by Kylie Walker
“Not into cars right?” His voice was deep and smooth and oh so damn sexy.
“Not really.” She smiled.
“Hey Angela, I need another drink, you want one?” Jo shouted a little too loud.
“Sure, I’ll go with you.” She grabbed her arm and they headed towards the bar. As they walked away she heard the gorgeous man say, “Have fun.” She could feel his eyes on her all the way to the bar.
“Who the hell was that?” Jo asked grinning ear to ear as she looked back to check him out. “He’s fucking gorgeous, like magazine gorgeous!”
“I have no idea and don’t want to know. He looks like trouble with those tattoos,” Angela said stealing one more glance back.
As Angela took another look the stranger locked eyes with her, smiled and winked. She almost stumbled turning around too quickly trying to make her way back to the bar. Her knees went weak at the sight of him. He was definitely one of the sexiest men she had ever encountered.
It was almost one am when Angela checked the time. She was feeling the alcohol that she’d been imbibing all night and now the room in front of her had begun to spin in an array of shapes and colors. She felt a little sick to her stomach and the headache tomorrow was going to be fierce.
“You ready to go?” she asked Joanne, “I’m a bit wasted.” Angela giggled and let out a hiccup.
“Yeah, I’m feeling no pain myself,” Jo said with a glazed look on her face.
There was suddenly a man standing a little too close to Angela at the bar. She heard him say, “Hey baby. You’re fucking beautiful.”
“Excuse me!” Angela whipped around shooting a “Don’t fuck with me look” at the stranger. He licked his lips, worsening her nausea.
“You’re gorgeous. You wanna dance?” He seemed completely oblivious to the annoyed look on her face.
“Are you serious? Is that your best line?” Angela laughed, “Um...No thanks. I’ll pass.” She grabbed Joanne’s arm and motioned her to start walking.
They had almost made it to the front door of the club when a fight broke out. Angela saw it happening in front of her as if in slow motion. She tried to step back but her body was thrown to the ground as one of the men was punched in the face and flew back into her. He went down hard, taking Angela down with him. She fell to the floor hard and as she did, her arm landed against a shard of broken glass.
“Angela!” Joanne screamed.
Chaos ensued as the bouncers rushed in and made their way through the crowd. They grabbed the two men and dragged them out of the club.
Angela was disoriented from a combination of the alcohol and all the chaos going on around her. She suddenly felt her body being lifted upwards. Someone had scooped her up off the floor. Someone strong. She felt dizzy as she looked up into the man’s grey blue eyes. It was him, that irresistible hunk of a man she was talking to earlier. She could smell his cologne as her head rested against his bicep. Her head was spinning and she wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, the excitement or the Adonis whose arms she suddenly found herself in. He brought her through a set of doors and sat her down on a stainless steel table.
“Are you alright?” He said looking at her arm. Blood was oozing out and running down towards her wrist.
“I’m ok, it’s just a little cut,” she said staring at him like she was in a trance.
He stood in between her legs and held onto her waist with one hand. He reached around her slowly, and she felt him stop and breathe in as if taking in her scent. His lips came so close to grazing her neck that she could feel the heat of his breath. She was shocked as she realized she could feel herself becoming aroused.
“Here let me see,” he said, taking her arm and inspecting the cut. He gently wiped the blood away with a towel he’d grabbed off the table.
Angela could actually feel the heat of his eyes on her body. When she looked into his eyes, her heart sped up. She realized now that she got a good look at him underneath the lights, he was even more beautiful that she’d thought. His lips were full, almost perfect and his cheek bones were cut to precision which complimented his tanned skin tone and he had one huge dimple on his right cheek. His facial features were nothing short of male hotness. He was absolutely stunning.
“You’re so beautiful.” He said as he looked into her brown eyes.
She felt ripples of excitement course through her body. His voice was deep and sexy and reminded her of Vin Diesel.
“Thank you, but, I’m really ok.” Drawing in a shaky breath she pulled her arm back slightly from his grip.
He wrapped the thin towel around her arm and tied it into a knot so it wouldn’t fall off. “If you insist,” he said, giving her an irresistible smile. He ran his thumb down her hip and traced her thigh, touching the skin on her leg. Slowly, he pushed the hem of her dress up and she stopped him with her hand.
“What are you doing?” she asked, looking at him like he was crazy.
“You have a small cut. Look.” He smiled again, not moving his thumb.
“It’s ok, really.” She tried to say it sternly, not wanting him to know that she secretly enjoyed his touch. She moved his hand off of her leg and simultaneously, his other hand snaked around the back of her neck and pulled her ear into his lips.
“You smell so damn good,” he whispered as he slid his parted lips along her skin and traced it slowly with the tip of his tongue.
Angela was filled with a desire she had never felt before. She knew this was wrong. It was too soon. She was just drunk…right? His sexiness was overwhelming her. It was almost demanding and surprisingly, she liked it. This instant attraction was something she had never encountered before. Breathe Angela, Breathe.
She grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back. “What are you doing? I don’t know you and quite frankly I don’t want to know you.” She was trying to act like she was in control. The whole time her body was screaming for more. “Thank you for helping me, but I have to find my girlfriend.” She tried giving him another stern look. He didn’t seem to be affected by it. He stood in front of her still wedged between her legs. As he looked intently into her eyes he cocked his head to the side a little and gave her a half smile. He grabbed her by the waist with both hands and lifted her as if she were a small child. He stood her up on the floor and said, “As you wish sexy lady.”
“Thank you, I really appreciate it.” She said. She gathered her wits and walked quickly away. She’d almost reached the door when she felt him right behind her.
“What is your name?” he asked her.
“I don’t give my name to strangers, sorry,” she said with a quick smile.
“Ahhhh. I see,” he said with a grin. “Well for what’s it worth, my name is Steve. Until we meet again, beautiful.” He opened the swing doors for her and she paused to look up at him.
“This is Los Angeles,” she said, “I highly doubt we’ll see each other again.” She bit down on her bottom lip and shot him another smile as she walked back into the club.
Chapter 3
“Want a cup?” Joanne asked holding up her coffee mug as Angela walked into the kitchen.
“God no; I need water, lots of water.” She said, holding her head with both hands. She grabbed herself a glass from the cupboard and said, “I feel like road kill Joanne.” Groaning, she sat down on a bar stool and took a sip of her water.
“You look like road kill!” Joanne laughed. Her tone sobered then as she said, “So what the hell happened last night with you and that guy?”
Angela smiled. Even that hurt. “Nothing,” she said matter of factly taking another sip of her water.
“I call bullshit chick. I know that look and no woman in their right mind would say no to that walking piece of fuck-able manliness. I mean he was gorgeous right?” Joanne’s eyes probed her friend’s face.
“Ok, you can wipe the drool from the corner of your mouth,” she laughed. “Yes I agree. He is gorgeous.” Grinning she looked down at her glass, “He helped stop the bleeding on my ar
m.”
“That’s it?”
“Well, not quite. He also called me beautiful while sliding his lips down my neck.” Angela giggled. It was an unfamiliar sound to her. She hadn’t felt truly happy for so long.
“HA! I fucking knew you were holding back.” Joanne laughed out loud. “I want details.”
“That’s it. There aren’t any other details. He’s gorgeous, he called me beautiful and he sexually harassed my neck.” She laughed again.
“Well he can sexually harass my neck any damn time he wants,” Joanne told her. “Next time you see him, you tell him I said that!” She grinned as she got up out of her chair. “I have to go but let’s do supper on Monday after your first day at work. I’ll meet you outside, say around 5:30pm?”
“Ok, that sounds good. Do you know which building?”
“Of course, your roommate works there remember.” Jo smiled and walked out of the loft.
Angela finished her water and then went and jumped in the shower. The smell of alcohol was burnt into her nostrils. As she stood underneath the warm spray, she tried to exorcise the thoughts of her encounter with Steve from her head. It was futile. Every strong feature of his face was etched into her memory. The feelings he stirred in her body last night were exciting, and even thinking of him now aroused her. With her eyes closed, her hand ran down her stomach and landed on the aching spot between her legs. She slowly rubbed and circled her clit as she thought of Steven’s tongue trailing down her neck. Her breaths came in quick gasps and she let out a slight moan as her body reacted to her touch.
It had been so long since she had been touched like that by a man. It had elicited feelings she thought no man other than her husband would ever stir again. Her body tingled with a slowly building pleasure…when a loud knock at the door startled her into almost falling on her ass.
“Yes?” She yelled out trying to regain her step in the slippery shower.
“Do you wanna go out for lunch?” Thomas shouted through the door.
With a sigh she said, “Ok, I’ll be out in a few minutes.” She shook her head with her hands in her hair. What the fuck are you doing? She thought to herself. She turned the water off and stepped out onto the tile. She felt the guilt begin to well up inside of her as she dried herself off.
Angela wiped the steamed mirror with her towel and stared at her own reflection. “No more thoughts of Steve,” she whispered. “Only Blake.” Tears welled in her eyes as she told herself, “I can’t forget about Blake!”
***
“I’ll have a Caesar salad, thank you,” Angela said, as she passed the menu back to the waitress.
“So I heard your conversation with Joanne this morning. Who’s this guy?” Thomas asked, as he squinted his brows together.
“Just some guy that helped me last night. There was a fight and I ended up getting cut by some broken glass.” She picked up her coffee cup and took a sip.
“It sounded like a lot more than just some guy, the way you two were talking about him. Are you interested in him?” He pressed her and seemed to be impatiently waiting for a response.
“Thomas, seriously?” Angela looked at him annoyed. “No, I’m not interested. I don’t even know who he is.”
“Ok, ok. Just saying. You just got here and I really don’t think a relationship is something you should be jumping into right away.” He was being awfully blunt. She wasn’t sure she appreciated it.
“Really?” She asked, looking into his icy green eyes. Thomas was extremely attractive; five-eleven or so with a very lean muscular build and well-kept short, dirty blond hair. He had a small mole on his left cheek that complimented his full set of lips. He had no problems getting women from what she remembered but Angela had always looked at him as a great friend, almost like a brother. She checked her annoyance. She knew he was really just looking out for her. “Thomas, there really is no need to be worried. The guy helped a girl in distress. That’s all… completely innocent.” She smiled as the waitress approached and sat her salad down in front of her. “Let’s eat, I’m starving.” She said, “You can fill me in about what I should expect from my new boss,” she told him before taking her first bite.
“You’ll love her. Kim is a tiny little thing but knows her stuff inside out. You’ll learn a lot from her,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t think I have ever met someone so driven before. When she sets her mind to something, she always accomplishes it.” He took a bite of his food and asked her, “Are you nervous?”
“A little, it’s been over a year since I have worked. I’m sure I’ll pick things up like I never left eventually, but a new work environment, new co-workers, you know…”
“Yeah, I get it. You’ll be fine. Kim is a softy, but a hard worker and expects the same. As long as you hit your deadlines you’re good in her book,” he winked.
***
Monday morning arrived quickly, but Angela felt as ready as she would ever be. She dressed in a short sleeve ruffled white dress shirt that complimented her snug grey skirt that ended right below her knee and accentuated her tiny frame. Her nude heels added an extra four inches to her five-foot three height.
That morning as she walked into the building with her arm through Thomas’s he said, “You look pretty hot missy.” Chuckling he asked, “Nervous?”
“No. I’ll be good,” she said with confidence as they stepped onto the elevator and rode it to the tenth floor. Stepping off, Angela watched the busy people doing their thing. There were at least a dozen cubicles where people were on the phones or typing away at their computers. Multiple offices faced the large windows with views of the city’s skyline.
“Holy shit,” she said, grabbing his arm tighter. “Ok, yes, I’m nervous,” she whispered.
“You’ll be fine,” he told her. “I’ll introduce you to Kimberly and she will give you a run-down of exactly what your duties are and your client’s list.” He looked down at her and gave her a warm smile.
“Okay,” she said with a nervous smile. She stuck close to him until they got to the door that said, “Kimberly Townsend - Associate Director of Marketing”. Thomas lightly rapped his knuckles against it.
“Come in,” the voice was soft. Angela knew what Kim looked like already from the interview they had on Skype over a month ago.
Getting up from her seat Kimberly made her way around the desk. “Well hello,” she said, giving Thomas a hug. She turned to Angela and gave her a light squeeze. “You made it,” she said with a smile.
“Yes, I’ve been here for about two weeks settling in,” Angela told her.
“Well that’s great. The city will grow on you and you’ll find yourself loving all the hustle and bustle.” She grinned and went back to her seat.
“Ok, well I will let you two get to work. Don’t be too rough on her Kimberly.” Thomas winked at her and smiled at Angela before closing the door.
“So I have gone over your work history after our skype interview and you are clearly over qualified for the position. However, the one question I would like to know is why you no longer want to work for the agency in Miami?” Kimberly asked her as she leaned back in her leather chair. “They were willing to take you back, correct?”
“Yes, of course. I assumed Thomas told you my history.” Angela looked at her hands nervously.
“No, he kept it pretty minimal actually. He’s not really the type to share personal details,” she laughed.
Angela looked at her new boss with trepidation. “When my husband was diagnosed with Cancer, I left my job. They gave him 6 months to live so I put everything aside to spend what little time I had left with him.” She tried to hold back the pools of water that she could feel starting to swell in her eyes. Shaking it off she said, "I had to leave Miami. There are too many memories there and I felt it would be good to start a new chapter in a new city with a new job.” Angela straightened in her seat feeling a little more confident now that she’d gotten through it without spilling the tears.
“I’m very sor
ry for your loss. I had no idea.” She looked embarrassed and sorry that she’d asked. Quickly changing the train of the conversation she said, “Well then.” She stood up from her chair and went on, “Just to warn you, we are a lively bunch. When we don’t hit our deadlines, our asses are on the line so I expect everyone to at least try to be on the same level.” She walked over to Angela and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“Let me give you a quick tour and then we will go over some of the clients you will start off with. Sound good?” She smiled.
“Yes it does,” Angela said.
Kimberly had a warm and welcoming way about her. Thomas had been right about her being tiny. She was only about five-two. She had dark brown medium length hair that fell smoothly down her back and a beautiful smile.
Kimberly explained the positions of the middle section to Angela as she walked her through the area where people seemed to be huddling in their cubicles. She introduced her to a few of the other key members of staff in the offices along the glass walls. She led her through the private lunch room and the main board room where she told her that most of the presentations are held. Then they made their way towards an elderly lady sitting at a desk. “Angela, this is your personal secretary, Marg.” She told her, putting a light hand on Marg’s shoulder.
“Well hello Angela, it’s very nice to meet you.” Marg said with a bright smile.
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you too.” Angela replied.
Kimberly led her to the door beside Marg’s desk. Angela looked at the door and was surprised when she read: Angela Black - Marketing Manager. A slow smile traced her lips as she touched the engraved name plaque. Kim opened the door and the large pane window caught her eye. In front of it sat a large wooden desk and office chair. Kimberly could probably see she was excited. “Go ahead, try out the chair,” she told her with a smile.
“It’s beautiful Kimberly. The whole office is great.” Angela was beaming with excitement. She almost ran around to the other side of her desk and took a seat in the black leather chair.
