Donut Overthink It

by Shantel Tessier

  I snort, trying to ignore that feeling causing my thighs to tighten. He’s just fucking with me. Just like when he saw me staring at him in the elevator mirror door. Just like he did last night at the restaurant. He wants me to quit, and I refuse to let him win. I must stay strong. He thinks every woman wants him, and I hate that he’s right.

  The man knows he’s gorgeous. Hell, he dates women who look like supermodels. I’m not his type. And I just think he’s a fucking prick. Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Hadley!

  “What?” he asks, sitting back in his seat. “I’m not good enough for you? Got some guy who is your little bitch boy who waits on you hand and foot? It sure as hell wasn’t that idiot you were with last night.”

  “What and who I do is none of your business,” I snap.

  “But you can talk about my relations?”

  “Relations?” I say open mouthed. “You parade women through here all the time like little trophies, and don’t act like you don’t know it.” I shut my mouth because I sound like a jealous bitch. But I am. Fuck, how I am. And his smug smile tells me he’s thinking the same thing.

  I stand at the front of the office by Millie’s desk. She reads over some paperwork, and her eyes look up as she trails off. I follow her line of sight to see a woman with brown get off the elevator. She has a white dress on that shows off more than she should on a Monday afternoon. I can almost see her pussy and the top has a plunging neckline, showing off her giant tits that look brand spanking new.

  She walks right past the desk. “Miss ..?” Millie calls out, but she ignores her as she walks over to Mr. Kyle’s office and enters like she owns the place.

  “Who the hell was that?” I ask after she closes the door once inside.

  Millie sighs readjusting her glasses. “I have no clue. She must be new …”

  Just then, the door to his office opens, and we both turn to see the brunette walk out with my boss’s arm wrapped around her narrow waist. They walk right over to us, and the brunette narrows her brown eyes on me. I give her my condescending smile.

  “Hadley, hold my calls. I’m eating out for lunch.”

  I snort and mumble, “Sure, you are.” He’ll be eating something, and by the look of her dress, I know what that something will be.

  But I say, “Yes, sir,” with a nod.

  Then he walks her over to the elevator, and I watch with a look of longing on my face when he slides his hand down to her ass and squeezes it as if it belongs to him.

  “Does that bother you, Miss Burns?” he asks, bringing me back to the present. I hate how he says my name because it gives me goosebumps. “That they’re the ones on my arm?” I go to open my mouth, but he continues. “Or down on their knees?”

  I choke on air at that statement. How many times have I dreamed of being on my knees and having him look down at me as I make him moan? Too many times to count. Too many fantasies to remember.

  He just gives me that smug smile that I wanna slap off his face. “Don’t act so prudish, Miss Burns. I highly doubt you’re a virgin. Inexperienced maybe, but not an innocent …”

  I stand from my chair, and it rolls backward on the tiled floor from my force, finally pushing me too far. “Why you son of a …”

  The elevator outside the glass walls of the conference room dings, and his head snaps in that direction.

  “Are you expecting someone?” I ask, wondering if it’s his brother or father. They sometimes work late as well. These Kyle men live for their jobs.

  “No,” he responds as he stands, much slower than I did.

  Before I can make a move, the door slides open and two police officers walk out dressed in blue uniforms.

  AIDEN

  I exit the conference room to greet the officers, forgetting our conversation. I wanted to piss her off. I wanted her to finally find her nerve, open her mouth, and tell me off like she did this morning in my penthouse. I thought her bitchy attitude would piss me off. Instead, it just turned me on more.

  “Good evening, officers. What can I do for you?” They both ignore me as they slide their eyes to the left. I turn to see Hadley now standing beside me.

  The officer to the right steps forward. “Are you Hadley Burns, ma’am?”

  “Yes,” she answers slowly. “Is everything okay?”

  The officer reaches behind his back, and I hear the sound of the handcuffs before he brings them around to the front. “Miss Burns, you are under arrest …”

  “What?” she squeaks.

  “Wait a minute,” I start to say, but he interrupts me.

  “Turn around and place your hands behind your back,” he orders her.

  “What is this pertaining to?” I demand, squaring my shoulders.

  They continue to ignore me as if I’m not even here.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong,” she says, shaking her head. “This has to be a mistake.” She takes a step back from them.

  The officer reaches her and grabs her by the arm. He yanks her forward and spins her around.

  I go to step toward them, but the other officer steps in front of me. “Sir, let us handle it,” he says, placing his hand on my chest.

  “You have the right to remain silent—”

  “I didn’t do anything,” she shouts, interrupting him. He goes to cuff her, and she yanks her arm out of his hold. Before she can get away, he grabs her by the upper arm and yanks her to the right, then slams her face down on Millie’s desk.

  “Hey!” I shout as she lets out a cry from his force. He then presses his hips into her ass to keep her against the desk, and my blood boils at the position he has her in.

  The other officer shoves me backward when I go to step forward. Then I hear the cuffs click into place.

  “What did I do?” she asks as she starts to panic.

  “You are under arrest for prostitution,” he informs her.

  “What?” she shrieks. “No. No. No.” She shakes her head quickly as he pulls her to stand. “I didn’t do anything …”

  “I wanna see your warrant,” I demand.

  “Don’t need one, sir,” the officer answers.

  My jaw tightens because he is right. He doesn’t need one.

  I try to get around the officer, but he won’t budge. And if I touch him, he’ll take me to jail too. These cops aren’t playing fair. I can tell by the way they’re manhandling her. Fuck, she can’t weigh more than a hundred and twenty pounds. Not like she can take them.

  “Hadley.” I say her name, and she looks up at me. It’s the first time I’ve ever said her first name out loud, and I love the way it sounds. But I hate the circumstances that it was said in. I wanted the first time for her to be in my bed. He starts dragging her toward the elevator. “Don’t say a word.”

  “But I didn’t …”

  “Don’t say a fucking word!” I snap, and she closes her mouth. The other officer finally walks away from me toward the elevator as well. They get on and the moment the door closes, I pull out my phone to make a call.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  HADLEY

  “I DIDN’T DO IT,” I CRY AS I STAND IN the elevator. My hands cuffed behind my back. The metal digs into my skin, and I can’t help but wiggle my wrists.

  The two officers that just came into my work don’t say a word to me and just look straight ahead at the closed elevator doors. My heart pounds in my chest, and my throat tightens.

  I know Mr. Kyle told me to keep my mouth shut, but I can’t. “How did you know I was at work?” I try a different approach. It doesn’t work. Had they gone to my apartment first?

  The elevator comes to a stop, and I stand there as they move forward. I can’t do it. I can’t will my legs to move. They feel like they’re cemented to the floor.

  The bigger man who threw me down on the desk, grabs my upper arm and yanks me forward. “Please …” I beg as my legs threaten to give out. They may have to carry me.

  “Miss Burns?” The security guy at the front desk looks at me with his brows pul
led together, and I open my mouth to ask him to help me, but I close it. It won’t do me any good.

  Tears run down my face, and my body starts to physically shake as they open the rear door to the police car that waits for us curbside.

  They all but shove me in and then fasten my seat belt. The seats are so small. The space so tight. My arms fall into the cutouts that rest behind me, and I struggle harder in the cuffs.

  They slam the door, and I let out a sob that I can’t hold back as they talk among themselves.

  This can’t be happening. I didn’t do it! I’m not a prostitute. They have the wrong person.

  The officer falls into the driver seat. “I can prove I’m innocent,” I say, and he snorts. “I can,” I all but shout frantically. “Bank statements. You can go through mine.” If I was a prostitute, then I’d have proof of money being deposited. There’s always a trail.”

  He goes back to ignoring me as he throws the car in drive and pulls away from the curb.

  I want to scream. Kick the seat in front of me. Throw a fucking fit like a child who had her favorite toy taken away.

  I catch sight of Aiden’s bright red Lamborghini pulling out of the parking garage, and I close my eyes as a tear rolls down my face. I probably just lost my job on top of everything else.

  Thirty minutes later, I stand next to an officer who has a tight grip on my right upper arm with my hands still cuffed behind my back. They act like I’m gonna climb them like a spider monkey or something.

  I look around the busy precinct. Everyone ignores me. The bigger officer was pulled to another room the moment we walked in, and he deposited me here with a don’t go anywhere growl.

  Another man came to stand over me as if I was gonna make a mad dash for it. Like I’m a fucking magician and could remove these cuffs with an invisible key.

  “Where is she?”

  I look up when I hear his voice. “She hasn’t been booked.” An officer I have never seen tells my boss as he stands by the entrance wearing a scowl on his face.

  “Then release her to me!” he orders, and my heart starts to race.

  Release me? Can it be that easy? What did he do to get me out?

  As if he senses me, he looks to his right and meets my eyes. He narrows them on me. I immediately go to take a step toward him, but the hand on my upper arm prevents me from moving.

  Mr. Kyle pulls his cell out of his pocket and hands it to the officer. I can tell by the way the officer’s body stiffens that it’s not good. Moments later, Mr. Kyle’s eyes land on mine once again, and I look away. Shame and embarrassment take over me.

  The officer comes up to us and speaks softly to the one holding my arm. “You can’t be serious,” he hisses, and then his fingers dig into my skin. I bite my lip to keep from crying out from the pain. “Un-fucking-believable,” he growls before shoving me forward. I let out a yelp in surprise before he steps behind me and undoes the cuffs.

  I start to rub my wrists, looking down at the floor when I see a pair of black shiny shoes step in front of me. I hold in a sigh of relief knowing that it’s Mr. Kyle. “Let’s go, Miss Burns,” he says before turning and walking away.

  With my head down in shame, I follow my boss out of the Chicago police station while tears blur my vision.

  AIDEN

  I drive through the night to her apartment with a silent Hadley sitting beside me. She hasn’t said a word to me since I picked her up at the police station. The one call I made worked in my favor. Thankfully, someone owed me a favor. I didn’t plan on cashing it in so soon, but I didn’t have a choice. I wasn’t gonna let them arrest her.

  They didn’t even book her. I met them at the station, and once I arrived, they released her from the cuffs and sent her on her way. But I have a feeling that’s not the end of it. Police don’t like to be told what to do, and they were pissed about the phone call they received to let her go. Now it doesn’t matter if she’s innocent.

  We pull up to her apartment building, and she hasn’t even asked me how I know where she lives. I come to a stop next to her black Audi. I put my car in park, and she just sits there. Her face down, hair shielding those beautiful blue eyes from me. Her hands in her lap, and she sniffs. I watch as she runs her fingers over the red marks the handcuffs have left, and my teeth grind in anger. I hate that two men had her in such a vulnerable state.

  Taking a deep, calming breath, I ask, “Did they hurt you?”

  “I didn’t do it.” She finally speaks softly, ignoring my question.

  “I believe you,” I say without thought.

  Slowly, she lifts her head to look at me, and a tear runs down her already wet cheek. “What did you do to get it taken care of?” she asks.

  “I made a phone call.”

  “And?”

  I sigh. “I have to make another call in the morning to have the charges dropped, but that doesn’t mean you’re free and clear.”

  She nods once. “What now?”

  What now is the million-dollar question. “You tell me what happened.”

  “How much?”

  I frown. “How much?”

  “How much money do you want?” Her voice is soft.

  “I don’t want your money.” I know what she makes. And although it’s nice, it’s not enough to afford me. Not unless she has a trust fund, but I highly doubt that.

  She frowns. “Then what do you want?”

  I think about her question, and a smile spreads across my face. This is my chance. I know for her, this is a low, but for me, it’s a high. I’ve never been one to miss an opportunity, and this is one if I’ve ever seen. “I want you,” I say simply.

  She rolls her eyes. “Not this again. I’m not in the mood to banter with you, sir …”

  I reach out and pull her across the center console. She sucks in a breath as her watery blue eyes land on mine. I reach my free hand up and wipe the wetness away with my thumb on her cheek. She lets out a shaky breath. “Mr. Kyle …”

  The way she breathes my name has my cock hardening. “I want you. All of you. One night. My way.” Her lips thin, and her eyes narrow on me.

  “You think I’m guilty,” she growls.

  I shake my head. “No …”

  “Yes, you do. You think I’m no better than those whores you take to bed, and that I’ll spread my legs for you to save my own ass,” she shouts, pulling away from me, and I allow it.

  I think she’s better than that. It’s me who is the whore. She was right earlier when she said I parade women around like fucking trophies. But what she doesn’t know is that I did it on purpose. I wanted to make her jealous. And it worked. “That is my payment, Miss Burns. Take it or leave it.” Which we both know is a lie. I’ve already made the call. I should have made the offer before I ever had the chance to call, but the circumstances wouldn’t allow it.

  She yanks on the door handle and shoves it open with her heel and then jumps out. Bending over into the car, she growls, “Go to hell, Mr. Kyle,” then she slams it shut.

  CHAPTER NINE

  HADLEY

  I WANT YOU. ALL OF YOU. ONE NIGHT. MY WAY.

  His words have my body shaking with anger. How dare he think he can use me like that! Who the hell does he think he is? I almost roll my eyes at that question. He’s Aiden Kyle, hotshot criminal defense attorney who gets any woman he wants. And I hate that although I told him to go to hell, my heart sped up knowing he wanted me.

  Me!

  What the hell would he do with me? What would I do with him? He was right when he said that I was innocent. I lost my virginity when I was nineteen in college to a mathlete. It was the slowest five minutes of my life in his dorm while his roommate slept in the bed next to us.

  I had placed his pillow over my face to keep from screaming from the pain of it being my first time, and he wasn’t big by any means. It took me another six months to get up the courage to try it again with my lab partner who wasn’t any better than the math geek. And let’s just say that my sex life never
got much better than that.

  I never was one of those girls who went to parties and hooked up with random men. And then there was Randy. I dated him for two years. He was an accountant. Yep, he was as boring as the rest. But I found that I liked boring. They didn’t grope me in the kitchen or try to hump me the moment I changed into a nightgown before crawling into bed.

  I never looked at myself as a sexual woman. I never really had the urge to pull a man’s pants down and pleasure him. Not until I got hired on as Mr. Kyle’s assistant.

  I run into my apartment and slam my door shut. Falling down to the floor, I pull my knees to my chest and cry.

  I was arrested! And for prostitution, of all things.

  What the actual fuck? I’ve never had sex for money.

  Losing my job would have been easier than the position he offered me. He wants to fuck me. That’s what he said men like him do, right? Fuck!

  And although I’ve thought of the guy a hundred times, I don’t plan to actually sleep with him.

  Do I have a choice?

  Of course, I do! There is always a way out. I just have to think about it.

  My phone goes off in my purse. I dig it out to see I have a message from Nate.

  Nate: Is Saturday night good for you? My mother has plans Friday night.

  What the fuck? I let out a scream as I bang the back of my head against the front door. The instant headache I get tells me how stupid that was.

  I pull myself up off the floor and drag my ass to my bathroom. I need a bath. I smell like a criminal.

  Climbing into the warm water helps my sore body. I don’t know why, but my body feels like it’s been through the wringer.

  I drop my hands into the water and hiss in a breath as it stings where the handcuffs were on my wrists. They had them on really tight.

  Closing my eyes, all I see is Aiden standing there at the police station to bail me out. And wondering why the hell he did it in the first place.