by Holly Renee
I jumped off the bed and Brooke followed on my heels. I had no clue who could be here at nine in the morning, but there was no one and nothing that could ruin my good mood.
I pulled the door open and standing on the other side was none other than our new neighbors. They were both dressed in gym shorts, tennis shoes, and cut off shirts that were covered in sweat.
“Are you all okay?” Tucker asked in a rushed tone.
“We’re great. Why?” I asked.
“Well, we just got back from our run, and it sounded like the two of you were being murdered in there.” Liam pointed into our apartment as his eyes scanned the area for a threat.
“Kennedy just got the best news ever. We were celebrating.”
“Did she win the Nobel Prize?” Tucker asked, now amused.
“Not quite,” I said, but Brooke was already spilling out my news.
“Have you all heard of Rock Bottom?”
Tucker and Liam exchanged a look, but I couldn’t decipher what it meant.
“Yeah. We’ve heard of it.” Tucker was almost hesitant as he said it, and now I was worried that it was actually an undercover sex dungeon or something.
“Well, she has a meeting with their manager to possibly become their photographer.”
“Really?” Tucker said almost smug, and it pissed me off.
“Yes, really. Apparently, the owners saw my work and asked for me by name.”
Liam chuckled at my attitude I assumed, but the two of them were really starting to get on my nerves.
“Well good luck,” Tucker said as he turned away from the door and started walking toward his apartment.
“Thanks,” I said back almost suspiciously. I didn’t know what it was, but something felt up with the lot of them, but I decided that I was sticking to my original plan and no one was going to ruin my day.
My closet had never been so empty before. I had almost every piece of clothing that I owned strewn out in my room, and I still hadn’t found one thing that would be suitable to wear for my meeting.
“Dear God. What happened in here?” Brooke looked around my room at the disaster I had made.
“What the hell am I supposed to wear?” I sounded like a maniac, and it didn’t slip my notice that I was kind of acting like one.
“Okay. First off, calm down.”
I threw myself back onto my bed and landed on a pile of clothes. I pulled a deep breath in through my nose, and instantly, I started to feel a little bit better.
“Second, I have the perfect outfit for you to wear.”
“You do?” I turned my head to the side and looked at her.
“Yes. You go get your butt in the shower, and I’ll get the clothes.”
I didn’t move at first so she kicked my foot that was dangling off the edge of the bed. “Get a move on.” She shooed me with her hands.
“So much for calming down.” I teased then ran into the bathroom before she managed to get a hold of me.
She was right though. She did have the perfect outfit for me to wear.
I was currently walking down the sidewalk in a pair of black skinny legged dress pants, a white blouse, and a hot pink blazer that I somehow managed to love instead of hate. It was trendy, professional, but still managed to show personality.
The building that currently held Rock Bottom was one of the oldest buildings in the downtown area, and it was a building that I had photographed many times. The outside of it at least. The last time I peeked in one of the broken windows, the inside was covered in dirt, trash, and broken glass. I couldn’t wait to see what had been done with the space.
The front door was large and ornate, and it felt heavy in my hand as I took a deep breath and pulled it open. There was no way that I could have been prepared for what waited for me inside.
If I hadn’t snooped in the windows months ago, I wouldn’t have believed that this place had ever been anything but beautiful. The name Rock Bottom made so much more sense as I walked into the room.
There was a large light fixture hanging in the center of the room that was made out of agate slices that looked like a large crystal formation.
The light reflected off each piece and bounced around the room creating a display of light that was out of this world. My right finger was twitching to grab my camera and capture the amount of beauty that was in front of me. I was imagining the angles and exposures I would need to capture the perfect image.
There were several people bustling around the space. Some were stocking the expansive bar that resembled a massive rock, but with a smooth top, some were cleaning the pretty immaculate space, and some I had no idea what they were doing. But they all seemed to work like a well-oiled machine. Everyone was doing something individually, but they were all working toward one goal.
The walls were painted a grey that was so dark that it was almost black, and it seemed to set a mood that I had never seen created in another bar or restaurant. It was seductive and dark. Dangerously sexy. The tables against the wall had large booths the color of deep magenta that looked like you could lie on them and be lost for hours. The color was feminine and sensual. I was in love with it.
A small girl came out of a door behind the bar, and she smiled as soon as she saw me. She made her way toward me. She was short. Probably only five foot three inches, but it was easy to tell that she had enough spunk for a six-foot man. Her hair was cut short in an effortlessly stylish pixie cut, and it was black like mine except hers had streaks of pink in it that made her somehow look like a badass and a fairy at the same time. She was dressed head to toe in black and the only source of color other than her hair was the sleeve of bright tattoos that covered her left arm.
“Hi. I’m Chloe.” She stuck her untattooed hand out to me.
I gripped her hand in mine. “Hi. I’m Kennedy.”
“I was hoping that was you.” She crossed her petite arms across her chest. “I don’t trust the guys too much so I was a little leery about them choosing our photographer, but I already like you.”
I smiled at her, and I felt my shoulders relax a little. “Well, I hope they made a good decision. I brought in my portfolio,” I patted my bag on my side, “so you can take a look at the work I’ve done so far.”
“That sounds great. Let’s go take a seat over here.”
We walked to the edge of the restaurant and took a seat across from each other in one of the booths that I was eye fucking earlier.
“This place looks amazing.” I looked up at the artwork that was on the wall, and I couldn’t believe the amount of style one place could hold.
“Thank you. The guys and I have worked really hard on this place. You’ll meet them later in the process. They know enough to trust me with the creative decisions.”
I smiled at her, but she didn’t look like she was joking at all. “Well here is my portfolio.” I slid my crisp black portfolio in front of her. “My favorite thing to photograph is architecture and since that is the majority of what I would be shooting in here; I put those in the front.”
Chloe opened my portfolio, and I held my breath. There was always something about the first few seconds that someone took in your work. It wasn’t exactly an expression they made or a specific comment, but there was a feeling that you got as to whether your work resonated with them or not. It was one of my favorite moments in the world. It was also one of the most nerve wracking.
Chloe’s eyes skirted across the image in front of her, but I couldn’t get the feeling. I wasn’t sure what she thought about it just yet. I purposely chose the first image in my portfolio as a photograph I had taken of the outside of the building we were in. It was a stormy day, and the deep grey clouds made the perfect backdrop against the building.
“Can we buy this image?” Chloe’s eyes darted up to me.
“What?” I was completely caught off guard.
She pointed down at the photograph in front of her. “Can we buy this image to hang inside the restaurant?”
“Yes, y
ou can,” I said almost as if it was a question. “Are you still interested in me photographing the inside?”
“Um. Hell yes. You’re hired if you will do it.”
“You haven’t even looked at any other images,” I pointed out stupidly.
“I don’t need to.”
There was a spring in my step on the way home that hadn’t been there before. After Chloe and I discussed all the details about their vision for my work, we signed a contract and agreed that I would start the following week once everything was in its designated place within the restaurant.
It was by far the biggest contract of my career. A part of me wanted to run to my parents’ house and shove the contract in their face, but another part, a much bigger part, wanted to impress the pants off of the owners of Rock Bottom in a way that I didn’t need any validation from my parents. Not that they would give it to me anyway. I could probably be photographing covers for Vogue, and they would still snarl their nose at me.
I couldn’t wait to tell Brooke about it though. I knew she would be just as excited and proud as I was. More than likely, she would also want to go out and celebrate as well.
As I rounded the corner to our apartment building, I saw Tucker standing out front in similar attire to what I always saw him in, gym shorts and a T-shirt. Not that there was anything wrong with what he was wearing, even I could admit that he looked hot as hell. He was leaned back against our building, and there was a tall, leggy blonde standing in front of him. Her hair was curled in perfect spirals down her back, which was almost completely bare in the dress she was wearing. She was gorgeous. She was my exact opposite.
I pulled out my cell phone and tried to keep my head down as I passed by them. The last thing I needed was for him to think that I was eavesdropping in on his conversation with tonight’s one-night stand.
“Hey, Firecracker.”
I rolled my eyes at his nickname for me that apparently was going to stick around and looked up at the giant smirk on his face. There was just something about his damn smirk that looked like trouble. It made me want to get into trouble.
“Hi.” I waved awkwardly at him and the blonde who was now staring at me like I was her enemy and continued to walk toward our door.
“Hey. Wait up,” he called behind me, and I took a deep breath to calm myself enough to deal with him. I was in a good mood, damn it, and I wasn’t about to let him bring me down.
I reached out for the door handle, but his large hand bumped mine out of the way as he grabbed the handle and pulled the door open for me. I looked over my shoulder at him and his friend, and I was surprised to see that she was no longer with him.
“Finished already?” I asked sarcastically.
“What?” His smirk widened and a dimple showed on his right cheek.
“Are you finished already?” I waved my hand in the direction that the woman was just standing in.
“Somebody sounds jealous.” He walked in behind me and the door slammed at his back.
“Because there is something to be jealous of? I just feel sorry for her is all.” I grabbed the handle to the stairwell before he could get to it, and I saw his eyes narrow on me slightly.
“And why would you feel sorry for her?” He looked more curious than irritated.
“Because you just love them and leave them. Do you even let them know the score before you pound them into my wall and then send them packing?”
“Well aren’t we Miss Judgmental.” He jogged ahead of me on the stairs then stopped on the landing to look down at me.
“I’m not judgmental. I’m just observant.”
I was so being judgmental.
He placed a hand on each side of the stair railing and leaned down into my space when I made it to the top. The smell of his cologne mixed with something more, something delicious, hit my nose, and I momentarily forgot everything but him.
“Don’t you ever want to just forget about all the rules and let a man fuck you with no expectations other than a mind-blowing orgasm?” His voice was as smooth as molasses, and when I looked up into his eyes I knew he was not only toying with me but that he knew he was also getting to me.
I pulled the lapels of my blazer tighter around my chest and prayed that he couldn’t see that one damn sentence out of his mouth was already turning me into a pile of mush.
“No. I don’t,” I said with as much authority as I could muster when all I really wanted to do was throw my clothes off and let him take me against the stairs.
“Then you’ve never been fucked correctly.” He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear before his conniving smirk took over his face once again. He straightened himself back up and opened the door to our floor. “After you, Firecracker.”
I picked my jaw up from the floor before I walked through the door and prayed that I could keep it together long enough to make it to my apartment. “I wish you would quit calling me Firecracker.”
Tucker chuckled but ignored what I said.
“How was your consultation you had today?” He changed the subject like he wasn’t just talking about orgasms. Mind-blowing orgasms that he could give me.
“It was great, thank you. I signed a contract with them.”
“That’s awesome.” He walked past me and pulled keys out of his pocket as I started putting mine in my door.
“If you want to celebrate, you should come over later. I have a wall that can take a good pounding, as you said, and it seems to really just hit the spot.”
I momentarily looked over at him and that damn dimple of his before I walked into my apartment and shut the door with a groan. It amazed me how a cocky, playboy could get me so worked up, but when his laughter carried through my door, I knew that Tucker was doing nothing more than playing a game. But he didn’t need to forget who he was playing with because he was right. I was a firecracker.
I hadn’t laid eyes on Tucker in three days, and it was a good thing. Obsession with my new neighbor wasn’t something I needed on my plate right now. I had too many other things to worry about instead of being concerned with what every noise was that I heard in the apartment next door.
Especially at night.
It was driving me mad hearing the noises coming from his apartment when I was lying in my own bed fantasizing about him. I was pathetic.
My job shooting Rock Bottom started in just a few days, and I was excited and anxious. I needed this job to boost my career to the place I wanted it to go, but I was so damn worried about screwing it up. My parents would just love that. It would seal the deal that I wasn’t meant to be a photographer. That I was making mistakes.
I had just finished an engagement shoot, and let me tell you, it wasn’t one of my favorite jobs of all time. The bride-to-be must have had some major pre-wedding jitters because she was a bitch. I had never been ordered around like that on one of my jobs. I felt like I was taking photos of my mom or one of her socialite girlfriends, and I made an effort to avoid anyone who even resembled them.
Their pictures would be gorgeous. She didn’t have a single hair out of place, and she also made sure that her fiancé stayed in line for the entire shoot, but there was a disconnect. I hated my photos that I didn’t feel somehow connected to the people I was shooting. It literally drained every bit of my creativity out of me.
By the time I was walking into my apartment, I was tired, irritable, and ready for a nap.
What I wasn’t prepared for was walking into my apartment and seeing Tucker sitting on my couch with his feet on the coffee table and a beer in his hand.
He looked up from the TV when I closed the door and smiled at me like he was genuinely happy that I was there. I searched the apartment for traces of Brooke or anything else that would give me a sign as to why Tucker was in my place.
With no luck, I gave up and finally just asked him. “Why are you here?”
“Welcome home, honey. It’s nice to see you too. How was your day?”
I stood in place and stared at him like he was insan
e because I was ninety-nine percent sure that he was.
He started laughing and rubbed his hand against the white T-shirt covering his stomach. I watched his hand and thought about the taut abs that I knew lay underneath that obstructive fabric.
“The cable company is working on our TV today so Brooke said that I could hang out here and use yours.” He leaned back against the couch and tucked his arm behind his head.
For a moment, I thought about why the hell Brooke would tell him that was okay without telling me, but that thought was overtaken by the overwhelming thoughts of straddling him and kissing that damn smirk off his face.
“You okay?” He turned his head to the side and smiled harder.
I shook my head and tried to clear the crazy thoughts that seemed to be clouding my head throughout the day and attempted to act like I wasn’t a psycho.
“Yeah. I was just surprised that you were here is all.”
I hung my bag by the door and suddenly had no clue what to do with myself. It was my house, damn it.
“You want to watch a movie with me?” he asked as he watched every move I made.
“Umm…” Watching a movie was actually my plan when I finally made it home, but I wasn’t exactly sure that I wanted to do it with him.
“You don’t have to.” He sat up and dropped his feet to the floor. “I can head home and get out of your hair.”
“No. It’s fine. Let’s watch a movie.” I walked to the kitchen and pulled out a couple beers. “I get to pick the movie, though.”
I handed him one of the beers as I sat down on the opposite end of the couch.
“Deal, but please don’t pick anything too girly.”
I huffed and held my hand over my heart.
“You clearly don’t know me very well at all.”
“And whose fault is that?” He took a sip of his beer, and I sat shocked by his question.
“What do you mean?”
“You basically avoid me any chance you get. Did you know that Liam and I have had dinner with Brooke three times since we moved in? Three.” He held up his fingers as if he was driving the point home. “You’ve only been present for one of those.”