Aria (Corked and Tapped Book 1)

by Becca Jameson

  Aria

  Corked and Tapped, Book One

  Becca Jameson

  Copyright © 2019 by Becca Jameson

  Cover Artist: Julio Desir, Jr.

  Editor: Christa Soule

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. And resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  About the Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Author’s Note

  Also by Becca Jameson

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  I have to thank my amazing, wonderful, fabulous beta reader most extraordinaire, Susan Whitney, for all her help reading these fun novellas and helping me every step of the way!

  I also want to thank my editor, Christa, for plotting with me on every one! She rocks!

  And my daughter, Rebecca, who read each one over her summer break!

  About the Book

  “I can be Mike.” Those words, combined with his wry grin, sent a shiver down her spine. Her blind date was a no-show, but this man… Damn. If he was willing to step in, there was no way she was going to turn him down.

  Corked and Tapped: Because the best stories never start with someone eating a salad.

  Chapter 1

  As Aria stepped into Corked and Tapped, she paused a few seconds inside the front door of the bar to let her eyes adjust to the dimmer lighting.

  She glanced at her phone and saw that it was five minutes until seven. Mike had said he would meet her here at seven. She considered opening her text messages to confirm the time, but that would be extremely anal of her since she’d verified the venue and the time over and over already.

  Having adjusted to the lighting, she took a deep breath and blew it out while scanning the room. There were about a dozen people inside. Four women were sharing a booth with enough empty wine glasses on the table to indicate they had been there a while. Two men were leaning into each other at one end of the bar. Considering one of them had his hand on the other man’s thigh, Aria assumed neither was her date.

  That left a man behind the bar, two female waitresses, an older man sitting at a table staring at his phone, and a guy sitting at the opposite end of the bar from the couple. He was the only possible contender for being Mike. However, since he hadn’t glanced in her direction, she decided it was unlikely. Plus, she was early, so there was a good chance she’d arrived before her date.

  She kept her gaze on the man’s back for several seconds, waiting to see if he might look at her. He didn’t, but damn, if his front turned out to be half as good as his backside, he would be panty-melting. His ass was encased in dark jeans that hugged him perfectly. He had on a black T-shirt, but it was a designer brand and tucked into his jeans. He had a full head of hair, brown and slightly messy. Even though he wasn’t facing her, she could see his strong arm that led to a tanned masculine hand wrapped around a beer.

  She willed him to be Mike.

  Her track record with dating sites was abysmal so far. She’d been on this particular site six months. It was a new, supposedly innovative, concept where people were matched up based on what they were looking for in a partner. What it did not include was pictures. Apparently, the owners went to great lengths to ensure everyone was who they said they were, and they had photo evidence, but they didn’t share that part in the profiles.

  After two failures, Aria had intentionally vetted Mike more closely and spent the last several weeks texting back and forth to ensure a better chance at a good evening. So far, he had impressed the hell out of her. He had also made her think.

  According to his profile information, he was six foot, medium build, short dark hair, no beard, tanned skin, brown eyes. She figured that described about ten thousand people in the Atlanta area.

  One of the waitresses wandered over. “Feel free to sit wherever you want.”

  Aria smiled at the cute younger woman with the dark ponytail wearing a short black skirt and a tight black tank top that said Corked and Tapped on front in white letters. “Thanks. I’m meeting someone. I’ll probably just wait a few minutes.”

  “’Kay. I’m Jade. If you need anything, let me know. You’re welcome to wait at the bar if you want.”

  Aria nodded, considering that option. Perhaps it would ease her nerves to sit and get a drink. She turned around and looked out the front windows as Jade wandered away. People walked past the front door going in both directions, but no one came inside.

  Another glance at her phone told her it was five after seven now. Aria returned her attention to the bar. Maybe the lone guy was actually Mike. He could have easily looked her way any number of times while she was talking to Jade or had her back to him.

  Feeling a bit stupid, she forced herself to approach the stranger. The bartender was speaking to the two men at the other end when she reached her destination, so at least she didn’t have an audience. When she cleared her throat, he spun partly her direction. “Are you by any chance Mike?” God, he was better-looking when she faced him head-on. Thick hair she wanted to run her fingers through. Deep brown eyes. Dimples that made him look playful. Her mouth went dry.

  His smile broadened and his gaze roamed slowly up her body from her heels to her face. Even though it was absurd, she flushed at his scrutiny, trying not to fidget. She also felt overdressed. She wore black strappy heels and one of her standard little black dresses. Perfect for a first date and ordinarily appropriate for just about any location.

  This particular bar? Maybe. Maybe not. It was hard to determine yet if she was overdressed since there weren’t enough patrons inside.

  “I can be Mike if you want,” the man responded, one corner of his lips raising in a smirk. The corners of his eyes crinkled, and his lopsided smile sent a shiver racing up her spine. Attraction she’d never felt before slammed into her.

  She stared at him for a moment and then realized he was teasing her, so she chuckled. “I’m meeting someone,” she told him. Wish it were you.

  He lifted a brow. “And you don’t know what he looks like?”

  She shrugged. “New dating website.”

  His eyes widened further. “One without pictures?”

  She chuckled. “In theory, apparently everyone puts too much emphasis on looks. If we’d all give each other a chance without seeing pictures, we’d make better connections. Blah blah blah.” She wasn’t sure she believed all that shit herself.

  “Ah. Interesting concept. Not sure I could sign up for that.” He glanced over her shoulder. “Maybe he stood you up.” The man did not look upset by the prospect.

  She winced. “Maybe… Or maybe he got stuck in traffic.”

  “Also possible.” His smile widened. His eyes were dancing with mirth at her predicament. Finally, he shrugged. “Well, you’re welcome to have a seat here while you wait. I don’t bite. At least not unless you ask me to,” he joked.

  She rolled her eyes, but nevertheless she found the man to be harmless in spite of the cheesy line. After glancing around the room again and finding not a single person who could possibly be Mike, she decided to take this man up on his offer and slid onto the barstool next to him. Hell, as far as she
was concerned, he could bite her anywhere.

  “You can even call me Mike,” he teased again. “That way if he doesn’t show up, you could pretend I was him. Might lessen the sting of being stood up.”

  She laughed and held out a hand. “Sounds good, Mike. I’m Aria.”

  He shook her hand, his grip strong and firm. What the hell am I doing?

  Chapter 2

  The bartender wandered her direction. “Can I get you anything, ma’am?”

  “Sure. I’ll have a seltzer and lime. Thanks.”

  The bartender’s name tag read Owen. He quickly filled her glass and slid it toward her. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Mike” spoke to her again. “So, how much do you know about this Mike? These dating sites intrigue me. Do you really meet decent people through them?”

  Aria ran a finger along the condensation on the side of her glass and then met his gaze. “So far, no. I have high hopes for Mike, though.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Or maybe I was wrong.” A few more people had wandered into the bar, but none of them fit the description she had of Mike.

  It was seven fifteen now. Apparently he was a no-show. Gah.

  “How many men have you gone on blind dates with?”

  “This would have been my third.”

  “And the first two?” He spun his body to more fully face her, giving her the opportunity to really take him in. She figured he was about forty. His five o’clock shadow caught her attention, making her wonder what it might feel like against her skin. His fingers were wrapped around his glass, his thumb absently stroking the condensation on the side. She couldn’t stop herself from wishing that hand were cupping her breast, that thumb gliding over her nipple.

  Jeez, Aria. Stop it. You came here to meet another man. Even though he hadn’t shown up, she felt slightly guilty to be shifting her interest to the man next to her. A total stranger. Mike. She giggled inside.

  Why not have a little fun? This guy was at least nice, an improvement over Thing One and Thing Two. She sighed. “The first guy was too quiet. I mean, I’m not overly shy myself or anything, but I do need a bit more help than he provided holding the conversation. He answered me with one-word responses most of the night, and by the end, I was having more of a conversation with the waiter about boxing up my leftovers than I’d had with him.”

  Mike cringed. “Bummer. And the second one?”

  “He talked nonstop about himself. I wanted to run from the room within about five minutes.”

  “Yikes. Which brings us to Mike. I can’t imagine meeting up with a woman I’ve never even seen a picture of. You’re brave.”

  She sat up straighter and smoothed the hem of her skirt over her thighs, thinking she needed to say something to make herself seem less pitiful. “It’s not like I know nothing about him. We exchanged messages through the site for a few weeks and then phone numbers. We’ve been texting for a while.”

  “You haven’t spoken to him out loud?”

  “Nope.” She winced. “I decided if I’m going all-in with the app, I would treat the whole thing more like a blind date. I sound desperate, don’t I?”

  Her stand-in Mike shook his head. “Not at all. I think it’s incredibly courageous to put yourself out there like that.” He glanced down at her legs and back up. “Though I’m not sure why you need to. Why don’t you have a line of men waiting to date you?”

  She flushed as she lifted her glass to sip her sparkling water. Then she glanced around dramatically and returned her attention to him. “I don’t see you on a date this Friday night. Where is your line of women?” she teased.

  He laughed, his voice deep and sexy. “Touché.”

  She lifted a brow. “It’s early, though. Maybe you were waiting on someone or you have plans later.” She found she would be disappointed if he did. It was obvious Mike had stood her up, but this guy was friendly and fun and sexy. Flirting with him was not going to be a hardship. Though she wondered if it made her look too easy or desperate. What kind of woman meets up with another man the moment her date is a no-show?

  He shook his head. “Nope. No date tonight. I was just going to sit here and have a few beers and call it an early evening.” His huge smile made her heart race again. “Or…”

  She swallowed.

  “We could actually for real pretend I’m Mike. You’ll get the blind date you were expecting, and I won’t have to go home to an empty apartment and reruns on television.”

  She searched his face. Was he into her? He didn’t have to do this. He could have blown her off at any moment if he weren’t interested. The way he looked at her made her believe he at least found her attractive. “Hmm. Sounds like a plan I can get on board with.”

  He held her gaze for a moment, and then he reached up, smoothed a finger down her cheek, and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

  She shivered at the gentle contact as his hand trailed down the length of her long brown curls until he finally released the end. After picking up his draft beer and taking a drink, he set the glass back on the counter and met her gaze. “So, if the Mike guy you were going to meet was intriguing enough to go on a real date, tell me what I’m up against.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, fighting a grin. He was fun—sexy and fun.

  “I’ll role play. Fill his shoes. What sorts of things did he say to you in his messages and texts? Obviously you were interested. So, I’ll pretend to be him.”

  A flush raced up her face. The truth was Mike had been increasingly more forward with each conversation. He’d exuded a confidence that made her heart race. On several occasions the man had aroused her with his texts, which was saying something. It had been a while since anyone had that effect on her. Until now. Because this man was also making her heart beat faster. She was turned on.

  “Aria?” He lifted a brow, making her realize she had zoned out.

  She squirmed on the barstool and tucked her dress tighter under her thighs.

  He chuckled. “Fuck me. Did he sext you?”

  She scrunched up her face as she met his gaze, squeezing her thighs together. “Maybe?”

  His eyes twinkled with laughter. “Awesome. I can play along with that.”

  “Really. That’s a little overboard.” Then why does the suggestion alone make my panties wet?

  He shook his head rapidly. “Nope. You were expecting dirty talk. I’ve got it covered.”

  She bit her lower lip. Wasn’t this entire situation wrong on about ten different levels? She knew nothing about this man, including his real name. She looked around. Dozens more people had arrived to fill the bar. The noise level was higher. No one sat to the other side of her, so not a soul had overheard their conversation. She didn’t think anyone was paying a bit of attention to the two of them. What harm would it do to flirt with this guy?

  Maybe this would be fun. She could spend an evening with a sexy guy. Based on the intensity in the texts she’d exchanged with Mike, she’d been half hoping she might end up in bed with him tonight. She’d had a long dry spell. She felt like walking on the wild side.

  Meeting up with a man who’d sent her a bunch of risqué texts had been way out of her comfort zone. Switching to another man midstream was off the deep end. But, what the hell? She’d promised herself to give this night all she had, and if it meant letting go a little, well, then, it was just one night.

  She glanced at Stand-In Mike. Maybe she could really let loose and sleep with him. What did she have to lose? For now, all she was doing was getting to know him. It was a public place. Safe. As long as she watched that no one slipped anything into her drink.

  She chewed on her lower lip again. Flirting with Stand-In Mike was fun. If he wanted to talk dirty to her, all the better. “Okay.”

  His smile grew. “Excellent. What am I working with? Show me some of these texts.”

  Her cheeks flushed redder. Would it be wrong to show this stranger the private texts she’d exchanged with another man? Who cared? It
wasn’t as if either of them knew who this Mike guy actually was. She would never meet him after this fiasco. Hell, he hadn’t even had the balls to text her and let her know he wasn’t coming.

  Her hand was shaking a bit, but she set her purse on the bar and grabbed her phone. The last contact she’d had was with Mike, so she opened the conversation and handed it to Stand-In Mike.

  She watched his face as he quickly read through her text conversation, his thumb scrolling while his smile grew larger.

  She pursed her lips as she remembered some of the things Mike had sexted. He’d talked about how he wanted to tease her mercilessly under the table in a public place. How he intended to flatten her against a wall and kiss her senseless. How he couldn’t wait to trail his lips up her neck, driving her crazy.

  Aria held her breath as she watched Stand-In Mike read through her texts, her gaze locked on his face. He was smiling. She was way past attracted to him now. They were really going to do this thing. Pretend he was Mike. Flirt. Tease. More?

  Finally, he handed the phone back. “Damn. Now my dick is hard.”

  She put her cell back in her purse. Her panties were wet. He wasn’t kidding. This bizarre arrangement was hot.

  Chapter 3

  For a moment they stared at each other, and then Mike grabbed the underside of her barstool and hauled it closer to him, spinning it so she more fully faced him.

  Before she grasped his endgame, she found he’d situated one of his knees between hers. She bit her bottom lip hard to keep from moaning out loud at the provocative position as she stared at her thighs now spread open to accommodate his leg.