Clara (Corked and Tapped Book 5)

by Becca Jameson

  Clara

  Corked and Tapped, Book Five

  Becca Jameson

  Copyright © 2019 by Becca Jameson

  Cover Artist: Julio Desir, Jr.

  Editor: Christa Soule

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. And resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  About the Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Also by Becca Jameson

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  I have to thank my amazing, wonderful, fabulous beta reader most extraordinaire, Susan Whitney, for all her help reading these fun novellas and helping me every step of the way!

  I also want to thank my editor, Christa, for plotting with me on every one! She rocks!

  And my daughter, Rebecca, who read each one over her summer break!

  About the Book

  “Nice costume, Sandra Dee.” She couldn’t believe it when she found out she’d been matched up with her boss of all people for tonight’s Halloween costume party. She’d been half in love with him for two years. But he has a no fraternization policy, and it’s going to take more than tight leather pants to get him to revise the employee handbook. Or will it?

  Corked and Tapped: Because the best stories never start with someone eating a salad.

  Chapter 1

  “You’re walking funny. Stop it.” Maddie laughed.

  Clara shot her a glare. “I’m not the one who thought tight faux leather pants and a tube top was a cool costume idea.”

  Maddie continued chuckling. “It’s Sandra Dee! You look fantastic. The black makes you look even skinnier than your already skinny ass.”

  Clara smoothed her hands over the black tube top. “That may be, but my boobs are going to pop out of this thing. How did they ever wear these?”

  Maddie set the clipboard she was carrying on the bar and swatted at Clara’s hands. “Leave it alone. Your boobs look hot. Besides, the leather jacket will conceal any wardrobe malfunctions.” She laughed again. Harder this time.

  “You’re so funny.” Clara stared down at herself. Black tube top. Short black jacket. Black pants. The only color she had on was the bold red platform heels. She probably did look hot. Most people from her office weren’t going to recognize her with more makeup than she ever wore—including bright red lipstick—and her usually wavy, thick, dirty-blond hair curled and teased out. She had one side pulled up in a clip.

  Maddie heaved a box of Halloween decorations off the bar and handed them to Clara. “Come on. We only have two hours before people arrive. I want this room to look like it vomited Halloween.” Maddie was the event coordinator for Jacoby Advertising, and she took her job seriously. This time, she might have gone overboard.

  “Remind me who you set me up with again?” Clara asked nonchalantly.

  “Ha. Nice try.” Maddie grabbed the second box of decorations and headed toward the high-top tables scattered around the room. She had rented the back room of their favorite local bar—Corked and Tapped—to host this company party.

  Clara sighed. Maddie’s big plan for the evening was to get the employees to mingle and meet new people. So, she’d assigned everyone a costume. The object was for each attendee to find whoever was wearing the matching outfit and get to know them better.

  Clara was a bit nervous about whoever Maddie had set her up with. In some instances, it was obvious she’d planned to force a friendly connection between two women or even three or more people. In other instances, Clara was certain Maddie had decided to play matchmaker. “At least you didn’t make me dress as the ballerina from the Nutcracker,” she grumbled. Her mother had dressed her that way for several Halloweens. She was fascinated with the Nutcracker. In fact, that’s how Clara got her name, which had gotten old by her third Christmas.

  Maddie smiled. “I wouldn’t do that to you. Besides, your date for the night never would have consented to coming as the Nutcracker Prince. Unitards aren’t really his thing.”

  “Date?” Clara shot her friend a glare.

  Maddie shrugged. “Matchup. Date. Whatever.” She waved a dismissive hand through the air.

  “How did you get HR to consent to this idea of matching up employees?”

  Maddie shrugged. “Most of the people I helpfully nudged are in different departments. Besides, the company doesn’t have an official policy about interoffice dating.”

  Clara shook her head. “I don’t need one of your nudges. We’ve known each other for almost twenty years. When have I ever let you set me up?” If Maddie arranged for some guy at their office to hit on her… Yeah, she might kill her best friend.

  She wasn’t kidding. They had met in kindergarten and been friends ever since. They even went to the same university and now worked for the same company. But matchmaking was crossing the line.

  “Hmmm,” was the only sound Maddie made, her lips pursed together.

  “Maddie…” Clara stepped closer. She glanced around and lowered her voice even though not a single person was in this back room behind the main bar of Corked and Tapped. “You know I’ve been crushing on Landon for, like, two years. I’m not interested in being fixed up with anyone.”

  “I think you should let go of this fascination. He’s your boss, and he’s made it clear he doesn’t date coworkers.”

  “I get it, but I can’t just turn it off. Call it an office crush, and I know it’s kind of cliché, but I’m into him.” Clara knew Maddie was right. Her friend had gently tried to get her to date other people forever.

  “Has he ever given you a single indication he reciprocates your feelings?”

  Clara sighed. “No.”

  “Then your obsession is unhealthy. Besides, he didn’t RSVP for tonight. I don’t think he’s coming. I’m not surprised. He’s more of the quiet introverted type. Noisy, crowded Halloween parties aren’t his thing. I say you put him out of your mind and have fun tonight.”

  Clara took a deep breath and blew it out. “Maybe you’re right.”

  Maddie shot her a slight grin and lifted her brows. “Let’s just get these decorations hung. Don’t even worry about who your Danny is. Trust me.”

  In the past Clara had always trusted Maddie. She could be eccentric and over the top on occasion, but she had never let anyone down.

  Tonight, Clara was concerned.

  Chapter 2

  Two hours later, the room was filling up and Clara had seen no sign of “Danny.” Maddie’s plan to get the office staff mingling with one another was working, however. People who had never interacted with one another were talking.

  Suddenly, Clara saw him at the bar. Well, the back of him. Somehow, he had slipped into the room without her noticing. He was leaning over the counter, speaking to the bartender. As Clara approached, the bartender handed him a beer.

  Jacoby Advertising had paid for this party. It included wine and beer. If anyone preferred something different to drink, they needed to go to the main bar and order it themselves. It was comical since Clara knew Maddie herself, the organizer, did not drink wine or be
er. In fact, she was not a fan of the taste of alcohol, so the only thing she’d ever managed to drink without cringing was amaretto sours. Clara had already seen her hit up the main bar twice.

  As Clara made her way through the crowd, she knew for certain this man was her match for the night. He had on tight black jeans that made his ass look fucking awesome. The cuffs were folded up just like in Grease. His white T-shirt had a pack of cigarettes rolled into the sleeve. And, his hair was black and slicked back. Who was he?

  She moved slowly, trying to find the confidence to make the most of this. Surely Maddie knew what she was doing when she planned this. Clara needed to trust her best friend. She gave herself a whispered pep talk. “I can do this. It’s one night.” She would humor Maddie. One hour, she told herself. Then I can go home and get out of this ridiculous outfit.

  Remembering the last piece of her own ensemble, Clara stuffed a wad of gum in her mouth and gave her best impression of Sandy. “Hey, Danny.” She leaned her weight on one red, high-heeled wedge and chomped on the gum, hands on her hips. Whoever this man was, she wondered how she’d never noticed him before. His ass was smokin’ enough to grab her attention even if she did usually only have eyes for her oblivious boss.

  When he turned to face her, smiling, she nearly swallowed the gum. “Landon?” Thank God she had on a thick layer of costume blush because she was certain her face went white.

  He chuckled. “It’s Danny tonight,” he drawled in his best John Travolta imitation. His gaze slowly roamed down her body and back up. Because that’s what Danny would do, or because that’s what Landon felt like doing upon seeing her in this Grease costume. “Nice costume, Sandy. I wasn’t sure if I would be meeting the sweet Sandra Dee or the naughty Sandy.” The way he said “naughty” while leaning toward her a bit made her heart beat faster.

  “I thought you weren’t coming tonight,” she stated.

  He shrugged. “Yeah, Maddie can be pretty persuasive.”

  “Yes.” That was an understatement. Maddie had totally lied to her earlier. Clara wasn’t sure if she wanted to fist pump over this development or find Maddie and ream her out. Setting the two of them up had been a risky move. Clara fidgeted, unsure how to respond. Obviously, Maddie had meddled somehow, but Clara would be mortified if Landon knew that. She cleared her throat, scrambling for words. “I thought the entire point of the party was to force us to meet new people. I’m not sure why Maddie would pair you and I together since we already know each other.”

  He leaned one elbow on the bar and lifted a brow. “Do we?”

  She stopped breathing.

  He reached out with one hand, grabbed her elbow, and yanked her forward. In the heels she was wearing, she nearly tripped over herself as she fell against his hard body.

  He straightened, grabbing both her biceps to help right her. “Shit. I’m so sorry. Someone was about to knock into you from behind. I just made it worse.”

  Apparently, he wasn’t kidding because a second later, someone did smash against her back, shoving her once again into Landon’s chest. Whoever it was, they must not have noticed because the group of people behind her moved away without a word.

  Clara was still trying to inhale, which turned out to be a bad idea since when she did, she pulled in Landon’s scent. She was obviously aware of his scent. She was exposed to it five days a week. However, she’d intentionally never gotten this close to him, mostly because she’d known if she ever did, her reaction would be identical to the one she was having now.

  Flushed and shaking, she set a hand on his chest to push back a few inches and turned toward the bar. “Could I please get a glass of red wine?” She really should have had a few drinks before this moment. Instead, she’d been running around helping Maddie, and had not taken the time to hit the bar. If she had a glass or two of wine in her already, she might be able to look Landon in the eye.

  The moment the wine glass was in her hand, she tipped it back for more than a sip.

  “You okay?” Landon asked.

  She set the glass down, shook her head, and met his gaze. With these heels on, she was much closer to eye level with him. She didn’t often wear heels at work. “Of course. I’m still wondering how you end up being paired with me?” She glanced away, searching for Maddie, the best friend she was going to personally murder.

  “I didn’t.”

  She yanked her attention back to him. “Excuse me?”

  He was smiling. Every inch of him was casual. He was leaning against the bar on one elbow, one hand on his beer, one tucked in his jeans pocket. “I traded with Dylan from accounting.” He tipped his face—why did he look guilty? “I have to confess, I overheard Maddie outside the office one day telling someone she had paired you up with Dylan. So, I asked him to trade with me.”

  Her mouth was dry. She took another drink of wine. “Why did you do that?” There was no way Maddie “accidentally” mentioned matching Dylan with Clara where Landon could overhear. Not a chance. Maddie was sneaky. Calculated. Deliberate. Clara wasn’t sure whether to scream at her best friend or thank her. This was turning out to be the weirdest night of Clara’s life. If she wasn’t mistaken, her boss wanted to spend time with her outside of work.

  He shrugged. “Two reasons.”

  “Okay…”

  “One, I didn’t want to spend the evening getting to know some random person from the company. I mean, it’s a great idea and all for Maddie to put on this party as sort of an ice breaker. But it’s not my thing.”

  She stared at him. That made sense. Landon wasn’t exactly an extrovert. “And the other reason?”

  “Like I said, do we really know each other that well?”

  That made her flinch. “I’ve been your assistant for two years.”

  “Yeah.” He took another drink of his beer and settled it on the bar again. “But we’ve never hung out together outside of work.”

  “That still doesn’t prove I don’t know you. I mean, I might not know your preferred brand of beer, but I know where you’re from, that your mother still lives in the same house you grew up in, that you have two younger siblings, that you take your turkey sandwich with mayo…”

  He started chuckling. “That’s just sad. It means I send you to get my lunch too often and I shouldn’t make you responsible for keeping up with my family members’ birthdays.”

  She finally inhaled, feeling a bit less awkward. “Well, that also means I have a lot of information about you.”

  “It would seem our relationship is uneven, then, because I don’t know nearly as much about you.” He nodded toward the glass she held so tight it was a wonder it hadn’t shattered. “For example, I had no idea you drank red wine.”

  “Sometimes I drink white,” she murmured. “Depends on my mood. As long as they’re both dry.”

  His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. “See. Now I know something new.”

  She searched his face. Was he being serious?

  “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not completely obtuse. I do know other things about you. I know you’re punctual and organized and competent in everything you do.”

  She couldn’t keep from smiling slightly.

  “You don’t like wearing heels because you’re afraid you’ll fall.”

  She gasped. “That’s not true.”

  He lifted a brow, his expression filled with humor.

  “Okay, maybe. But how would you know that?”

  He chuckled. “Because you walk more carefully on the few days you wear them. The rest of the time, you bustle around in a hurry.”

  Impressive. Apparently, he paid more attention to her than she thought.

  “We’re not strangers,” he allowed.

  What exactly are we?

  “But that doesn’t mean we can’t get to know each other better,” he continued. “Now you just have to tell me a few more things and we’ll be even.”

  Hmm. This could be fun. “What do you want to know?”

  “Let’s
see… Cake or pie?”

  She laughed. “Cake. Chocolate.”

  “Rom-coms or action adventure movies?”

  “Rom-coms.”

  “Ah, a romantic.”

  “Maybe.” She couldn’t stop smiling. In fact, she relaxed more by the moment as he pried her for information.

  “Sweet or sour?”

  “Both. Depends on my mood.” She shoved playfully at his arm. “My turn. Your list is longer than mine now.”

  “Go for it.” He took a sip of his beer.

  “Which would be a better first date, dinner or a baseball game?”

  “Dinner, hands down.” He glanced around and then held her gaze. “Like I said, crowds aren’t my thing. Especially bars. It’s too hard to talk to anyone. If I’m on a date, I want to look a woman in the eye and communicate with her, not shout to be heard.”

  Damn. “That’s so sweet.”

  He shrugged. “I guess. Some people might think I sound antisocial, but it’s not really that. It’s just that I like one-on-one better. I’ve always struggled to form meaningful relationships with people in group settings. It’s like I’m distracted and I can’t tune everything out.” He cleared his throat and leaned closer. “When I was a kid, I was shy, or at least that’s what my mother said. I didn’t have many close friends. One day in the second grade, I fell on the playground and cut my knee. When I got to the nurse’s office, she was busy with a kid who had the flu. Another boy was also waiting outside her office. His name was Joey. We ended up waiting an eternity for our turn. It was the first time I had the opportunity to really get to know another kid. We had a lot of stuff in common. He became my best friend. I still talk to him every few weeks.”