The restaurant was pretty empty for a Thursday night. The young couple that sat two booths over were feeding each other chips in between smiling and giggling at each other. I rolled my eyes at their behavior. I turned and focused on the only other person in the place: a pretty woman who sat alone.
She looked young, probably early twenties, but there was something about her that I couldn’t put my finger on. Her cream-and-white striped dress that matched the other waitress’ outfit was a dead giveaway that she worked there. I hadn’t seen her before—not that I came in very often. She had the kind of face I’d remember, and coming from me that said a lot. Beauty was everywhere, and when you sleep with as many women as I did, it becomes difficult for beauty to stand out. But this woman did just that. She stood out from every other woman I’d been with or wanted to be with.
What exactly it was about her that drew my attention, I wasn’t quite sure. Her long dark hair hung down her back, layers flying everywhere. Every now and then she had to tuck the escaping strands back behind her ear, only to have them tumble right back out again. Her porcelain skin, so soft and creamy, looked even whiter against her dark red lips—lips that parted into a smile every few seconds as she read something on her phone. She looked up suddenly, my eyes darting away as she caught me staring.
Something inside me squirmed. Was that embarrassment I felt? Since when did a woman make me feel anything besides the need for a good fuck? I busied myself with my own phone, her gaze still burning into me, while my emotions tangled inside me like a confused mess.
“Enjoy.”
I jumped as the waitress dumped my meal in front of me with as much grace as a clown on acid, sending my fork flying across the cracked tiled floor. As I bent down to retrieve it, I inadvertently caught the gaze of my mystery girl who had looked up to see what all the commotion was. She smiled, her deep green eyes darting back down to her phone before I could respond with my own gesture.
The burger was good, albeit a little greasy. The cold, stale chips I didn’t touch. Downing the last of my water, I stood up, leaving a twenty pound note on the table. I passed the now empty table where my mystery girl had been sitting, her floral and musky perfume floating past my senses. I hadn’t noticed her leave, and the disappointment I felt surprised me.
Outside, I rifled through my pockets for my keys and approached my car. My mind was still on her. I kept seeing those stunning lips curve upwards into a smile. I should have approached her while I had the chance, not that I had any idea what I would’ve said. My usual lines wouldn’t have worked on her, nor would I have wanted to use them. This girl felt different. She hadn’t reacted to my attention at all, which unnerved me a little bit.
“Shit.” The faint feminine curse came from around the corner. Edging my way around, I saw her. She was kicking the tire of a car, presumably hers. Even from my distance away, I could see it was flat. My heart raced as I watched, the glow from the streetlamp next to the car radiating off her.
“Are you all right?” I asked, walking slowly toward her. She jumped, shocked by my presence, her face guarded. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as my blood pulsated through my veins. I breathed out, not sure if it was the cool breeze or my close proximity to this beauty that was the cause of my symptoms.
“Flat tire,” she explained, gesturing toward the wheel. “And flat phone.” She held up her cell as if it were evidence. She leaned against the bonnet of the car, her legs crossed and her jacked wrapped tightly around her body. Even through the layers of clothes her body looked amazing, her bare legs seemingly going on forever.
“Can I give you a lift somewhere?” I asked, cocking my head. She hesitated, as if she were weighing up her options. “I promise I’m not a serial killer,” I added, chuckling. Fuck, I could feel my dick hardening at her nervousness.
“Would you tell me if you were?” she asked skeptically, biting her lip.
“Pardon?” I asked, swallowing a laugh.
“You know,” she pressed, “a serial killer. I mean, you wouldn’t be a very good one if you went around telling your victims you were a killer, but still…” Her voice trailed off.
“Honey, do I look like I would hurt a fly?” I asked, shrugging as if the idea were ridiculous. She eyed me skeptically, which made me laugh nervously. It was like she saw right through the fifteen years’ worth of barriers I’d built up around myself to the real me. The one I never showed anyone.
“I don’t know.” She looked down at my pocket where my hand was shoved. “Can I borrow your phone?” she asked. Wordlessly, I handed it to her, my eyebrows raised as my fingers brushed over hers. The feel of her skin against mine hit me like a lightning bolt and all I wanted to do was pull her into my arms and kiss those sexy lips.
She dialed and held the phone to her ear.
“Hi, my car has a flat, can you pick me up?” she spoke quietly, her body turned away from me slightly. “An hour?” she glanced back at me, sighing. “No, it’s okay. I might have a lift.” She hung up the phone and handed it back to me.
“So, you’re accepting my ride?” I grinned, sliding my phone back into my pocket. She nodded.
“Only if you’re sure it’s okay, and you promise not to murder me. I’m not far away, just off North.” Her hair blew erratically in the wind as she tried to tame it by twisting it around in a knot.
“I said it was okay, and I don’t plan to kill you. What’s your name?” I asked. She didn’t answer. Instead, she silently followed me to my car. I opened the passenger side, letting her slide in before I closed the door.
“Nice car,” she commented as I buckled in my seatbelt. She glanced around, taking in the spotless leather interior, her eyes falling on my briefcase. “What do you do?”
“I work in property.” I replied.
I didn’t work in property. I was property. I eyed her as she shrugged, her indifference making me feel like I was five years old. “How about you, Angel? I take it you work at the diner?” I asked, my eyes wandering up her petite frame, finally resting on her eyes. She blushed.
“Angel?” she asked, her nose scrunching up in confusion.
I pointed to the silver angel pendant that hung around her neck. “Well, you wouldn’t tell me your name.” I flashed her a smile.
She laughed. “I’m…a student. The diner is just for now, until I finish college,” she replied, glancing out the window. I nodded, pretending not to notice her fidgeting hands, or the way she tugged at the hem of her dress, which fell just above her knees. I made her uncomfortable, I realized as I eyed her bare legs, wishing I could get between them. I pulled into North, letting her direct me to her house. Any minute now she would get out of my car and I would never see her again. The anxiety that thought filled me with astonished me. I barely knew this girl, yet the thought of never seeing her again made me angry.
Fuck, I did have feelings. Who knew?
“Just up here on the right. The white fence.” Her hand rested on the door handle, ready to jump out at the first opportunity. As I slowed the car to a stop, she jumped out, turning back quickly to close the door. “Night. Thanks for the lift,” she smiled.
“Wait,” I said quickly, wondering what the hell I was doing. “What’s the hurry? We’re outside you’re house. I think it’s a pretty safe bet I’m not going to kill you.”
She smiled, her grip on the door handle loosening. We sat in the car, neither of us speaking, a nervous energy hanging between us. I racked my brain, trying to think of something to say that wasn’t offensive, inappropriate, or sexist. I came up empty.
“If we’re just going to sit here, not speaking, then I might as well just go inside,” she said teasingly. I raised an eyebrow. That was the most engaging she’d been to me this whole time. I chuckled and pointed to the cigarettes poking out of her bag.
“Can I have one of them?” I asked.
“You smoke?” she asked, surprised, handing me the pack. I took one out and handed it back.
“Not often, only when I’m nerv
ous,” I said. Translation: I was never nervous. Until now. I placed the butt between my lips and drew the flame. She rolled her eyes and laughed.
“Does that line actually work?” she chuckled.
“What?” I said, confused. I handed the cigarette to her, watching as she drew in a breath with those blood-red lips.
“Only when I’m nervous,” she mimicked, her shoulders dancing as she swayed. I scoffed. As if I looked like that. “Bullshit you’re nervous,” she continued. “I know your type. I’ve met guys like you before. Smooth, calm, and collected.”
“Wow. Someone’s feisty,” I murmured, raising my eyebrow. Damn. Where the hell did this come from? I was liking her even more now that she had relaxed a bit.
“Sorry,” she blushed. “I get hit on a lot at work.” She explained.
“Right,” I began, amused. “Somehow I don’t think most of the clientele at Lavine’s could be described as smooth, calm, or collected.”
“Okay, maybe you have a point, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m right about you,” she said as she laughed, her head tilting back against the back of the seat. I was staring, but I couldn’t look away. She glanced at me, embarrassed.
“What?” she said nervously.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. You’re just…different. I’ve never met anyone like you before.” She went to roll her eyes again. “I know that sounds like another really bad line, but I promise you, it’s not.” She had no idea how far she was from being just another girl.
She nodded and unbuckled her seatbelt, and for a moment I thought she was going to get out. Instead, she leaned over. She took the cigarette from my fingers and drew in another breath, all the while her eyes locked on mine. She moved away, and breathed out.
“I better get inside,” she said, her eyes twinkling. I didn’t answer. Instead I watched her as she stepped out of the car and shut the door. She smiled at me again through the frosted window before walking off.
“Night, Angel,” I called after her, finally breathing again. I stared down at the butt between my fingers and watched as it slowly burnt out. It was tinted with her lipstick, and her perfume hung in the air, intoxicating me. I had no idea what the hell had just happened but I knew I had to see her again.
Chapter Five
Shutting the door with my foot, I threw my briefcase on the hall table and my jacket on top of that. Mr. Jefferies howled around my feet as I kicked off my shoes; he was either complaining about my foot odor or begging for food…I wasn’t sure which.
“Come on then,” I said, beckoning him to follow me into the kitchen. I poured some dry food into his bowl. “There you go, boy.”
It was barely ten o’clock and I was heading to bed. That had to be a first. I unbuttoned my shirt, threading my arms through and disposing of it in the laundry along with my pants. Turning on the shower, my thoughts wandered back to Angel as my hands moved over my ripped chest. There was something so sexy and innocent about her, even in that daggy, god-awful uniform.
Stepping into the shower, I leaned against the white-tiled wall, my hand enclosed over the girth of my dick. I began to move my hand, rubbing it up and down furiously. My cock hardened against my grip as I imagined feeding it between those sexy lips.
“Fuck,” I gasped. My hand leaned so firmly against the wall that my fingers were starting to bend back. I breathed out as I released, spraying the shower screen with my jizz as my knees almost gave way. I was exhausted.
I shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, carefully avoiding contact with the door while silently apologizing to my cleaner who had to deal with that tomorrow. I left the towel in the bathroom and walked naked to my bed, glancing at my form in the mirror. My skin was naturally tanned, a blessing for someone living in London. My hair was a mess, but it worked on me, and so did the stubble that covered my jaw. My dark eyes gleamed back at me, my lips curving into a grin.
In my bedroom, I eased myself between the sheets, making myself comfortable with my pillow tucked under my head. I was a chronic stomach sleeper and I loved to toss and turn. Sometimes my king-sized bed even felt too small. I closed my eyes, for once not needing the aid of pills or alcohol to drift off to sleep.
Chapter Six
My stomach growled as I realized I’d been holed up in my office for hours. Determined to get the presentation I was working on finished, I asked Carly to grab me a sandwich from the deli down the road. Leaving the office meant losing time, and I wanted this done today even if it meant staying here all night.
My phone buzzed against the hardwood mahogany desk. I picked it up and barked hello. I didn’t have time for small talk right now. Whoever it was, it wasn’t as important as what I had going on here.
“Hey man, don’t forget the dinner next Sunday,” Luke said easily, ignoring my tone. He was used to my mood swings—twelve years of friendship had made him immune to them.
“Yeah, I haven’t,” I replied, sitting back in my chair. I rubbed my neck, trying to crease out the knots of tension this project was causing me. If this deal didn’t go through, who knows what my father would do. Spending all of last week out every night probably hadn’t been the best move on my part, especially since most of those nights were featured in various gossip columns, all managing to include at least a picture or two of me looking very intoxicated.
My favorite picture was of me sitting at a table with my hand clearly up some blonde’s skirt, while my other hand occupied a very full glass of scotch. My memories of that night were more than a little hazy, but according to the newspaper I’d had a pretty good time.
My father had been furious, which had in turn had made me furious. What fucking business of his was it how I spent my time off? I was more than capable of getting the job done and enjoying my life, no matter what my father implied. This current five-billion-dollar Delenski deal would ensure our company had a hand in one of the biggest casino developments in the entire United Kingdom. There was no option for missing out on this deal, and I had it covered.
“Sure, I said I’ll be there, man.” I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice. Did I need reminding every single day? It was a damn dinner, not his fucking wedding.
“Okay, we’ll see next Sunday then,” he replied, again shaking off my tone. I hung up the phone and buried my face in my hands.
It wasn’t Luke, or even work that was getting to me—it was her. The mystery girl who had accepted a lift home from me two nights ago and shared a cigarette with me. The girl who, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t shake from my mind.
“Roast beef or chicken?”
I looked up to see Carly holding two sandwiches. “Beef,” I answered. She threw the package at me and smiled, sitting down opposite me.
“Do you mind if I eat with you?” she crossed her long tanned legs, her skirt riding up to her mid-thigh. Paired with her cream silk shirt that was unbuttoned at the top, giving me a glimpse of her full breasts, the sight of her was enough to arouse me. Maybe I needed a little relaxing.
“Sure,” I murmured, unwrapping my sandwich. “If you don’t have plans, I could use some help here tonight,” I added. The sparkle in her eye left me wondering if she was thinking back to the last time she had ‘worked late’ alone with me. I sure as fuck was.
“I can help,” she agreed, a hint of a smile playing on her full, glossy lips. My hard-on pressed against the constraint of my pants as I watched her devour that sandwich. Every now and then her eyes would meet mine, her expression full of suggestion and promise. That was what I loved about Carly: no mixed signals. Everything was as clear as fuck.
It was surprising how often you could misread someone’s actions when you were the boss. More importantly, it was surprising how much trouble that kind of shit could get you into. I was sure some women applied to work for me knowing they could make some easy money through a sexual harassment settlement. I wasn’t one to let minor issues like balance of power and women’s rights get in the way of what I wanted
.
Carly picked up the phone as it rang again, allowing me to enjoy the rest of my sandwich.
“Falcon Property Development,” she said, smirking at me. Her eyes grew wide. “Oh certainly, Mr. Falcon. He is right here,” she purred. I rolled my eyes as I took the phone off her. The only person that people found more intimidating than myself, was my father. Carly included. I didn’t doubt for a second she’d fuck him, too, for a raise.
“Eric,” I said, stretching back on my chair, watching Carly as she left the room, or—more to the point—watching her ass leave the room. “What can I do for you?” My father only ever called when he wanted something, and it pissed him off when I called him by his name.
“Mr. Delenski is flying in next month. I need you to entertain his daughter.” The no nonsense tone in my father’s voice told me it wasn’t a question. Still, I couldn’t resist toying with him.
“Entertain his daughter?” I repeated, amused. “Whatever do you mean? I am much too busy to be out socializing, Father. I’m a hardworking man.” My words echoed his own from days earlier.
“Drop the act, Jack. Just make sure she enjoys her time in London. A happy Lisbeth Delenski will mean this deal will go much more smoothly, and I know you want that as much as I,” he sighed.
“Fine,” I agreed, “but I hope this is the last I hear of my social life getting in the way of my work.”
“Jack, you do your job and there will be no problem, okay? And so help me god you better not have her plastered over any magazine.” He hung up before I could respond with one of my trademark smart-ass comments. I placed the receiver in the cradle and tried to pretend my father didn’t get to me. It was a complete lie, of course.
Everything about my father got to me, yet I still did everything I could to try and earn his respect. I was like a fucking dog begging to be rewarded with a treat—a dog who every now and then would shit all over the living room floor just to piss off his owner.
I forced myself to focus back on the project. So Mr. Delenksi was flying over. That had to be a good sign that he was on the verge of signing with us. That is, if I managed to entertain his daughter. Somehow, I got the feeling that my father didn’t mean for me to get her drunk, naked, and fuck her. Or maybe that’s exactly what he meant. A light rap on my office door brought me back to reality.
Seduce (Beautiful Rose 0.5) Page 3
