by Bree Verity
No, she would never be that kind of girl.
Come on, Jack, you need to finish this report.
The report lay open at page 122. He only had about twenty pages to go, but the subject was so dry, and the writing so mind-numbing, it had taken him hours to get through what he already had. He was usually quite interested in the substrate found at potential mining sites, able to extrapolate the data and consider the implications for the company.
But not tonight.
He glanced with distaste at the report and made a decision. Flicking off the desk lamp, he closed the report and filed it away into his satchel, along with the few scratchy notes he had already taken.
Those last twenty pages are gonna have to wait until tomorrow.
He just hoped that come tomorrow, he had time before the meeting to at least skim through them.
Desiree screwed up yet another piece of paper and threw it at the square brown bin in her office. All around it a bunch of crumpled papers formed what could have been a flock of sheep around a barn. If you squinted. And used your imagination.
Coming up with a lesson plan for a new curriculum was impossible when you couldn’t concentrate. When the only thing that kept coming to mind was Jack Duncan. The way his handsome face lit up when he talked about Faith. His arse encased in those sexy jeans. His raised eyebrow and half smile when he noticed Desiree’s hand still resting on his.
The man was a siren. And Desiree couldn’t help but heed the call.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
I’m going to have to call him.
She picked up the phone and started to plug in the number, which she had lifted from Faith’s student file. But before she could get all the way through, she put the phone back down.
Don’t be a fucktard. He’s Faith’s Dad. What if he says no?
Even worse, what if he says yes? What if he wants a relationship? What will you do then?
God, Desiree, put the cart before the horse why don’t you? Just call the man.
All the pros and cons of Desiree contacting Jack went round and round in her head until she thought it would explode.
“Alright, Stop.” She said it out loud, even though she was the only person in the room. “Decide. Do it now.”
Getting a new piece of paper out, she drew up columns for and against. Then she plugged the reasons into each column.
For – that way he had looked when he talked about his kids.
Against – he was Faith’s dad.
For – that delicious arse.
Against – he had to be at least ten years older than Desiree.
For – his massive chest.
Backwards and forwards she went, her bracelet clacking against the desk until eventually, she was able to come up with one more reason against contacting him than she could reasons to contact. With a dejected sigh, she said to herself, “There it is. Decision made.”
So now she just had to stop thinking about him. It shouldn’t be that hard, now that she knew she shouldn’t see him. She picked up her pen, and set to work on the lesson plan.
An hour later, she threw down her pen in disgust. The page in front of her was full of scribbles with Jack’s name featuring prominently alongside a selection of hearts and stars.
Okay, Desiree, what do we need to do to get that man the fuck out of our head?
Jack picked up his phone and started to dial, then put it down again. As he had already done a dozen times. Desiree’s card sat prominently in the middle of his desk.
He had managed to cram the last pages of the report just before he went into the meeting – a good thing too, because on the third to last page he found a disturbing detail that, along with some of the water-table data and rock formations mentioned, may have created some issues with drilling. The committee looking at the report had decided to go back to the proposers for more information.
Following the meeting, Jack had been called into his supervisor’s office. Jim McKenzie – or Mack as he was universally known – seemed more gruff than ever, and a few moments into the meeting, Jack realised why the big Scot was peeved.
“Seconded to the office, Jack. For at least the next six months and, if that works, permanent.” Mack scowled.
“That’s great news.” Jack sat back in his chair and smiled. A wave of relief washed through him. He’d been waiting on approval of this secondment for weeks. It meant he could spend much more time with the kids.
Mack knew why Jack had asked to be stationed in Perth. But the big man was still scowling. “I thought you’d be happy for me, Mack,” replied Jack, a smile on his face. He knew what was coming.
“Taking my best fucking staff and wasting them in the office? What exactly aboot that did ye think would make me happy, lad?” Jack knew the question was rhetorical. As always, Mack’s accent grew thicker as his face got redder. It was his well-publicized opinion that field staff were significantly more useful to the company than those in the office. But he was also a fair and friendly boss, who supported his staff, and when Jack had explained his need, Mack had been only too happy to recommend him for secondment.
Mack eased himself into a chair opposite Jack, his bluster fading. “But good luck to ye, Jack. I know you needed more time with the little ones. And I for one would prefer ye to be happy and productive here rather than distracted and fucking useless out on site.”
Jack barked a laugh. “Thanks, Mack.”
The memory of the meeting made Jack laugh softly again, and again he picked up the phone. He wanted to ring Desiree Jackson, to tell her that he could spend more time with the kids.
Don’t sugar coat it, Jack. You know you want to do it to hear her voice again.
He sighed and put the phone down again. Contacting Faith’s teacher was the worst idea. How was he going to stop himself thinking about her?
CHAPTER FIVE.
The next evening, Penny and Desiree were in the middle of picking out Desiree’s outfit for the evening when Desiree explained to Penny what she had decided to do.
“I can’t see any way around it, Pen. I have to sleep with someone else. The way I see it, if I can’t have the guy I want, I’ll have a different guy. And that should make me forget about the first guy, right?”
That sounded much less sleazy when I first thought it up.
She noticed Penny’s appalled expression and her hackles went up. “What? It’s pretty much the same thing that you guys wanted me to do the other day.”
“Except it's nothing like it.” Penny seemed to be genuinely offended by the thought of forgetting about one guy by sleeping with another. “We were talking about exploring real feelings between two consenting adults. This is you sleeping with one guy, so you can forget another guy.”
“So?”
“God, Desiree, there are a hundred things wrong with that. What if the second guy falls for you? What if he finds out you’ve just been using him? And what if it doesn’t work? What if you still want the first guy after you’ve had the second guy?”
“Geez, Pen, I thought you’d be all over this, Miss Romantic.”
“This isn’t romantic, it’s… I don’t know what it is, but it’s definitely not romantic. And I don’t like it.”
“I don’t need you to like it. All I need you to do is wingman for me.”
Desiree could see the condemnation in Penny’s eyes, and she flushed. Penny was right. It was not Desiree’s finest idea. But Desiree didn’t do commitment, and Jack Duncan would be a commitment. Desiree kept things light and easy, so she would never be in the same situation as her mother, crying over and over again at a husband who conveniently forgot he had a wife every time a new piece of arse crossed his path.
Jack Duncan was making Desiree think about more than just light and easy, and it scared her to death.
“Please, Pen? I have to do this. I have to get Jack Duncan out of my head.” She tilted her head and gazed at Penny, batting her eyelashes.
“Oh stop it, Des, you know I
can’t say no when you give me the puppy dog look.”
“I know.” Desiree smiled and waggled an eyebrow at her.
“Fine, I’ll go with you. But,” Penny said, raising a warning finger, “if it all goes pear shaped, don’t come crying to me for sympathy, ‘cos you won’t get any.”
“Like I would anyway. You know I don’t cry. Now, where were we?” She jumped up off the bed, and rummaged in her wardrobe. After a couple of seconds, Penny joined her.
The Universal in Northbridge was packed, as always. The live band didn’t start until 9:30, and since it was the bass guitarist from The Dirty Thirties that she had her eye on, she didn’t see any point in arriving before that time. She and Penny had a few drinks at home, and then called an Uber to take them into town.
As she shuffled through the crowd to get to the bar, Desiree smiled. This was her scene. She loved to be in amongst all the bodies having a good time. This early in the night, everyone was still happily drunk. In a few hours some of the people would become unhappily drunk, but Desiree hoped she would have achieved her objective by then, and she and Steve, the bassist, would be gone. She reminded Penny that she would probably go home with Steve, but all she got in reply was an eye roll, and a sarcastic rejoinder that Penny was big enough to get home all by herself.
Putting her elbow on the bar, Desiree turned to look for Steve. There he was, on the right of the stage, looking extremely sexy in black jeans and a burgundy t-shirt that flattered his muscular build. He wasn’t overly tall, maybe a little under six foot, but his body was ripped, and Desiree thought he must work out to have muscles like those.
Desiree had chatted to Steve a couple of times, and once they had progressed to kissing, but it had never gone further than that. To Desiree, he had been cute, maybe not too bright, but definitely engaging enough to pursue.
Tonight, she was going to snag Steve.
Desiree knew she looked hot. Dressed in black as always, she had worn strategic black that left large bits of her porcelain skin and her tattoos on view. Her black vinyl skirt was pleated and very short, and she had topped it off with a black vest, only buttoned up enough so that her boobs, encased in a red lacy bra, didn’t pop out, although sneaky peeks of the bra could be seen. Dark, smoky grey eyeshadow and claret red lipstick enhanced her green eyes and full lips. She wore boots to her thighs and a choker around her neck. Of course, her charm bracelet was around her wrist. She needed all the luck she could get tonight.
Pen was dressed in a short blue dress, not anywhere near as short as Desiree’s, and pretty, flirty heels. She looked like a fun, funky chick who was getting ready to dance and have a good time with her girlfriends. Which is exactly what she was planning to do. She had taken one look at Desiree and shook her head. “You look slutty. Your arse is going to be on show all night.”
“No it isn’t.” Desiree twisted around, trying to see her backside in the mirror on the bedroom door. “Only if I bend over, and I don’t think I even can in these heels. I’d end up flat on my face.” She smiled. “It’ll work, believe me.” Penny just glowered and shook her head.
But it did work. Guys all around were drooling, their eyes following her. She sauntered across the room, careful not to trip in her heels. That would completely ruin the look.
Then again, it worked for Lydia.
Lydia had fallen into the arms of the guy she was going out with tonight. Desiree considered for a moment, then shook her head. She figured she would look awkward and lanky if she fell, even if she did it on purpose.
No, stick to the plan, Desiree.
Once they had gotten a drink, Desiree and Penny moved to the dance floor. Desiree camped in front of where Steve was, and proceeded to sway seductively to the music, her eyes on Steve. When he noticed her, which didn’t take long, his eyes riveted on to her.
Penny rolled her eyes, and shook her head, dancing on her own and ignoring Desiree’s obvious flirtation.
Steve’s jaw was practically on the floor, and he must have hit a bad note or two because the rest of the band were glancing over at him, then following his eyes down into the mass of dancers, and raising their eyebrows when they saw Desiree.
Desiree was pleased. The strategy was playing out with military precision. Any slight niggles of conscience she had were impatiently pushed aside. They only distracted her from the task at hand, which was to secure Steve and take him home. Sex was the strategy - hot, steamy, slippery sex with no ties and no regrets. That’s what she needed. Something to stop her thinking about Jack, about his sexy grin, his lost little boy expression that plucked at her heartstrings…
No! Stop thinking about him!
She returned her gaze to the stage, to Steve. He was the one. He would make her forget.
Desiree made a beeline for him when the set ended and he stepped down from the stage.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey you,” Steve replied. “Don’t you look amazing tonight.”
She smiled enticingly. “Thanks. You’re looking pretty hot yourself.”
“Well, you know, up under the lights on the stage, it gets pretty hot.” It wasn’t until Steve grinned that Desiree realised he was making a joke.
“I’m just going to get a drink. Want one?” Steve indicated the bar and Desiree nodded. He turned to walk up to the bar.
When they got there, Desiree hooked her hand around his bicep as he ordered their drinks. She noticed one of his eyebrows raise in surprise, but didn’t say anything until he turned to her two drinks in hand.
“Something’s up with you tonight, Desiree. And I can’t work out what it is. But I thought you could use these.” Steve handed her a shot as well as the Jacks and Coke she had asked for.
“No, I’m fine,” she said, downing the shot in one gulp, then taking a swig of the other drink as well.
“Right.” Steve took a moment longer to drink his shot, looking into Desiree’s eyes as he did so. Then, he leaned in and kissed her.
Desiree tried really hard to recall the sparks she had felt when Steve kissed her the first time. She knew they weren’t particularly bright sparks, but they had been there. But now, she felt nothing. Oh, it was nice, kissing a hot guy, but there seemed to be no magnetism whatsoever. She tried shifting position, moving around to stand in front of him, locked at the lips so that they could be toe to toe, hip to hip. He stood up straight, his arms pulling her in close, his hands on the bare skin at her waist. He pushed at her lips with his tongue, and she let him invade her mouth. She could feel his heart pounding, and the heat and sweat on his body, and she knew she should be turned on, but she just wasn’t.
She pulled away, just about ready to tell him sorry, when he blew out a short breath and said, “Wow. I hope that did it for you, because it definitely did it for me.”
Her mouth fell open but she quickly hid her astonishment and hit him with the sexiest smile she could muster. “Absolutely,” she said, ignoring the little internal voice screaming at her ‘Abort! Abort!’
Just then, Penny came bouncing up, flushed and smiling. “Hey you guys. Good to see you again, Stan, wasn’t it?”
“Uh, Steve.” He raised a confused eyebrow at Desiree, and she said, “You remember Penny don’t you Steve? My best friend? Well, one of them anyway. I was at the gig with her and Lydia last time.”
Steve nodded, though he obviously had no idea who Penny was. Pen turned to Desiree and said, “You’ll never guess who I found in a corner over there.” She pointed over to a darkened part of the room, filled with bodies and noise.
“Who?”
“Marc.”
“Really? From your theater?”
“Yep. Amanda and Aidan are over there as well, and some other guys from their band. They’re going to go to the Paramount later and I thought I’d go with them, if that’s okay with you?”
“You’ll be able to get home alright?”
“I’ll be fine. Marc will make sure I get home. He’s good with details like that.” She smiled at them
, but Desiree detected a hint of concern in her friend’s eyes. “Did you guys want to come with us?” Penny indicated that she meant Desiree and Steve, apparently forgetting that Steve had an appointment onstage.
“Well I can’t, but you’re cool to go with your friends if you want.” Steve said the words lightly, but he watched Desiree closely. It was obvious he wanted her to stay.
Desiree felt something like a hard lump lodge itself in her lower stomach. She knew she should leave Steve alone. He was a nice guy, and it was slutty to hook up with him to take her mind off someone else. He didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. Then again, she had already known all that when she stepped out the door in her fuck-me boots earlier that evening. Why was she questioning the plan now? She was sure Steve wouldn’t care what her reason was, so long as they ended up in bed together by the end of the night. And he didn’t strike her as a long term commitment kind of guy, so she didn’t need to worry about him hassling her afterward. He was the perfect candidate for a forgetting fling.
Gulping down her finer feelings, Desiree smiled at Pen. “You go with Marc and Amanda. I’ll be okay here with Steve.”
Penny looked at her narrowly, and said in a voice that only Desiree could hear, “Last chance.”
Desiree stared at her, and Penny lifted one eyebrow. Desiree gulped, unbidden tears forming in her eyes. Penny was giving her every opportunity not to go ahead with her plan. Just like a best friend who thought you were doing the wrong thing would do.
Please understand, Pen. I need this.
“No, I’ll stay here.”
“Alrighty then,” Pen said cheerily, her eyes still concerned. “I’m on my phone if you need me. Good to see you again Stan.” She threw them a cheery wave and was off again, digging her way through the mire of bodies back to Marc and his friends.
Desiree exhaled a breath she didn’t even realise she had been holding, then turned around in Steve’s arms, stretching her hands out over the back of his shoulders and leaning her body against him.