The Cruel and Beautiful Series Boxset

by A. M. Hargrove

  Trevor: Hey! You here too? I’m with a friend hanging out.

  “What’s he saying?” They all want to know.

  “That he’s with a friend. You know, he seems to have a lot of those.”

  Me: Uh, I think your version of friend and hanging out and mine must be completely different.

  Trevor: Sam, I can explain.

  Me: This? I think it’s self-explanatory and I believe you and I are through.

  And I send him the picture I took. Then I get the radio silence I expected earlier.

  “So?” Lauren asks.

  I tell them and they all shake their heads.

  Berkeley is the first to say something. “Skanks. Men are all skanks.”

  And why is it okay for men to be glorified whores, but women can’t? Screw that.

  “I’m going to do it. Free my Sam Slut. I’m done with getting stepped on. It’s time Sam has some fun, too.”

  We raise our glasses and toast my momentous decision to fling my thong to the wind—or in Ben Rhoades’s face if he’ll accept it.

  Then a thought hits me. “Well, one good thing came out of this. I don’t have to go on that date with Trevor that I wasn’t looking forward to on Saturday.”

  We raise our glasses for another toast. Tomorrow may be a hangover work day. But now my big question is, how will I approach Ben. I guess I’ll have to wait and see him at his firm.

  “So, what do you think, ladies? Should I just wait until I run into Ben through work, or should I text him and ask him to get together?”

  Lauren has a sly look that sends a shiver up my neck when she says, “I have an idea.”

  Eleven

  BEN

  Work becomes my best friend as I give it my all and then some to avoid going home to an empty house. I can’t even muster the energy to hook up with anyone. But I refuse to believe Samantha has a choke hold on my dick. I’m just too busy for the complication of anonymous sex with some random female who no doubt will ultimately want more no matter what they say. Karen is proof of that.

  “Dude, some of us are going prematurely bald. And you’ll join our ranks if you keep that up.”

  I release my death grip on my hair and smooth it back. Jeff just shakes his head. “It’s one o’clock. I’m grabbing Mark to go grab a late lunch. You in?”

  “Nah. A former client of mine from J.P. Morgan Chase reached out to me. He’s not pleased with my replacement and wants me to put together a proposal for him.”

  “Sweet. What does your pops think of that?”

  I shrug. “I haven’t told him yet.”

  “Why not?”

  I shrug again. “Been a little too busy working to fill him in.”

  The truth is twofold. I want to do this without Dad’s input. I want to land this client and have the papers signed before I tell my dad about it. I need this to prove as much to myself that I can do it on my own without outside pressure. And I trust Jeff not to say anything.

  The other part is I’d gotten a call from Drew’s estate lawyer. They need me to provide them an accounting of his investments for the trust set up for Cate. The call is like a sucker punch reminding me again Drew’s gone and never fucking coming back. And it’s another good reason not to go home.

  Jeff and Mark are good guys, but they will never replace my best friend.

  Jeff nods. “We’ll grab you something.”

  “Thanks,” I say, feeling something lodge so deep in my throat I want to choke.

  I wait for him to clear my office by ten feet before I pick up the phone and dial Cate’s number.

  “Ben,” she says and I can hear the smile in her voice.

  “Do you have dinner plans?” She’s quiet, which is weird. “You there?”

  “Yes, actually I have plans tonight.”

  “It’s cool. I was just thinking …” I trail off because it isn’t right. I’m supposed to help her move on, not drag her down with my shit.

  “… about Drew,” she finishes for me.

  “Yeah,” I admit.

  Her voice cracks and Drew would kill me for ruining her mood. “I’m sorry, Cate. I shouldn’t have called you.”

  “Don’t you dare, Ben Rhoades. This is me. You’ve been there for me, I can be there for you.”

  Getting to my feet, I stand by the window and look out.

  “God, Cate, I miss him.”

  “Me too.”

  We’re quiet for a while.

  “I can cancel my plans,” she offers, ever selfless Cate.

  “No, I’ll be fine,” I lie.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m good. I’ll probably grab a late dinner and crash.” Her hesitancy makes me feel more of a shit. “It’s okay. I’ve got a lot I need to get done anyway.”

  A little more coaxing, including a bad joke that makes her laugh, gets her off the phone.

  Sorry, man, I say to myself hoping Drew hears me before I lose myself in my computer screen.

  I’m utterly immersed in work until a soft hand releases mine from my hair. Part of me knows, but can’t believe. So that’s why I end up saying, “I know, Lisa. My hair again.”

  The hand drops from mine, and I look up, but it’s not Lisa.

  “Samantha.”

  She nods, looking spooked. The way the light filters around her, she’s a vision from heaven.

  “Lisa’s a co-worker of mine. She’s always giving me hell for …,” I add, holding up my hands, not sure why I feel I need to explain myself. “Why are you here? Working on our event?”

  She holds up the basket. “I needed to return this to you.”

  I hate the feeling of disappointment that gnaws at me. I’m the one that told her I couldn’t be with her.

  “You look like you haven’t eaten,” she says.

  Her eyes hold mine and I see as much confusion as excitement.

  “Actually, I haven’t—”

  Before I can tell her that Jeff’s bringing me something, she says, “Good, I brought lunch. I thought we could talk.”

  Talk would evaporate if I allowed myself to look past her eyes at her lovely curves. “Sam, I think all that needed to be said was.”

  “How would you know until you hear me out? Plus, you need to eat if you plan to conquer the world.”

  That makes me smile as my stomach rumbles from the smells coming from the basket.

  “Fine, a quick bite,” I say.

  “Is there somewhere we can go eat?”

  I pinch my chin as the conference rooms are quickly eliminated from my mind. Then I stand, thinking of the best place to go. Glancing at my watch I see that it’s half past one, most everyone would have eaten by now.

  Taking her hand in mine, I lead her out the back door to a small patio with two picnic tables shaded by the building from the sun.

  Reluctantly, I let her hand go as she grins at me after she glances down at our clasped hands. She sets out a spread.

  “A potential catering partner brought more samples than I can possibly eat on my own. I thought I could get your take on them to help me make my decision.”

  When she takes a seat next to me, my eyes are drawn to her exposed legs from the skirt she wears. I pick up one of the finger sandwiches in order not to touch her. I bite in as she watches intently. It’s actually good, better than I thought from what was essentially a deli sandwich.

  “Good?” Sultry eyes land on mine.

  I nod. “Your turn.”

  Either I need to get laid or she is purposefully playing the sex kitten. It has to be the former because she’s made herself clear that sex isn’t on the menu for us. When she opens her mouth, I fucking almost nut in my pants imagining her mouth on me. I have to look away but end up staring at her ample cleavage. Closing my eyes, a picture of her rosy nipples all tight and wet from my tongue takes front stage behind my lids. I groan and shift in my seat to relieve the pressure.

  When I open my eyes again, she’s staring at me. “What did you think?”

 
; “Really good,” I admit.

  And I’m not sure what we’re talking about anymore. My hand scrubs through my hair because clearly I can’t even have lunch with this woman. I would bet money she’s sending me a sex vibe. And yet I know I’m wrong.

  I clear my throat and focus on the food before I say the wrong thing. Before long, I’ve polished off most of the offerings with her taking a bite here and there.

  “Looks like this company is a winner.”

  I laugh, “Either that or I was too hungry to taste anything.”

  She pulls a bag out of the basket and puts the empty containers in there. Then she hands me a Coke and takes one for herself. “I hope this is okay.”

  I glance at it. “Share a Coke with Samantha, huh?”

  She grins, forcing me to smile as my throat dries up. I want to kiss her pretty lips and I can’t. This lunch is just as frustrating as dinner was the other night. So why am I here?

  “Are you going to tell me what you wanted to talk about?” I ask before I put the bottle to my lips.

  She turns her Coke around to show me what’s written on hers. Share a Coke with Someone Naughty. “I thought you might want to tell me what’s involved with being your fuck buddy.”

  I turn my head just enough so the liquid that spews from my mouth only hits my sleeve and not her as I choke on more than the soda. Her perfect tits are practically shoved in my face as she thumps my back. I continue to cough and choke, sure I must’ve heard her wrong.

  My nose is lodged in between her breasts and she smells like wildflowers. It seems to be the balm I need to stop choking. She stills a second before her hands cup the sides of my face to dislodge me from her breasts.

  “You okay?”

  I bobblehead because words are out of reach.

  Her mouth turns into a shit-eating grin before she presses her lips to mine. There are many reasons why I shouldn’t have dove in like I would find treasure. But her taste is like a magic carpet ride that takes me out of my head and to a secret place where everything in the world is fine.

  When she pulls back, I’m the one left with uneven breaths.

  “Sam—”

  She shakes her head. “Don’t ruin this, Rhoades. I’m a big girl and I’ve done a lot of thinking. Like you said, what’s wrong with a little fun between consenting adults?”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Her spine straightens. “What makes you think you can hurt me? Cocky much? I think you should quit while you’re ahead. I’m in, only I have one condition.”

  She stands gathering the remnants of our lunch and holds out the basket to me. I slowly get to my feet, not sure I’m capable of denying any of her requests at the moment. The idea of getting inside her tight pussy makes me stupefied.

  “I can do this casual thing, but we have to be exclusive.”

  “Samantha.”

  “I mean sexually. You can go out with anyone you want, but if you’re sleeping with me, it’s only me.”

  Her request is full of holes and I know in the end she’ll want more. But my hard won control is cracking. I want to be inside her with a single-minded purpose. And she’s right. She knows what she’s offering. Still I have to ask. “Are you sure about this?”

  The smile she rewards me with is brighter than the sun. “Absolutely.” She hooks her arm in mine and starts to lead me to the back door.

  “Actually, I need to get another shirt.”

  I lead her to my car and open the trunk where I keep a change of clothes. I pull out a shirt on a hanger and place the basket in my car. When I close the trunk, she sits on it. Her brow is arched when she glances at the shirt I hold.

  Sighing, I say, “You never know when you need to see a client and you have an accident like this.” Of course, there is the other reason … if I end up at an unplanned overnight visit, but there is no way I’m copping to that.

  “So, how do we shake on this deal of ours?”

  I place my hands on either side of her. The hanger makes a clanking noise against the car. I don’t even care if I scratched something. I lean over. “With a kiss.” I press my mouth to hers. It starts out gentle until the scrape of her nails glide over my scalp. I pull back a little to say, “You look fucking amazing on my car and I’m going to have you here one day.”

  She giggles before I lean in again.

  “What if I told you I wasn’t wearing any underwear?”

  I groan and practically swallow her tongue as I grip her hips pulling her into my erection. I hear a car pull up, but I don’t care.

  “Well, I see you don’t need lunch.”

  I pull back, smoothing Sam’s skirt, afraid Jeff would get a glimpse even though she’s well covered.

  “Isn’t that the event planner?” I hear a female coworker say.

  That’s when I notice another girl getting out the other side of Jeff’s car. Mark looks sheepish as if the comment’s somehow his fault.

  “Maybe that’s how she got the job.”

  I straighten and face Lisa. “I had nothing to do with her being hired. So don’t start rumors.”

  My glare lets her know I’m not up for any bullshit about this. I never use my status as the boss’s son. But I will be damned if Sam gets a bad rap for me not being able to keep my distance from her.

  Jeff herds the group into the building.

  “I’m sorry about that.”

  Sam gives me a lackluster smile. “It’s fine. I really should go.”

  She slides off my car and I help her because I need my hands on her.

  “I won’t let your reputation get ruined for this.”

  She nods. “Maybe we should keep this out of the public eye until after.”

  Something in me wants to fight the idea. I realize I want her on my arm, but that’s foolish. She’s willing to be casual, Rhoades. Don’t blow it.

  Before she can get away, I hold her wrist. “When can I see you?”

  “Any time,” she says, finding that sexy grin to flash at me.

  “Tonight at your place?” I practically beg.

  “My roommate will be at home.”

  I forgot about that. “My place at eight.”

  “I don’t know where you live.”

  “I’ll text you.”

  Leaning in, I kiss her mouth quickly again.

  “Later.”

  As she’s walking away, I say, “And Sam?” She turns and the view of her is stunning. I have no idea how I’ll be able to get any work done for the rest of the day. “Tonight will be slow and easy for our first time. But I can’t always promise that.”

  Twelve

  SAM

  The walk to my car is torturous as thoughts of being with Ben tumble through my mind. Slow and easy tonight is what he said. With the way I’m feeling right now, we might have to see about that. Fast and furious may be on the menu for Slutty Sam. I’ve thought of nothing but him for all this time and to take it slow? What the hell is he thinking?

  By the time I walk back in my office, my phone dings with a text from Ben giving me his address. He wants to know if I need directions.

  Me: Nope. I’ve got it. I’ll use GPS. See you at 8.

  Then I decide to be cute and text him again.

  Me: And I expect you to be naked and waiting.

  I anticipate a fast response, but I get nothing but silence. After a few minutes I worry I made a huge mistake. Maybe he thinks I’m a crazy ho now. I snatch up the phone and call Berkeley, the specialist in all things slutty.

  “Wassup, my girl?”

  “I think I just did a total fuck up.” I chew my nail as I talk.

  “Spill it.”

  So I tell her and she has the extreme nerve to break my eardrum with her loud cackle of laughter.

  After she stops gasping for air, she says, “He is going to so love you. You are his dream girl. Stop worrying.”

  “Be real here. I’m dying.”

  “I am real, Slutty Sam. Now get to work and stop the angst. Wear somet
hing sexy cute tonight. You know, easy for him to take off, and you’re so in with him. I bet the dude is working with a boner.” She guffaws at her own little joke. And when I stop to think about it, maybe he is.

  “You think?”

  “I think. I gotta run. Cheers.”

  A couple minutes later, my phone dings. It’s a text from Ben.

  Ben: You do realize I’m trying to close a multi-million dollar deal here, don’t you? See you at 8. The door will be unlocked. Don’t knock. Just enter at your own risk. And I’ll be naked. Count on it.

  Oh shit! He took the bait. Naked. He’s going to be naked. My hands shake at the idea. The memory of him pushing me against the wall rips into me and my face heats.

  “Sam, you busy?”

  Shit. My admin is knocking on my office door and I’m thinking of orgasms. Pull it together, Sam.

  “Yes. I mean, no, I’m not.”

  “Are you okay? You look flushed.”

  “I’m fine. What is it?”

  “Our interview is coming in soon. I wanted to go over a few things with you.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Jesus, I’ve got to get my shit together. “Sorry. Just a little unorganized here. Can you give me five?”

  “Sure.” Nancy gives me an odd glance as she walks out. Probably because I never curse in the office and I just dropped an f-bomb on her.

  Five minutes later she comes in and we do a speed run through our interview tactics. Our prospective employee, Nick, arrives, and thank God, I’m able to focus long enough to see he would make an excellent addition to the company. I tell him to expect a call by the end of the day.

  After he leaves, Nancy and I talk and both agree I should make him the offer.

  Nancy asks, “Do you think he’s gay? It’s not that I have an issue with it, I only ask because usually you don’t see many men as event coordinators.”

  “I don’t know, nor do I care. He has the experience I’m looking for and need.”

  “Yeah, and I think he’d fit right in actually. And you could use someone with some muscle out there when you have to lug that crap around.”

  “No kidding. But don’t tell him that.” We laugh.