Fatal Attraction (Dark Desires 4)

“This isn’t funny, Chance.”

“Seems fucking hilarious from where I sit.”

She opened her mouth to say something, closed it and then leaned closer. “Talk to me.”

I looked at her again, and this time she wasn’t Alice, my loyal secretary and perpetual sidekick. The way she looked at me, it felt like her eyes were boring right into my soul, reading me without me having to say anything. It was a side of her I hardly saw, and it felt good to see it now. Like I actually had a friend, and not just someone who cared about where their next paycheck was coming from.

I sighed, sat up and licked my lips. “I could use a drink.”

“Not the wisest of choices, Chance,” Alice replied.

“A cigarette?”

“I threw them all out.”

“You what?” When she gave me a look that told me it would be better not to argue, I closed my eyes and laid my head back, and tried to gather my thoughts. “This fucking sucks.”

She didn’t reply at first, waiting for me to go on, and when it was clear I was just going to wallow in self-pity, she asked, “What happened in Ludwig?”

I winced at the mention of the town, but for the life of me couldn’t think of what to say.

“Chance?”

“I met someone,” I said quietly.

Alice eyed me for a minute before saying, “So? You meet people everywhere.”

I shook my head. “Not people, Alice. I mean, yeah, sure, I met people, but there was this one woman.” I hesitated. “Ashlyn Carter.”

Alice raised her eyebrows. “In two days? You picked someone up in two days? In a town the size of a football field?”

I chuckled at the look on her face. “Actually, she kind of picked me up,” I said. “She delivers flowers to the motel I was staying at. Beautiful as hell, funny, smart, ambitious.”

“Oh my God,” Alice smiled.

“What?”

“You fell for her.”

“I don’t fall for anyone,” I sighed.

“You son of a bitch, you do have feelings,” Alice chuckled, sitting back in her chair.

“Stop that,” I warned, pointing a finger at her.

She raised her hands in mock surrender. “Whatever you say, Casanova,” she smiled. “Did you sleep with her?”

“Alice!”

“Well, did you?”

I looked at her for a beat before nodding. She clapped her hands together and laughed. “You don’t waste time, do you?”

“It’s not like that,” I said, getting up and stretching, acting like I was looking out my office window, when I just didn’t want her to read into any expressions she

might see on my face.

“Then please explain it to me,” Alice said. “Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like some small-town girl was able to catch and tame the wild Chance Ridder.”