewhere?” I asked, hoping she’d say yes. I wasn’t about to let an otherwise decent night be ruined by Collin and his schemes.

“What did you have in mind?” Andrea responded, an eagerness in her voice that I hadn’t noticed before.

“Well,” I told her, “There’s a dusty old cabin a few miles from here in desperate need of some attention.”

Andrea gestured toward her dress and arched an eyebrow at me. “Really? I get all dressed up, buy you dinner, and you want me to help you clean?”

“Something like that.”

“Well,” she said playfully, “I don’t suppose there’s anything else to do around here.”





Chapter 6





Andrea





When Chase said he was in town to clear out his parent’s old cabin, I don’t know what I expected, but I know it wasn’t this. For starters, I could see the reason it was taking him so long to clear out. Just the thought of the task was daunting.

The cabin was massive, by any standard, and was partly burrowed inside the face of the mountain. A long winding private road wrapped around the mountainside leading up to the cabin, with just enough width for a single vehicle to fit on. While the road had been paved, the sheer steepness of the trail was more than enough to ward off any but the best-suited off road vehicle. Fortunately, Chase drove a dark colored new Jeep Cherokee that could more than handle the incline.

The cabin itself was larger than most houses I had seen, and it was privy to a view that put that of the Hanging Rock’s to shame. The Parkway stretched out for miles in every direction, with the smoky hue of the mountaintops arranged like islands in the sky. Chase’s cabin was situated on one of the tallest mountains in the Parkway, and the altitude change had my ears popping.

We’d ridden in almost complete silence, and I could tell his mind was still on the phone call that had swept him away from the dinner table. I’d followed him out of the restaurant, leaving enough cash on the table to cover the bill, and overheard part of the conversation. While Chase hadn’t said much over the phone, his body language was more than enough to let me know that something was wrong.

Still, he hadn’t abandoned me like I thought he would. Instead, he’d invited me up to this monstrosity of a cabin, and I intended to make the best of it.

There was something alluring about the man, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. He was damned sexy, yes, that much was apparent just by looking at him. Even dressed down in jeans and button-down, with his hair in complete disarray, I’d been dumbstruck by his appearance. In fact, I’d shyly announced my thoughts on his appearance almost immediately upon joining him for dinner. And better yet, he’d obviously taken note of my efforts to dress up. I’d seen him glancing me over back at the restaurant, and even on the ride up to the cabin. His eyes would casually wander over my body, and I’d watch out of the corner of my eye as hit bit the inside of his lip as he took me in.

Just the thought of him looking at me like that had caused a distinct warmth to spread between my thighs and something inside me, something primal and raw, was begging for him to take me.

I barely know him, I kept reminding myself. And besides, he didn’t deny that monster comment.

That, in itself, frightened me a bit. My parents had warned me, very urgently, about even seeing Chase again. I could only imagine what they’d say if they knew what my body was craving.