by Tess Summers
The General’s Desire
San Diego Social Scene, Book #2
Tess Summers
Seasons Press LLC
Copyright 2017 Tess Summers
Published: 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9994319-1-7
Published by Seasons Press LLC.
Copyright © 2017, Tess Summers.
Edited by Ansley Blackstock.
Cover by Charlene Bell, Envy Designs.
This book is available in print at most online retailers.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations within critical reviews and otherwise as permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
This book is for mature readers. It contains sexually explicit scenes and graphic language that may be considered offensive by some.
All sexually active characters in this work are eighteen years of age or older.
Dedication
To every single person who helped me navigate the writing business once Operation Sex Kitten was published and I didn’t have a flipping clue how to get it in reader’s hands.
Acknowledgments
Mr. Summers: Thank you for being such a good sport about the tales I tell out of school about you on social media. You will forever be my real-life superman.
Summers’ children – a.k.a. ‘Oldest son’, “Youngest son’, and ‘Daughter’: You are also amazing sports, and the fact that you’re so supportive of your mom as I am off writing smut speaks volumes of how cool you are. Or how fucked up I’ve made you. Or both. Good thing you’re still on your dad’s insurance and can go to therapy.
Bad Girls’ Club – expanded version: You are the best freaking beta readers I could ever ask for. Thank you for helping me make this book better, even if it meant hurting my feelings in the process. My ego got over it.
LDP: Your friendship is a gift. Thanks for being a part of my life for forty-plus years and for loaning me your extraordinary graphic design skills.
Richard, the lead singer from Dead Man Dom: Thanks for an incredible night.
Ansley Blackstock: Thank you for your amazing editing skills. And your patience. And your gentle way of saying, “Fix this shit, it sucks.” You are one-of-a-kind and I’m so thankful our paths crossed.
Charlene Bell with Envy Designs: That cover… wow! Thank you for listening to my ideas and bringing them to life.
The amazing writing community – fellow authors, bloggers, readers, and industry counterparts: There’s not a chance in hell I would’ve had the guts to self-publish this book without the wisdom and advice that you generously gave to this newbie. “Thanks” seems so inadequate but I don’t know what else to say. I promise to pay it forward.
All my friends on social media: You make me laugh every single day. I’m so glad you’re a part of this journey with me. Even you perverts (you know who you are!)
My real-life friends: Thanks for being proud of me and supporting this new career path. MS sucks ass but there have been a lot of silver linings; writing is definitely at the top of the list.
My extended family for buying my books even though you will never read them. It’s pretty cool that you do that and I love you for it.
Lastly – thank you to my readers. I’m humbled that you let me share my work with you. Extra special love if you left me a review. I can’t even begin to tell you how important they are!
Table of Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Epilogue
A Note From Tess
Other Works from Tess-Operation Sex Kitten
About the Author
Contact Me
The General’s Desire
Prologue
Brenna
“No, he did not! You’re kidding! Brenna, please tell me you are kidding,” Cassie Sullivan yelled through the patio door before flopping on a blue, outdoor lounger at her older sister’s San Diego beach house. The weather was unseasonably warm for the fifteenth of December.
Brenna Roberts walked onto her patio carrying two glasses of white wine and handed one to her younger sister.
“Nope. I’m not kidding. Stood-the-fuck-up. No call, no text, no email, no nothing. I sat there like a fool for over an hour.”
“Oh God, how embarrassing! I’m so sorry.” Cassie took a sip before setting the glass down on a side table. “Do you think the restaurant staff knew you were stood up?”
Grimacing but still managing to chuckle, Brenna replied, “They wouldn’t seat me until all parties had arrived. When no one else arrived, they kind of had an idea.”
“Ouch.” Cassie wrinkled her pug nose and hugged an orange throw pillow. “And you still haven’t heard from him?”
Brenna shook her head, sitting down in an oversized chair that was the same cornflower blue as the lounger. “Not a peep. He didn’t return my call or my text.”
“Maybe he forgot? Or switched up the location?”
Brenna scoffed. “Then why hasn’t he responded to me?”
The younger girl sighed. “Well, did you at least tell him off?”
“What would be the point? Standing someone up says a lot. I think it’s a pretty big fuck you. I’d just be wasting my breath. Me telling him off would probably only help him justify what he did.”
Cassie took another drink of wine, seeming to be lost in thought, absorbing what her older sister said.
“Screw being the better person. I’d drop a carton of eggs on that asshole’s fancy sports car, and maybe slash a tire or two. Don’t you think you deserve better than being stood
up, without even an apology or explanation?”
“Oh sister, I know I deserve better than that. I just wish he would have done it on the first date, instead of the fifth.”
As if still not wanting to accept someone had stood her big sister up, Cassie suggested, “What if he’s been kidnapped?”
Brenna shot her an annoyed look. “Really? Come on. Pretty sure kidnapped rich bond trader would at least make the local news. We would have heard about it by now. You think the media wouldn’t be all over Ray-mond Reitmeier’s abduction story? He’s a pretty big deal–just ask him.” She overemphasized the second syllable in Ray’s name to mock his pretention.
Cassie gave an obligatory giggle at her sister’s attempt at a joke while she sat with her nose in her phone, then made a face. “Uh, you said people at the restaurant knew you were stood up?”
Brenna dragged out her next words with an eyebrow raised. “Yeeeaah. Why?”
Cassie flashed the phone screen at Brenna. In the Out and About section of the local paper was a picture of Brenna from about a year ago with the headline, “Would You Stand Her Up?”
“Apparently their sources say you were pretty distraught at being stood up.”
“I even gave the bartender an amazing tip,” Brenna said in mock indignation. Being in the Out and About section wasn’t new to her, so she wasn’t that upset.
Cassie started to read the photo caption aloud. “Brenna Roberts, the stunning widow of Padres second baseman, Danny Roberts…”
Brenna interrupted her. “Do you mind? I lived through it, I don’t need to hear about it, too.”
Cassie kept reading, only silently now.
“God those people are like vultures,” she said, throwing her phone onto the matching lounger next to her.
Springing to her feet, she started to pace, then stopped and glared at Brenna, who hadn’t moved from her spot on the oversized chair. “Why are you so calm about all this?”
“Sweetie, how many times were Danny and I in that rag? There’s no point getting upset about anything in there. You’re just wasting your energy.”
“Oh, I know that. Nobody believes anything they print anyway. I’m talking about that dickhead who stood you up. I mean, who does that? How fucking hard is it to text a simple, hey can’t make it, instead of just leaving you hanging like that for the bottom-dwellers to feed on. God I wish you were still writing, I’d love to see you kill that dick off in your next screenplay.”
Cassie narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at her older sister. “You’d still be able to do that, right? You haven’t gone soft, have you?”
Brenna gave a sly smile and curled her legs under her before taking a drink. Holding the wine glass with both hands, she left it at her lips and murmured, “Let’s just say I can picture a good looking bond trader meeting an untimely–and painful–demise.”
Cassie always said her big sister was passive-aggressive when it came to her writing, especially when some of her characters ended up dying on the big screen. Brenna preferred to think of it as cathartic. If people thought they recognized themselves or others in her characters–well, she couldn’t help that. After all, her characters were fictional. Any resemblance to persons–living or dead–was purely coincidental.
“Bren, when the fuck are you going to start writing again?”
Chapter One
Brenna
Unable to sleep, Brenna lay in bed looking at the black, scoop-neck cocktail dress hanging on her closet door. She was attending her first social function as a single woman since her husband, Danny, died almost three years ago, and she was nervous. She wasn’t sure how she’d be received tomorrow night, but hoped it wasn’t sympathetically. She hated that look she got from people once they found out she was a widow.
Her real estate agent, Ava Ericson, was co-hosting a black and white New Year’s Eve ball with Travis Sterling, one of the city’s most eligible bachelors–although since he was co-hosting the party with a pregnant Ava, Brenna doubted he was very eligible anymore. She liked Ava and had planned on asking Ray to be her date when she RSVP’d for two. After he stood her up, Brenna phoned to let Ava know she wasn’t able to make it after all, but somehow ended up agreeing to attend by herself before she hung up.
She hadn’t been entirely honest with her sister a few weeks ago when they sat on her patio, and she told her about Ray. Truth was, her feelings were a lot more hurt than she’d let on that he had stood her up without so much as a text or call. He had been really determined in the beginning to get her to go out with him, and she found him handsome and charming. She quickly realized he was more into the chase than anything. Brenna knew once they slept together, the hunt would be over and he’d move on, so she never let it get that far. Even though she knew he was not long-term material, there was that little bit of ego that made her believe that once he’d gotten to know her better, he’d be interested in more than just sleeping with her. The way he had dismissed her without a second thought bruised her pride. Her ego might have been hoping he’d call and apologize, maybe grovel a little, but it didn’t happen.
She looked at the floor-length dress and smiled. After finally gaining back most of the weight she had lost after Danny’s accident, Brenna had actually enjoyed dress and shoe shopping, and for the first time in a long time, was looking forward to going out.
****
The doorbell rang at Brenna’s house at ten-thirty in the morning on New Year’s Eve. Her Labrador mix, Zona, bound to the door, barking to alert her in case she had missed the bell.
Brenna heard Cassie call out, “Hey bitch!” and then the door close. Her sister was kneeling down and roughly rubbing Zona behind her black ears when Brenna appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel.
“You’re early. You’re never early. What’s up with that?”
“I don’t have any food at my place.” Cassie grinned as she stood and walked past Brenna toward the fridge.
“Gee, help yourself,” Brenna muttered, following her sister into the bright, modern kitchen overlooking the ocean.
With a bowl of cereal, Cassie sat down at the kitchen island and watched Brenna cut sugar cookie dough into football shapes on the grey, granite countertop.
“What’s with the cookies?”
“I’m taking them to Tucson with me tomorrow. Danielle and I are going to a party to watch football. I figured I’d try to get in touch with my domestic side and not bring something store-bought.”
“Is anyone yummy you know playing tomorrow?”
Brenna laughed. “No, it’s college games on New Year’s Day. Besides, I only know baseball players, not football players.”
“Still haven’t heard from assface?”
“No, and honestly, I don’t expect to. At this point, what could he possibly say? He’s way too proud to admit he did anything wrong. Even if he did, it would be half-assed in a take-it-or-leave-it kind of way.”
Brenna sat quietly for a minute then shrugged. “He can fuck off. I swore after Danny that I would never let a man treat me poorly again. The only reason I put up with it from Danny for so long was because he was such a great dad.”
“Hey, about my beautiful niece. Why did Danielle only stay a week for the holidays? Is she mad at you, or is she dating someone?”
Brenna frowned. “She said she had to work. I don’t think she’s mad at me–she asked me to come visit her. She hasn’t said anything about dating anyone. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.”
In between bites of cereal, Cassie asked, “So, are you coming home tonight, or do I get to sleep in your comfy guest bed?”
“No, I’m staying at the hotel tonight and going straight to the airport from there at noon.”
“You’re lucky I’m such a loser, and the best New Year’s Eve plans I had were no comparison to being here on the beach with Zona and the fireworks.” Cassie smirked.
“I really appreciate you doing this for me last minute–Zona is such a baby when it comes
to fireworks. Luke was going to stay, but then his department decided everyone needed to be on call tonight. I’m only gone for a few days. You don’t have to stay past tonight. I think he is still planning on covering the other nights. We’ll ask him when he gets here.”
Cassie pointed her spoon at Brenna and waved it in circles at her. “Yeah, I need to know a little bit more about this Luke guy before I run the risk of bumping into him alone.”
Brenna snorted. “Sweetie, once you meet him, you’re going to look for ways to run into him alone. He’s delicious.”
Her little sister pursed her lips, unconvinced. “Well, if he’s so delicious,” she made air quotes as she said the word ‘delicious’, “why haven’t you jumped him? I mean, he’s Mr. Altruistic and everything. He’s right up your alley.”
“Um, because he’s way too young for me. If I were even ten years younger, maybe. But since I’m not even close to thirty-four anymore, ain’t happenin’. You, on the other hand, are thirty…”
Cassie interrupted. “You look like you’re in your thirties–does that count?”
Brenna gave a fake smile. “Aw, aren’t you sweet.” Then dropped the smile. “I’m still not paying you.”
“God you’re such a cheap ass,” Cassie said, sliding off her barstool to pour more cereal and spilling a little on purpose for Zona, who had been patiently waiting for her to drop something. “I don’t know why I even agreed to help you out!”
Brenna smirked. “Because you love me, and because I live on the beach.”
The younger girl poured more milk into her bowl while pretending to consider what her sister just said. “Oh yeah. Not to mention your hot tub and stocked fridge.”
“Ya know, I have a hard time believing the pharmaceutical business is doing so badly that you can’t afford food.”
“Oh, business is booming! I just got a bonus big enough to pay my car off.” Her little sister grinned as she hopped back on her seat and shoved another spoonful in her mouth.
