The Artist (The Game Changers #2)

by Shealy James

  Maverick: Is it too soon to see if you’re available for dinner one day this week?

  I allowed myself to squeal with glee since I was alone in my condo and the boy I liked was texting me. Kitty Peters might play it cool around the gents, but Katherine…she was more of a go-with-the-feeling kind of girl.

  Me: You’re breaking the 2-day rule.

  Maverick: Damn. I was trying to play it cool. Fail.

  Me: Good thing you didn’t actually ask me out then.

  Maverick: Yes. I guess so. What are you doing?

  Me: Working on my article. You?

  Maverick: Sitting in my favorite chair thinking about this leggy blonde I know.

  And I smiled…big time.

  Me: Oh? She sounds lovely. Anyone I should be worried about?

  Maverick: Perhaps. She’s the kind of girl who gets what she wants.

  Me: Does she want you?

  Maverick: Obviously.

  Me: Wow. She must really stroke your ego.

  Maverick: I like it when she strokes my ego…

  Me: Pervert.

  Maverick: Gorgeous.

  Me: Sycophant.

  Maverick: Duchess.

  Me: Maverick.

  Maverick: Katherine.

  Me: Adam.

  Maverick: Meet me at the coffee shop.

  Me: One hour.

  Satan himself could not have wiped the smile off my face after that exchange.

  The week continued with text messages and dates filled with handholding and mind-blowing kisses. He made it his mission to school me in the foods my mother never let me eat, and I was sure I had gained five pounds by Friday after spending every day with him. I didn’t get on the scale to check. In fact, I thought about throwing it off the balcony of my top floor condo. I was learning delicious food was everywhere, and I was going to eat it, calories be damned.

  “This is a big one,” he had said before taking me to another of his favorite restaurants. “You have to save room for dessert because that’s what this place is all about.”

  He took me for pizza, which was still relatively new to me but seemed to be one of Maverick’s go-to meals. After we ate the doughy, cheesy deliciousness, he took me to a place called Hot Cakes where we proceeded to devour the most wonderful chocolate goodness I had ever had the pleasure of tasting. I closed my eyes and savored every bite.

  “You keep those noises up, and I won’t be able to let you eat dessert in public anymore,” Maverick whispered in my ear after I moaned my way through the amazing dessert. He pressed a kiss to that spot right below my ear that made my legs press together in response to the excitement shooting through my body. He knew what he was doing too. His hand rested on my leg, and every time I pressed them together, it slid a little closer to my core. Maverick was all about the PDA, and evidently, I didn’t mind.

  I stopped his hand from going too high by grabbing it and turning to kiss him politely. We were in public, after all. “Hmm…maybe you should stop letting me eat these kinds of treats. You keep spoiling me, and I’ll get fat.”

  “I like spoiling you. Watching you get excited about food is incredibly sexy, and I think I could come up with a few ways to work off these calories,” he said quietly in my ear.

  “Oh? Like what?” I responded teasingly.

  A little growl escaped from him. “Let’s get out of here, Duchess.” He grabbed my hand and practically dragged me to his car. Maverick pressed me against the cold door and kissed me senseless before opening it to let me in the passenger seat. As he walked around the front of the car, I saw him discreetly adjust himself in his jeans. I must admit that I felt a little proud of his reaction to kissing me.

  On the nights he worked at the bar, I came to hang out but always left when the crowd took over. As much as I wanted him in my bed, especially after all the flirting, kissing, and touching we had been doing, I knew it would be harder to say goodbye once I had shared that level of intimacy with him. It didn’t stop me from desperately wanting Maverick, though. I knew he felt the same as well. On more than one occasion, I felt his interest and excitement pressing into me. Feeling that made it almost impossible for me not to beg him to take me on whatever surface was available. Hell, a wall would do. Honestly, it was a futile effort to try to deny myself. It was only a matter of time before we found ourselves tangled together, unable to stop what we both obviously wanted.

  Thankfully, I had another distraction to get me through the days. After getting over her disbelief that I was trying to live without my father’s support, my editor was happy to give me more work. It helped that she liked my writing and needed the additional help, considering how the magazine was gaining popularity. Unfortunately, that meant I had to do a lot of research, but the distraction was welcome. I would have been sitting around pining away for Maverick or panicking over my impending homelessness if I hadn’t had the work.

  Friday was the first day that week that I didn’t meet Maverick for lunch or coffee. First, I was busy researching all over town, then I had an interview that kept me late into the evening. Instead of focusing on work like I should have been, I spent much of the day thinking about Maverick. It had been less than twenty-four hours since I had seen him, but I found myself missing him all day. My feelings had been getting stronger each time we saw each other, and it was becoming harder and harder not to want this to last. Fortunately, Maverick had asked me to come up to the bar and listen to the band that night. He would be working, but there would be three other bartenders working as well. That meant I would actually get to hang out with him rather than just watch him work then head home alone.

  By the time I made it home from interviewing a local celebrity chef at his restaurant, it was already after eight, and I still needed a shower to get the kitchen smell off me. It was a warmer night, so I planned to take it up a notch on the fashion front. I had a good feeling about the night and wanted to make sure I was dressed to make it happen. I picked out black lace lingerie with lace-topped stockings. Usually I wore my expensive lingerie because I liked the way I felt when I was wearing it. It made me feel good to have that secret hidden beneath my clothes. Every girl needed that thing that made her feel pretty. Mine was lace hidden under my ultra-conservative exterior. Tonight I was hoping this lace wouldn’t be for my eyes only, though.

  I covered the lace with a black skirt that was a little shorter than my mother would like, but who cared? I wasn’t thinking about her tonight. I especially didn’t think about her when I dressed in the sheer blouse and black suede ankle boots. My clothes were designer and still on the conservative side, but I felt sexy and couldn’t wait to see Maverick.

  With one last look in the mirror, I threw on my Alexander McQueen flared coat, grabbed my clutch, and headed to the bar. Tonight the bouncer was at the door, and again, he let me in without any fanfare. Hank’s was crowded, and the band was keeping everyone entertained with their rendition of Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock N’ Roll.”

  Behind the bar, I saw Double Dee and a muscular guy bartender with the smoothest brown skin I had ever seen. I wanted to ask him what he did to keep his skin looking so good, but that would have been inappropriate. Instead, I approached Dee’s side of the bar to ask where Maverick was.

  I had barely stepped up to the bar before two strong arms wrapped around me. “There you are. I was wondering if you were going to show.” His face nestled in my neck as he held me tightly against his body.

  My heart leapt at his words. It was nice to have someone excited to see me, another new feeling for me. “Sorry. The interview ran over and then I ended up stuck in traffic. Why? Did you miss me?”

  Maverick turned me around to face him. I took in his rugged look with his unshaven face, dirty smirk, and dark, smoldering eyes that undressed me with a simple glance. “You know I did. I was having withdrawals,” he told me with a kiss that was sweet and tender but also full of promise.

  My heart jumped and excitement bubbled in my gut. Trying to play it cool, I wrapped m
y arms around his neck and grinned. “I’m glad to hear that. Now get me a drink, bartender.”

  Maverick let out a little growl before he kissed me again. “Let’s put your coat in my office first, then I want you to meet some friends.” He took my hand and guided me to his office through a hallway on the other side of the bar. Muffled music pumped through the walls and quieted once we were in his office. It was a simple space with a desk on one wall and a couch on another. A small pile of papers sat next to his desktop computer, and his black leather jacket was draped over the back of the chair, but otherwise the space was clean. Not what I would expect for a bar, but it suited Maverick.

  “Nice space,” I told him as I looked around.

  He came up behind me and reached around to unbutton my coat with expert fingers. “It gets the job done,” he said nonchalantly as he helped peel my coat from my body like the gentleman he had proven to be. Of course, he pressed his lips to my neck as he helped me take it off. “You smell like sin, so sweet it’s dangerous,” he murmured.

  “Mmm…” I hummed quietly. “A little danger is a good thing.”

  “You’re a very good thing, Duchess.”

  My coat landed in his chair then his lips continued down my neck, matching the movement of his hands that were trailing down my body. I had never felt as confident or sexy as I did when I was with him, and Kitty Peters had never lacked confidence around men.

  A knock at the door sounded, and Double Dee appeared in the doorway. I tried not to whimper when he was forced to pull away from me to respond to the interruption. It was like Dee had radar to let her know when we were having a moment. “Sorry to interrupt…again, but Adam, we need another keg of the Fish Tale Anniversary Ale. We’re slammed out there. Corbin’s checking on Ana. You’re back here. We could use some help.”

  “Then you should probably get back out there,” Maverick said. She huffed and stormed away. “I guess I need to go take care of that.” He nodded toward the bar.

  “Does she hate me, want you, or both?” I asked with a sassy smirk on my face.

  He laughed. “Neither, that I know of. Although, I can tell you, she’d rather get in your pants than anywhere near mine.”

  “Oh. Oh! She’s…”

  “Into girls, Duchess. She’s probably jealous that I get to kiss you…and touch you…and bring you back into my office.” He punctuated each word with a kiss, showing me exactly what he thought Dee had to be jealous of. “Now, what would you like to drink, Duchess?”

  I wanted to frown at him for stopping the foreplay that I was enjoying so much, but he was at work. Instead, I plastered a smile on my face. “Let’s go with champagne.” It was silly to be disappointed when he was busy working, but I couldn’t wait to have his hands on me again.

  “Are we celebrating?” he asked as he walked me out of his office back down the hall toward the bar.

  “Always,” I flirted back.

  His damn smirk appeared then, and he stopped me in the hallway. “I was hoping you were going for the vodka. Then I would know for certain I’d be spending the night with you again.”

  Heat flared inside of me. My body was getting more desperate for him, and it was getting harder to control my need. I was done keeping him at arm’s length. I pulled him close and gripped his t-shirt. “How about you spend the night with me anyway? This time I give you my word that I’ll be aware of your presence. In fact, I’ll be downright attentive.” Katherine Peters is definitely a hussy.

  His eyes hooded as his hands spread across my lower back, just short of palming my rear. I could feel his interest hard against my belly, which made me want to return to the bar even less. “That sounds promising.”

  I pressed harder against him. “That feels promising.” Hussy, I tell you. Straight-up hussy!

  He grinned a little wider. “Aren’t you a little minx tonight? I like this side of you, Duchess, but then again, I like all sides of you,” he said while letting his hands wander further south. His fingertips grazed under my skirt right where the lace met the silk of my stockings.

  I gasped slightly and tried to focus on what he said, rather than how his fingers were making me feel. “There you go again, you flatterer.” The words came out breathy, in a voice I hardly recognized as my own.

  “Adam! We need the keg!” Dee called out from down the hall.

  He pulled his hands away with a groan. The damn smirk appeared right before he gave me a chaste kiss. “Nothing but the truth, gorgeous. Come on.” He took my hand and led me back to the bar where the noise was suddenly deafening, and the heat made the room far too warm for my now hypersensitive body.

  I sat on a stool sipping champagne while I watched him lift a keg and tap it behind the bar. Not surprisingly, I wasn’t the only one watching the show. Girls down the entire bar sat up and took notice when Maverick’s tattooed arms lifted the keg to place it in its spot. The ease at which he lifted the full keg was impressive enough, but the way his fitted t-shirt showed off his lean muscles and lifted slightly when his arms were raised—that little strip of skin had the attention of several ladies. The woman next to me crooned, “Dayuhm,” as soon as she saw his happy trail. She received a hateful glare from me, which she either ignored or didn’t notice. I wanted to smile haughtily when he came over and pressed his lips to mine once he was finished, but I was too busy enjoying his lips on mine. Take that, ladies. This man is with me, I wanted to say, but that seemed a little catty considering I had already won. The new me wasn’t going to be catty, though. Pulling out the claws had never felt right anyway.

  Once he was finished putting on the show for the ladies, he led me to a table near the back of the bar where his mural was. Seated around the table were five people curiously watching us approach. The girls were smiling. One guy had a flirty grin on his face. The other two were more subdued but still watched with interest.

  Once we were close enough, Maverick introduced me. “Guys, this is Katherine. Katherine, this is Brock, his girlfriend Hailey, Corbin and his wife Ana, and this guy right here,” Maverick rubbed the top of the flirty smile guy’s head playfully, “is my little brother, Jack.”

  Jack stood first and hugged me. “Nice to meet you, Katherine. Adam’s told me a lot about you.” He then held me at arm’s length to look down my body before looking past me to his brother and adding, “You’re right, Adam. You have better taste than me. She’s as hot as you said she was.”

  “Shut it, Jack,” Maverick pulled me back against his body and flicked Jack’s ear. He just laughed and covered where Maverick made contact.

  I looked up at Maverick. “Talking about me, huh?”

  He wasn’t even ashamed. “Rubbing it in is more like it. He has terrible taste in women, so I had to brag about the gem I found at the coffee shop.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere,” a woman’s voice chimed in. It was Ana, Corbin’s wife. “Hi, Katherine. It’s nice to meet you.” She held out her hand. I smiled and shook it happily.

  “So, how did you two meet?” the other girl asked with interest. She was blonde, tall, and thin like me, but that was where the similarities ended. The girl worked out. She looked like she was a surfer or something with short, choppy hair, and a blinding white smile. She was, needless to say, gorgeous, and her arms were wrapped around an equally attractive guy who had yet to crack a smile.

  “She was sitting in my chair at the coffee shop,” Maverick shared.

  “Oh no! Not his chair!” Ana teased.

  “How dare you?” Jack continued with an overtly dramatic gasp.

  Brock, the big guy with short, dark hair and a grumpy-looking expression, had been quietly observing me while leaning back in his chair and keeping his arm around Hailey until the topic of our coffee house chair came up. He then leaned forward and added, “We’ve all heard about the damn chair.” Still no smile, but he spoke to me, which was a good sign.

  “It’s a pretty amazing chair,” I explained while looking up at Maverick who wholeheartedly agre
ed with my assessment of the chair until I said, “But for the record, it’s my chair.”

  Maverick raised one dark eyebrow then wrapped his hand around my waist giving it a little squeeze. “I’m willing to share it with you temporarily.”

  “Holy shit. I never thought I’d see the day.” This came from Corbin, who I just noticed was wearing a bar t-shirt like Maverick’s. Where Maverick filled his out, Corbin’s hung a little loose on his thinner arms and chest.

  “What?” Ana asked confused.

  “The day a Vaughn brother would share anything other than a bed with a woman.”

  Words rang out simultaneously from around the table.

  “Hey!”

  “Dude!”

  “Rude!”

  “Corbin!”

  Then Brock said, “I got this,” and smacked Corbin on the back of the head. We all laughed, and just like that, the ice was broken.

  “All right, Corbin. Back to work. Dee needs a break. Make her stay away for at least fifteen.”

  “Sure.” Corbin stood and kissed Ana on the head before heading over to the bar.

  Maverick grabbed his chair and plopped down in it, pulling me on his lap. “What are you guys up to tonight?”

  “We’re gonna start by asking your girl probing questions to find out how much of a pussy you really are.” Jack laughed, and I cringed at his use of that horrible word. Maverick punched Jack’s shoulder, earning him a frown from his brother. “Dude, enough with the violence.”

  “Who’s the pussy now?” Maverick asked, causing me to flinch again. It was like that disgusting and insulting word had somehow traumatized me. It wasn’t only the word that had left me traumatized, though. It was junior high.