Eight years later, I was out of school and waiting to hear if I’d passed the bar.
“Ainsley!” my sister, Everly, called as I opened the door to her shop. She was a complete extrovert. Everly could talk to almost anyone anywhere. She never knew an enemy.
Her hair was shoulder-length and blond with caramel lowlights. She loved wearing dark-red lipstick. Today’s outfit consisted of a halter top, denim capris, and ballet flats. She wore a black smock to protect her clothes. The front of it was lined with hair clips, her sheers and clippers, and a dust brush.
“Hey, sis,” I said as I stepped inside.
She stopped what she was doing long enough to meet me halfway for a hug. “What brings you by?”
With a sigh, I lowered my eyes to the floor. “I think I fucked up,” I whispered.
She tilted my head up and looked into my eyes. Her green eyes had specks of gold and looked just like our mother’s. “Did you fuck your boss?”
I shook my head. “Not yet.”
“Oh, hell,” she whispered and laid her hands on my shoulders. “Let me finish up Mrs. Gilbert, and I’ll clear my schedule for the rest of today.” She turned to the receptionist and grabbed her book. “I need you to mark me out after my current appointment. Family emergency.”
The receptionist nodded and punched a few keys into the computer and then picked up the phone to start making the necessary calls.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
I nodded. “Go finish up. I’ll wait for you.”
She touched my cheek and then pointed toward the back wall. “Room three is empty. Go wait in there. The room is dark and is relaxing. There are essential oils in there to help in meditation.”
“Okay,” I told her and made my way to the back. The smell of hair color and hairspray faded as I walked into the back massage area.
Room three, as she directed, was indeed empty. I closed the door behind me. On the wall just inside was my sister’s license to perform esthetician work, with an image of her. She was beautiful and had an infectious smile.
With a sigh, I walked over to the massage table and ran my hand over the top. It was soft and warm. Curious, I lifted the blanket and found a heating pad turned on at the ready. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, I set my purse down, removed my shoes, and climbed onto the table. I lay down on my back, laid my head on the bed pillow, and closed my eyes.
The heat was welcoming, and the smell of eucalyptus was nice. Images of Chase drifted through my mind. From his business suit to his workout clothes, the man was sexy as sin. My mind went to a dream I often had of Chase…
He slid his hands down my sides, and his lips captured mine. He was soft like velvet and tasted like the juiciest plum. I wanted to devour him.
He tilted my head up and pulled my body firm against his. He slipped a hand behind my head and tangled it in my hair. Giving my hair a firm tug, he yanked my head to the side and nibbled up and down my neck.
I gasped and slid my fingers under my skirt and panties. Pressing my fingers against my clit, I moved them side to side, my mind telling me it was Chase who had his fingers inside me.
“I need you,” I whispered.
“Let me fuck you,” he teased back.
A sudden knock on the door brought me from my daydream with a gasp. I quickly pulled my fingers from my sex, straightened myself, and sat up.
“Hey, sis, you in here?” Everly asked and peeked inside.
“You said room three,” I told her and prayed the blush on my cheeks wouldn’t give away what I was just doing.
She stepped inside, and I hoped she couldn’t hear my heart beating five hundred miles an hour.
“Okay, so let’s talk.” She locked the door and climbed onto the table next to me. “Spill. What happened?”
I gripped the table I was sitting on and closed my eyes. I told her about almost missing Ashley’s wedding, drinking a fuck ton of Chase’s Scotch, and writing the letter.
“Okay, so you wrote a nastygram. No harm no foul. Right?”
I opened my eyes and looked at her. My brows were pressed together with a plea for her to read my mind without me saying as much. I bit my lip and felt my eyes burn with the threat of tears.
“Oh, shit,” she whispered. “How did he get the letter?”
“I passed out on his desk. I woke up Saturday morning, and he was standing over me.”
“Oh, shit,” she repeated. “Okay, so tell me this. Was he frowning or smiling?”
“More smiling than frowning.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
I looked to my hands and twisted my fingers together. “He had this sly smile, like a Cheshire grin.”
“Oh, hell,” she squealed. “You realize he wants you as much as you want him?”
I frowned and met her gaze. “And you’ve officially sniffed too much hair product.”
“Oh, my God, sis. Do you not see what is right in front of you? If he was smiling, smirking, whatever, if he looked like he wanted to eat you alive, this is a good thing!”
I bit my lip once more. “Really?” I whispered. I had a hard time believing this, but he had smiled.
“Yes,” she insisted. “And as your sister, I encourage you to go for it.”
“Go for what?” I asked. “I’m so not his type.”
“What is his type, then?”
I sighed and shrugged. “Tall and thin. Model perfect, hasn’t eaten for days, and hangs on every word he says as if they’re absolutely interested.”
“And they have no idea what he’s talking about, am I right?”
I nodded. “Exactly.”
“Well, you will know what he’s talking about when you converse, and there’s a chance you are his type but he didn’t realize it until you pointed it out to him.”
“I pointed nothing out other than I’m a damned fool who should have never touched his Scotch. Said letter would never be in existence.”
“You’re a pussy,” she stated.
I frowned. “Excuse me?”
“You’re a fucking pussy, sis. Tall, dark, and gorgeous wants you, and you’re too scared to pounce on him like the sexy feline you are.”
I laughed at her explanation. “Number one, I’m not a fucking cat. And two, I’ll never pounce on him.”
“Why the fuck not?” she asked. “What’s stopping you?”
“Well, the simple fact that I’m working at his law firm and he could throw me away in disgust.”
She groaned and hopped down from the table. “Do me a favor and fucking go for it, okay? Please, do us both the favor. Hook up with him, get married, and have children so Mom will quit asking me when I’m getting married and having babies.”
I laughed and hopped down from the table. I pulled Everly into a hug. “Well, you are older.”
“And I rather like my single life, thank you very much,” she told me. “I’m not ready to settle down.”
“I’m not either.”
She smiled and cupped my cheeks. “You may not have a choice once you go for Chase Newstrom. He may sweep you off your feet.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I told her. “Falling for the man and him breaking my heart.”