by Reed, J. C.
“What about this?” Jude retrieved my little black dress and held it up.
I grimaced at her, mortified. “I want to hire him, not bed him.”
“Or you could do both,” Jude said, grinning.
Jude was a free-spirited soul, but not as free of inhibitions as she liked to pretend to be. Basically, she dated—a lot—but she never jumped into bed with any of the guys, because by the end of the second date she had already found a long list of things to fault, which she hid behind a sparkling smile and a run to the bathroom in order to call me in a desperate attempt to come get her. And every time it was my job to help her out by finding excuses as to why she couldn’t see her dates again. It had been like this ever since we met in college and bonded over a watery chai latte served in the café across from her grandparents’ townhouse. After telling hundreds of lies to cover for her over the years, I would have expected to be an expert in lying, but fat chance.
Sighing, I threw the dress on the bed and squeezed into a pair of skinny jeans, a black shirt, and a suit jacket that was fitted but covered only half of my butt. Once I’d paired the outfit with flat boots and my fake diamond earrings, and with my hair piled up on my head, I thought I looked modern and fun, but also conservative—yet not too severe to give the impression I might have scared off every guy entering my life, and consequently might be to blame for my current unattached status.
Unattached status.
I despised those two words strung together because they sounded like an incurable disease. Given that I was only twenty-three, there was still hope. Unfortunately, some people in my life thought differently, which was why I had fled across the country to be far away from Waterfront Shore. Far away from high expectations and an old life that harbored too many dark secrets.
Regarding myself in the floor-to-ceiling mirror, I couldn’t help but give an approving nod at my reflection. The jeans emphasized my butt, drawing attention away from the wide hips I used to hate as a teen. The shirt sat tight around my bust, but slightly loose around the waist area so I wouldn’t look like a stuffed turkey. And the jacket gave me an academic flair that screamed “business administration professional.” I might not be as tall and thin as Jude, or as stunningly pretty, but I knew how to complement my strong points, which were my eyes and my full lips painted in a sheer burgundy red. I was so pleased with my choice of attire that I turned to Jude proudly.
“How do I look?”
“Well, you certainly won’t have to fend off any advances, if that’s what you’re so worried about. It’s, simply put, hideous.” Jude pointed at my suit jacket, grinning. “You sure you want to wear that? I wouldn’t hit on you dressed like that.”
I turned back to the mirror to give myself a critical once-over. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Better ask, what’s not wrong with it. It reminds me of an eighties music video, and not in a good way.”
Jude loved surfing YouTube for old and horrendous music videos. She said it helped with her job as an Internet entrepreneur. After watching her dabble in this and that for the last two years, building websites and blogging, I was still not sure how exactly she was doing it job-wise, but she made more money than I did and paid more than half her share of the bills, so who was I to complain? I loved this jacket and should have felt offended, but the beauty of our friendship was that whatever the other said was accepted as constructive criticism. Given that Jude was also a bit of a fashion fanatic, I knew I should listen to her advice, which I usually did.
Just not today.
“The jacket’s staying. End of discussion,” I said, and began to apply a thin layer of lipstick. “I’m not meeting this guy to impress him. I’m hiring a professional actor, so he’d better be good and decent. If he so much as looks like a creep, never mind talking or behaving like one, I promise I’ll hold you responsible for the rest of your life. After all, it was your idea.”
“Relax.” Jude laughed. “Tonight isn’t just any night. It’s your big night.”
No idea what she meant by that, and I certainly didn’t want to know.
By five to seven, I was more nervous than I cared to admit. I hadn’t been on a date in forever. Come to think of it, it had been more than two years. It wasn’t from a lack of requests and interest, but more that I was a busy person. There had been college and my search for work, which took up most of my time now.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t even have time for Chase,” I muttered. His name rolled off my tongue so naturally, it was almost scary. Like it belonged there, with all the implications a sexy male name brought with it.
There, I had said it. He sounded sexy as hell and even looked the part. And we were going to spend time together.
This isn’t a date, Hanson.
Damn right it wasn’t. We were talking a business proposition. A job—if he was half civilized and up for playing the doting fiancé bull. Unfortunately, the knowledge that he was an actor probably desperate to be hired wasn’t helping in taking the edge off.
“Hey.” Jude snapped her fingers in my face again. I flinched and shot her a WTF look. She glared at me, but there was something strange about her. She was laughing at me, I realized.
Damn it!
Jude knew I was nervous, and she enjoyed every torture-filled second. My cheeks caught fire. I could feel the onset of a blush crawling all over my face and neck, and spreading down to my chest.
To my chagrin, the bell rang and Jude jumped up, dashing for the door before I could stop her.
“Wait. No, Jude.” My voice came out all croaky and weak. My heart began to beat so hard I might just be on the verge of having a heart attack. Voices carried over from the hall. Then the tinkle of laughter. Turning toward the open door, I strained to listen. The voices were muffled, but from Jude’s eager chatter, I could tell she was delighted and made no secret of it.
Oh, my god.
Any moment, I’d have to face him. I turned my head left and right, pondering whether I should maybe climb out the window and just leave. I could always pretend later that I had to pick up some milk and forgot all about the meeting.
“Laurie!” Jude yelled. I flinched and jumped back at the prospect of having been caught eavesdropping. Two pairs of footsteps thumped down the hall. I froze to the spot. She couldn’t possibly have asked him—
In they stepped.
I stared in horror at Jude’s toned body and then at the brown-haired guy towering behind her, and for a moment the entire situation began to play in slow motion before my eyes. Jude said something, but all I could do was stare at the guy behind her as I broke out in a sweat.
Fuckety hot!
That was all my mind could come up with, even though my monosyllabic and simplistic description of him couldn’t possibly do him justice.
He was stunning.
I should have been more articulate, but only six words came to my mind straight away.
Unbelievably stalkable. Fuckably sexy. Simply tastylicious.
He was so hot he couldn’t possibly be real. Perfect in every way, with dark brown hair framing a masculine face with a straight nose, and the kind of bedroom eyes that invited you to gaze into them right before you screamed his name as you came over and over again.
Hell, I wanted to scream his name, and he was probably not even that good. I mean, anyone who was physically that flawless must have an ego the size of the White House. The guy’s impossibly blue eyes turned on me, and an amused flicker appeared in them. He stepped around June with a wicked smile on his lips. My heart dropped in my panties.
Holy cow.
He was smiling at me—as if knowing I was attracted to him. That was the last thing I wanted. I forced myself to look away from this impossible beauty, only for my gaze to settle on his chest. Unfortunately, my hormones didn’t seem to care much just how unfortunate and awkward the entire situation was.
I wanted to run. I wanted to hide. But all I could do was stay glued to the spot while staring at the
way his shirt seemed to emphasize the strong muscles in his arms and draw attention to his flat abdomen and strong thighs. I wondered if they were as hard as they looked.
“Laurie, this is Chase,” Jude said, pointing at him.
End of Preview. Thanks for reading.
AN INDECENT PROPOSAL will be available February 23rd, 2015.
Other books by J.C. Reed
Surrender Your Love
Conquer Your Love
Treasure Your Love
The Lover’s Secret
The Lover’s Game
The Lover’s Promise
Table of Contents
Title
About THAT GUY
Copyright
THAT GUY
An Indecent Proposal preview
Other books by the authors