by Katy Kaylee
I still wasn’t sure if I could trust Jax. The flirting in the office made me suspect he had ulterior motives behind his accolades. I wanted the truth, not a bunch of fluffy, sweet words that were meant as a way to get me in bed.
“I loved it. It’s good. All of your ideas were really good,” she assured me.
“Thank you.”
“Are you doing anything tonight after work?” she asked.
Three invitations in one day was a new record for me. I had never been a social butterfly and wasn’t familiar with the steady stream of invites. Out of the three of them, Carolina was my first choice to hang out with. “I’m not. What’d you have in mind?”
“We could grab some dinner and I could tell you about all the hot spots in the city as well as how to stay on Jax’s good side.” She grinned.
I laughed. “Does he have a good side?”
She giggled. “Actually, I’m guessing you might know him better than I do.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked, my smile fading.
“He told me he knew you back when, that he was good friends with your brother,” she explained.
I nodded. “Yes, that’s true. We haven’t spoken in some time.”
“Well, I think it’s time for all that to change. Do you want to?”
“What?” I asked, my mind hung up on the fact Jax had told Carolina about our past. I wondered just how much he had told her.
“Did you want to grab some dinner?”
Throwing caution to the wind and being completely spontaneous, I nodded. “Sure.”
“Great. I can pick you up after work. I’m leaving here in about ten minutes to go do some location scouting for Jax. I’ll give you my number and you can text me your address.”
She rambled it off, and I jotted it down on the notepad I kept on my desk for those random thoughts and ideas that popped into my head.
“I’m excited!” I told her.
She rose from the chair. “Me too. I’ll see you around six.”
“See you then,” I said, waving at her through the glass wall as she walked away.
I hadn’t been out with anyone in a long time. I had become a bit of a loner after the incident with Jax. I trusted few people and preferred to keep my own company. I put my focus back on my work, not wanting to take another stroll down memory lane. I had been doing that a little too much lately. I vowed to live in the present, looking forward to the future and forgetting about the past.
It was six fifteen when Carolina knocked the door of my one-bedroom apartment on the third floor of a modest building. It wasn’t fancy, but it was affordable and spacious. “You ready?” she asked.
I grabbed my purse, smoothing down the dark blue crocheted sweater I had put on over a white cami. I had put on a pair of my favorite skinny jeans and booties, looking forward to a casual night out with a friend. I was considering Carolina my friend—my first in the city.
We got into her economical Nissan Maxima as she chatted about the good weather and the impending winter. I was sure we still had a couple months before we had to worry about the cold, but she was convinced it was going to be a bad winter. I had heard the same phrase a million times throughout my life—rarely did it ever come true.
“Hells Kitchen?” I asked when she parked in front of a restaurant. “Isn’t that a TV show?”
She giggled. “Yes, but this is not that. This is Hells, as in Daniel Hells bar and grill.”
“Oh,” I said, trying to remember when I had ever eaten at a bar and grill.
She laughed again, putting her hand on my forearm. “Don’t let the name fool you. The food is heavenly.”
I grinned, appreciating her play on words and followed her inside. There were a lot of thirtysomethings sitting at the tables around the room. There was nineties music playing in the background, giving the place a cool, relaxing vibe. We found a table and were almost immediately greeted by a waiter tossing down two cardboard coasters on the table. We both ordered White Russians, surprised that we both favored the same drink.
“We have to toast,” she announced when our drinks were delivered.
“To?”
“To your marketing genius.”
I smiled. “From your lips to God’s ears.”
We clinked our glasses and sucked down the first round rather quick. “Do you know what you want to eat?”
“Are the burgers good?”
“Of course.”
She waved a hand in the air, signaling the waiter to return. We ordered our meals and another round of drinks. Suddenly, a chair was placed on the side of our table. I looked up to see Dakota looking at us and smiling.
“Dakota?” I asked with surprise.
He winked at me. “It’s cool you stood me up. Don’t feel weird.”
I didn’t know what to say. “I didn’t. I mean, I—”
“Leave her alone,” Carolina intervened. “What are you doing here?”
“I overheard you guys in the office.” He shrugged.
I hated the stupid fishbowl. It allowed for no privacy.
“And you knew to come here?” Carolina pressed.
“I knew you would come here. You always come here.”
Carolina sighed, shaking her head before looking at me. “Do you have an annoying, overbearing older brother?”
I smiled, nodding my head. “I do. In fact, my obnoxious older brother used to be best friends with our annoying boss.”
Dakota and Carolina both let out awkward, tense laughs. I realized I had overstepped a little. He was our boss, and I shouldn’t be bashing him. I had a feeling they liked the guy. They’d probably never lost their virginity to him and had him rate them as a lousy lay. That tended to sour one’s opinion of a person. I took a long drink from the glass that had been delivered at the best moment possible.
“So, how did you guys meet Jax?” I asked, hoping to turn it back to a friendly tone.
“I worked with him on a few modeling jobs,” Dakota answered.
“Really?”
He nodded his head. “Yep, until I got blacklisted and couldn’t get a job to save my life. Jax reached out to me and offered me a job in the company he was starting. I was grateful to get back in the industry, even if it was in a different capacity.”
“And I told Jax we were a package deal,” Carolina chimed in.
“And that sold him?” I asked skeptically.
She wrinkled her nose. “Not at first, but I convinced him if he was going to hire my screw-up brother, he was going to need me to keep him in line. Plus, I’m good at everything and would kick ass for him.”
I laughed. “He bought it?”
“He said he liked my spunk.”
“I hopped at the chance to work again. I’d been living off my savings, and it was drying up in a hurry. Jax came along at just the right time and saved me from a fate of being a telemarketer for the rest of my days. No one else would give me the time of day, but Jax believed in me. I owe him,” Dakota said in a serious tone.
I was surprised to hear of Jax’s magnanimous gesture. He had never struck me as generous, but maybe he had changed over the years. I hoped so. Dakota ordered a drink and some food, all of us chatting and having a good time. I liked them. They were fun and easygoing, and I was glad to be working with them.
A live band took the small stage to my right. The first strum of the guitar surprised me. “You didn’t say there was live music!” I exclaimed.
Carolina smiled. “Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sit tight. I will be back in a minute,” she said and left the table.
I turned to watch the singer belt out an old Maroon Five song, tapping my foot in time with the beat. I’d been to a few concerts, but there was something really authentic about listening to a live band in a small bar. It sparked an idea for one of the ads.
“Let’s dance,” Dakota said.
I laughed, assuming he was joking. “Yeah, right.”
“Come on, I’m serious. You’re practically dancing in your chair. If
I don’t get you on that dance floor, you’re going to be dancing on the tables,” he teased.
I realized I was bobbing around a lot and blamed it on the liquor. I felt loose and was having a good time, much better than I had expected to. “All right, let’s do this!”
I jumped up from my chair and reached out my hand to let him take it. He escorted me out onto the rather small wood floor that was designated the dance area. There were only a handful of people dancing, which would normally make me feel very apprehensive about getting my groove on, but the alcohol was working its magic.
Dakota started moving, grinding his hips and showing off his superior dance skills. His hands went low on my hips as he leaned back, moving against me. The dude was hot. He was sexy as heck, but there wasn’t that spark that I was looking for.
He stood straight and stepped close to me, pulling me in close. I immediately pushed him away, not wanting to get that up close and personal with my coworker. “I should get some water,” I told him, stepping away from him.
When I returned to the table, Carolina was just coming back from the bathroom. She looked from me to Dakota, scowling at her brother. “What’s going on?”
I put a hand to my forehead, feeling the buzz and regretting the third drink. “I should get home. I have a lot to do tomorrow. Thank you so much for bringing me out tonight. It was a blast.”
“I’ll take you home,” Dakota offered.
Carolina punched him in the arm. “Back off. No, you won’t. You are not to touch Penny,” she warned.
Dakota grinned, holding up both hands. “All right, all right. I was only offering to take her home. I was only being nice.”
Carolina frowned at him. “Sure you were. Come on, Penny, I’ll take you home.”
“But you’ve been drinking.”
She held up her half-full glass. “I had one and a half and that was an hour ago. I’m good.”
I nodded and followed her out to the car. “Thanks for everything. I really had fun.”
“You’re welcome. You’ll want to give Dakota a wide berth. He’s a bit of a ladies’ man.”
I smiled, nodding my head. “Thank you. I will.”
I didn’t tell Carolina I had no interest in Dakota. I had no interest in getting into any relationship with a man. I steered clear of them all. Ever since Jax had done what he had, I avoided men and intimate relationships like the plague. The scar was still too fresh for me to even consider getting involved with Dakota or anyone else for that matter. I wasn’t going to tell Carolina that, and I hoped Jax had spared me the embarrassment of talking about our previous relationship or the reason we no longer talked.
Knowing Jax, he probably spouted off the second I walked out of his office that first day. God knew the man didn’t know how to keep a stinkin’ secret.
9
Jax
I had been staring at the closed blinds over the wall of my office for too long. I had to blink but refused to let go of the reverie I had been lost in. Hell, I lived in that memory more than I lived in the present. Ever since she had walked through the door of my office, I had sex on the brain. Penny was haunting me.
It was amazing how much I remembered about that night considering the amount of alcohol I had consumed prior to her seeking me out, and there was no argument about that. She had gone to that party in search of me, determined to have me take her virginity. We all knew it, even if she tried to deny it later.
I had been tortured by the memory of her for too many nights. I was convinced I had the worst case of blue balls known to man. I felt heavy and swollen and in need of release. I was tired of the fantasy. I wanted the real thing. She was just down the hall. All I had to do was push the button on the little intercom system we’d had installed earlier in the week. I could ask her to come to my office to talk about the campaign.
“Fuck it,” I said, trying to tell myself that was a dangerous mistake.
I pushed the button, waiting for her to answer. “Hello?” she asked.
“Can you come in and bring me the revised campaigns?” I asked in a very professional voice.
“Um, right now?” she asked.
“Yes. Now,” I snapped, trying not to let my frustration come through in my voice, but I was frustrated. I had been for a week, and it was because of her.
“I’ll be right in.”
I sighed, leaning back in my chair and loosening my tie. I felt like it was cutting off my circulation. A minute later, there was a soft knock on the door before Penny pushed it open.
“Close it,” I snapped.
She did as I asked, moving to take the seat again. “I’ll send the revised copy.”
“Just show me on yours.”
She raised her eyebrows. I stared at her, daring her to question me. “Okay, but I could just as easily—”
“I’d like to see them now.”
She sighed, walking around my desk and putting her tablet down. I didn’t move. I made her lean close to me to pull up the images.
“This is the version with a tougher dog,” she said, pulling up the now colored ad with a version of me walking a dog through the park. The dog was wearing a spiked collar and looked completely badass.
“I love it. Absolutely perfect. I could see me doing this.”
She smiled, breathing easier as she flipped to the next page. “I’ve put you in the biker bar, listening to a live band. I envision them as a rock cover band. You’d be drinking a beer rather than a coffee.”
I nodded my head. “Good idea.”
She flipped through a few more of the revised ads. They were good, really good. She’d taken my suggestions and made them even better. I realized she was finished. I didn’t want her to leave. I scrambled, trying to think of a reason to keep her there longer.
“Any other suggestions?” she asked.
“Can we change up the font? Like a paintbrush type font or something edgier?”
She nodded. “Absolutely. Let me try something.”
She picked up her tablet, holding it in one hand while working on the screen. Her hip was inches from my face. That sweet core of hers was right there. So close, yet so far.
A knock on the door stopped me from doing anything about it. I looked up to see Dakota and wanted to throw my stapler at him. “What?”
“I’ve got the magazine photoshoot proofs for you to look over,” he said, dropping a file on my desk.
I opened it up to see the results. “Thanks.”
“Hey, glad you made it home in one piece. I had fun last night,” I heard Dakota say.
My head shot up. He sure as hell wasn’t talking to me. Penny was smiling, that smile that said they knew each other a lot better today than they had yesterday. I felt rage burning through my veins.
“Thank you. I had a lot of fun too.”
“You’re a hell of a dancer,” Dakota teased.
She giggled. “There was no way I could keep up with you. You must be a professional.”
Dakota’s easy, flirtatious laughter grated on my nerves. “I’m good at a lot of things,” he said with plenty of innuendo.
“Thank you for keeping me off the tabletops. A few White Russians in me and I lose all my inhibitions,” she laughed.
I could hear the ocean in my ears. I knew it was my blood boiling. I couldn’t believe Dakota had gone behind my back and taken her out. I was fighting the urge to knock the shit out of him and then fire him. He knew not to fuck with her, and he’d gone and done it anyway. I had told him specifically to leave her alone. I should have known he couldn’t be trusted. I should have known he wouldn’t be able to resist a woman like Penny. She was naïve, a small-town girl in the big city with a guy like Dakota Mills hitting on her. She didn’t know better—at least that’s what I wanted to believe. She’d willingly played right into his hands.
“I can’t imagine what would have happened if you would have had another,” Dakota said, the same nasty innuendo in his voice. It was more than I could take.
&nbs
p; “Get out. Get the fuck out,” I snarled.
Dakota and Penny both turned to look down at me in my chair. Penny looked horrified; Dakota looked amused. “Me?” Penny gasped.
“No. Him.”
“Gee, boss, are you all right?” Dakota asked.
“Go. Now.”
Dakota winked at Penny before walking toward the door. He stopped and turned back to look at me. “Let me know which ones you approve,” he said and closed the door behind him.
Penny was looking at me with a combination of shock and anger. “What was that about?”
I felt extremely possessive. I couldn’t ever remember coveting something as much as I did her. She was mine. “I’m surprised how quickly you succumbed to Dakota’s charms. Usually it takes at least two weeks.”
“Excuse me?” she snapped, one brow arching.
I shrugged a shoulder. “You heard me.”
“For your information, I went to dinner with Carolina. Dakota showed up, uninvited. We danced—one dance,” she said, holding up a finger.
“Whatever. I’ve seen a legion of women seduced by those bedroom eyes. He’s famous for those eyes—literally.”
“I don’t give two sticks about his eyes. I can have a friend,” she snapped, dropping her tablet on my desk. “There, check that font. I’ll do the rest of my work on my laptop.”
“Penny, don’t,” I growled, getting to my feet.
She shook her head. “No. I will not let you brand me as the office whore.”
She spun on her heel to walk away. Without thinking, my hand snaked out and grabbed her arm. I wasn’t gentle. I yanked her to me. “I’m not finished.”
Our eyes locked, our chests smashed against each other as we both stood, breathing hard. She didn’t try to get away. My eyes released hers, dropping to her mouth. The memories of the taste and feel of her lips crowded my brain.
“Fuck it,” I hissed a second before I moved my hand to the back of her head, the silky, raven strands threading though my fingers.
My mouth slammed over hers. I didn’t wait for her to give me permission to stick my tongue in her mouth. I took what I wanted. What I needed. What I had been craving like an addict denied his drug of choice. Her moan was the only approval I needed. I held her head firmly in place while my mouth ravished hers.
