No one needs an interpreter to figure out what I mean by complete and total dick in that scenario.
A-plus performance, Honey Dewberry. Marilyn Monroe herself would be proud.
I perk up and give him a sardonic smile.
“Then of course I could phrase it another way which has an altogether different connotation.” I once again look Todd dead in the eye, narrowing my eyes with contempt. “Complete. And total. Dick.” The disdain in my voice is so thick I can practically cut it with a knife.
Todd is red-faced. His friend to the right just looks on in awe, no doubt still wondering how one phrase can be so versatile.
The one with the darkest hair has an amused but subtle appreciation. He even lifts his glass slightly toward me.
My face brightens into my usual dazzling smile and sparkling eyes: no offense meant!
“See? It’s simply a matter of how you say a thing!”
“Yeah well, I didn’t come here tonight to debate semantics with some—”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I interrupt before he can finish his thought and spur me to do something worse than bruise his ego. “You just seemed like the type who could handle it.”
“Honey, you alright?” Giuseppe comes up behind me.
His eyes are pinned on Todd as he hands me a flute of champagne.
“Oh yes,” I say with a reassuring smile as I take it. “These gentlemen and I were just having a minor debate on semantics.”
Giuseppe looks from me to them, then back to me. “Three against one, that hardly seems fair.” I see the tiny grin on his lips and know exactly what he’s saying.
I feel my heart do a little backflip and meet his with a tiny grin of my own.
We both turn back to the trio, who look even more disgruntled.
“It was so nice meeting you…sweetheart,” I say, pouring that Georgia girl on nice and thick.
“You too, honey,” he says with a humorless smirk.
“That’s my name, don’t wear it out,” I sing in a taunting voice as Giuseppe leads me away. A wee bit immature but I’m kinda feelin’ myself.
I want to laugh at the sudden confusion that comes to Todd’s face as he wonders if Honey is really my name.
That felt good, all the more so since Giuseppe seemed to have the same assessment of the trio as I do.
“Sorry you had to deal with them.”
“Nonsense, I can certainly handle myself around a couple of…” I pause, wondering how to put it in the most diplomatic way. These are still the people he works with, after all.
“Shitheads,” Giuseppe finishes for me, making me laugh. “Don’t worry, not everyone I work with is as bad as they are.”
“Oh, and I was having so much fun,” I pout.
Giuseppe laughs.
Yes, I’ve totally got this.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Giuseppe
Based on the faces of Todd & Co. Honey must have worked some serious voodoo on them. I only hate that I had to miss most of it.
“We can find our tables if you’d like to sit.”
“As you are wont to say, ‘nonsense’,” she says, giving me a daring smile. “We both know the point of this thing is to schmooze, and you certainly didn’t bring me to play window dressing. So let’s schmooze.”
Before I can say another word, she has me circling the room.
Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, she seems to bring color everywhere we go. There isn’t a person she passes that doesn’t get a vivacious smile and enthusiastic greeting, leaving them starstruck with bewilderment.
“How do you do it?” I ask in wonder. The thought of being so social is enough to have me wanting to be shipwrecked on a deserted island.
“One thing I’ve learned about people is that everyone likes to feel acknowledged and appreciated. I have yet to meet the person who pooh-poohs an enthusiastic greeting. We all want to feel special,” she says looking around as she sips her champagne.
I could kiss her right now and not give a damn what anyone here thinks.
Honey’s eyes fall on someone past my shoulder.
“He looks important,” she says, gesturing with her glass.
I turn to see Doug Hancock and his wife chatting with David Winters.
“They’re both senior partners.”
“Well, well, well,” Honey says, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Time for me to do a little song and dance, no?”
She leads the way before I can say anything.
I brace myself, instinctively slipping into “Jesse” mode as though I’m at work, which technically I am.
“Jesse,” Doug says, considering me with a politely indulgent smile. His eyes slide to Honey and, after a brief flicker of surprise, no doubt at the fact that she’s black, they settle with interest. “I see you brought a date.”
“Doug, this is—”
“Albertha,” Honey says, daintily reaching a hand out. “Albertha Dixon.”
I give her a quick look, but her attention is firmly on Doug.
“Pleasure to meet, you Albertha,” he says, briefly taking hold of her fingers.
“The pleasure’s mine, I’m sure,” she says with a conspiratorial smile.
A slow grin spreads his lips, one I don’t particularly like.
“Oh what a gorgeous pattern on your dress!” Honey gushes as she quickly shifts her attention to his wife. “It works well with the color, especially in this lighting, enough to bring out how pretty your eyes are.”
Doug’s wife is practically giggling, though she’s well past the schoolgirl age. “How sweet of you to notice.”
They both offer light laughs and chitchat, which Honey guides along with ease. She turns her attention over to David, working the same magic on him and his wife.
Somehow she also manages to work me into a short conversation with all of them, something that would never happen if left to my own devices.
I can practically see the likelihood of partner inching closer and closer as the minutes tick by.
When we finally escape, I’m left just as hypnotized by Honey’s charms as they were.
“I think you may have singlehandedly secured my future at ABC.”
She beams at me. “Hopefully that’s at least good for another glass of champagne.”
“Your wish is my command,” I say in a low, seductive voice.
She laughs and squeezes my arm as we head toward the bar.
“Do you enjoy working at ABC?” she asks as we walk.
“It isn’t a matter of enjoyment,” I say with a shrug. “It’s a job. There are parts I enjoy, like working on contracts, and parts I’d rather skip.”
“Like this?” she says with a laugh.
“Only with the wrong date.”
“And I am…?” she leads with a teasing smile.
I stop and come around to face her, staring down at her with absolute awe. “Perfect.”
The smile fades under whatever spell I’ve managed to cast on her.
“You don’t have to change, not for me. Not your name or what you wear, Honey.”
Her lips part, but I see the hesitation, wondering if it would be appropriate to kiss.
I reassure her with my lips.
Right about now, I couldn’t give even half a damn about anyone at ABC. My entire universe is wrapped up in the woman I’m kissing.
“Well, you two certainly seem to be enjoying yourselves.”
I recognize the voice. Of course, I do.
Honey goes taut against me.
I growl in protest before reluctantly pulling away to face the one woman who inadvertently made this night happen.
I suppose I at least have Emily to thank for that.
She’s in a long, black sleeveless gown so similar to Honey’s one might be inclined to think it was planned if observing the four of us from a distance. Emily’s falls in straight, severe lines, giving off an aggressive vibe to Honey’s, which caresses her curves in a more flirtatious way.
The
man standing next to Emily is anything but put out, in fact amused in the face of his date’s obvious irritation.
He must be Tyler. He doesn’t look at all like I thought he would. His hair is a little too long in a decidedly non-corporate way. Even the tuxedo Emily no doubt forced him to put on seems incongruous with everything else about him. His demeanor is easy-going, the kind that is more than happy to see how the wind blows rather than take hold of it and drive it in the direction he wishes.
In other words, Emily’s exact opposite.
Her eyes remain focused on Honey for a long moment, sizing her up before she slides them to me.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your date, Jesse?”
“It’s Giuseppe,” I correct.
She blinks in surprise, even though my voice wasn’t curt or aggressive, simply matter-of-fact.
“And this is Honey, Honey Dewberry.”
The way the sides of her mouth hitch up into a subtle smirk grates on me.
“You must be Emily,” Honey says next to me, as gracious as Jackie Kennedy in the role of First Lady. “Giuseppe has told me so much about you.”
“Has he?” Emily raises one challenging eyebrow as she stares at me, she shifts her gaze back to Honey. “That’s funny, he hasn’t mentioned you at all.”
If I was still interested in the original plan of making her jealous, this would be working like magic. Emily might as well be green with envy as she stares at Honey.
Now, I just realize what a bitch she is.
“Well,” Honey turns to me with an amused look. “We only recently decided to become something more than neighbors.”
Emily scrutinizes Honey, and I can read her putting her together with that pink feather on my collar.
“As you know, Giuseppe and I dated during law school,” Emily says with a light laugh. “If I hadn’t moved to D.C. we would probably be married by now.”
Honey turns to her with a mildly incredulous look, casting a quick peek to Tyler and back again.
Even I’m surprised at how tactless Emily is being in front of her boyfriend, and I’m about as tactless as they come.
“And you are?” Honey says, addressing him with a gracious smile.
Emily at least has the decency to seem embarrassed at her insensitivity.
“Obviously the plan B, Tyler Atkins,” he says with good humor as he answers Honey. He chuckles and reaches out a hand to me. “Good to finally meet you, ah, Giuseppe, right?”
“Right. Good to meet you too,” I say, shaking it. “Emily tells me you work from home. That must be nice.”
Emily coughs and glares at me for some reason. Apparently my attempt at small talk has opened a can of worms.
Tyler chuckles and casts a quick but amused glance at Emily. “Yeah, I stream videos while I play video games. It’s a pretty decent living and not bad for turning a hobby into a career.”
“Oh how fun!” Honey says, resting a hand on his arm. “Isn’t it nice making money doing something you love?”
His smile broadens. “It is.”
“It’s surprising how much people make playing for a living,” Emily says, sounding less than impressed.
Tyler turns to face her, still with good humor. “It’s…been a source of contention between Emily and me, let’s just say.”
Emily swivels her head to give him an incensed look. He just shrugs and takes a sip from his bottle of beer.
“The course of true love never did run smooth,” Honey says in a sympathetic tone.
Emily gives her a patronizing look. “Heaven help us if we have to rely on James Joyce for relationship advice.”
“I’m pretty sure it was Shakespeare,” Honey says.
I feel a smile tug at one side of my mouth, but when I turn to face Honey there’s no hint of sarcasm or pretension coloring her expression.
My smile fades as I realize what a genuine person she is. Rare in my experience, or maybe it’s just my chosen occupation.
Or perhaps too much influence from the woman I spent three years dating.
I turn back to find Emily’s patronizing gaze is practically boring a hole in Honey. “I took at least a few literature classes at Harvard. I think I know my Joyce from my Shakespeare.”
I have no idea which of the two wrote the quote but right now I know which of these two women I should be embarrassed about ever having had an interest in.
It suddenly hits me what it was really like dating Emily in law school. All those moments I thought she was helping me rid the aura of blue-collar New Jersey among certain types, she was really just nitpicking and belittling and nagging. I thought she was someone who could lift me up, when really she just tore me down.
She’s a bully.
“You know what? You’re probably right,” Honey says in a conceding tone.
I turn to look at her again.
She slides her eyes up to me and that same unspoken, conspiratorial communication we shared as I came to rescue her from Todd passes between us.
I wrap one arm around Honey’s waist and draw her near as I turn to face Emily and Tyler.
“I was just on my way to get her more champagne. It was nice to meet you Tyler.”
“You too, man,” he says with an easy smile.
I cast one look at Emily, seeing her as she really is for the first time. “Emily.”
She inhales and her mouth parts as though she wants to say something. Her eyes fall on Honey and my hand resting on her hip and she remains quiet.
I spin Honey around and continue towards the bar.
“It was Shakespeare, wasn’t it?” I say, looking ahead.
“Mmm-hmm,” Honey confirms.
“Why didn’t you correct her?” I ask, turning to study her.
“I didn’t want to embarrass her in front of her boyfriend. I have a feeling that seeming intelligent is important to her. My ego didn’t need the boost of being correct. No need to make his night any worse by ruining her mood.”
I stop walking and spin to stand in front of her.
“What?” Honey asks with a hesitant smile.
“I can think of a better place to get a bottle of champagne.”
She looks around the room then back to me with a quizzical look. “Where?”
“We are in a hotel. What do ya say we ditch this joint and get a room for the night?”
She laughs. “They haven’t even served dinner yet. Won’t you get into trouble?”
“Pretty sure a swanky place like The Plaza has room service. As for getting into trouble,” I lean in and grin. “That’s the point.”
Honey’s eyes dance with excitement. “Then lead the way, Giuseppe.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Honey
The room at The Plaza Hotel is certainly fancy enough, but I’m not all that interested in the decor.
Not when I have such a delight for the senses pressed into my back as he walks us both inside and kicks the door closed behind us. We get all the way to the window, which looks out onto Central Park—I don’t want to know how much this room cost, which is good since Giuseppe refused to tell me. The park is nothing but a pool of darkness, trails of dotted lights, the only witness to what we’re doing.
I twist around and look up at Giuseppe with a smile.
“So, are we going to do dinner or dessert first?”
“As far as I’m concerned, you’re the whole damn menu.”
Hungry as he is, he wastes no time getting his fill.
I’m just as peckish myself.
Our lips collide, while our hands do the dirty business of ridding us of unwanted obstacles.
The bowtie is flung in the air.
His shirt is practically ripped open, a button or two springing free.
The white dress is a pool at my feet.
A moment taken to admire my pink strapless bra and thong. After all, I didn’t completely lose myself for tonight.
Pants, unzipped and shoved down his legs.
Bobby pins pluc
ked free as I reach up to shake my short bob loose.
Shoes are unbuckled and untied and swiftly kicked off.
When we’re down to nothing but our underwear, we slow down, realizing we have all the time in the world.
Or at least until checkout time tomorrow.
“Mmm, you still taste like champagne,” Giuseppe says against my lips. “Remind me to order more when we’re done.”
“No thinking so far ahead,” I say between kisses as I walk him back toward the bed. “I’m still enjoying the moment.”
“So let’s make it last,” he says, twisting around so that I’m the one backed into the bed.
Giuseppe slowly lowers me back, his lips still pressed into mine, until he’s lying on top of me.
My legs gradually come up around him. With the heels of my feet and insistent hands, I lower his underwear, getting a nice feel of his hard ass while I do.
Giuseppe growls a laugh against my lips, but his hands are no less busy, tugging at my underwear.
We disentangle long enough to rid ourselves of the final bits before crashing together again.
Now, we’re fast and eager. He twists me onto my back, his hands lacing into mine as he presses them into the bed above my head. His knees spread wide, forcing my legs open to accommodate him.
“Yeah,” I breathe, welcoming him in.
When he plunges into me, my body bucks with appreciation. He rises up, his hands still pressed into mine as he works his hips.
He hasn’t bothered to remove his glasses yet and this fascinating mix of Clark Kent and Superman drives me positively wild. The two sides of him coming together to completely overtake me.
I bring my legs up higher, wanting to feel even more of his cock inside of me as he works it in and out in some sensuous rhythm that has me going dizzy with desire. Just the feel of it, so big and…filling. I doubt even kryptonite could weaken him.
The broad muscles of his shoulders and arms flex with the weight he holds up and the force he uses to fuck me senseless. My eyes wander across his chest and firm stomach, the visual delight almost as stimulating as what he thrusts in and out of me.
What a man…what mighty good man.
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