by Vi Keeland
“They’re your color, but not sure they’ll fit.”
I went to swipe them from his hand, but he pulled back and clenched them in his fist.
“What are you doing?”
He cupped his hands together and brought them to his nose, taking a deep whiff of my thong. “Ah. I love the smell of your pussy.”
My eyes widened. “That’s a little twisted, even for you, Fox. Now give me back my panties. I have a flight to catch.”
“No can do.”
“You expect me to fly home wearing a skirt with no underwear?”
He reached out and slipped his hand under my skirt, grabbing a handful of ass. “You should come to work like this every day.”
I chuckled. “Seriously, I’m going to be late for my flight.”
“You could change your flight and get on the later one with me.”
I’d thought of that, but I needed some time away from this man to screw my head on straight. Before I could think of an excuse, Bennett used the hand on my ass to hook my waist and pull me down to him.
“I know you need some headspace,” he said. “The thong is my insurance policy. I’m keeping them until you’re ready to talk to me. Then you’ll get them back.”
“What if I decide I don’t want to talk about last night?”
He kissed my lips. “Then Jonas gets your underwear.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
“Maybe. But I bet the thought of him sniffing them while he jerks off freaks you out a little more than me doing it.”
I shook my head. “I don’t have time to argue with you. However…” I walked over to his pile of clothes and fished his wallet out of his pocket. I dug out a Visa and let the leather billfold fall unceremoniously to the floor. “…there’s a Victoria’s Secret at LAX. I’ll pick up some new ones…and some other things while I’m at it.”
Bennett smiled broadly. “Have at it. Maybe something with garters and cutout panties so you don’t have to take it off while I fuck you on your desk next week.”
Chapter 27
* * *
Bennett
Not her.
I stuffed my cell back into my pocket and tried to pretend I wasn’t disappointed that one of my buddies had texted to see if I was up for drinks tonight.
But you can’t bullshit yourself now, can you?
The afternoon we’d returned from L.A., Annalise was already gone when I got to the office. On Thursday, I had a morning meeting out of the office, and by the time I arrived, she was gone again. Marina said she’d taken a last-minute appointment.
Then on Friday, I saw the same Audi I drive pulling away from the front of our building at ten minutes to seven in the morning, so I texted her. A few hours later, she sent back a short response saying she’d come in early to get some files and was working from home.
It wasn’t unusual for staff to work from home a day or two each week—we had flexible hours and site location. But Annalise hadn’t taken advantage before now, and I was starting to feel like she might be avoiding me.
By Friday afternoon, it was eating at me, so I sent her another text asking if she wanted to have drinks. She never responded.
Now it was Saturday afternoon, and I was checking my phone like a high school chick each time it buzzed.
I watched Lucas check the price on the bottom of the sneaker he’d been eyeing and put it back on the shelf.
“Do you like those?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “They’re cool.”
“So why don’t you try them on? You need new sneakers before our Disney trip in a few weeks.”
“They’re a lot of money.”
“Are you paying for them?”
“No?”
“Then what the hell are you checking the prices for?” I picked the sneaker up and motioned to the kid in a striped Foot Locker uniform who didn’t look much older than Lucas. “Can we see these in a nine?”
“Sure thing.”
“Hang on,” I said to the kid. “Anything else you like, buddy?”
Lucas didn’t respond.
“Lucas?”
Still nothing, so I followed his line of sight to what had captured his attention. I chuckled and spoke to the kid waiting on us. “Just that one for now, please.”
The cute little blonde Lucas couldn’t keep his eyes off of looked up and caught him watching her. She got flustered and gave an awkward wave before turning in the other direction to look at the wall of shoes on the other side of the store.
I leaned over to Lucas and whispered, “She’s cute.”
“That’s Amelia Archer.”
“You like her?”
“Everyone in sixth grade likes her.”
“Thought you were switching up your strategy and only going to like the ugly ones?”
“She’s pretty and nice. But she doesn’t want anything to do with any of the boys.”
“Well, you’re only pushing twelve. Kids start to notice each other at different times. She might not be there yet.”
“No, that’s not it. A month ago, she told Anthony Arknow she liked Matt Sanders, and Anthony spread all these rumors about her. He did it because he liked her, too. Now she doesn’t talk to any of the boys anymore.”
The joys of middle school. “She’ll come around. Why don’t you go say hi? Show her the sneaker you’re looking at and ask her if she likes it.”
“You think I should?”
I picked the sneaker back up from the shelf and held it out for him. “Definitely. You gotta make the move. The good ones aren’t alone for long. Just be her friend. She probably needs to see that not all boys are jerks.” I smiled. “I mean, we are, but do your best, anyway.”
Lucas took the sneaker from my hand and debated. I had a proud-uncle-type moment when he sucked it up and walked over there. I watched as the initial awkwardness of his approach wore off, and his shoulders relaxed a bit. Within a minute or two, he had her laughing.
He came back, smiling from ear to ear. “She’s really nice.”
“Looked like she liked you going over to talk to her.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Girls are confusing.”
This kid was a hell of a lot smarter than I’d been at that age. I thought I had them all figured out until I was eighteen and realized I didn’t know shit.
I nodded. “Damn straight they are.”
Lucas wound up getting the hundred-dollar Nikes. And we also picked up a few T-shirts and some art supplies he said his grandmother refused to buy because she said the school should provide that stuff, and then he asked for some hair gel crap and Axe deodorant.
Hair gel and Axe—he’d definitely found girls.
“Are you waiting for a call?” Lucas asked as we walked through the mall parking lot on the way to the car.
I looked down at the phone in my hand. “No. Why?”
“Because you keep checking it.”
I shoved the phone back into my pocket. “Didn’t realize I was.”
The little shit grinned. “You’re waiting for a girl to call you.”
It was hard to contain my smile. I clicked the car-unlock button, and it chirped. “Get in the car, Casanova.”
“Who?”
“Just get in.”
My phone buzzed just as we pulled up to Lucas’s house. Without giving it any thought, I pulled it out of my pocket and checked the name. Lucas must’ve read my face.
“You’re totally waiting for a girl to text you.” He grinned.
There was no point in lying. “Yeah. Sorry if I’ve been distracted.”
He shrugged. “Why don’t you just call her?”
“It’s complicated, bud.”
Lucas grabbed his shopping bags out of the backseat and opened the car door. He’d told me to stop walking him to the door last year, so now I just sat in the car and made sure he got in okay.
He climbed out of the car and leaned his head back in, one hand on the top of the door. “You gotta make the mo
ve, dude. The good ones aren’t alone for long.”
The little shit had tossed my own words back at me.
Chapter 28
* * *
May 1st
Dear Me,
We did it! Our first boyfriend. It only took sixteen years. But Nick Adler is totally gorgeous. He always wears a backward baseball hat, and his messy hair sticks out all over from underneath it. We’ve been together for two weeks now. And…we made the first move! Well, technically Bennett made the first move for us. Whatever.
We usually eat lunch with Bennett and a bunch of other kids. Nick sits at the table across from us. Bennett kept telling us to just go sit with him—to make the first move, but we were too chicken. One day, when we were looking over at Nick, Bennett yelled, “Hey, Adler. Soph’s gonna sit with you guys today, alright?” Nick shrugged and said sure. We wanted to kill Bennett. We were so nervous when we had to walk over there. But things worked out. Nick and us even hung out with Bennett and Skylar—his newest girlfriend—last weekend. Bennett’s girlfriend is in college already and really pretty. She was nice, I guess.
Oh…and we had to move again. Mom and Lorenzo broke up. Our new apartment is really small. But at least it’s not too far from the last one.
Today our poem is dedicated to Nick.
My heart has four walls.
He tried to climb but fell down.
For you, they crumble.
This letter will self-destruct in ten minutes.
Anonymously,
Sophie
Chapter 29
* * *
Bennett
Fuck it.
I jumped off the highway at the next exit.
I swear, I’d showered and dressed with every intention of meeting my buddies for drinks downtown. But halfway to O’Malley’s, I decided on a change of plans.
And now that I got closer, I started to second-guess myself again. Bianchi Winery wasn’t just her parents’ place—they were also clients.
Then again, that seemed par for the course. Annalise was the last person I should be chasing. So why not track her down at a client’s house? What could possibly go wrong?
Everything.
Anything.
But……fuck it.
I was invited. Annalise had told me herself that Margo had extended an invitation to me. At least I wasn’t crashing the party.
I pulled down the long dirt road just as the sun started to set. A dozen or so cars were parked along the front of the winery, including my car’s twin. I parked and checked my phone one last time. It was going to suck if she was here with a date. But I couldn’t imagine she was the type of woman who’d be out on a date a few nights after sleeping with another guy.
Hell, I was that type of guy, and I couldn’t have done it after the night we’d had.
I walked into the retail store just as Margo Bianchi came up from the wine cellar.
“Bennett! I’m so glad you’re feeling better and decided to join us after all.”
Feeling better? I went with it. “Turned out to be just a twenty-four-hour thing.”
“Annalise and Madison are downstairs. I’m just going to grab another tray of cheese. Go on down. Everyone’s loving the new harvest.”
“Let me give you a hand with the tray first.”
“Nonsense. You go enjoy yourself. I’m sure my daughter is going to be delighted to see you.”
I wouldn’t be so sure of that. “Okay. Thank you.”
The wine cellar had four alcove tables on one side and a long, stone bar on the other. I scanned the tables and saw faces I didn’t recognize. But I definitely recognized the exposed back of a woman sitting on the second-to-last stool at the bar. Facing away from me, she had no warning I was here.
I blew out a deep breath and started toward her. The woman sitting next to her caught my eye and watched me approach. I held one finger up to my lips as my other hand touched Annalise’s back.
I leaned in to whisper near her ear. “I was feeling better, so I thought I’d join you after all.”
She spun around so fast she wobbled and nearly fell off her chair. “Bennett?”
The woman next to her raised a brow. “Bennett? As in the hot guy from the office?”
I extended my hand. “One and the same. Bennett Fox. Nice to meet you. I’m guessing you’re Madison?”
“I am.” Madison looked back and forth between the two of us. “Well, this is a nice surprise. I didn’t realize Bennett was joining us tonight.”
Annalise looked frazzled. “I didn’t either.”
Madison smirked and looked to me for a response. I went with the truth.
“She’s been avoiding me for two days. I also have a pair of her underwear in my pocket I thought she might like back.”
Her friend laughed and leaned in to kiss Annalise on the cheek. “I like him. I’m going to go find my date. You two play nice.”
I slipped into Madison’s seat beside Annalise, keeping my hand on her back. “So you talk about how hot I am with your friend?”
“Don’t let your head swell any bigger. It was the only compliment I gave you.”
I leaned in. “Really? Even after the other night?”
Her cheeks turned pink. God, why did I love that about her so much? “I like your dress.”
“You don’t even know what it looks like. I’m sitting.”
I ran my knuckles along the exposed skin of her back. “It lets me touch your skin without having to sneak my hand up your skirt. So it’s one of my favorites already. Seeing the front will just be icing on the cake.”
Her cheeks darkened. God, I wanted to fuck her in broad daylight so I could watch every color her skin turned. I bet it was better than fall foliage.
“What are you doing here, Bennett?”
I took the glass of wine in front of her and drank from it. “Margo invited me. You told me that yourself the other day at lunch, remember?”
“Yes. But you didn’t mention you were coming.”
I held her eyes. “I would have, if you’d returned my call.”
She looked away.
Matteo noticed me for the first time and made a big fuss about my arrival. He set me up with a flight of different wines from this year’s harvest and stuck around talking for a while, until Margo pulled him away with a big smile—claiming to need his help with the icemaker upstairs.
Annalise traced the rim of her glass with her finger. “We don’t even have an icemaker.”
I chuckled. “Seems like I’m not the only one who thinks we need a few minutes alone to talk. Your friend disappeared the minute I got here, and your mom is trying to give us some privacy.”
She lifted her glass to her lips. “Maybe your presence just repels people.”
I smiled. “Maybe. But what does my presence do for you?”
Annalise swiveled her chair to face me. She looked around—I assumed to see how private our conversation would be—then leaned closer.
“I had a really good time the other night.”
I’d used that opening line enough times to know where this conversation was going. “But…” I said for her.
“But…we work together. Or actually, we’re pretty much competitors working in the same company.”
I leaned in to whisper in her ear, even though I knew no one could hear us. I just wanted an opportunity to get closer.
“Are you afraid I’ll fuck your trade secrets out of you?”
She mimicked my move and leaned in to whisper in mine. “No. Are you?”
I chuckled. I probably should’ve been afraid. Because I was pretty sure I’d show her whatever she wanted in order to get her to come home with me tonight.
“Look, I’m gonna put all my cards on the table. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about being inside of you for two days. You’re still getting over the asshole. I’m not looking for anything serious. We have an expiration date in our future whether we like it or not—one of us is getting shipped off to Texas. We can
either spend the next month or so being frustrated and pissing each other off at the office, or we can spend that time being pissed off at Foster, Burnett and Wren for putting us in this situation while taking our frustrations out on each other in a productive manner at night. I vote for the latter.”
She sucked in her bottom lip while she kicked it around for a minute. “So during the day, if a client we’re both pitching gave me some inside information on the direction they wanted to go, and then you found out I didn’t share that with you…you wouldn’t be pissed?”
“Hell yes, I’d be pissed. But that’s the beauty of our situation. I’d be pissed as shit that you got an advantage over me. So the next morning, you might have a little trouble walking from me taking out that frustration on you. Let’s face it, it would give me an excuse to paddle that ass I’ve been dreaming about paddling since the first day I saw you. But I’m competitive, not an asshole. So you can bet I’d make it work for you, too.”
Annalise swallowed. “And if the situation were reversed? If I find out something you did that upsets me?”
“Then I’ll lick you until you’re not pissed off anymore. And probably try to piss you off again the next day.”
She laughed. “You’re making this sound so simple. But it’s way more complicated than that.”
I took her hands in mine. “Well, there is one catch.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s going to be difficult for you not to fall for me.”
“God, you’re such an ass.”
I leaned in. “An ass that you have a shitload of chemistry with, like it or not. So whadda you say? By day we fight like enemies, by night we fuck like warriors?”
She looked me in the eyes. “I really hope I don’t regret this.”
My eyes went wide. I hadn’t expected her to say yes, though I was prepared to wear her down. “At the end of the day, we only regret the things we missed out on doing. So I’ll make sure we do it all.”