by Parker, Ali
I reached for her hands, about to pry them free when two more girls caught my attention. They were standing on either side of me, also dancing close.
I wasn’t going to get away from them. Fuck.
Both girls who had their hands on me tightened their grip so much it was like they freaking sensed I was trying to make a break for it. Finally, I stopped trying.
Never-fucking-mind. It was probably better that I didn’t get to the take the girl home anyway.
Chapter 7
STEPHANIE
Squeezing my way through what felt like a million people to get off the dance floor, I took a deep breath when the crowd finally deposited me near the bar. My cheeks were so hot I was pretty sure I was glowing, and it felt like oxygen wouldn’t reach my lungs.
Some of it was probably because of the crush getting off the dance floor, the rest was definitely only attributable to that guy who came to dance with me. When I looked up to see the hot guy from outside in front of me, I thought I was hallucinating. Then I remembered I hadn’t even finished my second cocktail before going out onto the floor and I wasn’t sick, so the likelihood of it being a hallucination was low.
I nearly fucking fainted when I came to that realization. He, Mr. Cool, Calm and Unaffected, came to dance with me. And then he definitely got affected. I felt his massive… affection sticking into my stomach.
He wanted me to feel it, judging by the way he hauled me up against him. Okay, hauled was a strong word. Pulled? Besides, I wasn’t objecting.
The guy was hotter up close than he had been when I saw him outside from afar. Like, next level hot. Warm, chocolatey eyes that became heated when he looked down at me. His dark hair was soft and silky when I briefly let my hands tangle into it while we were dancing. A light tan, or maybe it was just the way the lights made him look.
And his body… Jeez. When he went to the gym, he didn’t muck around like I did. Clearly. I needed an ice-cold drink, possibly followed by an ice-cold shower or a date with my trusty vibrator after that damn dance.
Weaving my way past tall, round tables and people swaying to the music as they tried to make conversation, I spotted Tiana at the bar.
She wasn’t alone. No surprise there. She was talking to a guy who looked vaguely familiar, but then the hot guy from outside also sparked some recognition. I just couldn’t place either of them.
School, probably.
Laughing her head off, Tiana was bent slightly over with one arm resting on the bar counter, while the guy she was talking to had his head thrown back and was wiping the corner of his eye.
I sidled up to them, sliding into a space next to Tiana. She turned when she saw me, catching her breath before motioning to the guy and leaning over to plug my ear with her thumb so she could talk to me.
“This is Tanner. We had English class together years ago back at NYU.”
Tanner extended a hand. His palm was slightly calloused against mine. Grinning, he leaned in as well. “Tiana was just learning English then. Man, we had some fun with her.”
“Stephanie,” I replied. “Tell me more.”
Tanner ordered a round of drinks and once they were delivered, jerked his head for us to follow him. We made our way to the back of the club, where he nodded at another beefy bouncer who dropped another velvet rope.
Off to the side of the club, behind the rope, was a lounge area. It had plush couches and beanbag chairs, and unlike in the main hubbub, you could talk in here. I could still see the main floor behind us before we set off to find a table.
Sneaking a glance over my shoulder, I saw the hot guy from earlier still on the dancefloor. He was surrounded by a pack of women. Wrapped up between three of them. That didn’t take long.
I shrugged it off. It was probably for the best. Boys like him were trouble. They were too good looking, provided excellent distractions, but them and their ding-dongs would always end up ditching. And girls like me, who had trouble with completely no strings attached sex, would always be left wondering why.
No. I had goals. I couldn’t afford any distractions right now.
Squaring my shoulders, I put him behind me and grabbed a seat with Tanner and Tiana. They were squashed up together on a loveseat, still laughing and acting like long lost BFFs.
“On our first day,” Tanner told me, a beer hanging loosely between his fingers, “Tiana here came into class and asked me if I was a douche.”
“I did not say douche.” Tiana giggled, rolling her eyes.
“Oh yeah?” Tanner raised a brow and took a pull of his beer, never breaking eye contact with her. “What did you say then?”
“I can’t remember,” she said flippantly. A flush spread on her neck, telling me she did remember, and she probably did ask him if he knew he was a douche.
Tanner’s eyes sparkled with amusement as he fought back a laugh. “You totally did, but let’s move on then. How about that class about colloquialisms? You asked the lecturer for a rubber.”
Tiana laughed and hung her head, wagging her pointer finger up and down. “Now that, I can’t deny. I did do that.”
“Do you remember when we went out for coffee and the waitress asked if we were going Dutch? You were so offended.” Tanner’s hand crept onto Tiana’s knee, and I saw him give it a squeeze.
“I thought she was insinuating I didn’t shave or something.” Tiana shrugged, pressing the corners of her lips together to keep from smiling. “You guys were really no help at all.”
“We were lots of help,” he objected, laughing again.
I sipped my drink, some fancy cocktail that tasted like cherries and a headache tomorrow morning. Pushing aside the feeling that I was intruding on a date, I narrowed my eyes at Tiana. “You have to tell me why you asked him if he was a douche?”
She flushed again, exhaling a resigned sigh. “Some guys outside told me douche meant tutor. Fucking assholes.”
Tanner laughed, draping his arm around the back of their seat. “We have those assholes to thank for a beautiful friendship.”
“If by beautiful friendship you mean a semester of you teasing me and feeding me incorrect words so I would embarrass myself, then yes. It was gorgeous.”
He lifted his shoulders and winked a green eye. “We had to liven up that class somehow. That lecturer had the most monotonous voice ever, and zero sense of humor.”
“This is true,” Tiana agreed, draining the last of her drink. “Should we go get another?”
I held my palm over my glass and shook my head. “I’m going to head out as soon as I finish my last few sips. I have a bit of a stomach ache.”
Tiana’s brow creased. “On no. You should have said something earlier. Let’s go home.”
“No. You stay,” I said immediately. Tanner looked like someone kicked his puppy as soon as Tiana said the word home. He wanted to spend more time with her. I got it. I didn’t mind going home alone. I was feeling out of place, that was all.
I wasn’t really feeling sick. “I’ll be fine again in the morning. Just too much of this sweet stuff, I think.”
Raising my glass, I nodded at it. Tiana searched my eyes, then grabbed Tanner’s beer. “Fine. As long as you promise to call me if you don’t feel better soon, and we have one last drink for your birthday.”
“It’s your birthday?” Tanner asked, jaw loosening. “Why didn’t you say anything? Hang on, we have to drink something just a little more special if we’re drinking to your birthday.”
I started to protest, but it was too late. Tanner had already flagged down a scantily clad waitress circling the lounge. He ordered something by name, but I’d never heard of it.
When the same waitress delivered three small glasses to our table, I learned they contained a top-shelf tequila. Tanner passed the shots around and raised his, smiling as warmly as though he’d known me his whole life.
“Happy birthday, Stephanie. May this year be filled with good surprises, misadventures that turn into the best memories, and world-class orgasms.”
; My cheeks grew heated at the last wish, remembering how I’d been thinking about my vibrator less than an hour ago. Though I doubted he was referring to self-induced orgasms. Tiana peeled with laughter. “I’ll drink to that.”
I nodded my agreement, more keen on the good surprises and best memories part of his birthday wish. Although, I definitely wouldn’t turn down a world-class orgasm if it came my way. “Cheers.”
We sucked back our shots in unison. Usually, tequila took my breath away and made my mouth water. This stuff went down smooth as silk. “Thank you for the drink. I’d better get going.”
“Remember, call me if you need anything,” Tiana said, standing up to hug me. “Anything at all.”
Tanner also pulled me into a quick hug, patting my back as he wished me happy birthday again. “Let me know if you want me to set you up with someone to deliver those orgasms.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Generous offer, but I’ll pass.”
He looked genuinely crestfallen at my refusal. I liked him. I hoped Tiana would keep him around for a while. I hadn’t seen her laugh the way she did with him for a long time. I could tell he used to be a good friend to her.
“Get home safe, okay?” he ordered, dragging a hand through light brown locks that fell almost to his shoulders. “Can I call you a car?”
“No. I’ll grab a cab. Thanks.” Who calls a car?
He squinted at me but nodded. “Okay. Just be safe.”
After more goodbyes and be safes, I finally managed to get away from them. As I was getting into my cab, I saw hot guy pushing his way out of the club and come in my direction. Odd.
Although, there was a line of cabs piling up behind mine. Maybe he was also headed home and not after me at all.
The cab pulled away from the curb and my gaze caught on hot guy’s as we drove past. Damn, but he looked good with his hair slightly dampened and pushed back. I waved feebly, catching him putting one hand at the back of his neck and squinting after my cab before he got swallowed up by people and darkness as we drove away.
I took a quick shower when I got home, exhausted from the week and my feet aching from the heels I wore. Pulling on a pair of underwear, I decided to skip pajamas in favor of crawling into my bed half-naked.
The stupid girdle strangled my ribs all night, and I didn’t feel like being constricted by any more items of clothing tonight. My sheets were soft from too many washes, pale moonlight and ambient lighting from the city casting shadows in my small room.
It barely fit my bed, bookshelf and dresser, but I couldn’t complain. Real estate in New York didn’t come cheaply, and our two bedroom was the best Tiana and I could afford. It’d been home for nearly a year, and we made it feel cozy enough.
Lying in my bed, I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to drag me under to the symphony of city sounds coming up from the streets below. Only, images of hot guy played behind my eyelids and refused to leave and let me succumb to sleep.
I remembered feeling his body against mine. Wondered if he looked the same after a vigorous fuck as he had when I left the club. That thought led me down the rabbit hole and landed me straight in my imagination, where he was fucking me with the same kind of sure rhythm he’d had on the dance floor.
Heat and wetness pooled between my legs. If I moved even a little, I could feel the slickness gathered there, turning me on more. My nipples pebbled, brushing against the smooth sheets. I wished they were just a little rougher. Something that would stimulate my nipples instead of just sliding over them.
My body begged for attention. I squirmed, causing the dull ache between my legs to intensify. My clit hardened, standing to attention. Begging for it. I imagined what it would feel like to have hot guy pushing inside me, his pubic bone brushing against my clit as he pounded into me.
An involuntary moan fell from my lips. The picture in my head was so vivid, almost like he was really there.
I knew he was well-endowed. I’d felt him against my stomach. I could practically feel him stretch me open, fucking me long and hard and good.
“Fuck,” I muttered. I had to stop thinking about this. I would never get to sleep otherwise. Briefly contemplating getting out my trusty vibrator after all, I decided to just roll over and get some sleep.
Tomorrow is a new day. With all the plans I had for the coming week, I better be well rested. A quick orgasm wasn’t going to satisfy this need. It would go away by tomorrow. For tonight, I just needed to focus on tomorrow and forget about fucking guys who were way out of my league.
Chapter 8
JEREMIAH
“Drive, you stupid fuck.” I slammed my palm down on the soft leather of my steering wheel, sliding it into place to lean down on the horn. My brand new Aston Martin’s horn joined in with the rest of the impatient drivers sitting in traffic.
My radio blared hard rock, drowning out the noise some. I leaned my head back on the buttery leather of the neck rest and jerked the wheel to the side. I had to get around this asshole driving like he was out for a Sunday afternoon cruise if I was ever going to get to work.
“It’s Monday fucking morning, old man,” I said, not giving a fuck that the guy who was driving was probably not even that much older than me.
Pressing down on the accelerator when I navigated to a faster-moving lane, I drove like a demon to get to work. I was late as fuck already, thanks to construction near my apartment. My morning was clogged with meetings. Neil called ten minutes ago to tell me the first guys on my calendar were already waiting.
Ain’t no rest for the wicked. I sighed, wondering if it was possible to feel this drained and frustrated before you even got to work to start the week.
My weekend started off nicely enough with the guys and dancing with that girl who, I wasn’t ashamed to admit, had already fueled a couple of my fantasies since Friday night. It went to shit after that though. First, she left, and even though I tried to stop her as soon as I spotted her making her way to the exit, she ignored me and waved goodbye from her cab.
Then Bart, Shawn and I drank too much, and I woke up with a pounding headache. At least there was no lasting damage. Nothing on social media or the front page of us drinking tequila like it was the last night the stuff would be available.
We lost Tanner early on. Apparently, he ran into some girl he knew from years ago. We stayed at the club for another few hours, then stumbled back home.
Neil called me first thing in the morning. He was unsympathetic to my hangover and informed me we had work to do. I spent the rest of the weekend working with him to get interviews scheduled for secretaries to replace Jannie today and going over some of the stuff I would need to know before I got stuck into the mall project.
The hours dragged by, and just when I thought I was finally going to get some peace and quiet, Neil left. But not before reminding me I had to get to my weekly golf game with my father and some of our investors.
Honestly, I had no clue how my father did everything he did. I got to the golf course right in the nick of time. Dad was already there, looking fresh and rested as he sipped on a Bloody Mary and held court telling stories of his early days to the men who would make him richer before the day was out.
Nothing phased him or slowed him down. The man was a machine. I knew for a fact he spent the weekend working too, yet it looked like he’d spent two weeks relaxing on a tropical island when I got to the course.
Truth be told, I’d never coveted his lifestyle. Nor the way he’d groomed Jack from an early age to take over the companies. I just wanted to sleep in, eat out on the beach and fuck the day away. That life suited me just fine.
But then Jack decided to go snowboarding. Thanks to his adventures and the death they led him too, that life of mine was gone.
I was in Jack’s place now. The only Williams boy left. It forced me to be someone I wasn’t terribly interested in being. It used to be the two of us. Back then I had a choice. Not anymore. Now, I could see the box I had to fit into and I was being shoved in fro
m all directions to just fucking fit.
Traffic got heavier the closer I got to my office. My patience was being stretched to the limit. By the time I parked my car with an echoed squeal of the tires in the cavernous parking structure at my office, I was in a piss-poor mood.
True to Neil’s word, there were people waiting on me in the conference room when the elevator doors slid open on my floor with more in the lobby. Opaque glass walls with the words Williams Inc: Executive Floors in curved metal lettering blocked off the office areas from that accessible to the public.
A round reception desk with several sleek, black couches welcomed people to our floor. Massive windows behind the desk let in loads of natural light, a fun fact I learned and didn’t give a shit about when I got the tour of the office on my first day. The windows offered an impressive view of arguably the greatest city in the world—which I did care about.
Arlene, our receptionist, pushed a pile of message cards across her desk when she heard my footsteps thud on the gleaming tiles. “Good morning, Mr. Williams. Busy day today. The phones have been ringing off the hook. These are the messages the callers specified as urgent. I’ll bring the rest by your office later. There are also—”
I held my hand out to stop her. The woman was efficient as fuck, talked a million miles an hour and thankfully, was old enough to be my grandmother. But I really wasn’t in the mood to deal with all this shit right now.
This was what secretaries were for. Oh wait, I don’t have one of those anymore.
My sarcastic thought died in my head when Arlene gave me a sympathetic smile. “It’s going to be a rough one today.”
“No shit,” I muttered, half expecting Arlene to berate me for my language. She was an institution at Williams Inc. Jack and I had grown up speaking to Arlene on the phone as the first line of defense for my father.
She ignored my remark, motioning to a few people waiting for me. “I’ll send them in as soon as you’re settled. They’ve been waiting longest.”
