Attraction - a fraudulent marriage

1. lucky night

I dialed the code on the keypad and listened for the jolly tones that announced we were good to go. The door opened with a whine, revealing a murky alley that held too much heat and an assortment of suspicious smells. "You think our designated driver is still in there somewhere?" I nodded back at the club.

"Sent him a message that we're coming. He should be waiting."

"Gosh, that's lush."

Chris paused and stared at me. "Huh?"

"Nothin'."

He didn't look convinced. "There's the car." He pointed at across the street, rising to his tip toes as if that would make the car more visible. People were still filing out the main entrance and the sidewalk was a mess. The smell of vomit wafted from a few scattered bushes along the building, and I sped toward the black monster of a car as fast as I could, holding on tight to my precious mixer.

Chris opened a door to the back seat and waved at me to get inside. Needing no further encouragement, I scooted across to make room. I sniffed the air, eager to forget the stench from outside. Leather was one of my favorite scents—that, and a soap laved chest. I imagined standing in a shower and washing the suds off of hot stuff's perfectly defined muscles. I was sure he had some beneath that tailored suit that made him look like secret service if not a security guard. I would lather him up and rinse until that dark skin glistened. Ah, fantasies are everything.

Content, I breathed out a soft sigh and leaned my head against the cool window as the car left the curb.

"I'm so freaking tired but pumped at the same time." Chris wiped his brow only to dry his shirt sleeve on his pants. "Next time, I'm not going with those guys. They're not even fun to hang out with."

"Then why did you?"

"Because they were going, and they mentioned that you were playing."

"Aww, you came for me?" I patted his cheek.

He slapped away my hand just as I knew he would. "You and your touching."

"You love it."

He chuckled and turned a little pink around the ears. "Yeah, as long as you're not calling me sweet cheeks, we're fine."

"But it fits you."

"Does not." He pushed me away when I leaned in with pouted lips. Chris was hilarious to tease, and he never seemed to expect it or have any defensive strategy in place. He straightened his back in what seemed to be an attempt to rise above it all. "Anyway, how was your night?"

I gazed out the window and imagined that one of those guys on the street was hot stuff making his way home. Of course, a guy like that wouldn't walk. With a little more time to flirt, I would have joined him in a car and swept him off his feet.

"Joachim?"

I grinned. "You ruined my night."

He tipped his head back and stared at the interior. "How? I thought you were fine riding with us?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Just kidding. Saw a hot dude just as we were leaving."

"How did he look?"

"Man, he was tall, dark and handsome. Or change that to sexy."

"You're such a slut."

I punched his shoulder while he grinned, showing off a perfect row of white teeth. He was allowed to tease back, occasionally, but he'd better be prepared for the consequences. And who had perfect teeth anyway?

We struggled for a while until the car stopped at an intersection. I sat back and crossed my arms. "Well, you rescued my virtue tonight."

"Your virtue is beyond saving."

I punched him again, but paused when the dark privacy screen slowly descended. Transfixed by the penetrating stare in the rear-view mirror, I lost whatever it was I had been thinking.

It couldn't be.

"Tell me why I'm not dropping you off right here?" the chauffeur said.

Instead of coming up with a fabulous answer, I shivered at the sound of his rich voice. Lush.

I allowed my back to fall against the seat while I took a calming, deep breath. This would have been a great time for Chris to save my skinny ass.

Chris cleared his throat and leaned forward, one elbow on the shot gun seat. "Because Joachim is making you a playlist."

The chocolate brown eyes flashed in the mirror. "Right." The word punctuated our non-existent conversation, but what really killed it was the slow sliding of the privacy screen. Up and up it went until it met the ceiling with a faint click.

My heart was beating a mile a minute. I was in total shock. Hot stuff. The chauffeur. Same fucking guy.

"Dude, you seen a ghost or something?" Chris asked.

"What was his name again?"

"Tom?"

"Yeah...that." I tasted the name on my tongue. It was a solid one, not quite showing the full range of the man in the front seat.

"You got a problem?" Chris looked confused, one side of his mouth pinched between his teeth.

"No. No problem at all." My frown transformed into a grin. Oh, he would get a playlist, all right. He would get the best, sexiest playlist I had ever compiled.

A/N WELCOME LOVES!!! This is the rewrite of Attraction, the third novel in the Treacherous Chemistry series.  If you haven't read Volatile and Toxic, you might get swamped with unfamiliar characters in some chapters, but don't worry--this is totally fine to read on its own. But, note that this is essentially a third in a series. (or fourth if you count Oblivious). 

Hope you liked it <3 and please don't hesitate to tell me what you think. Votes and comments are precious.

xox