Dirty Little Promise (Forbidden Desires #2)

GavinProperty of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

The minute Emma was granted a clean bill of health, Cooper packed up his things and left. It was an unceremonious departure—he didn’t even bother to stop by my door before he’d gone. But when the door shut behind him, there was no doubting things were different around the office.

Quinn never said a word about the change, never chastised me for my actions or accused me of pushing Cooper out, but I still felt a twinge of guilt every time I thought of my younger brother. For Emma, sacrifices had had to be made. It was just unfortunate that Cooper was one of them.

Now, though, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was for the best. There was a new weight on my shoulders, one I had no idea how to lift. It made me wonder if it might be beneficial for everyone I loved to stay as far away from them as possible. But he wasn’t gone for good, he’d made that clear—he was just scouting out some possible locations. A decision on where he’d end up would come later.

I pushed the thought away, determined to deal with that another day. Tonight wasn’t about Cooper or my problems. Now that Emma was well again, I wanted to take her out to celebrate.

I’d already pulled out all my favorite stops with her before. The vineyard, the helicopter, whisking her away to a beach getaway—well, sort of. That trip was actually for work. Everything I’d planned for her so far had been an invitation into my world, so this date had to be about hers.

What the fuck do bookworms like to do besides read? I racked my brain for options.

Take her to a nice bookstore? She works in a damn library.

Track down her favorite author and arrange a meeting? No, I want this to be about her and me, not some third wheel.

Fly her to the museum of typewriters? Right, because nothing says “let’s fuck” like a bunch of dusty, outdated writing machines.

Jesus, Gavin, use your fucking head.

For a second, I considered calling Emma. I could ask about her wildest dream, then make it come true in a heartbeat. She would love it, would practically turn to putty in my hands.

And she would see it coming from a mile away.

No, this had to be special, completely from me.

In the past, I would have asked Sonja what I should do, but since that option was now gone, I buzzed Alyssa and waited until she opened my office door.

“You rang?” she asked, her eyebrows raised in annoyance.

“I did. Come in.”

She stepped inside and clicked the door shut behind her. Taking a seat opposite me, she crossed her legs and tilted her head to the side. “What is it?”

“I need your help.”

“I gathered as much,” she said, and if I didn’t know her better, I’d think her tone was almost testy.

“I wanted to take Emma on a nice date, but I can’t figure out where.”

“Your name can get you into any restaurant in the city. Are you seriously interrupting my workday for this?”

I gave her a warning glare. “It needs to be more special than that.”

“Why? Going to propose?”

I paused, my heart skipping at the idea. “No. It just needs to be a special night. Something that only Emma would appreciate.”

“So, something that showcases your sense of humor?” Alyssa asked.

“Why do I ask you anything?” I shot back with an eye roll.

“Because without me, your life would fall apart. Look, I don’t know. She’s a bookworm, right? Can’t you take her to see the old Shakespeare manuscripts in the library? Or isn’t there some really pretentious bookstore you could go to?”

I sat up straighter in my chair. “Alyssa, you’re a genius.”

“This is why you pay me a very handsome salary,” she said. “Now, what else do you need?”

“That’s all.”

Rolling her eyes, she got up from the chair and left my office, but I barely paid any attention to her. I had an idea, and that was all I needed.

Grateful for her help, I made a mental note to buy Alyssa a box of excellent chocolates. But before I could dig into some research for tonight, she peeked back inside my office.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I have a Mr. Huntington waiting to speak to you on line two.”

Fuck.

Squeezing my hand into a fist, I took a slow, deep breath before relaxing again. I picked up the phone, wedging it between my ear and shoulder so I could quickly jot down as much as I could remember.

“Fine, put him on,” I growled.

I had little patience for whatever idiotic complaint this client had to offer, but with Cooper gone, I didn’t have much of a choice. He had always been the schmoozer, quick to agree with clients and find an immediate solution. He liked people and understood how important it was to keep them happy.

Me, on the other hand? It took every ounce of my self-control to keep from telling half these whiny morons to shove it and be grateful for the quality of arm candy our company was able to provide.

Yeah, we really needed to find someone else to handle customer relations.

“Gavin, I’m not transferring the call until you promise not to offend him,” Alyssa said, her tone sharp and resolute.

“I will be the epitome of an ass-kisser,” I said in the flattest tone possible.

I could practically hear Alyssa rolling her eyes through the phone. “Gavin.”

“Yes, fine. I’ll play nice.”

Alyssa didn’t respond, just silently transferred the call. I shifted in my seat, leaning back in my chair to get more comfortable.

“This is Gavin Kingsley. How can I help you today, Mr. Huntington?”

“Gavin? I need to speak with your brother. He promised to make special accommodations for me before my next event, and I have yet to receive confirmation that they will indeed be fulfilled.”

I rolled my eyes. “If you need to speak with Quinn, I can have my assistant transfer you momentarily.”

“No, no, your other brother. Cooper. I was promised a platinum blonde in a holographic dress, and I’ll be damned if you send me a brunette.”

Pinching the bridge of my nose with my free hand, I clenched my jaw to keep from sighing loudly. Cooper, what the fuck?

“Absolutely, Mr. Huntington. I’ll be sure all your needs are met.” After a few more moments of playing along, I transferred the call back to Alyssa, explaining what needed to be done.

I slammed down the phone, then leaned back in my chair and ran my hands over my face. Fucking Cooper. Always willing to go the extra mile.

I needed a break. Better yet, I needed to get laid. And since Emma had been practically begging for it when I last saw her, I was willing to bet that she did too.

My cock twitched at the thought, all the more reason to make tonight special.

• • •

When the workday was over, I headed to the library to pick up Emma. When I arrived, she was already trudging from the building, looking tired and weary after her second day back at work.

I crossed the street toward her and swept her into my arms, kissing her neck and making her laugh.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I missed you. Did you have a rough day?”

She sighed. “That would be an understatement. I love Bethany for trying, but the library I came back to wasn’t the same one I left a week ago. Anyway, I’ve sorted out the chaos. What are you doing here? Still trying to make sure nobody hits me with their car?”

“No.” I shook my head. “Well, yes, but that’s not my primary concern. I came to surprise you. Come on.”

I slipped my hand in hers and led her to my car. Today, I’d opted not to have Ben with us. I wanted it to be a private night. Intimate. Just her and me.

When I opened the passenger side door, she glanced down and furrowed her brow at the large white dress box in her seat.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“A present. Open it.”

She did as I asked and offered me a weak smile as her fingers trailed the blue chiffon cocktail dress.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“I love it. It’s perfect and beautiful.”

“But?”

She pursed her lips. “It’s nothing. Thank you.”

I fell silent for a moment, wondering if she was thinking about how Cooper used to send her gowns to wear before their dates, like I suddenly was. Even in another state, he cast a shadow over our relationship.

“I’ll go back in and change. I’ll be right back out.”

She took the dress in hand and I trailed her across the street, waiting on the library steps as she went back inside.

When Emma reappeared, every thought of Cooper was swept away. She was too gorgeous to focus on anything other than the way the cocktail dress hugged her perfect curves and brought out the color of her eyes.

“You look stunning,” I said.

“This is a great surprise.” She grinned. “Thank you.”

Together, we made our way back to the car, and I revved the Mercedes’ engine before turning onto the street back into the city.

As I drove, she smiled, studying me. “You know, this whole time I thought you couldn’t drive.”

“What?” I laughed.

“You always have Ben drive us. I thought you didn’t know how.”

I shook my head. “I like to keep Ben on the payroll, that’s all. I’m in a position to put people in jobs, so that’s what I want to do.”

Her smile softened. “That’s sweet. Now tell me, where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Emma badgered me with questions about our surprise date the whole ride over, her constant pleading and arm waving making her breasts sway in a way I couldn’t argue with. She looked gorgeous, as always, but something about how the low-cut scoop neck-dress she had on hugged her curves in all the right places had my mind spinning with thoughts of what I would do to her later.

When we arrived at the venue, Emma’s eyes grew large.

“The Italics Lounge,” she murmured, arching one of her eyebrows at me. “Aren’t they hosting an erotic poetry reading tonight?” She blushed at the word erotic, dipping her chin so her long, dark hair fell across half of her face.

I reached out to brush her hair out of her eyes before lifting her chin with two fingers. “I wanted to please you tonight,” I murmured.