by Katie Ashley
To me, there was nothing sexier than a pair of stockings, and I was especially partial to lacy thigh-highs. Maybe it was because they ended just before a pussy. While I enjoyed sinking my teeth into the band before dragging them down a woman’s legs, I also loved the feel of the friction on my own thighs as I pounded into her.
In that moment, I imagined my tongue licking along the lacy band as I plunged two fingers deep inside her. Just before my dick started to tent my pants, Conan had to ruin my perfect fantasy by charging ahead to goose Isabel in the ass. With a shriek, she jumped out of her skin, sending plastic eggs flying into the air before raining down around her. Whirling around, she wagged a finger at Conan. “Bad, bad boy!”
“Conan, come,” I instructed.
As he trotted back over, the dog had the nerve to smirk at me, like somehow he knew, even being neutered, he had more balls than me because he’d dared to go where I only wished to go. The bastard.
With an apologetic look, I said, “Sorry. I swear I’ve been working with him on that.”
Isabel nodded. “It’s okay.”
After I instructed Conan to stay, I walked over to the table. “What’s all this?”
Isabel held up a hand. “Before you give me shit about using work time for an outside project, I’m only working on this during my lunch hour.”
I frowned at her. “I wasn’t planning on giving you a hard time. I was simply curious why the conference room was filled with plastic eggs and candy.”
“It’s for my sister’s Easter egg hunt next weekend.”
“I didn’t know your sister had children.”
A pained expression came over Isabel’s face. “She doesn’t. That’s the reason behind the egg hunt.”
“I’m not sure I follow you.”
“After trying for many years, my sister, Christina, and her husband found out they can’t have children—some unspecified fertility issue.”
“Man, that sucks. I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you, and yes, it does. Private adoption costs a ridiculous amount of money—the kind Christina’s teaching salary and Brent’s policeman salary just don’t cover. A year ago, they started an adoption fund on GoFundUs. They did little things like yard sales and car washes, and even though I made a donation, I promised them the minute I got my promotion, I’d give them whatever they needed to reach their goal.” Isabel’s eyes widened as her hand flew over her mouth and she shook her head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned that.”
Talk about feeling like a giant tool. My getting Isabel’s promotion had even more repercussions than I’d first imagined. I wasn’t just the dasher of her dreams; I’d also managed to screw things up for her sister and brother-in-law. “No, it’s okay. I’m the one who’s sorry.”
“Really, it’s not your fault. It wasn’t like you went out of your way to take the job.”
While I still felt pretty shitty about everything, I decided it was better to move on. I motioned to the table. “So the eggs are part of the adoption fundraiser?”
Isabel nodded. “They’re supposed to egg a hundred yards this weekend. Since I couldn’t get home in time to help Friday night, I’m stuffing these and FedExing them to Christina. Then I’ll head home next Saturday to help hide the eggs.”
“What kind of profit are they looking at from this?”
“Well, the eggs and candy have all been donated, so it should be a couple thousand.”
“That’s amazing. Will that get them close?”
“No. They’re still about ten thousand off, but I know they’ll make it eventually, even if I have to donate more money anonymously since they refuse to take any more of mine.”
“That’s one way to do it.”
Isabel stuffed a pack of M&Ms into one of the eggs. “What about you? Do you have big Easter plans?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. I’m flying to D.C. on Friday night to partake in some egg hunting myself. Actually, it’s going to be rolling eggs instead of hunting them.”
“The White House Easter Egg Roll?”
“The very one.”
She smiled. “That’s so cool.”
“I didn’t know you were a fan of the Roll.”
With a laugh, Isabel replied, “I’m not necessarily. I just remember it from back in the day in an episode of Murphy Brown.”
“The one where she accidentally catnaps Socks the cat?”
Isabel’s eyes widened. “You watched Murphy Brown?”
I laughed. “My mom was a fan. As far as me watching it, I could ask you the same question.”
“It shouldn’t be too shocking that I was in love with a show that featured a strong career woman with an attitude.”
“You’re right. I can totally see why you would have watched it.”
“Now you’ve got me wanting to watch some reruns,” she mused.
“Me too. Maybe we can catch an episode or two the next time we get Dani and Conan together.”
She smiled. “Sounds good to me.” With an amused twinkle in her eyes, she said, “Why am I having a hard time imagining you interacting with the kids at the Roll?”
“Maybe that’s because you’re imagining asshole Thorn around them, but he doesn’t actually exist, remember?”
“That’s true.”
I picked up one of the eggs and tossed it in my hand. “For the record, I do like kids.”
“Now that I really think about it, I can totally see that about you.”
“You can?”
“A lot of your charity work involves children, and you have a very giving heart.”
“Thank you.” I motioned to the table. “Speaking of my giving heart, I could help you if you’d like.”
Her brows shot into her hairline. “You want to help me stuff eggs?”
“Sure. I mean, I’m going to want to order in because I’m starving, but I can totally help.”
“I’m kinda hungry myself. The only lunch I’ve had is a few packs of M&Ms I’ve stolen.”
“Then I think we should totally order in some good Thai and stuff the hell out of these eggs.”
Her eyes lit up. “The spicier the better?”
I laughed. “You read my mind.”
“I’ll go get the menu.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
As soon as Isabel left the conference room, I pulled my phone out of my suit pocket. It was time to try to right a wrong.
Ty answered on the second ring. “Yes?”
“I need you to do some legwork for me.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“I need to procure some information on Isabel’s sister.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Oh, I don’t know—maybe because it sounds a little stalky to me?”
I laughed. “I promise there’s a noble, not-at-all-creepy reason why I need it.”
“If you say so.”
“Specifically, I’m going to need some information on a GoFundUs account.”
“Got it.”
As Isabel appeared back in the doorway, I said, “I gotta go.” After plastering on a smile, I prepared to stuff the hell out of some eggs.
Chapter Seventeen: Isabel
After a crazy week at work, I was more than ready to escape the city for a little family time. I would have considered it some R&R time as well, but I knew my sister planned to use and abuse me. After catching a seven a.m. flight, I arrived in Atlanta at nine-thirty.
My younger sister by eighteen months, Christina, was waiting for me at the luggage carousels. Although we were close in age, we were nothing alike when it came to appearances. While I had my mother’s fiery auburn locks, Christina had inherited my dad’s coal-colored hair. She’d also inherited his dark eyes. In spite of our physical differences, we’d grown up the best of friends. We’d always had each other’s back and supported each other one hundred percent in all our endeavors.
“Izzy, you’re the only person in the world I’d get up this e
arly on a Saturday morning for,” Christina teased as we hugged. It felt odd hearing my old nickname. No one outside of Georgia ever referred to me as Izzy.
With a laugh, I replied, “Consider it good practice for when the baby arrives. I’m pretty sure they don’t sleep in.”
She grinned. “I have a feeling that’ll happen a lot sooner now because of you.”
I furrowed my brows. “What do you mean?”
“Your donation.”
“The eggs?”
Christina rolled her eyes. “Fine, play it cagey if you want to.”
I didn’t have a chance to question her any more because my bag came sliding down the ramp of the luggage carousel. After hauling it down, I trailed behind Christina as she filled me in on all the details for the night’s egging.
When we arrived at our parents’ house, Mom had a Southern breakfast of champions waiting on me, including homemade biscuits with sausage gravy and bacon from one of the neighbor’s hogs. I stuffed myself to the gills before collapsing on the couch for a nap.
The TV blaring woke me up. Popping open one eye, I saw my dad lounging in his favorite La-Z-Boy recliner, his tobacco spit cup in one hand and the remote control in the other.
“Hey, Daddy,” I murmured drowsily.
“Hay’s for horses,” he teasingly replied.
My dad might’ve dropped out of high school at sixteen, but grammar had always been important to him. “Hello, Daddy,” I corrected.
“Hello, Belle. Did you have a good flight?”
Nodding, I pulled myself up into a sitting position on the couch. “Yes, I did.”
After glancing at the clock over the mantle, I realized it was almost three o’clock. “I can’t believe I slept so long.”
Daddy smiled at me. “You needed it. I’m sure you’re still burning the candle at both ends.”
“As a matter of fact, I am.”
“I sure am proud of you, Belle, but I wish you could slow down a little.”
“I don’t think it’s in my DNA to slow down,” I replied with a wink. All my life, I’d never known anyone to work as hard as my dad—except maybe my mom.
“While that might be true, I never thought you’d be keeping farmer’s hours up there in New York.”
“Regardless of the long hours, it’s worth it.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I know your mother and I are awfully proud of you, even if you do insist on doing too much for us.”
“But I want to do those things. Goodness knows you guys sacrificed enough for me over the years.”
“We did it out of love, Belle, not for any paybacks.”
“I know. I’m just grateful I’m in a place where I can help out.”
“As long as it’s not taking away anything from you.”
I laughed. “It’s not, I promise.”
We were interrupted by Christina and Mom blowing through the door with their arms laden down with groceries. “You have a nice nap, Sleeping Beauty?” Christina asked.
Stretching my arms over my head, I replied, “It felt more like a coma.”
“From your snoring, it sounded more like hibernation,” Daddy teased.
I tossed one of the throw pillows at him. After quickly deflecting it, he rose out of his chair. “I guess I better get back to work. Those veggies aren’t going to plant themselves.” He handed me the remote control on his way out. “You rest up. Your sister has a big evening planned for you.”
“Thanks, Daddy. I will.”
While Mom and Christina put away the groceries, I started flipping through the channels. For years, my parents had considered cable a luxury, and my first gift to them after paying off my student loans was pre-paying for five years of cable. Even though they said it wasn’t necessary, I knew they secretly enjoyed the hell out of it.
When I got to C-SPAN, it showed children scattered across the White House lawn. “Thank you for joining us for today’s coverage of the White House Easter Egg Roll,” a news announcer declared. I whirled around to see the smiling faces of President and Mrs. Callahan. “While the Easter Egg Roll is usually held on Easter Monday, President Callahan is breaking with years of tradition to have it this Saturday. His motives are genuine since he plans to spend Easter and the following days visiting deployed troops. Not only is Mrs. Callahan in attendance, all three of the Callahan children are as well.”
My breath hitched at the sight of Thorn. Even though I’d known he was going to be at the Roll, there was something to be said for seeing him on television. I didn’t know how it was possible, but he seriously looked even sexier on the screen, which was saying a lot considering how panty-melting he was in person. Of course, it didn’t hurt that when the camera panned onto him, he was crouched down comforting a little girl who had fallen. My dormant ovaries definitely stood up and took notice.
I jumped when Christina squealed beside me and jabbed her finger at the screen. “Is that your boss?”
“Yes, that’s Thorn—uh, I mean, Mr. Callahan.”
“Holy shit,” she murmured.
“Yeah, he’s cute.”
Christina swiveled her head before pinning me with a you’re full of shit look. “Cute? Seriously, Isabel, I would think an educated woman like you could come up with a better adjective.”
“Handsome?”
Her eyes rolled back in exasperation. “He far exceeds handsome. I can’t imagine what he looks like in person.” When she dragged her bottom lip between her teeth, I didn’t even want to know what she was picturing in her mind. “I’m a happily married woman, but if Brent gave me a pass, I’d be climbing that piece of perfection like a spider monkey.”
“Ew!”
With a wag of her brows, Christina said, “Seriously, Belle? Haven’t you ever had a naughty thought or two about him bending you over your desk and pounding you until you scream?”
Duh, of course I have. Not only that, I’d imagined banging him on and off of every piece of furniture in my office, not to mention using one of his expensive ties to bind him to his desk chair and then having my way with him.
“Um, no, I haven’t,” I lied.
“Bullshit.”
“Excuse me?”
“I know we don’t get to see each other a lot, but I still know all your tricks. I’m your sister, remember?”
“What’s your point?”
“Whenever you’re lying, you do that shifty thing with your eyes.”
“I do not.”
“Oh yes you do.”
I exhaled a defeated sigh. There was no reason to keep arguing with Christina considering she had the goods on me. Sometimes I felt like she and Mila should’ve have been sisters considering how alike they were. “Fine, I might’ve had an impure thought or two about him, but only lately—not when he was being such a jackass when he first came to work.”
Christina shook her head. “Considering what he did for the adoption fund, it’s hard to believe some of the stories you’ve told me about him being such a jerk.”
I blinked at her. “What are you talking about? Me flying down here to help with the egg hunt has nothing to do with Thorn’s kindness and everything to do with my frequent flyer miles.”
“I’m talking about the ten thousand dollars he donated to our GoFundUs.”
Holy. Fucking. Shit. There had been few times in life when I’d found myself truly speechless, but now was one of them. “Did you just tell me Thorn sent you ten thousand dollars?”
She nodded. “When I realized you weren’t just being cagey by denying the donation, I did a little research. The anonymous donation had an IP address from New York, and after some digging, I found the initials TC. I knew it had to be someone from your work, so with some further snooping of your office directory, I realized the only TC remotely connected with you in any way was Thorn Callahan.” While I continued staring at her wide-eyed and open-mouthed, Christina added, “I’m planning on sending a thank you card for him with you. I’d also like to call him as well.”
&nb
sp; “Thorn gave you ten thousand dollars,” I said lamely.
“Yes! Like I seriously pissed myself when I got the email about a new donation. Here I was thinking it might be a few hundred dollars, but oh no—it was ten thousand.”
“That’s unbelievable.”
“I know. The amount was why I first thought it was you, like maybe you’d gotten the promotion after all.”
“I wish.”
Christina shook her head. “You’ve done plenty for me over the years.”
“But I can always do more.”
“And I know you will when the baby gets here.”
I smiled. “Yes, Auntie Isabel will spoil it rotten.”
“I know you will.” Christina then shook her finger at me. “Back to the donation—thanks for calling and giving me some warning. I could have had a heart attack from the surprise.”
“I couldn’t have called you because I didn’t know.”
She gasped. “He didn’t tell you?”
Slowly, I shook my head. “No. He didn’t say a word to me.”
“That’s weird.”
“Yeah, it is.” I stared at the television. “Especially now that we’ve gotten to be friends.”
“Oh, you have?”
Without looking at her, I countered, “Not friends with benefits. Just friends.”
“If you say so.” When I finally met her intense gaze, she cocked her brow. “I don’t know many people who would give their friend’s sister ten thousand dollars.”
“That’s just who Thorn is. He has a really big wallet to go along with his big heart.”
Tapping her chin, Christina said, “I wonder what else is big on him.”
I laughed. “Would you get a grip?”
“I would love for you to get a grip of his impossibly big manhood.”
Groaning, I pulled myself off the couch. “I swear, if you didn’t teach computer programming, I would be convinced you and Mila were the same person. You’re both far too concerned with me getting busy with Thorn.”
“Maybe it’s not so much that we’re perverts, but that we just want to see you happy.”
