Break of Day

by Mari Madison

  “You clearly need a refresher on the definition of morning.”

  “Yeah, well, you clearly need a refresher on the definition of awesome break out on Black’s Beach,” she shot back. “And thanks to your bestie here, your sorry ass is going to get one. Now get up and get that wet suit on, big boy.”

  She yanked the covers off my bed, evidently not trusting me not to crawl back under them as soon as she turned her back. As she did, her eyes zeroed in on my boxer briefs. She made a face and laughed. “At least one part of you is up,” she said with a snort.

  I rolled my eyes, grabbing a pillow and placing it over my privates. “What?” I growled. “It’s a common condition amongst us poor males. Or haven’t you heard?”

  Of course that wasn’t exactly why I was rock hard this particular morning, but she didn’t need to know that.

  I lay back down on my pillow, staring up at the ceiling, my mind flashing back to the dream I’d been having. Of being back at the country club with Piper. Back on that bathroom couch. But this time there was no one knocking on the door. And Piper did not seem interested in retreat.

  Instead she was under me, completely naked, miles of soft curves and supple flesh. Moaning in pleasure as I trailed kisses down her flat stomach, taking a moment to explore the dip of her navel. She reached down, digging her fingers into my hair, and I grinned, dropping down to nip her inner thigh, my hands gripping her hips, keeping her locked in place. A cry escaped her lips and her nails dug into my scalp so hard I winced in pain. But I didn’t stop. If anything her reaction was only an invitation to press further. To start licking and sucking where I really wanted to be licking and sucking. To see if she tasted as good as she looked.

  “Asher. Oh, Asher . . .”

  Her words were a prayer. Begging me to take her to a place she’d never gone before. My mouth traveled higher, my breath whispering across her core . . .

  “Earth to Asher. Did you fall back asleep?”

  My eyes popped open and I scowled. Jess was standing above my bed again, now holding my wet suit in her hands. I raked a hand through my hair, reality smacking me across the face. A hard reminder that the real-life Piper did not want me to take her to a place she’d never been before. In fact, she barely wanted to get in the car.

  I sighed heavily, remembering our talk the night before. I still couldn’t believe she actually thought I’d hired her in order to hook up. Did she really think me that much of a creep? I mean, sure, I wasn’t a saint by any stretch of the imagination. But I’d never force a woman into a position like that. That was just disgusting.

  Maybe I should have never taken her on as my producer in the first place. Then we wouldn’t have this little work conflict we had going on. I could feel free to ravish her anytime I wanted to. And she would not have a leg to stand on.

  Despite what she’d said last night, I was still pretty confident I could get her in bed. Her desire for me might have gone against everything she believed in, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there. But if she did allow herself to go down that road, I knew she would hate herself in the morning. And I wouldn’t be able to bear the look of regret in her eyes.

  Besides, I had to admit, I really did like working with her. Having someone else on my team for once, instead of always me against the newsroom. Piper was smart; she was resourceful. She was a hell of a scriptwriter, too. And, best of all, she made it fun. In fact, for the first time in a long time I was actually enjoying going to work. Maybe that was worth the price of celibacy in the end.

  I shook my head. It was for the best anyway. After all, a girl like Piper could do a hell of a lot better than a guy like me. She needed someone who would treat her like the goddess she was. Someone she could trust who would never let her down. Someone who could live up to her high expectations. Her work ethic. Her drive.

  “Asher!” I realized Jess was waving her hands in front of my face. “Come on. I’ve got the Jeep running. Grab your shit and let’s go!”

  I rose to my feet, then paused. “I don’t know if I can this morning,” I said, hedging.

  Jess stopped in her tracks, turning to me, an incredulous look on her face. “I’m sorry? Maybe you didn’t hear me. There is a major swell from the storm last night and it’s breaking perfectly over at Black’s Beach. Everyone who is anyone will be there and we need to get there first if we’re going to find a parking spot.”

  “I know,” I said. “But I have work.”

  “Uh, sure. Eventually. But not right now.”

  “Seriously, I need to be there on time.”

  Jess crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay, who are you and what did you do to my best friend?” She punched me lightly in the arm and laughed. “Come on. You know you want to.”

  I sighed. She was right. I did want to. I really did. After all, there wasn’t anything better than catching a perfect wave, on a perfect beach day. Losing myself in the thunder of the sea, tasting the salt on my lips. The warm sun, baking my shoulders. The rest of the world far away.

  But then I thought of Piper’s face. The disappointment I knew I’d see in her eyes as I walked into the newsroom late again, proving everyone right. Making her look bad.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I made a promise.”

  “Please. You make promises all the time. It’s not like you ever keep them.”

  I winced; her words were a punch to the gut. Was that what people really thought of me? What Piper saw when she looked at me? Asher Anderson: rich fuckup. Happy-go-lucky loser. A guy who waltzed through life, making and breaking promises without a care. A guy you couldn’t count on to follow through.

  A guy who didn’t deserve a girl like Piper.

  “Well, there’s always a first time,” I declared. “And I guess this is it. But you go on—I don’t want you to miss this on my account. You can even use my board if you want.”

  Her eyes widened greedily. “Really?” she asked. “Your Damien Hurst SAS board?” When I nodded, she gave a low whistle. “Wow. I think I might grow to appreciate this new and improved Asher Anderson.”

  I snorted. “Just have the board back by the end of the day.”

  She grinned, her eyes sparkling. “Oh, I promise.”

  * * *

  After she left I tried to go back to sleep, back to my delicious dreams. But after tossing and turning for twenty minutes I finally gave up, deciding to shower and dress and head to work instead. Three coffees and a massive breakfast burrito later, I was wandering through the newsroom, which was hustling and bustling with people getting ready for the six AM newscast. I yawned, trying to imagine what it would have been like if Piper had gotten this job instead. Would she have been happier in the end? The hours would have sucked, of course. But she wouldn’t have had to deal with me.

  “Well, well, now there’s a sight I didn’t expect to see at this hour.”

  I looked up, stifling a groan as my eyes met none other than my mother herself, standing in the doorway of Richard’s office. Her own office was a few flights upstairs, but whenever she wanted to feel “at one” with the station she’d commandeer the news director’s space as her own. Something I’m sure Richard wasn’t super thrilled with, by any stretch of the imagination. He was a good guy. Fair, honest, just trying to stay under the radar and run his ship. The last thing he needed was interference from the ship’s micromanaging owner.

  “Hey, Mom,” I said, changing course to head in her direction. Because what else could I do? “You’re here awfully early yourself.”

  She shrugged. “The place isn’t going to run itself.” Then her eyes locked on me. “We need to talk.”

  She stepped aside, nodding her head to the entrance of Richard’s office. I sighed, realizing I had no choice but to step inside. After surveying the room, I chose the chair behind Richard’s desk—the power seat—and plopped down onto it, propping my feet up on his desk. It wa
s a small act of defiance, but it did make me feel a little better to watch my mother relegated to the visitor’s seat, a crinkle of annoyance creasing her brow.

  “What’s up, Mom?” I asked innocently, though I had a pretty good idea what she was about to say. My mother was nothing if not predictable.

  Mom reached for Richard’s desk, prying a newspaper out from under my feet. I watched as she flipped to the society page then handed it over to me. Glancing down I realized it was an article from the Inside Track, the local gossip column that I had been featured in far too many times over the years, thanks to my exploits. And sure enough, once again, my mug was smirking back at me from the page.

  Who is the mysterious woman who emerged from the women’s bathroom with a certain weatherman on her arm? Is there a new storm brewing in San Diego? Or maybe a heat wave?

  I groaned. “Don’t they have any real news to cover?” I asked, tossing the paper back on the desk.

  My mother scowled. “This is real news, Asher. You caused an absolute scene in front of everyone. Including Sarah’s father! Do you know how embarrassing it was for me to have him come up and demand to know what’s going on?”

  “What business is it of his?”

  “Sarah was in tears when her friends texted her a photo of you and that . . . girl.”

  I groaned. “Mom, Sarah and I are just friends.”

  “Sarah doesn’t seem to think that. And this is beyond embarrassing for her. Her father called me this morning and threatened to pull all his advertising if you don’t apologize to her today.”

  “That’s bullshit.”

  “No. That’s reality, Asher. A place you obviously choose not to live. But someone has to pay the bills around here. And I’m not about to lose my key advertiser over some piece of white trash you decided to screw in the bathroom.”

  I winced. My first inclination was to defend Piper. But I knew it would only make things worse in the end. Instead, I rose to my feet. “I don’t need to listen to this.”

  “I suppose you don’t,” my mother agreed stiffly. “You can just go about doing whatever it is you do. No big deal.” She paused, then added, “I do worry about your little girlfriend though.”

  My eyes darted back to her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  My mother shrugged innocently. “Oh, nothing, really. I was just looking at her resume this morning,” she said. “I had no idea how young she was when I agreed to let you hire her as your producer. It seems to me we may need someone a little more . . . experienced . . . for this position. We are running a major news station here, Asher. Not a daycare.”

  My heart jammed. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t! My mind flashed back to Piper’s words in the car the night before.

  You have nothing to lose. And I have everything.

  If my mother fired her now—because of me. If she lost her job—because of me.

  “No.” I shook my head, panic rioting through me. “You can’t do that.”

  “I can do whatever I want to,” she replied, rising to her feet. Her cold eyes locked on me. “Just like you, sweetheart.”

  She turned to walk out of the office. I ran around the desk, grabbing her by the shoulder before she could leave.

  “Stop,” I said.

  She turned, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.

  “I’ll apologize to Sarah,” I said. “Whatever you want. Just . . . leave Piper out of this. She’s a good employee. She doesn’t deserve to be punished for my mistakes.”

  A twisted smile cut across my mother’s face. “Of course, sweetheart,” she said, reaching up to place a cold, dry hand on my cheek. It was all I could do not to recoil at her touch. But I stood there, stock-still, letting her do it.

  For Piper. Who deserved so much better than me.

  twenty-one

  PIPER

  The clock on my dash said six thirty AM as I rolled into work the next morning. Two and a half hours before my regularly scheduled shift, but after tossing and turning in bed all night, chasing sleep, I needed a distraction. I figured I could spend the morning studying the computers and charts, practicing what Asher had shown me. Maybe I could even find a story for us to work on that day.

  I walked through the newsroom, watching the writers hard at work, banging out copy for the newscast, which was currently on air. I didn’t see Anna Jenkins amongst their ranks; maybe she’d called in sick? Or maybe she’d proven unworthy of the job? The thought should have made me feel better, but in reality only made me feel worse. Because the same could easily be said about me.

  My mind flashed back to the conversation I’d had with Asher the night before. He’d insisted he had no power over my job but I wasn’t stupid. Maybe if I had been an experienced producer in the first place—someone who deserved the job—I could have fought a firing in a court of law. But as of this moment, I didn’t have much of a leg to stand on. They could easily say I wasn’t qualified for the job and no one could argue with that.

  Which meant I needed to get as qualified as possible. As fast as possible. And to avoid any further entanglements with Asher Anderson.

  “There you are. What took you so long?”

  My jaw dropped as I entered the weather center, only to find it blazing with lights. Asher looked up from his computer, a welcoming smile on his face. As if he’d been there all morning.

  “I’ve got a great story for us today,” he informed me, beckoning me over to his computer. “The scientists are talking about another possible La Niña season and I thought we could interview a couple of them on what that would mean for San Diegans if it happens.”

  “Um, yeah. Sounds great,” I said, a little taken aback. What was he doing here so early? And hard at work, too? Seriously, the guy had gone from complete slacker to total workaholic so fast it was making my head spin.

  As was the cologne he was wearing. A dark heady scent that made my toes curl as I leaned over to look at what he was pointing to on the computer. As my hand accidentally brushed his shoulder a quiver surged through my entire body. The air itself seemed almost electrified from his presence.

  Ugh. So much for the whole friend-zone thing.

  I bit my lower lip, trying desperately to focus on the task at hand. I forced my eyes to scan the article he was reading. “I can call Doctor Dutchman,” I suggested, referring to one of the UCSD scientists making the prediction.

  “Already done,” Asher pronounced. “Well, he wasn’t in his office yet,” he amended. “But I left him a message. As soon as he calls back we can head out. I’ve already asked the desk for a photographer.”

  “Great. Sounds good,” I stammered, completely taken aback at this point. What had gotten into him? Why the sudden enthusiasm? Was it all just an act, his way of proving to me that this hadn’t merely been a game to get in my pants? “Well, did you want to go get coffee then?” I added, feeling lame. “While we’re waiting?”

  He didn’t look up from his computer. “Actually I’m going to work on my forecast a little first,” he said. “To get ahead since we’ll be out doing the interviews later. But you go on.”

  I nodded lamely, then turned and headed down to the cafeteria, still confused as hell. What had gotten into him?

  Maybe he’s still trying to impress you? something inside me suggested. My body warmed at the idea before I could shrug it away. Mostly because it was kind of working. Seeing him there, hard at work, completely focused, in the zone—it was pretty sexy to say the least. Hard work had always turned me on—maybe because I’d seen it modeled so little while growing up. I knew from watching TV that other little girls had daddies who worked hard and supported their families and bought Christmas presents for their kids. I never even knew my father. But my mother liked to talk about what a worthless asshole he’d been.

  I entered the cafeteria and ordered myself a coffee and bagel. I still couldn’t believe what ha
d happened between Asher and me the night before. From the hot and heavy make-out session in the country club bathroom to me practically accusing him of the casting couch thing. What must he have thought of me? Not only that I thought he would do something like that, but that I took the job regardless, believing it to be a possibility. My face flushed at the thought.

  The worst part was—I actually did want to sleep with him. Not to keep my job, obviously—I wasn’t that insane. But because he was fast becoming the sexiest man I had ever met. There was just something about him that had gotten under my skin. Not just his good looks, his flashing eyes, his cocky smile, his amazing body. Not that those weren’t appealing side benefits. But in the end it was more than that. It was the way he had locked the door to the bathroom so no one could walk in and see me all upset and disheveled. The way he’d pulled my hair back into a ponytail before walking with me to face the crowd. Simple gestures, yet they said so much about him as a person. And then there was the protective way he’d wrapped his arm around my waist when facing off with his own mother. As if he would singlehandedly fight an entire army to keep me safe.

  Those were not the moves of a player trying to hook up. Those were the moves of a man who actually cared.

  Which only made things harder. Because I could deal with an Asher who wanted to seduce me. But an Asher who genuinely cared about me? That was another beast entirely. And I wasn’t sure how I was going to resist it long term.

  * * *

  So would this weekend work for your friend?”

  I looked up from my computer. Lost in writing the La Niña script, I hadn’t realized Asher had approached my desk and was now standing above me, looking down at me with questioning eyes. I drew in a breath. God, he looked so freaking good in his suit and tie. It wasn’t fair. Spending the day with him, going out on our shoots, had pretty much been torture. Being so close and yet so far. Thank God we had a photographer with us to act as a chaperone or I wasn’t sure what would have happened between us.