Unexpected Chance Read online

  I glanced at another woman in the room and looked at Julie, almost embarrassed that a stranger heard her scold me. I tried to whisper, but I was getting agitated. “Other than just finding out he owns the club, no, I don’t know who he is since we just met. How is it that you know him so well?”

  “Aubrey, he is the Alex Logan.”

  “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

  The other woman continued to fix her lipstick then smirked and looked at me. I felt like saying, “What? Do you have something to say too?” But I refrained for fear that she did. Maybe she was one of his complicated women or something.

  “He’s loaded and he owns this place! His Dad is Jack Logan, one of the richest business men around. He owns Logan Industries. Alex is a great catch, but he’s a total player. You did see that blonde who strolled up to him, not giving a shit that he was with you, right? Well, she is Leah Pierce, a rich bitch from the city who lives off her trust fund and who feels superior to everyone else and entitled to whatever and whomever she wants. And to answer your question, he’s a client of Walker-Stone Marketing, the company that employees me. We prepare all the marketing for the club, but you knew that. I don’t know him outside of business and what I’ve heard and seen here at the club.”

  The other woman walked into a stall. Maybe she felt uncomfortable; I sure as shit did.

  There was so much to absorb; my brain was on overload. “Okay, I get it. Maybe he won’t be good for my romance research, but when I talked to him, he seemed a little more genuine than the way you’re portraying him. Plus, every romance novel has a villain, right?” I shook my head and exhaled. “You’re right. I should just move on. We’re at a club, right? There are a lot of guys here. I noticed some real winners on the way in here, or better yet, maybe I can catch that five-foot-tall awesome specimen of a man from earlier.” My sarcasm was obvious.

  “I have to say that when I saw him I thought there goes her high-heeled shoe collection!” Julie looked at me and we both laughed.

  “Look, if you think that Alex is what you want, go for it. Just remember everything I said.” She made it sound like a warning.

  I tried to look happy, but apparently didn’t pull it off, since I could feel my face drop. Julie looked at my reflection in the mirror.

  “I’m sorry to burst your bubble about Alex. Maybe he is a decent guy. Maybe he’s changed and I’m way off base. I can only go by what I’ve heard and seen. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

  I shrugged and nodded. “Remember the purpose of this: the novel I want to write—that’s all.” I tried to sound convincing, pulling my shoulders back and smiling. What I was really thinking was that I needed to get to know Alex. There was something about him that made my heart expand.

  We turned to walk out of the bathroom when Leah and her entourage strolled in, making us back up. They smiled at the woman who’d just walked out of the stall. Apparently, they traveled in packs, and they were friends with her. Leah gave me the once over from head to toe with her big brown eyes and smirked. “So you’re Alex’s playmate of the night?” What is with this chick? She leaned in and whispered in my ear, making my skin crawl. “Here’s a tip. Don’t get too attached.” Then she smiled the fakest smile I had ever seen. I was floored and tongue-tied.

  “Why, Leah, is it the lighting in here, or are you turning green?” Julie was definitely not a fan of hers, and her tongue was definitely working.

  “Go to hell, Julie. You know that I can have any man, anytime, anywhere.”

  Holding the door open for Julie, I looked at her with pleading eyes to end the verbal battle that was about to commence. I just wanted to leave before it got worse.

  Maybe Julie was right. I seriously doubted every emotion Alex brought out in me. Maybe I was stunned by his looks, but when he touched my hand, I really thought I felt something indescribable. Maybe I forgot what it felt like to have a man touch me and I mistook that feeling for something more.

  We walked back to the bar. Julie stopped me and could see that my expression had done a one-eighty. “Don’t listen to her, Aubrey. She’s a total bitch. Forget what I said before. Go for it. Go for him. Fuck her. You are so much better than she is. She’s been around the block so many times that if she had an odometer it would be broken from spinning too much.” We both giggled.

  Back at the bar, Alex was talking to a hot guy and Tyler. I looked over at Julie and noticed she appreciated the group as much as I did. She looked at me and winked. Alex looked our way and smiled; he stood and pulled out bar stools for us.

  He introduced us to his friends. “Aubrey and Julie, I’d like you to meet my friend, Brett, and, Aubrey, you already met Tyler.” I noticed Alex was curt when he spoke about me having already met Tyler.

  Brett was extremely attractive, about six feet tall, with light brown hair and hazel eyes, and he had a great body. I could appreciate Tyler even better now since he wasn’t behind the bar. He was tall and slim. He had the body of a runner. I pictured him strutting on a catwalk. Julie began to blush when she shook Brett’s hand. I knew that look of hers. He must have sensed it too because he asked her if he could buy her a drink, and she shyly nodded. What happened to my outspoken friend? He had her resorting to nodding. I looked at her and raised my eyebrows. She just shrugged and grinned.

  I turned back to Alex and smiled. He returned the gesture, laid his hand on my shoulder, and whispered in my ear, “Would you like to dance?”

  I loved to dance. “Sure, I’d like that.”

  We weaved through the crowd. The beat of the music was intoxicating. There were people everywhere. It took us a while to get to the dance floor since everyone stopped Alex on the way over. He had men wanting to meet him and women wanting to touch him and get a moment with him. He took my hand in his and laced his fingers with mine; we fit together perfectly. He brought me to the center of the dance floor. There were quite a few couples dancing. I was a little nervous and grateful the music had slowed down a little. It wasn’t what you would classify as a slow song, but it was slow enough that Alex held me close to him. Our hips connected, and my knee slid in between his. We swayed to the beat of the music as he led me through our first dance. I wondered how many dances we would share. I hoped this wasn’t the first and last.

  His arms slid around the small of my back while mine were draped around his neck. He pulled away a little and looked in my eyes. “I’m sorry about the woman at the bar. That’s what I meant when I said it’s complicated.”

  I just looked up at him. I realized I was playing with the back of his hair, so I stopped and moved my hands to his shoulders.

  “This club consumes my life, and I’m here all the time, so relationships are hard to keep because of that. It’s not that I haven’t had a girlfriend; it just makes it complicated.” He shrugged his shoulders. “If I had a girlfriend, she’d have to put up with my hours and the women who are constantly here; they aren’t exactly shy. I’m sure Julie told you that I don’t have the best reputation.”

  I hated to admit that Julie and I had talked about him, but I nodded.

  We were dancing slowly to the music and never realized the music changed to something faster. We glanced around and noticed the floor started getting really crowded and the dancing got a little crazy. He took my hand and brought me back to the bar where Julie was talking to Brett. I looked around and noticed that Tyler was at Leah’s table and that they were practically in each other’s laps. Leah was running her fingers up and down his chest, and I swear she had her tongue in his ear. Alex grabbed my hand and my glass of wine and told Julie and Brett to follow us.

  I needed to know, so I asked. “Does it bother you that Tyler is with Leah?”

  “No, what they do is their business; it doesn’t affect me. Leah is just well . . . Leah and Tyler is a guy, so . . . yeah, that about sums it up. So I don’t care who they’re with.”

  That was good to hear.

  He brought us all upstairs to a VIP area, which was mu
ch quieter, and we could actually hold a conversation. It was very nice: plush jewel-toned couches and chairs with a table in the middle and an arrangement of white orchids in the center. Julie sat down next to Brett, and we sat opposite them on a different couch. That’s it. There it was again, that scent. It was definitely orchids.

  “So The White Orchid. What made you pick that name? Don’t get me wrong. The flower is beautiful, and they smell lovely, but it doesn’t seem like a typical name for a club.”

  Alex’s eyes fell a little. “They were my mom’s favorite flower. She passed away when I was twelve, but I remember that she always loved her orchids. It’s just a way for me to keep her close to me.”

  I felt tears prick my eyes. Holy shit, why did I bring that up? “I’m really sorry, Alex.” I felt awful.

  He rubbed circles on the back of my hand that he was holding. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”

  I forced a smile and nodded. I still felt like crap.

  “I’m glad you came to the dating event tonight, and I’m glad that I met you. I would like to get to know you better if that’s okay with you. You’re so different from the women who usually come here. You’re like a breath of fresh air.”

  My mind was trying to comprehend that he was talking about me. He wanted to get to know me?

  “Let me take you out sometime.” That was more of a statement of fact than a question.

  I literally shook; my knee bounced a mile a minute. “That would be great, Alex.” My heart told me there was something special about him. I also knew I wasn’t naive and that I was not the type who would tolerate dating a man who was tempted to be with multiple women, not to mention worrying about how many women were trying to attach themselves to him. But I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. He asked me out on a date, not to marry him. Then I thought about my original purpose . . . research. I can do this. I just won’t get attached. I wondered if he was a romantic. He obviously didn’t have to woo a woman to get her attention.

  “Great. How about tomorrow? It’s Sunday and the club is closed. We can grab lunch and then go to the park.”

  “Okay, that sounds great, Alex. I should probably get going, though; it’s getting late, and I have to call a cab.”

  “I have a driver here; I’ll have him take you home.”

  “That’s okay. I wouldn’t want to impose.”

  “It isn’t an imposition. A car is always here for people who have a little too much to drink. I don’t want anyone driving while impaired.”

  He really was a good man. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as Julie said he was. “Thank you. I appreciate the ride.”

  I glanced over at Julie, who was now in a lip lock with Brett. I rolled my eyes. That didn’t take long. I didn’t want to interrupt them, but still needed to get her attention. I looked back at Alex, and he just laughed as we stood up. Alex cleared his throat rather loudly. Brett looked up at us first while Julie blushed and dropped her head. She finally looked up while wiping her bottom lip with her thumb.

  “Julie, I’m going to head home.” She started to get up. I put my hand out in a stop gesture. “You stay and have fun. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Brett stood, shook my hand, and said it was nice to meet me. I took note that when Brett shook my hand I didn’t feel anything, not like when Alex touched me. I waved bye, and Alex told them that he would be back after he walked me out.

  He interlaced our fingers again, and we made our way to the front door. I watched people look at him as he walked me through the club. Alex walked with confidence. He nodded at the patrons and received different looks from men and women. He was so self-assured, and his movements were effortless. I wish I had his confidence.

  We continued through a door that led to a private hallway, which was apparently for employees, so I didn’t have to witness any more women appreciating Alex’s looks. Needless to say the way people looked at him and the way they looked at me with him were extremely different; they looked at him with wonder, but looked at me and just wondered. However, we did run into Tyler, who had Leah pinned up against a wall. Her right leg was bent and practically around his waist, which made her Band-Aid of a dress hike up, leaving little to the imagination. Tyler didn’t notice us, but Leah did. She looked at Alex and winked. What a slut! It was women like her who gave women like me a bad name or no name at all. Alex didn’t pay any attention as we made it to the door. My heart raced. This feeling was so foreign to me. Tonight definitely didn’t go as planned, but you can’t plan for everything.

  We stopped right at the door and turned to face each other. Lost in my own thoughts, I wondered what it would be like to kiss him good-bye. I felt myself stare at him, but couldn’t stop. His lips looked so soft, yet strong. What did he taste like? Would his kiss be forceful or gentle? He licked his lips. His tongue . . . What would that be like? I pictured our mouths connected and was mesmerized at the thought of his lips devouring mine. “Aubrey? Are you okay?”

  “What? I mean, yes, I’m fine.” Paging rock that I can crawl under please! How long did my stare fest with his lips go on for? I needed to gain back some control. “It was really nice meeting you tonight, Alex, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

  Alex pulled me into a gentle embrace. His hands rested on the middle of my back, and my arms slid under his, which made my hands rest on his shoulder blades. My cheek rested on his chest. He smelled so good. I would never forget his scent, and I knew I would never forget about him. He put his hands on either side of my face and tilted it up to look at him. Oh my God, was he going to kiss me?

  “It was nice meeting you too.” He gently kissed my right cheek. My eyes fluttered closed, and I willed my brain never to forget this moment—how he felt and how he made me feel. It was just a kiss on the cheek, but I felt it in my core. He definitely made an impression—a very good one.

  He pulled out his cell phone and asked for my number. I gave it to him, and he called it immediately, so I had his number and he had mine. We walked out of the club hand in hand, and he led me to the car he had on call. He opened the back door for me, leaned in, and gave me a wink. Good God! I could have melted right there. He told the driver to take me anywhere I needed to go. He closed the door and the car drove away. What an incredible night! I had to buy Julie a thank-you gift for making me go to this ridiculous event tonight. I needed to get home and write in my journal.

  Ready for bed, I grabbed my journal, which I entitled Romance Research out of my side table and began writing. I read my objective over again to keep my thoughts in line with my mission.

  Romance, what is it? It is flowers, dinners, hanging out? Is it a look, a touch, or a memory? I need to find a man who will not only perform romantic gestures but is a true romantic. He needs to have a good heart. I don’t want to hurt him, nor do I want to be hurt, but I will not fall for this man. I may tell him that I have strong feelings to see what comes next, but I cannot let myself fall for him. I know from experience that I’ll get crushed in the end.

  Things to consider: Does a man act differently when he gets the woman? Does he put romance aside once the chase is over or does it continue? Will he try this method on just me, or will there be several others to determine if this is an effective method of play. This may take a while, but it will be worth it in the end, I hope.

  Entry 1—Alex the Player

  Today, Julie brought me to a Speed Dating event, which was horrible. All the men were older and gave pre-rehearsed answers to try to score a real date. I have to say, though, I gave bogus answers too, and I didn’t like any of the men. None of them were swoon worthy until the event ended, when I met a guy, and not just any guy, a wonderful guy, a guy worthy of being a romance hero. Even though he had women falling over themselves to look at him, he picked me. I don’t know why he picked me, but I was glad he did. His name is Alex, and he is beyond beautiful and seems to have the whole package. He’s charming and incredibly handsome, has drop-dead gorgeous eyes, and he smells amazing. He asked me to go out with him to
morrow.

  Julie says that he’s a known player. Maybe she’s wrong—maybe not. Could I use someone like that for my book? Why not?

  What I could do without is Leah. I know that a good-looking man is hard to resist, but when he is with someone else? Bitch. And he wasn’t that put off by it. Player. I think Britney Spears sang “Womanizer” in his honor.

  I will be continuing my research. Let’s see what romantic things he’ll do. I guess time will tell. One thing is for sure: I need to guard my heart.

  Until tomorrow . . .

  I’d forgotten that my phone was in my purse, and I wanted to make sure it was charged for the next day. I didn’t want to miss Alex’s call, so I grabbed my phone and plugged it in, noticing that I had two text messages.

  Julie: 11:20 p.m.—Hey, I’m still at the club. Brett is awesome! I want the scoop on Alex. He came back to our table with a huge smile on his face and turned down all the women who came up to him. Brett said that’s not normal for Alex to do! Can’t wait to chat! Love you!!!

  I re-read her text about three times. All the women who came up to him? How many were there? I guess it says something that he turned them down, but could this really happen all the time? And would I always be wondering what he was doing? I wasn’t going to go to the club every night to check up on him. I shook my head, realizing I was totally getting a head of myself. Oh my God, I just met this man! I’ll wait to talk to Julie about it tomorrow.

  Alex: 11:50 p.m.—I enjoyed tonight and am looking forward to tomorrow. I’ll pick you up at one o’clock. Will that work for you?

  Me: 12:10 a.m.—Hi, Alex. Thank you for a nice evening, I enjoyed it as well Tomorrow at one sounds perfect. I need to give you my address.

  Alex: 12:11 a.m.—I got your address from my driver.

  Me: 12:12 a.m.—You’re very resourceful.

  Alex: 12:12 a.m.—You have no idea.