It wasn’t long before she felt it, the pressure building in her stomach. She shivered, grasping at Adam’s shoulders, when he moved just right and sent her over the edge.
“Fuck, Crystal,” he bit out, stuttering in his thrust as she clamped down around him. Adam tried to hold on, but he couldn’t take it and he came, pulling out at the last possible moment.
They stayed like that for a while, Adam panting over her while Crystal regained her breathing beneath him. In the end, Adam laced their fingers together, giving her his trademark grin.
“So, my queen,” he sighed, kissing the ring on her finger. “My place? Or yours?”
Chapter 5
“Come here often?”
Crystal glanced up at the voice, surprised to find one of the college boys giving her the once over. “Uh, excuse me?” she asked, eyeing the beer cup in his hand. Was he really twenty-one?
“I asked,” the boy said, sipping on his drink. “What a pretty lady like yourself was doing in a place like this?” he gave her a cocky grin, edging closer.
“I—”
“Because she fucking owns it.”
Crystal glanced up to find Adam leaning over her shoulder, practically laying across the bar to glare at the kid.
“Oh,” the boy said, shrinking in on himself at the look on Adam’s face. “Oh, okay…”
“You see that sign?” Adam pointed above his head, and the kid looked up. “Read rule number one. You see this lady?” he put a firm hand on her shoulder. “This is who that rule applies to.”
“Sorry,” the boy said, lifting up his hands in surrender. “I just—”
“You’re damn right,” Adam interrupted again, his nostrils flaring. “Now get back to your gaming.”
The kid didn’t need to be told twice. He ran off toward the arcade games, no doubt to hide between the rows.
Crystal lifted an eyebrow. “‘Get back to your gaming?’ Seriously?”
“What?” Adam said, crossing his arms defensively. “You wanted me to kick him out?”
Crystal just rolled her eyes, leaning forward to close the distance and kiss him on the cheek. Adam turned at the last minute, earning himself one on the mouth instead.
“Got you,” he grinned.
“Yeah?” Crystal laughed.
“Of course,” he said, catching her wrist to fondle her bracelet. “And you’ve got me.”
THE END
The Weekend Fiance
The Weekend Fiancé
Chapter 1
It was with a giggle and a flop onto her bed that Joy Young answered her cellphone. “Y’ello?” she asked, her brown curls tickling her neck as she rolled onto her back.
“You’re coming tonight, right?” Chase Jones, her best friend, pleaded.
Joy snorted. “And who would I be to turn down an invitation from a Jones?” she answered sarcastically.
“Joy—”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there,” she laughed. Sitting up, she moved her phone into the cradle of her neck as she sighed at the three dresses that she’d picked out the night before. “Can’t decide on what to wear, though. None of the colors are right.” They all did a worse job than the other to hide the forty pounds that she’d gained over the summer. Still, they looked the best out of the twenty in her closet.
“Well, I’ll be wearing a blue tie,” Chase offered. It wasn’t uncommon for Joy and him to match one another at Chase’s business events. It kept the girls off of him and the security off of Joy.
“Light blue?” she asked. “Cause I only have a navy dress.”
“Oh yes, it’s a lovely shade of powder blue. Think it’s even got some glitter on it,” he drawled. “Of course it’s a dark blue. Wear the navy dress, I’m sure it’ll match me nicely.”
“Eh,” Joy looked at it. It was one of her shorter dresses, with a sash on the hip and a pleated skirt. It was appropriate, sure, but it also had a very inappropriate neckline. “Depends,” she said. “Will your Aunt Susie be there?”
“Aunt Susan,” Chase corrected, “Is in Paris this weekend. Though she did send a lovely card congratulating Jones & Sons on the merger.”
“Sweet,” Joy muttered. Then, louder, “I’ll wear it. You picking me up, or should I drop by your place?”
“Jared and I will grab you,” he said. “Five o’clock?”
“Jesus,” Joy complained. “These things start earlier every year.”
“See you at five,” Chase laughed.
“Yeah, yeah,” Joy rolled her eyes, grabbing the phone from her neck to hang up. She glanced at the time on it and raised an eyebrow. “Noon already?” That gave her four hours until Chase really showed up. Five o’clock-smive o’clock, that boy was always early.
Sure enough, Chase came calling at four-thirty. Her father let him into the house, and they did the usual chitchat until Joy finally came downstairs.
“You’re early,” she accused, slipping her black clutch under her arm to straighten his tie. “How long did you sit in your car until you decided to come inside?”
Chase shrugged, “Forty minutes, I guess.”
Joy stared at him. “You’ve been out there since before four o’clock?”
“Lovely dress,” Chase said, looking her up and down. “I can see why you asked about Aunt Susan.” Sure enough, the dress hugged her modestly in all the right places – all except for her bust. The scooped neckline dropped well below her cleavage, but just enough above her bra to still be considered decent. With a rounded stomach and bulging love handles, it gave Joy a small thrill to wear a dress that could offer such a blatant distraction from her more unfortunate features.
“Thanks,” she said with a smile. “But don’t change the subject.”
“I’m a guy,” he shrugged. “We don’t need a lot of time to get ready.”
“But you’re telling me that you had nothing better to do than sit in your car and tap your foot?” she crossed her arms. It made her blush a little to see Chase’s eyes suddenly jump back to her face at the sudden cleavage cover-up, especially since she hadn’t even realized that he had been looking.
“I got some paperwork done,” he admitted.
“Oh wow, your night is already off to a crazy start!” she teased. Then, stepping up close to link her arm through the crook of his, she sighed and said, “We’ve really got to find you a girlfriend.”
The ride to Jones & Sons was as extravagant as ever. Chase had brought the limo, and Joy took full advantage of the wine provided.
“You ever hear of this thing called moderation?” Chase asked, watching her with an amused smile as she struggled to uncork the bottle.
“You ever heard of Carpe Diem?” she asked, laughing as she finally got it open. “Here,” she said, filling up a glass to thrust it into his hands. “Drink, be merry.”
“I have to give a speech,” Chase chuckled, holding the glass like a goblet as the motions of the car ride swirled the drink for him. He breathed it in, and took a sip.
“So use this time to loosen up,” Joy grinned, pouring a glass for herself.
“Should I recite it to you?” he asked.
“Nope,” Joy shook her head. “I want to be just as surprised as everyone else when the youngest CEO to Jones & Sons delivers his words of wisdom to the troops.”
“Liar,” Chase chuckled.
“Me? Never,” she smirked, raising her cup in a small toast to her friend. “You’ll do great,” she told him.
“Sink or swim,” Chase agreed, leaning forward to clink their glasses together.
As Chase threw his drink back, Joy hesitated, wondering if she should say something. It’d only been two years since his father had passed from the cancer, when Chase had been given a choice to either sell the company that’d been in his family for generations or take it over wholeheartedly at twenty-four.
“You’ll do fine,” she said, remembering the way that his voice had shaken the night that he’d told her. “You always do.”
“I have
to,” Chase sighed, licking his lips. “Oh, whups,” he said, wiping away a stray drop of wine on his chin.
“You know how hard that would’ve been to clean if you still had that scruff?” she teased. Chase just rolled his eyes and pointed.
“I shaved it, leave me alone,” he grinned.
The last time that Joy had seen him was only a few days ago, and he’d been knee-deep in contracts and files concerning the merger between Jones & Sons and Adverticia. He hadn’t been sleeping well, and when she had come over to see her friend with bags under his eyes and a patchy scruff on his chin, she’d roasted him over it until he’d finally conceded and gone to bed. Now he was clean-shaven, his sharp jaw revealed to complete his handsome face.
“Don’t spill any on your suit,” she warned. “Next thing you know, they’ll start labeling you as a drunk.”
“In your company, I might as well be,” Chase said kindly, reaching up a hand to run through his blonde hair. Joy jumped forward and slapped him on the knuckles.
“I can see the gel in your hair from here,” she said sternly. “You touch it, and you’re going to have a nest on your head.” Which would be a real pity, since the shine of it really made his green eyes stand out.
“Okay, okay,” he surrendered, dropping his hands. “I won’t touch it, I promise.”
“Good,” Joy nodded to herself, grabbing the bottle of wine for another cup. “So, exactly how long do we have to stay at this thing, anyway?”
“Well, seeing as this is my thing,” Chase said dryly.
“Right,” she agreed. “But let’s just say that your shareholders do their thing again. You know, where they make it a not so much your thing,” she said. “And more of a their thing.”
“Then we’ll leave,” Chase said. “Happy?”
“Very,” Joy smiled, taking another sip of her cup. “You?”
“Nervous,” Chase replied honestly.
“Good,” Joy nodded. “I’ll take a shot for every time that you stutter in your speech.” When Chase just gave her a look, she said, “That way, we both suffer.”
Chapter 2
They were one of the first to arrive at the party, though that was to be expected as Chase was the CEO. Unfortunately, it was also expected for his shareholders to be there early, too.
“Chase! My dear boy,” Sebastian laughed, grabbing Chase’s hand for a shake. “I’ve only just arrived and I’m already impressed. Love the buffet – you’ve outdone yourself.”
“Yes, well,” Chase freed himself and quickly clasped his hands behind his back. “This is not only a giant merger for the firm, but a celebration of our sixtieth anniversary.”
“Ah, a man of tradition,” Sebastian poked his chest. “Your father was, too. It’s why you took over, instead of some other greedy schlub.”
“Instead of the shareholders calling for a vote, yes,” Chase agreed stiffly.
“Whatever you call it, it’s good,” Sebastian nodded. “You’ve more than proved that yourself as the right choice. Oh, excuse me,” he brushed by, his eyes set on a group of women that’d just walked in.
“Sebastian Harris,” Chase shook his head. “Always a gossip.”
Joy snorted. “Always a drunk, you mean.”
As they walked around the room, various other shareholders came up to either congratulate or give their two cents, which Chase masterfully avoided or shut down altogether. Joy stayed on his arm and stared at the latter the same condescending look that they’d been giving her all her life, and only smiled prettily when they made to leave.
“Stop that,” Chase whispered. “They’re going to bite my head off on Monday if you keep it up.”
“Oh, they already hate me,” she rolled her eyes. While her family name was one of the oldest in the city, her family’s wealth had nothing on any of the players in Chase Jones’ world. And everyone but Chase liked to remind her of it.
They wandered around the party for an hour, Chase mingling and Joy judging. By six, the place seemed to be swelling with people, and Chase had started to glance at his notecards.
“Ready?” Joy asked, walking with him toward the podium.
“As I’ll ever be,” he sighed.
“Hey, you’ve got this,” she whispered, kissing his cheek. “What’s it about, anyway?”
“Besides the merger?” Chase asked. “Teamwork.”
“Oh, good one,” Joy patted his arm. “If you can’t remember what you wrote, just wing it.”
Chase left her a few feet away from where the shareholders were gathered, and she took the time to grab a flute of champagne from the buffet. As she sipped it, her arms crossed, she watched Chase interact with the shareholders with narrowed eyes. None of those men could be trusted, not after the dozens of attempts that they’d made to overthrow Chase in his first year as acting CEO. Now it was round two, and so far Chase had been able to keep them at bay much better than the year before.
“Ladies and gentleman!” Sebastian announced, stepping up to the podium. “If we could have a moment of your time, we’d like to thank each and every one of you for coming out tonight. Chase Jones, our CEO, has a few words for you.”
Joy watched the huff of air Chase let out just before squaring his broad shoulders and marching up the three steps to the podium. She didn’t miss the way that he splayed out his notecards, or how his green eyes began flickering between them and the crowd.
“Hello,” he said, his deep voice a rumble into the microphone. “And thank you for joining us in celebration this evening.” He moved to raise a hand, his fingers inches from his hair when he suddenly stopped and dropped it to straighten his tie instead. Joy had to hold in a laugh. “This merger has been a long time coming, and it’s one that we will all benefit from—”
“Especially the loyal friends and families of Jones & Sons,” Ronald Carter, a blonde brute of a shareholder, suddenly appeared behind Chase. Patting him on the back, Ronald stepped around him and spoke directly into the mic. “This is a momentous occasion, and one that we should use to springboard our goals for the following year. Now is the time for Jones & Sons to rise up, and reach its true potential!”
Joy watched as Chase was all but booted off the stage, his original speech forgotten behind the boisterous shouts of Ronald. He slowly made his way back to Joy, the crowd patting him on the back as he walked.
“So much for teamwork,” he sighed, loosening his tie.
“You ready for a real party yet?” Joy asked gently, taking his arm. Chase glanced up at the podium, then looked away with a sigh.
“God, yes,” he said.
Joy’s idea of a good time wasn’t anything crazy, surprisingly. At twenty-five, she was tired of nightclubs with timid eighteen year olds, but she wasn’t boring enough to prefer quiet bars over loud music. Which left Social, an odd hybrid of quiet couches and loud dancefloors on the edge of the city.
They took the limo there, and Chase had it pull up just outside of the doors to ensure their entrance inside. Social did love money, after all.
“Ron’s a dick,” Joy said, using it like a mantra as she threw back shot after shot.
“Ronald,” Chase corrected her.
“He should eat a dick,” Joy said, the alcohol making her brain a little muddled. “Can’t believe he did that, stealing your stage.”
“Why? You predicted it,” Chase muttered, signaling the bartender for another round of Jameson.
“I thought that they’d try to steal all the credit, not steal your spotlight,” Joy rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, well,” Chase picked up his shot of whiskey. “Guess they had something better to talk about than teamwork.”
“You’re an idiot if you think that’s true,” Joy snorted. Throwing back another shot, she scowled, and slid off the barstool. “I’ll be right back,” she assured him, pointing to the restroom.
“Do you need me to—”
“No, no, I’m good. You stay here and save my seat,” she winked. Chase just shook his head softly
and turned back to the bar, calling for another shot.
The crowd of people dancing between Joy and the bathroom was intense. She must’ve elbowed a dozen men and pushed past just as many women before she finally made it. Sighing, she stepped into the soundproofed room and left the heavy bass behind.
Bang!
Joy nearly tripped over herself as the door to a bathroom stall flew open beside her, and a man and woman fell laughing out of it.
“No, no,” the man insisted. “The size of cats, I’m telling you!”
“No wonder you left!” the woman snickered, seizing his arm to keep herself from falling face-first into the tiled floor.
Joy rolled her eyes and tried to step around them, but the man grabbed her arm as she tried to pass. “Whoa there,” he laughed, “No ‘hello’ for me?”
“If I had to say hi to every drunk—” She paused, staring at the redhead’s face. “Jake?” she breathed.
“You know her?” the other woman drawled, blinking up at the man next to her.
“We dated,” he smirked. “Till she got fat,” he added, releasing Joy’s arm.
Joy stayed where she was, her heartbeat loud in her ears. Standing before her was a man that she’d thought she’d never have to see again: Jack King, heir to the King hotels. They’d dated for year – last year, actually, before he had called it off right before leaving to New York for an internship with one of his dad’s friends. She could still remember what he’d said to her that day.
“You understand,” he’d told her heartlessly, patting her on the shoulder when she’d started to cry. “I can’t be seen with a cow on my arm – it wouldn’t do for the image I’m trying to create. Not to mention, long distance would be an awful amount of work.” He had flown out the next morning, and Joy hadn’t heard from him since.
Until now.
“What’re you doing back here?” she asked icily, her hands balling into fists at her sides. “Couldn’t handle the big apple?” she seethed.
“Oh, the big apple loved me,” he grinned. “I just took too many bites until there was nothing left to eat, and, well, here I am.”
PARANORMAL ROMANCE: Shapeshifter Romance: The Vampire's Stolen Bride (BBW Fantasy Alpha Male Romance Books) (New Adult Vampire Fun Mature Young Adult Billionaire Steamy Love and Romance Novella) Page 39
