Christ, Kendra thought at Les’ grin. He’s definitely getting a green ticket.
“No, I don’t, Les. I look forward to hearing from you. By the way, your grin is not bad at all, either. I could get used to seeing it.”
“Thanks. I’ll be sure to thank my parents for giving it to me.”
“You do that, Les,” Kendra giggled as she slid a green ticket across the table. She smiled big at Les’ eagerness to take it.
“That really is a pretty smile. It’s familiar to me.”
“I still feel like I know you, Les. I can’t put my finger on it.”
“Hopefully you will soon. Okay, there’s the bell. That was the best speed date I’ve ever been on, Kendra, thank you. I’ll call you soon.”
“You’re welcome, Les and thank you, too. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.”
Les didn’t bother with the last twelve women. He had what he wanted and he went straight to Sharon with Kendra’s ticket. Sharon smiled and matched the ticket with the card.
“This is for uh… Kendra Atkins?” Sharon asked with a knowing smirk.
“It sure is,” Les nodded.
“Kendra Atkins, huh?” Andy said beside him. “Nice.”
“You have no idea.”
“Here you go, Charles,” Sharon smiled as she passed Les Kendra’s card. He stared at it as she spoke. “Good luck and if this works out, consider Dancy’s for your engagement party.”
“If it does work out, Sharon,” Les grinned. “Then you’ll get my bachelor party, too.”
The brothers laughed with Sharon then walked out the bar with Les grinning like he just won the lottery and was told on the same day he was going to live for another 50 years, at least.
“Kendra Atkins. Nice name. Kendra Ford sounds even better. This may sound stupid,” Andy smirked. “But you are going to call her, aren’t you?”
“Damn right I am. She won’t get away again,” Les said as he hugged his brother good night then went to his car. He looked up at his twin as Andy walked a couple of rows behind him to his own car.
“By the way, Andy,” Les called out. “Don’t make any plans Friday night. Kendra spoke of a good club you should go to. She swears it is right up your alley.”
“Okay, no problem. Wait, what place is this?” Andy frowned then stopped walking backwards toward his car. “I’ve been to every club in the city and there’s nothing new open.”
“It’s not new,” Les grinned. “And I don’t think you’ve been there.”
“I’m definitely intrigued,” Andy nodded. “What is this place and what’s its hook-up ratio? Is it underground?”
Les shook his head. “Kendra swears it’s the place to be on a Friday night for men who share your… let’s say, preferences.”
“My preferences?” Andy frowned. “What preferences? I have none at all. I’ve always been an equal opportunity employer.”
“Really? I had no idea,” Les laughed, opening the driver’s door. “The folks at Phallicsy Island will be so glad to know that when you go there Friday night.”
“Phall--”Andy’s brows scrunched together then flew up. “You didn’t!”
Les started his car and laughed hard as Andy charged at him. He quickly put it in gear then gunned the accelerator.
“I’m going to kill you, Les!” Andy laughed as he shouted after his soon-to-be-in-serious-pain twin.
Chapter FIVE
Calls
Tuesday morning, Les sat at his desk going through his messages and mail, irritated he hadn’t had a moment to call Kendra yet. He had intended to call her Saturday, hopefully early enough to secure a date that evening. He had no idea one of his well-known clients was going to be arrested and Les didn’t imagine he was going to be swamped over the next three days and not be able to look at a phone without client after client haranguing him, followed by his parents, his sister.
Then he had a marathon meeting with Ethan Harvey again and this time he brought his barracuda partner, Ms. Juarez, who was very tenacious and rigid. She damn near intimidated him into submission but in the end, they managed to iron out an agreement they all felt would please their respective clients.
When things finally calmed down, he and Andy got the most important call. It was from their niece, Nicola. She wanted to see them for tea and they were to stay until she went to bed. There was no way either of them could turn that down.
Now, it’s Tuesday and he made sure to wait until mid-morning to call her, guaranteeing better odds that she would not be out of the office. Who gives a shit, Les thought. If she was out, he’d leave his number and wait for her to call back. Or he would call every hour on the got-damn hour until he heard her voice.
Filled with anger, Les snatched up his office phone and dialed.
“Good morning. Kendra Atkins Design, Ms. Connors speaking. How may I help you?”
“Charles Ford for Ms. Atkins, please.”
“One moment, Mr. Ford. I’ll see if she’s available.”
She was there. Good. “Of course, Ms. Connors.”
Not that he’d ever admit it, but Les had the willies. He wanted this woman again and though she thought she’d seen him before, she had no clue how or where. He’d fix that soon enough. And since she was available, he was going to make her his, and he would never let her out of his sight again.
Tuesday at 10 a.m., Kendra smiled at the flight confirmation in her hand. Chicago again. Two days in the windy city during the fall with Kerrigan Reynolds, her college roommate. Both artists, they had classes together but that’s where the similarity ends. Kerri chose skin, Kendra chose fabric and both were damn good at their jobs. Maybe she would stay through the weekend. Yearly visits with Kerri were fun and exciting and her loving, devoted and friendly parents should be certified nuts.
Kendra and Kerri usually spend her first night on the town, with Kerri’s sister Jada and her friend and co-worker Trina. Her last night was spent with Kerri’s parents. Those two gave love a whole new meaning. They weren’t the hands-on type of people. At least not all the time. No, there was fights, arguments and they were legendary.
The first year Kendra visited, on the very first night Kerri’s mother Gina, threw a colander at her husband, Richard. Kerri and her sister, Jada, kept talking as if they couldn’t hear them. Kendra was mortified as Kerri giggly talked about the club her new friend Trina was taking them to that night. They talked about clubs they’d heard about but they knew there was only one area they wanted to be: Rush Street. And Trina knew the right place for the four of them to go to.
“Are, um… shouldn’t you two do something about that?” Kendra frowned, pointing to the kitchen.
“’Bout what?” Jada frowned.
“About your parents in the kitchen fighting.”
“No,” Kerri snorted. “Give it two minutes. Now, about what to wear tonight…”
Kendra couldn’t believe her ears. What to wear? Her mother and father were about to kill one another and she wanted to talk about what they were wearing that night.
“I’m so glad you came here at this time, Kendra,” Kerri smiled. “I missed you and we need to catch up, which we can do while we’re getting dressed. And I can’t wait for you to meet Trina. That girl is my body idol. I swear if I could I’d be shaped like her.”
“There’s nothing wrong with your body, Kerri,” Kendra sighed. This was an old argument. Kerri was built like her mother, a plus-sized woman of Mexican descent. Both Jada and Kerri had the typical Mexican appearance but were beautiful woman, a perfect mix of their parents. Kerri and Jada had kisses of color, curly black hair and the deepest, most expressive brown eyes Kendra had ever seen. Not to mention Kerri had the biggest dimples; dimples that were even bigger than Kendra’s and Kerri’s showed no matter what her expression was, no matter her emotion. They just as deep and expressive as her father’s.
Kendra laughed out loud at what happened exactly two minutes later. In the middle of asking Kerri about her job at a local news station as a hair and m
ake-up artist, Kendra heard grunting and moaning.
“What’s wrong, Kendra?” Jada asked when Kendra gasped and her eyes widened.
“Are you getting sick?” Kerri frowned. “Do you need anything?”
Kendra looked at both women as if they’d lost they’re minds.
“Don’t you hear that?” Kendra whispered.
“What?” Kerri frowned then concentrated hard. “I hear nothing but Rick and Gina going at it again. Why? What do you hear?”
“Rick and Gina going at it!” Kendra shrieked.
Jada and Kerri laughed and shook their heads.
“Don’t your parents still screw, Kendra?”
“Oh, God,” Kendra groaned. “Don’t put that in my head, Kerri! NO! They’ve only had sex once and that’s it! Ew!”
Kendra jumped out of her memory when her intercom’s buzzer interrupted her thoughts and shaking her head, she answered. “What’s up, Myra?”
“Kendra, your shipment from Brylane’s is here and there’s a Charles Ford holding on line three.”
Charles Ford, Kendra smiled. Nice looking guy and very familiar. She still couldn’t believe she couldn’t place him because she felt like she was intimately connected with him. She quickly went through her list, a short one, so it didn’t take long, of the men she’d slept with and ruled him out. It would come to her, she was sure but until then that nagging would continue until she was sure she’d get a depressing migraine.
“Thanks, Myra. I’ll take the call first,” Kendra smiled and picked up her office’s phone. “Good morning, Les. How are you?”
“Great, Kendra. You?”
“I’m great as well. How can I help you?”
“First, I apologize for the delay in calling you, but it couldn’t be helped.”
“Delay? That speed date was only last Thursday, Les.”
“I intended to call you Saturday but I had to prep a case or two. I didn’t want to give you the impression I wasn’t interested.”
Whoa. Kendra was so happy that he couldn’t see her at that moment. The heat on her face was a little much for her and her hand touched her cheek.
“Oh, okay. Well, you’re calling now so all’s forgiven.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that, Ms. Atkins.”
“You’re very welcome, Mr. Ford,” Kendra laughed.
“Wow,” Les murmured quietly.
“What?”
“That laugh. Even prettier than the smile.”
This guy was already added as number seven on her list of lovers. First chance she got, she was going to strip him bare and have her delicious way with him. Kendra sighed at the thought, mentally trying to figure out if that could happen before her trip. She’d sooo love to arrive at Chicago’s Midway Airport with a huge smile on her face.
“Les,” Kendra whispered with a grin while biting her lip. “Um… was there something else on your mind?”
“Yes, actually. I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me. I kinda miss the dimples. Hopefully you can smile at me for more than five minutes this time.”
“I will certainly give it a go, Les. Shouldn’t be too hard if you continue to be as charming as you’ve been during this call. So I’m guessing no on minute rice and rare steak.”
“Not unless that’s what you’d like. I was thinking Mariano’s, Friday night.”
“That sounds perfect, Les. I love Italian and I should be back in town by Friday.”
“Back in town?” Les frowned.
“Yes, I’m actually leaving for Chicago in the morning for a few days. Crown’s home offices are there and they have to finalize the designs for the Christmas windows.”
“Okay. So Friday night, eight?”
“Friday night. It’s a date.”
“Great. Where can I pick you up?”
“You don’t have to, Les. I’ll meet you at Mariano’s at eight.”
Independent, Les thought with a grin. He definitely liked that about her.
“Great. I’ll see you Friday. Have a safe flight, Kendra.”
“Thank you, Les. I’ll see you Friday.”
Kendra was still smiling when she hung up. A date Friday night with Les. She’d be cutting it close, she thought as she looked at her return flight info. Her flight wouldn’t get in until six and there was a stop she had to make as soon as she arrived that she wouldn’t cancel for anything in the world. Maybe she’d switch to an earlier flight get ready for her date at her parents’ home, which happened to be where she had to make her important stop.
Chapter SIX
Memory Lane
Les hung up his phone and smiled. Yep, he was a goner over one Kendra Atkins and Andy was right: he had been pining over her since he returned to their room the morning after their tryst.
Their tryst. Les grinned, thinking back to the day when he lost his virginity and fell in love, for the first and only time, in one swoop.
Les’ breath caught at Honey’s words.
“You want to, uh… be alone with me?”
“Since I laid eyes on you, babe,” Honey smiled then dropped it. “I’m not being too forward, am I?”
“No, I just… I never… I didn’t think we were there. Well, I was. I thought we were sitting here because you weren’t interested in the way I was.”
“I am, babe,” Honey nodded, her eyes hooding. “I can’t wait to feel you inside me.”
Les jumped up then, already erect and beyond ready to get started. “You have a private room or should we get one?”
“We definitely need to get one,” Honey smiled and took his extended hand. “I hope it’s one that’s not on the same floor my party is on. I plan to be loud and I do not want them to hear us.”
“Me either,” Les nodded. “But then again, who cares?”
They walked in silence to the hotel and Les sighed when she released his hand, wanting badly to keep holding her hand, keep some kind of touch with her going as they made their way to the reception desk. Honey whispered to him she was going to the gift shop for condoms and he smiled as he nodded, praying he remembered what his twin and their friends said women liked in bed. Once he secured a room, he led Honey to the elevator, pressed nine and they silently waited for the car to arrive.
The silence continued on the ride up, both shuddering, stealing glimpses at one another as the sexual tension crackled around them. When the doors finally… FINALLY… opened, they both practically ran from the car. As soon as they walked in room 926, Les attacked. He closed and locked their door, pushed her to the wall, lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her like he’d never kissed a woman before. It was burning, heated. It was filled with want and he felt Honey shudder as his erection grinded against her already wet core.
“Got anywhere to be tonight?” Les murmured against her mouth.
“No,” Honey groaned then pulled back. “But give me a minute. Someone may send out the national guard while we’re off the radar.”
After she made her call, Honey smiled as she went back to Les then kissed her way down his neck and back up again. He moved his head back and closed his eyes as his hands moved to her breasts, kneading them while his thumbs twirled her nipples.
Honey moaned loudly. Hearing it, Les’ hands couldn’t strip her bathing suit off fast enough and Honey’s hands on him were just as eager. She pulled the string on his trunks and pushed them to the floor. Honey gasped when she saw him fully erect and ready for her.
“Oh, good got-damn,” Honey murmured. “Have mercy on my pussy.”
“What?” Les chuckled.
“Um, I’m thinking I should have gotten the XL,” Honey sighed. “Oh, well. Half way is better than no way, right?”
“Right,” Les said, kissing at her neck as she stroked him.
She pushed him to the couch and grabbed a condom. Les grunted as he fell then kicked the coffee table away, thinking they would definitely need more maneuvering room.
“You want the honors or should I?”
“By all mean
s, honey,” Les grinned.
Honey smiled and knelt in front of him. She took the condom out the package and started rolling it on, making Les shudder at her touch. He turned his head to fight off the chills that were surging through and frowned at the condom wrapper.
“Lambskin?” Les breathed out.
“Yeah,” Honey nodded. “I’m deathly allergic to latex. Is this a game changer for you?”
“Hell no,” Les smirked. “I’m just hoping you got enough.”
“Concierge. He’s very helpful.”
“Good to know,” Les nodded, his heart thudding as Honey straddled him. This was it, his mind screamed. He was finally going to have sex.
A knock made Les jump from his memory and he frowned as the office door opened.
“Hey, little brother.”
Les wanted to kill Andy. He just getting to the best part of the memory when Andy’s knocked stopped it. This had better be good or his black suit would be going in the cleaners real, real soon. Les shook his head and sighed. Damn, it wasn’t worth killing Andy. Orange never looked good Les and there was no sense in doing something that would make him look bad for the rest of his life.
“Again with the little brother shit, Andy?” Les snapped. “You’re three minutes older than me.”
“Not that it matters, but it’s six minutes. And if it was thirty seconds, it still makes me the older brother, Les. Fact remains I escaped Mom’s body first.”
“And you’ve been doing everything you could to get back inside any woman’s body since you were sixteen because of it. What can I do for you? Hurry and say it so I can get back to this idiot and his DUI charge.”
“So glad you caught that and not me. You call her?”
“Just hung up with her,” Les nodded, reading a brief.
“And?”
“Friday night. Mariano’s.”
“She still has no idea?”
“She has… an inkling, I think.”
“Are you sure you want to do it this way, Les?”
Les frowned at his brother. “What other way should I do it, Andy?”
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