by Katy Kaylee
“Were there any ideas you liked?” I asked in a small voice.
“You know, when Carolina told me she hired someone fresh out of school, someone who’d never held a job in the field, I was worried. Dakota and I both thought she’d taken a huge risk. I wasn’t pleased, I’m not going to lie,” he said in a monotone voice.
I nodded, refusing to burst into tears. I would not let him hurt me again. I would not let the man tear me down and make me feel like a fool, not again. “I see,” I murmured, inhaling through my nose to try and remain calm.
“Carolina made the right choice. She was right to hire you. It’s the best thing she could have done,” he said.
I blinked, briefly wondering if my mind was playing tricks on me. “She did?”
“Yes. You have real talent. I like the dog idea, but I think a tougher dog, like a Rottweiler or something like that would be in line with my image. Instead of drinking coffee, I think it should be a bar, a rough biker bar setting,” he said.
I nodded my head, completely agreeing with his suggestions. “I think that is a good option.”
“I’m blown away by what you’ve brought me. I like the freshness and the simplicity. Good job.”
I felt like I was glowing. I didn’t want to glow. I was happy I impressed him, but angry with myself for needing his approval. I shouldn’t have needed it. I wanted to pretend I didn’t care what he had to say or what he thought. His praise had given me the warm and fuzzies, something I never thought I would get from Jax Michaels.
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
He smiled, leaning back in his chair, his arms resting on the arm supports. “I should have known you would kick ass at whatever you decided to do. You’ve always excelled at anything you did. You have this natural talent that just makes you good at everything, especially marketing something.”
“Thank you.”
“Remember that one time you were selling chocolate bars for a fund-raiser in high school?” he asked.
I shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe. I did that several times.”
“It was my first year in college. I had twenty bucks to my name, and the last thing I wanted was overpriced chocolate. You convinced me to buy four of those stupid bars that tasted like shit, by the way.”
I got up from my chair, grinning at the memory. “They didn’t taste bad.”
He stood up and came to stand in front of me. “I’m serious. You’re going to do great. For your first time out, I think you’ve done a really good job. And those candy bars tasted horrible. They were all I had to eat for three days before I got paid again. I ate them because I had to.”
I couldn’t help it. I burst into laughter, slapping my hand over my mouth as my eyes went wide. I hadn’t meant to laugh. It felt wrong to be happy with him. He reached up and gently grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand away from my mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered.
He shook his head. “Don’t be sorry—you have a beautiful laugh. Don’t hide it. I like hearing you laugh.”
He let go of my wrist. I felt like I’d been branded. I looked down at my arm, the warmth from his touch radiating through my body. I looked up at him. I had no idea what to say or do. I just stood there, staring into those green eyes that had captivated me so long ago. I had thought about those eyes for years, but nothing could compare to the real thing. Him staring at me with those beautiful peepers was making me feel very weird. Weird wasn’t the word—hot. I felt hot.
7
JAX
There was electricity zinging between us. She was staring at me, wide-eyed and shocked. I knew she felt the sexual chemistry that presented itself like a magnetic pulse, drawing us together. I could see it in her eyes. My initial reaction was to grab her and slam my mouth over hers. I wanted my tongue down her throat. I wanted to feel her soft body against mine. I was betting her nipples were hard under that pretty blue blouse she was wearing. Standing that close to her, I could smell the scent of her shampoo. I could smell her.
Maybe it was pheromones, but her scent had been ingrained in my very soul for years. I had never forgotten it, no matter how hard I had tried. I was fighting the erection that sprang to life the second I touched her dainty wrists. In an instant, I remembered what it had been like to be seated deep inside her tight little sheath. I remembered her moans and gasps of pain when I first pushed inside her that I made damn sure quickly turned to pleasure. I remembered every tiny detail. It was as if the moment my mouth touched hers, the alcohol I had consumed prior to being taken into her dorm room had evaporated.
I wanted her again. I wanted to be inside her. I wanted her nails scraping down my back while she screamed out my name. Those dark blue eyes were addicting. I couldn’t look away. It was as if my mind really had only one track. I wanted to fuck her again. It was all I could think about. I wanted her on me, in front of me, under me. There were so many things I wanted to do with her sweet little body.
Penny stepped away from me. “I’ll, uh, I’ll, um… uh—the changes. I’ll work on those changes and have an updated file for you tomorrow,” she murmured, turning away from me.
She was frazzled. That gave me a great deal of satisfaction. She wasn’t completely immune to me. She felt the pull. I wondered if she was thinking about me inside her like I was. I reached out and grabbed her arm, gently but firmly. I knew I shouldn’t have touched her. I couldn’t stop myself. The sizzle of heat crackled through our bodies as she turned back to look at me.
“Wait,” I said, not wanting her to leave yet.
“What is it?” she asked breathlessly, her eyes moving to where I was holding her arm before meeting mine again.
“I’m glad we’re able to work together despite our past. I’m happy we can move forward and hopefully do great things together,” I told her, my eyes dropping to her mouth before darting back up to her eyes.
I released her arm. I couldn’t look at her mouth or touch her. I was already willing my erection to go away. If I stared at those red, full lips, there would be no hiding my body’s response to her being so close. If I touched her, I wouldn’t be able to keep it friendly. I would end up tearing her clothes from her body. I had a feeling she would let me. Hell, she’d encourage me.
“I’m glad too,” she replied, the sentence a little stilted.
“You’re glad to what?” I asked, trying to remember what we were talking about. I didn’t think she was saying she’d be glad to let me fuck her, but hell, stranger things had happened.
“I’m glad to be working here and moving forward. I hope we can continue working together and maintain a professional relationship,” she murmured, the words barely audible.
She wasn’t looking in my eyes. I smiled, knowing she was looking at my mouth, likely remembering what it had been like pressed against her flesh, pressed against her womanly core. “I respect the work you do. I have full confidence you are going to kick ass and rock the fuck out of this campaign.”
She grinned, her eyes squinting at the corners as she looked up at me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, not out of fear but pure arousal. I felt twitchy and hot and like my skin was too tight. I licked my lips, fantasizing it was her tongue running over my mouth.
“Thank you. I really appreciate that. I want you to be happy with what I do. I know I’m a beginner, but I do learn fast and I will get better.”
“You know you’re good,” I said, dropping my voice a little. “You’re amazing.”
“I didn’t know. I mean, I hoped I was, and I try to be, but I didn’t really know. Grades in school are one thing; actually doing the work and being in the position is completely different. I want to be good,” she repeated.
“Oh, you’re good. Beauty and brains in one very perfect package is hard to resist. Especially for me. I’m fighting it, but I don’t know how much longer I can resist the allure of you,” I whispered.
She bit her lower lip. I knew she wanted to hate me, but there was some part of her still attracted t
o me. Despite knowing how stupid it was, I leaned in a little closer, invading her personal space. I could flirt with the best of them. It was how I maintained my bad-boy image. People assumed I was some kind of Don Juan because of how much I openly flirted. I wasn’t. I liked to let them believe that.
“Thank you. I’m glad you like it. My work,” she quickly added, ignoring the part of me being attracted to her.
“I do. What’s not to like—about your work,” I teased.
Flirting with my head of marketing, especially with the kind of past we had, was dangerous. I was risking a lot and knew my behavior was inappropriate, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t the kind of guy who followed the rules, and I wasn’t about to start now, not when Penny was the prize. I was willing to be a little fast and loose with the rules if it meant I had a chance at getting her.
“You don’t have to flatter me,” she replied.
I slowly shook my head. “I only say what I mean. You’re gorgeous and smart, and I am looking forward to working with you.”
“Me too,” she whispered.
I smiled, knowing I was making her flustered. In for a penny, in for a pound. “Why don’t I take you out for that drink? I’m a lot more fun than Dakota.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“You heard me. After work we can go grab a drink. There’s a bar on the next block, quiet and private. we can talk, catch up. You can ask me anything you want to know about the company,” I offered.
“Drinks?” she said as if she were completely dumbfounded.
“Yes. Drinks. You know, you get something fruity and I get something stiff and strong. Technically, I already had the stiff and you’re already sweeter than any fruity drink.”
Her cheeks stained pink. “I don’t think Lydia would appreciate you taking another woman out for drinks,” she snapped. The little balloon of lust I had been carefully spinning around us collapsed. I knew it had been more fragile than tissue paper, but I had thought I was onto something good.
I frowned at her, wondering what in the hell she was talking about. Why in the hell would Lydia care who I took out for a drink. Then it dawned on me. She’d heard the rumors and believed them.
“Lydia wouldn’t give a fuck if I took out the entire Victoria’s Secret lineup. She wouldn’t care if they danced naked in front of me. I could dance naked in front of them and she still wouldn’t give two shits,” I said, shaking my head with bewilderment.
She scowled at me; the connection we’d been establishing fizzled out as fast as it had started. “I’m busy. I can’t.”
“When?”
“Tonight. Every night. I need to get to work on those changes. I don’t want to disappoint the boss,” she said and stepped away, practically running for the door before I could reach out and stop her again.
I stood there staring at the open door and realized I had royally fucked up. I had told myself not to flirt with her, not to do anything that would be inappropriate. I didn’t want to make her feel like she was being lusted after, even if she was. I was an idiot. I had showed my hand too soon. I should have resisted and reeled her in a bit before I tried to flirt with her. It had been a huge risk, and it had blown up in my face.
It was a rookie mistake to try and get in her pants with her only being back in my life for a week. I was lucky she hadn’t broken my nose—again. Pushing Penny was not a smart move. She could be a very stubborn person. I’d learned that from our years of friendship.
“Dumbass,” I cursed, closing my office door and leaving the blinds closed.
I didn’t feel like looking at anyone or being looked at. When the designer had proposed the invisible wall concept, I had grudgingly accepted with the agreement my walls would not be invisible. I spent my life in the public eye. I wanted some damn privacy in my own office.
I sat back down, her proposal for the new campaign still open on my tablet. I scanned through the sketches again and was very pleased with what she had come up with. It wasn’t exactly cutting-edge, but it had somewhat of a Marlboro Man appeal to it. Just a guy, doing guy things and not giving a fuck who was looking or what anyone thought. I had a feeling that’s what Penny was drawn to. She was pitching ideas that appealed to her own tastes. and why wouldn’t she? She had excellent taste.
Penny had a buttoned-up image, and her clean vocabulary gave her the schoolgirl vibe, but I knew what she was really like. I knew she ran hot. She was a good girl, but in the bedroom, she’d let go of all those restrictions she put on herself. I liked that wild, untamed side. The side that wasn’t afraid to tell me she wanted to have sex with me. That had taken some balls.
Thinking about the sex with her again was making my cock ache with need. I had to stop thinking about that day. I was only so strong. My resolve was going to wear down. I was going to end up seducing her in my office. That would definitely be putting me at a very high risk for getting sued. I wasn’t sure if she was worth it.
“Yes, she is, and you fucking know it,” I grumbled.
I had plenty of money. I could sacrifice some of it if it meant I got the chance to be with her again.
8
PENNY
I was busy working on the revisions to the marketing campaign I had proposed, sprucing them up a bit with new ideas along with the changes Jax had requested. It felt good to be working. It felt good to have a job that paid me for what I liked to do. I felt very lucky—even if my boss was Jax Michaels. I could overlook that little detail.
I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and looked up to see Carolina walked toward my open office door. I smiled, happy to see her friendly face. “Hi,” I greeted when she walked in.
“Hi! I had to come by and tell you congratulations.”
I looked at her with confusion. “For?”
“For your first campaign proposal. Jax is thrilled. He hasn’t stopped talking about them. You really impressed him, which is a big deal,” she praised.
I smiled, unable to stop the pride swelling in my chest. “Thank you. have you had a chance to look at them?”
She rolled her eyes, sitting in the black leather chair across from my desk. “Of course. Jax wasn’t going to let me get away until I did.”
“What did you think?” I asked, wanting another opinion.
I still wasn’t sure if I could trust Jax. The flirting in the office made me suspect he had ulterior motives behind his accolades. I wanted the truth, not a bunch of fluffy, sweet words that were meant as a way to get me in bed.
“I loved it. It’s good. All of your ideas were really good,” she assured me.
“Thank you.”
“Are you doing anything tonight after work?” she asked.
Three invitations in one day was a new record for me. I had never been a social butterfly and wasn’t familiar with the steady stream of invites. Out of the three of them, Carolina was my first choice to hang out with. “I’m not. What’d you have in mind?”
“We could grab some dinner and I could tell you about all the hot spots in the city as well as how to stay on Jax’s good side.” She grinned.
I laughed. “Does he have a good side?”
She giggled. “Actually, I’m guessing you might know him better than I do.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked, my smile fading.
“He told me he knew you back when, that he was good friends with your brother,” she explained.
I nodded. “Yes, that’s true. We haven’t spoken in some time.”
“Well, I think it’s time for all that to change. Do you want to?”
“What?” I asked, my mind hung up on the fact Jax had told Carolina about our past. I wondered just how much he had told her.
“Did you want to grab some dinner?”
Throwing caution to the wind and being completely spontaneous, I nodded. “Sure.”
“Great. I can pick you up after work. I’m leaving here in about ten minutes to go do some location scouting for Jax. I’ll give you my number and you can text me yo
ur address.”
She rambled it off, and I jotted it down on the notepad I kept on my desk for those random thoughts and ideas that popped into my head.
“I’m excited!” I told her.
She rose from the chair. “Me too. I’ll see you around six.”
“See you then,” I said, waving at her through the glass wall as she walked away.
I hadn’t been out with anyone in a long time. I had become a bit of a loner after the incident with Jax. I trusted few people and preferred to keep my own company. I put my focus back on my work, not wanting to take another stroll down memory lane. I had been doing that a little too much lately. I vowed to live in the present, looking forward to the future and forgetting about the past.
It was six fifteen when Carolina knocked the door of my one-bedroom apartment on the third floor of a modest building. It wasn’t fancy, but it was affordable and spacious. “You ready?” she asked.
I grabbed my purse, smoothing down the dark blue crocheted sweater I had put on over a white cami. I had put on a pair of my favorite skinny jeans and booties, looking forward to a casual night out with a friend. I was considering Carolina my friend—my first in the city.
We got into her economical Nissan Maxima as she chatted about the good weather and the impending winter. I was sure we still had a couple months before we had to worry about the cold, but she was convinced it was going to be a bad winter. I had heard the same phrase a million times throughout my life—rarely did it ever come true.
“Hells Kitchen?” I asked when she parked in front of a restaurant. “Isn’t that a TV show?”
