When the long journey to my home town ended, I got off the bus and walked out to the parking lot. I recognized the old, rusty station wagon right away and saw my mother getting out as I walked towards it.
“It’s so good to see you,” she said as we hugged then moved apart. “Is everything OK with you?”
“It’s fine,” I said and forced a smile onto my face, but the image of Conrad flashed through my head when I said the words.
We’d only spent two evenings together, but the fact that I missed him so badly was a sure sign that everything was as far from being fine in my life as it possibly could be.
The End
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The Intern
Book Three
Lexi Summers
The Intern
Book Three
Chapter 1
I turned around at the sound of the door opening and let out a squeal when I saw Bella entering the dorm room.
“I’m usually first to get here,” she said and laughed as I ran across to hug her.
I took one of the bags she was carrying to help get her luggage to her bed.
“I’ve been here for five days already,” I admitted. “I wanted to get settled in and ready to start my final year.”
“You’re keen,” she teased me when she dropped the bags she was carrying and threw herself down on a chair.
“I got a job too,” I told her.
“Doing what?”she asked.
“A new coffee shop not far from the campus was advertising for waitresses and I thought why not. It’s a couple of hours in the evening and also Saturday afternoon. It still leaves plenty of free hours for the studying I need to do. I’ll probably keep it up for sure until the mid-term vacation and see how things go after that. If it gets too much to cope with as my final exams loom, I’ll give it up. The owner knows I’m a student, but I promised him if I do quit that I’ll keep working long enough for him to find someone to take over.”
“Sweet,” Bella said and smirked. “I’ll know who to come to for a loan when I need some money.”
“You wish,” I replied.
“Talking of work,” she went on. “How did you get on with your internship at Reed Commerce?”
“Yeah, it was good,” I replied.
“And said with such enthusiasm,” Bella teased me.
“It was hard work,” I went on. “I was put with one of the advertising teams, so learned a lot about the industry and the requirements of putting adverts together from the original idea to the finished article.”
“And were there any cute guys?” Bella went on.
“There were some,” I replied. “The people I worked with were nice, but I was only with them for four weeks. It was so busy that there wasn’t much chance for anything other than work.”
“That’s a shame,” Bella told me and let out a wicked laugh. “A good looking guy in a sharp suit and crisp, white shirt is something special, don’t you think? I wouldn’t say no to that.”
“Pervert,” I joked, but was all too aware of the hot flush that spread across my face.
I turned away to make sure it wasn’t seen and pretended I needed to go to the bathroom. A glance in the mirror showed just how red my cheeks were glowing and memories of the encounter with Conrad Reed in his office only made it worse. I turned on the water to splash some on my face as I thought about him. Our second time making love ended pretty much like our first, with no contact between us after it.
The first couple of weeks of my summer vacation at my parent’s farm were spent missing Conrad like hell and wondering every day whether I should try to get in touch with him. The only real option for that was to call his office and I didn’t even know if he would be there…, or what to say to him if he was. We were hundreds of miles apart anyway, with no real prospect of meeting and I chickened out of making the call. The hope that he might find a way to get in touch with me slowly faded as the days and weeks of the vacation passed and I eventually came to the decision just to put our relationship, if I could even call it that, and our lovemaking down to experience.
I went over and over if that was the right thing to do, but with the internship finished and no prospect of returning to Reed Commerce, it seemed there was little choice. I didn’t want to turn up at the company’s offices or his home like some desperate, love-struck fool and find out that he wasn’t really interested. My reaction to the memories of the lovemaking that Bella sparked with her comment about men in suits showed that I wasn’t really over my addiction to Conrad though.
“Just give it time and you’ll be fine,” I said quietly as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, but wasn’t quite sure I believed what I was telling myself.
I let out a sigh as I waited for the redness to fade completely then flushed the toilet just for effect before walking out of the bathroom. Bella was unpacking her bags and I walked across to my bed to sit down then turned the subject to her when I spoke.
“So, what did you get up to on your vacation?”
“Not much,” she replied. “There’s not a great deal to do at my sister’s home to be honest. I just relaxed and enjoyed being away from lessons, coursework and studying.”
“You didn’t meet any nice boys then?”
Bella made a face as she shook her head.
“No such luck,” she let out and laughed. “Hopefully some cute college boy will fall at my feet soon and show his full appreciation for my delicious curves.”
It was another comment that reminded me of Conrad. He certainly worshipped me when he got me alone and I wondered how many college boys there were that shared his fetish for bigger girls. I put the idea out of my head as our conversation went on, but I eventually needed to leave for my five thirty starting time at the coffee shop.
Chapter 2
“Evening Mr. Carter,” I said when I walked in the place and went behind the counter.
“It’s just you and me tonight,” he said when he looked up from what he was doing.
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“The other waitress just called in sick,” my boss told me.
I nodded my head, but knew it would mean a lot of work. The place got busy in the early evening, which was why Mr. Carter employed a couple of waitresses for that period. With many of the students returning for the start of the new semester, it made it even busier and I found myself rushed off my feet. I was glad when seven thirty eventually rolled around. The place was much quieter by then and it allowed me to finish my shift and go home.
Over the next few weeks I settled into a life of lectures, studying and work, with the busy routine keeping me occupied. The memories of what happened in the summer faded to an extent although not entirely, with my mind occasionally returning to what happened and what might have been with Conrad. I tried to convince myself that there was never going to be a future between us anyway, but all it needed was one sight of his handsome face to change that.
The Saturday shift when it happened was no different to any other in the weeks since I returned to college. The afternoon rush was in full flow and I was hurrying around to make sure those waiting were being served with their food and drink as quickly as possible. When I saw the corner table beside the front window was occupied, I came up on the customer from behind without really paying much attention. I was almost at the table when the realization came over me and the flicker of my pulse was instant. The jeans and t-shirt the man was wearing made me question my thoughts, but there was no doubting who it was when I saw his face.
Chapter 3
“Conrad,” I let out in a quiet voice as I got right next to him. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard this place served the best coffee in the area,” he said with a smile.
I frowned as I stared at him, but knew he wasn’t in the place for the coffee.
“How did you know I was working here?” I asked.
“It’s too long since we saw each other,” he told me. “I got your
address from the details you provided for the internship and a pretty young lady told me where you were.”
“You spoke to Bella?”
Conrad laughed before he went on.
“If she’s your roommate then yes, I spoke to her.”
My heartbeat was racing as I stared at him and I was all too conscious of the effect he was having on me. My hands became clammy and one by one I wiped them on the side of my jeans. I couldn’t help liking that he tracked me down, but I was conscious that I was working and glanced around to see others coming in to sit at empty tables.
“It’s too busy for me to speak just now,” I told him. “What can I get you?”
“Just a white coffee,” he replied.
I turned to walk away, but stopped and glanced over my shoulder when Conrad said my name. His words came out when our eyes met.
“You look gorgeous.”
The moment stretched out as we stared at each other. I found myself back where I was in the hotel and his office when we made love. The thought flitted through my head that I would succumb to him again in a heartbeat, but I was quick to shrug it away.
“Thanks,” I said and smiled.
I went to get his coffee and returned to put it on the table.
“When do you finish?” Conrad asked.
I looked at my watch to see that there was still sixty minutes of my shift to go.
“In one hour,” I told him.
He nodded his head and smiled, but said nothing. I knew he would wait and saw that I was right. He remained in the corner seat slowly drinking from his cup as I finished my work for the day. I bought a couple of coffees when I did and went across to the table he was sitting at.
“Thanks,” he said when I set the cup in front of him.
I sat down then picked up my cup to take a sip and it showed me my hands were shaking. Over the previous hour I’d been considering what I would say when I was sitting opposite him although now that the moment was on me, I didn’t really know where to start. In the end it was Conrad that got the conversation underway.
“So, how have you been?”
“Fine,” I replied. “I went home to my parents after the internship finished and returned for the new semester a few weeks ago.”
He nodded his head as he looked at me.
“We should have exchanged numbers,” he told me.
“I didn’t really get to see you the last week of my internship after we…,” I told him, but my words ended abruptly when I realized what I’d been about to say.
“After the evening in my office,” Conrad finished.
“Well…, yes,” I replied and the words tumbled out before I could stop them. “Is that all you want from me? Is it why you’re here now? I mean, I know you like bigger girls, but is that all I am to you?”
“No,” he replied straight away. “I couldn’t get you out of my head in the last few weeks and just wanted to see you.”
“OK,” I replied. “And what happens now that you have?”
I surprised myself at the slightly harsh nature of my comment, but as much as I’d enjoyed the encounters we shared, it came in my head that I didn’t just want to be the girl he looked for when his fetish for a big, beautiful body kicked in. It wasn’t as if he used me and the truth was that I’d willingly given myself to him when the opportunity to do so was there. However, in that moment as I sat staring at him across the table, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to fall for a man that was only after a quick fuck when the mood took him then nothing else in the weeks and months in between. It really wasn’t how I wanted to live my life and I knew it would just mess with my head.
“Well, how about we go out together,” he replied.
I narrowed my eyes as I stared across the table.
“To do what?” I asked.
“You sound so suspicious,” he said and his laugh lightened the mood. “We can do whatever you want.”
I pursed my lips as I stared at him.
“OK,” I said. “How about we have a date at the movies?”
“Anything good on?” he asked then picked up his cup to drink some coffee.
I laughed as I shrugged my shoulders.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I was just making a suggestion.”
“Are you sure you trust me to behave and keep my hands to myself in the darkness,” he teased me.
“Hmm…, my mother warned me about men like you,” I shot back.
“She would love me,” Conrad said with a grin.
“No, she wouldn’t,” I told him and almost snorted as I laughed. “You’re too old for me.”
“That’s just rude,” he replied with a grin. “What age are you again?”
“I’m nearly twenty one,” I told him.
“So that means you’re twenty then,” he said. “And I’m in my mid thirties. Yeah, you’re just a baby come to think of it. I should leave right now.”
I stuck my tongue out at him and couldn’t resist saying the cheeky thought that came in my mind.
“Should I call you daddy?”
“Only if you want to get scolded,” he replied and rolled his eyes. “Hurry up and finish your coffee.”
“Do you have to go?” I asked.
“We have to go…, to a movie,” he told me.
“What, now?” I exclaimed.
“Well, unless you have something better to do this evening.”
A smile spread across his face and the flutter of my heartbeat as it began to race made me let out a slow breath. I wanted us to get to know each other and not just fall into bed for sex, but wasn’t sure I would be able to stick to that if we were alone. The handsome smile was enough to get me thinking about our previous encounters and I was sure I would melt in his arms if we kissed. I needed a moment to compose myself and knew how to get it.
“Just give me a couple of minutes,” I said and got to my feet.
I went to collect my belongings from the closet behind the counter then stepped inside the restroom to wash my face.
“Just be cool,” I told my reflection when I stared in the mirror.
I ran my fingers through my hair then looked down to realize I was still wearing my work apron. Taking it off, I put it in my bag then glanced at myself in the mirror one last time. My slightly scruffy jeans and t-shirt appearance was usual for me, but one that Conrad had never seen. I remembered the black dress I wore on our first couple of meetings then the smart business suit and blouse I wore while I was working. The contrast was amazing compared to the reflection I was now staring at, but a smile played on my lips.
“He did say you were gorgeous,” I let out quietly then turned away from the mirror to walk out of the restroom.
Conrad got to his feet as I approached.
“Shall we?” he said with a smile.
I nodded my head and followed on as he led the way to the door then out to the sidewalk. We chatted as we walked to his car then got in, with the memory of the last occasion I was in the vehicle coming to me. It was after we made love in his office and he gave me a ride home. We’d kissed before I got out and I recalled watching him drive away. It reminded me of something else and I looked at him as he turned the key in the ignition.
“I got the stockings you left on my desk,” I told him and saw his gaze slide to my legs before coming up to my face.
“You’re not wearing them are you?” he asked.
“No,” I said with a grin. “But I did put them on a couple of times during the last week of my internship.
He let out a slow breath and I suspected he was imagining my chubby legs wrapped in pretty nylon.
“I knew I should have made the effort to be in the office,” he said.
“Missed your chance,” I teased him.
“Have I missed it for good?” he asked and laughed.
“That’s for me to know,” I replied and said no more.
The conversation turned away from stockings and legs as we drove to a nearby cinema complex. It was nice the way Conra
d held my hand as we walked inside and I liked the feeling of being part of a happy couple just enjoying being together. The fact that the man next me was a billionaire media mogul was neither here nor there and we went to the display of what was showing then joined the line to buy tickets for the movie we wanted to see.
“Do you want something to eat?” he asked afterwards.
“It’s the movies,” I replied.
“Popcorn and coke then,” he said and we walked up to the serving counter to buy them.
“Are you trying to feed me up,” I joked when I saw the size of the popcorn bucket he bought.
“This is mine,” he teased me. “You can buy your own.”
We chatted comfortably as we waited to go in to the theater then found our seats when we walked inside. The darkness surrounded us as the adverts began and the popcorn quickly started to disappear as we settled down to just enjoy ourselves. The container was put on the floor when it was empty and Conrad reached out to hold my hand. It was like being a teenager again as we sat through the movie and he was still clinging on when we eventually walked out.
“Are you worried I’m going to run away?” I joked as I glanced down.
“Can I help it if I like holding your hand?” he asked.
We walked in comfortable silence to the car and he didn’t need to ask for directions as he drove me to the college dorm building. The flush of nerves was strong when the vehicle came to a stop and I saw the smile on his face as he leaned in. His soft kiss pressed on my lips to bring on a familiar rush of arousal. I tucked my hair behind me ear when we moved apart and on this occasion we exchanged numbers before I got out. There was a sense of déjà vu to watching him drive away, but I knew it wouldn’t be weeks before I heard from him as I looked down at his number on the screen of my phone.
Chapter 4
“Well, well,” Bella commented when I walked in the dorm room. “You didn’t tell me you had a secret admirer.”
ROMANCE: Paranormal Romance: The Valley (Book One) (Fun, Sexy, Mature Young Adult Vampire Shape Shifter Romance) Page 47