The Last Man

by Cheryl Dragon

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  The Last Man

  Copyright © 2012 by Cheryl Dragon

  ISBN: 978-1-61333-383-9

  Cover art by Tibbs Design

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

  Look for us online at:

  www.decadentpublishing.com

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  The Last Man

  A 1Night Stand Story

  By

  Cheryl Dragon

  Chapter One

  Jeffery Ellison found the right gate and spotted his favorite lady already settled and waiting for their flight from Atlanta to Vegas. Her hair, always in a neat braid tucked in at the nape of her neck, made him crazy to touch her skin. A well put together black woman, she had sharp eyes that missed nothing and a lovely complexion with red undertones that deepened in the heat of their legal wrangling. In the last six months, they’d faced off regularly in the family court system. They were both headed to a conference on the topic.

  Sitting next to her, he smiled and inspected her travel outfit. Black jeans and white blouse with black pumps. She rarely lost the professional veneer, no matter how hard he tried to get to know Ms. Monica Collins. With no work distracting him today, he gave in and admired her as a woman. Lust and desire bubbled up, but he couldn’t let her see him staring at her curves.

  “Morning,” he said.

  “Good morning.” She glanced over him quickly.

  “I hate flying. Need to be comfortable.” Jeans and gym shoes with a T-shirt that advertised Holly’s Tavern were perfect for travel. Something they had in common—the tavern was where the winner bought the loser of their latest case a drink.

  “I’m comfortable enough. No one to impress on a plane. I just hate excess luggage.” She nodded and patted her carry-on.

  “See how compatible we are? Why check a bag for a weekend trip?” He planned to get more than a conference out of this weekend. He was getting time away with his fantasy woman and he believed she wanted more, too. Not that his plan required a lot of clothing.

  “Exactly. It’s a one-day conference tomorrow and the red eye back. Today is just a little tourist stuff after the flight.” She set her smartphone down on her purse. “I’m going to get a bottle of water. Watch my stuff, please?”

  “Sure.”

  She grabbed money from her wallet and walked away. He shook his head. The woman could argue rounds with him on a case, and then they were simply colleagues again. Not overly friendly but never rude. She walked the fine line between being professional and personal. He couldn’t believe she didn’t feel the spark. A few judges had teased him about it, but he’d been shut down at every attempt to get closer to her. His invitation to dance at the charity ball they’d attended for an Atlanta children’s fund had resulted in an uncomfortable no. The night wasn’t a total loss, though. They’d both won raffle prizes—dates from the 1Night Stand matchmaker service.

  He believed Judge Monroe had set up the winners in hopes they were one another’s perfect match. The old guy had worked the family court in Atlanta for decades and nudged him to make a move at every chance. But Jeff knew Monica better—if he pushed too hard, she’d shut down.

  Her phone rang. Her mom’s ringtone. Monica lived with her mother and niece, who she was helping to raise with only occasional visits from her sister. At thirty-two, Monica could afford her own place, but since her mother had helped her so much through law school, they shared a joint venture. Their closeness made him miss his own mother in Cleveland.

  Glancing in her purse, he saw her boarding pass tucked next to a discreet card for Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand service. Positive Judge Monroe had set them up with their prizes, it relieved Jeff that she had gone through all the work filling out the forms. Her mother had been at the charity function and was thrilled she’d won the matchmaking prize and wouldn’t let her out of it. If he wasn’t her ultimate fantasy, he’d live with it. The card had them at a private dinner in one of the best hotels in Vegas.

  Her phone stopped ringing and his started—the same ringtone. He grinned. “Hi, Mrs. Collins, how are you today?”

  “Oh, just fine, Jeffery. Is Moni there? She made it to the airport, didn’t she?”

  “Yep, just went for a bottle of water. I’ll have her call you back. Everything okay?”

  “Sure. How about you? You eating okay? Come by if you need a good home-cooked meal.” She sounded concerned like he was her kid.

  Monica sat back down.

  “I eat plenty but nothing homemade. Be careful, I might have to take you up on that.”

  Monica’s eyes lit up, and she grabbed her phone. She held out her hand for his.

  “Monica is back. Here you go,” he said with a shrug as if he didn’t know why her mother had called him.

  She glared, hating when she forgot to carry her phone on her. “Hi Mom, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, dear. Did you leave the cash for Lela’s field trip to the museum?”

  “On the counter, under the cookie jar.” She’d had to leave early for the best flight.

  “It’s not here, but your sister dropped in. You know she can’t resist money sitting out,” Mom replied. Chaos never took a vacation with family like her sister and niece.

  “Okay, there’s extra in my room. In my closet, shoebox for pink pumps. It’s under the shoes. Don’t let her in there. She thinks anything lying around is for her.” Monica could do without her sister dropping in and out as needed, but it’d tear her mother up if she didn’t.

  “Got it, sweetie. Thanks! Now you just have fun with that nice man. I’ll see you Monday.”

  Handing back Jeffery’s phone, she eyed the tall guy who acted like a stray cat—always around her and her family as if he didn’t have a home. He had blue eye, short brown hair, and a friendly smile. If he wasn’t so confident and good looking, she’d like the tall white man more. His strong shoulders always looked so inviting, and he filled out a pair of pants very nicely. They fought well as part of their j
obs, but he hadn’t been a jerk to her yet. Men showed their true colors eventually, but Jeff tormented her with the potential of being a good and attractive man.

  “Why does my mother have your cell phone number?”

  He chuckled, his blue eyes sparkling. “I gave it to her at the charity ball. You brought her. Judge Monroe had you cornered, talking your ear off about something so I kept her company.”

  “You must be hard up if you’re giving a fifty-five-year old woman your number.” She shook her head. He wasn’t hard up. Women flirted with him all the time.

  “I gave her my card and told if she needed anything, I’m around.” He shrugged. Monica glared at him like she did when her sister asked for money. “What? You and I end up on the same case time after time. We’re the best. Three out of five workdays, you’re stuck with me. If your phone dies or gets lost, anyone can get to you by calling me. No big deal. If your car dies and you need a ride, I’m not far. Seriously, it’s not a federal case.”

  “Who asked you to get involved? I can take care of my family.” She hated that he was right and so willing to help. They worked well together, and she didn’t want to lose that by making things personal between them.

  “Maybe its guilt?” He leaned back in the chair.

  “Guilt?” She didn’t need his guilt. Bad enough she had dirty dreams about him at night, and then had to argue with him all day. Now he went out of his way being nice to her family.

  “I moved down here. My mom is still up in Cleveland. She wants to be near my siblings because they have kids. The grandma card wins. They keep an eye on her, but I feel bad. If you want me to stay out of your business, fine.” He slid his phone in his pocket. “The minutes are free.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t need things to get complicated. I can handle it.” He excelled at that. Being a decent guy and pissing her off because she expected him to be a jerk like all the others. Why did he have to push her buttons so much?

  “I know you can. Just because we’re on opposite sides of a case, it doesn’t mean we’re enemies. If your mom or niece needs to find you, it doesn’t mean you’re not handling it.” He patted her hand.

  She nodded and ignored the spark of his touch. Pulling away, she checked her phone for any other calls. Silently, she thanked God for that door prize. She needed a one-night stand to get over this fantasy. Dating a white man would create a bit of drama she didn’t need. It might not be a big deal in Atlanta, with strangers, but some family members weren’t as open.

  She needed to get it out of her system and see what happened. Then convince Mom—who made her approval of Jeff as a mate for her daughter clear—that he was the last man Moni needed to become involved with. Tonight, a fancy dinner and non-stop sex. Scratch the itch, and Jeffery wouldn’t be invading her dreams anymore. Men had been nothing but trouble her whole life. Dad wasn’t around anymore. Her niece’s father hadn’t been heard from once the pregnancy test turned up positive. Moni herself came close to marriage in college with another law student, but in the end, he couldn’t handle his woman competing with him.

  Jeffery didn’t seem threatened at all. They both fought for the best deal, the best for their clients, and if there were kids involved, they both worked for their best interest. She actually liked working cases with him because he put kids first. Of course, when they did pro bono work, he pissed her off. He pushed for father visitation regardless of their payment history on child support.

  Legally, the position proved valid, but the men didn’t pay their share yet could face their kids? No responsibility. No child support had ever flowed to her family, so it all fell to her mother. Children’s needs weren’t reduced because their dad failed to provide more than sperm.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She shook off the internal argument. “Fine. Just trying to decide what to see tonight. I’ve never been to Vegas.”

  “I can show you around. Lots of great stuff to see. I had my brother’s bachelor party there, even came out early to plan stuff.”

  “Not really interested in strip clubs or bars.” She shook her head.

  He laughed. “Believe me, there are plenty of nice things to see. Your mother would approve.”

  She folded her arms over her chest. Spending the day with him tempted her deeply but she couldn’t give in too quickly or he’d catch on. “Like what?”

  “Will you just trust me? It’ll be fun.”

  Part of her wanted to say no. She could wander around on her own, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been alone. House full of life. Job full of drama. His being around put her at ease, which was rare with a man. “Fine. Dazzle me.”

  Chapter Two

  He stared at Monica as she dozed. She’d slept most of the flight. She’d probably been up late making sure the family would be okay. He’d overheard her juggling household stuff enough at work. It was her particular role. Madame Eve had been good enough to upgrade them to first class. Monica sipped one drink—her usual limit—had a snack, and napped.

  Being with her felt so easy when she wasn’t fighting things. She kept a wall around her when it came to men and rarely dated. That wall wasn’t the same as her professional veneer, but unlike most men looking for fun, he saw through both. Experiencing how much she cared about kids with feuding parents connected with him on their first case. They both had a soft spot for the kids. The idea of her as a mother turned him on, if the children were his. No other woman triggered those images in his mind.

  Judge Monroe had politely informed him he’d never seen Monica date much. Jeff suspected that men had let her down, and it had kept him from pushing too hard with her. If the relationship failed, she’d pull away, and he’d never see her again. That’s how she was; all or nothing. Finally, he would get an answer on this trip. He had no doubts—if she’d try, it would work.

  She shifted in her sleep, and her head rested on his shoulder. The spark of protective male hormones mixed with raw sexual desire made it hard not to kiss her. Instead, he inhaled her scent while trying not to wake her. Their flight cruised along perfectly until the pilot announced their descent. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up straight. “Sorry. You should’ve woken me.”

  “Why? You obviously needed some sleep.” And he’d liked the feeling of her so close.

  Her eyes locked with his as the plane began the dip toward Sin City. Reflexively, she grabbed his hand and closed her eyes. He squeezed back reassuringly. He hated the hassle of travel but she really didn’t like it. She stayed frozen until the plane stopped at the gate.

  “I hate flying. Why can’t they do this in Atlanta?” She let go of him and rolled the tension from her neck.

  “Maybe next year it’ll be within driving distance.”

  He helped her with her carry-ons and led the way to the cab stand. The bells and chimes of slot machines filled the air. She took everything in as he glanced at his phone. No calls.

  “You offered to be my tour guide. So what’s the plan?” she asked with a hint of flirtation.

  “Check in at the hotel. Then we can grab some lunch and start the fun. The buffet in the hotel sounds amazing. I’m starved.” Madame Eve had made the reservations and nothing less than the top of the line would do. Hopefully he wasn’t misreading Monica’s friendlier inclination to him.

  She nodded. “Me, too. I couldn’t eat before the flight. Buffet sounds good.”

  He smiled and looked around as they stood in line for a cab. She seemed content allowing him to handle things. They could easily be a married couple for all anyone else knew. It felt right and he hoped she sensed it, too. Some women needed to compete or show they didn’t need a man. Monica had her own style of strength and while she was quiet, he loved that she never tried to hide her femininity.

  “So where are we going after lunch?” she asked.

  He leaned in and whispered, “It’s a surprise.”

  She folded her arms in annoyance. He knew that posture well. “Fine. Just no
Elvis impersonators or silly shows.”

  “I think I know you better than that, Monica.” He took her bag and handed it to the cab driver as the attendant opened the door for her.

  Alone in her room, Monica unpacked quickly. She’d picked out a slinky peach teddy for the evening. Her mother always said the color looked good on her. Pausing as she hung it up, she frowned. She wasn’t the type to have one-night stands. Her life revolved around the law and her family. Word got around in either circle, so she had to get away if she was going to have an evening of passion that her mother and her gossipy colleagues wouldn’t find out about. Mom thought the prize was strictly a matchmaking service, but the sexual component mattered to Monica.

  Jeffery wouldn’t know. She didn’t want him to think of her like that. A good lawyer, some days he provided the only sanity in her world. Today he was just a colleague and a friend she could easily relax with, although she knew women who’d kill for such a dependable man. So why did she want to wear the teddy for him and not the sexy stranger she could forget? She did want Jeff like that, but a relationship with him could mess up so much in her life that it scared her.

  Pushing the thoughts away, she closed the closet and went into the bathroom. She touched up her makeup and checked her hair.

  Walking back to her bag, she pulled out her moisturizer and rubbed it into her hands and dry elbows. The desert air would be a pain. She was adding one more coat of lip gloss when someone knocked on the door.

  Men—always so quick to get ready. She made sure she had her phone, wallet with room key, and sunglasses in her purse then headed for the door.

  “Hi. Ready to go?” he asked when she opened the door. Jeffery’s grin seemed easier to take here. He had the skills of a gentleman.

  “Ready.” Her pulse quickened as she slung her purse on her shoulder and followed him. The man always turned her on, but normally she had work to distract her. Ignoring her desires would prove harder here.