Sexy in Stilettos (A Sexy Contemporary Romance) Read online

  ***

   “So what’s the emergency?” Alec let Adele into his suite. “I’m supposed to be somewhere in an hour. I already told you, I don’t have any additional information on where Max is. Caleb’s on it.” He stopped when he saw the strained expression on her face.

  “There was a visitor at the house last night. Several, actually.”

  “What the hell do you mean, a visitor?”

  “One of those low-life goons your brother owes money to came to the house in La Jolla, looking for Max. They paid a visit to Sue, as well. She called me in a panic after they threatened her and the baby then left.”

  Holy shit. “Where was your security team?”

  “I don’t need them in my own house. The system was on, but they must have disarmed it.”

  That didn’t sound like any kind of goon he’d heard of. After chasing his brother down in LA, he had taken care of Max’s debt in the hopes of accelerating the Max cleanup effort, so who the hell was paying visits? “Are you okay? They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

  She sniffed and wrapped her arms around herself. “Don’t I look fine?”

  “No arguments, Mimi. I’m having Caleb put some men on you and Sue. At least until I can find Max. Did they say anything last night? Give any indication of what they were looking for?”

  “None of it made any sense. They just kept saying they just wanted back what my son took from them. ‘We’ve moved the cash, but we want our file back. No questions asked if he gives us what we want.’”

  “It would make it a hell of a lot easier if we knew what they were talking about.” Alec wrapped his arms around her. “I need the video footage from last night. I’ll take care of it. I promise.”

  Her shoulders relaxed a little. “I’m not worried about my safety. I’m pissed off. I’ve been dealing with thugs like that half my life. They’re usually wearing nicer suits, but I know how to handle myself.” The determination and grit woven into her age lines reminded him she was a fighter.

  “I hope nothing has happened to him.” The quiver in her voice was unmistakable.

  Alec knew where she was going. And he wished she didn’t have to deal with this. Max was her son and she wanted to protect him. But she knew the situation Max was in and made no bones about it. She knew what could happen if they didn’t get him home soon. “Mom, I promised you I’d get him home safe, and I will. You can count on me.” It took him several moments to realize he’d said Mom instead of Mimi or Adele.

  She must have noticed too, because she waited several beats to respond. “I know I can count on you.”

  Damn. He didn’t want to get into their tortured family stuff now.  Jaya was on her way over and he didn’t need to be emotionally raw. Brooders were no fun. “I’ll let you know as soon as I have a lead.”

  As she turned to leave, she scrutinized him, taking in his freshly washed hair and looking around the suite. “I interrupted something.”

  Man, she was quick. “Nope, going out, that’s all. You’ve had me running around so much, I’m taking a night off.” His phone chimed and he knew it would be Jaya confirming their date, just like she always did. Another one of her quirks he was getting used to.

   “What’s your fascination with the Trudeaux girl?”

  Alec pinched the bridge of his nose. God help him if Adele decided to butt her nose in. “No fascination, Mimi. She’s a friend.” He could hope all he wanted, but there was no way she would let it go.

  “When you said you found me an event planner, she wasn’t what I was anticipating. I expected willowy, earth shatteringly beautiful, blonde and not so bright.”

  He bristled. “I don’t only associate with models.”

  She chuckled. “Relax. I’m teasing. And I’m not implying she’s not beautiful. She is. Especially with that gorgeous complexion of hers. She’s just a tad more substantial than I expected. Also a bit of a klutz. But she has fire and determination. And so organized it makes even my eyes cross.”

  “I don’t care if you think she’s beautiful or not.” Although he did, sort of. If he’d been the kind of guy to bring a girl home, he’d want Mimi’s buy-off and respect.

  “Or course you don’t. I know you think I’m butting in. But I—”

  “Did you give her the job?” he interrupted.

  “Touchy, touchy. Whether or not I give her the job has nothing to do with you, right?”

  He let out a long breath. If Adele wanted to string him along, he wasn’t in the mood. “If you say so.  You’ll do what you want but when you do hire her, don’t treat her like you treat your other assistants.”

  Adele laughed. It was a sound, clear and deep, unexpected and genuine. “You do like her. Will wonders never cease?” Laughing again, she added, “She can take care of herself. She’s not some meek little thing who needs you to protect her. Besides, she’s smart so she has nothing to fear from me.”

  As Adele sashayed out of the suite, Alec wondered where he would have ended up without her influence. Somewhere he didn’t want to think about.

  Not five minutes later, at the knock on the suite’s door, his palms got sweaty. He looked down at the offending limbs and rubbed them on his thighs. Why was he nervous? He wasn't seventeen with his first girlfriend. He was grown. Done enough things with women to make Casanova blush.

  But Jaya's flirtatious text earlier sent his heart thudding in his chest. Schmuck. He had it bad. He'd been all kinds of a moron to think there wasn’t anything serious between them. He should have known on that damn elevator and gotten the hell away from her as quickly as possible. But no, he'd let that voice of hers tempt him into talking that night at the club.

  At the memory, his body responded. Blood settled in his cock arming him for battle, so to speak. He blew out a breath and reached for the door. She was just a woman. He'd had dozens. But none of them had her humor, her determination. Her endless lists. How in the world could it be that he found her ridiculous list-making the sexiest thing about her? Probably the way she chewed on her bottom lip every time she added something else to her to-do list. He groaned and drew in a deep breath to settle himself. Get a grip. You’ll scare her off.

  Because even though her I’ve got a surprise for you text was flirty, she’d already made it clear she couldn’t handle anything more than a fling. Problem was, Jaya Trudeaux wasn’t the fling kind of girl. She didn’t go around having one-night stands. Or in this case two-week stands. And he clearly wasn't a relationship guy. He knew it better than she did.

  Opening up the door, he gave her a smile that said, no, I haven’t been standing on the other side of the door trying to compose myself for the last thirty seconds.

  “Hey.” she beamed up at him. “You going to keep me in the doorway, or can I come in?”

  Could she come in? His brain tried to work through her words, attempting to decipher into a language he understood. Her voice, as always, melted him and his brain didn't quite kick in the way he hoped. Even wrapped in her Burberry trench and those heels of hers, all he could do was think about her glorious brown skin and how soft it was.

  He cleared his throat. “Yeah, of course.” A giggle escaped her lips and his brain skipped again. What had he been saying? Eventually, she reached out and gripped his shoulders, moving him aside.

  “What’s gotten into you today?” Her eyes widened even as her brows drew down. “Shit, when you said come over, I thought—” She looked around and her eyes fixated on the La Perla negligee on the chair. Eyes wide, she met his gaze briefly before making a dash for the door.

  Confused, he stared after her, but then blocked her path as dawning hit. “Hey, relax. It’s for you. I know it was probably a little impulsive. There’s no one else here. You’re not interrupting anything.” He could have kicked himself. He’d pretty much recreated the scene of Derrick cheating on her. Stupid, schmuck.

   Her shoulders relaxed and she let out a breath. She rolled onto her toes, then back on her heels. “I don’t have some
sort of claim to you. I know that. I just saw the lingerie there on the chair and, well…” She trailed off and ran out of steam.

  Well done, Alec. You’ve cocked it all up. “Okay, totally my bad. We can get rid of the lingerie. No problem.”

  She slapped him on the arm. “Don’t be crazy. That looks like La Perla. If you want to see me in it, I can at least try it on.”

  He grinned. “Can I actually watch you put it on? ‘Cause God, what a turn on.”

  She giggled and his whole body warmed from the inside. “Done deal. But first, I have news.”

  He drew her into his arms and nuzzled her neck. “Do you now? Does your news involve you going commando under this trench?”

   Jaya raised an eyebrow and played with the sash at her waist. “I got the job. Adele called right before you texted me.” She did a little pirouette and added a booty shake to that right before she launched herself at him.

  He caught her, holding on for a moment too long as his body tensed from the contact. What was he doing? Torturing himself. Masochist.  “You look happy.”

  “I’m thrilled. I mean, I couldn't believe it. Her assistant called me, of course. Not like she could ever call me directly. She's Adele Westhorpe, after all, but it's crazy. I start on Monday. I'm so nervous.”

  He watched her stalk around the room chattering as her words spilled out faster and faster. She really was something else. She was beautiful, but not in the overtly obvious way of southern California girls. He wished she could be his. Wished she were his. “Does this mean operation Trudeaux Events is on the back burner?”

  She shook her head. “God, no. It was wrongful termination at the very least. Either way, they need to eat some crow. But I have a life to live. I can’t just wait ‘til I can get Dad to hire me back.” She continued, some of her excitement ebbing out of her. “So anyway, I've been thinking that maybe this whole time, I've been too rigid. Maybe you're right.”

  He blinked. Frowning. “I'm right about a lot of things. Which item in particular?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You know, how you said the other day that I needed to have some fun and relax. Stop living by my lists and my rules all the time. Go off map.”

  He'd said that? Well that was before he realized that's what made her fun and interesting. “Hmm hmm.”

  “Well you were right.” Grabbing onto the tie of her trench, she tugged. As the lapels peeled away, acres of beautiful mahogany skin were revealed. All he could do was stare. All moisture left his mouth. The burning in his chest told him he'd forgotten to breathe.