Sweet Surrender (Sweet Jealousy, Book Two) (4 page)

She walked up the stairs, slid her key into the lock, and opened the door.

Addison gasped.

Long floor to ceiling windows made up one wall of the living room, giving her a view of the street while letting in the warm glow of the evening light. The walls were painted a warm shade of light brown, the kind of color that made you feel relaxed and welcome, yet managed to look chic and stylish at the same time. The furniture consisted of two comfy-looking cream-colored couches with tons of throw pillows and a wicker chair that added a splash of contrast.

The kitchen was small, but modern, with oak cabinets and gleaming cream and tan countertops. It was exactly the kind of place Addison would have chosen to live if she could afford it.

The thought that it was hers thrilled and frightened her at the same time. She
wanted
this apartment. But she was afraid when she thought of the conditions that might come with it.

The rest of the place was just as spectacular – the bathroom was big and had a window and a good-sized bathtub. There was a cute little office where her laptop was already set up on the desk.

And in the bedroom, a new queen size bed with a shiny white headboard sat in the middle of the room. She opened the closet to find that it was walk-in. Small, but still. A walk-in closet was unheard of in Manhattan.

Not only had all of her clothes been washed and hung neatly on the hangers, but there were new clothes there, too. Dresses and pants and skirts and shirts. She checked the tags. All in her size.

This was insane.

Addison didn’t know what to do.

Her cell phone started vibrating from the living room where she’d left it, and she rushed back out.

Tia.

She answered it.

“Where the hell are you?” Tia asked as soon as she picked up.

“What do you mean?” Addison stalled.

“I mean that you’re not here. The door to your apartment is wide open and all your stuff is gone!”

“Oh.” Addison sat down on her new couch and smoothed her dress down over her knees. “Um, I moved.”

“You
moved?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Addison thought about it. Ah, what the hell. Why should she lie to Tia? Tia could handle it, and besides, Tia should know about Mr. Gold if she was going to continue living there. “There was an incident with Mr. Gold. He assaulted me.”

“He
assaulted
you?”

“Yes.” Addison cleared her throat. “It was last night.”

“Oh my God! Did you call the police?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I didn’t.”

“I’m coming over,” Tia said. “Where’s your new place?”

“Oh, no,” Addison said quickly. “That’s okay. I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine,” Tia said. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, I swear, I just… ah, I have a lot of unpacking to do.”

“Okay.” There was a pause. “Are you coming to the party tonight?”

The Technology in Journalism Party. She’d forgotten all about it. But how could she go now? She was supposed to wait here for Nathan. “Oh,” she said. “I don’t know.”

“You have to come. Everyone’s going to be there.”

“I just….I have a lot of work to do.”

“Fine,” Tia said, sighing. “Call me if you change your mind.”

“I will.”

Addison hung up the phone. Suddenly, she was starving. She moved to the kitchen. There was no way that Nathan would have stocked her fridge, was there?

Buying her clothes was one thing, but food…

But there
was
food. Tons and tons of food. Fresh berries and melons, all sliced and stacked neatly in individual plastic containers. Pre-made salads. Fresh juices.

Sandwiches on thickly-sliced multi-grain bread. All of it was organic and healthy. There wasn’t one processed thing in the refrigerator.

Addison fixed herself some cheese and crackers and a bowl of fruit salad, then sat down at her tiny breakfast bar to eat. An assortment of magazines had been left on the counter, everything from Forbes to InStyle.

She browsed through them until she became restless, then moved to the couch and flipped through the television channels. The time ticked by.

Eight o’clock.

Eight-thirty.

Nine.

Where was he? As the minutes went by, Addison became more and more agitated. Once again, the harsh reality of the situation began to set in. What had she been thinking? This was her engaged boss. He’d admitted he was engaged. He hadn’t even tried to lie to her!

The gall of him!

She started getting more and more worked up, until she was so tense she was pacing back and forth. Finally, she decided that she wasn’t going to be here when and if Nathan came to see her. Why should she be? He didn’t deserve to have her sitting here, just resting on her laurels while he was God knows where with God knows who.

But where would she go?

The Tech in Journalism Gala.

Why not? Tia had already invited her, and what did she have to lose? If she got caught crashing the party, then so what? It wasn’t like things could get much worse.

She strode into the bedroom and threw open the closet. There were dresses, of course. Beautiful, shimmery, shiny dresses hanging neatly on hangers. Probably for when Nathan wanted her to parade around in the apartment, Addison thought angrily.

It’s not like he would be taking her out anywhere – not when he had a fiancé.

She sent Tia a quick text.

Want to go. Meet you outside the hotel in an hour?

***

By the time Addison arrived at the Covington Hotel, her anger hadn’t faded. If anything, it had only intensified. She’d spent the last hour getting ready, and working herself up even more than she already was.

Her hair was blown straight, her makeup was perfectly applied, and her dress a black sparkly number with a plunging neckline that fit her like a glove.

Tia wolf whistled when she saw her. “Wow!” she exclaimed, her eyes bugging out of her head. “Where the hell did you come from?”

“Is it too much?” For the first time since she’d put the dress on, Addison was afraid she might have overdone it.

“No, it’s hot,” Tia said. “But how can you afford Cavalli?”

“Who?”

“Roberto Cavalli.”

Addison shrugged. “Never heard of him.”

“Where did you get that dress?”

“It was a gift.” It wasn’t a lie.

“Well, you look amazing.”

“Thanks.” Addison flushed at her friend’s compliment. Tia knew what she was talking about when it came to fashion, and if Tia approved, then Addison knew she must look good. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

“Thanks.” Tia was wearing an aquamarine floor-length sheath that gathered on the side. The dress accentuated her waist while showcasing her curves. “Come on.” Tia took Addison’s hand and pulled her into the hotel.

To Addison’s surprise, they weren’t even asked for their tickets. Dinner seemed to be winding down, and the well-dressed guests were wandering around the ballroom now, cocktails in hand as they talked and schmoozed.

“Wow,” Addison breathed. She couldn’t help it. Everything was just so glamorous.

“I know.” Tia squeezed her hand. “Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

Addison nodded.

A tuxedoed waiter floated by holding a tray full of champagne, and Tia grabbed two and handed one flute to Addison.

Addison took a sip. It was sweet and smooth, the best champagne she’d ever had, and she forced herself not to gulp it down.

“What do we do now?” Addison asked.

“Now we mingle,” Tia said, a glint in her eye.

“Mingle?” The thought was terrifying. Addison didn’t know anyone here. How was she supposed to mingle?

“Yeah, you know, talk to people, network, that kind of thing?” Tia was scanning the crowd. She spotted someone she knew over near the front of the room, and she waved. “I’ll be right back.”

Addison was about to tell her not to leave her just standing here, but before she could, Tia was gone, practically floating across the room.

Damn. What was she supposed to do now?

The bar was practically empty, mostly because the room was well-stocked with waiters making their way through the crowd with enough drinks to keep everyone happy.

Addison sat down on one of the stools and sipped her champagne.

She was working up the courage to strike up a conversation with the woman on her right when a man sat down next to her.

“Hello,” he said, sounding friendly.

“Hi.”

The man signaled for the bartender, who bounded over. “I’ll have whiskey sour,”

he said. He looked at Addison. “Would you like a drink?”

“Oh, no, I’m good.”

“You sure?” He grinned. “It’s open bar, so I’m buying.”

“No, really, I’m fine.” She held up her half full champagne glass.

“What are you doing?” a voice growled in her ear.

She turned around.

Nathan.

A mix of conflicting emotions stormed through her body – anger, surprise, desire.

“What are you doing here?” she blurted.

“What are
you
doing here?” Nathan demanded. “You’re supposed to be at your apartment waiting for me.” He grabbed her elbow and began leading her across the room.

“Let go of me!” she demanded.

“Be quiet.” He brought her over to a small room in the corner. He opened the door and shut it behind him. It was a coat closet.

“Let me out of here,” she demanded.

There was a lock on the door and he pushed it in.

“Who was that man you were talking to?” Nathan asked.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t
know?”

“No.” She shrugged. “He was just a man at the bar.”

“Addison.” His eyes blazed as he said her name. “You cannot be going around talking to random men at bars. I thought I made that clear last night.”

“You’re not in charge of me.” It was an immature thing to say, but she didn’t care. This whole conversation was ludicrous, and immaturity seemed like it might be called for.

“I’m in charge of you for as long as I say I am.” He crossed the room and pushed her up against the wall, his chest pushing against hers. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and fireworks sparked in her stomach. He reached up and traced her collarbone with his finger. “Why are you wearing this dress in public?”

“You bought this dress for me!”

“I bought this dress for you so that I could see you in it. So I could enjoy the way you look in it. Not so you can put yourself on display for other men.” His hand pushed one of the thin straps of her dress down, and when he said the part about her being on display for other men, his grip tightened and the material cut into her flesh.

“Stop!” Addison pushed him away. “You have no right to tell me what to do, not after how you lied to me.”

“I didn’t lie to you.”

“You didn’t tell me you were engaged.”

“You never asked.”

“Oh, great answer.” She rolled her eyes.

“Addison, my relationship with Belle is complicated.”

“I’ll bet.”

“Would you like me to explain?”

“Not really.” But of course she did. She wanted an explanation, she’d been
praying
for an explanation.

“There are certain things that a man in my position is expected to do. Having a stable relationship is one of them.”

Addison gaped at him. “So it’s exactly what I thought. She’s like one of those political wives. You get to do whatever you want, and as long as you come home to her at the end of the day, she’s fine with it.”

“Not exactly. Belle gets certain things, yes, and she allows me certain freedoms.

But it’s a business arrangement, a friendship.”

“You’ve never slept with her.”

“Not in a long time.”

“So you
have
slept with her.” Addison felt like she was going to cry. How could she believe anything he said? And more importantly, how could she allow herself to get in deeper with this man? She’d already allowed him to have sex with her, to do things to her that she’d never even imagined. Then she’d moved into an apartment that he’d paid for, with things he’d picked out. It was insane, the way she was acting.

“Yes.” He was staring at her now, his blue eyes bright. His face was defiant, but at the same time, there was a softness there, almost like he was hoping she wasn’t going to turn her back on him.

Addison started to sob. She wasn’t sure why, but suddenly, all of the emotions of the past twenty-four hours, all of the hurt and confusion and fear had come to a head.

“Addison,” Nathan breathed, crossing the room to her. He gathered her into his arms and let her cry. He smoothed her hair, and pulled her close.

Eventually, her tears stopped.

“I can’t… I don’t think I can do this,” she said.

He nodded. “My life is complicated, Addison. It’s full of twists and turns and darkness. I will do everything I can to take care of you, to make you happy and to make sure I never hurt you. But I will never be able to give you the kind of life you most likely want.”

“How can you say you’ll never hurt me? I already feel as if you’ve hurt me so much.”

“I know, and for that, I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention.” His face was close to hers now. “God, Addison,” he breathed. “I know I should let you go, but I can’t.”

And then he kissed her.

His mouth was warm and his lips tasted of champagne. Addison poured her emotions into the kiss.
Just tonight
, she told herself.
I’ll give myself to him just for one
more night.

Soon Nathan’s kisses got more aggressive, and his hands began to roam over her body. His mouth moved down her neck, tracing a flaming trail from the hollow of her neck down to her cleavage.

Then his hands were back at the straps of her gown, pushing them down as he tried to get at her breasts. But the dress was too tight, and the straps wouldn’t slide down.

Nathan’s eyes burned with lust as he tore at the straps until they snapped off the dress.

Addison moaned as her breasts burst free.

“God, Addison,” Nathan said. “You are beautiful.”

His tongue moved to her nipples, teasing them into tight little peeks.