Love Undercover_A Romance Compilation

by Amy Brent

  “It’s kind of embarrassing because I’m twenty-five. I’m actually still a virgin.”

  My heart raced at her unexpected words. It was nearly unbelievable to me that this was even possible. “Really? Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. In high school, I had a boyfriend, and I was going to do it with him, but he ended up with Samantha. And I was going out with a guy a few months back, but he got angry, so we never—well, you know.”

  She was uncomfortable, so I let it go even though I wanted her desperately. “I’ll see you to the door. I’m sorry for pushing.”

  We got to the door, and she placed a kiss on my cheek. It was the nicest, sweetest thing she’d done so far. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for the wine.”

  I felt completely helpless as she left. A virgin? Fuck. That was totally unexpected. The worst thing was, now I wanted her even more. Goddamn. A virgin, really? It was mind-blowing.

  Chapter 8

  Karly

  The day with Alexis was good, as it always was. She’d had another wonderful time at kindergarten, singing songs and making a paper hat with big orange flowers on it. I was happy she’d met Riley, a newcomer from another class. But I felt strange because Damon hadn’t tried to kiss me since after dinner. Maybe he was turned off by my predicament. Being a virgin at the age of twenty-five was unusual, and it might have been the reason for his friend-zone behavior. I guessed it was weird to be a virgin. I mean, it wasn’t for me, but to a man like Damon Jacobs, it probably was. Definitely.

  The phone rang in my living room. “Hello. Karly speaking.”

  “Hey there, Karly speaking! It’s your best friend here, wanting to take you out for a night on the town.”

  “Um, I’m not really in the mood, but I guess I could for a little while. And only because it’s you.”

  “Oh my god! Dawson Blake is going to be at the club tonight. He’s newly single and ready to mingle, according to my sources on the subject.”

  “How is a guy with two first names going to be husband material?” I asked, obviously teasing her.

  “Well, I’m looking for banging material, and the abs on that guy are so hot, my eyes hurt. He took his shirt off in the gym on Tuesday, and everyone drooled over him, even the gay guys.”

  I laughed at her. She’d probably still be hooking up when she was eighty-nine and living with three hundred and sixty-two cats for company.

  I tried to tell her my thoughts. “You do know that all that glitters isn’t always gold.”

  “Shut up! Don’t rain on my Dawson parade. He’s hotter than chili sauce, or that wasabi Asian sauce that burns your whole mouth. I need to get my hair and nails done. Be at the club by nine, and we’ll look as sexy as hell together. His friend Antony will be there too. I hear he’s hung like a horse.” She hung up.

  I laughed at her excitement. She loved Wednesday nights at the club. They usually played retro music, and there were always more guys than girls. I wasn’t really in the mood, but I hadn’t seen her in a while since I’d started working for Damon. It would be good to see her. It was probably just what I needed to keep me sane. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since I’d left work. In fact, I hadn’t really been concentrating on much at all after that first kiss. God, it was like milk and honey, the perfect blend of “way too good to be true.”

  ***

  We sat in our booth and perused the men at the bar. “You told him you’re a virgin?” asked Sarah as she sipped on her slippery nipple. Her mouth was opened up like a hyena’s.

  “Yes. I couldn’t lie about it. He would have felt bad if we’d—”

  Her eyes move to Dawson, who kept giving her the look. He was the most egotistical guy I’d ever seen in my entire life. He strutted around like a gorilla, as if he were in charge of his own jungle. He thought he was God’s gift to everyone. I didn’t know how on earth Sarah could stand it. He looked as solid as a brick, and I would have bet he was as dumb as a fricken post too.

  “You really are hilarious sometimes, Karly. But don’t worry, he’s probably just trying to figure out how he’s going to deal with all the sexual tension.” She laughed. “He’s probably got a hard-on that he needs to deal with every time you have dinner, the poor guy.”

  I rolled my eyes at her teasing, and then I spotted Keith, my ex. He was coming at us with that look in his eye, the look that meant he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Shit. I didn’t like that look. His temper was inexcusable when he didn’t get his way.

  He sidled up next to me in the booth. “Well, hey there, stranger. I’ve been meaning to call you up, girl. It’s been some time, and I want to ask you out to dinner. Sound cool? Just as friends, of course.”

  He looked determined. Sarah didn’t like him, and she ignored his presence as he tapped his fingers on the table impatiently. My stomach did flips, knowing he would be forceful if I declined his date.

  I found the strength. “Um, it’s kind of hard right now. I have a new job that requires long hours, so I’m working all the time. At the moment, I’ll have to say no. Sorry.”

  “But you get time off, right?” His words went from casual to pushy. “I mean, you and Sarah are here right now, so you do get time off.”

  My mouth dried up. When we were together, he always did this. He asserted his way and made me feel unsteady in our conversations. I didn’t know what to say. I was anxious and scared. He was a mean man. Thankfully, I hadn’t stayed with him long enough to know what that actually meant.

  “Karly, you’re a fuckin’ tease. I can’t believe you’re still leading me on like this.” His words were angry and mean. I couldn’t cope with the way he was making me feel. I felt trapped in my seat, and my breath was becoming shallow.

  Sarah gave him a look of discouragement. “You can’t force her to go. Please let us have our girls’ night.”

  My heart raced as I listened to her words. I wasn’t happy that he was breathing down my neck, but I felt more than uncomfortable with Sarah speaking up against him. He raised his arm, and I thought he was going to hit me for a second. I closed my eyes, expecting it. His face was filled with a type of rage I’d seen before. It grew on him, flushing his cheeks and forehead. Then, like the douchebag he was, he placed it on his head and gave a narcissistic smile.

  “I’m outta here,” he said, flipping us the finger. As he did it, the bouncer came over and grabbed his arm, obviously ready to escort him out. He flailed his arms, and the bouncer let him go, following his body with his eyes as he went through the exit.

  I felt sick and needed to leave. I just wanted to get home and feel safe again. I didn’t like his tone. When I’d been dating him, my parents had had their doubts about him, too, especially when he’d strutted into their diner like he owned the place.

  “I need to go, Sarah. I don’t feel great right now.”

  Sarah looked over at the hot guys standing at the bar. I knew she was slightly annoyed by me wanting to leave, but I also knew she understood. I wasn’t one to get anxiety, but she could feel I needed a friend right now.

  “Okay, honey. Let’s get outta here. The music sucks anyway. I know he’ll be here on Friday, perusing what’s on offer: me!”

  We grabbed our bags, and Sarah got Raymond, one of the bouncers, to escort us out. Keith would have probably left by now, but we wanted to be sure. Sarah didn’t trust him, and neither did I. It wasn’t fun being treated like a doormat by a guy whose ego was over the top. Being domineering was in his DNA, and that wasn’t good when it sprouted out in the angry sense. He was the type of guy who would stalk someone, although, thankfully, he hadn’t done that to me.

  “Karly, I’m going to come to your place tonight. I can’t be bothered to catch a cab until the morning. We can have ice cream and listen to eighties music for a while.”

  “I hate eighties music,” I said, giving her an eye roll.

  She laughed out loud. “I know, but we can laugh at songs by Rick Astley.”

  I laughed. She always
knew how to cheer me up. When my cat passed away last year, she took me out shopping, and we both bought a ridiculous number of shoes. God, I was glad she was my best friend. I needed Sarah when I felt like this.

  The rest of the evening flowed well. Sarah danced her butt off in my bedroom until eleven, and we ate way too much ice cream as we laughed and joked like kids. It felt good to be silly, to be ridiculous and free. A girls’ night was the perfect way to spend the evening together, even if it was on a weeknight. I’d probably laugh about our times together when I was eighty-nine, although I hoped I wouldn’t become a spinster looking after an array of cats. A man to share my life with was something I really wanted one day. Yes, a beautiful man and a family to call my own.

  “Good night, gorgeous Karly. I bet you’re going to dream about Mr. Handsome CEO.”

  I giggled. “Uh-huh. He is drop-dead gorgeous. You can’t really blame me, can you?”

  “Nope. Oh my goodness, I bet he’s hung like a horse. And I bet he’s a total stallion in the bedroom!”

  I laughed at her vision of Damon. “I need to get some sleep.”

  “I know, but it’s super fun thinking about it, isn’t it?” she asked, giggling madly.

  “Uh-huh.”

  See how Damon and Karly’s story unfolds. Get Nanny with Benefits here.

  Copyright © 2018 Amy Brent – All Rights Reserved

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. While, as in all fiction, the literary perceptions and insights are based on life experiences and conclusions drawn from research, all names, characters, places and specific instances are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. No actual reference to any real person, living or dead, is intended or inferred.