Entice - By Ella Frank Page 0,124

started a brisk walk to the station to catch the L downtown.

***

Cole leaned back in his leather chair with the phone to his ear, looking out his large office window.

“No. I don’t care about that, Becky. All I asked for was for her to have the best. Is that such a difficult thing to deliver? Because if it is, I can go elsewhere.”

Raising his left arm, he glanced at his watch. Shit, I’m running late.

Standing up from the chair, he leaned down to sign the documents he’d read through earlier.

Dropping the pen on the desk, he straightened and shook his head. “You know what? If things don’t improve this month, I’m coming down there to get her myself. Now, I have to go. Fix the issue.”

Putting the phone back in its cradle, he placed both palms on the desk, leaning his head forward.

Damn, I’m tired—not only from work, but from all the bullshit in my life right now.

Taking a moment to reflect on everything he needed to do, he grabbed the envelopes for Jane to send out, picked up his briefcase, and headed to the door. Taking his long wool coat from the rack, he draped it over his arm and moved out of his office.

Stopping by Jane’s desk, he noticed his personal assistant was nowhere in sight, so he placed the documents in her tray and made his way to the elevators.

Glancing at his watch again, he took a deep breath and reminded himself that it wasn’t the end of the world if he was a few minutes late. But as the elevator dinged and the metal doors opened, he knew he was lying to himself.

Punctuality was everything. It was a sign you were in control.

***

Rachel stood in the center aisle of the train, gripping the metal pole that was secured to the roof and floor of the car.

With her earbuds securely placed, she swayed and rocked to the click-clack she could feel but not hear over her music. Unlike most, Rachel loved commuting. There was something so peaceful about being on a train. She could zone out and just relax for however long it took to get to a destination. She was also inclined to people watch, and there was always a buffet of the unusual, ranging from the ordinary to the extraordinary on the L.

Tapping her foot, Rachel glanced up at the map of the Red Line on the side of the train. As the night started to engulf the city, she knew she had one more stop to go.

It was Wednesday, and she was happy that it would be a relatively slow night—well, for Exquisite’s standards anyway. For some reason, she just wasn’t in the mood tonight. If anything, she’d probably be better off going to the club and spending some time with Riley.

As the train heaved to a slow stop, Rachel waited for the heavy metal doors to slide open, and then she, along with around thirty other commuters, piled out of the narrow door.

Making her way onto the platform, she stuffed her hands into her blue-knitted cardigan and clutched her bag to her side. Earbuds still firmly in, the hustle and bustle were currently being drowned out.

Eyes down, she watched the pavement as she moved farther from the train. She was almost free from the main crush of people when her shoulder hit something solid—something in the form of another person.

Looking up to apologize, she stopped in her tracks.

Right there in the middle of the chaotic station, she found herself staring up into the eyes of the man she only knew as Cole.

***

Cole couldn’t believe his luck.

As he stood there gazing down at the raven-haired beauty, who had a penchant for bright colors, he decided it was almost worth running late.

Of all the people he could run into in the city, running into her seemed somehow fitting. After all, he’d only been thinking about her just the other day.

She was intriguing to him on so many levels.

He’d seen her only a handful of times—twice at Whipped and once again at her brother’s Halloween party, which he’d been invited to by Josh.

Oh, she didn’t know this would be their fourth crossing, but he did. This time, she was not getting away so easily.

***

The first night he had ever seen her was when she had walked into the club in a tight and short leather miniskirt. Cole had been convinced that if she had coughed, he would have caught a glimpse of everything. She’d paired it