by Lamont, Amy
He leaned down and pressed hot, wet nibbling kisses along the peak of my shoulder. “I have my ways.”
Indeed he did. A throaty moan pushed its way out of me as his arms slid around me, and his bare skin pressed against my own for the first time. So much better than anything I’d ever imagined.
“As much as I’d enjoy taking my time with you right here and now, I don’t think missionary style in my bed could compete with Emma and her billionaire.”
What? How did he know?
Before I had time to process his words, we were transported. One instant we were in his bedroom and the next we were in a stall in a public bathroom. His bare skin disappeared underneath a dark gray button-down shirt that clung tightly to his shoulders. I dipped my gaze down and…
Oh, God. His trousers were open, exposing his hard length to my gaze. Before I had time to gather my thoughts and figure out what was going on, he pressed his body into mine. A quick glance down told me that somewhere in our change of locations, I’d gained a pair of high, high heels and a necklace of black beads that hung in a knot between my breasts, but otherwise I remained completely exposed. As I shifted, the necklace swayed and the cold beads rubbed one of my nipples. I moaned.
“Shh.” He placed a hand over my mouth and leaned his full weight into me, his clothing causing a decadent friction against my bare skin. “You don’t want them to hear you.”
Every inch of my skin reacted to his voice in my ear, and the heat between my legs forced me to arch into him. He pulled his hand from my mouth and cupped my hips, drawing me even closer to his body. He smoothed his hands over my rib cage and up further to cup my breasts.
“Don’t forget to be quiet. We don’t want to get caught,” he whispered in my ear. At the same time, his thumbs came up and swiped back and forth over my nipples.
My body tightened as his touch sent ripples of pleasure from the peaks of my breasts and down to pool lower in my body. I struggled to keep down the cries that tried to fight their way out of my throat. Just as I began to lose the battle, the outer bathroom door opened and closed.
I couldn’t make out the words, but it was clear at least two men entered the restroom. My eyes flew to Hunter’s and he grinned. Instead of easing up on teasing me, he ramped up his efforts. One hand remained at my breast, rolling my over-sensitized nipples between his fingers. His other hand moved down swiftly, fingers probing between my thighs, not stopping until he reached my pussy.
Laughter drifted over the door of the stall as he plunged a finger inside me. I clamped my bottom lip between my teeth to keep from crying out, and my breath came in shuddering pants, in and out. He chuckled softly as he moved his finger, sliding it deeper into me before pulling it out again. He positioned his thumb so with each withdrawal it teased at my clit.
I could do no more than stand there, utterly at his mercy as his fingers and hands and mouth played over my body, bringing me closer and closer to the edge.
“You’re so wet,” he whispered in a throaty growl. He left hot, damp kisses along my jawline and his scent, warm and woodsy, tickled my nose. “Is all this for me?”
I met his gaze, but couldn’t release my lip from my teeth, too afraid that if I let go, I’d cry out. And as lost in pleasure as I was, I didn’t think I’d be able to stop once I started. And what’s more, I don’t know if I’d care anymore who heard me riding out my pleasure on Hunter Lawson’s fingers.
As soon as the thought hit me, my body started to tremble, my inner muscles clamping down on his fingers.
“That’s it, princess, let go for me. I want it all.”
That was all it took. I cried out his name as he carried me right over the edge and into a deep well of pure bliss. My eyes dropped closed, and my hands clenched on the material of his shirt.
“Katelyn, are you okay?”
My eyes flew open at the sound of my mother’s voice, my body still quivering in the aftermath of my pleasure. But Hunter was gone. I stood back in my pale pink childhood room, my hands clenching the material of my white eyelet curtains.
Behind me the door opened and I stared out the window, down to my neighbor’s driveway below. Hunter was there, surrounded by friends, working on his motorcycle. No signs that he ever noticed me, let alone gave me the most amazing orgasm of my life.
“Come away from the window, Katie,” my mother said. “What would the neighbors think?”
My mother’s sharp voice yanked me right out of sleep and out of my dreams. I woke in my bed in the apartment I shared with Jade, Paige and Emma. My breathing was hard and a fine sheen of sweat coated me under my nightshirt.
I rolled over and squirmed beneath the covers. The echo of pleasure and the disappointment of waking from a dream I wished would have gone on for much longer, at least certain parts of it, left me restless and edgy.
Chapter Two
I plopped my bag into my desk drawer and sank onto my seat with a sigh. I’d been lucky enough to get five days off for New Year’s, but staring at the pile of paperwork waiting for me, it didn’t seem nearly long enough. Weird, sexy dreams had plagued me pretty much every night since then, so I wasn’t exactly relaxed and refreshed when I returned.
I sighed and started plowing through the files at the top of the stack. A few folders in, it became clear my boss dumped some of his case files on me. Again. I’d discovered in a hurry that jobs in social services involved lots of bureaucracy and paperwork and red tape. But my job seemed to involve a lot more of that and very little of what I actually wanted to do—help kids in the foster care system.
And the reason I had more than the regular amount of paperwork to do strolled through the door almost twenty minutes late.
“Katelyn, you’ve finally managed to make it into the office, I see.” Ken, my megalomaniac boss, moved toward his office.
I cringed. I loved how this man didn’t think twice about taking liberties with his own schedule but had no problem taking me to task for taking time off. I clenched my teeth into my best imitation of a smile.
“Yes. I enjoyed my vacation days,” I said, giving him a gentle reminder he had approved my time off. I held up some of the manila files I’d been looking through. “When you have a minute, I have a few questions about some of these cases.”
Ken paused and pinned me with a hard stare. “Miss Murphy, I left detailed case notes on those files. I’m sure you’re more than capable of filling out the reports without any added input from me. Or are you saying you’re incapable of doing your job?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “No, I’m perfectly capable of doing my job.”
“Good.” He turned on his heel and moved forward, calling over his shoulder, “A coffee would be great. You don’t mind running to the coffee place on the corner.”
I don’t? ’Cause it certainly felt like I minded. But before I could think of denying his demand, he closed the office door behind him.
With a sigh I fished my purse out of my drawer.
“Why do you put up with that man?”
I looked over at Sue, a veteran social worker who regularly told Ken what he could do with his paperwork.
“I need this job. You know it’s part of my Master’s program. And at least here I can get work experience while I take my classes.” I buttoned up my coat and hooked my purse over my shoulder. “And part of keeping this job is putting up with our esteemed boss.”
She shook her head and tilted it down so she could glare at me over the rims of her reading glasses.
Uh-oh. I’d seen that look before.
“Wrong.” Sue wagged a finger at me. “You do your job perfectly fine. What you don’t have to do is his job.” She jabbed her finger toward Ken’s office door.
I pressed my lips into a grim smile. We’d had this conversation before. And about half a million times I’d had the word “no” on the tip of my tongue when Ken piled his workload on me. But something held me back every time.
Paige’s words from the other night came back to haun
t me. Sometimes nice is overrated. I’d spent my whole life believing if I was nice and good and considerate, the universe would pay me back in kind.
My eyes drifted to the pile of work on my desk. If the universe was giving me back what I deserved, I must have been a real bitch in a past life.
Or maybe that’s just not the way the world works.
“You okay, honey?”
I glanced at Sue. Concern filled her gaze. I blew out a breath and offered her a smile. Not like I was going to solve all the mysteries of the universe in the next fifteen minutes.
“I’m fine.” Then I gave her a wicked grin. “But I’ll be taking my time coming back with that coffee.”
Her deep chuckle followed me to the elevator.
The rest of the morning went along a lot like the beginning. At least Ken spent most of it hiding in his office. Right up until a few minutes ago when he breezed out, telling me to send a few emails for him while he was at lunch. A lunch he left for a half an hour early and I fully expected would take him at least an hour and a half.
I blew out a breath, leaned my cheek on my fist and clicked to open Ken’s email folder.
When my phone rang not five minutes later, I was more than ready for the distraction.
I peeked at the number and grinned as I hit the accept button. “Hi, Mom!”
“Hi, honey. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
My grin turned into a wide smile at her words. No need to wonder where I got the niceness gene. “No, Mom, mostly everyone went to lunch. I’m happy to have the excuse to take a break.”
“Oh, good. Listen, sweetie,” my mom’s voice came out in the same tone she’d used when my grandmother passed away, “I have some bad news.”
An enormous lump pushed its way into my throat and I clutched the phone. “Is everyone okay? Is it Logan?”
“Oh, no, everyone’s fine. Your brother’s fine. I heard from him on New Year’s.”
Something inside me eased a bit. With Logan stationed in Afghanistan, I always worried when I hadn’t heard from him in a while.
“So what’s going on, Mom?”
“It’s just that…well, you see, honey…” A deep sigh came through the line. “I guess there’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it. I left your father.”
I flew ramrod straight on the edge of my seat. “Wh-what?”
“I know it comes as a shock,” she said.
I had no words. Shock didn’t even begin to cover it. My mom left my dad. My mom whose picture could be put in the dictionary under homemaker. My mom who could give Betty Crocker a run for her money. My mom who spent my childhood catering to the every need of my brother, my father and me.
She left my father.
“Say something, Katydid.”
My childhood nickname pulled me out of my head. “Mom, I don’t know what to say. You really left Dad? How? I mean, why did you…”
She sighed. “I spent all those years taking care of your dad. I worked two jobs when he was in college. Once he went to work, I quit my jobs and stayed home to take care of him and then you and your brother. I always thought, all those years…I thought once you two were grown, it would be my turn. I could follow my dreams and…” She trailed off and several seconds of silence followed.
I sank back onto my chair, dipping my head low. “What was your dream, Mom?”
“I always thought I’d be good at something in healthcare. Maybe a therapist or a nurse or something like that. I volunteered in a nursing home when I was younger and I really loved helping there.”
“You would be wonderful at any of those things,” I said. And it was true. My mom was a born caregiver.
“Don’t get me wrong. I always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and take care of my family. I know how blessed I’ve been.”
“But?”
“But once you and Logan grew up and moved out, there wasn’t so much for me to do. I mean, how many times can I vacuum the house a day?”
Hmm, before this minute if my mom had asked that question, my answer would have been a hundred and seven. There’d been no doubt in my mind that she lived to vacuum and dust and iron our clothes. But clearly, my mom didn’t live to clean. She lived to take care of other people.
“So you’ve been bored the last few years?” I prompted.
“I guess. I tried volunteering, and that was fine, but then I saw what you’ve accomplished and it got me to thinking.”
“Me? What have I accomplished?”
“You went to college and graduated and found the job you wanted and you’re getting your Master’s degree.”
“I don’t know if this is the job I wanted,” I mumbled.
“You know what I mean.” My mom’s sigh floated through the phone, loaded down with exhaustion and something else. “I want something more. And I always thought if I was just patient, my turn would come.”
I swallowed hard. Mom’s words sounded an awful lot like my own earlier thoughts.
“So can’t you have more with Daddy?” I asked, my voice just barely above a whisper.
“I talked to your Dad about it. He wouldn’t listen. When I mentioned going back to school, he asked if it would interfere with planning the charity auction his company does every year. I swear, he doesn’t even see me as a person anymore. I’m the thing that makes sure his dinner gets to the table every night and his socks and underwear get washed and folded and put in his drawers.”
“Oh, Mom.” My heart squeezed at her words. “I’m sorry if I ever made you feel that way. I know we have a tendency to take you for granted, and you’ve done everything for us.”
My mom clicked her tongue impatiently. “You never made me feel that way. I love taking care of my family. But most of my family is grown and gone and taking care of themselves these days. And now it’s my turn. Only your dad doesn’t see it that way. When he asked about how my going to school would affect him, it hit me. If I want my chance at more, I’m going to have to take it. I can’t wait around for someone else to give it to me. I could be dead before that happens.”
I slumped in my desk chair, my phone clutched to my ear. Mom could be talking about me. My mom was in her fifties and she’d waited more than half her life for someone else to recognize all her good deeds and give her a chance at more. And it never came.
As my mom told me the arrangements she made to get an apartment and start looking for a job, I sat there shell-shocked. And a little niggling voice in the back of my head got louder the longer my mom talked.
I didn’t want to find myself middle-aged and still waiting for something more for my life.
What the hell am I waiting for?
I sat at my desk after my mom hung up, trying to absorb the shock of her news, worrying about my dad, and turning that question over and over in my head—what am I waiting for? The memory of sitting on the New Jersey transit train back into the city with Jade, Emma and Paige on Thanksgiving mingled with those thoughts. Jade and Paige and I had been so determined to get Emma out of her rut, and we all pointed out how our own lives were lacking to get her to agree.
At the time, I hadn’t let myself think about it too hard, but my complaints about my job and lack of a life suddenly rang true. Just like my mom, I kept waiting for something to happen, for someone to hand me something because I worked so hard and kept my mouth shut.
But what if this was it? What if being nice and hard working wasn’t enough? Was I going to settle for what life handed me until I woke up one morning at fifty-five wondering when my turn would come?
At some point, I’d have to deal with my parents’ separation and talk to my dad and my brother. But right now, the only thing I could do was wonder if I’d gotten it all wrong.
Enough. Time to answer the question already. What was I waiting for?
I closed my eyes and suddenly, just like on New Year’s Eve, just like in every dream I’d had this week, a face popped up in my mind.
Hunter Lawson.
Only this time I
didn’t shake it off. I let his image fill my head. And as I thought of him, an idea formed. I was going to get out of my rut. I was going to stop waiting for good things to come to me. I was going to win the bet.
And who better to help me win than Hunter? I’d watched from my window countless times as he jumped on his motorcycle and rode off. How many times had I wished I was on the seat behind him, my arms wrapped around his waist, my face pressed to his back?
Before I could think better of it, I snatched the sticky pad from my desk drawer and wrote a terse note explaining I’d had a family emergency and needed to leave early. I slapped it on Ken’s door and took a brief moment to gleefully picture his face when he saw it and realized he might have to do some of his own tedious work for a change.
I grabbed my purse and coat and headed for the elevators. Sue stepped off as I stepped on.
“Headed for lunch?” she asked.
I grinned and shook my head. “Nope, I decided to let Ken do his own work today. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
As the elevator doors slid closed, Sue’s chuckle and the words “Good for you, girl” floated in. I smiled and my stomach rippled with a combination of excitement and nerves.
I was going to see Hunter Lawson, the man of my dreams. For once I was going to stop being Miss Nice Girl and go after what I wanted.
***
After the two-hour train ride from Grand Central Station and scrounging for a cab once I got to my destination, some of my determination had worn off. I stared out the window of the taxi and wrinkled my nose at the sign on the building we’d just parked in front of. How the heck had Hunter Lawson ended up working at a dive bar called Rooster’s? When I spoke to my brother a few months ago, he’d mentioned where Hunter worked, but I had trouble picturing it.
Last time I saw Hunter, he’d been in uniform.
My mouth went a bit dry at that thought. He’d been barely twenty-one, but he’d filled out his fatigues in ways that made my imagination run wild, all lean muscle and sun-bronzed skin.
Of course, he hadn’t seen me. I’d kept my nose pressed to the cold glass of my bedroom window, tears leaking from my eyes, as I watched my brother walk across the lawn to give Hunter a one armed hug, back slap combo. Both of them wore blank expressions, both stoically attempting to hide their emotions.