Once Upon a Dare

by Jennifer Bonds

  “You know what your problem is, Cole?” He didn’t know off hand, but he was pretty sure she was going to tell him whether he wanted to hear it or not. “You’ve never really been in love; the pulse pounding, butterflies in your stomach, cloud nine, can’t eat, can’t sleep, sacrificing your heart to someone you care about more than yourself, kind of love.”

  “As delightful as all that sounds, I’ll pass, thanks.”

  “So there’s no wedding?” Lulu asked, looking from her mother to Cole.

  “Afraid not.” He shrugged, trying not to think too hard about all the things Olivia deserved that he couldn’t give her.

  “Bummer,” she pouted, her bottom lip jutting out just like her mother’s. “I was really hoping for a cool aunt!”

  …

  Olivia adjusted her glasses irritably and sighed as she flopped gracelessly into her desk chair. With only two weeks left to create a mind blowing pitch for Vixen, maybe her energy would be better used searching for a new job, because if today’s strategy meeting was any indication, she was going to need it. Cole hadn’t even bothered to show up. And after he’d lectured her about being on time! Where the hell was he anyway? She glanced at the clock, confirming he was two hours late. What could possibly be keeping him? It really wasn’t like him to blow off meetings. She hoped he was okay.

  Wait. What? Since when did she worry about Cole’s whereabouts? He was a grown man and perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Besides, they weren’t a couple. Just two people who liked to have sex. Together. Nothing more—as evidenced by his no show today.

  So much for partnering on this one. It was only the biggest account of her career, after all. No big deal. Well, if that was how he wanted to play it, fine by her. It would be a lot of work, but if she had to go it alone, that’s what she’d do. She was no stranger to hard work, and she wasn’t about to give up on her partnership or the Vixen account, not by a long shot. Come hell or high water, she was going to land this account.

  The question was, how? Flipping through her notes, she jotted down follow-ups and ideas that needed to be teased out for later. When Cole’s massive body filled her doorway, she sensed his presence immediately.

  “You’re about two hours too late,” she bit out, not bothering to look up. What was the point? He couldn’t possibly have a decent excuse. Nothing short of a dead body—and he was very clearly breathing—would excuse his earlier absence. “And you had the nerve to lecture me on punctuality?”

  “Didn’t you get my message?” he asked, surprise coloring his words as he moved forward to claim the empty seat across from her.

  Olivia sneaked a peek at him from under her lashes. She didn’t know what he was talking about, but he looked about as sincere as a Boy Scout with those freaking dimples.

  “What message?” she asked, exasperation creeping into her voice. Whether she was annoyed at him for being late or herself for noticing those dimples, she wasn’t sure. “I’ve been in meetings all day. I only just got back to my desk.”

  “I’m guessing that one,” he replied with a crooked smile as he pointed to the flashing red light on her desk phone. “I had an emergency and didn’t want to leave you hanging with the impression I’d blown off the Vixen meeting.”

  “What kind of emergency?” she blurted out before she could stop herself. If it was a real emergency, then it was none of her business. She didn’t want to know any more about him than she already did. Did she?

  “The family kind,” he explained. “I’m sorry, but it couldn’t be helped.”

  Aside from the one call she’d interrupted with his sister, she’d never heard him talk about family before. When other people talked about their families or weekend plans, he usually remained quiet. He never talked about anything but business in the office. Truth be told, she didn’t know much about him at all. Curious, she flattened her brows, but remained silent.

  “It’s true.” He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I was in the emergency room with my niece. She broke her arm this morning, wrestling with her brother.”

  “You were at the hospital?” Olivia asked, the skepticism on her face matching the tone of her words.

  “I’m not a complete asshole, you know.” He frowned, his gaze burning through her. She could practically see the wheels of his mind turning as he came to the realization that that was exactly what she thought. “My family needed me in White Plains. Otherwise, I would have been on time.”

  Her mouth fell open. “I’m sorry. I didn’t…I hope she’s okay.”

  “Kids will be kids, right?” he joked halfheartedly. “Lulu will be just fine. She’s tough like her mom.”

  “Good,” Olivia replied, cursing herself for exposing his softer side. That was the last thing she’d wanted to do. Getting to know him on more than a superficial level was too dangerous, given their chemistry. They had to keep things strictly business from now on. Well, business with a splash of pleasure.

  “So…” He rubbed his hands on his knees anxiously. “How was the meeting? What do you need me to do?”

  “Glad you asked.” She smiled, pleased that he was going to let her take the lead for once, without arguing. “I assigned the easy stuff, like fact-finding and number crunching, to the junior team members. Here’s the breakdown of what everyone’s working on. I’ve given them three days to deliver full reports to both of us.”

  “Looks like you’ve got everything covered,” he said, as he scanned the sheet she handed him. “And what will you and I be working on?”

  “I’m glad you approve,” she said, a very wicked idea forming in her mind. “I saved the hard part for us. Why don’t you stop by my place tonight and we can work out the details?”

  The look on Cole’s face when she winked at him? Priceless.

  …

  Cole didn’t have to wait long after he knocked on Olivia’s door. She answered wearing a sultry smile and a long T-shirt. No pants. It was the sexiest fucking thing he’d ever seen and apparently his cock agreed.

  Olivia’s lips twitched. “Took you long enough.”

  He growled in response and scooped her up in his arms. Down the hall, he laid her on the bed. He barely registered the details. They didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was getting inside his woman and proving once and for all that he alone could fulfill her needs so exquisitely. When he stepped away from the bed, Olivia climbed to her knees and grabbed the waistband of his jeans.

  “No games,” she breathed, pulling him to her, their lips crashing together.

  Her kiss was deep and desperate as he tore the T-shirt from her body, shedding it in record time before peeling off his own clothes. His hands were everywhere all at once, exploring her soft curves as if for the first time. She was perfection. Perfect breasts, perfect ass, perfect legs. And that little hollow in her neck? He’d never get tired of licking it. Or the way she moaned when he nipped her with his teeth.

  He thought he’d died and gone to heaven when she grabbed his cock, massaging the head with her thumb before reaching further south and cupping his balls. He groaned in agony as she stroked the sensitive flesh underneath. He needed to feel her body wrapped around him and he needed it bad. As they fell back on the bed together, he drove into her without warning.

  Olivia cried out, giving him pause as she raked her manicured nails across his shoulder.

  “Don’t stop.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Don’t. Ever. Stop. Fucking. Me,” she ordered, eyes ablaze.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart,” he promised, twisting his hands in her hair and pulling out. She whimpered at the temporary loss of contact as he flipped her over, intent on giving her such divine pleasure she’d be ruined for any other man. She complied easily, putting her hands against the headboard and lifting her bottom for him. He drove deep on the first stroke, burying himself to the hilt within her. She moaned and rocked her ass against him.

  “Did you like that?”

  “Ye
s!” she gasped, glancing over her shoulder at him with a coy smile.

  He gave her bottom a firm slap and then rubbed it with the palm of his hand before sliding it up her spine and grasping her hair. He brought his mouth to her neck and dropped his other hand to her core, stroking the bundle of nerves that would make her beg for release.

  His strokes came fast and furious as he buried himself in her, driving them both toward release as he angled for the spot that he knew would give her the best damn orgasm of her life. Their sweaty bodies rocked together as one. It was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. They were connected on a level he had never known and damn if he wasn’t enjoying every second of it.

  “I want you to come for me right now,” he ordered, rolling his thumb over the sensitive flesh between her legs.

  “Yes!” she cried out as his final thrust drove them both over the brink into oblivion.

  They collapsed on the bed, fully sated. Olivia wriggled closer to him, closing the few small gaps that remained between their tangled bodies. He brushed her cheek and held her tight, cradling her head in his arm. With her body pressed to his, it was impossible to ignore the heat of her skin on his shoulder, the tickle of her hair on his face, or the beat of her heart on his chest. Lying there with swollen lips, flushed cheeks, and wrapped in only a sheet, she had never been more beautiful. And he had never been more satisfied. Their little arrangement was working out perfectly.

  Basking in the afterglow of great sex, Cole’s gaze travelled the room, for the first time taking in the stark, functional space. There wasn’t much to see, but the little black dress hanging from Olivia’s closet door caught his attention. Definitely cocktail attire. Probably for the fundraiser Pritchard’s wife was hosting. If they were both going, maybe they should go together? Show up, be seen, sneak out early, and have a little fun?

  He dismissed the thought immediately. He had no business toying with such thoughts. It was too much like a date, and that kind of romantic nonsense was sure to screw up the good thing they had going.

  With that in mind, he waited until she fell asleep, then slipped out of the bed, gathered his clothes, and headed for the door.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Olivia pulled the covers over her head, doing her best to ignore the sunlight streaming through her bedroom window. Why had she bought sheer curtains in the first place? Maybe if she didn’t get out of bed, she could skip Saturday and fast-forward right to Sunday.

  Unfortunately, her bladder had a different plan. Sighing, Olivia threw back the covers. Cole was gone. Good. No need for the messy morning-after business that had no place in their coworkers-with-benefits relationship. She sat on the edge of her bed, glaring at the black cocktail dress that hung on the closet door, mocking her.

  To say karma was a bitch wouldn’t even begin to do justice to her current situation. Pritchard’s overly tan, overly plastic wife was having another lame fundraiser—Save the Platypus or something equally obscure—and she had no choice but to attend. It wasn’t that she minded fundraisers. She was used to slogging through those things with a phony smile on her face and a check in her purse. The problem was that Chloe had snagged a date at the last minute, making Olivia the dreaded third wheel.

  She had attended dozens of these things stag, and being alone didn’t normally bother her, but what if Cole brought a date? The prospect of showing up solo while he paraded around with another woman was a bitter pill to swallow. Not that she was jealous. He had every right to bring a date. They weren’t together.

  She slipped her feet into a pair of sock monkey slippers, and then shuffled into the bathroom. She was midway through brushing her teeth when her phone vibrated. A picture of Chloe wearing a Cinco de Mayo sombrero flashed on the screen. She wasn’t done brushing her teeth, but she accepted the call anyway. Chloe wouldn’t care.

  “Whassup?” she asked through a mouth full of foam.

  “Liv?” Chloe asked, sounding confused and no doubt wondering if she’d dialed the right number. “What are you doing?”

  “Brushin my teef,” she replied, wiping toothpaste from her chin with the back of her hand.

  “Oh-kaay.” Chloe giggled. “Actually, that’s probably a good idea. Wouldn’t want to show up for your date tonight with funky breath.”

  “Wha?” Olivia nearly choked. She spit out the toothpaste and wiped her mouth on a nearby towel. “What did you do, Chloe?”

  “I think the words you’re looking for are ‘thank you’,” her friend offered helpfully. “Anyway, I just did what you should have done all along. I called Alex. And it just so happens he’s free tonight and would be more than happy to escort you to the Save the…” Olivia could easily picture Chloe on the other end of the line, racking her brain for the name of the ambiguous charity, “whatever-it-is event.”

  “Chloe, what have I told you about setting me up?” Having weeknight drinks with Alex and pretending to be oblivious to Chloe’s blatant matchmaking attempts was one thing. Going on an actual Saturday night date with him was another.

  “Funny thing about calling Alex,” Chloe mused. “He was really surprised you’d want to go out tonight, you know, since you haven’t returned any of his calls.”

  Olivia had resolutely not told Chloe about her most recent hookup with Cole, or their no-strings arrangement. It was also one of the reasons she was still dodging Alex’s calls. How could she possibly go out with him when she’d been getting naked with another man?

  “Chloe, you can’t just go around making dates for me!” she complained, ignoring the thinly veiled question about Alex’s unreturned phone calls.

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s rude!” Olivia sputtered. She rinsed her toothbrush and dropped it in the cup on the sink. “Besides, I was going to call him back. Eventually. I’ve just been really busy.”

  “Liar,” Chloe challenged. “You haven’t said two words about drinks with him. Did you really think you could avoid this discussion forever?”

  “It’s true! Cole’s been making my life a living hell at work and I’ve been putting in a lot of extra hours,” Olivia protested. Maybe if Chloe was focused on something else, she wouldn’t have to answer twenty questions about Alex. She still hadn’t been able to decide if they should go on an actual date, which, apparently, was now the least of her problems.

  “Oh, I have no doubt you’ve been pulling extra hours,” Chloe agreed, “but don’t tell me you can’t find five minutes to call the poor guy back! He really likes you, Liv, despite the fact you’ve been blowing him off. If things with Cole are one and done, then why not give Alex a chance?”

  “Look, Alex is a really nice guy, but I just don’t have time right now.”

  “Make time!” Chloe argued. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to find Alex? Of course you don’t,” she rushed on, “because you never leave the office. Well, let me clue you in. It took ages. Nice, normal guys of the single, thirty-something, non-serial killer type are an endangered species, you know.”

  Olivia pressed her lips together. She loved Chloe to death, but sometimes it seemed they were light years apart. If Chloe applied the same energy to her job as junior associate that she spent man hunting, she’d be stiff competition. But as it was, they had vastly different priorities in life.

  “Seriously, Liv. Maybe Pritchard’s wife could host a NYC man-raiser? Now that’s a charity I could really get behind.”

  Olivia groaned and dragged a hand over her face. “Remind me again why we’re friends?”

  “Because I have all the goods,” Chloe chirped, sounding pleased she’d won yet another argument. “Namely the espresso roast and the 411 on last-minute dates.”

  “Yes, that must be it,” she relented, chewing on her lower lip. She needed a date and Alex was a nice guy. What was the big deal? It was just one date and it beat the hell out of showing up alone. “What time is Alex picking me up?”

  …

  Cole was making the rounds, doing the o
bligatory schmoozing that was expected of him as a partner and a top donor. It was just after seven and he was already bored out of his mind. Until tonight, he’d never realized what a valuable asset a date was. He hated these kinds of events, the kind where the sole purpose was to kiss ass and rub elbows. He didn’t mind making worthy charitable donations, was happy to give them, but he could do without all the other bullshit. He just wanted to write a check and move on. He usually let his dates do all the socializing. They seemed to like it anyway.

  Tonight was different, though. He grabbed a passing waiter and ordered a scotch.

  Cole surveyed the garden as he waited for his drink. It was a beautiful night for dancing under the stars. The sky was clear, there was a spring breeze in the air, and the trees were aglow with sparkling white lights. The party was in full swing with a live quartet spilling classical music over the crowd. Donors drank and mingled in harmony, although he would have bet most of them couldn’t even remember the cause that united them this evening. He hadn’t seen Olivia yet, but he knew she was around somewhere. Probably in that sexy little black dress. Pritchard had intimated the event was mandatory, and she wasn’t one to break the rules.

  Well, most of the time.

  The waiter returned with his scotch and he accepted it with a smile. He stood there sipping his drink, nodding at acquaintances as they passed by. He didn’t bother to engage in conversation. There was only one person he was interested in talking to.

  Catching a glimpse of Olivia, he moved through the garden to intercept her. Her hair was styled differently, falling in soft curls around her shoulders. It was an unusually feminine look for her, but if the hammering in his chest was any indication, it suited her perfectly. He immediately wished she’d wear her hair down more often so he could tangle his hands in those golden waves.

  Cole wove through the crowd, his eyes never leaving Olivia. He still couldn’t see her face, but he’d know those legs anywhere. She was wearing the lacy black dress and fuck-me heels, a promise he hoped she’d deliver on later. His imagination teased him with images of Olivia strutting around his bedroom in those heels—those heels and nothing else.