Succulence (Succulent Trilogy #1)

by Lauren Lashley

  Making things worse, the loss of income meant she had to drop out of school for the summer, and struggle to make her once comfortable paycheck at GemTech stretch between two households. Suddenly a relative died and her mom had a car accident and needed someone to look after her. Between job loss, funerals and accidents, it was hard for Stacy to cope. She had tried to get in contact with Dean initially, but didn’t reach him on his phone, so she focused on what she could, then emailed him during the week. When she got back to work, she explained her situation and brought documentation, so as she put it, “Dean was satisfied with her explanation for the time being.”

  This all made total sense, but if that were the case, I wondered where Dean got off sexually coercing her, or where, however, this nasty side of him came from. He was unreasonably fucked up to her that time I caught them, and the memory still fucked with me whenever I thought about it, which was often. Nevertheless, that wasn’t the kind of conversation anyone had with their friends, especially an office friend. Stacy seemed to be pulling herself together, even though at times, she seemed to be fighting to keep from screaming whenever Dean called her in the office.

  I never mentioned what I knew to either of them.

  *****

  Houston and San Diego were great trips for GemTech. At the vendor tables, I met and made contact with quite a few different people for the company. Many were medical executives at local and regional hospitals looking for ways to improve the level of service they provided patients. The better the technology used in the facilities and among staff, the higher the fees they could charge for care. Plus, being technologically savvy and advanced made them appear to be higher up on their A-game compared to less teched-out medical centers.

  Our software app was a subscription-based license service, which meant continual revenue for the company. This continual revenue pleased the shareholders and CEO. The more leads I could generate for the company, the better.

  Being in the media for a huge company required I be affable with as many prospects as possible. Unfortunately this sometimes meant dealing with come-ons. I was getting used to using my looks as an escort, so I bit the bullet and learned how to use them just a bit as a media representative too. Of course, I couldn’t look as sexy at the office or on the road as I did when I was an in-call girl, but I learned how to let my hair down just a tad and invite men’s eyes to linger and roam over my clothes and my figure as I worked the office and exhibits.

  As much as I hate to admit it, men loved tits, especially plump round ones like mine. It perved me out to have so many corporate professionals and sales directors focused on my cleavage throughout the heavy majority of our conversations. Their toothy, veneer and denture-laced smiles were so sleazy; but I couldn’t help but to accept the attention – and kindly reject some dinner dates – in exchange for company leads.

  These leads were not only beneficial for GemTech, but for me too. If I could calculate how many of my leads actually converted to sales, I could ask for a larger raise and really make strides in my career. It was coming up on my one-year anniversary with GemTech, and I saw my value. Each contract secured meant millions of dollars in revenue for the company, so I may sound premature, but the truth was I had ambition. I worked for this from the moment I entered Yale. I invested in my career and myself for four long years. I lived for being in media communications and PR, so traveling and representing such a prestigious company that worked to change lives was everything I had ever hoped for. I couldn’t get enough of it.

  Yes, I was still an escort, and escort work made a lot of money. But I was almost to the point where my living expenses were under complete control and I had almost $70,000 in savings. All I had left were my Yale student loans. Those were well over $200,000. (I didn’t get much in the way of scholarships.) I was doing everything I could to pay off all my bills so I could feel less squeezed by the costs of adulthood and truly enjoy being an independent woman, but I didn’t want to keep escorting forever. At some point, I had to give it up and let my career provide enough money to take care of me. I deserved it for all my hard work, right?

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “You look amazing, Amy!” Mom greeted me at the airport.

  Mom picked me up from LaGuardia. I had flown in to New York a couple of days early for the event so I could spend time with my family. The company didn’t mind. The leads I had pulled in from the last two events were converting and I was almost due for vacation time. Knowing I hadn’t seen my family in so long prompted Dean to let me leave earlier under the guise of networking more in advance.

  On the drive to Connecticut, she told me about her new business, a bakery and candy boutique. Mom was a great cook and adored baking. She was also well known for her delicious confections, so getting customers was something she would not have a problem with. She showed me pictures of her location, as well as gave me the website URL.

  “What do you think of it?” she asked.

  To be honest, her site was nice and clean, but the branding was off. I wasn’t a marketing expert, but I did take a couple of classes. Marketing and communications were blending into one another in the current age, so it was important for any media professional to understand as much as possible for optimized digital communication.

  “It’s a great start mom. Who did you use?”

  “I did it myself on WIX!” She beamed proudly. “It was free!”

  I groaned. “Mom whenever you get the funds, you and I are going to hire a serious web designer. There’s just no way you can be taken seriously with a free website. What happens if someone wants to order from you? You need a shopping cart and other things that a free website won’t be able to give you.”

  “Okay honey, we’ll worry about that when it’s time.” She changed the subject. “Enough about me. What about you? What’s going on in the man department?”

  “Nothing mom. You know I’ve been really focused on my career,” I said casually, playing with my phone as I spoke. I had several emails from clients who wanted appointments, including RJ and the Valentine’s Day guy. “I’m not interested in finding love until I find myself a little higher up the corporate ladder. I’m due for a raise very soon if I land enough accounts on the road.”

  “Well don’t get too caught up in climbing the corporate ladder. You’re only 24, for crying out loud. You have all your life to be stern and serious. You have a gorgeous figure, big boobs and a beautiful smile. You’re absolutely gorgeous honey. Don’t waste this youthfulness trying to play too hard with the big boys.”

  ****

  Mom and I went and did some light window-shopping while we waited for dad to get off work. My older brothers met up with us at home. When dad arrived, we would all go to the lobster house together for seafood and catch up.

  My oldest brother, Caleb, was engaged to his longtime girlfriend. The wedding was planned for June of next year. My other brother, Mark, a programmer, was offered a promotion that would take him to New York City. The extra money would come in handy for him, as he was building his own app business, and he would still be close enough to visit mom and dad whenever they needed to see him.

  “How do you like Dallas?” Caleb asked, giving me a bear hug. Like dad, he had brown hair and brown eyes. He tended to be very protective of me.

  “I love Dallas. It’s fine. There’s just a lot of Cowboys fans to deal with,” I said. “Everyone knows the Patriots are the best!”

  “Are there any hot girls in Dallas?” Mark asked. Did I mention he was more of a bro-grammer instead of programmer? He was a huge flirt, a trait he inherited from mom along with green eyes and blonde hair.

  I rolled my eyes. “There are hot chicks everywhere, Mark.”

  “Maybe I have to come down for a visit and spend time with my little sis while exploring the big city and southern comforts therein,” he said, a devilish twinkle in his eye.

  I groaned. “Must you always be such a rake?”

  He shrugged. “I got it honestly. You know flirtation
is a specialty of mom’s. Sad that I’m the only one using my rogue charm appropriately.”

  He slapped me on the back of my shoulder, playfully taunting me. “Let loose Ame,” he said, referring to his special nickname for me. “You’re pretty, blonde and young. You look like Barbie. Take advantage of it. If I were you, someone else would be paying my bills while I sat around and ate bon bons and salad all day.” He further accentuated his point with a humorous effeminate tone and mannerisms, sashaying around in a circle.

  Dinner was awesome. I hadn’t had fresh lobster in forever. Dad was so happy to see me; he ordered shots for everyone, which was pretty awesome considering he wasn’t a fan of any of us drinking.

  After dinner, we all congregated at home and caught up on the old times. We watched some reality show where people auditioned to be stars and laughed at all the horrible acts. You could tell some people were deliberately cast on camera to make a fool of themselves. On one hand it had to be humiliating; yet on the other, some people are willing to do anything to be on TV.

  ****

  I received a call from my ex-boyfriend. It had been almost a year since I’d seen him, and to be honest, I still had feelings for him. Our relationship had ended when I needed to move to Dallas. He wasn’t interested in giving a long-distance romance a shot, especially because he had no intentions of ever going to Texas ever.

  I let the first call go to voicemail. As much as I missed him, I wasn’t prepared to talk to him. Besides, it could have been some sort of mistake as far as I’m concerned. He hadn’t even texted me on my birthday – and that was mere months after our breakup.

  11:03 pm: Heard you’re in town…

  11:15 pm: Yes

  11:16 pm: Can you talk?

  I paused before responding to that. Just because I could talk at that very moment didn’t mean it would be a smart choice to do so. We hadn’t dated for too long, just a little over a year, but I thought things were getting serious. His refusal to consider giving out love a chance long distance crushed my heart. I had never felt so unimportant, especially upon discovering how quickly he had moved on once I was gone. It made me wonder whether he ever really cared.

  It was to the point that I wouldn’t even acknowledge his name or really even discuss him with anyone. As far as I was concerned, he was nothing but a memory to me. If I was so insignificant that all it took was the first pretty girl to walk by to take his heart off our breakup less than 3 or 4 months post-breakup, he didn’t deserve the dignity of being known and discussed by name.

  11:25 pm: We’re talking now. How can I help you?

  He answered by calling. I deleted his number from my phone, so he had the same default ringtone I gave all strangers and people I hadn’t saved.

  “Hello?” I said, unimpressed, the metallic hint of annoyance in my tone.

  “Hey stranger,” he replied.

  Still not impressed. I tried to keep it cute but ended up sounding a little snide, betraying my cool persona. “Again, how can I help you?”

  “Amy, relaaaaaax. I just wanted to hear your voice. See how you’re doing. I missed you,” he purred into the phone. His tone caused my stomach to flutter; he still gave me butterflies, no matter how hard I tried to deny it.

  “I’m… good,” I replied, my tone softening along with my resolve. I wanted to cuss him out, hate him for what he had done to my heart. He didn’t deserve to have so much power over me.

  “I was wondering if we could meet. Coffee or small nightcap. My treat?”

  I didn’t know how to answer. He was always bold and aggressive, never shy about what he wanted. This always turned me on, but being that it was nearly midnight, my mind wasn’t interested in getting anything close to caffeine in my mouth.

  Putting him in my mouth, though? That was a possibility. Replays of the times we shared together oozed into my thoughts, which, up until a moment ago, were solidly against anything this man had to say. He broke through my thoughts.

  “Well?”

  “...You want to meet… now?”

  “No time like the present.”

  I was tongue-tied. Part of me wanted to see him, but that was the naughty, “Amy after Dark” side of me. If she saw him, up close and personal, felt the heat in his touch and the masculine heat underneath his cologne, it was over. I could kiss all my self-control goodbye.

  “Mamoun’s. 20 minutes. I’ll be in the corner. Bring your sexy ass or I’m coming to your house and causing a scene,” he said, hanging up.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Twenty minutes was not enough time to get ready, but I did the best I could. Because I wanted to look good, but not like I was trying too hard, I threw on a simple maxi dress, halter style, simple hoop earrings and a matching pendant.

  My black eyeliner was slightly smudged from the long day, so I had to refresh my appearance. I used one of my oil-balancing makeup wipes to clean up the raccoon-like residue. The leftover effect preserved the eyeliner that was still present in my waterline, giving me a subtly and sexy defined eye. I grabbed some baby pink lip-gloss, spritzed on some Carven and told mom I’d be back in a bit. She handed me the keys to the car,

  “Honey, if it’s not too much for you, can you grab my card and fill the tank back up? If you can’t find a safe area, don’t bother.”

  “Sure, mom. See you in a bit.”

  “I’m headed to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  *****

  His scent was fresh, woodsy and warm. I couldn’t help but to inhale it when he pulled me close, wrapping me in his deep embrace. Heady from the musky testosterone, my heart fluttered and I felt weakened by his bold passion.

  “Babe, you look amazing. And you smell delicious,” he moaned in my ear. His verbal delight cascaded against my ear, sending warm tingles that lit my lust ablaze.

  “You’re silly,” I giggled as I stepped back, breaking our embrace to reclaim my senses. His touch lingered on my skin, inspiring spicy tingles of desire through my soul. It had been almost a year since we were face to face, yet his effects were still intense. He wielded a penetrating seductive power over me. It was crazy, as if I had never released him – or my love for him – when I left for Dallas.

  Girl, keep your control. Remember, he dropped your ass where he was the minute you did what was important for you.

  I looked over the menu, willing my heart to return to a normal pace. Exotic, spicy aromas filled the air in Mamoun’s. We had met here plenty of times in our relationship, usually for late night conversations after long days at work at the bookstore. Because this was the only place in New Haven that had cheap, delicious fare so late at night, he and I had bonded over various nibbles on the menu.

  We both shared a love of exotic flavors, family, books, and of course, sex. All of these things and more made up the bulk of our conversations during the course of our relationship – well, with the exception of sex. We definitely acted on our sexual desires and urges together.

  “So, as I said, I wanted to know how you’ve been, lovely?” he said, breaking my concentration on the menu. With the recent memories of lobster and shrimp in my belly, I wasn’t that hungry, but I could always go for their Turkish delight and mango juice.

  I avoided eye contact. “Pretty good, and you?”

  “Can’t complain,” he said, grasping my hand in his. “Except for the fact that I missed you.”

  “Yeah… about that. I’m not so sure. You had a girlfriend pretty quickly after we were over.” I snipped at him for that. Pain and jealousy flickered momentarily through my soul like thunder and lightning. I don’t think I could ever forgive him for getting over me so quickly.

  “She was nothing. She was my rebound,” he replied, curling his lip mild disgust. “I thought she could help me get over losing you, but she really only reminded me of how special you were.”

  I pulled my hand away, crossing my arms against my chest. Was he fucking kidding me right now? My eyes narrowed in sheer irritation. “Lose me, Jared? You didn�
�t have to lose me. You chose to drop me – us – because you wanted to! You know we could have made this work. You simply wanted to cut me loose so you could satisfy your dick and get laid because you weren’t willing to try!”

  “Lower your voice, Amy.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do!” I sneered. Yes, it was after midnight and we were just one of a handful of peeps in a restaurant, so yes, my emotions threatened to cause a bit of a scene. But I didn’t care! How dare he try to put his decision to end us as something that was out of his control? He didn’t lose me. He never lost me. He let me go.

  Tensing his jaw, he ran his fingers through his thick, curly hair. He attempted to reach for my arm again, but was met with active bitch face. Sighing, he asked, “Can I explain?”