She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, then exhaled, over and over. “Our date will not involve elevators,” he whispered into her ear once she started feeling a little less frazzled.
“At least the lights are still on,” she whispered back. Why were they whispering? And why were they so close together? She should have stepped back now that she had her wits about her.
“You feeling a little better?”
She took another deep breath. “Yes. Thank you.” But still she didn’t step away, and neither did he. “You smell nice,” she whispered against his neck. She wanted to pull down his white crisp tuxedo shirt and lick his neck—an urge she’d never ever had before.
“You smell better. And fuck, you look good. I know I said that already but it’s worth repeating. You sure you’re feeling better? It’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.” His voice came out hoarse and sexy as hell.
“I know. I don’t know why I know that, but I do.” Her fingers slipped under the collar of his tuxedo shirt and his skin felt so good against her fingers. Maybe it was the two flutes of champagne or maybe it was the fear making her delirious, or maybe it was the fact she hadn’t had sex in a long time . . . but she wanted this man so badly. They were pressed close together and she was about ninety-nine percent sure it had nothing to do with being in the confined space.
“I’m picking you up tomorrow at seven,” he said into her ear, his nose softly caressing her skin. “God, Livie,” he growled, “I know this isn’t the appropriate time and this may scare you off, but, fuck . . . fuck.” He growled again. “I’m so goddamn hard, right now. I want you so motherfucking much.”
And she knew exactly how he felt. And appropriate or not . . . the feeling was mutual. “I know what you mean,” she said, running her nails along his neck.
Suddenly, the elevator began to move again, but then it jolted to a stop, causing them to stumble. Luckily, he was holding her as his back hit the wall. “Is your heart beating like that because you’re scared?”
She looked up and there was no doubt in her mind that he could see the lust in her eyes as she moved her head up and down and licked her bottom lip. “Yes. But not because of the elevator.”
“Why, then?” He moved his nose up and down her cheekbone and then to her neck, which she blatantly gave him access to by lifting her head up. “Why are you scared?”
“Because now I am suddenly scared that this elevator will open and you won’t have the chance to kiss me.” She’d never, not ever, been that bold, but there was an air of lust and sex in that small enclosure that was making her heady.
And his lips crashed down on hers, his cock pressed against her as he pulled her firmly against him with one hand and ran his fingers into her hair with the other, directing her head to where he wanted it. She’d known last night that this man would dominate her, take control, and force her to stop thinking and succumb to her desires. And she had not been wrong.
She moaned into his mouth and he grunted, a noise she’d never heard before. It was passion and lust and suddenly she wanted to rip her dress and give him full access to her. He trailed his palm down her neck and roughly pulled her chiffon top down, causing one of her breasts to fall out. “You’re not the kind of woman you fuck in an elevator, but Jesus, I want to fuck you,” he admitted. She wished he would. “I at least have to taste you.” He roughly cupped her ass as he moved down and sucked her nipple into his mouth.
Oh. My. God.
Her head fell back against the elevator wall. He wasn’t soft or delicate. He was biting and sucking like he couldn’t get enough. The elevator filled with crude slurping noises from him and mewling noises from her. She wanted to stop him. She wanted to feel ashamed—because what the hell was she doing in a service elevator with a virtual stranger? But none of that happened. She felt good and wanton and . . .
“Oh God . . .”
Between nips and licks, he said, in a raspy, almost unrecognizable voice, “I need to be inside of you.”
“Yes,” she hissed, and he pinched her nipple, sending a ripple of pleasure down her. Then the lights flickered again and the elevator began to move. “Fuck!” he growled as he let her go and rubbed his hand down his face in frustration. “Fuck!” She ran her hand down her gown, deftly lifted its top, and he adjusted himself.
“I don’t think I can fix this,” he said, reaching up to try and restore her hair.
“It was a two-hour hairdo, I wouldn’t know how to fix it either. Does it look terrible?”
He ran his palms down her arms. “Terrible? No. Not terrible. More like you were mauled in the elevator.”
She almost said I wish I was. But instead she giggled. She’d never done anything like this before. “I can’t believe that just happened. We’re practically strangers.” She pressed her forehead against his chest and he kissed the top of her head.
“We’re not really strangers,” he said, as the elevator doors opened. “And if we had been, we’re not anymore.”
A man she didn’t know was there, waiting. “Car’s here. There’s paps everywhere,” he said, and Joey pulled her along behind the guy as they walked briskly down the corridor to the back entrance.
“That’s Ben. He’s one of my guys,” he explained, then spoke to Ben. “What happened?”
“Some of the crowd got inside. Just rowdy protestors trying to get to the president. Everything’s under control now, but probably best to leave.”
“Head down,” he said to Olivia as Ben opened the steel door leading to the street. Immediately she heard the snaps of the cameras and the roar of reporters shouting questions as the lights from the flashes blinded her. Without hesitation, Joey put his arm around her shoulder, tucked her close, and shuffled her into a black SUV.
“Are you okay, Ms. Russo?” When she looked up, she saw Tom, her shitty security guard, seated in the front seat with Jax, who was driving.
“Maybe next time a smoking break isn’t such a great idea,” Olivia said.
“You think?” Jax said.
“Buckle up,” Joey instructed as the car began to move.
“Tom, did you see Mark? Is he okay?”
“Yes. He told me where you were and then took me to Jax. He was escorted out of the building, and he’s safely on his way home.”
“Good. That’s good.” She smoothed her hair a little. Did Tom know what had just happened in the elevator? Did Jax? She felt embarrassed that all this mayhem had been going on around them while she’d been making out with Joey.
“You’re fine,” he reached for her hand and laced his fingers through it. “Stop worrying.”
Stop worrying? There was no way she could stop worrying. She felt her hands shaking in his and he squeezed tighter.
“What happened, exactly? Just protestors? Protestors against me or the president?”
Jax glanced at her from the rearview mirror. “Both, probably. It’s hard to say. It’s my understanding you were going to be on the radar today because of your speech.”
“Yeah, but they didn’t even let me say it. How would they know?” She let out a long exhale. “No, it was probably the president. People might dislike me, but not enough to get arrested for it, right?” She looked over at Joey, who just shrugged.
“Don’t know, darlin’. But if they said it wasn’t too bad, just some overzealous protestors, let’s not worry too much about it. You haven’t had any problems before today, right?”
“Right. I mean, I think I had like five people picketing in front of office during my NRA speech last week, but that was the extent of it.”
“Then you’re probably okay. Feds just like to be extra careful. I’m sure you’ll be able to give your speech soon, and without the president in attendance.”
She wasn’t worried about not being able to give her speech. She was worried that she had some sort of angry mob out to get her. But, if Jax, Joey, and even Tom weren’t worrying, neither would she. She leaned back into the headrest and closed her eyes
for the rest of the way home, glad the day was over even if the stupid speech would still be hanging over her head.
When they rounded the corner, Tom pressed on his key fob to open her big wrought-iron gate. Her property was surrounded by huge hedges, which had come in handy to keep reporters away since she’d become the center of attention. Her house wasn’t big, but her property was. Tom jumped out of the SUV and opened the door for her the moment Jax put the car into park.
“Be right back,” Joey said to Jax as he followed Olivia and Tom.
Tom—a big bulky man, probably in his late thirties, with longish hair held back with a rubber band—wasn’t much of a talker. He was a nice man, as far as she’d been able to tell. He’d been working for her the last three months at Mark’s request. The evening’s protocol was that he would do a check of her house, and once everything was to his liking he’d leave for the night, then, typically, return the next morning. But tomorrow was Sunday and she had no plans, so she wouldn’t see him until Monday.
Tom unlocked her front door and disappeared inside, leaving her on her porch alone with Joey. Secretly, she’d hoped Joey would’ve stayed in the car and left with Jax. She had no idea what to say to him. They’d kissed—okay, more than kissed—and she’d practically panted for more. Now what was she supposed to say? These were uncharted territories for her. They couldn’t just part ways as strangers like they had last time, right? Which reminded her . . .
“Shoot, with all the commotion I forgot to ask you. Did you know you’d see me here today?”
“Of course, woman.” He took a step closer so they were almost nose-to-nose. “You think I’d just let you walk away without trying to get your number or make you go out with me? Pft! The only reason I let you go was because I knew I’d see you today.”
That made her happy.
Really happy.
She’d been unbelievably bummed that he hadn’t made an effort and regretful that she hadn’t made one either. In her mind, she’d thought she’d never see Joey again after that night and that had made her feel sad.
He took her hands in his. “Where’s your daughter tonight?”
“Since she didn’t come right out to tackle-hug me, I’m thinking she and Winnie are already asleep.”
He brought up one of her hands and kissed it, softly. “Tomorrow. Seven.”
She started to bite her lips. “I shouldn’t have kissed you. In the elevator, I shouldn’t have . . .”
He pulled her lip free from her teeth. “Don’t do that. Don’t regret our first kiss.”
“First?”
He leaned in and whispered just as Tom walked out. “Silly woman, that was just the first of a lot of things that’s going to happen between us.” He winked as he turned and walked away, leaving her breathless, happy, and totally disoriented.
“Hey Joey,” she hollered, causing him to turn his head. “Thank you for tonight. You’re sweeter than I thought you’d be.” She shook her head, warring with herself. She wanted him to know that she didn’t want a relationship but she did want to see him again. Maybe she could try for some fun—like a reenactment of the elevator kiss—but nothing more serious than that. Between the campaign and her daughter, her life was too busy for anything more than just fun. “But I told you I didn’t need a Prince Charming.”
“Yet this is the second time I’ve come to your rescue, darlin’.”
Damn it. He was right.
CHAPTER FOUR
A fundraiser for gubernatorial candidate Olivia Russo spiraled out of control when protestors broke through security and entered the gala. President Hadley, Russo, and other high-level political figures had to be escorted out of the premises before the guest of honor was able to give her highly anticipated speech.
“What was that?” Jax said as soon as Joey jumped back into the Suburban.
“What was what?”
“You and Russo?” He looked over at Joey, a brow tipped up. Of course Joey knew exactly what Jax was talking about, but he needed a moment to think about it. Process it. Come to terms with it. Whatever it was. He wasn’t really ready to discuss it.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, sure you don’t.” Jax chuckled. “Don’t forget I leave tomorrow for two weeks.”
“How can I forget? You’ve been stressing about it for months.” Jax’s fiancée, the lead singer of TNT, was leaving on tour and Jax was going with her. He’d planned and re-planned it a dozen times, as if Joey wasn’t capable of keeping ICS afloat without him.
“You think we’ll have to cancel our fishing trip again when I get back?” Jax asked.
Joey had been obsessively monitoring the toxic algae situation that had been moving south from central Florida for the last two months and worsening every day. And it didn’t look as if they’d be fishing or even swimming anytime soon. “Fuck if I know, but if McGregor doesn’t start giving a shit, shit’ll just get worse. He’s not even addressing it.”
“He’s a politician. They lie, turn a blind eye, and do what’s in their best interest.”
That made Joey think of Olivia. Would she just bend over and succumb to lobbyists just for political gain like her opponent and incumbent governor, Harry McGregor? She’d been notoriously hard-nosed in the school system, which was, according to the research he’d done, where she’d begun her political career. Apparently, while she’d been the secretary to the superintendent of the school district, there had been rumors that he’d been embezzling funds that were supposed to go to programs for special needs’ children. Risking her career and reputation, she’d single-handedly blown the lid off the scandal, causing him to disclose the budget and the embezzlement. He was now in prison and she had run as a write-in candidate in the next election. That was eight years ago. The community loved her and the changes she’d made to the school district were huge and groundbreaking. People wanted her as governor, which is why she had run. So no, he didn’t agree with Jax. Not all politicians were self-serving liars.
“Annie and Rocco tried to go to the beach last week and it was closed,” Joey said. Annie was his sister and Rocco her boyfriend. “Been living here all my life and have never seen the beach closed. I’ve seen warnings about riptide, but flat-out closed? Never.”
They reached the parking lot of ICS and got out of the car. It had been a long day and the tuxedo now felt constricting and uncomfortable. But damn, he could smell Olivia on it. She’d fucking rubbed herself on him and pushed her tit into his mouth in the elevator. He’d never gone so crazy with lust before, but she’d looked and sounded like she was going to come just from his mouth on her nipple. Hell, he’d almost come himself just from watching and hearing her.
“So tonight? You really think it was nothing? Those protestors were able to get through the feds,” Joey said. “That’s serious, man.”
“Yeah, they were pretty intense, but I think the Secret Service overreacted in canceling the event. They should’ve gotten the president out and the protestors out, and kept the event going. It spooked everyone but it was manageable.”
“You think it had to do with Olivia?” He’d been wondering this all night. Even during the kiss, his mind had wandered to her safety.
“Not sure,” Jax said. “But I bet with your super-sleuthy detective work you’re going to figure that shit out before tomorrow morning.”
Joey chuckled.
“At least try to wait until the morning so our contact at MDPD can give you the names of the people arrested. Don’t want you spinning your wheels for nothing.” He patted Joey on the back, hard. “I’m headed out, brother. Be good.”
“I’ll try,” Joey said as he walked away. He wasn’t going to wait for MDPD; that would take too long. Knowing the names of those arrested would make things easier and faster, but when did a little extra work ever stop him?
Joey got into his overpriced Ferrari, which he’d won in a contest—and secretly loved, even if it was kind of douchey and over-the-top—and headed home,
feeling excited for tomorrow night and his date with Olivia and amped up to start working on finding out who the hell had tried to get close to her and the president.
Maybe Jax was right. Algorithms did excite him.
* * *
“Mommy, can I eat my waffles in the living room?” Sophie asked the next morning, as Olivia scraped the burnt waffles out of the waffle iron. She’d been daydreaming about Joey and the way his tongue felt in her mouth and the way his big hands felt against her body, and she’d forgotten to open the machine. She groaned and poured out more batter.
“Yes. It’ll be ready in two minutes.” She turned the contraption over as she heard Sophie turning on the television to the ever-familiar sound of Peppa Pig. When the light on the waffle maker turned off, she opened the machine. This time they were nice and golden. She served them to Sophie who was sitting on a beanbag chair in front of the television, laughing loudly at something on the TV.
She needed to get her mind off of Joey and the date she’d agreed to go on that evening. A date she still wasn’t sure was a good idea. A date that made her nervous as hell, but also stupidly excited. A date that was nine hours away, that she needed to not obsess about.
So she pulled up the newspaper app on her iPad and sat back, her feet on the ottoman, to read the news as her daughter lounged in the living room. She hadn’t had a lazy Sunday in far too long and she was actually looking forward to doing a load of laundry without being rushed, helping Sophie finish a puzzle that had been sitting on the corner of her coffee table for a week, and then maybe going to the park before having to get ready for the date she was trying not think about . . .
“What the f—” she whispered to herself, planting her feet on the floor and sitting up.
“Mommy, you said a bad wod.”
Without looking up, she waved her hand at her daughter. “Sorry. Sorry. Watch your cartoons, sweets. I’ll be right back.”
She stood and walked to the kitchen and away from Sophie to look closer at what she’d just seen in the news. A photo of her opponent Governor McGregor, at least twenty-five years younger, sitting on a couch with a woman in a bikini on his lap and what looked like frat guys sitting next to him. He had a joint in his hand and a smile on his lips. The caption read: Happy 420!
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