Brash

by Sophie Stern

  Contents

  Brash

  1 Rose

  2 Rose

  3 Parker

  4 Rose

  5 Parker

  6 Rose

  7 Parker

  8 Rose

  9 Rose

  10 Parker

  11 Rose

  12 Parker

  13 Rose

  Epilogue Rose

  Author

  Blackmailed by Mr. Smith

  Blackmailed by the Vampire

  Brash

  Sophie Stern

  Stephanie doesn’t think I can take a dare?

  I’m going to show her I can take a fucking dare.

  Only I wish she hadn’t chosen Parker to be the guy.

  I wish she had chosen someone slightly less hot.

  I wish she had chosen someone slightly less rich.

  I wish she had chosen someone I was slightly less in love with.

  But a dare is a dare and I never back down.

  1

  Rose

  “I don’t think you realize what you’re getting into,” Stephanie says, reaching for her glass of wine. Yes, she drinks wine out of a glass. Trust me: I think it’s crazy, too. I think a lot of things about Stephanie are crazy, but then, what do I know?

  I’m just the computer geek.

  I’m just the nerd with the glasses.

  I’m just the girl who agreed to seduce the guy I’ve had a crush on for the last three years.

  Oh, and I’m just the one drinking the wine straight from the bottle.

  “You can back out if you want,” Stephanie repeats. Her voice is getting nasally. She’s drinking too much, or maybe she’s drinking too slowly. I can’t tell anymore.

  She’d have to fucking shoot me before I’d back out of a dare and we both know it. I’ve been best friends with Stephanie since we were ten years old and both the new, awkward kids in town. She knows everything about me and if there’s one thing she knows for certain, it’s that I don’t back down. I don’t give up. I don’t quit.

  It’s why I’m so good at my job and so good at being a friend and so fucking shitty at being a girlfriend.

  I don’t like to end relationships because I don’t like to quit.

  Unfortunately, this isn’t always a positive thing.

  The idea that you should never surrender is great if you like to play sports or video games or you have serious goals for your life. It’s less okay if you like to date guys who live with their mothers or who don’t actually have jobs. It’s less okay if you date people who are jerks. It’s less okay if your idea of the perfect relationship is a boyfriend who actually wants to hang out with your friends.

  I’m very much on the “less okay” end of the spectrum when it comes to not giving up, but then again, that’s the entire reason Stephanie came up with this dare.

  Believe it or not, we weren’t just sitting around playing Truth or Dare like a couple of high school kids, even though we may as well have been. Nope. Steph and I were day drinking and I made the mistake of complaining about work. Then she said what she always says.

  “What about Parker?”

  The thing about Parker is that he’s not just a good looking guy. He’s not just some rich-boy with daddy issues who likes to drink and party. He’s not just some playboy with a mansion. He’s not any of those things. He’s not who people think he is.

  He’s more than that.

  As the resident do-everything girl at AeroKing, sometimes referred to as a “personal assistant,” I spend a lot of time working closely with the big-wig at the office, whether it be getting him coffee or working on contracts. You’d think that the CEO of one of the biggest engineering companies in the world would be able to get by without someone to fix his tie or remind him what someone’s name is, but the truth is that Parker King takes up a lot of my time.

  And I don’t exactly mind.

  He’s easy on the eyes, but he’s more than that. Parker has a tender heart and a deep soul. I get the feeling he puts on this playboy act to keep people from getting too close to him. Not that he’s much of a playboy, but he doesn’t do long-term relationships anymore and the media has a field day anytime they photograph him with a woman.

  The truth is that he’s been hurt before. It’s obvious. Even if it wasn’t obvious from his behavior, he’s in the public spotlight constantly and there are some things you just can’t keep from the press.

  His breakup from Janine was completely publicized and completely horrible, at least for him. He didn’t know she was two-timing him with his former golfing buddy and best friend, Mike. The two of them were like brothers and honestly, I don’t think he’s recovered the way he wants everyone to think he has.

  I don’t think Parker has dealt with his issues.

  Part of the reason I haven’t pursued anything with Parker is that I really like him as a person. He’s genuine. He’s nice. He’s strong and sweet and completely tender.

  But he’s brash.

  And he’s an asshole to people sometimes.

  And he’s arrogant.

  And he’s completely out of my damn league.

  I was fine just being friends with him, just being work buddies, but that’s all changing now. That’s all changing right now. That’s all changing because my stupid friend had to go give me a dare I just couldn’t refuse.

  “It’s the beard, isn’t it?” Stephanie grabs some popcorn before daintily sipping her wine again. “You can’t resist beards.”

  “He does have a nice beard.” I’ll be the first to admit that Parker doesn’t look like your typical CEO. He doesn’t look boring or plain or dull. He doesn’t have a stupid haircut or a smile that looks like he’s thinking up ways to murder you.

  He’s very collected, very controlled.

  “It’s because he was in the military,” I say. I’m not sure why I’m divulging this. It’s not really a secret, but I rarely share anything Parker tells me with Stephanie. “He couldn’t have a beard for six years. Now he has a fancy one.”

  “I didn’t know he was in the military,” she comments.

  “Did you think he was always a CEO?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “His dad wanted him to be.” Pressured him to be. Planned for him to be. “Parker wanted to serve first, though. He did six years, got his degree, and then took over the company. Ten years later and he’s made it greater than his father ever imagined.”

  Parker is dedicated, driven. He’s strong. He’s so fucking fine that every time I masturbate, he’s all I can think of. I’m tired of him being the one I think of. I’m tired of him being the one I can’t get out of my head.

  Me fucking Parker is a horrible, horrible idea.

  I should move on to someone else, someone I don’t have to work with. I should move on to someone who won’t make my panties melt off my body with just a look, with just the right words. I should move on to someone who doesn’t make me question everything I know about myself, about the world.

  I should move on.

  But a dare is a dare.

  “It’s a pretty good company,” Stephanie agrees. She doesn’t work for AeroKing. She’s a real estate agent and one of the best around. She makes a shitload of money and she’s not afraid to throw it around. It’s why she drinks $75 bottles of wine.

  “But?”

  “But a dare is a dare,” she says, echoing my own private thoughts. “How are you going to do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “Seduce Parker.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You’ll have to make it good,” Stephanie says. “I have a feeling this one is worth putting effort into.”

  I have a feeling she’s completely right.

  2

  Rose

  “I don’t want t
o suck on the lollipop,” I frown at the receptionist. She’s holding it out by the stick, offering it to me.

  “It’s delicious,” Heather says. “You should try it. Just try a taste.”

  “Absolutely not. It’s not professional to suck on lollipops at work.”

  “You can suck on other things at work,” Heather says.

  “You can suck on anything,” Diane, one of the engineers, adds with a chuckle.

  “You two are insatiable,” I say, throwing my hands up.

  “Insatiable or incredible?” Heather licks the lollipop slowly.

  “I say incredible,” Diane swipes a couple of lollipops from the jar on the desk and disappears down the hall to her office. As one of the few female engineers in the office, she’s learned to hold her own pretty damn well. She also doesn’t give a fuck what anyone thinks of her, which is one of my favorite things about her.

  “Lollipop?” Heather offers once more, and I finally take one, tear the wrapping off, and shove it into my mouth. “It’s good, right?”

  “Yeah,” I manage to mumble despite the candy lodged in my mouth. “It’s pretty good.” Too good, and sucking on it makes me think of sucking on other things, and that’s not something I need to be thinking about right now.

  I do not need to be thinking about sucking on anything right now. The only thing I need to do is figure out how the hell I’m going to follow through on this fucking dare from Stephanie.

  Seduce Parker.

  That’s it.

  Seduce him. Kiss him. Sleep with him. That’s not so bad, right? It’s not such a bad thing. He’s attractive and he’s nice. He’s funny and smart and attentive. He’s a good friend. He might be the best male friend I’ve ever had, but then again, that’s the problem, isn’t it?

  People always say you shouldn’t date your friends because it’ll ruin your friendship. They always say you shouldn’t date people you actually like, people you enjoy being around. Stephanie tells me this is a load of bullshit.

  “Best friends make the best lovers,” she always says. “Because when you’re comfortable with someone, when you deeply care about them, the relationship actually has room to grow.”

  Maybe she’s right.

  Maybe she’s right and I’m wrong.

  Maybe I should have asked Parker out a long time ago.

  Maybe I should have been braver.

  Something tells me she knows all of this and that’s why she’s pushing me, pressuring me to make a move now. She knows we’re friends and she knows I’m scared of ruining the relationship. She also knows I have a tendency to engage in destructive relationships.

  Maybe she knows I’m ready to grow the fuck up.

  I mumble something to Heather and head over to the elevators. AeroKing’s corporate office is housed in a 10-story building located in downtown Weston. I work on the top floor in an office next to Parker’s. As his assistant, I have a great office with a lovely view.

  I’m not just talking about Parker.

  The building overlooks a small pond and several gardens. There’s a park nearby, too. Then there are the city sights themselves. From the top floor of AeroKing, we can see hotels and restaurants and the core of what makes Weston so unique and beautiful.

  I get into the elevator and press the button for my floor. When the doors close, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

  Everything is going to be okay.

  Everything is going to be fine.

  So I made a promise to Stephanie I might not be able to keep. So what? It’s just one dare. If I mess it up, it’s not a big deal. I’ve followed through on every other dare, and even if I can’t actually seduce Parker, it’s not like I didn’t follow through.

  It just means I failed.

  It just means I didn’t get it right this time.

  Even as I tell myself this, though, even as I make excuses, I realize that I’m trying to pussy out. I’m trying to find reasons I can’t possibly do this. I’m trying to find any reason that I can’t seduce the man I’m in love with because, well, I’m in love with him.

  I’m just a coward.

  Parker and I have worked together day in and day out for years. He’s had a few girlfriends and I’ve had a few boyfriends, but neither one of us has been in a serious relationship since he ended his relationship with Janine.

  Her cheating broke him and scared me and neither one of us has been the same since then.

  I still remember the night he found out, still remember the look on his face at the gala. He caught them together, not even in bed, but it didn’t have to be. They were kissing in a corner and thought they were being discreet, but he saw their shared moment.

  He saw them together and something inside of Parker changed that night.

  He told me what he saw and then Parker and I went home. I drove him back to my place because I didn’t know what else to do. He slept in my bed and I crashed on the couch and when I woke up, he was gone.

  We never talked about that night.

  We never talked about her after that.

  We didn’t have to.

  The elevator dings as it reaches the 10th floor and I step out. My heels click against the polished flooring as I make my way past the receptionist on this floor.

  “Good morning, Rose,” she says with a tight smile. Christina’s dark brown hair is twisted up in a tight bun and despite her cheery tone, I can tell something is wrong.

  “Christina,” I say, stopping at her desk. I’m still holding the lollipop in my hand. I realize this suddenly and drop it in the trash bin beside her desk. “What happened?”

  She sighs and jerks her head toward her left, my right. There are two hallways: one on either side of Christina’s desk. One hallway houses several offices and a conference room. The other hallway hosts only two offices: mine and Parker’s.

  She’s nodding toward that hall.

  “He’s in a mood,” she says. “He told me to cancel all of his morning meetings,” Christina looks worried. “I have no idea why or what happened, but I didn’t do it, Rose. We have the meeting with Thomas and Johnson today and we can’t miss that.”

  Thomas and Johnson are launching a new airline company and we want to supply their parts. We need to supply their parts. It’s a huge contract and a huge deal. Why would Parker cancel their meeting?

  “I’ll talk to him,” I promise Christina.

  “The meeting is in half an hour,” she says. She frowns. “You need to get him to go, Rose, and you need to do it fast.”

  I nod and open the door to the hallway.

  So much for trying to seduce my boss. This morning, I’ve got bigger fish to fry.

  3

  Parker

  After two years of radio silence, I finally heard from Janine.

  Well, more specifically, I heard from her mother, who called to tell me the news this morning. Now, despite the fact that we’re no longer together, despite the fact that we’re no longer in love, and despite everything she’s done to me, I’m reeling with the news and I feel like I can’t breathe.

  I feel dizzy and unstable and I can’t fucking cope with anything that’s happening. I was already on my way inside the building when Grace called. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even come to work. I would have stayed at home, would have told Christina to cancel my meetings for the fucking month, would have done nothing today but sat on the couch and stared at the wall.

  I’m here, though, and now I have to face my day.

  Whether I like it or not, I’m the face of AeroKing and it’s my job to make sure the company keeps running. I don’t get to have a bad day or a hard day or a difficult day. I don’t get to take a vacation or a break or a rest. I have to keep going because the company has to keep going.

  For ten years, AeroKing has been my life. I’ve taken my place on my father’s throne and I’ve grown the company, made it flourish.

  On days like today, though, I wonder if it’s worth it at all.

  I wonder if I can
keep going.

  Somehow, I manage to make it into my office and I slump in my desk chair. My head makes it to the desk and I just lay there like a college student after $1 beer night at the local dive.

  She’s gone.

  Janine is just gone.

  I hear a quiet, gentle knock at the door and I know exactly who it is without even having to ask. Rose is here. Most likely, Christina sent her in to make sure I actually get my ass to the Thomas and Johnson meeting, which, by my calculations, starts in about 26 minutes.

  I don’t bother answering. Rose has been my assistant long enough to know when I need her, long enough to know that she doesn’t need permission to enter the room. She doesn’t need me to tell her to come to me. She doesn’t need me to go through pleasantries.

  Sure enough, she knocks once more, then comes inside and closes the door behind her.

  I smell and hear her, rather than see her. I don’t bother peeking up from my position leaning on my desk. I probably look like a huge piece of shit to her, but I don’t care at this moment.

  I hear Rose approach the desk. Her shoes are noisy on the floor, loud. I know exactly why she wears the heels, though: they make her legs look fucking miles long. I squeeze my eyes tighter shut. I do not need to be thinking about Rose like that today. I don’t need to be thinking about her like that ever.

  She’s my assistant: not my fuck-toy.

  As much as I want her to be, that’s not who she is.

  She deserves so much better than me.

  “Parker,” her voice is soft, gentle. She sounds like she’s trying to coax a scared kitten out of its box. “Want to tell me what’s wrong?”

  “I’ll go to the meeting,” I say, as if that explains everything.

  “That’s not what I asked, Parker.”

  I need to stop being a pussy, so I push myself up and lean back in my seat. I’m sure my shirt is wrinkled by now. Luckily, I keep an extra one at the office for times like these. We all have bad days and it’s best to be prepared. If someone spills coffee on me or I mess up my perfectly-ironed top, I don’t need to worry. Rose was actually the one who suggested I keep an extra shirt at work because there was an incident with a bowl of salsa and a new sales rep who didn’t wear her new shoes nearly as nicely as Rose does.