by Ford, Aria
Chapter 3
Olivia
With the hotel key in my hand, I drug my bags up three flights of stairs to my room. It was the kind of hotel with only outside entrances to the rooms. My mother always turned her nose up at places like this, and I didn’t blame her. I felt exposed as I stuck the key in the door and pushed it open. I stepped inside and tossed my bags on the bed, quickly locking the door behind me.
As I looked around the room, I forced myself to see the bright side. The room was big and spacious. It looked clean and not too run down. I smiled to myself when I made it to the bathroom and found it stain free. The scent of cleaning surprised hit my nose. My first impression of this hotel was bad, but now I was simply grateful to have a place to sleep for the next few nights.
I sighed and fell back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about Brad. He seemed nice enough, but there was something about him that made my stomach churn with discomfort. His body language was tense and distant as if he was constantly thinking something he didn’t say. I knew my parents would flip out if they knew I was going to dinner with a man I only just met. It wasn’t my typical behavior, but I was intrigued by Brad Jones, more intrigued than I’d be by anyone in a long time.
Plus, it couldn’t hurt to be in his good graces. On Monday morning, he would look at my car and give me an estimate. His estimate might be more lenient if we spent some time together and he got to know me a little bit. Sighing again, I pushed myself up to change for dinner. I’d been wearing this same outfit for almost two days, and I felt disgusting.
I popped in the shower, washing everything but my hair, and then hurried back to the bedroom where I got dressed and slid on my shoes. Brad said he’d be back in an hour and I didn’t want to keep him waiting. With my purse in hand, I slipped out of the room and hurried down stairs to wait in the parking lot.
Out there, I felt even more exposed. I wrapped my arms around my body and shivered. The night air was cooling off fast, and I realized I should have brought a sweater. Glancing around, I didn’t see Brad’s truck anywhere in the parking lot. I thought about running upstairs to grab a jacket when I heard a loud engine rumbling from my right. I turned to see the familiar tow truck pulling up, Brad’s arm dangling out of the driver’s side window.
When I saw him, I smiled. I didn’t know why, but the sight of him filled me with warmth. Part of me had been wondering if he was going to show up at all. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he blew me off. We only just met and it was a Friday night, after all. Still, seeing his familiar face in the midst of all this craziness made me relax. As I climbed up in his truck, he smiled at me kindly, and I was immediately taken aback by his appearance.
Gone were the tatters and grease stains. The shirt he wore was a button up that fit him just right. His jeans were spotless and dark in color. I smiled wider when my eyes fell once again on his face. He’s obviously taken a shower. I could smell the scent of his soap the second I opened the truck door. It was intoxicating but not more so than the sight of his clean face smiling at me, those blue eyes boring a hole in me.
“Hello again,” he said.
“Hi,” I said, my voice weak. “Thanks again for doing this.”
“Of course,” he said with a shrug. “What was I going to do, let you starve?”
“I wouldn’t starve.” I laugh. “I’ve been fending for myself for a while now.”
“Yes, but you’re without a car.” He reminded me.
I sighed. “I know. That pretty much sucks.”
He laughed, and the sound was like tingling metal. It filled my ears and brought yet another smile to my face. I never expected a man as rough and strong as Brad to have such a gentle, alluring laugh.
We left the hotel parking lot, and Brad drove us toward town. I expected to stop at one of the diners we passed, but he kept driving until we were almost to Santa Fe. Frowning, my New Yorker instincts kicked into overdrive. Suddenly, I regretted my decision. Just because Brad was my mechanic and incredibly attractive, I decided to go to dinner with him? What if he was a psycho killer? What was I thinking?
I could already hear my mom’s voice in my head: “Olivia Linette Storm, what are you doing? Did I not teach you better than that? You’re going to killed, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. You made this mess, now lie in it.”
Just when my imagination was getting the best of me, Brad flicked on his blinker and pulled into a parking lot. The restaurant he chose was much nicer than anything I expected. He said it was his treat, but I’d secretly assumed I would pay for myself. This place was clearly out of my price range.
“Um…” I said nervously, glancing up at the dark building with a worried look in my eyes. “I don’t think I can afford this place.”
“I told you, it’s on me,” Brad said simply.
“I know, but…” He was already shaking his head.
“Look,” he said. “I feel bad that you’re stuck here all alone without a working car until Monday at the earliest.”
“So this is a pity dinner?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“Exactly.” He grinned to let me know he was joking. I laughed and shook my head.
“Fine,” I said. “If you insist.”
“I do,” he said.
“Just so you know,” I said, climbing out of the truck and following him toward the front doors. “I would have been happy with McDonald’s.”
“You are not how you seem,” Brad said thoughtfully.
“How so?” I asked.
“I just figured you would be…” he trailed off, waving his hand and searching for the right words.
“High maintenance?” I asked.
“Well, yeah.” He nodded.
I laughed. “Then I guess, no, I’m not at all how I seem.”
Brad looked at me with a mixture of surprise and admiration as he held open the door for me. I stepped inside, and we walked together to the hostess stand. She smiled and welcomed up kindly, quickly leading us to a table for two at the back of the restaurant.
We sat down, and while the place wasn’t five-star, it definitely wasn’t casual. My discomfort quickly faded as Brad and I fell into an easy conversation. We steered clear of anything serious, sticking only to the superficial things about ourselves. It wasn’t how I normally did things. When I dated I liked to dive right into the good stuff. To me, that was the best way to get know a person.
With Brad, I felt differently. He wasn’t someone I planned to date. Our connection was obvious and instant. His body called out to me in a way no one else ever had and those eyes… God, I could have stared at his eyes for hours without once growing bored. When our feet accidentally brushed each other beneath the table, I felt a shot of electricity run up my body. From the look in his eyes, he felt it too.
We obviously found each other attractive. The entire night I caught myself gazing at his muscular physique, and occasionally his eyes traveled to my breasts. He would clear his throat, his face flushed slightly and then look away quickly. I could feel the heat between us beginning to rise, and by the time we were served dessert, I was ready to have him for my next meal.
My heart was pounding in my chest as I slipped my foot closer to his. This time, when we touched, I didn’t pull away, and neither did he. Our feet touched gently, and our eyes met. Sparks flew between us and in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to get this man back to my hotel room.
The logical part of my brain told me to control myself. I didn’t know this man. After my Jeep was fixed, I would probably never see him again. Still, as our eyes stayed lock on each other, desire formed in my stomach. It burned red hot, working its way down to pool between my thighs.
I swallowed hard and kept staring at him. We tried to keep talking, but neither of us had the energy. Our focus was on each other, our bodies, our needs.
It wasn’t like me to sleep with a man I didn’t know but what was the harm? Wasn’t everyone entitled to a one-night stand? To a night of abandon, a n
ight full of nothing more than animalistic desire?
Chapter 4
Brad
Olivia’s foot rubbed against mine, and I sucked in a breath of air. My heart stopped in my chest, and for a split second, the entire world seemed to slow. I stared at her green eyes from across the table, searching for some sign of her intention. Our attraction for one another was undeniable. I couldn’t look at her without imagining what it would feel like to kiss those plump lips or run my hands up her tight-fitting shirt.
Against my will, my eyes darted to her chest. She was wearing a low-cut blouse that revealed just enough cleavage to keep me interested. The shirt was a pale brown color that made her eyes look like emeralds. When I first saw her wearing that outfit, she was standing in the hotel parking lot. I pulled in and felt my jeans grow tight around my dick. I told myself to get it together. This woman was a client and nothing more.
Still, as dinner progressed, I found myself lost in her eyes and her words. I watched her lips while she spoke, soaking in every word. She wasn’t just sexy. She was intelligent. She admitted to having a degree from the University of New York, and everything she said contained a cool confidence I wasn’t used to. Most women I spent time with wanted one thing and one thing only. Olivia was different. She required more thought, more effort.
When her foot touched mine, I felt a shot of electricity shoot up my leg and land in my groin. My dick twitched, and I cleared my throat. I thought about moving my foot, just to keep the line firmly drawn between us, but I couldn’t. It was like the damn thing was fused to hers, unable to move even if I wanted it to. What the hell was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I control myself around this woman?
“So,” she said after taking a small bite of her dessert. It was a scoop of chocolate ice cream served over a brownie. She sucked the spoon dry, her tongue darting out of her mouth just enough to make my flush with desire. “Other than working at the shop, what do you do?”
“I own the shop,” I said, my tone casual. “And honestly, I don’t have much time for anything else. Work keeps me pretty busy.”
“I can imagine,” she said. Her words were light, but the air between us was anything but.
“What about you?” I asked. “I saw your art supplies in the Jeep.”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “I paint. It’s just a hobby, really.”
She looked down at her hands. When I followed her gaze, I noticed they were stained with different colors. She obviously painted often for her skin to maintain that hue of various colors. It was clear from the look on her face that painting was much more than a hobby. I wanted to ask her more, to delve further into her psyche, but I stopped myself.
This wasn’t about that. We weren’t here to get to know each other. This was just dinner with a stranger. I was being nice. She didn’t have much money or a working vehicle. It was only right for me to take her dinner. It didn’t mean we had to open ourselves to each other.
“I tried to make it a career,” she said softly. “But that’s not really something you do in my family.”
“Oh?” I was surprised she’d offered even this small bit of information.
“No.” She shook her head. “My parents are more practical.”
“I see,” I said.
My head was spinning. I thought about sharing something about my own past, about my parents. It would have felt nice to tell Olivia about my mom bailing or my dad being a deadbeat, but her foot was still rubbing against my leg, and I couldn’t think straight. My entire body felt hot with desire, and the longer I stared at her, the harder my cock became.
She ate her dessert so slowly that it was almost unfair. The way her tongue circled around her spoon, sucking off every last ounce of chocolate, made me imagine how she would look using that tongue for other things. I could already see her lips wrapped around my hard, throbbing cock. Her tongue circling me like it was that spoon…
Fuck. I couldn’t stop thinking about getting her naked. Despite the number of women who flocked to my auto shop, I hadn’t slept with a woman I was genuinely attracted to in a long time. There was a time when I would go out to bars almost every night, prowling for a girl to take home with me. Back then I believed a good fuck was all I needed to forget about my problems. Now I knew better.
Sex was great, and it was even better when the woman looked like Olivia but I’d long since given up searching for it. If a woman came to me, then great. If not, I had other things to do. My business was my focus. I spent a long time getting it off the ground and making it a success. I couldn’t risk losing focus. If my shop failed, I would be left with nothing.
I knew sleeping with a customer wasn’t smart. If word got out that I fucked Olivia while her Jeep was locked away in my garage, my business would suffer. Casual sex wasn’t something new to this town, but people around here still had morals. Separating work from pleasure was important. If somehow I did sleep with Olivia, I knew I couldn’t ever let that get out.
As I watched her suck on that spoon, still playing footsies with me beneath the table, I became eager to leave the restaurant. I waved the waitress over and asked for the check. She handed it to me, and I slid my credit card in the fold. She took it back and smiled, bouncing away. When I turned back to face Olivia, she was staring right at me with a fire behind her eyes.
When she first came into my shop, I thought Olivia was a sheltered city girl—someone with money and popularity that shielded her from the struggles of hard work and adversity. Now, after having dinner with her, I knew I was wrong. This woman had obviously faced a few hardships in her life. She wasn’t naïve or innocent like I once believed. As that fire burned hotter behind her eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to bury myself between her long legs.
The waitress brought my credit card back, and we left. I opened the truck door for Olivia, checking out her ass as she climbed inside. The drive back to her hotel was slow and torturous. Neither of us talked much, having exhausted all small talk options at the restaurant. I could feel Olivia’s eyes flicker to my face every few seconds and I knew she was thinking the same thing as me.
I pulled the truck into the parking lot and turned to face Olivia.
“Which one is yours?”
“402,” she said, pointing straight ahead.
I nodded and found a parking spot just below her room. She turned to face me, opening her mouth like she was ready to say goodbye. I knew I could let her. I could just smile, and she would get out of the truck. She would disappear into her hotel room, and I wouldn’t see her again until Monday morning. Part of me knew that was the best way to handle this situation but a bigger part told me I was being an idiot. This woman was clearly hot for me. Was I really going to let her walk away?
“I’ll walk you up,” I said.
She smiled and nodded, climbing out of the truck and waiting for me to join her. We walked up the stairs, and I let her go ahead of me. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her tight ass. My cock pressed against my jeans and I groaned softly, imaging how her ass would look while I took her from behind.
“Well,” she said when we reached her room. “Thank you again for dinner. That was very kind of you.”
“It was nothing,” I said.
My eyes flicked down to her lips and then back up to her eyes. She was staring at me in a way that told me I’d be a fucking moron not to kiss her. I took a step forward and leaned down slowly. I saw her eyes fill with that same fire from before, and when my lips met hers, she moaned softly into my mouth.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and yanked her body roughly against mine. She moaned again, tangling her fingers in my hair and kissing me back with abandon.
Chapter 5
Olivia
Brad’s lips collided with mine and I forgot how to breathe. We spent the entire night flirting and dancing around our desires, but I never expected him to be so forward. Rubbing feet beneath the table was one thing; actually kissing was something else entirely. When I moaned agai
nst his lips, he took that as an invitation. His arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me forward, pressing me roughly against his body.
I could feel the outline of his muscles beneath his shirt, and I moaned again, tangling my fingers in his hair and letting myself come undone. Brad was the type of kisser who could unarm anyone’s defenses. He took control and made me forget where I was. His lips were soft, yet firm as they moved against mine. When his tongue begged for entry, I lost all hope of resisting. My body took over, and I felt desire pool between my legs.
His lips worked furiously over mine while his hands groped at my ass. He squeezed me and kissed hard, leaving me breathless. When those same lips traveled down to my neck, I gasped and held on to him for dear life. It didn’t matter that we were standing outside my hotel room or that someone could see us at any moment. The only thing that mattered was the feel of his body against mine.
I knew I would slow things down, but I didn’t want to. I wanted him to take me right there. As his lips claimed mine again, I searched frantically for my key. It was tucked away in my back pocket, and when I found it, my hands were trembling.
“Let me,” Brad said, his voice low and husky. The sound sent shivers down my spine.
He took the key from me and slid it in the door with expert precision. The door swung open, and in an instant, Brad was on me again, his hands on my ass and his tongue in my mouth. My entire body melted into him. For the first time in my life, I stopped thinking. I turned off my brain and let my desire take control.
The door slammed shut behind us, and I threw my purse to the ground, running my hands down Brad’s back. His muscles were so prominent that I longed to get him naked. Moving my hands to his chest, I unbuttoned his shirt with furious speed. I shoved it off his shoulders. It fell in a pile on the floor. My hands roamed over his chest, feeling his pecks and moaning against his mouth. I’d never felt that with a man as fit as Brad. It made my body shiver with excitement.