“I’ll give you two some privacy,” Willow offers as she scurries towards the door. I shoot her a pleading look, but she ducks her head down and rushes down the hall.
My mother glances around at the mess of clothing and shoes and accessories strewn about the room, before she carefully tiptoes around it all and comes nearer to me, sitting cautiously on the bed beside me.
I feel nervous. I’m not in the mood to fight with her today.
And apparently, she doesn’t want to fight, either.
She stretches a small note card to me. “This woman’s been calling here all morning. She says that she’s from Joffery. She saw a video of you performing at one of Everson’s concerts. She was very impressed. She wants you to come in for an audition.”
My heart trips over itself. “An audition?”
My mother shakes her head slightly. “She said the audition is more of a formality than anything else. You’re essentially guaranteed a place in the program as soon as you’re ready.”
I can’t believe the words coming out of my mother’s mouth. I can’t believe the small smile that graces her lips as she speaks. And when she leans over and gives me a quick hug, I’m convinced that I’m hallucinating.
“Give her a call before you board your flight, Mackenzie,” my mother says softly. “And congratulations…I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks, mom.” I feel tears readying to barrel down my cheeks.
My mother eases to her feet. “Let your father know if you need a ride to the airport. He’ll have his driver come pick you up. And your siblings are coming over to say goodbye before you leave.”
I nod at her. “Yes – Madison texted me. She and Michael are already in a cab. And Matt should be here any minute now.”
My mother pauses just as she’s about to walk out the door. She seems to be debating her next words. “Mackenzie, I need you to know that I’ve been hard on you only because I love you.” Her voice is soft. This is the first time I’ve experienced empathy from her since I was a child. “I just never wanted to see you get…lost.”
Her words pull at something deep inside my chest. “I love you, too, mom,” I say slowly. “And don’t worry. I won’t get lost. In fact, I think I’ve finally found myself.”
She smiles a little, her eyes watery, as she turns and leaves out of the room.
I finish packing, my heart actually buzzing with happiness.
I practically skip-hop down the hall when I hear the doorbell. Like an overzealous child on Christmas morning, I throw the door open expecting to see my siblings standing there.
But it’s Everson, all tall and lean and British, his guitar case tucked under his arm. He gets hotter every time I see him. I didn’t even know that was possible. And did I mention that the White Hot Coals are on fire these days? Dance the Pain Away stayed at number one on the Rock charts for six weeks and the band just signed a new recording contract with the biggest record label in the country.
And, I’m lucky enough to have this hot, successful rock god all to myself.
#Winning
“Hey Babes.” He gives me his sexiest smile.
I throw my head back, laughing. “I was supposed to meet you at the airport.”
He hocks. “As if I’d let my fiancée take a cab to the airport. There’s a limousine parked on the curb, waiting for you whenever you’re ready.”
“Wow,” I breathe out. “I’m getting the star treatment today.”
“Which is exactly what you deserve.” He takes my hand and brings it to his lips for a quick kiss. My enormous, gaudy-as-hell diamond engagement ring gleams in the light.
His lips slide over mine, his fingers dive into my hair and the whole world around us fades to black.
Coming tomorrow!
Julia’s story…
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A Very Eager Intern
(The Esquire HEAT Series)
Cassie-Ann L. Miller
I feel like an absolute idiot.
As I stare down at the printout of the email I’m gripping in my hand, I decide that I’m way too embarrassed to ask the other interns for help again. By now, they probably all think that I’m a total dud. Just today, I had to ask for directions to the washroom twice.
Now, here I am, at 7:45 in the evening with this email telling me to immediately report to Liam Cartwright’s office and yet again, I have no idea where the hell that is.
“We’re taking off, Jazz. Have a good night,” Hailey Lundeen chirps as she hauls her gym bag over her shoulder, moving in the direction of the elevators.
“Bye, Jasmine. Don’t work too late your first day on the job,” Nadia Chester says with a smirk as she stuffs her sneakers into her oversized purse and follows Hailey.
Okay – it’s now or never. I have to ask for directions right this minute or spend the next 45 minutes going door-to-door looking for the lawyer that I’ve been assigned to work with this evening.
“Wait – do you guys know where Liam Cartwright’s office is?” My voice comes out in a desperate, high-pitched squeal.
The interns stop dead in their tracks. Nadia’s eyebrow shoots up and she tosses Hailey a quizzical look. The expression on Hailey’s face is one of pure surprise.
“Liam Cartwright?” Hailey asks, taking a step towards me.
I glance down at the email again. “Yes. Liam Cartwright. I searched the law firm’s website and intranet and I couldn’t even find a photo of him, let alone his office location.”
Nadia snatches the sheet of paper from me and reads it herself. “Holy shit!”
These girls are starting to make me nervous.
“Well, I heard that his office is on the 11th floor. But as far as I know, Liam Cartwright is an urban legend,” Hailey explains, “He works in seclusion. There are lots of rumors about him, but nobody really knows him. Apparently, he’s one of the founders’ sons. He usually works at our Texas office but he’s been here in New York working on a huge renewable energy deal for the past few weeks. I heard he fought in Iraq or Afghanistan and has PTSD or something. He never hangs around people. He never even meets with clients in person. I’ve never seen him, but I heard that his office is up on the 11th floor.” She’s rambling on at a mile a minute.
My stomach twists into a nervous knot. “Oh,” is all I can say as I swallow past the lump in my throat.
“I thought that the firm’s archives are stored up on the 11th floor,” Nadia remarks, “I didn’t even know we had offices up there.”
“From what I heard, Liam’s is the only one,” Hailey informs us.
Great! Just what I need on the first day of my internship here at Cartwright Moretti Stevenson – working with the boss’s traumatized, reclusive son in some deserted corner of the building.
Nadia glances at me. “Girl, good luck with that,” she says under her breath, shoving the printed email back in my direction. She tugs Hailey by the elbow. “C’mon, Hailey – we’re gonna be late for our spinning class.”
“Let me know how it goes, Jazz,” Hailey tosses over her shoulder with a concerned expression on her face as Nadia hauls her off to the elevator.
Shit!
My hands tremble nervously as I scoop up my yellow notepad and pen. My knees knock together as I wobble over to the elevator. I hit the call button and the doors open immediately. I’m awarded a few moments of privacy when the doors glide shut. I use the time to stare into the mirrored paneling on the elevator wall and give myself a pep talk.
“Jasmine Alicia Santiago – you can do this. You’re brilliant, you’re confident, you worked hard to be here,” I mutter as I look into my dark brown eyes. “You’re so charming that you were able to convince HR to hire you even though rumor has it that the firm is going through financial difficulties. You can do this – you can work with Liam Cartwright and you’ll impress his socks off.” I smooth over the fabric of my black, knee-length pencil skirt and adjust the collar of my peach blouse. I feel better, more confident until…
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The doors slide open on the 11th floor.
It’s quiet. Too quiet. The hallway is dimly lit and a bulb flickers overhead. I nearly trip over an empty janitor’s bucket sitting right next to the elevator. There’s not a soul in sight. Only piles and piles of banker’s boxes line the walls and cast shadows throughout. The sound of my three-inch pumps clicking against the dusty floors echoes through the corridor and I swear I saw a mouse scurry behind one of those damn boxes.
Finally, I come to a scuffed, dark wooden door bearing the name “Liam Cartwright” on a scrap of paper stuck to the door with masking tape. I attempt to steel my nerves despite the insistent pounding of my heart against my ribcage. I knock confidently.
“Open.” The gritty baritone carries out the door.
One deep breath later, I push past the heavy wood and am standing in a large, quaint office. The room is rather dark, illuminated only by the slivers of light penetrating between the blinds and a single Edwardian-style lamp. I can see that the heavy cedar furnishings are dated and quite dusty. My eyes sweep across the expansive room, but Liam Cartwright is nowhere in sight.
“Hello?” I squeak hoarsely.
Just then, the large crimson-colored executive chair swivels away from the bank of windows overlooking Union Square and Liam Cartwright comes into view.
He eases slowly to his feet.
He’s tall. Real tall. He hovers somewhere near six feet four inches. I can barely make out his facial features in the dim room but I note that his silky black hair falls in thick layers around his face. His dark brow casts a shadow over his cloudy gray eyes. His beard is well-groomed and emphasizes the plumpness of his full lips.
I gasp softly, admittedly taken aback by his attractiveness.
He clears his throat. “Hello.”
And just like that, my pussy quivers at the grit of his deep, raspy voice. I swallow hard, even more nervous now that I’ve actually put a face to the name, Liam Cartwright. Here I am, face to face with the man behind the mystery.
Despite his overwhelmingly powerful presence, there’s something restrained about him. Apprehensive, even. I can feel it as his eyes dart over me quickly from head to toe.
“Are you the intern?” he asks. In the dim lighting, it appears that he’s grimacing. Maybe he was expecting someone else. Someone more put together. Someone who doesn’t look so lost and disoriented.
I’m determined to prove his first impression of me wrong. “Yes. Jasmine Santiago. I’m eager to assist you, tonight, sir. With whatever you need.” Jeeze – where did that come from? I couldn’t sound more awkward if I tried.
He just stands there silently observing me for an agonizingly long moment. I feel so self-conscious. I’m suddenly painfully aware of how snug my suit jacket is. Too snug. It’s unprofessional. And my hair must be a brown, frizzy mess right now. Plus, I really think that my shoes make my ankles look fat. No. I’m positive that these shoes make my ankles look fat.
Liam finally adjusts his tie and sinks back into his seat with the grace of a panther. “Please – Sit, Ms. Santiago.” He speaks without lifting those cloudy gray eyes to mine.
I quickly sink into the patterned armchair facing his desk.
He clears his throat again as he picks up a pen sitting on his desk. “I have a pretty straightforward task for you. Our client, X.U.S. Industries, is negotiating its way out of a 20-year supply contract with West Texxoleum Oil, in favor of a shorter term contract with a renewable energy supplier out in Albany, New York. The settlement contract has already been drafted but West Texxoleum has made a few modifications. I need you to go through the new draft and highlight all the changes that West Texxoleum has made. Simple.” He taps his pen against the desk. “I’ll print out a copy of the contract for you so I can explain a few of the more important points before you begin.”
He fiddles around with the printer sitting behind his desk and gets nothing but a loud, beeping error signal in response. He sighs in frustration.
“I apologize, Ms. Santiago, but I’m having some difficulties with my printer this evening and it appears that all the workers on the firm’s tech support team have gone home for the night. If you don’t mind, I’ll move to the chair next to you and we can go over some of the finer points of the contract on my laptop.”
My breath hitches in my throat as he lifts from his seat with his laptop in hand and rounds the desk before sinking into the chair to my right. The warm, musky scent of his skin creates a force field around him and I instinctually feel my body straining towards his as he rests the computer on his lap. His body language is so natural and unassuming. It’s as though he has no idea how alluring he is.
Gosh – he must be so good in bed.
Again, I swallow hard. The contrast between his unassuming nature and his stunning good looks has me off-kilter. I would expect a man as gorgeous as Liam Cartwright to be arrogant and pompous. But, him…I don’t know…there’s something reserved about him…and it’s a major aphrodisiac.
Liam opens a file and begins explaining to me the issues to look out for in the contract at hand. His hair falls in layers around his face as he trains all of his attention on the document in front of him. I take notes as quickly as my quivering hand will allow. Things are going as well as can be expected until I look up and catch a glimpse of his supple, juicy lips.
And I find myself staring.
I know that I’m staring but I can’t stop. I can’t stop imagining how those lips would feel gliding down the sensitive skin at the back of my neck, grazing along the valley between my breasts, skimming the edge of my lace panties –
“Don’t stare at it!”
I’m jolted out of my daydream by the harsh rasp of his voice. I bring my eyes to his and see nothing but rage there. “E—excuse me?”
“Don’t stare at my scar!” he demands, his thick fingers jumping to his cheek. He quickly pushes to his feet and sets the computer down on his desk.
“I—I’m sorry. What scar?” I have no clue what he’s talking about.
“This scar!” he growls, pushing his hair off of his cheek and pointing at the patches of shiny pink scar tissue interrupting his thick beard on the left side of his face. “This ugly, hideous scar!”
Wait – That’s his secret? That’s why he hides out, far away from the world?
I can’t deny that, even in the dim lighting, the damaged flesh is visible now that his thick, hair has been pulled away from his face. But I honestly hadn’t even noticed it until he pointed it out.
“I wasn’t staring at your scar. I didn’t even notice it,” I say in a mousy voice as I recoil, slightly intimidated by his sudden outburst. I could never have imagined that this reserved man housed the potential to explode in such a manner.
“Don’t insult me,” he roars. He lowers his head and walks slowly over to the window. “I know when someone’s staring. Someone’s always staring…”
No.
No. No. No.
This is my big chance to work on a meaningful file and cement my position here as an asset to the firm so that when the approaching wave of layoffs hits, I won’t get carried out the door with the tide.
No.
I won’t let this opportunity slip through my fingers. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that Liam Cartwright doesn’t kick me off this file.
I leap to my feet and drop my notepad in my chair. I approach him tentatively. “Sir – I promise. I didn’t even notice your scar.”
He doesn’t answer. His shoulders heave harshly as he breathes ragged breaths.
“Sir – please,” I say gently, resting my fingers lightly on his arm. He flinches softly but doesn’t shrink away from my touch. “I swear. I wasn’t staring at your scar.”
He’s still facing the window, refusing to look at me. “I know – I’m hideous. Half of my face is burned off. Half of my left ear has melted away. Children cry in horror when they look at me. Adults cringe. I get it. I’m ugly.” He finally spins around to face me. He
towers over me, looking down on me with an intensity that should frighten me. Instead, it arouses me. “But, I got this scar defending our country. Fighting for our freedoms.”
His words are harsh and defensive but the vulnerability in his eyes is unmistakable. It lets me know that I can be vulnerable as well. My voice comes out soft and breathy. “I wasn’t staring at your scar…I was staring at your lips. Your beautiful lips. I was wondering what it would feel like to kiss you.”
A heavy silence settles upon us and his eyebrows crinkle as my words register in his mind. I can see the confusion on his face – it’s as if I’ve spoken to him in a language that he doesn’t even understand.
Groupie Love (A Rock Star Romance) (Love in Shades) Page 14
