David caressed my shoulder. “We need to stop this, Laynie.”
I blinked. “What do you mean? Why?”
“Look, I like you. I really like you. But…” He appeared to be struggling with himself. He dropped his arm from my shoulder. “If you’re serious about getting the management position, do you really think we should be messing around? How would that look? I’m sure that Pierce wouldn’t approve.”
I hadn’t thought about it quite like that. In my fantasies, David Lindt and Alayna Withers-Lindt ran The Sky Launch as a couple, driving the club to new and unbelievable success. The fantasy had never included a part where the rest of the staff and the club owner accused me of sleeping my way to the top.
“We could keep it secret,” I said softly, not willing to let go of a vital part of my dream. Not willing to lose my safety net.
“It doesn’t have to be forever. But for now, especially when I’m not sure what Pierce’s plans are for me or for the club. I think we need to take a break.”
“Sure.” I forced a smile. I didn’t want him to realize the extent of my disappointment. We hadn’t even been dating. We’d barely been fooling around. Why did I feel so crushed?
I thought about what had drawn me to David in the first place. He wasn’t the smartest guy I knew and not the hottest. I didn’t even really know him all that well. And it wasn’t as if I didn’t have other options. I was an attractive girl working at an elite nightclub—I’d had plenty of opportunities for sex in the city. Yummy opportunities. Not anyone as yummy as Hudson Pierce, but yummy nonetheless.
I shook my head as I hopped off David’s desk. Why did my thoughts keep leading back to Hudson? Even in the middle of a sorta-not-at-all break-up, I was thinking of him. And Hudson was exactly the kind of guy I shouldn’t be thinking about. At all. Ever. Not if I wanted to maintain the modicum of control I’d managed to acquire in the past few years.
“Are you okay, Laynie?” David’s voice brought me back to the present awkwardness.
Damn it. I’d been so sure of a relationship with David that I’d pictured us sending Christmas cards together. Okay, maybe I’d fixated on him more than I wanted to admit, but not so intently that I was going to wig out about ending it. The biggest bitch of the whole situation was that now I didn’t have a safe guy to hide behind. Now I was vulnerable to notice other not-so-safe men. Men like Hudson.
Oh, god, was this the beginning of an obsessive episode?
No, I’d be fine. I had to focus on my promotion. I was stronger than this.
“Yeah. I’m fine. If you’re almost done, I’m going to get changed.”
David nodded. I hurried to the staff break room across the hall. Stripping out of my corset and tight pants, I changed into sweat shorts and a sports bra, stuffing the troublesome outfit into my duffel bag. Since there wasn’t a straight subway line from Columbus Circle to my apartment at Lexington and Fiftieth, I usually ran it. Sometimes after a long shift I’d take the bus or cab, but with all the stressors of the night, I needed the cardio to direct my focus.
Fifteen minutes later, I hit the pavement, taking in the fresh morning air with the rest of NYC’s early morning joggers. I loved the feeling of unity it gave me, even though most of the other runners were starting their day, not ending it as I was.
Quickly, I got into my groove, running along the south border of Central Park, but the steady rhythm of my body wasn’t enough to drown the thoughts of David and my future at The Sky Launch. Wasn’t enough to drown my thoughts of the gorgeous new owner who had demanded I meet with him later that night. Worry set in again. Was Hudson planning to fire me? Or did I still have a shot at promotion?
One thing was certain—I’d be a lot more thoughtful about my choice of wardrobe in the future.
Chapter Three
I took a cab to the club that evening, which had been a mistake. Unusual traffic had me arriving at three after nine. I hurried toward the office but was stopped at the upstairs bar by Liesl.
“David and hot owner boy are already in there,” she said over the club music, playing with a strand of purple hair. “Hudson told me to have you wait here. He’ll let you know when he wants you.”
“Dammit! I’m not that late, am I?”
“No, they went in there about ten minutes ago. They have no idea what time you got here.”
I relaxed, thankful that my exclusion from the meeting wasn’t because I’d been tardy. I hopped onto a bar stool nearest the office and set my computer bag on the floor at my feet.
“Hold on, Laynie,” Liesl said coming around the bar. “Let me see you.”