“You’ve been working out too, feisty, I like it,” Bradley growls.
I lay the roses on the table, drop my purse, and lean against him. “What do you have to tell me Bradley?”
“I talked to Viktor.”
“Oh, good. See, I told you he wouldn’t hit you, your face is perfectly pretty as usual.” I pinch his arm but he doesn’t return my smile.
“He was at the condo. He wasn’t alone.”
Just the tone of his voice tells me everything. I wait for the piercing pain, the disappointment and heartache, but all I really feel is relief.
“Go on.”
“He was having sex with Luba.”
He looks sad and an unwelcome thought pries itself into my mind.
“Did that hurt you Bradley? Seeing Viktor with your Luba? Were you in love with her?”
“Hell no. I thought you’d be upset,” Bradley says, looking at me. He reaches up and carefully brushes my wild hair off my face.
I go for it. Like being on the end of a high diving board over a cold pool, I don’t blink; I jump.
“I’m not in love with Viktor. He was a rebound guy who made me feel good about myself again, after I lost you. I still love you Bradley.”
He surprises me by hugging me hard against him and kissing me with more feeling than I’ve felt from him in months.
I return it with every emotion I’m feeling, I reach up and run my hand over his strong jaw, wrapping the other hand around his neck, and I push my tongue against his. We kiss until we’re both out of breath.
He pulls back and smiles, “I’m moving back in.”
“Yes, you are. Today Bradley, come back today.”
“I love you Naomi, always have since that damn play when we met.”
“Me too.”
“Are you ready to meet your aunt? Can you handle hearing about Broderick, your mother all that shit?”
“If you’re with me I can.”
“I’m with you baby, all the way.”
I smile. The first genuine smile I’ve really given in weeks, and wink at him.
“Then let’s go hear all the dirt.”
He kisses me again madly and I taste his coffee, smell his cologne, and feel his passion. God, I’m the happiest woman alive.
We walk arm in arm, swaying against each other in an old familiar dance. Every few steps we stop and kiss. It’s magic, fireworks, and my heart is pounding. Bradley’s back. We’re a couple again. I’m so happy I’m giddy with excitement.
We enter the magnificent old building in the East Eighties. A doorman opens the door and a young lady behind a pricey front desk flashes us a warm smile and says, “Mr. Dobrov, Miss Swanson, Mrs. Lucille Rochefort De La Cologne is expecting you. Go on up.”
We walk toward a golden bank of elevators holding hands like kids. There’s one open toward the end of a row of four. It has a brass plate announcing the word, PENTHOUSE, embellished on it. That’s the one Bradley heads straight to and I remember he’s been here before with Manny. Bradley presses me against the mirrored wall and closes me in with his arms; he leans down and madly kisses me. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him even closer, forgetting my fear of elevators; I balance on my toes and whisk my tongue against his.
“I love you Bradley, I’ve missed you so much.”
“I love you back Naomi. I can’t wait to be with you again.”
We laugh at nothing and everything.
We are zipped to the top of Manhattan on a dream and a cloud. When the doors open, Bradley whispers, “Your aunt has lots of staff up here. We’d better control ourselves.”
I giggle and stand straighter, adjusting the roses. When we step out of the elevators, no one is present to greet us, offer to take our coats, or show us inside.
“Wow, it’s impressive up here, just like you described it, but where’s that fancy upstairs doorman or imperial butler you promised?”
Bradley looks puzzled and shrugs. We both lean around the corner and see a massive white room, with white furniture, a white marble fireplace with a roaring fire. It’s gorgeous. Classical music is playing loudly from unseen speakers and the city flickers outside a wall of windows to our left.
Bradley takes my arm and pulls me back, “This is weird, I thought someone would be out here, last time with Manny it was full of staff.” It’s quiet except for the music which all at once seems strangely too loud and has a sinister feeling to it.
Then double mahogany doors swing open to our right and Chase steps out into the hallway and grins.
“Welcome home Naomi, my own little half-sister, good to see you again.”
Vodka & Vice, the Series
Book One: Naomi & Bradley It All Comes Down…
Book Two: Bradley & Naomi …To Me & You!
Books three & four coming soon.
The first book in the series: Available on Amazon now
Book One
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F6BXGV2
Books by Kathleen Hesser Skrzypczak
Contemporary Romantic Comedies
Written with Angela J Conrad
Vodka & Vice, the Series:
Naomi & Bradley –It All Comes Down…
Bradley & Naomi – …To Me & You!
www.facebook.com/authorskrzypczak
Books by Angela J. Conrad
Historical Regency Romances:
Livy (Rayburn Park Series)
Rogues of Rayburn Park
Young Bucks of Rayburn Park
Violet
Rose
Lilly
Contemporary Romances/Mysteries:
The Demon Within
Truly Loved
Deuces Wild Series:
#1 DELANIE, Breaking Free
#2 DENIED, Abby Fights Back
#3 MADDIE, Betrayed
Four Kings Series:
#1 Savoring Revenge in Spades
#2 Savoring Desire in Diamonds
Contemporary Adult Romances/Mysteries/Comedy:
Ace’s High Series:
#1 MISSING, A Dempsey Brother’s Story
#2 DECEIT, Jackie & Jax
#3 SAVED, Grace’s Story
Body Double –Million Dollar Legs-
Double Back-Regaining Sara-
Contemporary Romantic Comedies
Written with Kathleen Hesser Skrzypczak:
Vodka & Vice, the Series:
Naomi & Bradley –It All Comes Down…
Bradley & Naomi – …To Me & You!
Collection of Short Stories:
A Taste Of Terror, 31 Ventures into Madness
Boxed Sets:
A Regency Trio
Rayburn Park, the Full Series
Ace’s High Series
Deuces Wild Series
https://www.amazon.com/author/angelajconradaceshigh11
https://www.facebook.com/authorangelajconrad
www.goodreads.com/author/show/62558.Angela_Conrad
BIO: Kathleen Hesser Skrzypczak
Kathleen Hesser Skrzypczak was born and raised in Pine Grove, PA. A small town girl with big city dreams, she moved to New York City with two-hundred dollars in her pocket and a degree in English Literature from Gettysburg College to pursue a career in advertising. After winning awards for clients like Penthouse Magazine, Tanqueray Gin, and Johnnie Walker Black Scotch, she left the glamorous life of the city to live in New Jersey with her husband and raise her three awesome kids. Her most recent success was publishing a popular blog about a family RV trip to Nova Scotia. Her latest adventure is a romantic comedy book series she's co-authoring with accomplished Amazon author, Angela J. Conrad. When she's not writing, Kathleen loves to dance, sing, and cook, sometimes all at the same time.
BIO: Angela J Conrad
I nearly died before I was born. Perhaps that’s what made me both a risk taker and a safe player in life. I drove peddle to the mettle, hither and yon across the states and Canada on my own. Life was my training ground, and now I write about gutsy people who go for it
too.
I write full time -- got to -- colorful characters won't leave me alone. They're just like you and me, searching for love and redemption, that one last chance, worried they don't deserve what they've got.
My cast continually touches and surprises me, I'm sure they will you too, so say current readers in thirteen countries, from Australia to India, of sixteen books, four novellas and boxed sets, and over a hundred short stories on Amazon, in news, and literary magazines.
With a background in managerial finance, to extreme chances with the market, and roll of the dice, I love numbers. Here are mine: over 9,300,150 pages have been read in the last eighteen months.
RECENT RELEASES:
Body Double, Million Dollar Legs, (a rom com) – Feb. 12, 2016.
Double Back, Regaining Sara – March 22, 2016.
A new series, Vodka & Vice, Book 1: Naomi & Bradley, It All Comes Down… --June 1st of 2016. (Co-author Kathleen Hesser Skrzypczak.)
Book 2: Bradley & Naomi …To Me and You! --June 1st of 2016. More books in the series coming soon! I can hear the crew whispering to me now, they've got places to go - come join the ride.
Bradley & Naomi, ...To Me & You (Vodka & Vice, the Series Book 2) Page 9
