by Lacey Black
“Are you nervous?” she asks with a chuckle.
“Nervous? Why would I be nervous?” I ask nervously.
“Oh, maybe it’s the fact that you’re about to meet the sister of the man you’re going to be boinking later that evening. Or maybe it’s the fact that you haven’t been boinking at all and you’re going to boink with a man you boinked with over eight years ago and got knocked up,” she says.
“Stop saying boink,” I insist as I turn to rinse the final dish.
“So which is it? Are you nervous about meeting the family or about the boinking?”
I exhale deeply knowing that she isn’t going to let this one ride. “I guess a little of both,” I tell her honestly and turn around.
“Well, the family I can see. It’s not every day that you meet the family of the elusive Reid Hunter.”
“It’s just his sister, Tryst. He doesn’t ever talk about anyone else,” I say.
“Okay, so you meet the sister. Big deal. You have a way with people, Dani. That’s why you’re the teacher, and I serve the drinks. She’s going to love you just because you’re you,” she says with that big smile filled with sisterly love that I latch onto when I need it. “Let’s talk about the sex, because I can’t understand why you’d be nervous about that. It’s not like you haven’t already done it,” she says with a humorous little glint in her eyes.
I can’t help but smile. “I know. But when we did that before it was a long time ago. We were just young kids and we had consumed a bit of alcohol,” I recall. “Now, I don’t know, he’s all…manly.” There’s no hiding the blush I feel creep up my neck and spread across my cheeks.
“You ain’t kidding, sister. That man is 100% pure raw sex in a suit. He’s about as manly as they come,” Trysta says with a decisive head nod. I’m sure the blush is a beautiful shade of oh-my-god red.
But’s she’s right. Reid is powerful and dynamic in his suit. When he walks into the room, he owns it, commands it. It’s in his nature. Even when he’s casual in his khakis and polo, he still oozes authority and sex appeal. The man is walking sex.
“But it’s been so long since I’ve been there, Trysta,” I whisper, knowing she’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Trysta is well aware that I have only had sex once since Reid, and even then, I was too drunk to remember it.
When we moved here from Arizona and I purchased this house, Trysta convinced me to go out and do a little celebrating. She had just secured her job at the casino, and when the night manager wanted to make a good impression on her, he gave her vouchers for a night of fun: dinner, drinks, dancing, and a hotel room. Not just any hotel room, but a suite.
Dinner started off well, even though it was interrupted a hundred times by Trysta’s new co-workers stopping by to say ‘hello.’ When we moved the party to the dance club on the top floor, that’s when the real fun started. Tequila. Endless amounts of tequila.
I found myself on the dance floor the entire time, first with Trysta, then with an off-duty bartender named Blade. Next thing I know, I woke up with a splitting headache next to Blade’s very naked body in the smaller of the two rooms of the suite. While Blade’s muscles had muscles, he wasn’t the typical guy I usually go for. In fact, he was as far from the safe route as they possibly come. Even now, I can still recall the way he looked with his tattoos and his rock hard ass cheeks staring up at me from where he was lying on top of the sheets in the middle of that bed. Unfortunately, that’s all I can remember of my night of debauchery. When the shock wore off, I grabbed my clothes and slipped out the door as quietly as humanly possible, anxious to get out of the hotel room before he woke up.
And that was the last time I saw Blade. And tequila.
“Don’t worry about that part, Dani. It’ll all come back to you, I’m sure. It’s not exactly something you can forget how to do,” she says with another smile.
“You’re right, I’m being ridiculous,” I say with a shake of my head.
“Seriously, Dani, just have fun. You and Reid have this crazy, monkey-sex chemistry that I can practically feel the moment I’m in the same room as you two. You have nothing to worry about. Reid wants you. I can see it each and every time that man comes over. Just sit back and enjoy the ride, baby. Because if Reid Hunter is anything like how I picture him, then you’re in for one hell of a joyride,” she says with a huge smile.
Yeah, if Now-Reid is anything like Then-Reid, then I’m in for the ride of my life.
“Hey, shouldn’t you be getting ready for work?” I ask after glancing at the clock on the microwave.
“Yeah,” she mumbles. Things with Trysta haven’t been so hot on the work front. Ever since she caught Ryker–the pit boss she started seeing a few weeks back–with his arms around another cocktail waitress and his dick between her legs, she’s been in a funk.
I wish I knew how to cheer her up. Trysta’s problem is that she goes for the wrong kinda man. She always gravitates towards the tall, dark, and handsome type. The type that isn’t looking for anything other than a few rolls between the sheets. And Trysta has always seemed okay with that, but lately something is different. I can’t pinpoint what exactly it is, but I’m determined to get to the bottom of it.
“Hey, you know I’m here for you if you need to talk, right?” I ask with a solemn face.
She looks at me for several heartbeats before offering me the smallest of smiles. “Yeah, I know. I’m okay, Dani. I just wish I didn’t keep falling for douche bags,” she says before walking out of the room.
Trysta’s latest dilemma weighs heavily on my mind all night, well after she has left for work. With Ryan in bed and Reid working tonight, I take full advantage of enjoying a quick night swim, followed by a long, hot bubble bath. But even when I try to relax, my mind keeps trailing back to the sadness in Trysta’s eyes. Something has happened to dim her light. Something that she isn’t quite ready to share with me. But if I know my sister well at all, I know that eventually, she will. She’ll fill me in on what has been bothering her. That’s what best friends do.
But until then, I guess I just sit back and wait.
Chapter Sixteen – Dinner Meeting From Hell
Reid
Steven drops Jon and me off in front of a little Italian restaurant off the strip. This place is well known by the locals for its exquisite entrees and fun atmosphere. Leo, the owner, is an acquaintance of mine, and whenever I need to have a dinner meeting, I always prefer Leo’s place.
“Your party is waiting. This way,” the hot, young hostess says to me and Jon. The way her greedy little eyes devour our bodies tells me she’s much more interested in showing us something other than to our seats.
Jon’s eyes remain glued to her ass the entire time we follow her towards the table. The smile she gives him is inviting as she sets our menus down at the two remaining chairs. She doesn’t even bat an eye at the way he’s practically eye-fucking her in the middle of the restaurant. In fact, the way she smiles at him tells me that they’re already making plans to meet up afterwards.
Pulling my eyes away from the scene next to me, I take in my tablemates. Douglas Cruz stands up and extends his hand towards me. I barely even register the faces of the other men around the table. I don’t even notice their existence any longer when my eyes slam into the heavily made-up face of Cynthia Cruz.
“Gentlemen, you remember my CFO, Anthony Forrester, and second in command, Joshua Harkins,” Cruz says, drawing my attention towards the two men seated at his right. “Also joining us is Cole Jacobs and Roger Peterman,” Cruz adds, gesturing with his hand towards the men directly seated in front of us.
“And of course, I’m sure you both remember my daughter, Cynthia,” Cruz says with a wide, wolfish grin. My gut tightens as he says her name. Cynthia. Or Cyn as she prefers to be called.
“Reid, darling, it’s so good to see you again,” Cynthia says as she saunters around the table and approaches me. Placing her manicured hands on my forearm, she presents her cheek.
> Cynthia is dressed in a fitted dress that displays ample cleavage and miles of long, tan legs. But her tan looks fake. Like the kind you get from too much time in a sunbed, not from spending time outside by a pool like Dani.
Dani. Just the idea of Cynthia being here, touching my arm, and gazing up at me like I hung the moon and the fucking stars is enough to turn my stomach. I slowly step backwards a bit, doing everything in my power not to draw attention to the fact that I want her away from me. I know the deal to acquire Bravado is signed and sealed, but that doesn’t mean I want to ruffle any feathers right now before the ink is officially dry. Douglas Cruz and his team will still be very much involved–even though in a much smaller capacity–with Bravado. My acquisition of the multi-million-dollar enterprise comes in tiers, only the first one of retaining a few of Cruz’s key players being fulfilled at this point.
It’s the next tier that has my blood pressure near stroke level.
I try to take the empty seat farthest from Cynthia, but Jon pulls it back and slips in before I can take a seat. That leaves one chair left available: right next to Cynthia. Reluctantly, I take the seat. She immediately begins talking about something to do with a country club or some stupid shit about an inclusive spa. I couldn’t care less. I listen to her drone on and on until the main entrees are served. Finally, she shuts up long enough to eat the measly little portion of food on her plate.
“So, Hunter, I believe my team has fulfilled the first phase of the merger. It’s time for the next portion,” Cruz says after the dinner plates are removed from the table.
“I don’t want to rush it. We have until the end of the year to complete the next phase,” I say, looking at Cruz over his daughter’s head. Cynthia offers me a wicked smile moments before I feel her hand on my knee and slide upward towards my thigh. I jump a little in my chair, slamming my knee into the underside of the table. Not wanting to draw any more attention, I gently grab her hand and move it towards my knee. I definitely don’t want her hand anywhere near my junk.
“Why wait?” Cruz asks, clearly irritated with my desire to hold off.
“I told you it would be complete by the end of the year, and I will fulfill that. I’m not in any hurry,” I reply with a stone face.
Cruz’s loud laugh echoes through the restaurant. “Oh, Hunter, I’m well aware that you have until the end of the year, but I was hoping you’d humor an old man and take care of it now so that I can enjoy handing my company over to you. This clause is only delaying the inevitable. You want my company, you fulfill the contract,” he says with a direct look.
I’m well aware of the fucking contract. The only way to ensure I walk away with Bravado is to fulfill the damn contract. It pisses me off that he’s reminding me of the terms we negotiated for close to a year. A damn year of my life spent on securing this deal.
The entire time I sit here, chewing on his words, I think of Ryan and Dani. I had just signed this deal the day she blew back into my life like some torrential coastal wind. Now, the weight of this deal is bearing down on me. For the second time in my life, I regret a business deal.
A deal that I can’t back out of.
A deal that will ultimately change everything.
* * *
When I pull into Dani’s driveway, I park next to the older Chevy truck that belongs to her father, Robert. I met him for the first time earlier in the week when Dani invited him to join us for dinner. Ryan was thrilled to have what he considers his entire family at his house at once. He knows he has another aunt, Tara, and will meet her soon. It’s been hard holding off my viper of a sister. She’s as determined and anxious to meet Ry as he is to meet her.
When I told Tara about my son, I’m pretty sure she thought I was joking. Her laughter filled the small café as we enjoyed soup and sandwiches for lunch. It took her a few minutes to get her laughing fit under control; all while I just sat there and stared at her, waiting her out so that I could finish with my news.
When Tara realized I wasn’t joking, that’s when the shock set in. Wide-eyed and mouth gaping open, she gawked at me for several long, silent minutes as if I had sprouted a second head right before her eyes.
Her eyes continued to shine brightly with unshed tears as I told her an abbreviated version of my story with Dani and how Ryan suddenly appeared in my life. It felt good to tell it, and honestly, it was pretty easy to say. Each time I tell it, it’s as if I didn’t even freak the fuck out a few weeks ago at the prospect of becoming a father.
I filled Tara in on my reaction to the news. I wouldn’t be able to hide it from her anyway. My little sister has some sort of radar when it comes to me and the shit I’m hiding. She’s always been the one person who can see through the bullshit. Well, her and Steven. At the end of lunch, she hugged me and told me that she was anxious to meet her nephew.
It’s been a bitch thus far holding her off. Soon. She’ll meet him soon.
I don’t even have to knock on the door. As soon as I come through the back gate, the back door flies open and my little buddy runs out, meeting me at the top of the stairs. Without even realizing it, my arms are open and Ryan is launching himself at me. I hate hugging. Hugging is nothing more than an awkward attempt to connect with someone intimately. But when he hugs me–and damn does that kid hug me a lot–I find myself hugging him back. Heart beating wildly, arms wrapped up tightly, holding on for as long as I can, hugging.
“Guess what, Dad? Grandpa bought us Battleship! We’re going to play tonight. I bet I can sink all of his boats before he can sink mine,” Ryan all but yells at me a few inches from my face.
“That sounds like an awesome time, buddy. Are you all packed up and ready to go?” I ask, setting him down as we make our way into the house.
Robert is standing in the kitchen leaning against the counter, talking to Trysta who looks like she just got home from an all-nighter. I know her job keeps her up all night, but there’s something about her today.
Trysta is a beautiful woman. I’d be blind not to see it. Her long blond hair is lighter than Dani’s, but that’s about the end of the physical differences. They do have the same blue eyes and facial structure. I imagine Robert had his hands full when these two girls were younger. One of the other main differences between the girls is personality. Trysta is loud and bubbly, while Dani is meek and shy. While both girls are gorgeous, Dani is the only one I see. She’s breathtaking.
And when she walks around the corner wearing a navy blue dress and silver strappy heels, I lose every ounce of air I have in my lungs.
The room is suddenly silent as I take in the woman before me. She is without a doubt the most beautiful woman in the world. Her long, tan legs extend for miles and miles, hypnotizing me as she walks into the room. Her arms are bare and the neckline hits right at her collarbones. The dress is stunning in a slightly conservative way.
My legs are moving without even realizing it. As I step closer, nearing her personal space, I can smell the intoxicating combination of her shampoo and perfume. I almost audibly groan when I catch a whiff of her scent. But as heady as that sensation is, nothing prepares me for when I wrap my arms around her and meet nothing but bare skin. Soft, alluring, sexy as fuck bare skin.
Suddenly my dick is so hard, I could break glass. As I pull her flush against me, my hands slide effortlessly along her back. I feel every bump of her spine. Each one shooting a hard jolt of lust straight to my groin. This time, I can’t fight the groan. It slips out loudly, urgency and need clearly evident in the animalistic sound.
Dani’s eyes widen. My dick is practically knocking on her stomach, begging to come out and play. My hands continue to explore her back like Christopher fucking Columbus as my mouth claims hers. I forget everything. I forget about the wedding that we’re attending, I forget about our son and her family standing in the room behind me, I forget about the deal that has been causing sleepless nights. I forget it all and just feel. I feel her hot skin against my hand. I feel the way her body molds to mine as if i
t were made specifically for me. I feel the way our bodies fire to life. But most importantly, I feel the way my heart skips a beat and then speeds up quickly. It’s a terrifying feeling, but one that I can’t miss. One that I don’t want to miss.
A throat clears somewhere behind me. I pull my lips away from Dani’s, but continue to look down into her blue eyes. They’re heavily lidded and shine with her own lust, and it takes everything I have not to throw her over my shoulder and run straight back to her bedroom–caveman style.
“They’re just kissing, Grandpa. That’s what mommies and daddies do,” Ryan says so matter-of-factly that it makes everyone laugh. It is what mommies and daddies do, and it’s exactly what this daddy wants to do with that mommy.
“You look gorgeous,” I mumble as I kiss her lips once more.
“Thank you,” she replies with a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. “You look pretty handsome yourself,” she adds, taking in my gray suit and navy blue tie. It wasn’t even planned, but we match pretty well. Twinkies, as Tara and Carly would say.
God, did I just say Twinkies?
World, here’s my man card.
“Dad, do you have everything that I set aside for you?” Dani asks, glancing around me. Dani walks over and begins double checking Ryan’s overnight bag, while I keep my back to the room and pretend to look at something on the counter, silently willing my hard-on to subside before I turn around.
“Dad, will you walk out with me to the car?” Ryan asks. That does it. Knowing that he’s right there behind me essentially kills any wood I’m sporting.
“Sure thing, buddy,” I say as I turn and take the overnight bag from Dani’s hand.
“You be a good boy for Grandpa,” Dani says as she bends over and kisses our son on the cheek. “Make sure you brush your teeth before bed,” she adds, unable to control the mother in her.
“I will, Mom,” he replies with a smile. I can’t help my own smile that spreads widely across my face.