Instant Obsession
C.M. Steele
Contents
Untitled
Summary
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
Epilogue
Instant Obsession
A Best Friends Duet
C.M. Steele
Copyrighted © 2020
All Rights Reserved
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.
Cover design: C.M. Steele
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Summary
Addison would do anything for her bestie, and that includes hunting down the best man. He refuses to cooperate, so she takes matters into her own hands, but she might have just met her match.
Tanner isn’t your average guy. He’s hot, smart, and completely closed off. He has reasons he doesn’t want to be the best man, but things change the second the fiery redhead storms into his office ready to go to war.
She doesn’t know that once Tanner’s obsessed over something, the obsession doesn't just disappear. He has to have it, control it, and never let go.
Chapter 1
Tanner
“Morning, bro,” I answer my phone as I get out of bed. It’s seven-o-one on the dot, and my stepbrother’s already calling. What could he want this early in the morning? We saw each other last night while having dinner at my father’s house. It had been a truly interesting meal, to say the least, but I’m guessing that he’s trying to catch me before I go to work.
“So…I need you to do me a favor.” The hesitation in his voice leads me to believe that it’s not something I’m going to like.
“A favor? What is it?” He knows I don’t like being out of my comfort zone, so it’s definitely something in that area.
“I want you to be my best man.”
I don’t say anything for a minute. When I finally do, it’s barely audible. “Are you serious?” I can’t believe he’d ask me. He has a lot of closer friends, and he knows damn well I’d be a terrible bachelor party thrower.
“I am. You’re my brother, even if we’re only stepbrothers.” I feel the same way about him. If his mother didn’t get in the way, we’d be tighter, but I refuse to have that bitch anywhere near me. The woman is so damn twisted that I can’t even stand to be anywhere she is. There’s a sick history that I’d rather forget.
“We are, but—”
“Listen, my mother isn’t going to have anything…I mean anything to do with the wedding planning. I wouldn’t put Madison through that torture. Her best friend is handling most of the planning, along with Madison’s mother. Please. I’ll do my best to keep my mother away from you during the wedding.” God, I wish I could tell him how she tried to make my life hell after the divorce. Too bad, my father didn’t have the proof to throw her in jail back then.
“Come on. It’s going to be small, no more than fifty people.”
“I have to get to work. Can I talk to you about it later?” I’m extremely precise about my schedule. I have an hour to get my workout in and then into the shower before heading into work.
“Yeah, but we don’t have time. It’s going to be May 1st.” Wow, he’s not waiting at all. I liked Madison, but he just met her. That’s a huge step to take on a whim.
“A month?” I can’t help but question it.
“Well, yes.”
There are a million things I’d like to ask, but I don’t have time. “Damn it. I don’t know. I’ll talk to you later.”
* * *
I’ve managed to put off my brother’s question for the past week. I should just say yes and get it over with, but then I think about it again and can’t say yes. I’m in the middle of working when my intercom buzzes. “Sir, there’s a woman—”
My door flies open, crashing against the wall behind it before my assistant can finish the sentence. I’m staring at a woman who looks like she owns the place. She’s wearing a pair of tight blue jeans with an everyday pink hoodie open from just below her breasts that leave nothing to the imagination. And trust me at this moment, my imagination kicks in overdrive. Her eyes narrow on me, but I don’t know what I did to her. However, I sure as hell know what I’d like to do with the redheaded intruder.
“Grace, leave us.” My dick is so damn hard that I can’t even stand to close the damn door myself.
“Sir, she doesn’t have an appointment.” Since when does my assistant question my commands?
I tilt my head, looking past the siren that stormed into my office and life. “Grace.” She nods and closes the door behind her with a hint of fear in her eyes, rightfully so.
“I don’t know who you are. I should have you tossed on your ass, but since you interrupted my day…please tell me what it is that has you acting like a madwoman.”
“You. Tanner Bryant, you’re making my best friend upset, and for that, you now have a problem with me.” She has her hands on her hips, which only causes her fabulous tits to jut out, bouncing just enough to let another blood cell leave my head and go south. Fucking hell, I’m going to come in my pants just watching this feisty kitten with her claws ready to dig into me. I’d love to feel them sinking into my back as she takes a pounding so deep on my cock that she can’t sit right for a week.
Taking a calming breath, I look at my computer screen and then back up at her. It’s an instant miscalculation. Some of her curly red hair pops out of her ponytail, which only adds to the sex appeal, driving me insane with lust. Hardening my emotions, I inform her of her error. “I don’t know your best friend. You’re mistaking me for someone else.” I bring my head back down to focus on the numbers and not the way I’d love to shove my dick between those insanely tantalizing breasts.
She steps up to my desk and catches me by surprise by slamming my laptop closed. Is she crazy? I think I’m the one who’s lost it. I’m pissed and turned on at the same time. I’ve been working on that document for hours; she better pray that it’s saved, or I’m going to take it out on her ass. Fuck, I might take it out on her ass anyway. She plants her hands on my nicely polished desk and narrows her bright green eyes at me. “You know her. Madison doesn’t need her wedding ruined because you refuse to give your brother an answer.”
Dawning hits me as I force myself to focus on her eye
s and not her chest, which is practically in my face. She’s Madison’s friend whose name I wish I remembered, but I don’t. When they mentioned her before, she was just another inconsequential female to me, so I didn’t bother to care. “You must be the wedding planner. I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”
“It’s Addison Reynolds.” She seems put out by the fact that I didn’t know her name, and I actually feel like I should be sorry for hurting her feelings.
“Well, fiery queen, please have a seat.” I can’t stand to have her leave just yet. I want to drink in my fill even if I know that I’m pushing the limits to my control.
She reluctantly takes a seat. “So?”
“So, Addison, you came here to yell at me, and I’m curious why you didn’t just call.”
“Because you would have stonewalled me like you’ve done to Emmitt. He doesn’t deserve that from a man he considers his brother.” She crosses her arms with a huff. Is she doing this to taunt me?
“Do you need a drink? A bottle of water, since you’ve been raging at me. I don’t want you to lose your voice before you’re done.”
“Asshole,” she mutters under her breath, but I have excellent hearing.
“I’ve been called much worse.”
She gasps and blushes until she sees the smirk on my face. “Well, it’s deserved.” She scowls at me, and I find it sexy even though if it were anyone else I’d have them out on their ass within seconds.
I hold back the urge to smile. Something tells me that she’s going to push me until I cave in more than one way. I don’t know if Ms. Addison Reynolds is prepared for the monster she’s creating. “If you came here to convince me, I think you’re going about it completely wrong.”
“Well, we can’t all be dispassionate, feelingless.”
I’ll give her dispassionate. I’ve been fighting the need to bend her over the desk, lift up her skirt, and thrust deep inside her cunt. “Ms. Reynolds, the answer’s yes. Now please go. I have work to do.”
“Yes?”
“Yes. You can tell my brother, but I’ll send him a text either way.”
“Wow, you could have done that for a week now.”
She doesn’t quit. Without looking up, I reply, “Bye.”
“Jerk.” She stands and walks out the door, leaving it wide open. Four male employees suddenly find the lobby entertaining. Their eyes are trained on her as she struts out to the elevators. I’m about to go ballistic. Fucking hell, I’m about to fire them all. I step around my desk and adjust my cock while their heads are turned. It’s uncomfortable, but my suit jacket keeps anyone from seeing it.
“Do you all want to be fired? What the fuck are all of you doing? Get back to work. I don’t pay you to stand around ogling women.” When I reach her the elevator doors open, so I press the button to keep them that way and lean down to whisper, “You’re a pain in the ass.”
“Yeah, well I’ve been called worse. See you soon, Tanner.” She winks and enters the elevator with a smirk on her face. I let the button go and watch as the doors take her away from me.
I’m going to kill my brother, the photographer, for never giving me a picture of the troublemaker. The door closes, and I’m still staring at it.
“Sorry, Mr. Bryant. She came up here and swept past the metal detectors.” Why is she disturbing my thoughts?
“It’s fine, Grace. She’s allowed to come in any time she wants.” Her brow raises as if she’s going to debate the matter, but I stop her and add, “If you second guess my orders again, you’ll be looking for another job.” I’ve never been that pissed at my assistant before, especially not about non-work related things, but that woman stole my damn control.
I walk back to my office and close the door without another word to my assistant. Leaning on the wooden surface, I exhale hard. I’m not sure how long I stare mindlessly at my desk, but I finally make my way there.
I pull out my cell phone from my top drawer and shoot a text to Emmitt. I’m in. I met Addison. Enough said.
I don’t know if he’s going to read more into it, but frankly, I don’t care. I’m going to find a way to get her naked and under me and then show her how much passion she brings out in me. She has no fucking idea the beast she unleashed. I’m not even sure I’m going to be able to ever put him back.
I open my laptop and growl. Addison’s going to get her ass tanned. I pick up the pen that has been smashed in between the computer and stare at it and then the mess it created. My screen is cracked. It’s still usable, so I save the file, but I send my tech department a note to get me a new one. Addison is one tornado that I want sweeping through my life. I smile despite how much she just screwed up my day.
Chapter 2
Addison
Holy fuck. I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding. Tanner Bryant is a sexy asshole. I know he’s got issues, but I loved the way I set his teeth on edge. He was ready to have me tossed in the street. I’ll be back again. My panties are soaked. I’m so glad that I got out of there before I threw myself at him.
He sat at his desk, shocked and so damn good looking. I thought the picture had been photoshopped, but Mr. Suit is clearly way too sexy for the camera.
My pussy throbs as I walk up Michigan Avenue to the train. I get several looks on my way there, and I’m sure it’s because my face is so flush, and I have my cute hoodie wide open. I got worked up as I waited to confront him, I opened my coat. Now the chill of the air hits me. Shit, I zip it up to my chest and smile. “He said yes,” I whisper to myself.
I’m sliding my Ventra card over the turnstile when my phone rings. It’s Madison. “What did you say to him?”
“Nothing…why what did he say?” I’m already cringing. He probably wants to put a restraining order on me.
“He said he met you, and he’ll do it. That was it,” she says.
I chuckle because, of course, he gave them attitude. “I pissed him off big time. I’m on the train, so I’ll talk to you when I get to the apartment.”
“Okay. You better.” I hang up because my face is already tomato red, clashing with my hair. I take a seat and sigh. Luckily it’s early, so it’s not crowded yet. I open up my gallery and stare at the picture I stole from Emmitt’s phone. Damn, I can’t believe how attracted I still am. He’s a jerk. Then again, I’m sure I messed up his perfectly organized day. He’s more than a perfectionist. Emmitt told us that Tanner’s an uber smart guy who graduated at eleven from high school and college by eighteen after earning his master’s degree.
I’m the exact opposite. I’m good at being a temporary admin, but I don’t have my life planned out unless it’s having little Tanner babies.
The second I step through the door, Madison’s on me with Emmitt right behind her, handing me a cup of coffee. I put my hand up and then sit my ass down. “You don’t have to thank me. I think I caught him off guard. He was so damn surly, I almost enjoyed being kicked out of his office.”
“He kicked you out?” Madison starts huffing.
“Well, I did call him an asshole and a jerk.”
“So why did he say yes?”
“So, I’d leave.”
“Thanks. All I had to do was annoy him.”
“Probably. He didn’t know how to handle me slamming his computer closed on him.”
“Oh, hell no. No wonder. I thought for a second he liked you,” Emmitt says.
“Why would you think that?” I’m a little put out that it’s not the case because I’m even more attracted to Tanner.
“His text.” He shows me the text. Emmitt’s right. It could go either way, but after our meeting, I know he’s just glad to be rid of me.
“Oh well. Fuck it. I did my job. He doesn’t have to see me that often.”
“Actually, about that. As the wedding planner, you will. Plus, you two will have to practice walking down the aisle together.”
“Son of a bitch.” I drink my coffee with a scowl.
* * *
Three AM and I’m s
itting straight up in my bed, sweating and aching between my legs. Why? I’ve been fascinated by the grumpy workaholic since Emmitt showed me his picture, and I need to get over it. Tossing the sheets off me, I swing my ass off the bed, and head into the kitchen for a cold drink.
A text on my phone startles me. You owe me your time. Tomorrow. Office at 9AM.
I work tomorrow.
For me, you do.
Next, I see an email from the temp agency saying that my assignment has been changed. I need to quit.
Bastard.
Not the way you talk to your new boss. Goodnight Addison. Get back to sleep.
Wait, how did you know I was up? Shit, I slap my hand to my forehead. How stupid.
My phone rings. It’s his number that he doesn’t know I have stored as Baby Daddy, but I’m changing it. “Did you just ask that? I’m not sure it was smart to hire you.” His gruff, sleepy voice makes me picture him lying in bed, shirtless. Maybe some boxers or sleep pants on. God, I can’t handle the image if he’s one of those guys who sleep buck naked.
“It wasn’t, but it’s three in the morning. My brain is fuzzy. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
“I would have been if someone didn’t wake me up.” I checked the text, and it’s from nine right after I fell asleep.
“Shit, I’m sorry. My stupid phone buzzed, so I thought it was new.”
“Get some sleep, Addison. I don’t want you falling asleep while getting my coffee.”
“Goodbye.” I hang up, and sleep seems impossible. It’s going to be a very long day. I pick up my notepad and start looking at the guest list. I don’t know if he has a plus one. I’m going to ask when I get to work. I’m not going to let him get the best of me unless it includes him balls deep inside me.
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