Since Last Time: A Bad Boy Second Chance Romance

by Sienna Ciles

  “Bummer,” she said, playfully poking out her bottom lip.

  “I just need to get these copies made so I can take them to the event I’m going to later this afternoon,” I explained.

  “Oh? You’re going to that thing downtown later today?”

  “Yep. That prospective client I told you about yesterday is supposed to be there,” I said.

  “Oh, really? Sounds interesting,” she replied as she picked up the copies she’d made. As she moved toward the door, she stopped directly in front of me and gazed up into my eyes.

  “Are you… hungover?” she suddenly asked. “You look tired.”

  “Not really. Just had a late night, that’s all,” I replied.

  “Oh, really? That account rep keep you out late?” she inquired, cocking her head to the side.

  “Uh, no, actually. I met a nice young lady and spent the evening with her,” I said proudly.

  She looked almost disappointed by my statement. She darted her eyes away for a second and then her smile immediately returned.

  “How nice for you, then,” she said sweetly as she abruptly turned on her heels and continued on her way.

  * * * * *

  The large gymnasium at the inner-city community center was crowded with children and adults alike. Everyone seemed excited and in good spirits. As I made my way up to the podium to speak, I saw a slender brunette helping some of the other volunteers set up tables, and I recognized Holly immediately. I went over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and her eyes widened in surprise.

  “Hey, are you stalking me or something?” she asked teasingly.

  “Or something,” I teased back.

  Just then, one of my assistants, a young guy named Jonathan Mathers, called out to me,

  “Mr. Westbrooke! I have something you need to see!”

  “Excuse me for a moment,” I said to Holly as I went over to see what was going on.

  My prospective client was supposed to have been at the event half an hour ago as the surprise guest speaker, but he still hadn’t arrived and I hadn’t heard from him, either.

  “Sir, your guest speaker’s rep just called and said that a personal matter came up and he won’t be able to make it.”

  “Shit!” I cursed under my breath. “Okay, I’ll just say an apology on his behalf.”

  I went up to the podium in the front of the gym and everyone quieted down. I cleared my throat before beginning to speak.

  “Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you all for coming out today. As you know, Westbrooke, Inc. is delighted to be able to fund this sports equipment program for our inner-city schools. Unfortunately, our surprise guest speaker is unable to make it today, but he wanted me to apologize on his behalf.” Mutters and sounds of disappoint filled the gymnasium. “However, we still have an exciting afternoon planned for you, with lots of fun activities, free food, and free t-shirts. So let’s get this party started, everyone!”

  This time, a roar of applause rang out around the large gym and I smiled, took a bow, and left the podium.

  Chapter 6

  Holly

  Wow! I had no idea that I was going to run into Alex at the school event. I had accepted the fact that he and I had shared a lovely evening together and had amazing sex, but I was pretty certain that it had only been a one-night thing.

  I called Joana to talk to her about the situation. She was much more experienced in these types of things than I was, and I was sure she could offer me some advice.

  “Hey, girl, what’s up?” she said, answering my video call.

  “What are you up to?” I asked, looking down at her picture on the screen. She had her healthy red locks pulled back away from her face and her eyes were all done up with a dark liner.

  “I’m getting ready to go have a drink at the Alley Alehouse,” she boasted happily.

  “Really? With who?” I asked curiously.

  “My new friend, Knot,” she said with a grin.

  “Knot? Who the hell is Knot?” I asked, turning my nose up at the weird-sounding name.

  “Knot yo’ business,” she exclaimed and burst into a fit of giggles.

  “Oh, you bitch!” I said with a chuckle.

  “I’m just messing with you, girl! I’m going out with this guy I met at the coffee shop the other day. Remember? I told you his name was Kyle.”

  “Oh, yeah. Well, I wanted to finish telling you about that guy I met last night,” I reminded her.

  “Oh, yeah! Martin, right?”

  “What? Hell no! Your little friend Martin Langley never even bothered to show up!”

  “Are you serious? He never showed? What a fucking asshole,” she said.

  “Right?” I agreed.

  “He’s got some motherfucking nerve! After all that shit I went through to get your hair looking just right and after trying on three—no four fucking outfits…. That goddamn prick! He’s gonna hear it when I tell my brother about—”

  I cut her off in mid-rant. “No, no, no! No need to tell your brother anything, really!” I stressed. “I actually met someone else last night.”

  “Ooh wee, look at that grin! You got yourself laid, didn’t you?” she accused, playfully.

  “Shut up, Jo!” I said with a giggle.

  “You slut! You really did, didn’t you!” she replied, grinning from ear to ear. “Oh, my God! Who is this mystery man?”

  I plopped down onto my couch, smiling as the memory of the passionate night I’d shared with Alex sprang back up into my mind.

  “Well, his name is Alex. Alex Westbrooke, and he’s really hot and really rich!” I added extra emphasis on the word rich.

  “Really? Hot damn! You found one of those wealthy playboy fuck toys!” she teased.

  “Oh, God, shut up, Jo! He is not a fuck toy.”

  “Then what is he? Your new boyfriend?”

  “Well, no, he’s…” I really couldn’t explain what I thought he was as my brain tried to find the right words.

  “Well?” she asked impatiently. “What the hell is he, then?”

  “Umm, I guess maybe it was just a one-night thing, maybe,” I said hesitantly.

  “Oh, shit! I’m so proud of you! You finally got out there and did something spontaneous for once in your life!” she shouted cheerily. “Welcome to life in the fast lane, girlfriend!”

  “Well, at least I thought it was just a one-night thing. But then, he showed up at the school event earlier today,” I explained.

  “He did? What the hell was he doing there?” she asked, her eyes widening again.

  “His company was donating sports equipment to all of the elementary schools in the county.”

  “Oh wow! He sounds like a nice rich guy!” she exclaimed.

  “Right? And he came right up to me in front of everyone, you know? Like he wanted to talk to me about something. But then, he had to go up and speak to the crowd and stuff, and I didn’t see him again after that,” I explained.

  “Well, has he called you?” she asked inquisitively.

  “Well… I never actually gave him my number,” I admitted, scrunching my face up like I was constipated.

  “You can’t be serious!” she said, flashing me a “what the fuck is wrong with you” look.

  “I just…I just kinda forgot, I guess. And it’s not like he asked or anything,” I said quietly, unable to look her directly in the face.

  She rolled her eyes and I stuck my tongue out at her.

  “So, you basically one-night-stand-ed him?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

  “I-I don’t know, I guess,” I replied, stammering with uncertainty. “I mean, you’re the one always telling me to go out and have some fun, take a chance, etcetera, etcetera. So, I did. Besides, the last thing I need right now is another relationship—especially with another workaholic—regardless of how much money he has. And besides, I’m leaving in a couple of months anyway.”

  Up until that very moment that Joana had asked me about Alex and my
feelings toward him, I honestly hadn’t really given it much thought. I really had gone into my night with him with a mindset that whatever we ended up doing would most likely end up being either a one-night thing, or some sort of not-so-serious fling. I mean, seriously, how interested in a third-grade elementary school teacher could a rich, gorgeous Adonis like Alex really be?

  The very last thing I needed right now was to get my heart involved in a silly little fling, right? Especially after the way things had gone down in my last serious relationship. Besides, I was a big girl. I could handle having a little bit of adult-oriented fun with no real strings attached and no lovey-dovey feelings involved.

  Wait, who I was actually trying to convince here? Myself or Joana?

  Chapter 7

  Alex

  “Again, I apologize for not being able to make the school event last weekend,” my prospective client, former pro football star Danny “Diesel” Demphrey said regretfully as he sat across from my desk.

  “No problem, Mr. Demphrey. I understand that sometimes things come up and we have no control over them,” I replied with a nod.

  “Yeah, but I know how much those little rug rats were looking forward to finding out who the surprise guest speaker was,” he said, looking down at his hands. He had them folded on top of his lap.

  Danny was at least six-foot-three and at least 250 pounds. He had once been the star quarterback for the Buffalo Bisons, a professional football team. After a couple of years on the field, he had suffered a pretty serious injury and had to retire early. He was still pretty active off the field, though, and his popularity in the media was holding pretty strong.

  This guy could possibly turn out to be quite an asset for the company. That was, if he actually started showing up.

  * * * * *

  “So, what do you think about Danny?” my dad asked as he and I sat across from each other at Chez D’Italiano restaurant.

  It was my dad’s favorite place to eat—a five-star eatery that specialized in both fancy French and Italian cuisine. He and I had been coming here since I was a young kid. He used to bring my mother here often, too, for their anniversaries and birthday dinners. I had also had a huge dinner party here back when I was in my early twenties.

  The food was incredible—even better than that of the Lovehouse in Central Park—and the atmosphere was even more relaxing and laidback. That was probably one of the main reasons why my dad preferred eating here when it came to family and/or business meeting matters.

  “Have you ever had the quiche here?” he asked, as he looked over the menu. He picked up his bourbon on the rocks, took a sip, and then set it back down on the red wooden table.

  “Yes, and it’s delicious,” I replied, knowing full well that my dad already knew I’d had the quiche before. That was just his own unique and sometimes utterly annoying way of making idle conversation before he decided to clear his throat and get down to the bigger, more important things.

  “Hmm,” he said with a thoughtful look on his gracefully-aging face as he turned the page of the rectangular, plastic-coated, cursive-written menu.

  His forehead seemed to have a new wrinkle forming just above his thick, dark eyebrows. He really was starting to age, and even though he still looked pretty damned good for a man in his sixties, you could tell that old age was finally starting to catch up to him. Personally, I was just hoping that he would end up stuffing his face and forgetting that we were here to talk about Danny Demphrey.

  “The chicken dishes are really good,” I pointed out casually as I scrolled through the Italian section of the elaborately detailed selections.

  “Yeah, I think I’m in the mood for some seafood, though,” he said with a sigh and turned the menu page, yet again.

  Just then, the waitress arrived and smiled down at us.

  “So, are you gentlemen ready to order?” she asked, pulling her pen and notepad out of the pocket of her fancy black apron.

  She was about five-foot-four with short dirty blond hair and brown, doe-like eyes. I couldn’t help but to think of how much her eyes reminded me of Holly’s when I looked up at them. Without even realizing it, I caught myself smiling at her.

  “I’ll have the chicken manicotti,” I told her. “With extra sauce on the side please.”

  “Very well, good choice, sir,” she said with a grin as she wrote my order down on her little notepad. “And for you, sir?” She turned her attention over to my father, who was still looking at his menu.

  “Ummm, I think I’ll have the seafood spectacular,” he said, without even looking up.

  “Okay, sir, and would you like the dinner roll and salad as well?” she asked.

  “Absolutely,” he said, closing his menu as he spoke.

  “Thank you, gentlemen. I’ll take those menus out of your way,” she said as she reached down and took our menus before heading off.

  “So how did the meeting with that Danny kid go?” he asked me, taking another sip of his bourbon.

  “It went pretty well, I would say,” I replied.

  “Well, do we have an endorsement deal or not?” he asked sternly.

  “I’m still working on it,” I said.

  “Do you realize how important this guy could be for our company’s reputation?” my dad explained.

  “Yes, of course, I do,” I said with an annoyed sigh.

  “Then you need to lock this shit down—and fast, before another company picks him up!”

  * * * * *

  My meeting with my dad had me a little bit more stressed out than usual. The next day at the office, I found myself in a somewhat somber mood. The only person I wanted to see was Holly. She was definitely on my mind and I wanted to take her somewhere she’d never been before and show her some culture. First I had to track her down. I hoped it wouldn’t be too hard.

  “What are you up to, tiger?”

  I looked up from my desk to see Alicia standing in the doorway of my office. She had the box of bourbon in her arms again. I had almost forgotten that I’d told her we’d drink some of it today.

  “Just thinking about possibly getting away from the office for a while,” I said, stretching my arms out over my head.

  “Well, then, sounds like the perfect time for a drink,” she said with a seductive grin. She was dressed in one of her low-cut, spaghetti-strap, barely mid-thigh sundresses. It was a light blue color and accentuated her cleavage to a tee.

  I’m a man, so, of course, I glanced over at what she had out on open and blatant display. She closed my office door behind her and sat down in the chair in front of my desk, crossing her long legs so that her upper thigh was exposed damned-near up to her ass cheek. She was ranting about something or other as she filled two shot glasses, but I was busy daydreaming about the date I was planning for Holly.

  We toasted to ten years in the making and even better days ahead as we downed a few shots together. Honestly, my mind wasn’t really on anything else but Holly, but Alicia was pretty adamant about how hard she’d been working around the office.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” I said casually. “I’m starting to feel a bit overworked myself. I need some more romance in my life.”

  “I hear you loud and clear,” she said with a flirtatious giggle. “Here’s to more romance in our lives!”

  We clinked our shot glasses together and downed another drink.

  Chapter 8

  Holly

  “Whose number is this?” I asked aloud to no one in particular as I looked down at the number that had popped upon my phone.

  I wasn’t going to answer it but then something in me told me that I should. I don’t usually answer numbers that I don’t recognize, but for some reason, I had a nagging urge to see who this was.

  “Hello?” I asked in a questioning tone.

  “Hello, gorgeous,” a deep, familiar voice said sweetly.

  “Alex?” I exclaimed, surprised.

  “I see you remember my voice,” he said with a light chuckle. “I’m
glad I left at least some type of lasting impression.”

  “Wait, how did you get this number?” I asked him.

  “You’re not very hard to find. Hope you’re not hiding from anyone,” he said jokingly.

  “I’m serious, Alex. I mean, it’s really nice to hear from you, don’t get me wrong, but I’d honestly like to know how you got this number.”

  “Of course. I understand. You wouldn’t want it to get into the wrong hands, I’m sure. But, to be honest, I looked you up online,” he explained.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, your cell phone number is actually right on your social media profile.”

  “Oh,” I said, feeling slightly perplexed by the fact that I was not aware of that.

  “Anyway, I’m calling because I’ve really missed you and I want to see you again.” His tone sounded sincere.

  “Oh…um, really?” Why was I questioning him? Had I honestly thought that he wasn’t ever going to want to see me again?

  “Does that sound so hard to believe?” he asked me in a soft tone of voice.

  “Well, no, I guess not,” I replied. What the hell was wrong with me?

  “So, text me your address and I’ll send a car for you around eight,” he said.

  “Eight o’clock tonight?”

  “Yes, unless that’s a problem, of course,” he replied.

  “N-no, eight is fine,” I stammered.

  “Okay, great. I’ll see you later tonight then,” he said cheerily. “Oh, and make sure you wear something dressy. I’m going to take you somewhere very classy.”

  “Where?” I asked, already sensing what his reply was going to be.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  * * * * *

  I couldn’t help but feel excited as I got ready for my next date with the handsome, stylish, and obviously financially well-off Alex Westbrooke. He was smooth, sexy, seductive, and chock full of surprises. I had no idea what to expect tonight. This time, I called Joana over to help me get ready for my date. I mean, she had done such a remarkable job of dolling me up the first time, after all.

  “Okay, so where are you guys going tonight?” was the first question out of her mouth when she arrived.