by Hunter Frost
My phone beeped as I sat down on the couch and I snatched it up so fast you’d think it planned on running. I held my breath as I viewed the screen. An email from Naomi. I exhaled. That could wait until tomorrow. Then I checked my instant messages and call log—just in case I’d missed anything. Again nothing. I laid the phone on the armrest of my sofa and got comfortable.
Flipping through the channels, I ate my dinner and dutifully attempted to pay attention to whatever senseless programming I landed on. It wasn’t easy. Like it wasn’t easy throughout the entire day. Chaz had taken up residence in my head, whispering in my ear and holding me close as he kissed me until I couldn’t breathe. How was I supposed to concentrate with all of that reeling through my brain?
Once dinner was gone, the TV couldn’t stop my eyelids from drooping. Coffee might help, but I didn’t feel like taking the time to make it. And all it did was remind me of Chaz. Again.
I picked up the phone. No messages. I went through my apps, checked that the battery was full. Just as full as it was five minutes ago.
I’m completely obsessed!
I moved the phone away and forced myself to watch some home show. An entitled young couple wanted everything on their wish list for an outrageously low price. I rolled my eyes so many times that, by the end, I’d dozed off out of sheer exhaustion.
My phone buzzed and I bolted upright. As it played the generic ringtone I’d never bothered to change, I scrambled to answer. I tapped without looking at the screen and put it to my ear.
“Hello? . . . Hello? This is Trent.”
There was a pause. “Hello, Sir! This is Bryan from Custom Blinds. How are you this evening?”
I blinked, still half-asleep. And now thoroughly annoyed.
“Not good, Bryan,” I replied in my grouchiest voice, and hung up.
The phone read 10:15 p.m.
I flipped through the channels once more, unable to take another clueless couple, this time looking to buy an island in the Pacific to open a margarita bar slash yoga retreat or something equally ridiculous. I finally stopped on a dubbed foreign film with two hot men rolling around in a barn. The men were incredibly sexy, and I found myself reaching down to stroke my dick through my lounge pants. One of the guys reminded me of Chaz, rugged and blonde with a bunch of colorful tattoos. I imagined Chaz and I rolling around kissing on the barn floor, hay in our hair and on our clothes. Chaz would push me onto my stomach and drag my pants and boxers down. He’d say something dirty and sweet like “your ass is so fucking beautiful.” Then he’d ask me to talk, to tell him what I wanted.
“Spank me,” I’d beg, and he’d grin behind me, his dick as hard as mine.
He’d smack each cheek until it was red and hot and I craved his caresses.
I groaned as I pulled my pajamas down to stroke myself.
Chaz would then run his tongue over my butt cheeks, nipping and kissing, as his finger slid into my hole. He’d piston me slow and deep with that finger, tapping and teasing my prostate with each measured thrust.
My hips drove into my hand and I pumped faster as my orgasm climaxed without much warning.
“Chaz!” I shouted into the living room as come flew over my stomach. My muscles clenched and jerked.
“Shit, Trent. I can’t get enough of you,” he’d say, then stroke his dick, staring at my red bottom until his come striped the flushed skin.
My breaths heavy, I lay back against the couch. I meant to wait to do that with Chaz on the phone. But what did it matter? He wasn’t calling anyway.
I cleaned up and downed the last of my wine before returning to the sofa, suddenly in a foul mood. I watched two cooking shows and an infomercial about a gadget that spiralized food. God knows why.
I checked my phone one last time. It was after midnight.
Chaz didn’t call. I guess he didn’t feel the connection I had. It was just sex, a hook-up.
I turned everything off and padded to my bedroom, the hopeful light of of my heart now as dark as the room.
Chapter Nine
Charlie
“If you look at that phone one more time, Charlie, I’m going to take it from you and call him myself!” Steph reached for my phone as we ate lunch down the street from the office.
I held it out of her way. “I’ll put it in my pocket, okay?” And try not to take it out every five minutes, like I’d been doing for three days now. Yeah, three days . . .
She twirled her fork around her lemon pepper linguini. “You can’t concentrate. You’re a mopey, irritable mess, and you’re slacking on your first big project.” Steph sighed and shook her head. “Something’s got to give.”
I knew that. But for some reason, I stared at my phone 24-7 to make sure I was doing the right thing. Like it would tell me or something.
“I just need time. It’ll pass.” I took a bite of my meatball sandwich.
“You don’t have that kind of time. You need to get your head on straight. Morgan won’t care what you have going on in your personal life. He’s going to be extra critical of you and your work.”
I continued to eat.
“Parker isn’t happy either,” she warned.
I huffed. “When I’m not hearing it from you, I’m hearing it from him, so—”
“Stop,” Steph dropped her fork, and it clattered loudly on the plate. “I know this isn’t easy. But please don’t take it out on me. I’m only trying to help you succeed.” She gave me a look, and I worried she might get up and walk away.
She’d been one of the best things to happen to me after prison, and I was letting this situation steamroll over our friendship.
I put a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry, Steph.” I looked her straight in the eye. “I swear I don’t mean to take anything out on you. You’ve been an amazing friend to me, and I don’t want to mess that up.”
She smiled. “I’m on your side, Charlie. No matter what. You know that, right?”
I nodded. “You’re too good to me.”
“No. I’m acting how a friend should act. You deserve real friends.” She patted my hand when I pulled it back. I knew she was referring to the wrong type of friends I had before I went to jail. The ones who would use or manipulate me for drugs or money. “But, you have a serious decision to make. You either need to lay it on the line and call Trent, or you need to get him out of your head so you can focus.”
“You’re right. The answer is obvious. I guess it’s killing me to make it final.” I couldn’t foresee any scenario where Trent forgave me for lying to him and now for blowing him off. The only option was to forget him and get back to my life. But thinking about that was like driving a metal spike through my heart. Imagining what Trent went through that first night—if it was anything like what I went through—made my whole body ache. I went back and forth so many times. One moment I’d convinced myself to call; the next I thought I should text him a goodbye. In the end, I decided to let it go. Nothing I could say to him would make him understand, and I’d only complicate things. Leaving him in the dark was easier for both of us.
Maybe he didn’t even care that I ghosted. What if all of what we did and said was just a game? Something he’d do for fun and sexual kicks. Somehow, I doubted that deep in my gut, but it made me feel a little better knowing that he could’ve used me.
“What do you think I should do?” I asked.
“Oh no. I’m not going there.” She sighed. “I’d respect either decision. As long as you make one.”
I groaned. “Thank you, Steph. I’m glad I have you.” And I meant it. I decided to change the subject. “So why aren’t you heading this project?”
She took a bite of pasta. “Naomi wanted to give Parker a chance to lead. She knows I can do it. Parker, on the other hand, can be a loose cannon sometimes. He needs experience.”
I nodded.
Steph smiled. “And sometimes I think she likes to force Morgan and Parker together, just to see the sparks. They hate each other. But Naomi’s smart. She realizes Park
er needs to learn to respect his superiors. He can be such an arrogant prick sometimes.”
I laughed. “Yeah, guys like him didn’t last a day in prison before someone’d made them their bitch.”
“I highly doubt the office politics of the research marketing world is as cutthroat as prison.”
I shrugged. “You’d be surprised.” I retrieved my phone from my pocket, unlocked the screen, and put it in front of her.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Making a decision.” I bit my lip. “Delete Trent’s phone number for me.”
She wiped her hands on the napkin in her lap. “You sure?”
“Yes.” I pushed the phone closer as I took a drink of soda.
She picked up the phone and tapped, then looked up at me with hesitation. “Positive?”
“Yes!” I growled. “Hurry up before I change my mind.”
“Okay, okay.” She tapped again and handed the phone back. “Done.”
“Thank you,” I said, my heart in my stomach.
“You going to be okay?”
I put the phone back in my pocket and signaled to the waiter for the check, avoiding her question.
Chapter Ten
Trent
“Let me get this straight—no pun intended, bud. You hooked up with the janitor. In your office.” Nate flipped a burger on his indoor grill.
“Hush! Really, Nate?” I didn’t want Nate’s wife, Krissy, to hear us.
“Trent! Did I just hear that?” Krissy yelled from somewhere else in the condo.
I slapped my forehead. “Thanks.”
“Sorry man, she’s like a freakin’ bat.”
Krissy came running into the kitchen carrying two bottles of wine. “Is that true?”
I felt my face turn red. I wanted to run outside to cool it down. “Can I get a drink? Extra ice?” I asked Nate, giving him my worst glare.
“Coming right up,” Nate replied, putting down the spatula.
Nate Walsh had been my best friend since freshman year in college. He met Krissy the following year, and the three of us were inseparable. Nate and Krissy got married right after graduation, and surprisingly, it only solidified our friendship. But at this moment, I could’ve killed them both and not felt an ounce of remorse.
“So?” Krissy said, placing the wine bottles on the counter.
“I really don’t want to talk about it.”
Krissy poked a finger into my chest. “Listen, Trent. I’ve spent every day of the last month watching ovulation calendars and injecting myself with hormones just so I can pop out a bundle of damn joy for Nate and me. I can’t drink or take recreational drugs! I need something to take my mind off of my life. Give me details or else I’m not responsible for anyone’s limbs in this room.”
“Take a deep breath, honey, like the doctor recommended,” Nate said, handing me something clear and fizzy with lots of ice.
“Screw the doctor. Deep breaths, my ass.”
I chugged my drink and let the chill wash over me. “Fine.” She deserved at least as much as I told Nate. I gave her the gist of that night, barring some of the more explicit particulars.
“Damn, Trent! I didn’t think you had it in you.” Nate paused and seemed to think about what he said. “Or . . . okay, you know what I mean.”
I almost choked on an ice cube, then rolled my eyes.
“Nate!” Krissy hissed and shook her head. “Be sensitive for once.”
I grinned over at Nate.
“I don’t see the problem,” Nate said after giving me a thumbs-up sign on the sly.
“Let me guess,” Krissy jumped in before I could answer. “You’re interested in him. In more than just this hook-up.”
I blinked. “How does she do that?” I looked at Nate.
He shook his head. “I think those hormones give her superpowers or something.”
“He asked for my number and said he’d call that night. I probably sounded like such an idiot wanting to see him again. But I don’t know, I felt like we shared something more than sex. I guess I was wrong.”
“Why do you say that?” Krissy said, coming to sit next to me at the bar.
“It’s been three days.”
Krissy put a hand on my shoulder. “Things come up. He could’ve had a family emergency. Or maybe he’s sick?”
“I doubt it.”
“You searched the company files for him, didn’t you?”
“Again,” I said to Nate, “she’s unbelievable.”
Nate flipped another burger. “You’re telling me.”
I took a breath. “It drove me crazy waiting. I didn’t get his last name, but I was sure I could find something. We couldn’t have that many custodial staff.”
“And?” Krissy asked.
“Oh, I thought you’d tell me since you have these amazing powers now.” I smiled despite my feelings of desperation.
“You couldn’t find him,” Nate answered.
“You too?” I asked, glaring.
“That sad puppy dog expression on your face gave it away,” Nate replied.
I touched my face, wondering if I actually did look pitiful. “I’m just disappointed. I have no employees at all by the name of Chaz. I’ll get over it.”
“You never want more after a hook-up, Trent,” Nate offered, and Krissy nodded.
I thought about it. He was right. My one-night stands remained that. Relationships were something that got in the way of my career. I preferred something quick and discreet. No loose ends, but also no harm in getting more involved than I should.
“Maybe he gave you a fake name,” Krissy said.
Somehow that didn’t make me feel any better. “It was embroidered on his shirt.”
“You sure it was his shirt?” Nate asked.
“I’m not sure of anything,” I replied. “But he obviously doesn’t want to be found. At least by me.” Why try?
“What if he’s scared? With you being the CEO and everything,” Krissy added.
Scared? Chaz? The man didn’t seem afraid of anything. He’s the one who came on to me and took charge, and he stayed with me through the night. I never saw a moment of fear in his sexy blue eyes.
“I have serious doubts about that.” I didn’t want to let them in on the specifics. Nate and Krissy knew me and unfortunately found out about my kinks from living with me over the years, but they didn’t need too much of the story. There were some boundaries I’d like to keep.
“You okay?” Krissy asked, eyeing me as I stared at my glass.
I straightened up on the bar stool. “Yes,” I lied.
Krissy raised her eyebrows.
I glanced over at Nate, who went quiet.
“Done with those burgers yet? I’m starved,” I said, hoping to change the subject.
The truth was, I couldn’t get Chaz out of my head. He wasn’t calling, and I’d tried to find him. But I had zero interest in pining after a man who wanted to remain hidden. He didn’t want anything to do with me. And I had better things to do with my time.
I should be grateful for what we had and thankful that I dodged a bullet. It could’ve been much worse. I’d be ruined if what we did ever got out. People don’t take well to those who like something different in the bedroom. Those that can’t understand, judge. They say it’s no big deal, but when it comes down to it, you’re ridiculed, making it hard to gain any respect. Especially when you’re the CEO of a prestigious company.
Nate flipped the burger patty onto a bun that Krissy held out.
“Enjoy,” she said with an arched brow, handing me the paper plate and sliding the condiments over.
“Thank you,” I replied.
Nate grabbed my drink, going over to refill it. “I think you need something stronger.”
“Please,” I agreed.
“Bastards,” grumbled Krissy, and we chuckled.
Chapter Eleven
Charlie
I sat down at the conference table, willing myself not to fidget.
It was my first big project. I’d put my skills to good use and managed to work well with the team, even with Parker barking orders. I could take that without a problem. I’d had worse with power-hungry prison guards.
I’d worked really hard to forget Trent and move on. And though it had been rough, I did what was best for my career and my team.
It didn’t mean I wasn’t nervous. I wanted to impress the VPs, and eventually the CEO, under much different circumstances. I hoped to be lucky enough to get that chance and get through this ordeal without burning any bridges.
The rest of my team sat near me on one side of the table—Steph, Miranda, Greg, and Adam. Only Parker was missing, but he wouldn’t be late. He could be a conceited jerk, but he was meticulous. They were still awaiting the VPs, but Steph had mentioned that was typical. They’d arrive together and say their hellos, shake hands, and get started.
They’d already set up their presentation materials, the big screen displaying their opening slide.
“You ready to rock?” Steph asked next to me.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I turned to the door of the conference room as the VPs arrived.
And froze.
Trent Davis entered with the other VPs.
Talking with Naomi and Parker, he stood as high and as tight as a military haircut. And he looked fucking gorgeous in a suit tailored to fit his lean body.
What the hell was he doing here?
I heard Steph gasp behind me, and I prayed she’d control herself.
Trent’s gaze landed on me, those rich brown eyes making my heart stop. For a moment, he seemed surprised and confused, the twitch in his brow giving him away. But then the daggers flew at me until I wanted to drop and hide under the table.
“Trent?” Naomi asked when he hesitated.
Our gazes broke, and I searched for an escape route. Could I say I wasn’t feeling well and take off? Or pretend something came up? No, they wouldn’t reschedule on this narrow timeline, and then I’d be out of luck and passed over for any projects in the near future.