Without Chase Read Online Free PDF

The awkwardness of the situation was obvious to him. Amy may have been an actor, but he wasn’t, and he suddenly found himself wishing he hadn’t agreed to this.
    As if reading his mind, Helene stepped in quickly to pick up the silence. “Well. You two are seated next to each other at dinner, and you can get to know each other a little better.” Just then a photographer came up to them. The press pass around his neck read New York Post. “Can I get a picture of the three of you?” This was a formality, and after one perfunctory shot, he got to the point. “Great, thanks. Now Helene, would you mind if I took a few of Chase and Amy together?” Amy moved closer to Chase and put her arm around him. Reflexively, he did the same, and put an arm around her waist as one photographer, then several others who hurried over to them did the same before dissolving into the crowd again.
    “Is this your first time at the Founder’s Ball?” Amy tried to start the conversation again as Helene discreetly walked away.
    “Why does everyone keep asking me that?” he didn’t mean to be, but Chase was suddenly annoyed. Was it that obvious he didn’t belong here?
    Her smile didn’t waver. “OK, I won’t ask. Why don’t you ask me a question now, so that everyone who’s watching us thinks we’re actually having a good time?” She leaned in close as if telling him a secret. “I’m a lot of fun, Chase. And I’ll be good for your career, too.”
    She stepped away from him and tilted her head becomingly. “What do you say?”
    Chase took her in. The combination of that beautiful cold face paired with a thin, but lush body stirred his interest. There were worse things in life than hooking up with a pretty actress. Chase put his arm around her waist and walked her into the crowd. “Let’s go have some fun.”
    They stayed together throughout the evening. At dinner several people came up to their table, wanting to talk about “projects” they wanted her to be involved in. Chase, who had little experience in schmoozing, was impressed by how good Amy was at it. She was good at keeping all her options open while committing to nothing.
    At the same time, she was finely attuned to his needs. If his attention started to wander, or if he got bored, she was there, focusing her attention onto him and drawing him back to her. A phrase came to him, “professional girlfriend.” It was what the guys on the team called the women who worked at trying to be their girlfriends the way someone would work at their career. Ambitiously, methodically and with a plan. These women went to all the games, went to the same clubs, gyms and even moved into the same neighborhoods they did; all in the hopes of catching their eye. But with Amy, the phrase meant something else. He could see that she would be the type of girlfriend who would do all the work in a relationship. She would be the type who made sure all his needs were met without demanding anything in return. And she would be…professional, not personal about it. He still wasn’t sure if he wanted to have anything to do with her after tonight, but at least he knew what it would be like.
    As he expected, Amy even made the decision about what to do after the party easy for him. “My driver can give you a ride back,” she offered. Yet once they were in the car, it was clear they were going to go back to her place. They sat close to each other without touching, giving each other a few minutes more of anticipation.
    She lived in one of the new developments by Chelsea Piers, and it was big, by Manhattan standards. Amy didn’t bother turning on the lights---the floor to ceiling windows illuminated the room and afforded a view of the East River down below. Chase stood in front of them now, anticipating what was going to happen next. He didn’t let himself think about Jamie. That part of his life was gone, and it had been too long since he had had sex.
    Amy came back into the room. She had stripped out