Monroe, Marla - Hot and Bothered (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Monroe, Marla

  Their pizza arrived, and Dustin made sure she ate. It wasn’t until she threatened to throw up on him that he backed off with shoving pizza down her throat.

  “I’ve honestly had enough. I’m full.”

  “No more skipping meals. It’s not good for you.”

  “Like it could hurt me to lose a few pounds.” Savanna yelped when he reached across the table to pinch her on the arm. “What was that for?”

  “To show you that you need a little meat on your bones so pinching wouldn’t hurt so much,” he said.

  Dustin paid for the meal and led Savanna back out to his truck. They talked about little things on the way back to her place. He learned that she hated asparagus, coconut, and congealed salads. She loved ice cream and enjoyed making cookies. He asked her about college and found out she had a bachelor’s in business management. She told him that she had started her spa using a small business loan for women.

  He walked her to the door and wanted to go inside with her, but thought better of it. They needed to take this slow. He reminded himself that she could always change her mind about how she felt concerning his employment or lack thereof. He didn’t want to admit it was a possibility, but it was.

  “Would you like to come in?” Savanna had her key in her hand and the other hand on the doorknob.

  “I don’t think that is a good idea tonight, Savanna. We need to take our time with this.”

  “I know you’re right. But it doesn’t change the fact that I want you.”

  “I want you, too.” He took her hand and placed it over his engorged cock. He could feel the heat of her hand through his jeans.

  She moaned and looked up at him with eyes that pleaded with him to change his mind. He wouldn’t, though. If they were going to have a real relationship that progressed to something more, it had to be based on something besides great sex. Thinking about it didn’t help his hard-on, though.

  He leaned in and kissed her. It started out as a sweet kiss, but she deepened it by opening her mouth and licking along his lips. He was lost at the taste of her. He moved into her and felt it when her back hit the door. He held her face with both hands and kissed her back. Her hands went around his waist, and he felt her nails dig into his back. Pulling away took all his resolve. He bumped his forehead against hers. They were both breathing heavy. The sight of her breasts heaving from the exertion of breathing pulled a groan from his mouth. He stood up and took a step back.

  “We need to say good night now. I don’t have a lot of resistance left in me, and this would be a bad idea right now, Savanna.”

  “I know. You’re right.”

  She swallowed, and he followed the movement of her throat muscles. He wanted to lick up the line of her throat to her jaw and…

  “Goodnight. Go on inside, baby. Lock the door. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He took another step back and waited for her to do as he said.

  Savanna nodded and turned around to unlock the door. She glanced back over her shoulder then walked inside and closed the door. He listened for the locks, and once he heard them, Dustin walked back to his truck and got in. He didn’t start the engine right away. Instead, he sat and thought about the last couple of hours. When she had called him earlier that day, he had been trying to sleep. He thought at first he was dreaming when he heard her voice.

  Dustin had given up hope that she would change her mind. Instead, he spent every waking moment, and there had been a lot of sleepless moments, working. It had been ironic to him that the reason they broke up was because he didn’t have a job, and he was averaging eighty hours a week doing just that. Working.

  He realized as he started the truck that he hadn’t told her that he did have a job. He had planned to while they were eating, but it hadn’t seemed like the right time to tell her. Now he was guilty of deceiving her. He would tell her as soon as they saw each other again. It would relieve both of their minds. More than likely, she would be mad as hell at him for keeping it from her, but they would work it out. He would make sure they did this time.

  When he got home, he found a message from his assistant that there were problems that needed his attention at one of the new businesses he had recently taken over. It would mean a trip to Portland, Oregon. He would need to leave in the morning. He cursed fate that this had happened just when they were working things out. He needed to let her know, so he picked up the phone and called her, secretly glad to have the excuse to hear her voice again.

  “Hello?” She answered on the second ring.

  “Hey, baby.”

  “Dustin?”

  “I have to go out of town tomorrow and will probably be gone the rest of the week. I wanted to let you know,” he said.

  “Oh. Is everything okay?” she asked. He heard the worry in her voice.

  “Everything’s fine. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back, okay?”

  “Are you going on a job? ’Cause you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. We’re good, right?”

  “We’re good. This was unexpected, but I’ll be back as soon as I can. Trust me on this, and I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.” Dustin wanted to tell her now, but it wasn’t something he needed to discuss with her over the phone. He should have told her over dinner.

  “Okay. Be careful.”

  “I’ll talk to you soon,” he said.

  They said goodbye and hung up. He felt worry begin to eat away inside of him. They had just agreed to give having a relationship a try, and already, he was keeping something from her. He could kick himself for not getting everything out in the open before he left her place. He sighed. There was nothing he could do now. He had to go out of town tomorrow. He would tell her as soon as he got back in town, even if he had to wake her up to do it. There weren’t going to be any more secrets between them.

  * * * *

  Savanna put the phone back in its holder and crossed the room to the couch. She sat down and drew her feet up under her. What had happened between her place and his that he suddenly had to go out of town? He said to trust him. She did, but it didn’t stop her from thinking. He said he would tell her all about it when he got back. So why was she still thinking about it? Because you feel like there is something going on .What if he had another girlfriend now and he had to break it off with her? If that were true, why didn’t he tell her tonight?

  This wasn’t doing anything but making her upset. She needed to stop and focus on work while he was gone. They would talk when he got back. She would make sure he knew that there couldn’t be any more secrets between them. They had to be able to trust each other if they were going to try to make things work.

  The next few days passed by in a blur for Savanna. They were double booked at the spa, which meant she had to help out with the treatments. She needed more help, and she wanted to expand the business. It was well past seven each night when she finally made it home, and she was dead on her feet. It didn’t stop her from missing Dustin, though. She couldn’t help wondering what he was doing. She had hoped he would call and wondered why he hadn’t. Finally, she gave in Thursday night and called his cell phone. He answered in a clipped voice.

  “Yes?”

  “Dustin?”

  “Savanna. Is something wrong?” His voice sounded strained.

  “No. I wanted to say hi. I guess I’m bothering you.”

  “It’s not that. It’s just that I’m a little busy right now. Can I call you back in a little while?”

  “Look, you don’t have to call me back. I shouldn’t have called. I missed you and thought I would say hi is all. Nothing’s wrong. Call me when you get back in town.” She started to hang up, but he stopped her.

  “Baby. It’s fine that you called. I love hearing your voice. I’m in a meeting, though. So I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “Okay. I’m going to bed now anyway. Talk to you soon.” She hung up before he could say anything else. She couldn’t believe she had done that. She was an adult, not a schoolgirl with a crush. />
  The doorbell rang, startling her. She jumped and then laughed at herself. Savanna peeked through the peephole to find Karen waiting on the other side. She opened the door and pulled her friend inside before shutting the door behind her.

  “What’s going on?” Karen asked.

  “I was going to ask you the same question,” Savanna said.

  “I think I know what’s going on at work now.” Karen walked toward the kitchen. She opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. “Martin is working with someone outside the company to put one of his clients out of business.”

  “How do you know all this?” Savanna asked.

  “I overheard him talking to this other person. He said that everything was ready for him when he returned. The prospectus was set up so that he would buy this company at what would look like a good price, but it wouldn’t be a good investment. The company he’s suggesting is about to announce a huge recall on something that will probably sink it.” Karen unscrewed the cap on the water and took a few long pulls.

  “So, he is setting up this man to take a big loss on a company. How is this going to put him out of business?

  “He’s already bought two other companies that are in the same boat. They’re both on the verge of lawsuits. One for some sort of compliance issue, and the other one is a lawsuit about a product that caused someone some damage. I don’t know the details, but I put together those proposals and recommended against acquiring them. I have all the paperwork to prove I was against those sales. I didn’t even know Martin had talked to the client, much less given him information about the companies.” Karen set the bottle on the counter and paced back and forth in front of the bar.

  “So we need to find out who this client is and warn him before Martin can give him the next prospectus. Do you know which one it is he will give him?” Savanna asked.

  “Yes. I have two copies of the one I did, so I can give him mine if I only knew who he was.”

  “How are we going to find out who it is? How long do we have until he comes back from wherever he went?” she asked.

  “I don’t know when he’s coming back, but it will be soon. The only thing I can think of is to break into his office and look through his files.” Karen ran a hand through her hair and then buried her face in her hands.

  “Hey, don’t give up, Karen. We’ll figure it out, but you can’t break into his office. You’ll get caught.”

  “So what? I’m going to lose my job anyway. I might as well have a chance at proving I didn’t screw up the presentation than just doing nothing and getting fired.”

  “Okay, let’s think. He isn’t going to do anything over the weekend. That gives us till Monday. The weekend would be the best time to sneak into his office, right?” Savanna asked.

  “Right. But you can’t go with me. You don’t work there, I do,” Karen said.

  “I’m your friend. You’re working over the weekend, and I stop by to see if you want to go out. Face it, you need a lookout, so I’m it.”

  Karen frowned but nodded. “I guess you are right. It could work.”

  “I know I’m right.” Savanna grinned at her friend. “I’m always right.”

  She leaned back against the cabinet and cocked her head. “So, tell me about Ben. How are things going between you two?”

  “I don’t know. We fight every time we get together. I mean, one of us always ends up mad before the night is over. I don’t think we will ever get anything worked out.”

  “What do you fight about?” Savanna asked.

  “Nothing. That is what is so stupid about it. The other day he got pissed because I told him I couldn’t send out my resumes until I got this problem fixed. He said screw it and send them out anyway. He doesn’t understand that if this all blows up, I won’t be able to get a job anywhere.”

  Savanna winced. She understood both their sides of the argument. Ben didn’t want her anywhere around Martin anymore, and her refusal to send out resumes told him she wasn’t taking his feelings seriously. Still, if Karen’s name was blackened, she wouldn’t be able to find a good job.

  “I understand that you have to fix this, but think how he feels, too. You’re sending a signal to him that you are more worried about your job situation than you are about him.”

  Karen groaned. “I didn’t think about it like that. He makes me so angry. I can’t think at all. He doesn’t ask, he just tells me what to do.”

  “Karen, you know as well as I do that all men are like that. You managed just fine before things got bad. I think you’re still nervous about what will happen if you do work things out. You’ve got to make up your mind if you want to make things permanent between you two because that’s where it is headed and you know it.”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I know. One minute, I’m sure and ready. The next, I’m scared and want to run away again.”

  “I wish I could help you with this, but you’re on your own with Ben. I have man troubles all my own.” Savanna hugged her friend.

  “So, tell me about Dustin. Now that I’ve spilled my guts, it’s time for you to spill yours.”

  “I broke down and called him tonight. I just wanted to hear his voice, you know?”

  “And?” Karen asked.

  “He was busy. I mean, he said he was in a meeting, and he would call me back later.”

  “I take it that bothers you.”

  “Well, yeah. What sort of meeting and with who and why at eight o’clock at night?” There, Savanna thought. She’d finally put into words what was bothering her about the entire conversation.

  “You don’t believe him.”

  “Oh, Karen, I don’t know what to believe anymore. He said to trust him, and he would tell me everything when he got back. I just don’t understand what sort of job might have come up at night that would require him to go out of town for almost a week. Especially when we were just making up and he doesn’t have a steady job.”

  “So, you’re thinking…” Karen began.

  “What if he is seeing someone else?” Savanna asked.

  “Then he breaks it off and that’s that. You two weren’t seeing each other. He didn’t cheat.”

  “I know.” Savanna winced. Even to her it sounded whiney.

  “The best thing to do is to leave it alone and give him the chance to tell you everything once he returns. If you’re not satisfied, tell him you aren’t and go from there,” Karen said.

  “You’re right.” Savanna drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “He’ll be back in the next day or two. I can handle it till then.”

  “Good girl,” Karen said.

  “So, let’s have ice cream and plan our attack for Saturday.” Savanna opened the freezer and pulled out a tub of Triple Chocolate while Karen got out the bowls and spoons.

  Chapter Twelve

  Dustin cursed but managed to restrain himself before he threw his pen across the room. The meeting had gone about like he thought it would. The company hadn’t disclosed that they were about to be in the middle of a lawsuit over a faulty product that had caused some major damage to another company. That company was suing for damages and loss of business. No one knew how the product had managed to be sent out of the plant without being quality checked like every other product.

  He didn’t get out of the meeting with the board of supervisors until nearly midnight, so he hadn’t called Savanna back. That weighed heavy on his mind as well. What were the chances that as soon as they got back together he would have to leave and deal with a mess like this. Then, on top of all that, he knew for certain that Martin had manipulated the information on this buy. If he had even attempted to check into things himself, he would have never bought the company.

  To make matters worse, he needed a new assistant since his was leaving. He would never have contracted with outside agency to research his business interests if he’d had a full-time assistant again. It was a vicious circle. He needed to find an assistant. So far, none of the candidates the head
hunters had sent him measured up to what he wanted.

  He had his lawyers working on the lawsuit, and he had a team set up to review the inspection process to see where the failure had come in. If everything went according to plan, he could turn it all around. He would still lose a good deal of money, but it would work out in the long run. The company had been solid until that had happened. With any luck, he would be back in Dallas by Saturday night.

  His phone buzzed. He looked at the readout and smiled. Martin Sherman.

  “Hello.”

  “Mr. Liguori. This is Martin. I wanted to let you know I have that prospectus ready for you now.”

  “Good, good. I’m planning to be back in town by Sunday night. I could meet you Monday, say ten o’clock?” Dustin smiled to himself.

  “That would be perfect. I’ll have everything ready,” Martin said.

  “I’ll talk to you then.” Dustin hung up.

  Did Martin really think he was that stupid? He was there in Portland cleaning up a mess because of the last advice he’d taken from them, but he was willing to listen. There was something going on all right. He would figure it out and put an end to Martin. First, he had to finish things there in Portland and make things right with Savanna. Then he would take care of Martin Sherman.

  Dustin unbuttoned his shirt and took off his socks and shoes. He turned on the shower and then finished undressing. All he could think about now was Savanna and how much he wished she were there with him. Just the thought of her soft skin against him tightened his balls. He wanted to run his hands over her breasts. He longed to taste her lips and suck in those delicious nipples that tasted like ripe berries.

  He stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over him. He could almost imagine it to be her hands running over his body. His cock stirred. The thought of her back at her apartment lying in bed drew a moan from him. He wanted to be there with her. Did she sleep in the nude without him? Did she masturbate thinking of him? He ran his hand down his body to cup his balls. He squeezed them then grasped his cock in one hand and began sliding his hand up and down his stiff rod.