The Intern Serials: Complete Box Set

by Brooke Cumberland

  I dress in a simple outfit with black leggings and a teal shirt. I’m not quite sure what one wears to a country club, but I’m sure I’ll be out of place anyway.

  We arrive at a high-end flower shop. It’s the most popular in town with its elegant and pricey showcases. Definitely one I know would be way out of my budget if Bentley and I didn’t have a joint account. Once I graduated college and traveled with Bentley, I never looked for a job. I wanted to, but with his schedule, it was near impossible. He’s reassured me that I should enjoy planning the wedding now and that I can go back on tour with him, but some days, I wished I had something to look forward to besides picking out flowers and lunches at the country club with his mother.

  “Wow, this place is gorgeous,” I say as soon as we walk in. “So stunning.”

  “They do the best work in the state. Juan is a family friend, Ceci. He’s eager to help. You’ll love him,” she reassures.

  I fake a smile in return, knowing I’m already uncomfortable with this whole situation. I would’ve been happy with something simple, but I know that isn’t in Mrs. Leighton’s vocabulary.

  Soon, I’m surrounded by Mrs. Leighton and Juan as they discuss centerpieces ‘we must have’ and everything for the bouquets and boutonnieres. It’s really over the top and extravagant to have a bridal bouquet cost more than our monthly mortgage.

  “These are a lovely color,” Mrs. Leighton says, turning toward me.

  “Oh, are you speaking to me?” I ask unsurely since she’s hardly said a word to me as she and Juan had been discussing every detail. She nods, ignoring the resentment in my tone. “I don’t think it matches,” I say.

  “Off white is a perfect accent color to blue,” Juan clarifies. Blue?

  “Blue what?” My eyes widen. My wedding colors are not white and blue.

  “The tuxedo vests and ties are blue, darling. Didn’t Bentley tell you that?” She turns, fluffing another bouquet that is surely to cost more than my car payment.

  “No…no, he did not. They’re purple…to match the bridesmaid dresses.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly. Blue is powerful. It’ll be beautiful for a summer wedding.” She smiles wide, ignoring everything I’m saying. It’s useless to even argue with her at this point.

  What she really means is that blue means royalty, because that’s what she thinks she is.

  I clench my mouth tight for the rest of the appointment, wishing I could tell her where to put those white flowers, but for the sake of Bentley and keeping the peace, I don’t. I’ll be sure to bring it up to him later. He can tell his mother the bad news instead.

  I break away during our lunch to use the restroom and to quickly email Bentley. I know the plane has WI-FI but no phone service, so I’ll get to him faster this way.

  Please tell me you didn’t agree on blue for our wedding color. Your mother took me flower shopping today. She has picked out bouquets that cost more than my entire car. The bridesmaid dresses are purple. I thought that’s what you and I agreed on. You need to tell her because she won’t listen to me.

  He responds almost immediately.

  I haven’t agreed to anything, sweetheart, but blue is nice, too. I’m sure she hasn’t ordered the tuxes yet. I’ll tell her as soon as I get back.

  That’s two weeks from now. Who knows how much damage she can cause in two weeks.

  No, you have to right away. She’ll have the whole thing planned and picked out before you even get back.

  All right. I’ll call her tomorrow.

  I sigh in relief and quickly email back before I sit back down with his mother.

  Thank you. I love you. Call me when you land.

  I nod and pretend to be invested in the conversation with Mrs. Leighton. I wish I could connect on a different level with her, but right now, it’s like two cats fighting for the same territory, and she’s pissing all over mine.

  I thank her for lunch before she drops me off. I pass out on the bed ready for this day to be over already. I just want to hear Bentley’s voice.

  * * *

  My phone rings at three-thirty a.m., waking me out of my sleep coma. I’m eager to talk to Bentley, so I shuffle around searching for it.

  “Baby?”

  “Hi, sweetheart.” His voice instantly soothes me. “We made it. We’re at the hotel now.”

  “Oh, god. That makes me so happy. That was a long flight.”

  “Yeah, I’m beat. I’m going to be jet legged for a week now.”

  “I wish I could fly out sooner. I miss you already.”

  “I know, sweetheart. But it’s always so busy the first few days. You’ll be here soon.”

  “I can’t wait. I need a break. Your mother is stressing me out.”

  “I’ll set my alarm and call her in the morning,” he reassures me.

  “Wait…no. You need to sleep. I don’t want you to have to wake up just to call her.” Shit, now I feel bad. The time difference means he’ll be sleeping while we’re awake and vice versa.

  “Okay, I’ll call her in a few days when my sleep schedule is not as messed up. I’m not sure how much longer I can stay awake.” He yawns.

  “I can’t wait to see you.”

  “Me, too. I’ll have off the day you arrive, so I’m sure we can find something fun to do.”

  “I don’t think we need to leave the room in order to find something to do,” I tease. “I can think of plenty of fun things to do.”

  “You’re so bad.” He laughs. “I love it.”

  “I’ll let you get to bed, babe. I love you.”

  “I love you too, sweetheart. Sweet dreams.”

  We hang up and I’m immediately on a high from hearing his sleepy voice. I hate sleeping alone. I need a dog or something.

  I call Cora in the morning, pleading with her to do something with me so my mind didn’t consist of Bentley or his mother. She had plans with Simon already but invited me to come with them.

  “Never mind. I don’t need to be a third wheel,” I whined.

  “You’re never a third wheel, Celia. Come with us.”

  “Nah. It’s fine. You guys enjoy your day off. I’ll call Katelynn to see if she’s busy.”

  The downfalls of not having a job to go to or a fiancé around. I’m starting to lose my mind when Katelynn says her and Brandon are out of town for the day.

  Just great.

  I decide to shower and get ready anyway. I’ll find something to do.

  I end up back at The Grind Café with my eReader. I order my usual latté and bagel and find a comfortable spot in the corner.

  I’m halfway into my new book when a male voice interrupts me.

  “Well, hey stranger.” I look up and see Jason sitting across from me. He’s smiling wide holding a cup of coffee.

  “Hi!” I smile back. “Your new favorite spot?”

  “It is now,” he mocks. “I work across the street.” He nods behind me.

  I turn around and see an old vintage bookstore. “You work at a bookstore?”

  “Well, kinda. A friend owns it and is on vacation for a couple weeks. He asked me to watch over it while he’s gone. And since I don’t really have a job—and apparently nothing better to do—” He laughs at the irony. “I said I would.”

  “I’ve never been in that one. I read mostly eBooks now.” I hold up my Kindle. “I wouldn’t peg you for a bookstore type of guy,” I tease, remembering what a slacker he was in high school.

  He looks down and scratches the back of his neck. “Yeah, I was a dumb kid. What can I say?” He laughs lightly. “But I graduated, joined the army, and really got my shit together now.”

  “I can tell.” I smile genuinely. “You’ve definitely changed.”

  “So what about you? Engaged to a professional model and planning ‘the wedding of the year?’” He smirks, doing air quotes as if he’s read it in a magazine.

  “I see you’ve done some research now.” I sigh, wishing it wasn’t so easy to know intimate details about my personal li
fe.

  “Well, I had to once I saw you again. I felt like I had to catch up on civilization.” He laughs lightheartedly. I end up laughing with him because he really had been out of the loop while he was gone.

  “I guess I don’t blame you. But—” I warn, pointing a finger at him. “Just don’t believe everything you hear. Bentley isn’t cheating on me with French models, and I’m not secretly pregnant with another man’s baby,” I retort, quoting an article for a gossip magazine.

  “Wow, your life is way more interesting than mine.” He smirks.

  I shake my head at him. “I doubt it. I’m in a coffee house in the middle of the day. How interesting can it really be?”

  “Well, you’re welcome to come keep me company at the store. I get about three customers a day.”

  I think it over, wondering if there’d be any harm in doing so. He knows I’m engaged, so I’m not leading him on, and my afternoon is wide open with nothing else to do.

  “Sure, I can stay for a little bit.”

  We walk over, and as soon as he unlocks the door, the scent of old paperbacks hits my nose.

  “Wow…that smell,” I gush.

  “Yeah, it’s a little strong.” He closes the door behind me.

  “No, I love it. I haven’t been in a bookstore or library in ages.” I close my eyes as I inhale deeply. “God, I could spend all day in here.”

  I run my fingers along a shelf of books. Most of them are old, unknown authors. I pick one up and ruffle through the pages, letting the smell overcome me.

  “You’re welcome in here anytime, Cecilia. I’ll be here all week, unfortunately.” He laughs weakly. “I could use the company,” he says genuinely. I look at him and a feeling of warmth hits me. I feel bad he’s all alone because I know that feeling all too well sometimes. He’s come back from overseas after a year and a half and probably hasn’t settled back into civilization yet.

  “Sure, I’d love to. I don’t know if I’ll be good company, though. I plan to dive into as many books as I can,” I say sweetly.

  “Fine with me.” He stands with his arms crossed, staring intently at me. I can tell he’s genuine. He needs a friend, and if I'm honest, I could use a friend, too.

  I ended up stopping at the store every day for the rest of the week. We would walk over to grab something to eat and coffee every afternoon. It’s become a nice tradition.

  Bentley and I email since it’s easier with the time difference. I’m so excited to see him soon. I leave tomorrow morning for a very long twelve-hour flight.

  “I’m going to miss the smell,” I say, breaking the silence as we eat. “I wish I could bottle it up.”

  “When will you be back?” he asks.

  “A week from tomorrow. Bentley and I will fly back together.”

  “Does it bother you? The traveling and crazy schedule,” he asks, genuinely. We’ve had plenty of time to talk all week, but mostly, I’ve talked because I didn’t want to pressure him in telling me anything he wasn’t comfortable discussing.

  “Yes, sometimes. But I know it’s important for him. Once the wedding is over though, I’ll travel with him more again. It’s just now that it’s less than six months away, I’m staying behind to finish planning the wedding. Or rather, watching his mother plan it.” I roll my eyes.

  “Why don’t you say something?”

  “She doesn’t listen. It’s really no use. Bentley’s supposed to talk to her when we get back. Every time he tries to talk to her on the phone, she changes the conversation.” Sipping my latté, I say, “She’s good like that.”

  “What do you want for your wedding?” he asks sincerely, locking eye contact with me.

  “I want something simple, small. I want purple bridesmaid dresses and white flowers. If I hadn’t already agreed to the venue, I’d want a beach wedding or something outside at least overlooking the water. In fact, I wouldn’t mind flying somewhere just to have an Ocean-side wedding. But I know Mrs. Leighton would never go for it. She’d have a royal fit.”

  “So let her,” he retorts bluntly.

  “What?” I cock my head at him. He can’t be serious.

  He shrugs unapologetically. “Let her. It’s your wedding. You deserve to have exactly what you want.”

  “I wish I could, but then I’d be putting Bentley in a tough spot. He doesn’t want to upset her either. She’s not easy to please, but she’s ten times worse unsatisfied.”

  “Why can’t he just tell her what he wants?”

  I swallow hard, because I know exactly why. It’s because of me. It’s because of what I did at the internship that caused bad blood in his family.

  “It’s complicated.” I shrug. “He’s trying to keep the peace. His family isn’t exactly easy to deal with and his parents love being in the spotlight. It’s hard to make them happy.”

  “But isn’t your happiness more important?” he counters. “If it were me, I’d make sure you had everything you imagined. I wouldn’t care about the cost or who didn’t agree. I’d let you have anything you wanted.”

  I freeze at his confession. I couldn’t tell exactly what he’d meant by that. It was the first time all week he’s crossed that line. I shift uncomfortably, needing to change the subject.

  I stand up and grab my empty coffee cup. I throw it out and brush fake lint off my clothes.

  “I really appreciate you letting me come all week. It’s kept me busy. Most importantly, kept my mind busy.” I smile.

  “Anytime, Cecilia. I’ll be bored now for another week, but I hope you have a great time.”

  “Thank you,” I say sincerely. I wish he didn’t have to be alone. He looks so depressed with no one around to keep him company. “There’s a big time difference, but you can text me if you’d like. I’ll try to text you back.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I know you’ll be busy.” He grabs his own garbage and throws it out.

  “It’s fine. I feel bad you’ll be alone.”

  “Don’t feel bad for me, Cecilia. I’ve been alone a lot longer than you can imagine.”

  I cringe at his confession. I can’t help but wonder what he’s been through over there.

  I bite my cheek in hesitation. “You can talk about it if you want. If you need to, I mean.” I pause. “When you’re ready,” I clarify.

  “Thanks.” He smiles weakly.

  We say our goodbyes—a part of me sad to be saying goodbye to him—before I have to rush home and pack for a long flight. Jason’s a good person, a friend. I wanted him to be able to tell me things if he felt ready to. I knew it couldn’t be healthy to leave it all bottled up inside.

  Chapter Four

  Bentley

  “I CAN’T WAIT to see you, sweetheart,” I say softly, trying to stay awake. I’d set my alarm so I could talk to her before her flight left in the morning.

  “I’m so excited,” she gushes. “I plan to read and sleep on the flight.” Her voice sounds like heaven when she’s this excited about something.

  “Oh yeah? Which book are you reading on your Kindle?” I ask.

  “Oh, it’s actually a paperback.” I hear her shuffling some things around. “It’s an old book I got from a vintage bookstore. It’s really neat.”

  I adjust the phone so it lies in between my ear and shoulder. Hearing her voice awakens a part of me that’s needy to feel her.

  “Mm, that’s cool. You’ll have to show me,” I say, only half-interested because right now, all I’m capable of thinking about is the growing erection under my sheets.

  “What are you doing?” she asks accusingly. “I know that moan,” she teases.

  “Mm…I can’t help it. You have a sexy phone voice.”

  “A sexy phone voice? That almost sounds like a compliment.”

  I grin although she can’t see me. “It is, sweetheart.” I grip my cock in one hand and begin stroking it. “In fact, it’s fucking turning me on right now.”

  “Oh, really?” she asks in a higher octave. “I think I can help w
ith that.”

  “I wish I was inside of you right now. God, I can’t wait to just spend a whole day in bed with you.” I begin panting as I work myself harder while thinking of Ceci’s perfect body.

  “That sounds like heaven,” she says softly, her words slowly seducing me. “I can’t wait. Until then—” she lingers, shuffling more things around. I hear her luggage hit the floor as she shifts herself comfortably on top of the bed. “Let me help you. You have me dripping wet now. I can’t focus on packing anymore.”

  “Packing is overrated, anyway…it’s not like you’ll need many outfits. I plan to have you naked ninety percent of the time,” I growl, working my cock harder at the image of her.

  “Mm…good point. I hope the hotel is stocked with extra sheets then. And towels. I only plan to shower, sleep, and fuck you.”

  “Jesus, Ceci…” I hiss, loving every naughty thing she’s telling me. “Feel how wet you are for me, sweetheart.”

  “Soaking wet,” she pants. “It feels like it’s been forever.” I grip my shaft, stroking up and down at her words. God, I love when she does this to me. Having to travel without her has made her an expert at phone sex.

  “Good. Now insert your finger. Push it in real deep for me.”

  “Mm…it feels so good. I wish it was your cock buried deep inside.”

  “Imagine it’s me, baby. Insert another finger and fuck yourself hard and deep.”

  “Oh, yes…” she moans. “Is your cock hard and ready for me?” She breathes heavily. I imagine rocking inside her, bringing her over the edge soon.

  “So fucking hard.” I stroke it faster. “I’m ready for you, sweetheart. I’m so close.”

  “Yes. God, yes,” she continues, moaning and panting as her fingers work her deep and hard. “I’m almost there…I can feel it.”

  My body arches off the bed as my release comes close, but I wait in anticipation to hear Ceci come first.

  “Let me hear you, sweetheart. Scream my name,” I demand. I’m so close. I can barely control my breathing. “Imagine your legs wrapped around my waist as I drive deep inside you. I wouldn’t be gentle.”