“I’m Audrey.” She smiled. A genuine smile—warm and inviting, and full of promises of what might follow.
I lifted my glass once more, toasting her beauty. “Well, Audrey, here’s to a memorable night.”
Audrey’s smile widened as she tapped her wineglass to mine. “We’ll see about that.”
Oh, yes, we will, I thought with a smirk.
“So … Caleb,” she said, taking a deep swallow of her wine. “How often do you pick up lonely women in bars?”
“It depends on my mood. And the woman.”
Audrey took another sip of wine, studying me. There was a glint in her eyes that piqued my interest. This, I realized, was a smart, confident woman who liked her potential partners to convince her, to work for her attention. A woman who enjoyed the thrill of being chased.
“What if I told you I wasn’t interested?”
“I’d call you a liar,” I answered. “And I’d prove it.”
“Oh, really?”
She was playing with me, and, for some reason that made me want her more. My competitive side was ready for the challenge, and the way she discussed sex so openly, told me she wouldn’t be shy and withdrawn in bed. If she wanted to play hard to get, that was fine by me. It would only make feeling her melt beneath my touch that much more satisfying.
Abandoning my drink, I leaned in close so that my lips brushed her ear. Her skin was hot and smelled like honeysuckle nectar and orange blossoms. “You’ll be begging me to let you come tonight. Now, whether we make it to a hotel is entirely dependent on how you behave.”
My hand dropped to her thigh, and I felt a little shiver go through her. I was right; she liked the chase—and, even more, the capture. The flush on her cheeks spread down her neck, betraying her arousal. The dress she was wearing was held up by thin straps. Between them and her plunging neckline, the view of her tits was fairly spectacular.
I slid my hand up her thigh and under her dress, and my fingers traced the seam of her panties. I took my time, moving slowly along what felt like a simple lace trim, watching her face through hooded eyes as her breathing grew shaky. She leaned in closer, her breath on my lips … and then, her phone buzzed.
Flustered, she jerked away from me and answered the call before I could blink. “Ronny, what’s wrong?” she asked, her tone exasperated.
I felt my jealousy flair. I was seconds away from getting what I wanted, and she was ignoring me to take a phone call from another man.
Annoyed, I sat back and picked up my drink, downing half in one go. I didn’t consider myself territorial, but I hated being interrupted when I was with a woman, no matter the circumstances.
Audrey seemed to have forgotten about me as she retrieved her purse and got to her feet, still listening to whomever this “Ronny” person was. When she stood, I instinctively reached out to place a hand on her waist to keep her there and bring her attention back to me.
Her eyes slid to meet mine. “Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes,” she said into the phone. “Bye.”
She hung up and stared at me awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I, uh—I have to go.”
“Shame,” I murmured, watching her mouth. “We were just getting to the good stuff.”
Audrey swore under her breath and stepped away, breaking all contact. “It was nice meeting you, Caleb. I really wish I could stay.”
She sounded genuinely sorry, and I knew that if we ended up in bed together tonight, the resulting fireworks would be nothing short of spectacular. I stood, realizing that, at six-feet-tall, I towered over her even though she was wearing heels.
“That can be arranged.” I looped my arm around her waist and brought her body flush against mine. I could feel the heat of her all the way down our bodies, and I was fairly certain she could feel how hard she had gotten me. “In fact, I insist.”
Audrey arched against me, rising up on her tiptoes to draw her face closer to mine. “Maybe another time.”
And then, with a dexterity I hadn’t anticipated, she ducked out of my arms and disappeared into the crowd.
2
Audrey
I had a restless night’s sleep, and it was all his fault.
I’d gone to the bar to be alone after work, to have a glass of wine to unwind—not to flirt. But, when he’d slid up beside me with those dark chocolate eyes, my body was ready before he had even opened his mouth. He had been commanding—which normally wasn’t my thing—but somehow, he made it work, and it had certainly worked for me. The low timbre of his voice had sent my lady bits into a frenzy.
Do it! Do it! Do it! They had urged.
When he’d said his name was Caleb, I knew he was lying. He looked so familiar, but the name hadn’t jogged my memory. I prided myself on being good with faces—you had to be in my line of work—and I had no doubt that I’d remember where I’d seen him given the right name. I’d figured, if he didn’t want to share his real name, then I wasn’t about to push him. It wasn’t as if I’d ever see him again, and the unspoken rule of one-night stands precluded sharing too many personal details.
I hadn’t been looking for sex when I’d walked into that bar. And, when he’d approached me, I hadn’t even wanted to make friendly conversation with him. But he had made me want him—nothing but him—with just a few words.
And then, Ronny had to call with a crisis like he always did, and any hope of getting naked with a hot stranger had flown out the window.
It would have been great. Not just because he had said it would be (and I believed him since his mere hand on my thigh had set my body on fire) but because it had been so long since I’d had a fling. After this little spark on the dry kindling, my libido had risen from the dead with a triumphant roar.
Fucking Ronny, I thought bitterly.
I loved my cousin, but he had the worst timing imaginable.
My alarm went off, and, with a groan, I dragged myself out of bed. Not even masturbating to the thought of Caleb had helped the ache from last night. I wanted him. I wanted the strange man with the deep voice and confident smile.
Needless to say, I chose to set my shower on the cold side that morning. Once I cooled off, I pushed myself through the rest of my morning routine.
I loved my job, but it had been so long since I’d done something new that I could feel myself getting restless. Before I went to work for Ronny, I had traveled all over the country with nothing but a backpack and a naïve sense of optimism, taking selfies in front of the weirdest landmarks I could find, and making friends along the way. It had been the most exhilarating experience of my life, and it had been full of sunshine and good exercise and wonder-filled days. If Ronny hadn’t insisted that he needed my help, I probably never would have stopped.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like working for Pace Marketing. On the contrary, I loved the people, and I loved learning everything I could about the world of advertising. But, as an administrative assistant, I’d mastered my job after six months and could do it in my sleep. If it had been any other job, I would have moved on already. However, Ronny was family, and I decided to stick around for as long as he needed me, because those were the values my parents had instilled in me as a child. And Ronny, well … he appreciated me, in his own way.