Just One Spark: A Black Alcove Novel

by Jami Wagner

  “Seriously?” Enough excitement to last a lifetime blares through the phone. “Beth, thank you! Thank you!”

  His happiness overtakes him as he stutters a few more thanks you and then tells me he’ll call me later.

  It was good to hear from him even if it wasn’t for the reason I would have wanted; I miss him and I know what he wants from me is reasonable.

  But now I want this job at Mitchell Marketing more than anything.

  Maverick

  I arrive at the restaurant at a quarter till. I don’t see either Beth or Austin, so I take a seat in the lounge. We aren’t having dinner. This is a work meeting only.

  I’ve barely sat down when Beth walks through the door. She’s still in the skirt and jacket she had on earlier, looking radiant as ever. I smile and wave her over.

  This is work, not a date, I remind myself one more time.

  “Where’s Austin?” she asks. I can’t help but laugh. When it comes to work, she sure is serious. This kind of attitude would be very beneficial for the company.

  “Does it surprise you that he isn’t here yet?”

  The waitress places water glasses on the table. “Can I get you anything else to drink?”

  “Water is fine. We are waiting on one more,” Beth answers. The waitress leaves us, and I can’t help but smile.

  “What?” Beth asks.

  “You’re like a lion ready to pounce.”

  “Well, I am here to work and I want to get started.”

  “It’s okay to relax though. I mean, we are going to be working together for a while. Being comfortable around each other will help us process more smoothly.”

  “I’m comfortable.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  My brow raises. I’m not so sure.

  She releases a big sigh.

  “Fine, but how would you feel being in my position? Up against two family members of the company.”

  She has a point.

  “Well, for starters, Austin isn’t much to work against. He isn’t even here,” I tell her.

  “But he’s the boss’s son. That already puts him in a higher place than me.”

  “I wouldn’t assume that.”

  “Still, I can’t be messing around. My life depends on this job.”

  A worried look that almost clashes with desperation flashes through her eyes. What would a woman right out of college have to fear? Money? This could be an interesting topic to explore, but my damn phone picks right now to ring.

  “It’s Austin,” I say before answering it.

  “Are you almost here?” I ask.

  “No.”

  “What do you mean, no?”

  Beth’s eyes go wide.

  “I relocated the meeting. Meet me at the corner of Stone and Fifth.”

  “Stone and Fifth,” I say out loud. Beth pulls out her phone and types in the address. Her brows furrow as she holds the phone closer to her face.

  “It’s a strip club,” she mouths.

  “Austin, come on, we can’t meet there.”

  “Scared of the temptation?” he asks.

  “I don’t even know what that means.” Seriously, what the fuck does that mean?

  Beth taps her finger on the table in front of me. “Let’s just go and get this over with.”

  “Fine,” I say to both her and Austin. “We are on our way.”

  The last place most women want to be is in a strip club, yet Beth accepted the idea like I was asking her if she wanted to grab a drink. I’ve heard of people doing what it takes to get a job, but her drive has got to be on a whole different level.

  “Austin doesn’t play fair. I’m warning you now. Let’s just cut him from the team. He can work on his own,” I offer.

  “Cut the boss’s son? How do you think that will make us look?” She acts like I’ve just said the craziest thing in the world to her.

  “You don’t know him like I do.”

  “Suck it up, Maverick. Don’t be a baby.”

  “I’m not being a baby. I’m looking out for you.”

  “I don’t need you to look out for me.”

  She marches out of the restaurant and straight for her car.

  Looks like we’re doing this. She rolls down her window and yells for me to get into her passenger’s seat.

  “Nothing about this is a good idea, but if you think we should go, we will go,” I say.

  “Thank you.”

  “However, I would like to point out that he made this work decision without us, so feel free to call him out on it.”

  If she’s going to call me out on my bullshit, she should do the same to him. Although her ability to put me in my place earlier turned me on more than it upset me, so I definitely don’t hope for the same reaction when it comes to Austin. Plus, perhaps my comment will get a slight rise out of her. Her cheeks turn this glowing shade of pink when she’s upset and a dimple appears on the left side of her mouth when she presses her lips together so she doesn’t say the wrong thing. It’s only been a couple of days, but she does this more than you’d think.

  “Hey, I expect this behavior from him, not you,” she says.

  “You’re right.”

  “Exactly.”

  I steal a glance and catch the smile she’s attempting to hide with her hand.

  “You can’t always be right, though,” I tempt her.

  “Ah, we’ll see.”

  When we pull up to the club, it looks run down and in need of paint. Something I’m sure most people would never notice coming here at night, but since there is still a sliver of daylight, this place gives the illusion that it’s deserted instead of a business.

  “We will just get in, get out and be on our way,” Beth says, her steps faltering as she approaches the door.

  “Having your doubts now?” I ask.

  “No, I just would rather not spend my entire night in a hazy strip club.”

  “Agreed,” I say, and we step inside.

  Smoke engulfs us the moment we step inside and Beth immediately starts coughing. The urge to tell her to wait outside so she doesn’t have to endure this hits me, but before I can say anything, she walking farther inside.

  Fucking Austin. I should have known he would pull this shit. I grip the back of my neck as I make way behind Beth. He is up to something, and I don’t think it’s going to end well for any of us.

  Beth spots him before I do. She takes a seat at his table, pulling out a notepad and pen.

  “You have all your fancy spreadsheets written down on there?” Austin asks, his eyes never leaving the woman on stage.

  “Well, I sure as shit am not going to bring a laptop in here.”

  “Why not? Think you’re better than the women in here?”

  “Austin,” I warn.

  “Let’s just get to work,” Beth says.

  “On one condition,” Austin says, and I cross my arms. Now were going to find out exactly why he wanted us to come here.

  “You dance and then we can work.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” I shout as Beth gasps.

  “That’s insane,” she snaps. “For fuck’s sake, how mental are you?”

  “Mental enough to know you want this job this badly. Mental enough to know you’d rather work on this project without me. And I’ll give you that, if you dance.”

  Beth leans back in her chair, her focus locked on Austin. Her tongue sweeps across her lips right before her teeth tug against the bottom one.

  This is not the place for me to begin thinking about how that should be my tongue and my lips.

  “No, no, don’t even think about it, Beth. He’s setting you up,” I say. She’s still focused on him.

  “She’s a big girl; she can make her own choice.”

  “Beth, come on, he’s just trying to see how far he can get you to go. It’s not worth it.” Her eyes finally flicker to me briefly before returning to Austin. “Do I have to take my clothes off?”

  “Wh
at? Beth, like you said, this is insane.” I’m about to pull out my hair. No fucking way am I letting her go on stage in front of all these men. There might be only six people in here, but still, it’s not going to happen.

  “Of course not. Mav wouldn’t be able to contain himself if you did,” Austin answers her.

  Big, green eyes focus on me.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asks, probably assuming I shared information about this past weekend.

  “Oh, he didn’t tell you why he’s at MM under my father’s watch and not with his own?”

  “Austin, just get to it so Beth and I can get on with our work,” I interrupt.

  His eyes narrow as he looks me up and down. “Keeping it a secret? Fine. You dance for him, really dance for him to the next song, and I’ll let you two be.”

  Dance for me? I thought it was dance in general. I rub my hands over my face. How in the fuck did my serious career bring me to this moment? This has got to be a nightmare. This isn’t real.

  “That’s it?” Beth asks. “Dance for Maverick and you won’t get in our way on the project?

  “That’s it,” he says.

  Fuck. This is not a dream and this isn’t good.

  “I want him gone, too, but this? This is not the way to do it,” I tell her.

  “Can I do it in private?” she asks, ignoring me.

  “Beth, you don’t have to do this,” I repeat. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love for her to do whatever to me, but not here and not as a negotiation.

  “No, you—”

  “She not doing it.” I’ve had enough of waiting for her to reach this decision. “Let’s go.”

  “Maverick, this isn’t your choice.”

  “You’re right.” In one stride, I’m inches away from being able to kiss her. She doesn’t step back. “We’re supposed to work as a team, right? That’s what you said you want. To make these decisions together.”

  She presses on the tips of her toes, her hands resting on my shoulders as she balances herself to whisper in my ear.

  “He thinks I won’t do it, which is why I have to. I want this job, Maverick, and I need him to know how much. You said I shouldn’t worry about him being the boss’s son; well, let me show him how unaffected his threats are to me.”

  I need this too. I need these next three months to go smoothly, but this is not the way. I don’t know what else to say to make her realize this. I’m still shaking my head, but I know the decision has been made.

  A remix of Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” comes on when the next dancer, a thin woman with porcelain-white skin and black hair steps to the center of the stage. She looks like she could be about the same age as Beth. Her hips begin to bounce with the beat, and Austin settles back in his seat. “I have to see it to make it count,” he says, taking a sip of his drink like he already knows the answer.

  “Fine, but I’m not fucking going on stage. I’m doing it right here,” Beth snaps at him.

  His drink sloshes out of his glass. That wasn’t the answer he was expecting.

  Before I can protest once more—she doesn’t deserve this and this is not how business should be handled—she’s out of her seat, pushing me into my own, and standing in front of me, her eyes begging me to agree.

  Austin has no idea what it means to grow up and be a businessman. If he did, none of us would be in this position right now.

  I release a defeated sigh and nod. She takes her jacket off, revealing a sleeveless blouse that dips way too low for comfort in the front, and then she turns her back to me. I catch the pleased look on Austin’s face right as Beth’s hips begin to sway in front of me.

  All right, she isn’t touching me. This should work out just fine.

  But then she is. Her hands grip my legs as she bends at the knee. Her ass is slowly placed in my lap. The moment we come in contact, I inhale deeply. Her back rests against my chest, her hips grinding in my lap. I swallow hard, trying to calm myself, but it doesn’t work. I know the second she notices what she’s doing to me, because her ass brushes against me harder, like she wants it. She wants to feel me against her.

  I don’t know how much time passes before Austin’s voice interrupts us.

  “Now that was a dance.” He laughs, holding his drink up to us. “Enjoy working alone. I will hope for your sake that the two of you get things done.” His laughter grows wicked as his eyes glance to where Beth sits, to where my hands are on her thighs, pulling her skirt higher.

  She jumps from my lap and grabs her bag, shoving her notepad inside.

  “We’re good then?” she asks Austin.

  I’m ready to knock him out when he doesn’t even look at her to say, “Yeah, we’re good.”

  She nods and heads for the door.

  “Beth,” I call out behind her.

  “Don’t, Maverick.”

  “Hey, I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

  I really wish I knew what she was thinking in there. She acts tough, but I can see that this was too much on her. She isn’t the type of woman to run out of a room like this. I don’t have to know her long to know that about her.

  “I’m fine. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  We climb inside her car once more, and when we get back to the restaurant it’s hard to miss her shaking hands as she puts the car in park.

  “We’ll both have three ideas for Facebook advertising by morning, yeah?” she asks. “Maybe for something else, too.” She shakes her head and looks forward. “Just anything, really.”

  “Beth—”

  “What’s done is done, Maverick. I don’t care if it wasn’t the right choice to make. I can’t afford for him to get in my way, all right? I’ll see you in the morning,” she cuts me off.

  I nod, wishing there was something I could say to her. That I could tell her that it’s not a big deal, but I can’t say that. She knows as well as I do that whatever just happened was a big deal and we can’t forget about it. Yet I have the feeling she’s going to try, because she’s made it more clear than ever how badly she wants this job. Me … I might not get my job back after all.

  Chapter Six

  Maverick

  What the fuck am I doing?

  I told Beth I would have something for her today, but I haven’t done anything. The most I’ve accomplished since last night was obtaining a photo TACM’s current logo and sending it over to the design team to see if there was any way they could make it more modern, more hip, and a lot less cartoonish. TACM has been around since before I was born and, although we still want to keep the family-friendly vibe the station has, it is time for a new look.

  It hasn’t even been twelve hours since I last saw her and I can’t force myself to think of anything but her. I can’t do this. I can’t let my job slip. I can’t be flirting with her. I shouldn’t even allow myself to be eager to see her the way I was this morning. She is my coworker. How in the hell did I let the line blur after just a few days? President of MM has been my goal since high school. Since I saw how a product of any kind, when marketed well, could bring a family together. This is the job for me. I just need to remind my brain of that.

  Beth emailed me this morning to see if we could get together to go over some of her ideas. I’m guessing she hopes that I’ll going over some of the points I had as well, but I’ve got nothing. Zilch. Nada. Brain, you can start functioning appropriately any time now.

  The only thing I’ve got is a reason why I can’t fool around with Beth.

  We work together and I need my job back. Which means we can’t. I’m a mix between frustration and annoyance that this one woman can soak up so much of my time. Work has always been my top priority. I’ve never thought about someone as much I have thought about Beth. I may have figured out the reason, too. We haven’t had sex. If we just have sex, I’ll be able to stop thinking her. Piece of cake. Then again, shit, sex is what got me here in the first place.

  “Maverick?”

  “Yeah,” I say, jumping as she p
okes her head inside my office.

  “Are you okay? You look a little flushed and you have all your blinds closed.”

  “No, yeah, I’m fine. Just have a lot on my mind right now.”

  She nods. “I can understand that.”

  Her hair is straight today, and it isn’t until this moment that I realize how long it is and how sleek it looks down the middle of her back. She’s wearing a black dress that falls to just below her knees, with a slit up the left side. The same side that is also revealing just enough leg to show me the definition of her slender thigh all the way down to the matching heels. This dress displays exactly how amazing her body is, and the gold shiny belt she has is so loose around her waist, she might as well get rid of it. I could help her do that.

  “Maverick, is now a bad time?”

  “Bad time for what?” I ask, snapping out of whatever the hell world I just went to obsessing over her clothes. I still prefer no clothes, but—

  “Maverick?”

  “Huh?”

  Shit. I have got to pay attention. We either need to work or talk about last night and move on.

  “I’ll just come back. It’s fine.”

  “No, no, let’s work on it now.”

  She smiles like I’ve just made her day.

  “All right, can you pull up the new spreadsheet I just sent you?”

  I do as she asks and listen as she speaks about numbers. How can she be so focused at work? Am I imagining every little pull of attraction between us? Maybe I am the only one who feels this way. But last night told me a different story.

  “And then right here…” She moves in closer to show me what she’s talking about. I think it’s obvious my attention right now is lacking. “This is where we can make our first slide. It can be a glimpse of the future, and this…” She points again, but this time she leans a little too far and neither of us misses the second her breast brushes up against my bicep. I sure as hell don’t miss the part where she stops moving and leaves it there. I try not to think about it but fail miserably when I look up to find her watching me. The moment her tongue slips out to lick her lips, all control is lost.

  In a matter of seconds, my chair is bouncing off the back wall as my body presses her against the desk. She drops her pen and turns to face me. The touch of her fingers as they curl my shirt at the sides is all I need to know she feels the same way I do.