by Tracy Tegan
“Yeah. Tell me what I need to do.”
Kara picked up her phone and called Zoey. “Are you free for dinner tonight?”
Zoey sighed. “No, Kara. I’m still feeling a little icky from last night. I really shouldn’t have drank so much. I think I should just stay home tonight and take it easy.”
“If you meet me for dinner, I’ll tell you my Ami with an I gossip. It’s good.”
Zoey choked back a laugh. “How about lunch tomorrow instead?”
“Deal.”
Kara hung up the phone and turned to her brother.
“There. Now you know for sure she’ll be home tonight.”
“Wait. First tell me your Ami gossip.”
“Oh it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it Evan.”
“Obviously it’s something or you wouldn’t have had that big grin on your face when you said that to Zoey.”
Kara sighed. She really didn’t want to tell her brother the story, but now that it was out there, what choice did she have?
“About fifteen minutes after you all left there was a knock on my door. It was Ami and she had tears streaming down her face. She said she was sorry to bother us but she had gone downstairs to see if your car was still here and she found you and Zoey together.”
Evan grimaced at the thought of his sister knowing he had been intimate with Zoey in his car.
“I tried to apologize for your behavior but she set the record straight. She wasn’t the least bit upset about you and Zoey. She was just some girl that worked in your office building that you hired to go on this date with you because you were in love with Zoey and you found the best way to stay away from her was to always make sure she hated you.”
Evan looked down, ashamed at what he had done. Still, he had hired the girls to be his dates with the best of intentions.
“That’s why you always brought around brainless bimbos, to piss Zoey off?” Trevor interrupted. “Bloody brilliant.”
“Yes, well,” Kara continued. “She finally explained what had her upset and that was Stefano. As soon as they got back to his place they had sex and right after, he asked her to leave. Apparently he was a real dick about it.”
“I’m sorry, Kara. I didn’t mean to make Ami your problem. I probably should have insisted she let me take her home but she seemed so into that other guy and I had Zoey on the brain. I just wasn’t thinking straight.”
“I must say, brother, knowing what I do now, it all makes so much more sense. I just never understood what you saw in all those stupid girls you brought around. I mean, Ami didn’t even remember your name. How dumb do you have to be to forget your date’s name?”
Trevor chuckled. “That’s nothing. My favorite was the girl he brought to Thanksgiving two years ago, Brenda something-or-other whose life ambition was to meet Hugh Hefner. She was a classic.”
“Okay you two,” Evan said as he put up his hands in defeat. “You’ve had your fun. Now are you going to help me win Zoey or not?”
Kara laughed. “I really am happy that you two are finally going to be together. Just promise you won’t hurt her, Evan. That’s all I ask.”
“I love her, Kara, I really do. I think I’ve been in love with her for a long time now, longer than I care to even admit.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Zoey had spent most of her day lost in thought about the previous night until finally she couldn’t stand it anymore and went to take a relaxing bath, deciding to try out the new bath oils she had gotten last week.
After, she put on a t-shirt when the doorbell rang. She couldn’t imagine who it might be, she wasn’t expecting anyone. Pulling her hair out of the towel, she ran to the door to find it was the source of her anguish, Evan, standing at her door looking sexier than ever in his black, pinstriped Armani suit.
“What are you doing here, Evan? I thought I told you I couldn’t go out with you today, I have some stuff that I needed to get done around the house.”
“I want you to come with me.”
When Evan spoke, his voice was low and commanding and it took every bit of strength Zoey had to resist him.
“I can’t. As you can see by my wet hair I just got out of the shower. I’m not dressed, I don’t have any makeup on.”
“You look absolutely perfect the way you are.”
Zoey couldn’t help but smile when he said that. It was sweet and seemed so genuine.
“If you want me to go somewhere with you, then you’ll have to wait for me to do my hair and makeup and put some decent clothes on.”
“Deal,” Evan said, as he walked over to her couch and took a seat, pulling out his cell phone. “I’ll sit here and catch up on my email while you get ready.”
“Are you at least going to tell me where we are going?”
He didn’t respond, so Zoey sighed and went to her bedroom to get ready. Unsure of what he had planned, she put on a bright yellow sundress and some matching heels.
“Okay, I’m ready,” she said as she twirled around in front of Evan, showing off her dress.
“Yeah, you are going to have to go put something else on or we aren’t going to make it out of here.”
Closing the distance between them, Zoey looked up at Evan and spoke to him in her most seductive voice. “Maybe that was the idea.”
“Christ Zoey, you are killing me.”
She grabbed Evan by the hand and led him out the front door and to his car.
As they were on their way, Zoey tried again to find out where it was they were going. “Why won’t you just tell me what you have planned? You know how much I hate surprises.”
“There is something I need to show you. We are almost there, I promise.”
“Please,” Zoey pleaded.
“Telling you won’t be the same as showing you.”
Zoey pouted but still, she kind of liked the excitement and intrigue of it all, even if she wouldn’t admit it to him.
Soon they reached their destination.
“What are we doing here?” Zoey didn’t understand why Evan was so dressed up if he was just going to take her to his house. There had to be something else to this.
“You know that I never take girls to my house, it’s my sanctuary.”
“Yes, I know Evan. We all know you’re a man whore who doesn’t like to bring his hook ups to his man cave,” Zoey said teasingly.
“It’s not like that, Zoey. My house has always been about peace and tranquility, my place to escape from all the pressures of the real world, and I have just never found a girl I cared enough about to share that with, until now.”
Evan took Zoey by the hand and brought her inside. When they walked in his front door, she was surprised to find the entire living room was covered in beautiful bouquets of flowers. In the center of the living room was an intimate table for two.
“I took the liberty of preparing us dinner, in hopes that you would agree to come out with me tonight.”
Evan led Zoey by the hand over to the table in the middle of the room. She sat down and tried to take it all in.
“I don’t understand Evan, what is all of this about?”
“Zoey, it’s you. It’s always been you. I’ve been in love with you for years and I can’t pretend anymore. I don’t care about those other girls. I never did. It was always you that I wanted and they were just a distraction that never seemed to work because they only made me want you even more. They only made me realize just how perfect you really are and how they will never be you.”
Evan grabbed Zoey by the hand and pulled her into his arms.
“I know you think that I’ve been with this endless stream of women because I’m a man whore but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I was only with those girls to try to get you off of my mind. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t find the right girl because I always compared them to you, and none of them could ever hold a candle to your beauty and wit and charm.”
“Oh Evan, I can’t believe all of this. I don’t even know what to sa
y. Just to say ‘I love you too’ doesn’t seem enough. I’ve said it so many times in my mind …”
Cutting her off, Evan devoured her lips with a long, passionate kiss that made her entire body tingle.
“Zoey Parker, I love you, and now that I have you, I’m never going to let you go.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Having finally landed the man of her dreams, there was still something that lingered in the back of her mind. Zoey couldn’t quite understand why it was her best friend, Evan’s sister, who was so against them being a couple. She wondered if Kara thought she wasn’t good enough for her brother and had decided to ask her about it, so she headed over to her apartment.
When Zoey arrived, she found that Kara wasn’t alone. She was saying goodbye to a young lady who was noticeably upset, and she said her goodbyes without even giving Zoey a second glance.
“Who was that?” Zoey asked Kara.
Kara shook her head. “It was no one.”
“Obviously it was someone. What’s going on?”
Kara sighed. “Just trust me, it’s nothing.”
Zoey knew something about this girl was suspicious. Kara never avoided telling her things but at the same time, Zoey had her own issues she wanted to deal with today so she decided to let the issue of the mysterious visitor slide.
“Okay, whatever, don’t tell me then,” Zoey said playfully.
Zoey plopped down on the couch next to her friend and took a deep breath, nervous about the pending topic of conversation.
“So what’s up, sweetie? What did you need to speak to me about?” Kara asked.
“I’ve been in love with your brother since junior high.”
Kara giggled. “Yes, I know.”
“So why did you forbid him from ever dating me?”
“Oh goodness no, Zoey. It’s not what you are thinking. I love you like a sister, you have to know that, right?”
“Then why didn’t you want me to date your brother?”
“Not because of anything you did, but because he was an ass and he didn’t deserve you. I didn’t want him to hurt you.”
“Seriously?” Zoey asked, surprised at her friends answer.
“Yes. I knew that one day you two would probably end up together. I just hoped it was when he was mature enough to handle it. I didn’t want him to hurt you. I love you.”
Zoey felt the sting of tears filling her eyes.
“Please don’t cry Zoey, or you are going to make me cry.”
Zoey leaned in and gave her best friend a hug. “Thank you for always looking out for me, Kara. I appreciate it.”
“There is nothing I want more than to see you and my brother living happily ever after.” Kara pulled back and brushed the hair out of Zoey’s face. “Then instead of being like sisters, we will be real sisters.”
Zoey and Kara decided to head out for lunch at their favorite bistro, but during that time, Kara received quite a few text messages and she tensed up with each one. Zoey could tell she didn’t want to talk about it, so being the good friend that she was, she let it go. She knew that when Kara was ready, she would tell her all about whatever it was that was going on in her life. Still though, it did worry Zoey a little. She had never known Kara to be so secretive.
On her way home, Zoey didn’t notice that someone was following her and would continue to follow her for days.
Zoey was coming out of her office late one night after having worked a long and grueling day, when she felt like someone was following her. She was sure she had seen someone out of the corner of her eye so she quickly turned around to catch whoever it was, but they were gone.
This wasn’t the first time she felt like someone was following her, but it was the first time she was sure of it. She didn’t know who it was but she had caught a quick sight of them, which was enough to know for sure that someone was watching her.
She had no idea why someone was following her, or who in the world would want to follow her for that matter. Zoey wasn’t rich or famous and she didn’t have a top secret job. If they wanted to rob or rape her, why follow her around like that instead of just attacking her outright? She didn’t know how long it had been going on, but she suspected it had been going on for a while now.
None of this made any sense to her, but now that she was sure she was right about someone following her around, she decided to talk to Evan about it.
She hadn’t said anything before now because she didn’t really know if she was right. But now that she caught sight of someone, she went to him for help.
As she walked in the door fully intending to tell him about the stalker, he distracted her as he planted little kisses on the side of her neck and then whispered in her ear.
“I missed you.”
His soft words sent shivers down her spine. He ran his fingers through her long hair, then lightly caressed her cheek with the barest tips of his fingers. Zoey’s heart pounded in her chest. Every sensual touch overwhelmed her ability to think straight.
Zoey was everything Evan needed and everything he had ever wanted. Evan couldn’t imagine what he had done to deserve to be this happy. He wanted to touch her everywhere, and as he did, her body seemed to mold to his as her excitement began to rival his own. Her ragged breath matched his own as the thrill of his touch surged through her body.
He captured her mouth with a demanding intensity, the provocative allure of her taste being almost more than he could bare. Pulling back, he brushed her hair out of her face and then planted soft kisses across her cheek.
They stood before one another, wanting and needing more. Evan picked up Zoey and carried her to his room. After removing their clothes, he laid on her on the bed and as he did, she looked into his eyes, melting his heart.
Evan placed tiny kisses on her lips, then on the tip of her nose, and on the edge of each of her eyes before moving down to plant soft kisses along her. She moaned and arched her back, as if begging him for more.
As he slid between her legs, her knees began to quiver and shake.
“I want to kiss you everywhere,” he said seductively.
She buried her hands in his hair as his head moved lower, to between her thighs.
He pressed his lips to her sweet spot and gave her what she desired. She pulsed against him and was crying out in pleasure but he didn’t let up. She forced her hips up, almost grinding against his face, begging, and pleading for relief.
Just when she thought she couldn’t handle it anymore, Zoey clung tightly to Evan as the powerful waves of ecstasy crashed through her, sending her into a state of blissful delirium.
She lowered her hips to the bed, relaxing her body while trying to catch her breath.
Evan moved over her body slowly, positioning himself at her opening.
She fixed her gaze on his and her body tensed in anticipation of what was to come next.
He entered her slowly and gently, pausing just for a moment once inside to allow her body to adjust.
Zoey inhaled slowly and loudly when his hardened member penetrated her for the first time.
“I love you,” Evan whispered, barely audible, as he leisurely began to stroke in and out of her.
As he thrust deeper, he began to feel the walls of her vagina tighten against him. He started to pick up the pace and she twisted her body, wanting him deeper still. The harder he pressed, the louder her passionate cries became.
Zoey called out his name again and again and she ran her hands over the muscles on his back. She lifted her hips up to match his thrust, grinding her pelvis against his.
“Make me come,” Zoey cried out desperately.
Her clitoris throbbed as she gripped fistfuls of the sheets, holding on for dear life as he pounded into her again and again.
“God, yes!” invaded his ears.
She rocked back and forth as she dug her nails into his back. Little tremors of pleasure radiated outwards from Zoey’s pussy, like pulses of electricity were firing through her.
The feel of Zoey�
�s orgasm pushed Evan over the edge. He thrust into her with unabashed abandonment until finally he had release.
Zoey lay there, under the weight of his slick, damp body in wonder and relief. Before Evan, she didn’t believe that magic between two people could exist. But now she knew better; she finally got what her friend Kara had been trying to tell her all along about finding that someone special. The way Evan touched her, the warmth in his voice, was something she had never experience before with any other man and it was wonderful.
Evan slid off of her and gathered Zoey in his arms, and without saying a word, he drifted off to a deep slumber. Zoey lay there, listening to the sound of his breathing, truly happy and without a care in the world.
CHAPTER SIX
Zoey awoke the next morning to an annoying beeping sound. Still half asleep, she jumped out of bed and grabbed the cell phone, not stopping to see that the phone making all the noise wasn’t hers. By the time she realized her mistake, it was too late, she had already read the incoming message.
“If you don’t tell her, I will.”
It took Zoey a moment to process what it was she was reading. By the time she figured out it wasn’t her phone in her hand, the next message came in, only this time it was a video.
Zoey looked carefully at the girl, before realizing she was the very same girl who was at Kara’s house that day. She knew it was wrong, but Zoey couldn’t help herself, she had to press play and the second she did, she regretted it.
The video was of Evan and the girl having sex. It was evident they were both intoxicated. Evan had the girl bent over a desk and was slamming into her from behind. The video wasn’t long but it didn’t need to be, it was apparent what the two were doing. What she didn’t understand was why the girl would be texting the video to him and the previous message warning him to tell her. Was the message about her?
Why would this girl think that Zoey would care about a relationship with some slut Evan had before her? Zoey knew Evan had been with countless women before they were officially a couple. Why would this girl, whoever this girl was, insist he tell her about that? And why was that girl at Kara’s house that day, and why did Kara act so strange about it after? These were all the thoughts swirling through Zoey’s head when Evan stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.