FIXED ON YOU
CHAPTER ONE
I FELT ALIVE.The alternating flashes of dark and soft lights, the throbbing pulse froman Ellie Goulding club mix, the movement of sweaty bodies dancing,grinding, enjoying each other—The Sky Launch Nightclub got into myblood and turned me on in a way that I hadn’t let anyone or anything else doin quite some time. When I was there—working the bar, assisting the waitstaff, attending to the DJs—I felt more free than at any other time of myday. The club held magic.And, for me, healing.For all its vibrancy and life, the club was a safe haven for me. It was aplace I could attach myself without worry of going overboard. No one wasgoing to sue me for focusing too hard or long on my job. But rumor wasThe Sky Launch, which had been up for sale for quite some time, was aboutto be sold. A new owner could change everything.“Laynie.” Sasha, the waitress working the upper floor, pulled me frommy thoughts and back to my job. “I need a vodka tonic, a White Russian,and two Butterballs.”“Got it.” I pulled the vodka from the shelf behind me.“I can’t believe how busy we are for a Thursday,” she said as I workedon her order.“It’s the summer crowd. Give it a week, and the place will explode.” Icouldn’t wait. Summer at the club was a total blast.“That’s when things around here get fun.” David Lindt, the generalmanager of the club, joined our conversation, a sparkle showing in his eyesas the bright white light that lit the bar illuminated his face.“Real fun.” I gave David a wide smile and winked while I placed thedrinks on Sasha’s tray, my stomach tensing with a flicker of desire.He answered my wink with one of his own, stirring the flicker in mybelly to a low flame.David wasn’t the love of my life—not even the love of the moment—but his shared passion for the club sparked something in me. My interest inlearning more and moving up from bartending had seemed to interest himas well. More than one late night of showing me the ropes had ended inheavy make-out sessions. Though I hadn’t been instantly attracted to him,his small stature, curly blonde hair and blue eyes had grown on me. Also,his keen business sense and exceptional management style were qualities Irequired in a man. And, truthfully, the lack of effect he had on my emotionsprovided half the draw. We had decent chemistry, but he didn’t have mefreaking out all over him like I had over other guys. He was safe and solidand that was my definition of the perfect man.I rang up Sasha’s order while David filled shot glasses—Todd’s order, Isuspected, another waiter standing next to Sasha. David rarely steppedbehind the bar anymore, but we were short-staffed for the night and Iwelcomed his help. Especially with the way we were picking up. A regularand his friends had leaned against the bar waiting for my attention, and outof the corner of my eye, I saw a suit taking a spot at the far end of thecounter.I handed Sasha her ticket, but David stopped her before she could takeoff. “Hold on. While there’s at least a few of us here, I think we should toastto Laynie.” He passed around the shots he’d been filling. Tequila—myliquor of choice.I peered at him suspiciously. While it wasn’t unusual to have a shot ortwo while working a shift, it was always kept on the down-low, never infront of our manager and certainly not at his encouragement.“No worries,” David said, bumping my shoulder with his. “It’s a specialoccasion.”With a shrug, I smiled and took the shot he offered me. “You’re theboss.”“We’re too busy for a proper toast, so let’s just say this is to Laynie.We’re proud of you, girl.”I blushed and clinked glasses as everyone around, including the regularcustomer and his friends, shouted out “hear, hear” and “cheers.”“Woo hoo!” I screamed my own excitement. I’d worked hard to get mydegree. I was proud of myself too. I slammed the shot back, enjoying theburn as it lined my throat and spread through my veins. “Goddamn, that’snice!”Aware that the crowd was getting antsy, Sasha took off with her orderwhile David filled Todd’s. I turned my attention first to the regular, a guywhose name deserted me. He leaned in to give me a hug, which I returned. Imight not remember him, but I knew how to earn my tips.“Four of whatever’s on tap,” he said, raising his voice over the musicwhich seemed to have gotten louder in the last few minutes. “Where’sLiesl?”I handed him his first two mugs and began work on the next two. “Sinceshe’s covering all my shifts next week she has tonight off.” That’s right—this was the guy that usually flirted with Liesl, another bartender.“That’s cool. So what are you doing on your vacation?” With Liesl notaround, Regular turned his charm on me. His eyes travelled to my breaststhat were admittedly hard to miss. Especially with my low-cut neckline. Ihad some nice girls, who could blame me for showing them off?“Absolutely nothing.” I hoped my delivery sounded like I was lookingforward to my vacation. Truth was I’d taken the time off so I could go homeand spend time with my older brother. But only that morning, Brian hadcalled the trip off, saying that he was too swamped with work. He wouldn’teven be able to make it to my graduation.I swallowed the emotions that threatened to show on my face. On top ofbeing disappointed, I was terrified. Me with nothing to occupy my time wasnot an attractive me. I’d almost told David several times to go ahead andput me on the schedule, but every time I started, I felt like a total loser.Maybe a week off would be good for me. I could handle it. Right?Now wasn’t the time to fret about the week to come. I finished thetransaction with Regular and slid down the bar to take care of the suit at theend of the counter.“Now what can I get…you…?” My words trailed off as my eyes metthe suit’s, the air leaving my lungs, suddenly sucked out by the sight thatmet me. The man…he was…gorgeous.Incredibly gorgeous.I couldn’t look away, his appearance magnetizing. Which meant he wasexactly the type of man I should avoid..After the numerous heartaches that had dotted my past, I’d discoveredthat I could divide the men I was attracted to into two categories. The firstcategory could be described as fuck and forget. These were the men that gotme going in the bedroom, but were easy to leave behind if necessary. It wasthe only group I bothered with anymore. They were the safe ones. Davidfell into this category.Then there were the men that were anything but safe. They weren’t fuckand forget—they were, “Oh, fuck!” They drew me to them so intensely thatI became consumed by them, absolutely focused on everything they did,said and were. I ran from these men, far and fast.Two seconds after locking eyes with this man, I knew I should berunning.He seemed familiar—he must have been in the club before. But if hehad been, I couldn’t imagine that I’d have forgotten. He was the mostbreathtaking man on the planet—his chiseled cheekbones and strong jaw satbeneath perfectly floppy brown hair and the most in
But I loved bartending. More, I loved the club. I’d only started mygraduate work because I needed more to do. Something to keep me“occupied” was what Brian had said when he offered to pay for myexpenses beyond what my scholarship and financial aid covered.It was a good decision—the right decision since it essentially stoppedmy life from spiraling out of control. For the past three years I’d thrown mylife into school and the nightclub. Problem was that graduation took most ofmy preoccupation away. And now bogged down with student loans, I had tofigure out how to make ends meet without having to leave The Sky Launch.But I had a plan. I wanted a promotion. I’d been helping withsupervisory duties for the last year, but had been unable to get an officialtitle since managers had to work full-time. Now that school was over, I wasavailable for more hours. David had been grooming me for the position.The only wrinkle in my trajectory could be a new owner. But I wasn’t goingto worr
“And did he expect you to blow him after your shift?”“No. I thought that was what he was about, but…” What had hewanted? He’d seemed so into me, or had I imagined that, swayed by myown intense desire for him? “I don’t know. He left without trying anything.”I’d meant to scare him off, but that hadn’t seemed to be the reason he left.“It was…odd.”“Midnight masturbation material?”“I’ll never tell.”“Your face says it all.”Over the past week, he had entered my thoughts, wearing decidedly lessthan he had when I’d seen him at the bar. And while sexual fantasies wereinnocent enough for most people, thinking too much about any guy wasnever good for me and Liesl knew it. But I didn’t need her lecture. As longas I didn’t see him again—and chances were slim that I would—I’d be fine.I moved to straightening things on the counter that didn’t need to bestraightened and changed the subject. “So the new owner…you’ve methim? What’s he like?”Liesl shrugged. “He’s all right. Younger than
Pieces began to fit together. That was how he’d known my name. He’dprobably come that night to check out his would-be staff. But that didn’texplain his possessive staring. Maybe he was the type to think of women asobjects. Maybe he took the definition of owner to a whole other level. Thethought made my skin pebble in goose bumps.And underneath that, panic crept into my gut.I could not be this twisted up over my boss, the head honcho, the guywho would determine my fate at the club. Freaking out over him would endin serious consequences.I placed a hand loosely over my belly, encouraging a deepdiaphragmatic breath to calm my growing anxiety.Hudson tilted his head and studied me. “I’ve heard many things aboutyou. And witnessed your work.” He paused, moving his gaze up and downmy body once more, scorching my skin as he did. “But none of what I heardor saw prepared me to find you wearing this ensemble.”The color drained from my face. I wasn’t sure where he was going withhis
I glanced down at the black slinky pants that were so tight they gave mecamel toe. They made me feel sexy, and for some reason that made methink of Hudson’s dark expression when he’d first laid eyes on me. Theexpression I’d since convinced myself was imagined.“Great. Now you’re telling me I have to throw these out too?”“Well, just don’t wear them while you’re working.” He stood so hecould reach the printer on the corner of the desk behind me. “For therecord,” he said as his arm brushed my waist. “I don’t disapprove of thisoutfit in the slightest.”I, on the other hand, wanted to burn the whole ensemble. It had causedme nothing but trouble all night—drunk patrons thinking they could touchme and say things to me that they otherwise wouldn’t.But I’d worn it for David—for the moment when we’d be alone. Thiswas it.I put on a fake pout. “Too bad your opinion isn’t the one that matters.”David leaned in close. “My opinion doesn’t matter?”“Actually,” I said, grabbing his jacket
”“Would it be that bad if he did?”“Yes. It would be utterly, wonderfully, horrible.” But mostly it washorrible how not bad that idea sounded.While trying to empty my mind of Hudson blowjob images, I surveyedthe club. The place was slow, even for a Wednesday night. From the bar, Ihad full view of the ten bubble rooms that circled the perimeter of the upperlevel. The bubble rooms were The Sky Launch’s highlight. Each room,round in shape, featured a glass wall overlooking the dance floor on thelower level, and had private access much like box seats at a stadium. Theyall had a curved seating area around a table, and fit eight peoplecomfortably. The bubbles provided a relatively quiet and discreet area whilestill being very much part of the club. When the occupied lights were on,the outer walls of the bubble rooms glowed red. Only two were lit up. Ashame. If the club had the kind of notoriety it could have, those roomswould fill within the first ten minutes of being open.“G
“Oh.” I thought about saying I’d been to an amazing spa, but really, didhe care? And besides, talking was difficult with that thing he was doing tomy skin, burning it so thoroughly with his caress.His phone rang and he let go of my hand. I pulled it to my lap, needingthe warmth of my body once it’d lost the warmth of his.“Excuse me,” he said, taking his phone out of his pants pocket andsilencing it without looking at the screen.“You can take it if you need to.” I could use a few minutes to gather mythoughts. Because, what the hell did he want with me? Not only was notknowing killing me, but the more time I spent with Hudson, the easier itwas for me to think about him and his amazing gray eyes. And his hardbody. And his smooth voice.“There can’t be anything important enough to interrupt thisconversation.”And even smoother lines.I opened my mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the dooropening. Sasha entered with a tray of food and drinks. I watched as she setd
Semantics. But I understood what he was attempting to do, separatinghimself from me and my job at The Sky Launch, so I nodded.“This wouldn’t affect your employment at the club.” He removed hisarm from the couch and sat forward. “Maybe hire is not the correct term.I’d like to pay you to help me with a problem. I believe you’d be perfect forthe job.”The whole conversation had my head spinning, but he had my attention.“You win. My curiosity is piqued. What’s the job?”“I need you to break up an engagement.”I coughed, wondering if I heard him correctly, knowing I had. “Um,what? Whose?”Hudson leaned back, his dazzling gray eyes flickering in the strobelights. “Mine.”OceanofPDF.comCHAPTER FOURHUDSON TAPPED one long finger on the table in front of him. “Closeyour mouth, Alayna. Although it’s quite adorable to see you flabbergasted,it’s also very distracting.”I closed my mouth. A million questions circled through my mind, tooquickly for any to take shape. And somewhere behin