by Cat Carmine
“You’re humming again,” Sasha calls out as she passes by my office door, and as soon as her heels click out of earshot, I burst out laughing.
The next night, I have another Homes For Hearts Lottery event. This is our first time out at one of the properties — a townhouse in the Gold Coast neighborhood. The bloggers and designers have all been assigned different rooms, and have been working on their design plans, and tonight Luke and I am meeting them there to go over their plans and put together the final furniture requests. I’ve been looking forward to it all week — not just because I get to see Luke again, but because it’ll be fun to see what kind of designs everyone has come up with.
I head straight over after work and find Tomas already gathered with a few of the volunteer designers. No sign of Luke yet, I note, looking around. The townhouse appears to be similar to the one Dad lives in, with the living room, dining room and kitchen on one level, and a set of stairs that presumably leads up to the sleeping area. Unlike Dad’s place, though, this place is brand new and pristine — empty of everything except fresh drywall and crown moldings and warm oak wood floors. I can’t wait to see what it looks like when the designers get through with it.
Of course, knowing my luck, it’ll look like an ode to Loft & Barn.
“Bree!” Tomas says warmly, when he sees me come in. He’s chatting with one of the bloggers and they’re looking at an iPad together. “You must come see this.”
I make my way across the still-empty living room to join them.
“Bailey Living, front and center,” he says pointing to the tablet screen. “What do you think?”
I take the tablet and look at the screen. It’s a sketch of a living room — this living room, in fact — and the focal piece is one of Bailey Living’s floral sofas. They’ve always had a bit of a grandma vibe to them, but the way the designer has envisioned the rest of the design somehow makes it work. There’s a vintage feel to the mock-up she’s created, with a gold bar cart and an elaborate parrot statue and a huge fiddle leaf fig over in the corner by the window.
I look up at them. The blogger — a young dark-haired woman, probably only in her early twenties — looks nervous.
“Do you like it?” she asks. “I tried to capture that vintage feel that Bailey Living does so well.”
“Are you kidding?” I ask. “I love it! It’s incredible. I never would have pictured these elements together, but it totally works.”
“Isn’t it spectacular?” Tomas agrees. “People are going to love it, Jenny. Make sure you hashtag it!” He points his finger at the girl, pretending to be stern, but he’s grinning and she nods.
“Any sign of Luke yet?” I ask Tomas, trying to sound casual.
He glances down at his watch. “He should be here any minute actually. He texted to say he had a minor hold-up at the office, but he’s ... speak of the devil.”
We both turn towards the door as Luke strolls in. I sigh and I think Tomas does a little bit too. The man looks good in plaid, but today he’s wearing a proper suit — charcoal, with a white shirt and a light blue tie — and the sight of him makes my knees buckle.
“Hi,” he says as he approaches. “You look great.”
“Thanks,” I say, just as Tomas says the exact same thing. That makes me laugh for real and thankfully Tomas and Luke both do too.
“We were just looking at some of the designs,” Tomas says to Luke, only sounding a tad flustered. “Here, I think you’ll like this one.” He flicks the tablet screen a few times and then hands it over to Luke. I peek over his arm at the screen and see a beautiful bedroom design, with a Loft & Barn sleigh bed and a huge chunky armoire.
“Wow, that looks great — who did this?”
Jenny, who’s been standing beside us, timidly raises her hand.
“Well, damn. It looks better than our catalog.”
Jenny blushes and smiles, and if she didn’t seem so sweet, I’d hate her a bit.
“Come on,” Tomas says, taking the tablet back. “We’ve got lots more designs to see. Some of our designers are already getting started with paint, so just watch your step.”
Tomas leads us through the rest of the three-bedroom townhouse, and in every room we meet with the designers and look at their plans. More people than I expected have worked Bailey Living pieces into their designs, and they’ve all managed to capture a cool vintage feel that, like Jenny’s living room design, really works.
By the time the tour is over, I’m practically glowing. I feel more optimistic about Dad’s company than I have since I’ve been back. I’ve been worried about the fact that all our furniture looks a bit dated, but I’ve forgotten about the appeal of vintage — which is ironic, when you think about it, because Bounce takes a ton of its inspiration from vintage clothing. For some reason I just couldn’t see it in the furniture, but looking at all these fresh designs has really opened my eyes to the company’s potential.
Even after our official sponsorship part of the evening is over, Luke and I hang out chatting with Tomas and the designers. Before we know it, it’s past ten and people start reluctantly filing out. Soon, it’s only Luke, Tomas and I left in the townhouse.
“Thank you both for your time this evening,” Tomas says graciously. “I think everyone really enjoyed it. And I’ve already been getting about a million notifications on social media — everyone is talking about how sweet you two are.”
Luke grins. “Bree’s the sweet one,” he says, then points at himself. “Did they mention the cranky old man who was with her?”
Tomas chuckles, shaking his head. “Don’t be silly — you two make a cute pair. I’m glad we ended up bringing both of you on this year.”
My toes curl at his words. A cute pair. I wonder if he knows how close to home those words hit?
But if he knows anything, Tomas doesn’t let on. He pats me on the arm. “I have to head out now, but I’ll be in touch. We’ll do a few more of these events, if you’re up for it, and then there’s just the final judging and wrap party.”
Luke and I both agree that we’re happy to do the rest of the parties. Tomas sees himself out, leaving Luke and I alone in the living room.
“Well, hello,” Luke says, smiling down at me as if he hasn’t just spent the entire evening with me.
“Hello yourself.” I take hold of his tie and lean in for a kiss.
Meeting Luke’s lips again sends a flame of desire through me almost immediately. As we kiss I press my body up against his, and soon his arms are snaking around my waist. He pulls me backwards until he’s leaning against the wall of the living room for support. His hands travel down to my ass and he pulls me closer to him. I can already feel his erection forming and I let out a soft moan at the thought of feeling him inside me again.
We’re so caught up in the moment that neither of us hear the front door.
The sound of a throat clearing is what startles me. I jump back about six feet and whip around to see Tomas standing there.
“Forgot my tablet,” he says, gesturing to the iPad that’s sitting on the fireplace mantle.
“Right,” I say, trying to smile. I’m closer to the fireplace so I grab it and hand it to him. Tomas is looking back and forth between Luke and I. Luke looks at the ceiling and I look at the floor.
“Make sure you lock up when you leave,” Tomas says, finally, before slipping out of the living room.
As soon as he’s gone I let out a shaky breath.
“Shit.”
“Yeah,” Luke agrees glumly.
“This is exactly what I was afraid of,” I say. My voice is as shaky as my breath. “Why we shouldn’t be doing this.”
“I know. But I think Tomas will be discreet.”
“Do you think?”
He nods. He looks so confident that I let myself relax a little. The truth is, I don’t want to stop doing this — I just don’t want to get caught.
“Come here,” Luke says. He brushes my hair out of my face. “I know this could have been ba
d. I get that. It would be bad for me too. But Trent and I have worked with Tomas for a long time, and I trust him to know he needs to keep his mouth shut.”
I bite my lip. I want to believe him, but I really can’t afford this. Not as I was just starting to feel a little better about work. Not as Rich was just finally starting to trust me.
“How about this?” Luke says. “I’ll call him. First thing tomorrow. Let him know that we’re counting on his discretion.”
I nod, relief filling me. Yes. If Luke can talk to him, I don’t think Tomas will say anything.
Luke leans in again, but this time he just grazes my forehead. “How would you feel about coming out to my place again this weekend? It can be our own private little getaway.”
I lean against him. “I think ... I think I’d like that very much.”
“Good. We might as well get out of here, then.”
I don’t disagree, and Luke steps away from the wall and towards the door. That’s when I see that the back of his suit is entirely covered in the eggshell white paint from the living room wall.
“Luke...” I start, covering my mouth with my hand as I try not to laugh.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I say, giggling. “But I think we just discovered another hazard of sneaking around.”
Luke looks confused but I slip my hand through his and lead him out of the townhouse.
22
Luke
The sun filters in through the window, lighting up the dust motes in a way that makes them look like something more magical than mundane. I’ve never seen a need for curtains in my bedroom, since my closest neighbors are miles away, so now, even though it’s barely seven o’clock in the morning, the room is fully lit and I’m wide awake.
I think about getting up to start the coffee, but I can’t quite bring myself to slip out from between the sheets yet. Instead I prop myself up on one elbow and gaze down at the sleeping figure beside me.
Bree.
This is the third weekend in a row she’s spent at my house, and every time I wake up beside her, it feels more and more natural. Her eyes are closed now, and her red hair is spread out over the pillow case. Even though she’s got the sheet tucked up around her, I can still see her creamy white shoulders and the curve of her tits. Just knowing she’s naked under that thin sheet is enough to make my cock twitch. Maybe instead of coffee, I should just wake her up with morning sex.
She looks so peaceful though. For the first time in my life, I actually like watching a woman sleep as much as I like fucking her.
Well, almost. I’m still a man, after all.
Bree lets out a soft hum as her body turns toward me. I slide over closer and let my hand glide up her curvy hip and then along her soft belly. Her lips start to twitch into a smile, even in sleep. Her eyelashes — as red as her hair — are fanned out over her pale cheeks, and she looks so fucking beautiful that it should be a crime.
I lean over and kiss her bare shoulder. I don’t mean to wake her up, but it’s like my mouth is magnetically drawn to her skin. She squirms a little, her smile getting wider, and then her eyes flutter open.
“What time is it?” she asks sleepily.
“Too early,” I say guiltily. “You should go back to sleep.”
“Hmmm,” she says, cuddling closer to me and closing her eyes again. Her naked breasts are pressed against my arm now, and if there was any hope for my morning wood subsiding, that chance has gone right out the window.
Along with any intention I had of letting her go back to sleep.
I wrap one arm around her waist and pull her soft body against my hard one. Her eyes flicker open again as she feels my cock pressing between us.
“Well, good morning to you too,” she says. She giggles in a way that’s both adorable and sexy and I growl as I nip at her neck.
Luckily Bree always seems to be as hungry for me as I am for her, and she waggles her eyebrows towards the nightstand, where she knows I keep the condoms. I waste no time slipping one on and then resume kissing her shoulder.
She wraps her leg around my hip and draws her body in closer to mine. We find each other as easily as we always do, and then I’m slipping inside her and rocking against her. She sighs happily and kisses me as she presses herself as close to me as possible.
I grab her hips and turn onto my back, pulling her with me so that she’s straddling my hips now. She’s fully awake now, and she uses one hand to brace herself against my chest and the other to hold back her hair. She looks so fucking beautiful from this angle, with her wide hips riding me and her full tits bouncing and her long hair wrapped around her own fist. Her eyes are fluttering closed as she loses herself in the motions, and I use my thumb to rub her clit while she bucks.
A thousand sensations rage through me, most of them culminating in my cock as she rides me. I can’t stop staring at her — at the way she bites her lip as she gets close, the way her nipples pebble into perfect pink pearls, the way her curves shift as she moves. She’s so wet that my hips are practically soaked, but somehow there’s still enough friction that I already feel close to exploding.
“Oh, God, Luke.” She lets go of her hair so that it spills down over her shoulders and then she’s pinching at her own nipples. When she clenches her pussy around me, I lose it, bucking my hips against her as my balls churn out every last bit of pleasure.
When it’s over she stays on top of me, just leaning over to press her chest against mine. I’m still lodged inside her and I run my palms over the exquisite mounds of her ass as we both catch our breath.
In a few minutes, Bree squirms on top of me.
“I should have a shower,” she murmurs, her lips still against my neck.
“You could,” I say. “I should go make breakfast.”
“You could,” she says. She squirms again. Her motions are making it hard to concentrate, and I feel blood starting to pool in my cock again.
“Or...” I say, trailing off.
“Or ...” she agrees. I feel her smile against my neck and then her fingers are dancing along my muscled chest.
Later, when we’re finally in the kitchen eating omelettes and coffee, Bree turns to me. She’s managed to shower by then, and is wearing another of her cute little dresses, but her hair is still wet and hangs damply around her shoulders.
“What do you want to do today?”
“Besides that?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.
She sticks out her tongue. “Yes, besides that.”
“I don’t know.”
“We could go to the farmer’s market — get something to make for dinner tonight?”
“Maybe.”
She saws off a bite of omelette. “We could go downtown, maybe — there’s a new exhibit at the MCA that’s supposed to be really good.”
“Maybe,” I say again.
Bree puts down her fork and stares at me. “I could also just go home, if you prefer.”
She doesn’t sound angry, but I shake my head. It’s not that I want her to leave — in fact, it surprises me how much I love having her here. It’s just that ...
Bree studies my face as she sips her coffee, but I just shrug. She sets her cup down.
“What’s up, Luke?”
“Nothing.”
“Okay ...”
“It’s just that ...” I hesitate. “I was kind of hoping to get some work done. In the workshop.”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, Bree’s entire face relaxes.
“God, you were starting to stress me out. That’s totally fine, Luke.”
“Really?”
She laughs. “Of course.”
“I thought women hated it when men spent time in their man cave or whatever.”
She shakes her head. “No. At least not this woman. I love that you have so much passion for your job, because I’m the same way. With Bounce, I mean. Sewing is my way to make sense of the world, to channel all my energy into making something that’s of value to other peopl
e. When I’m in front of my sewing machine, I just feel at home, you know? Wherever I am, I’m at home.”
I poke at a mushroom on my plate, turning my head down so that she can’t see the ridiculous grin on my face. I love that she’s just as passionate about her work as I am.
“Do you think you’ll ever go back to Bounce?” I ask as I gulp down more coffee.
Her face twists, and now she looks more wistful than passionate. “I hope so,” she says, but then shrugs. “I don’t know. Bailey Living is more time consuming than I ever expected and Margaux seems to be doing a perfectly fine job running things without me.”
“Well, it’d be a shame if you didn’t,” I say honestly. “Every dress I’ve seen you in has been gorgeous. They even look good on the floor beside my bed.”
That makes her smile.
“I get what you mean though,” I say. “I thought I could fill in for Trent as CEO and still do all the design and building that I used to do. It’s been a bit of a rude awakening to find out I couldn’t.”
“Then again, you also have a cute redhead distracting you,” she teases. “You could probably get a lot more done if it wasn’t for her.”
I chuckle. “There is that, yes. Good thing she has her own interests.”
Suddenly I stand up. Bree looks up in surprise.
“Will you be okay here by yourself for a couple of hours?” I ask her.
“Of course, but ...”
I shake my head. “I have an errand to run. Just ... make yourself at home. Do whatever you want. Ideally do it naked, but do whatever you want.”
I lean down and kiss her on the cheek, and then I’m gone before she can ask any more questions.
