Unchain My Heart(23)

“Ryder, I'm glad you came. We have serious business to discuss. And I have a few propositions that I think are a good match for your . . . skills and talents. Come to the office at three tomorrow afternoon so we can talk, okay?”

“Sure, Max. That’s partly why we came. The bits you told me over the phone were intriguing. I definitely want to find out more.”

Five minutes later, Maxwell glanced at his watch. “Time to go. We are picking Rebecca up in fifteen minutes. Although it's only a few blocks away, the traffic can be a nightmare.”

“We’ve noticed.” I laughed, happy to not be driving.

I pushed to my feet, ready for a night out on the town. Ryder helped me into my jacket, giving me a sweet kiss and a hug before we followed Maxwell to the elevator.

As the driver pulled the limo into the stream of traffic amidst honking horns, Maxwell opened a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and made a toast to our visit. We made small talk all the way, but Maxwell was restless, peering at his watch every few minutes and tapping his fingers on the back of his cell phone impatiently.

When we got to the hotel, Maxwell jumped out and asked us to wait in the limo. Ryder sounded relieved to stay put and I leaned back, my head resting on Ryder’s shoulder, just enjoying being there with him and soaking it all up. He caressed my hand in small circular motions, the way he always did when he was slightly out of his comfort zone. Driving around in “coffins,” as he and the MC boys called limos, was not on Ryder’s Fun Things To Do list. I leaned over and held his face in my hands, and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

“Princess, you take my breath away. I’m glad you came.” He gave me a lopsided smile before he pulled me to his chest.

The limo door opened and Maxwell helped Rebecca into the back before following her in. We hugged and laughed and chatted away as Maxwell refilled our champagne glasses.

Ryder had nothing to worry about, because as soon as we picked my cousin up from her hotel, it was as if the rest of the world ceased to exist for Maxwell. He only had eyes for Rebecca—any fool could see he was head over heels in love with her. Yet he kept his manner professional and friendly toward her.

Rebecca was cool toward Maxwell, but the attraction between them was obvious; they kept looking at one another when they thought no one was watching. A few times I caught Maxwell wiping a strand of hair off her face, or just touching her arm as he talked. He leaned toward her, his shoulder brushing up against hers.

Where the hell is his wife? What happened to the famous model chick he was married to? If there was one thing I planned to do while we were in New York, it was to get to the bottom of this undeniable “thing” between Maxwell and Rebecca.

“Here we are,” Maxwell said as the driver pulled over to the curb.

We stepped out of the limo and straight into the entrance of the Empire State Building. My ears popped as an elevator whisked us up to the ninety-seventh floor to the new revolving restaurant that was Maxwell’s latest project, opened only three weeks ago. So excited to see the views from the large floor-to-ceiling windows, I didn’t at first notice that the place was virtually empty, except for the smiling staff.

“It's all ours tonight.” Maxwell said as I sucked in a breath at the cityscape below. “Now you can stroll around and see the views from every angle. In fact, each course will be served from another table until we have done a full circle.”

Ryder rolled his eyes. “Really, Max, this is crazy.”

Max patted Ryder on the shoulder. “No, not really. I just wanted everyone to relax tonight. Eat, dance . . . have fun.”

“Dance?” Rebecca and I said in unison. Oh yeah.

Ryder groaned, and went to sit at the bar. He ordered a beer, and took a few sips, his eyes trained on me. Cosmos were waiting on the counter for us girls.

“Like a tour, ladies?” Maxwell grinned proudly and held out his arms. Rebecca and I hooked in on either side of him, each with a cocktail in hand as we wandered around the vast space, admiring the views, while Max pointed out the various buildings.

By the time we got back to Ryder, he was onto his second beer and a frown had appeared between his brows.

“What’s wrong, baby?” I whispered in his ear. I glanced around; Rebecca and Maxwell were nowhere to be seen. Looked like it was just Ryder and I.

“Fuck it, Princess. I’d rather be back at the apartment stripping you of that dress than watching you wearing it all night,” he growled. He took my hand and placed it on his erection. “See what you do to me?”

I kissed his cheek and laughed. He was adorable when he was a little jealous, although I'd given him absolutely no reason to feel insecure.