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Seduce the Playboy 1
ONEDYLAN“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!” Weston, my business partner,exclaimed from the front passenger seat of my service car as wepulled away from the curb.Restraining myself from directing the driver—a habit of mine,surely not useful now when I’d been out of New York City for so long—I looked behind me out the rear window at the two figures we’d leftbehind. Donovan Kincaid, another one of my partners at Reach, Inc.along with Weston King, was chasing down a girl who worked in theoffice—Sabrina Lind.I had only just met Sabrina this evening. The woman waspleasant, smart, straightforward. Had a good head on her shoulders.Weston and I had dined with her and her younger sister and had justbeen finishing up when Donovan had come in, all blustering andnoble and knightly.“Donovan called himself her boyfriend,” Weston saidincredulously, recalling the scene we’d just left. “Was I the only onewho heard that? I can’t be that drunk.”It had been an out-of-character declaration for th
Seduce the Playboy 2
But I wasn’t.She was a very attractive young lady. I couldn’t help how mybody reacted. I’d been respectful. For the most part.“This is me,” Weston said, pointing out the window to his building.My driver pulled over next to a large bank of snow. To be fair, theentire street was banked with snow, lingering from the storm the daybefore.“Guess I’m going snowshoeing,” Weston said with a sigh. Hestepped out of the car and immediately cursed, the door slammingbefore I could make out the full extent of his blaspheme.I leaned over Audrey, and not just because I wanted to smell therose bouquet in her perfume, but so that I could roll the windowdown and call after my partner.“Have a good Thanksgiving,” I said, “if I don’t see you againbefore the holiday.” He was flying off somewhere later in the week—Utah or Kansas—the United States Midwest was always a blur tothis Hampshire native.“You too, friend. It was good seeing you. If even briefly. And nicemeeting you, Audrey.” He turne
Seduce the Playboy 3
“Are you saying that you are not…? That you haven’t…?” Icleared my throat, floundering a bit with how I was asking this nearstranger about her virginity. It was like the opening of a poorly writtenporno.Holy mother of God, I was going to be fantasizing about this forquite some time.“Oh, no,” she said in a rush.And to my relief. I couldn’t handle the weight of knowing that andlater having to get out of the car to see her to the door of herapartment building.“I’m not that innocent,” she went on. “I’ve had boyfriends. Twoserious. Long-term, each of them. Very committed, very in love withboth of them. And, maybe, even, either one of them could have beenthe guy. You know, The Guy? The Forever Guy?”The fairy tale. Yes, I knew that story.She was in a car now with me though. Not with me, but shewasn’t with anyone else either, from what I’d gathered during thenight. So those fairy tales had obviously ended. The way that everyfairy tale eventually does and life returns back to
Seduce the Playboy 4
“Are you worried about it?” I challenged.His eyes never left me. “Of course not.”“Then what are you afraid of?”His restraint broke, and his mouth swooped down on mine like awolf descending on its prey. There was no foreplay. No sweetseduction. Just hungry determination as he placed a hand at theback of my head and attacked with fierce ardor. He was firm andaggressive. He was skillful and demanding. He was in charge.Silly, stupid, willing lamb that I was, I latched myself to him,throwing my arms around his neck and licking at the greedy plungeof his tongue between my lips. I wanted his taste of wine andsmoked bass to be my taste, to be the only taste I could remember. Ineeded to drink him and devour him the way he seemed to need todrink and devour me.We were frenzied and sloppy, our teeth crashing against eachother at times, our breath coming in irregular measures. It felt asthough the whole of time had been reduced to this moment, theentirety of the universe reduced t
Seduce the Playboy 5
Disappointment sounded in my tone nonetheless when I finallyreplied. “Yes. The hotel.”The car signal clicked rhythmically as we waited at a light to turnuptown. I sunk back in my seat, letting myself remember, for amoment, the person I’d been when I’d wed. I’d felt so much oldermarrying a woman ten years my senior, but I was really such a childthen, only twenty-five.My, how I’d grown up since.And now my thoughts turned back to Audrey, younger than I’dbeen when I’d married, but just as enthusiastic and charmed withlove and life as I’d been.I opened my texts and found where she’d sent herself amessage.A: A million people in the city, and you and I met. That’skismet.I laughed out loud. My driver was spot on—she was fantastic.Fantastic and trusting and young and that was enough reason todelete both her number and the whimsical message from my phone.But I saved it instead. Not because she’d hooked me, butbecause I needed to know it was her when she called. If she called.
Seduce the Playboy 6
“Donovan Kincaid doesn’t know what to do with a kid. This is youtrying to keep him from me, like you always do.” This conversationreaffirmed my decision to get a second apartment in New York City—so that I could visit more often and have more access to Aaron.“I’m not keeping him from anyone. You are delusional.”“And you’re ice. Cold and bitter and mean. Exactly the qualitiesthat drove me to leave you.” Maybe I was going there after all.“You didn’t leave me because I was cold and bitter. You leftbecause I cheated on you.” She’d destroyed my heart with herbetrayal and she almost sounded like she was gloating.To hell with her.“You were ice cold and bitter before that. It simply took the act ofyou cheating on me to recognize that I couldn’t…” I paused andinhaled deeply. I didn’t need to relive this. I didn’t want to rememberhow deeply I’d once believed in her. In us.“That you couldn’t save me?” she finished for me. “Couldn’t makeme whole again? Is that what you were going
Seduce the Playboy 7
But I’d already thought about that.I kicked off my shoes and pulled my knees underneath me on thecouch. “Dylan is not actually your boss. He’s more like your boss’sequal, if you want to be technical.” And, to be fair, she herself wassleeping with a different man who was her boss’s equal. If therewasn’t an issue there, why would there be an issue with me?She dropped her coat and purse on the back of the sofa and puta stern fist on her hip—one of the postures she took when she wasassuming a motherly role with me. “If you want to be technical, he’sold enough to be your father.”I rolled my eyes. “He is not. He’s just experienced and wise.” Tobe honest, I wasn’t actually sure of Dylan’s age.“He’s twenty years older than you.”Huh. I’d guessed more like fifteen. “Maybe I have a thing fordads.” I didn’t, I didn’t think, but I could. Could I? Was that thecomfort I’d been unable to replicate with my previous boyfriends?“Don’t knock my kink. I don’t knock yours.” I was possibly m
Seduce the Playboy 8
I WAITED until Sabrina had left before coming out of my room forbreakfast. I didn’t want her to drill me about my plans for the day,and boy, did I have plans.First, I hustled over to a boutique lingerie shop nearby Sabrina’sMidtown apartment. They were on holiday schedule and openedearly, so I got what I needed and was at the register well before ten.With my purchases “in hand,” so to say, I finally pulled out myphone to get ahold of Dylan. Sure, I could have texted him before I’dgone shopping, but I didn’t want to seem desperate, contacting himbefore the sun had reached a decent place in the sky. Because Iwasn’t desperate. I was eager. There was a difference, I was sure.I had, however, composed my text the night before so it wasready to go with just a press of the send button.A: Happy Tuesday! Did U sleep OK?Polite, harmless. A message that wouldn’t scare him off.Still, he took his time answering. Almost seven whole minutes.Thankfully there was a Starbucks next door s
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