Chapter 14

Gina

I ran back from the loo, my heart pounding in my chest. I wasn’t expecting to see them together and that threw me off a little. Now Crystal was aware that I knew she was cheating on her husband. Curses ran through my head, and I felt stupid. Harry wasn’t going to change just because he had sex with me. He was still the same man.
When the waiter approached, I grabbed two glasses of champagne, and I drank one quickly. I needed to remind myself that this was none of my business. Harry could sleep with whoever he wanted. The guy didn’t owe me anything.
Moments later I saw him leaving the corridor that led to the ladies’ restroom. He seemed angry, but that was none of my concern. I didn’t intentionally walk in on them. My heart was still pounding loudly, and a lustful heat surged down my arms. My body was betraying me, letting me know that I still needed and wanted him. I felt really stupid; I’d thought there was a chance maybe he would be pursuing me further.
Harry left through the main door and I walked around trying to talk to people. A few small business owners were interested in what Digital Box had to offer. I showed them some examples of my campaigns. It was a great distraction from the earlier incident. After two hours I had a few leads to follow up on, and a contact that could put me in touch with Adler McDougall. Things were looking up for me, until I returned to my stand. Crystal was already there, waiting.
“We need to talk,” she said, looking pissed off. She should have picked a more intimate room, then maybe she wouldn’t have to worry about someone walking in on them.
She asked me to follow her, and I stupidly agreed. We went outside where she took out a cigarette and lit it. The silence stretched for a few long moments. I didn’t know what to do with myself, so I asked her to give me a cigarette, too.
“You saw me and Mr. Erskine,” she stated, dragging smoke into her mouth. “I just need to make sure I can trust you. You aren’t going to blab about it to anyone, right?”
Her makeup was smudged, and she seemed tense. I didn’t light my cigarette. I just stood there, rolling it between my fingers.
“This is none of my business, Mrs. Davies. I’m sorry I walked in on you like that, but—”
“Save it. I don’t need to hear your apology. Just keep your mouth shut and we will get on,” she cut me off. I hated that Crystal and her husband thought they were better than everyone else. I wasn’t planning to take sides, but I didn’t care for her affair. “My husband mustn’t know about this. He’s a very busy man. Do you understand me?”
I wanted to roll my eyes, thinking that I didn’t have to take this. I hated her husband, but I was never planning to interfere in her dirty business.
“You don’t have to worry. I’m not planning to say anything,” I assured her once again. I had been working at the company for five years now, and she had never paid attention to me before.
“I would think so, Miss Martinez. You want to stay employed? Am I right?” she asked with her hands on her hips. She had sharp blue eyes and a great figure. Her intimidating body language didn’t scare me. She had no idea that Harry had slept with me, too. I wasn’t the sort of person who would brag, but I knew she wouldn’t like it.
Davies pushed me to the edge at times. My marketing degree allowed me to develop a lot of skills. My business was my back-up plan, but it was still only a dream. This job paid the bills, and for now, it was my security.
“Of course. I have a sister and two younger brothers I’m looking after. You can trust me,” I said. It was easier staying out of it. Crystal was counting on her husband’s reputation. A divorce would cost money. She was the one cheating, and I’d bet that Davies wouldn’t hesitate to leave her broke.
“Your situation at home is your business. Just keep your mouth shut. Mr. Erskine is a very important client,” she added with that high-pitched tone of voice. She didn’t give a fuck about my circumstances; she just wanted to make sure I was on her side. From now on I was planning to stay away from her. Erskine was still a client, so I had no choice but to keep working with him.
An hour later I was getting to the car, feeling exhausted. That’s why, in the past, I avoided relationship drama. Sasha was happily married, and I wasn’t even planning to get settled for a while. Maybe I was meant to be alone. No one ever said that I was supposed to fall in love.
The drive home was short and, by the time I was locking my car outside my house, it was just after ten p.m. Josh and Patrick were playing Call of Duty in the living room. Nina was stuck in her room as usual.
“Hey, how was the party?” Josh asked, pressing the console frantically.
I waved my hand and flopped on the sofa. “Don’t even ask. My feet are killing me.”
“So, are you going out with Mr. H again?” Patrick asked, focusing on the screen. My stomach made a funny jolt. I didn’t want to say anything, but now I thought I should. “He’s fighting next week. Josh has the tickets.”
“No, we haven’t made any plans. I doubt that I will have an evening off. You guys should go without me,” I said, and then my phone started vibrating. I looked at the screen and cringed. It was Harry. I didn’t understand why he wanted to talk to me. He didn’t owe me any explanations.
I got up and went to my bedroom, contemplating if I should answer. My heart was beating loudly in my chest. He had called Sasha, then showed up at my class. He seemed determined, and I told myself that I could at least listen to what he had to say.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Gina,” the voice said, sending chills down my body. The cascading warmth smoothed my skin. I needed to ignore how I felt and just be straight with him.
“Why are you calling me? We have nothing to talk about, and it’s late. I’m just about to go to bed,” I said, more firmly than I intended.
“Bed? Do you realise that you just made me hard?”
I licked my bottom lip and ran my hand over my leg. He wasn’t supposed to be teasing me; that wasn’t fair. Especially not after what I witnessed earlier on.
“We had fun and I enjoyed myself, but nothing has changed. We both agreed not to bring this up. Why are you calling me?” I asked, thinking about my conversation with Crystal. I had no doubt she could influence her husband to get rid of me.
Harry growled and he sounded very sexy, but I had to make sure that we were on the same page. He was a grown man and he could sleep with whomever he wanted. As far as I was concerned, his social media campaign was on the way and he was going to make a lot of money.
“To apologise. I’m sorry about tonight. Crystal cornered me in the bathroom and—”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. We are not together. We had fun the other day and that was it,” I said, cutting him off. I wasn’t planning to fall madly in love with him. This wasn’t how I rolled. After my parents died, I had promised myself that I would never put my siblings second. They were my family and I was still responsible for them.
“Gina, please stop talking and listen. I should have said something sooner,” he told me firmly with a low tone of voice that instantly sent warmth down my thighs. “I can help you out with getting in touch with some people.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, confused.
“Your pole dancing business. I’m good friends with a few key people in the sports and entertainment industry,” he said unexpectedly. My chest began rising and falling in rapid movements. He wasn’t being serious.
“What about it?” I asked.
“I’m setting up a meeting for you with someone important. Just be prepared.”
“And I am supposed to just accept your help?” I asked, unsure if he was still trying to get me to sleep with him. He must have realised that I worked hard to get this damn business moving, so far without any luck.
“You should, without a doubt. You’re focused and committed. You’re wasting yourself working for Davies.” He paused, then added, “I’m done with fucking Crystal.”
“Does she know that?” I asked, and automatically regretted it. That made me sound like I truly cared about him.
“She does now.”
“I won’t be sleeping with you again just because you pulled some strings for me,” I said.
“I’m not expecting any payment, Gina, but we both know that we won’t be able to stay away from each other,” he said, and I rolled my eyes. He was contradicting himself. He didn’t expect anything, but he wouldn’t mind trying to seduce me.
“I thought you wanted to spend only one day with me. We had fun but—”
“Forget about what I said. I’m well connected, and I want to help you out.” He started telling me about his plan. I had to sneak out of the office on Tuesday afternoon somehow. Apparently, he was able to arrange a meeting with Adler McDougall. I couldn’t believe it. I’d been trying to speak to the man for months, without any success, and Harry did it without any effort.
“All right, fine. I’ll show up at that meeting,” I said, feeling happier than ever. “I hope this isn’t just a way to get me into your bed again. We both agreed that it was a one-time deal.”
“Gina, I’m not playing any game here. You just need your foot in the door. I’m sorry you saw me and Crystal. It was a bad night. On Tuesday we will be together as friends. I’m not expecting anything in return.”
We went over the details and then he wished me a good night. I stared at the phone for several moments, going over the pros and cons in my head. Adler McDougall was the man who could change my life, but he was always unreachable. I didn’t get how Harry managed to arrange a meeting with him.
I started pulling my clothes off, telling myself that it was a business meeting. Harry Erskine was apparently doing this from the goodness of his heart, but he wasn’t going to change his lifestyle for me. Patrick and Nina still needed me. I didn’t want them to get attached to a man who could simply disappear one day. I couldn’t rely on him. I had been raising them myself all this time. My life was still on hold.
I switched off the light and went to sleep, wondering if I had made a mistake sleeping with him. Sex always complicated matters. I’d let my guard down. Now I had a man who wanted to be in my life and that scared the crap out of me.

Harry

I jumped into the car on Tuesday afternoon and drove to the Principality Stadium. Last night the nightmares kept me up for most of the night and I refused to swallow more sleeping pills. I didn’t want to become dependent on them. I had been dreaming about Louisa again. She stood in front of me covered in blood. Then she changed into Gina. That shit was driving me insane. I was exhausted and I was even considering going to see someone, a therapist maybe.
I had told Gina that I didn’t want to sleep with her, but it was a lie. I wanted to have her in my bed again. She was much stronger than Louisa and, as long as she didn’t get attached, maybe we could come to some sort of arrangement. But no matter what happened between us, I wanted to help her get out of that job where she wasn’t appreciated. I hated the way Crystal ordered her around at the Gala. Gina deserved a chance at achieving her dream.
Adler McDougall was a hard man to get a hold of, but I managed to convince his secretary to tell me where he was having lunch today. My ability to charm women had come in handy this time. Adler was always looking for new business ventures. Gina was ready; she had her business plan and the determination to succeed. Pole dancing studios were popping up around different parts of the country, and this discipline was trending right now.
My palms were sweating when I walked through the car park. I had lost control at the Gala. Donald provoked me and I snapped in front of Crystal. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Now she knew about Louisa, and I had no doubt she was already asking questions about me, trying to find some more dirty laundry she could use to control me.
Adler’s assistant had let him know that I would show up, but he probably thought it was a social call. All right, so it was a hell of a gamble, but I wanted to do this for Gina. She deserved it.
I hadn’t slept with anyone since she left my apartment. Yes, Crystal had cornered me in the Gala, and I’d gone along with her game. She knew what she was doing; my head was fucked, and she took advantage of that. Donald, that bastard had really gotten under my skin. When Gina saw me with her, I had only lost points in her eyes. I didn’t do married women, but Crystal was like a leech. She found a way to get her claws into me.
I parked the car on the street, got the ticket, and headed to the stadium feeling nervous probably for the first time in my life. Gina Martinez had put a spell on me. I thought about her constantly, wondered if I could try to be myself with her. I wanted her, more than I ever wanted anyone else in my entire life.