by Jolie Day
She blushed and continued her walk around the penthouse. By the time I opened the second bottle of wine and we’d finished another round of small talk, she was sitting so close to me on my leather sofa that she was practically on my lap, grinding against me. Her dress had slid up her legs, revealing her black silk garters. That was a surprise and sexy as fuck.
“I feel like I’ve talked about myself all night.” She stroked my arm with her nails, peering at me beneath thick black lashes, a wanton expression reflecting in her gaze. “Tell me more about you. What about your family? Do they live in New York?”
I took a sip from my glass. “Sure do. We’re all close. I have a younger brother. Miles. We both work at our father’s real estate company.”
Her eyes widened before she sat up with a gasp, her tits “accidentally” brushing my arm. “Oh, my God. Humphries. You’re…that Humphries? In real estate?”
Here we go. I donned my best humble smile. “You’ve heard of us?”
She made a point to move a few inches closer, trailing her fingers from my arm down to my leg. “Of course I have. Your company is legendary. Hasn’t it been featured in Forbes quite a few times?”
“I was actually on the cover once.” I shrugged like it was no big deal.
All bets were off. Now that she realized who I was, and money and power were involved, she was determined to dig her claws in deep and have me inside her even deeper. Between that and the jazz music, she was about to make an effort at giving me the best sex of my life.
Hell, I didn’t have a problem with that.
I wasn’t a total asshole when it came to women. I was a ladies’ man. I’d gotten used to being the center of attention since high school. I’d spent many nights with beautiful women, but I always made sure they’d left happy and satisfied. Sure, someday in the distant future, I hoped I’d end up as one half of a happily old married couple like my parents. But I didn’t plan on giving up my life for that anytime soon. Few things compared to the high of making out with a sexy woman like Nadine and coaxing her into my bed. It was almost as exhilarating as rock climbing or skydiving or gunning down the highway on my bike, which were other steady habits of mine. I’d always been an adrenaline junky.
Our eyes locked, and I went in for the kill. The kiss quickly turned into her straddling me on the couch while I ran my hands up and down her smooth, tanned thighs. She tilted her head to the side with a challenging grin, removed my hands, dropped to the floor, and knelt in front of me.
She eyed me with hunger and unzipped my fly, and I lifted my hips as Nadine yanked my pants and boxers down over my hips. I spread my arms over the back of the couch and leaned back, letting her believe she was in control. She shot me a sexy smile, and I watched as she wrapped her hands around me.
Just when she started to slide her mouth down my raging length, I heard the damn phone ring.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Fuck. I never let a call go unanswered this time of night—it could be a work emergency. With millions of dollars hanging on the line every day, it was a sacrifice I had to make. Besides, I knew Nadine wasn’t going anywhere.
I just had to do my best not to let it sound too obvious.
I picked up.
“Yeah?” Nadine sucked me like a lollipop she couldn’t get enough of, and my shoulders relaxed. Holy fuck.
Somewhere, a woman’s voice started ranting and raving. Something about a dog and curtains. It sounded important, whatever it was. But who fucking cares about curtains? Nadine picked up the pace. Damn, this girl knew how to play the clarinet. I was barely able to focus enough to realize that the voice on the line belonged to Laney.
“Laney?” I asked to be sure. And to act like I was listening while my eyes practically rolled into the back of my head.
I didn’t really catch what she said, and it was getting harder to hide the pauses in my voice while Nadine continued to slowly run her tongue up and up and…
“Princess Bubbles? Ohh…okay?” I grunted.
Laney kept talking as Nadine slid me deep into her mouth. Deep enough that I moaned despite my best efforts.
“Oh, my God.”
I heard Laney’s reply on the other end. “I know! It’s crazy, right?”
I didn’t know what was crazy or what I was doing on the phone anymore. “What? Laney? Sorry…Can I call you back?” And as much potential as there was for it to be hot, in the back of my mind, I knew it was fucked up talking to one of my oldest female friends while being busy. Who would have known Nadine had such talent? Whatever Laney had going on tonight would have to wait. Oh, fuck, that move right there was awesome. I was about to explode.
Laney spouted off something, but I only made out the words “stay” and “your place.”
Nadine moved faster, and I groaned even louder than before. “My place? Oh, yeah. Oh, fuck…yeah. You know you’re always welcome…any…time, Laney.”
Another string of mindless words flew out of my mouth. I hung up and tossed the phone to the side.
“Everything all right?” Nadine sat up, wiping her mouth.
Everything was all right until you stopped. “Huh? Oh, yeah. Everything’s fine. Just an old family friend. Nowhere near as important as what’s happening right here, right now, with you.”
She smiled and climbed back on my lap, sucking my bottom lip into her mouth. We made out for several minutes before I stood and wrapped her legs around my waist, carrying her into my bedroom. I took my time undressing her after shucking off my own clothing and tossing them to the floor.
Nadine yanked me to the bed. “I want you. Now.”
Who was I to say no to a beautiful woman? I had no problem with returning the favor from the couch later.
“As you wish.” I smirked, and after rolling a condom on, I positioned myself at her slick entrance. But just as I was about to inch into her, a loud knock sounded at my front door.
Knock. Knock.
I let out a frustrated growl. “Ahhh, fuck.”
Nadine was starting to look impatient as she stared back at me with eyes full of lust and need.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I decided the knock could wait. I was busy. But the moment I went back to concentrate on what we were doing, the knock got even louder.
Loud enough to cause concern.
Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Dammit!” I rumbled, finally climbing off the bed.
I grabbed a towel and quickly wrapped it around my waist before flinging the door open. “What is it?”
Laney was standing there, a shocked and confused expression on her face.
“Laney? What are you doing here?”
Her brows wrinkled as she looked me up and down.
I suddenly felt exposed in nothing but the white towel around my waist, barely masking the obvious tent I was pitching underneath it. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice that not-so-small detail and just pushed past me into the apartment.
“What do you mean what am I doing here?” she asked. “Did you hit your head? We just talked on the phone like twenty-five minutes ago. You told me I could stay here.”
“Ah. That’s what that was all about.” I sighed, raking a hand over my face.
“Oliver? Baby?” Nadine called out from the bedroom. “Everything all right?”
“Yeah! It’s fine. I just…have company!”
“Company?” she shrieked.
I could hear the distinct frantic shuffle of her gathering her clothes to put them back on her perfectly naked body, that would soon be walking out my door. Great. There goes my chance at sliding into something wet and waiting.
“Oh.” Laney glanced around awkwardly. “Am I…interrupting something?”
Laney had managed to interrupt us not once, but twice. And the second time was apparently going to evolve from an interruption to an all-out showstopper. “Uh, don’t worry about it. What’s going on? Are you all right?”
“I’m such an idiot, Oliver.” Her shoulders dropp
ed. “I didn’t know you were…I thought you were drunk. I’ll just…go.”
“No, wait. Why do you need a place to stay?” I hated to give up my shot at Nadine, but I wondered what was going on, why Laney was acting so strange. It wasn’t typical “Laney behavior” to just show up, even if all hell had broken loose. I wouldn’t send her away. Nadine would have to wait. My dick wanted to punch me in the face, but the old boy would just have to sit this one out. Laney was more important than getting laid. Fuck.
“Didn’t you hear anything I said on the phone?” She dropped her bag to the floor, cutting her gaze toward my bedroom. “There was a fire in my apartment! Everything’s destroyed!”
“What? Oh, shit.” Man, I felt like an asshole. “That’s what that was all about? Why don’t you take a seat and calm down? Want a beer or something stronger?”
I almost didn’t notice Nadine storming past me, her tits bouncing in anger. She kept her jacket and purse clutched tight under one arm, her come-plow-me heels dangling by the straps of her fingers. She was obviously in a hurry to get the hell out of my place.
“I’ll call you.” I managed to say just before the door slammed shut.
3
Oliver
I looked back to Laney who was staring at the door with a wounded expression on her face. Why was she upset? Was she still comparing herself to thinner girls? No. She couldn’t be. The way I’d seen her transform into this confident woman was amazing. She didn’t take shit from anybody anymore. The days of my protecting her were long over. I’d always thought Laney was attractive with her long brown hair and bright green eyes. She still wore glasses at times, usually when her hair was pinned to the top of her head in a messy bun.
But that wasn’t the look she sported tonight—tonight, she was gorgeous, with her hair down in spiraling waves, and wearing makeup. To me, she didn’t need to—she looked nice without it. Laney was pretty in her own way, beautiful with her natural curves. Back then, though, she didn’t see it, regardless of how many times I told her.
I pretended not to notice the way she stared enviously at every girl she’d ever seen me with. Maybe it was because I cared too much about her to see her hurt. I’d only wished she could see herself the way I, and many other men did. She just never noticed it, always keeping her head down and concentrating on work. That’s why I continued to bug the shit out of her about going out with me and my friends so she could let her hair down, see what others saw in her. But, she almost always refused.
“I really didn’t mean to ruin your night.” Her face was filled with remorse and a little embarrassment.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Your apartment just burned down. You don’t need to worry about my night being ruined. Yours has been much worse, and of course you can stay here.” I moved forward to hug her, but suddenly became all too aware of the fact I was still wearing nothing but a towel around my waist, and not a large one at that.
“Just, uh…Yeah, let me wash up real quick. Make yourself at home. Help yourself to anything you want in the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”
I ducked into my bedroom, cutting through to the master bathroom so I could wash my hands, splash some water on my face and my junk.
Did I regret not getting to bust a nut in Nadine? Of course. Would I jerk off later in my room to some naughty pics of her? One hundred percent, yes.
But there was something to be said about my friendship with Laney. Regardless of what happened in her life, if she needed me, I’d be there for her. Laney was the only female friend I’d ever been able to keep around—I’d do anything for her, and she’d do anything for me. Plain and simple. There wasn’t any kind of drama bullshit tied to our relationship—not like you’d expect from most women. She was my best friend. She came first. Period.
When I was done cleaning up, I threw on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt and went out to find Laney in the kitchen hunting through my cabinets. “Whatchya looking for?”
She spun around with a look of desperation. “Red wine. Or Vodka?”
I smirked, pulling out two glasses along with a bottle of Belvedere, pouring us each a hefty amount.
“Not so much.” She held up her hand. “I have to work in the morning.”
“What? No. That’s absurd. Your place just burned down with everything in it! You can’t just turn around and go to work tomorrow like nothing happened. Take a couple days off. You need it.”
She nodded, and I could tell everything was still sinking in.
“I guess you’re right. I can use the time to find a new place. Well, that and new clothes, and every other essential. Underwear, pajamas, shoes, clothes for work…and about a million other things, like a toothbrush and a hair dryer!”
I handed her the drink, narrowing my eyes at her. “I know it’s a lot, but don’t freak out. I can give you something to sleep in for tonight. I’m sure I have a pair of shorts and a comfy T-shirt that’ll fit you. Just stay here.”
“No, no, I—”
“It’s closer to your work anyway, and I’ve got three extra bedrooms. Take your pick.”
“No, really, thank you. I’ve already imposed enough by ruining your, um…date, or whatever that was. I don’t want to force myself on you any longer than one night. Two—tops.”
“I’m not asking. I’m insisting. Please. I’ve got plenty of room, Laney, and I want to make sure you’re taken care of. You’re staying here until everything gets sorted out with your apartment, and that’s final.”
“But it’ll probably be two or three months. Maybe even longer before they finish renovating my apartment.”
I shrugged. “Works for me.”
A relieved smile flashed across her face. “I’ll think about it. Thank you, Oliver.”
I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her in close for a hug. She leaned into me, a little closer than I’d expected, and I caught a whiff of her berry-scented shampoo. I loved the way women’s shampoo smelled. But I couldn’t blame her for clinging to me and hugged her a little tighter. She’d had a terrible day. One for the books.
“Are you okay? Sorry I was so distracted on the phone earlier.”
“No worries,” she grumbled as we walked over to sit on the couch. “I’m fine. I was working when it happened…of course, like always.”
“Well, hey,” I said, nudging her arm, “at least now you can officially say that working your ass off all the time saved your life.”
We laughed for a moment, trying to lighten the mood. But I had a startling thought. My smile faded. “Laney, what about that box of your mom’s stuff?”
Since we’d been kids, I’d known about Laney’s box of memories she kept of her mom. Little things like ticket stubs or photos—any memento she had from the short time when her mother was still alive.
“It’s at my dad’s.” She blew out a long breath. “Thank God. I knew it would be safe there, so I asked him to store it for me. I don’t know what I would have done if I lost that, too.”
I nodded. “I bet your dad flipped out when you told him.” Mr. Carter had always been overprotective of his only daughter. I couldn’t blame the guy. After his wife died, Laney was all he had left.
“No, I haven’t told him yet.” She bit her lip the way she always did when she was nervous about something. “I came straight here. I’ll deal with him tomorrow after I’ve had a chance to process.”
We sat and talked until our glasses were empty. But I got the feeling that Laney was still too upset to go to bed. I went to my room and grabbed her something more comfortable to change into.
“Want to watch a movie?” I asked as I laid the clothes out on the couch next to her.
“Only if you let me pick. I mean it. Don’t put anything on. I’ll do it when I get back!” she commanded with a laugh as she rushed into the bathroom to change. It was good to see her smiling. That was another thing I liked about Laney. She was so resilient. Plenty of other women I knew would have been a sobbing, hysterical mess in her shoes right now. But not
her.
When Laney walked back into the living room, I couldn’t help but notice she wasn’t wearing a bra. I could see her nipples pressing against the fabric of my borrowed T-shirt, and I swallowed, clearing my throat, and mentally shaking myself. This was Laney, for Christ’s sake.
She placed her folded clothes on the chair and eyed the TV to make sure I hadn’t changed the channel. I tossed over the remote as soon as she curled back up on the couch, and that’s when I saw the smooth expanse of her muscular legs.
I smiled. “Perfect. You’ll pick some boring old science documentary that’ll have me snoozing like a baby in no time. Putting you in charge of the TV is just like taking a sedative.”
“I wish it felt that way to me.” She sank down against the cushion, pulling a blanket around her.
We were only kidding, but I could see how stressed she was, still reeling from everything that had happened. I reached out and placed my hand on top of hers. “Hey. You sure you’re okay?”
She swallowed hard with a brief pause. “Yeah.” She shrugged. “I’m fine. Or at least I will be. Still just a little shaken up is all. No need to worry about me.”
“I won’t as long as you take me up on my offer to stay. Come on. You don’t need anything else to worry about while you’re applying for your PhD program. And it’d give you a chance to save up some money—you know I won’t charge you rent.”
“I said I’ll think about it,” she groaned, obviously not in the mood to talk about the subject anymore.
“Laney, I know how important getting your PhD is to you.” I squeezed her hand. “And your work. You’re always trying to power through like everything’s fine, but…give yourself some time to regroup and focus on what’s important to you. Let me help you with that.”
She offered a sincere smile, seeming to take what I was saying more seriously this time. “Thanks, Oliver.”
“You know I’ve always got your back.”
“I know. Maybe I can use this opportunity to hassle you about your work the same way I used to give you crap about your homework,” she teased.
