by M. Piper
“Don’t let him do that. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t know, Mackenzie. And the minute you found out, you called it off.”
I nod, staring at the wall. Even knowing how stupid I’ve been the past two years makes me feel like a failure. I hate this feeling. The deceit and the lies and me falling for every damn minute of it. It makes me feel like an absolute idiot, and I am, aren’t I?
“Hey I’m grabbing dinner for us on the way home. My treat.” Jules stands and I smile at her.
“How’d I get so lucky to have a business partner like you?”
“You did get pretty lucky.” She winks and heads into her office.
The rest of the afternoon is spent serving customers and making orders for the weekend. It’s Wednesday, so I start on the Friday night cakes first. The amount of detail that goes into cake decorating is insane, but it’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at. Decorating. I tried interior decorating but I’m not really a people person so that didn’t pan out very well. I tried graphic design, but the clientele that I worked with in Florida sucked ass. Dirty ass.
Then I stumbled upon cake decorating and knew where my calling was. Jules and I met in Florida when I was taking some culinary classes. She’s a goddess in the kitchen, creating the best tasting cakes and bakery goods this side of the Mississippi. She’s slowly taught me her ways so I can make a mean strawberry shortcake, but anything past that is like a foreign language I never studied. I’ve been trying to teach her the decorating side of things, but honestly between the two of us we work out perfectly for each other, playing off each other’s skills nicely. I’m lucky she moved here with me. We had a pretty solid team in Florida so when we left, we were able to leave the bakery in good hands to open a new shop up here.
Just as I’m about to lock the bakery’s front door, a familiar figure pushes it open and stands in the wide-open doorway.
“We’re closed,” I say, trying not to smile that he showed up at my work.
“I’m dying for a cupcake.” He grins widely and there’s a sparkle in his eyes.
“Are you drunk?” I swear there’s something not right with him tonight.
“No!” he boasts, chuckling. “You always assume the worst, Mack, shit.” He grins at me. “But I may be high,” he whispers loudly, then laughs.
“Good Lord, get in here before someone sees you.” I shut the door and flip the lock, pulling him by the shirt, not wanting people to see him here, especially not while he’s like this. He stumbles in, almost knocking me over. His hands grip my hips to steady us and I instantly turn from concerned business woman, worrying about people seeing that we attract the ‘munchies’ crowd, to a melting puddle of hormones on the floor.
“Why’d you come here, Ford,” I whisper, his body pressing against mine in all the right places. He doesn’t let go of my hips. He doesn’t break eye contact. He just stands there, staring into my eyes.
“You’re beautiful,” he mutters, and before I have time to react or respond, his lips are on mine. Gentle at first, then starved for more, he slams me up against the wall and moans as our bodies grind together when I deepen the kiss. I wrap my arms around him, throwing caution to the wind. God, this man knows how to kiss.
I pull back begrudgingly when my phone dings at the counter, bringing me out of the lust haze.
“Ford,” I whisper, but that’s all I can get out because the look on his face isn’t a look like he wants to talk. He wants more. And I want to give it to him.
“I missed you, Mack,” he whispers to me, pressing kisses to my neck and chills run through my body, sending waves of need straight between my legs.
“We can’t do this here,” I pant, pushing him back and breaking contact with him. “We shouldn’t be doing this at all tonight. I have…stuff…to be doing,” I stammer.
“I know. I just came in for a cupcake. Really. Someone once told me this is the best little bakery in town.” He winks and walks across the bakery to the counter and dings the bell. ”Who works around here, anyway?” He boasts, then turns and smirks at me.
“I uh…” I let out a laugh and push off the wall, shaking off the haze. “We were closed, Ford. I already told you that. Everything’s gone for the night.”
The puppy dog eyes he gives me makes me laugh. I can’t tell the man no. It’s hard as hell not fucking him right now, but telling him no about cupcakes is just as hard.
“Fine. I’ll see what we have in the back.”
“Oh, the back,” he growls. “I’d like to come to the back with you.”
“Stop right there,” I blurt as he rounds the corner. “No. Just…no.” I hold my hand up and his eyes go wide. “I’m sorry, but not here. That’s so unsanitary and just…no.” I huff and turn, and as I head into the freezer to grab one of the cupcakes I was bringing home for dessert tonight, I hear him yell.
“There’s that stick in your ass, again!”
I can’t help but laugh at him as I walk his cupcake out.
“Here. It’s all I’ve got. Please, just take it and go home.” I shove it at him with a shaky hand. He takes it, his fingers slowly touching mine before he pulls it away and smiles wide.
“Thank you nice business lady.” He takes a bite and crumbs fall to the floor. “You should really have your cleaning crew clean that up.” He winks and turns the lock before heading out the front door.
I stand there and stare in amazement that a man like him can saunter in here, take exactly what he needs, and leave me wanting more. How the hell does something like that even work? Why did that turn me on so much? And why did I just give my personal dessert tonight to that man?
I need to watch it when it comes to Ford West.
Me: I miss your pussy
Delete.
Me: Your cream is delicious
Delete.
Me: I fucked the cupcake when I got home
Delete.
Me: Thank you for the cupcake
Send!
“Fuck,” I groan. It’s a fucking Thursday. Our date isn’t until tomorrow, and this has been the longest week of my life. Who would have thought it’d be this hard to be serious and take a girl out properly? We’ve already fucked! Why do I have to wait until the date tomorrow to fuck her again?
Ok, so last night I was close. I couldn’t take it and I knew she was there because I had driven by seven times before I finally grew the courage to walk in to that place. Fuck, it smelled delicious in there. The weed in my system probably didn’t help the munchies I was having for sweet shit, but I gotta say, the minute I laid eyes on her all hunger was out the window and the only thing I wanted to do was devour her slowly.
Mackenzie’s doing something to me. Something I never thought I’d have again. She’s making me…care.
“Sup, douche?” Reagan walks into the room and falls onto the couch. “When you goin’ into work today?”
I glance at the clock and rub my eyes.
“Hour ish. I got a meeting with a newly engaged couple at four, so I’m going in late. Why’re you here again?”
“I slept here last night. You didn’t know?” She’s looking at me like I’m an idiot and I shrug.
“Nah. I wasn’t here.” I head to the kitchen for some coffee. I’d rather not let Reagan on to the fact that I was high and driving around last night. It wasn’t that bad, but she gets ideas and I don’t want her getting any crazy ones. I can deal with my demons without worrying about my sister fucking up her life.
My phone dings from the living room and before I can get to it, I walk in to see Reagan smiling at me.
“You got a date with her, huh?” She tosses me the phone.
Mackenzie: You’re welcome. Should I bring more tomorrow night?
“I do,” I say, grinning as I type out my reply.
Me: Hell yes! Extra icing, too.
“I’m shocked she’s giving you the time of day,” Reagan says, laughing at me as she stands. “I mean, from what I know you two are totally different.”
“What do you know, Reag?” I cross my arms after sliding my phone back into my pocket.
“I know you’re wild. I know she was engaged to a stuffy businessman, I think.” She shrugs. “That’s about it. It’s hard getting dirt on her because not many people in my circle really know her. Seems nice enough, just be careful with all this.” She stands and nudges me. “No more broken hearts, okay?”
“Trust me, hearts aren’t getting involved when it comes to Mackenzie,” I mutter, wrapping my arm around my sister’s shoulder while walking her out to the car. I say hearts aren’t getting involved, but I know that may already be a lie.
My heart hasn’t beat as wildly for anything since Caroline. Then in walked Mackenzie and it’s like I came back to life after almost six years of living in the dark.
When I get inside, I slide my phone out of my pocket and smirk.
Mackenzie: What do you plan to do with this icing, Ford West?
As I’m typing out a response, I get a picture that makes me groan loudly.
Mackenzie’s very ample cleavage, a smirk on her face, and bright white icing dripping onto her tits; this is the best fucking picture ever.
Me: Thanks for my new phone screen background.
Immediately a reply comes through.
Mackenzie: You can’t do that!
I smirk and screenshot my phone after setting it as my background.
Me: Too late.
I attach the picture and chuckle. She’s too fun to fuck with. She’s also hot as fuck. This is a nice change for a phone screen.
Mackenzie: …why on earth do you have one thousand emails, Ford?
I chuckle. Of course she’d pick on me for that.
Me: Why do you care?
Mackenzie: I don’t.
Me: But it bothers you
Mackenzie: Yes. Ok? Yes. It bothers me.
Me: good
Mackenzie: *eyeroll*
Me: There’s that stick again. I’ll fix that tomorrow night ;)
Mackenzie: …
I grin. Those three dots keep dancing across the screen and then they disappear altogether. When another message doesn’t come through, I send another one.
Me: Tomorrow, Mackenzie.
“That was a shit meeting last night, Ford,” my brother, Lincoln, says when I walk into his office.
“Those people were assholes. We don’t need their business,” I scoff, shaking it off.
He’s right, though, it was a shitty ass meeting. They nitpicked everything about this place to shreds, including the age of it. When I mentioned to them that the brand new hotel a few blocks over may be better suited for their needs my brother shot me with his dagger glare.
“Money, Ford. This place takes money to run. You can’t shoo people away because you don’t like them.” He closes the book he was reading and I furrow my brows at the cover.
“Reading those bitch novels now?” He’s got a fuckin’ copy of that sex book everyone went ape shit over last year on his desk and he cringes.
“Something about it makes Wren insane in the bedroom, dude. I gotta keep up with her or I’m gonna end up an old boring man.”
“It any good?” I’m not a huge fiction reader. None of us kids were. Out family engrained history and factual events into us until all we wanted to do was read non-fiction books. Coming from a family who owns the most prestigious, historical place in Springfield, Illinois will do that to a kid. Add in the fact that we were all named after presidents because of my parents’ addiction to history and it’s safe to say that when I had time to read as a kid, mostly it was facts about the man I was named after. Surprisingly, they named me well. Ford was a pretty cool guy.
“Right before you walked in he was about to fuck her. And I felt really guilty for reading fuckin’ porn at work but it’s kind of addicting.” He makes a face.
“I… Okay. I’m not judging.” I laugh.
“You’re judging,” he says flat.
“No I’m not. What you read on your time is up to you.” I grin at the look on his face. “Just kinda fucking weird, that’s all,” I mutter and he growls.
“I can’t be the boring old man husband, Ford! I’m not even thirty and she’s got the sex drive of a horny teenager!”
“You? Old and boring?” I scoff dramatically. “Never!” I boast, then laugh at the look on his face.
“She wants another baby,” he murmurs, rubbing his head and smiling at me.
“You aren’t getting any younger,” I shrug. “May as well start as soon as you can.”
“What about you? You’re not much younger than me, Ford. I worry about you.” His eyes soften and I pray he can’t smell the whiskey on my breath.
“Whatever, Bro. You know I’m not like that.” I pat his back and he smiles.
“Get back to work, Ford. I’m sure there’s something you can be doing on this rainy Friday.”
“I should probably go home and shower. Got a hot date tonight.” I wink at him as I head to the door.
“Mackenzie?” He yells after me and I nod.
“The one and only!” I slam the door behind me and rub my face. Shit. Here’s my brother, married and talking about having more kids and here I am, taking a swig from my flask in the middle of the afternoon to calm my nerves about the date tonight. The minute I said the words ‘I have a date tonight’ they started rolling through me and making my stomach twist. God knows why I’m so nervous. I haven’t taken anyone out on a real date in a long ass time and I feel like I have a chance with this girl. She says I don’t, but I can tell by the way she reacts to me she’s just playing hard to get. I want a real chance with her, and I don’t want to fuck it up. Maybe it’s because she’s goddamned beautiful and she seems to hate me. There’s something about the chase. When she asked for the date I was surprised, but I couldn’t hide the grin on my face as we texted back and forth. She’s sassy, but there’s a story to her I don’t know. No one here really does. I’ve asked Lincoln, but he only knows his small family life. I’ve asked Reagan, the socialite, and all she can tell me is Mackenzie didn’t grow up here. That’s it.
I shoot her a Facebook message on my way home from work.
Me: Looking forward to tonight. One of these days I’ll get your phone number so I don’t have to rely on Facebook messages to talk to you.
I hit send because if I stare at the screen any longer I’m going to pussy out. It’s a sap type of message, but it’s the truth.
My phone dings almost immediately.
Mackenzie: I guess it’s up to you not to fuck up tonight, then, huh ;)
I grin and plug my phone in before heading for the shower. It takes me an hour to get ready, opting for a pair of dress slacks and a button down shirt, rolled up to my elbows. The restaurant tonight is a nice one and while there’s no official dress code, I wouldn’t ever show up in jeans.
I knock on her door on time, thankfully, and when she swings it open, all the blood in my body rushes straight to my fucking dick. She’s goddamned stunning. Beautiful. Gorgeous.
Mine.
“Hi,” I say, then clear my throat awkwardly. She laughs and I smirk. “Apparently I turn into a fumbling teenage boy around you.” My eyes trail her body and the tight black dress she’s poured her body into tonight and all I can think about is how to make it through the night without sporting a fucking tent in my pants.
“You ready?” She looks more than nervous, but she’s trying her hardest to hide it. The small tremble in her step as she walks down her path to the car. The flutter of her eyes when she smiles at me as I open the door for her. She’s fucking radiant.
“You look beautiful tonight,” I manage to say as I slide into the driver’s seat.
“Not too overdressed?” She smooths down her dress that doesn’t even reach the tops of her knees as she sits there and I can’t pull my gaze away from her tanned skin.
“Not at all,” I mutter, revving the engine before pulling away. She smirks over at me then laughs.
&nb
sp; “So motorcycles and Mustangs are your way of life?” She slides her hand along the middle console and I nod, throwing her a wink. Her slender fingers gliding over the leather of the interior of the car make me groan. Shit she’s hot.
“Gotta enjoy what you have, right?” I shift in my seat, adjusting my pants a bit. “You’ve got a bike yourself, little miss.”
“I do. I love that thing.” She smiles, the gold flecks in her eyes shining in the dim light of the cab.
“You gotta love the things you have. That’s my motto.” I smile at her.
“Yeah,” she laughs. “You sure do that. How do you afford these play things?”
I bark out a laugh. “Damn, you’re going straight for the ‘how rich are you’ on the first date?”
“No!” she shrieks, then groans, laughing. “I didn’t mean that. I just mean… You just have some nice vehicles, Ford. Very…very nice.”
“You don’t know me, Mack. I don’t have much else I spend money on.” I shrug.
“No baby mommas?”
I throw her a look to find she’s grinning from ear to ear, attempting not to laugh and I puff, letting out a groan.
“No baby mommas. No ex-wives. Nothing to suck my money dry.” I smirk over at her and she grins, crossing her legs and resting her head on the head rest of her seat. “You look fucking gorgeous in this car. You should consider riding in it more often.”
She laughs, shaking her head and finally those eyes pin mine as we sit at this stop light and my heart flutters to life in my chest. If I’m not careful, this girl’s gonna turn me into a lovesick pup and I’m too old for that nonsense.
She clears her throat and sighs, looking out the window. I want to reach across and take her hand in mine I want to touch her. I want to kiss her. Hell, I want to say ‘fuck it’ to dinner and take her back to my place immediately. I don’t want to share someone this beautiful with everyone else. I want her as mine.
But this is just the first date.
“Here we are,” I say, pulling up to the valet.
“You’re valet parking?” She asks, furrowing her brows at me.
“Only because this lot’s full and it looks like rain. Don’t want you to have to walk four blocks in the rain.” I wink at her, tossing Blane, the valet, my keys. He smiles at me, because he loves this car and I haven’t been here in a while.