Simply Irresistible Read online

  She exhaled and regarded him, her expression so prim and disapproving that he might have been the one arguing in favor of kinky sex play.

  “‘We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are,’” she said and Ty blinked.

  He didn’t recognize it, and that made him feel as if he wasn’t keeping up his end of their discussion. “Is that a quote?”

  “Anaïs Nin.” She shook a finger at him. “You’re looking through the lens of your own assumptions, which affects your perceptions and your conclusions.”

  Ty was struck to silence. She was quoting an erotica author to him.

  And he had no comeback.

  This was easily the most interesting conversation he’d had in years.

  The Librarian took another breath and her gaze was steely. “It’s not a fantasy, and it’s not about the sex,” she said flatly. “It’s about the connection and the healing. It’s about trust.”

  Ty arched a brow. He couldn’t help it.

  Her disgust with him was clear by how quickly she stood up. “Enjoy your lunch.” Before he could continue the argument, she pivoted and marched away.

  Chin up

  Cheeks still crimson.

  And she never looked back.

  Ty watched her the whole way to the elevators, just to be sure.

  She did have fabulous legs.

  Although Ty would welcome the chance to burn those loafers.

  He opened his own book, but couldn’t follow the thread of the story. His sandwich was even less compelling. He recalled the high heel on the cover of her book. Those heels had to be six inches high. He had to think they’d do awesome things for her already fantastic legs.

  It was her eyes that haunted him, though, as well as the way she’d surprised him. It had been a while since a woman had challenged him—at least, a woman who wasn’t related to him. He couldn’t even remember having a woman set him straight.

  It was sexy as hell.

  Especially as she was probably right.

  Ty drummed his fingers, thinking. So much for his easy solution. He hadn’t even learned the Librarian’s name. He wasn’t daunted, though.

  No, he was intrigued.

  Well, there was an easy step he could take next.

  He would do some research and revive their discussion at lunch the next day.

  * * *

  The truly amazing thing was that Amy hadn’t been struck mute in the presence of Mr. Yum. She hadn’t spoken in tongues or otherwise been incoherent. She’d even scolded him.

  The reason was obvious: it was because he was nice. He was the kind of guy who talked to his mom when he was at work. The boy next door, not the billionaire BDSM aficionado with the dark past and more emotional scars than she could count. His fourth sister was getting married. He was helping to keep his mom calm. He’d been pushed too far and had lost it, just a little bit.

  There was also, regrettably, no sexual interest on his side. That was why she could talk to him. If he’d been interested in her, she would have been at a complete loss.

  Amy would just bet that he was a great older brother. He probably could fix bicycle chains and pitch tents in backyards and build tree forts. He’d always be there for his sisters and would help his dad at the family home with whatever needed doing. He’d be on call at the wedding, picking up elderly relatives and helping them into the church, solving last minute crises, ensuring Uncle Ernie didn’t have another drink when he had to drive home—or driving him and Aunt Edna home if Ernie did have that drink. He’d be the one everyone counted upon.

  Plus he’d look really good in a tux.

  His reaction to her choice of reading had been perfectly consistent with that. Thinly disguised horror. No, he would always be the gentleman and the considerate lover. His wife might read naughty books but if she was smart, she’d make sure he never knew. He’d treasure his wife and cherish her, pamper her and never forget her birthday.

  He’d probably run from a woman who even owned a pair of handcuffs.

  There she went, making up a whole life for him on the basis of a single short conversation. Her dad had teased her about that, once upon a time. Amy was smiling at the memory when she walked back into the office, only to find that chaos had erupted in her absence.

  “I’m glad you had a good break,” Mrs. Murphy said with her usual impatience. She gestured at the desk. “The internet is down, and I can’t access the materials for the case this afternoon….”

  “Let me try,” Amy said mildly, sat down and got back to work. Mrs. Murphy stood over her, venting her spleen, and Amy wished her boss would go away.

  And shut up.

  Not necessarily in that order.

  At least the afternoon passed quickly, with a hundred crises needing to be resolved. It was Amy who re-established the internet connection, who solved the problem with the printer, who retrieved the survey results “lost” in the computer crash. Before she knew it, it was after five, and she knew she deserved a reward.

  She’d finish her book tonight, maybe even on the train on the way home. After the adventures of Melissa ended happily, Amy would be ready for another hot read.

  She’d ask Jade to recommend a super spicy one.

  Chapter Two

  Amy was browsing the shelves in what sometimes felt like the last remaining bookstore in midtown.

  “Read this one?” Jade demanded on her way past, tossing a book in Amy’s general direction.

  Amy barely caught the book, turned it around, and nodded. “Yeah. It was good.” She put it back on the shelf, ensuring that it was in the right place. She turned the cover to face out because she liked the tattoos on the pecs of the guy on the cover. “I liked it even better than her last one.”

  “Me, too. This one or that one?” Jade asked, appearing like a jack-in-the-box from the other side of the shelf. She was in the next aisle and offered two books.

  “I liked that one better,” Amy said, indicating the one on the left. “He was really hot.”

  “Mmmmmm.” Jade rolled her eyes and smiled, then disappeared.

  Amy was halfway through the cover copy on a contender, when another book was shoved in front of her.

  “Try this one, then,” Jade said.

  Amy blinked at the cover, which was far more graphic than she would have expected. She stared at the entwined couple, wondering whether they were really doing it for the camera. The title was more than suggestive. Amy thought about putting it back on the shelf but Jade recommended it.

  She turned it around to read the back cover copy. Oh. It was dark. She shivered and didn’t put it back.

  “I would never have picked this one up,” Amy said, knowing Jade was listening wherever she was.

  “Me, neither,” a man said one second before Amy smelled his cologne. Her heart stopped cold, then raced.

  Mr. Yum himself. She knew before she looked up.

  “Imagine meeting you here,” he said mildly, then picked up a copy of the book she’d dropped at lunch.

  Amy was astonished. “You’re not going to read that.”

  He had an expression that was becoming familiar. Apparently dead serious but his eyes twinkled. Amy’s mouth went dry. “Why not?” he asked, his voice dropping lower.

  Amy felt flustered, both by his expression and by her body’s reaction to his presence. “You probably won’t like it.”

  “Always a risk with a new author.” He cracked a smile. “Want to recommend a better one?”

  God, he had a dimple under one corner of his mouth. It was too much.

  Amy’s face burned. “You’re making fun of me.”

  “No.” He was definite. “Absolutely not. Whenever someone tells me that I don’t know what I’m talking about, I try to fix it.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously. You made a persuasive argument.”

  Their gazes clung for a moment and Amy was sure her heart stopped. She couldn’t quite take a breath, not when he was looking at her as if she
was amazing.

  “This one?” he asked again. “Or didn’t you enjoy it?”

  “I’m not quite done.”

  “But so far?”

  Amy couldn’t quite believe that he was serious, but she could play along. “It wasn’t as good as her last book,” she said casually, and pulled that one from the shelf as if the image was nothing special. A man was blindfolding a woman on the cover, and she was clearly naked, even though her whole body wasn’t visible. She had her head tipped back and her mouth open, her pose making her appear to be orgasmic.

  If any woman looked that good when she came.

  “Okay.” His brows rose just a little, then he tucked it under his arm, too. “We can compare our impressions after I’ve read them both.”

  Amy laughed. She couldn’t stop herself. “Like a book club.”

  “Just like. But naughtier.” He looked amused and she couldn’t help smiling back at him. She felt a warm glow from her head to her toes and wanted to just bask in his attention forever.

  “I’m guessing you won’t be getting a book boyfriend, though.” Amy was amazed that she was essentially asking a man she didn’t know whether he was gay, but he was so nice that it was easy to be a bit cheeky.

  His smile broadened and he chuckled. “Maybe a book girlfriend.” He offered his right hand before she could think too much about that. “You left lunch so quickly that there wasn’t time for introductions. I’m Tyler McKay.”

  There wasn’t much to do other than slide her hand into his. Of course, his skin was warm and his grip was firm. Those great hands… Were her knees going to give out? “Amy Thornton,” she said, and her voice sounded a little more husky than usual.

  “I wanted to talk to you about something today…” he began.

  “You mean you weren’t just looking for a seat?”

  To her amazement, he looked a little discomfited. “Not exactly. It was all a diabolical plan to have a chance to talk to you.”

  Amy laughed again, surprised into it. “You don’t look very diabolical to me.”

  “We all have our dark secrets.” His gaze dropped to the book she was holding, as if to imply that her secrets were epic in scope. Maybe they were. His eyes widened slightly at the cover image and she knew he hadn’t really looked at it before. At his expression, Amy wished the ground would crack open and swallow her whole.

  But then, she wouldn’t be talking to Tyler anymore.

  He lifted his gaze to hers. “Seriously?”

  Amy felt her color rising again in this man’s presence. “Jade says it’s good.”

  His lips quirked. “That must be because it isn’t about the sex.”

  “Amy! This!” Jade cried, barreling out of the back room with a book clenched in her fist. “Just in. Fresh out of the box. I had an advanced copy. This is the hottest book you will ever read—I promise you. You’ll ovulate on the spot when this guy…” A little later than might have been ideal, Jade realized it wasn’t just Amy listening to her rave about the book.

  She blushed, then smiled, waving the book at Tyler. “Sorry. You’re not usually in this aisle, Ty.”

  She knew him?

  Of course. He must buy his books here, too.

  Jade’s gaze flicked to Amy, then back to Tyler, as if seeking an explanation. Amy wondered what he’d say, but he was the heart and soul of grace.

  “Don’t apologize. It’s good to get enthusiastic about books,” he said smoothly, then plucked the book out of her hands. “You’ll have to get another copy for Amy.” Then he took the one with the graphic cover from Amy’s numb fingers. “And one of these, too.” He smiled at her and she knew he was going to razz her a bit. “Unless you want to borrow it when I’m done?”

  “No, thanks,” she managed to say even though her mouth was as dry as the Sahara. “I’ll get my own copy.”

  Ty turned to leave, then paused, dropping his voice to a delicious whisper. “See you tomorrow, Amy.”

  Both women stared at him as he strolled to the cash, picking up the new Grisham on the way. They watched in silence as he paid, checked his watch, picked up the bag, and left the store. He spared one backward glance at Amy and her heart dutifully skipped a beat.

  Talk about ovulating on the spot.

  She might have just done so.

  Twice.

  “You know Ty?” Jade asked.

  Amy nodded. “I met him in the food court at work.”

  “He’s one of our best customers.” Jade exhaled. “Man candy and such a nice guy.” She looked down at the books, then met Amy’s gaze again. “You don’t really think he’s going to read them, do you?”

  Amy shook her head. “He’s probably going to give the books to one of his sisters.”

  Jade smiled. “And she will thank him. I tell you, this new book is so smoking awesome. When she opens the box of leather restraints from him in the limo and then strips for him, I just couldn’t stop reading until I knew…”

  * * *

  Flatiron Five, also known as F5, the most exclusive fitness club in Manhattan and the company in which Ty was a founding partner, occupied an entire city block. It was the gym frequented by the rich and famous, as well as by the beautiful, and its reputation was such that it had become a tourist destination in itself. People came to F5 to get fit, of course, but they also came to see and be seen, to be part of a beautiful landscape of sculpted bodies. They took classes. They practiced yoga. They lifted weights. They swam laps. They made friends and many of them fell in love. It was amazing to Ty to witness what their little start-up had become after years of hard work and he reveled in it, each and every night when he returned home.

  The club was named for the five partners, five buddies inseparable through college, as well as for the district where the club was located and where they had once shared a huge loft apartment. Only twelve years had passed since he, Kyle, Damon, Theo, and Cassie had first started to scribble on a scrap of paper in that loft. Now, their joint venture owned this niche.

  The old building that filled the block had been purchased when they started out—with financing obtained by Ty—and its space had been renovated in increments as the business grew. Now the ground floor hosted retail shops selling their branded fitness gear and workout clothes, books, and videos. There was a restaurant that catered to every diet—paleo, vegetarian, vegan, raw, and more—and a juice bar, both of which sold F5 merchandise.

  The floors at one end of the building had been removed and the structure reinforced to accommodate the highest indoor rock climbing wall on the island. The exterior wall was glass and the climbing wall lit at night. Ty thought of it as an animated ad for the club, like Times Square but better.

  Although the ads in Times Square worked pretty well, too. The current one was a shot of Kyle, sprinkled with water as if fresh out of the pool, waxed to perfection and pumped to the max, with the tagline Get Wet at F5.

  On the second floor was the F5 Club, a stroke of genius on the part of Kyle. He wasn’t just the party animal of the partners, but the one who had realized that all those beautiful bodies could be better appreciated in the right lighting, while making the right moves. It had been the project that had demonstrated to Ty just how complementary the partners’ skills were. Kyle had had the original vision. Damon had designed the layout, ensuring both privacy and visibility. Ty had found the funding, and Cassie had worked her marketing magic. Theo had the connections to bring in the beautiful people for the launch and get the right media attention. Even now, five years after the hotspot’s doors had opened, and that in a city with the attention span of a gnat, it was the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights.

  The third floor contained the pools, one deep and designated for lap swimming, the other shallower and used for water aerobic classes. The fourth and fifth floors were gyms and workout rooms, big and small, for members to work out and for classes. Floor six had even smaller rooms for private instruction. Floor seven was designated for massage and yoga, and had both seren
ity and a range of room sizes.

  The building’s footprint became smaller between the seventh and eighth floors and they had used that to advantage, at Damon’s suggestion. They’d added windows on the sloping roof wherever possible and it was a sunny space, with a veritable forest of plants around the perimeter. They’d recently added a trickling fountain to one corner. Floor eight held the showers, saunas, and locker rooms. On the ninth floor, there was offices and storage. Floors ten through fifteen were vacant, but there were permits in the works to convert the upper floors to exclusive condos.

  Ty lived in the penthouse apartment on the sixteenth floor and currently was the only resident of the building. Although their building wasn’t the tallest in the district, it had provenance, high ceilings, and architectural details. Ty liked both that they owned it and that it had been repurposed with such style. He loved living there, too. There was nothing like going down to swim laps in the middle of the night, having the best fitness club in the city all to himself.

  On this particular night, Ty strode along the busy streets, heading for home from his office which was closer to midtown. He couldn’t stop thinking about Amy, or his surprise that she was going to read this book. This book. He’d peeked inside already and was a bit shocked by the guy’s need for power and dominance. This fictional guy was serial killer material, in Ty’s view, but he’d give it a chance. He always rose to a challenge and she’d given him one. He’d try to overcome his assumptions.

  Either way, they’d have plenty to talk about at lunch.

  He was already looking forward to it.

  The sidewalks were crowded, probably because the day had been sunny and the air was still balmy. Cafés had put tables and chairs on the sidewalk and the corner store had a brilliant display of fresh flowers. He eyed the people heading into the subway and wondered how many of them had the same reading taste as Amy.

  A lot, apparently, given the size of the section in the bookstore.