Vegas Virgin

by Kelli Callahan

  “Adam Rutherford?” Gloria leaned towards me in a whisper. “He’s a legend.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne. As he said, I’m Adam Rutherford. I got my start in marketing about ten years ago, and after several successful accounts, I started doing consulting work. Some of you may know who I am, but I assure you, I’m just here to be part of the team. I’ll be working closely with some of you as we design a marketing strategy that will put this firm on the map.”

  “He can work closely with me.” Gloria fanned her neck and grinned at me.

  When the meeting was done and the normal office gossip began, I started to hear more about Adam Rutherford. I seemed to be in the minority with my lack of knowledge about all of his heroic efforts. To hear the people around the office talk, he had single-handedly put numerous companies on the map—and that was after he did a tour of duty in Afghanistan when he was in the Army. He made his way around the office, talking with people and discussing strategy. When he came towards my desk, I figured I was next up for a hint of his expertise, but he skipped right over me and started talking with the woman to my right. Eventually he met with everyone he seemed to be interested in and disappeared. I decided that a cup of coffee was the only way I was going to get through the afternoon, and when I walked into the break room, I saw him pouring the last drop of it into his cup.

  “Abby Grant, right?” He smiled and picked up his cup of coffee. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I was going to come see you after I got a pick-me-up.”

  “You just violated our long-standing office rule of starting a fresh pot of coffee if you finish it.” I clutched my cup in my hand and sighed.

  “Can you forgive me? I’m new here.” He grimaced comically and fumbled with the coffee maker.

  “I’ll do it.” I walked over and opened the top so I could change the filter.

  “I hear you’re the one who pitched the idea for the new marketing strategy.” He leaned against the counter and sipped his coffee.

  “Yep, that was me.” I nodded and hit the button to start the coffee maker.

  “I’d love to sit down with you and go over a few ideas I’m working on.” He leaned towards me. “Over drinks, maybe? Dinner if you’re hungry?”

  “Oh.” I blushed and raised my eyebrows. “I... I can’t.”

  “Boyfriend?” He asked inquisitively.

  “No...” I admitted with a light sigh.

  “Husband?” He raised his eyebrows and his eyes drifted to my hand, clearly searching for a ring.

  “No...” I shook my head back and forth.

  “So, you just don’t like me?” He nodded and looked at the floor. “I see.”

  No, you idiot, my pussy still hurts from getting fucked for the first time.

  “It’s not that...” I let my words trail off.

  ‘So, you do like me?” He grinned and sipped his coffee.

  “I don’t even know you.” I felt my face twisting to match my bewilderment.

  “That’s generally why people have drinks together and sometimes why they decide to sit down across from each other over food and call it a date—they want to get to know each other.” His grin remained firmly in place on his face and he had dimples along each cheek hiding behind light blond stubble.

  “I’m just not ready for that.” I shook my head back and forth, focusing my attention on the coffee pot like it was the only thing I could look at.

  “Another time then.” He sighed and started walking towards the exit. “We still need to sit down and talk through some ideas. Mr. Hawthorne has asked me to assemble a marketing team from the current staff and possibly even bring in some people I know to help. I’m nothing more than a consultant, but I was hoping the woman who came up with the idea for this marketing strategy would be the Team Lead.”

  I stood there staring at the coffee pot while a tightness spread across my whole body. Adam wasn’t just attractive, he was smoking hot, and he dripped with charisma. He wasn’t forceful like Max and that was a bit of a relief. As I thought about the good qualities I had already discovered, I felt my stomach twisting into a knot. Did I really turn him down for a date? Prior to meeting Max, I was literally hoping against all that was holy for a nice, attractive man to ask me out. I walked back to my desk with my coffee and finished my shift. Adam avoided me for the rest of the afternoon, not even making eye contact. When the clock his five, I was already heading towards the exit, dialing Mary-Katherine’s number.

  “Are you at home?” I walked towards the parking deck, stomping my feet rapidly as I tried to beat the crowd.

  “Yeah, what’s up? Do you want to come over?” She extended an open invitation, which was exactly what I needed.

  “Yes, I’m on my way.” I hung up my phone and hit the button to unlock my car.

  “H E ASKED YOU OUT AND you said no?” Mary-Katherine’s mouth fell open as I filled her in on Adam Rutherford’s sudden arrival and even-more-sudden request for a date.

  “How would I explain it to him?” I sighed and picked up the glass of wine she had poured for me. “Be careful if you try to put your dick in me because I’m still hurting from losing my virginity to a stranger a couple of days ago.”

  “Maybe he’s not the kind of guy who likes to fuck on the first date.” She shrugged. “You said he was a nice guy.”

  “He seems nice. Max seemed nice at first too.” I let a generous portion of the wine pour into my mouth.

  “Are you going to compare every man you meet to Max?” She reached for the bottle and refilled my glass. “He was supposed to be a quick fuck so you could lose your virginity to an experienced man you wouldn’t have to worry about the next day.”

  “I’m not comparing Adam to Max...” I took another drink of wine.

  “You literally just did that. I bet you’ve already started making a mental list...” She tilted her head as she teased me.

  “Fine...” I admitted with a drawn sigh. “It’s hard not to compare. Max represents everything I never want to experience again, so yeah—I guess I’m comparing.”

  “Well, then let’s make a list of the things that aren’t the same about them. Max came into the break room at work and forced himself on you, kissed you, and demanded that you go out with him. Adam forgot to make coffee, had a fairly meaningful conversation if you’re not embellishing the banter, and wasn’t pushy when you said no.”

  “He was a little pushy...” I ran my finger along the edge of the wine glass.

  “Asking if you have a boyfriend or a husband isn’t pushy, it’s fairly normal.” She shook her head as she smiled. “You need to go out with Adam. Hell, if I wasn’t with Rolando, I’d be asking you for his number just based on what you’ve told me. He’s a former soldier? He’s a legend in your industry? He’s hot as fuck? Come on, Abby. This isn’t rocket science.”

  “You’re right.” I ran my hand along the back of my neck as the wine made my upper torso warm when the alcohol started to settle in my veins. “What was I thinking?”

  “You need to get used to this, Abby. You’re not a virgin anymore. Men will be able to smell the fact you’re down to fuck, so you should expect to have a lot more offers like the one you got today.” She grinned. “It’s pheromones or some shit.”

  “Great...” I grumbled even though I knew she was just being silly.

  I GOT TO WORK EARLY the next morning and started working on a couple of storyboards for Energy Enhanced commercials. It really wasn’t my area of expertise, but if Adam was going to want me to be the Team Lead, I would need to be involved in each facet of the campaign. I was feeling a bit excited when I saw them come together. The soreness was a lot less pronounced than it had been the previous day and it was almost non-existent unless I shifted a certain way. I decided that if Adam asked me out on another date, I was going to accept his offer. There was no reason to reject him. He seemed like he could be Mr. Right—a stark contrast from Mr. Mistake. I emailed the two storyboards to Adam and then started to scan my emails. My stomach flipp
ed upside down when I saw one from Max Martin.

  We should get together again. I had a lot of fun.

  My fingers froze on the keyboard and I felt the hairs on the top of my head tingle. My throat started getting dry and when I tried to wash away the feeling with coffee, it just seemed to stick against the back of my throat. Max wasn’t supposed to ask me out for a second date. He was never supposed to contact me again. When I regained control of my senses, I hit the reply button and stared at the screen. I started typing a long response, bullet-pointing all of the reasons I didn’t want to go out with him again, starting with how much of an asshole he was and ending with a nice play on the word mistake, but after I read over it, I realized it was just nonsense and babble. I deleted everything I had typed and instead responded with just two words.

  Not interested.

  Chapter 12: Max

  A few hours earlier

  It was a tough morning. Benjamin saw a commercial on television for a local fair and got agitated when I said we wouldn’t have time to go. What started as a simple discussion quickly turned into a full-blown meltdown. It had been a while since he had one of those, so I tried to be gentle and understanding. I knew it seemed like the children in the commercial were having fun, and Benjamin believed he could join them, but the last time we took him to a crowded, public place, it had not gone very well. His doctor recommended no more than two to three people at a time while we worked on his tolerance and ability to handle crowds. On top of Benjamin’s meltdown, work was already blowing up my phone, and Ms. Ruth was running late because of traffic.

  “I’m here!” Ms. Ruth pushed open the door and her words were barely heard of Benjamin’s screaming. “Oh, dear... What happened?”

  “He wanted to go to the fair. I told him it wasn’t a good idea and we probably wouldn’t have time with my work schedule—now we’re here.” I scratched my head and let out a sigh.

  “Let me talk to him.” Ms. Ruth walked into the living room and sat down on the floor beside Benjamin.

  Ms. Ruth was so good with him. I felt guilty when I watched her easily calm him down with a few gentle words. I was an awful father that had no idea how to help my son overcome his challenges. When he was calm enough to give me a hug, I walked out the front door swallowing a lump in my throat that clenched my esophagus. I had to be a better father—hell, I had to be a better man. Unfortunately, I couldn’t dwell on it too much because I had a lot of things going on at work I had to address. The stock market took a dive when it opened and there were several clients that seemed to be more agitated than Benjamin was. I fired off emails to my staff, giving them directions for handling some of our high-profile clients. By the time I got to the office, things seemed to have settled down.

  “Your coffee, Mr. Martin?” My secretary, Amanda, stood and handed me my normal morning request as I walked up to her desk.

  “Thank you.” I smiled as I felt the first sip hit my tongue. “Any messages?”

  “Nothing pressing. You handled most of it before you got here.” She leaned towards the phone as it rang.

  I walked into my office and closed the door. The city spread out beneath my window with a view I rarely took time to appreciate. I started going through my email and then picked up my phone. It suddenly hit me that I hadn’t heard a single word from Abby since our encounter. That was very unusual behavior for someone I shoved my cock into—especially a virgin. My mind started to drift back to our encounter. There was something different about Abby and I really couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was. When I met her at the club, she seemed like every other lost soul that didn’t know what they wanted until I served it up to them on a silver platter. I had already stepped outside my normal routine by pursuing her after being rejected at the club and before I really had time to think about it, I was sending her an email asking for a second date.

  N OT INTERESTED.

  “What the fuck?” I felt my temper rising as I stared at her response.

  I hit reply and immediately started typing a response, making it very clear that she belonged to me and I would have her again whenever I wanted her. When my fingers slowed down and I read what I had typed, I closed the email without sending it. I stared at her response, letting it bounce around in my head. The response was exactly why I kept my emotions and my lust separated. I swore to never let another woman tempt my heart after my divorce and the first time I dipped my toe into the water to test the temperature, I got rejected. I sat at my desk trying to remember how real romance worked. What did people normally do after a first date if they wanted a second? Flowers seemed to help me get the first one—maybe that would work again.

  You might not be interested, but I am. I think we both know I normally get what I want.

  The flowers would be an offline response to her email and a dash of romance, all mixed into a pretty bouquet. I continued working and when I got a notification that they had been delivered, I checked my email constantly for the next couple of hours, waiting on some sort of response. My ego started to get the better of me when the day ended, so I decided to have my driver swing by her office. If she wanted to tell me no, I was going to make her say it to my face. If I could catch her alone, I would let my lips do the talking and see if she really wanted to resist round two. I walked into the building and approached her desk, but it was empty.

  “Fuck...” I stared at the roses I had sent her. They were in the garbage and the note was ripped up, scattered throughout the remnants of my romantic attempt.

  “Hi, can I help you?” I heard a man’s voice behind me. “Oh shit, you’re Max Martin!”

  “And you are?” I raised my eyebrows as I turned to see a blond haired man smiling from ear to ear.

  “I’m Adam Rutherford.” He extended his hand. “I’ve done some work for you over the years—well, for your company.”

  “You work here now?” I had no idea who he was, but I tried to be civil. A lot of people did work for my company.

  “I’ve been brought on as a consultant for the Energy Enhanced campaign.” His grip was strong when we shook hands.

  “Well, that is why I’m here. I was looking for Ms. Abby Grant.” I pointed to her desk.

  “She went home for the day. I think she got bad news or something, I don’t know. She’ll be back tomorrow. We have a meeting to collaborate on some ideas. She’s the Team Lead, but I’d be happy to help you with any questions you have. The campaign is coming together very well.” He was overly enthusiastic, but he seemed nice enough.

  “Actually, why don’t I stop by tomorrow for the meeting? I’d love to see where you’ve put together so far.” I saw his eyes hit the floor when I made my suggestion.

  “We’re not really ready, yet...” He stammered over his words. “But yeah, we’ll have something ready for you. Absolutely, Mr. Martin.”

  “Eight o’clock?” I asked.

  “Uh, yeah. We were going to meet at nine, but I’m sure everyone will be happy to meet a little earlier.” He nodded quickly.

  “Good. I’ll see you then.” I walked towards the exit with a smile on my face.

  If you want to play hard to get, then you’re about to learn how dangerous it is to play games with me.

  Chapter 13: Abby

  The roses in my garbage can had started to wilt and shrivel up when I arrived at work the next morning. I had hoped the cleaning crew would take them away before I returned. Apparently, an email response wasn’t enough of a rejection for Max to leave me alone. I noticed the office seemed to be in a bit of a panic when I poured my morning coffee. There was nothing on the agenda that should have caused that kind of reaction. I turned on my computer to get caught up on my emails and I saw Adam in the conference room already setting things up, so I pushed open the door and walked inside. He seemed to be even more enthusiastic than usual, moving things around on the table.

  “What’s going on?” I looked around the room. “I thought we were just having a meeting at nine.”

  “
You haven’t read your emails. Shit, I should have sent you a text. I don’t have your phone number. I need your phone number.” His words were erratic and confusing. He walked briskly towards me and put a hand on each of my shoulders. “Max Martin is coming for the meeting—well, not our meeting exactly. He wants a presentation. He’ll be here in thirty minutes. Can you walk him through your storyboards?”

  “What?” I blinked a couple of times in surprise. “Max Martin is coming here? Why?”

  “I don’t know. I actually thought you might know why he was here.” Adam tilted his head. “I saw him yesterday. He came by and said he was looking for you. I assumed it was about the campaign.”

  “Right.” I nodded quickly. “Yes, we’ve—traded a couple of emails.”

  “Good, I’m glad you’ve been keeping him in the loop. Okay, so we need to get some pastries in here and some coffee. I’ll take care of that. You get your storyboards together.” Adam ran out of the room at a jog, wiping sweat from his brow.

  Fuck.

  There was no way Max was coming to see our presentation because he gave a shit about it. Even the clingy clients didn’t ask us to show them the work-in-progress until we had finished our first draft. Max had come to the office to see me and when he saw the flowers in the trash, he decided to swing his dick around and make my life miserable. There was no way to stop the car crash that was coming, so I just did my best to get everything ready. It would be impossible to ignore Max forever, especially when he was an investor in the product I had to make successful in order to keep my career moving in the direction it was headed. If I blew it the first time I got to lead a team, I would never get the chance again. I had seen shining stars crash and burn after disappointing a client.

  “Are you going to be okay handling this meeting?” Mr. Hawthorne pushed the door open and peeked inside.