Free SOLO by Deborah Bladon Page B

one." He shrugs his shoulders. "I mean if you need a name."
    "No, of course not," I try to say with as much sarcasm as I can possibly muster. I stand and pull my suit jacket back on. It's not unheard of for business associates to stop by unannounced. Women are an entirely different story. I rarely have a woman seek me out here. They know I draw a clear boundary around my work. Sex and business don't mesh in my world.
    "I'll tell her to come in." He whips his head back around the doorjamb before he disappears out of sight.
    I glance down at my phone when I see a text message coming in. It's Hunter, asking if I want to meet for a beer tonight. I tap out a short message telling him no. Tonight it's all about getting back in the saddle, which in my case is between the legs of a gorgeous woman.
    "Alec. I mean, Mr. Hughes." Her voice stalls. "No, it's Alec. I'm sorry to bother you here but I was hoping we could talk."
    That voice. It's breathy. It's soft. It's Libby. Libby Duncan is standing in the doorway of my office.
     
    ***
     
    "I came here from rehearsal." She points at her outfit. "I should have gone home to change but I wanted to get this over with."
    I want to get her over the arm of the leather couch we're now sitting on. She's wearing a white sweater, a small navy skirt and white kitten heels. I need to stop by rehearsal more often.
    "We kissed when I was drunk." Her beautiful mouth thins. "I'm sorry. I mean I kissed you."
    I lean back, resting my arm across the back of the couch. "I enjoyed it, Libby."
    "Me too," she mutters beneath her breath. "I'm usually not like that."
    Liar. I could tell from the way she was kissing me that Libby Duncan isn't a saint. "What are you usually like?"
    Her eyes flit across my face before they land on the bank of windows that overlooks Wall Street. "I don't know. Not like that."
    "I've heard it said that a person loses all their inhibitions when they're drinking." I tap my hand on my leg. "You wanted me that night."
    Her breath stalls. She has to admit it. She can't possibly tell me that she wasn't as wet as she was. I felt it. I almost ripped those fucking panties off her body before I left. I should have. I'd still be carrying them around with me.
    "I did want you." Her hand balls into a fist. "I don't want to though."
    Now we're making progress. "Why don't you want to?"
    "I moved here because I've always wanted to star on Broadway." She tilts her chin towards the windows. "It's really important to me. The musical, I mean. It's so important."
    "I know it is."
    "You own the play." Her gaze drops to her hands. "If we start this thing between us there's going to be a stigma attached to me."
    She's right. I can't argue the point. People are going to know that Libby is the girl I'm fucking for this season. There are already mouths flapping at rehearsals when I show up. "I know your career is important to you." I mean it. I do know it. If it wasn't, she would have fucked me by now.
    Her fingers rub the edge of her nose. "I've thought about things a lot."
    Shit. Fuck it. This is when she tells me that her body is off limits because of Selfish Fate.
    "If I wasn't in the musical, you wouldn't have wanted me." The words are direct and emotionless.
    My eyes dart to hers. She's not looking for a response but there's no way in hell I'm going to allow her to carry that around with her. "That's not true."
    "You saw me in the elevator that day and you knew I was in the play."
    I did. I knew it before I got in the elevator. I saw her on the street and that's when I wanted her.
    Her chest moves as she draws in a heavy breath. "Our attraction…" she stops with a small shake of her head. "Your attraction to me is based on the fact that I'm in the musical. I mean that's a big part of it, right?"
    "No," I say firmly. "Libby, that's not it at all."
    "You picked me because you knew you could offer me something." She pulls on the hem of her skirt. "I mean you thought you could offer me something in exchange