Addison took a half step back and leaned a quarter of an inch to the left. She wasn't hiding...
Okay, fine, she was hiding.
Hunter Dufort had finally arrived, and she wasn't sure if she was relieved or more anxious now that he was here.
Olivia was her best friend, so it wasn't like she couldn't be here for the engagement party. Nor would she dream of not showing up. She was so happy for Liv and Fletcher after years of believing they couldn't be together.
Who knew her bestie would be the one to snag the Playboy of Manhattan?
Now Addison had met Fletcher and gotten to know him a little, he wasn't at all what the media made him out to be. First, his love for Olivia was like something from a romance novel—which their friend and Fletcher's soon to be sister-in-law Harper would know all about because she was a bestselling author.
He was as much in love with Olivia's daughter Sammy as he washer mom. The two of them had a bond which rivaled some birth fathers. Unsurprising, after Sammy had been abducted by her own mentally unstable dad and Fletcher had been paramount in saving her.
No one had told Addison the full story, and she didn't care. She was just pleased Sammy had been found safe and unharmed. And that Olivia's ex was now serving time.
Sammy was the same age as her own daughter, Sienna. The two were close friends. Tonight, both girls were with her ex-husband, Rob, most likely watching Frozen 2 over and over and driving him crazy, while she was hiding from a billionaire.
Hunter probably hadn't thought about her for a single second after she climbed out of his car a month ago.
She had.
She'd thought about him a lot.
Far too much. The way her body reacted to him should be illegal.
When he'd walked into Olivia's house that day, Addison had been shocked by the shiver that traversed her skin.
She knew who Hunter was. Most people in New York City did. The third Dufort brother.
Hunter was the youngest of the three, and the director of sales for the global Dufort hotel chain. Fletcher, she knew, oversaw the marketing and PR because Olivia worked in his department as the chain's PR manager, and Daniel, the eldest Dufort, was the CEO.
She wasn't sure how long Liv would continue to work for the Dufort's, but given the engagement, she suspected that situation might change over time.
Olivia had introduced her to Harper, and she'd instantly liked the New Zealander. She was learning how to deal with the media now she was in the spotlight as Daniel's fiancé and soon-to-be wife.
The media had always been obsessed with these brothers and their love lives. As a PR expert, Olivia was coaching Harper, and she'd invited Addison along to some of their lunches.
Being a newbie in Manhattan was tough for anyone. Being under the media spotlight was even harder.
Not that Harper didn't have all that money could buy as well as Daniel's complete commitment and protection. That man was one powerful individual and a bodyguard all on his own.
Addison eyed the men in dark suits standing in the shadows. They were a constant presence in the two women's lives now.
She didn't envy Olivia or Harper.
Although the penthouses they lived in were spectacular and award-winning, and probably worth more than she'd ever see in her lifetime.
Ten lifetimes.
Addison was happy in her brownstone, a few blocks down from Olivia's old home. She missed living so close to her friend. Now the girls weren't neighbors, they had to actively make time to get together.
And they did—for each other, and for their girls. Recently they'd had a girls' night at Daniel and Harper's penthouse with two bottles of wine—okay fine, it might have been four–and ended up dancing to old eighties music.
It had been a blast.
Until the moment she'd drunkenly asked, "What's the deal with Hunter?"
Both of the others had gone quiet, lifted their glasses to their lips,blinked and stared at her.
"What do you mean?" Olivia asked.
If there was ever a moment in life she wished for a time machine to go back and do it over, it had been then.
Stupid drunk mouth.
"Oh, I just mean, is he single or getting engaged next?" She had laughed. "You know, because Daniel and Fletcher have, so he must be next to put a ring on it."
Harper had choked on her wine before spitting it across the room. Olivia had patted her back, giggling.
"What?" Addison had asked, her cheeks heating because now she felt stupid.
As Harper tried to get her words out, still coughing, Olivia turned to Addison. "He's, um, into a different lifestyle."
"Ring..." Harper continued laughing. "Sorry. As a romance author I know things I shouldn't. I just imagined him putting a cock ring on a girl's hand while proposing."
The two of them had burst into laughter.
Addison knew what a cock ring was, too, but didn't think she should say that out loud. She kept those things to herself for a reason.
"But why would that stop him from finding Miss Forever?" Addison asked, when they stopped laughing.
Harper had shrugged. "Daniel said he won't. And he doesn't even date. He spends a lot of time at clubs."
"Clubs?"
"Not the kind of clubs we went to when we were younger," Olivia had said, nodding.
Addison had raised a brow, aiming for humor. "Who are you calling old? I'm only twenty-nine."
"You missed the point," Olivia had replied. "Let me spell it out. He goes to sex clubs. He's into a whole lot of kinky extreme things. So I doubt he'll be walking down the aisle anytime soon."
"Or if he does it could be in some bondage gear." Harper giggled.
"Oh my God," Olivia said. "I am never getting that image out of my head. Stop. He's our brother-in-law."
"To be." Harper grinned.
"To be," Olivia nodded, giggling again.
Addison had tuned them out and wondered if what they were saying was true or rumor. Goodness knows she had been subject to rumors once upon a time.
It explained some of the things he had said to her in the car and why her body had flared to life. Even if it had shocked her.
And by the way her friends were reacting, it was clear they both weren't into anything kinky. Another reason to zip her lips.
She wasn't going to share that she'd been fantasizing about being on her knees in front of Hunter Dufort as he forced his cock down her throat while her arms were tied behind her.
Nope.
No damn way.
She'd lost too many people already.
If they'd known the truth, perhaps they would have understood, but none of them stuck around long enough to allow her to explain.
Not even her father.
And for that, she would never forgive her ex-husband.
Sure they had a good relationship when it came to co-parenting their daughter but that didn't mean she wasn't resentful deep down inside.
He hadn't wanted to experiment in the bedroom at all. She'd felt their sex life was lacking and his silent performance during sex had bothered her. Aside from a few moans and his declaration of love when they'd first fallen for each other, it was very standard love making.
Which perhaps she should have been okay with.
But she hadn't been.
The day she sat down with him and had a serious conversation, sharing how she felt and asking if he would be interesting in trying something new, he'd looked at her like she was some kind of sex fiend.
It wasn't like she wanted to go to a sex club.
Although a part of her was curious.
Curious also about what people like Hunter did in those places. In his car he'd challenged her, and she'd felt his dominance.
And she liked it.
A lot.
Her body had craved... something. Him. More. For days.
Yet, after experiencing the judgment and rejection the last time she tried to own her desires, Addison refused to go there.
Not at all.
She needed to focus on being a mother and career woman. If it got out...
Nope.
Not happening.
While she had been sad to lose her friends—and thankfully, Olivia had been the one person Rob hadn't told—it was her father that had devastated her most.
For good reason.
Her father had confronted her about leaving Rob. She loved her dad, but he was a typical male, siding with the man in this instance. The truth was Rob was a good husband and father so she kind of understood her dad's concern and questions. He had been part of the 'older' generation; her parents had her later in life. So he very much thought women had their place in the home and a duty to their husbands.
But it was worse than that.
Rob told him why she'd left.
They had agreed to say they were no longer compatible. Which was true. It wasn't just the sex and their lack of passion. That had filtered through their entire relationship.
But Rob told her father she was into a kink lifestyle and needed therapy.
The last words her father said to her had been cruel and hurtful. "How can you leave your husband and be involved with all that disgusting stuff? You are a mother. You need to grow up and go back to Rob. Sort this out."
A few weeks later he died.
Then friend after friend had disassociated with her. After one of them shared what Rob had told them, she had been furious.
Addison questioned whether she had done the right thing leaving her husband. After he'd told her she was mentally ill for having sexual desires different from him and finding herself in the position of no longer wanting her husband to touch her, it had to be a sign something was very wrong.
What she didn't know was whether it was just her.
So she'd gone to therapy.
It hadn't helped. The woman had tried to analyze the hell out of her interests and twisted her inside out. She believed there was some complicated reason because of her relationship with her father, on topof the fact that her mother had died early.
Ah... no. She just wanted someone to tie her up and fuck her brains out until she screamed.
Was it so wrong?
She had believed so until the moment Hunter Dufort had looked at her with pure unrestrained dominance and soaked her panties.
God, she wanted more.
And God, she was terrified to go near him.
Now, he was standing across the room. His hair was mussed in a sexy way, and his designer pants fit his tight ass perfectly.
Even the way he stood screamed confidence and control.
Shit.
She swallowed.
Addison needed to stay away from him. She might have all these needs and desires swimming inside her but if he looked her way, she would likely blush like a virgin.
And die from embarrassment.
After all, he had told her to get out of his car.
The last thing she wanted him to know was she'd been masturbating like crazy since that night.
If he looked at her, she knew he'd sense it.
Hopefully she could navigate the room and keep away from him. Just a few more hours and he would be gone.
Hunter Dufort was infamous for leaving parties the moment it was appropriate to do so.
Then she could breathe again.