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embrace, stumbled out of the apartment next to Ella’s.
    “You really need to go,” the woman said breathlessly, even as she made no move to release her visitor.
    “I need to stay.”
    “My boyfriend will be back soon.”
    “Then let’s go back inside and finish what we started,” he replied suggestively.
    “No.”
    Immediately following her refusal, they locked lips again. Moaning ensued. When the woman began to wrap her legs around the man’s waist, Chase figured he knew what would come next. He turned to Ella.
    “Would it be all right if we had this conversation in your apartment?”
    “That’s probably a good idea,” she agreed hastily, backing up to allow him inside.
    One step over the threshold and Chase realized that in addition to standing in her foyer, he was also in her living room, kitchen, dining room and boudoir. The one-room apartment was that small. Hell, the walk-in closet off his master bedroom was more spacious. And filled with fewer clothes, he decided after taking a glance around. All manner of apparel hung from hooks. It decorated the walls in place of artwork and spilled from the most unlikely places, including the cubbies in a small writing desk and the metal hoops of a wine rack. He was no expert on female attire, but the garments appeared designer quality and therefore expensive. Ella’s eye color wasn’t the only contradiction.
    “This is...cozy,” he amended at the last minute. If he stretched out his arms, he was pretty sure he could touch the walls on either side of the room.
    She chuckled, the sound a mix between embarrassment and wry humor. “It’s the size of a matchbox and a little messy right now.” As she spoke, she used her foot to push something small and lacy behind a stack of fashion magazines on the floor. “Believe it or not, this is larger than my last place.”
    “You must have slept standing up.”
    “If I were any taller that might have been necessary,” she agreed. “As it was I couldn’t fit a bed in it. I had to make due with a foam mattress on the floor.”
    “Sounds uncomfortable.”
    Which was how Chase felt now that he was picturing her laying on that subpar mattress wearing...
    He coughed. To reel in his libido, he focused on what Ella’s home said about her. Real estate was expensive in Manhattan, but between the size of her studio apartment and its location, he was left to wonder how well her party planning business was doing if this place, an improvement over her last, no less, was all she could afford. Of course, maybe she spent the bulk of her income on her designer wardrobe.
    She was saying, “Oh, it wasn’t that bad. You’d have had a hard time of it, though. You’re what, six-four?”
    “Six-two,” he corrected.
    “Hmm. You look taller. Probably because I’m not wearing heels at the moment.”
    They both glanced down at her bare feet, where the sight of candy pink toenails had a disturbing effect on his pulse. He’d never thought himself a foot man. Until now. They claimed his full attention until she rose on tiptoe and motioned between her forehead and his with her flattened hand, taking his measure. Mismatched eyes regarded him for a moment, making him wonder if he’d passed muster. Then, a few loud thuds, followed by the sound of more urgent moaning came from the hallway. Ella dropped back onto her heels and moved away.
    “It’s a little warm in here,” she said.
    Instead of taking off the hoodie, she dialed up the knob on the air conditioning unit that obscured most of the view from the apartment’s lone window. The fan kicked on, blowing stale-smelling air into the room and drowning out the sounds coming from the couple going at it in the hall.
    “I was just having a glass of wine. Would you like me to pour you one?”
    He should say no, but after the day Chase had had, the offer was too good to pass up, even if he didn’t intend to stay long.
    “If it’s not too much trouble.”
    “None at all. Have a