An Education in Business: A Somerset Novel (Somerset Series Book 3)

by Heather C. Myers

  Well. She was when they first met in college. Their careers had caused a distance to build up between them but that wasn’t something either of them could help. All relationships suffered the loss of butterflies and flowers and romance. They lived together. They were engaged. It was bound to happen. It didn’t even matter that they had yet to sleep together. They were in the comfortable phase of their relationship – which Avery didn’t exactly mind, particularly when she could bust out her yoga pants and boyfriend tees and not feel like she was being lazy.

  Rick was warm and friendly. Easy to trust. Smart. He saw her for the woman she could be, the woman she wanted to be. He never pressured her for sex, which she really liked. To be honest, his patience with her hesitation was a big factor in why she fell in love with him so quickly. He always supported her, even if he didn’t agree with a decision she made. He never made her feel bad for having more money than his family, for moving in with her rather than the other way around. She really lucked out with him.

  Which was why when she was ready to have sex, it was important to her that she please him as best as she could. She wanted to be as good as she could and she knew that being a virgin prohibited this, to a degree. She started reading erotica and watching soft-core porn when she was by herself as a way to educate herself, but there was something about experience that made all the difference in the world.

  “Stiff is an understatement,” she said, staring at her glass of wine and trailing her fingertip on the rim of the glass. “Lucas Cruz is my competition.”

  Rick whistled. “Christ, Av,” he said, shaking his head. “Do you need any tips? He’s a” –

  “I know he’s a werewolf, Rick,” Avery snapped and immediately regretted it. She rubbed her lips together and quickly apologized. “Sorry. It’s just, I know his reputation. In every sense of the word. He’s experienced. I’m new at this. He knows what he’s doing. I’m fumbling my way through it. He’s confident, and I’m unsure. Mom continuously reminded me his Alpha instincts are what make him such an excellent businessman and how it’s not fair humans have to compete with them, but that’s just her prejudice talking.” She rolled her eyes at her mother’s prehistoric behavior and inhaled. She needed to calm herself down. Somehow, Lucas Cruz managed to get under her skin and she couldn’t figure out how to get him out of her.

  “Listen, Av,” Rick said slowly, his eyes focused on her. His gaze was unwavering, serious. “I’m going to be upfront with you about something because you deserve that respect. I know how you want to be taken seriously in business so I’m going to talk to you as a business partner and not your future-husband, okay?”

  Avery nodded, a small smile on her face. She appreciated Rick’s honesty. At least he didn’t treat her like some damsel in distress over her head in an environment she had no idea how to figure out.

  “Experience is everything in business,” Rick said. “That’s why people call us sharks. We’re looking for blood. And you, love of my life, are fresh blood. You’re easy. You’re exactly the type I wish I could go against because it would be so easy to break you.” He paused to take a drink. “I’m not trying to be a jerk, I’m trying to be honest. Experience is everything. Think about a relationship, Av. Do you feel more comfortable with someone who knows what they’re doing, or who has no clue? Why would I want to waste my time teaching someone something when I could be with someone who knows their way around a body? You get my meaning? No one is going to let you just invest; an investment is a partnership. They need to be able to count on you to do your part, trust that you’re not over your head.”

  Avery swallowed. Her throat went dry for an entirely different reason than it had with Lucas. “Well,” she managed to say, her tone raw. “What do you suggest I do?”

  “Get experience,” he told her. “A lot of it.”

  At that moment, the waitress came by to take their order. Avery kept her mouth shut because Rick liked to order for them and since he was much more familiar with the cuisine, she trusted him to get her something she would like. He knew her well enough to know she did not like chicken and preferred either shrimp or red meat with sauce. Normally, Avery would not pay much attention to the exchange between Rick and the waitress (or waiter); instead, she would be slicing the bread or drinking her wine. Perhaps it was because of the onslaught of stress this business venture brought out, perhaps it was because as the wedding loomed near, it became more and more apparent that Rick preferred experience over innocence, or perhaps it was because things were spinning out of control and she needed to grasp onto something, but she watched the two interact. She forced herself to notice things, things she otherwise would have dismissed.

  The waitress was pretty. Beautiful, even. There was no denying that. Her hair was slicked back and wrapped tightly into a perfectly circular bun. Avery's hair was the one thing she could not get right unless she went to a salon and paid them to do it. Even now, she ended up throwing her hair in a simple ponytail because the way it curled made it appear messy no matter how many times she brushed the locks and she refused to straighten her hair every day just to make it look nice. Personally, she liked her hair the way it was but Rick didn't always like it and if he was taking her out on a date, she wanted to look attractive for him.

  The waitress's makeup was perfect - Avery had no idea how the waitress was able to do the perfect eyelid eyeliner - and she was busty, with long legs covered in dark tights, a slim waist, and a flirty personality.

  She watched in wonder as Rick looked up at her, as he blushed under her gentle stare and warm smile, as he tripped over his words. Avery never made a man trip over his words before and it didn't appear as though the waitress actually intended for him to do so. In fact, she didn't appear to be one of those girls who saw a deep wallet and tried to seduce him into it. She was a beautiful woman doing her job and Rick just fell at her feet because.

  Avery wanted that power. She wanted that experience. She wanted to make Rick look at her the way he looked at the waitress. She didn't hate her for it and she couldn't hate Rick for it. Hell, Avery was staring at the waitress like she was a goddess. She wanted that. She wanted to be able to make men trip over themselves without even trying.

  And maybe in order to achieve that, she needed experience. What she needed to figure out was how to obtain that experience.

  "I can educate you in other things that you can use in business. It will make you a stronger business woman. The way you use your feminine wiles to your advantage. The way you can smile, how to dress. Not that there's anything wrong with the way you dress." He bit his bottom lip as he looked her up and down. A thrill went through her. She had never felt a burst of excitement in her body before. "You can integrate different aspects of your life into business and it will make you better in business."

  "And what aspect of your life do you integrate in your business?" Avery asked with a raised brow. She looked at him with a skeptical look on her face, deciding to ignore his educational offer and the offense she took to it.

  "My pack mentality," he replied. "My leadership skills. My sex life."

  Avery felt herself blush at the word sex coming from his mouth. He caught onto it quick.

  "Are you..." he said and his eyes suddenly widened. "You are, aren't you?"

  "I have no idea what you're talking about."

  "A virgin," he said.

  Avery was ready to deny it but her face turned even redder and gave her away. She crossed her arms over her chest. "My sex life is none of your business," she said.

  He gave her a knowing smirk. "Perhaps not," he agreed. "But the offer still stands. I'd be happy to teach you whatever it is you would like to know."

  Avery bit her lip. Was it wrong to think that maybe he would... But no, that would just feed into his ego. That would just give him the opportunity to reiterate that he was right, that she needed his help in order to be a better business woman.

  This has nothing to do with business, a voice inside of her head reminded her. This
has to do with what your mom said, with what Rick said and expects from you. Even Lucas Cruz knows Rick. Even Lucas Cruz agrees that experience matters. You need to learn. You need to learn about what pleases yourself and what pleases other people. You can't be shy about this, Av. If you don't even trust yourself, how are you possibly going to trust anyone else?

  There was a long silent pause as she took in her own thoughts. She took a breath and then another. More than anything, she wanted to learn. She had always felt that way, even before Rick, even before Lucas. Sex was something she very much wanted to experience. Something she wanted to feel. The gasping breaths, the rush of blood, the pain that morphed into pleasure, the complete lack of control, the orgasm that could not be put into words that allowed her to really understand what something like that could feel like...

  When she was alone in her room and she knew she wouldn't be bothered, Avery would try to touch herself. The problem was, she started thinking too much about what she was supposed to feel and then her hand would start to hurt and how was she supposed to touch herself and this wasn't working and wasn't something supposed to happen now? Then she would stop so her wrist could take a break and her thoughts would drift to other things and her moment of pleasurable solitude would deflate into failure.

  Maybe... Maybe Lucas Cruz could help her. It sounded stupid and idiotic and lacked any form of common sense. But she knew she would never fall in love with him. And if he could help learn more about herself and her body, it would help her relationship with Rick, especially since she wouldn't be completely inept.

  The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She would ask Lucas Cruz for an education in intimacy.

  5

  It was raining. Of course, it would be raining. Things in her life could never be that simple.

  To be honest, Avery had no idea why she was doing this. Well, scratch that. She knew. She just didn’t realize she would actually take action to do something so bat-shit insane. But she couldn’t help it. Rick was worth it. She wanted to be good for him. Not new. Not inexperienced. She was a twenty-four-year old virgin who had no idea how to please a man. At the time, she was very independent and her independence was not contingent on being with a man. She didn’t need one.

  But now, she had one. And she still wasn’t sure. Maybe that hesitation stemmed from a lack of education in the art of intimacy. She could admit that. Now that she had, she needed to remedy that. She couldn’t do it with Rick. Rick deserved pleasure. She wanted their first time to be perfect, not a bumbling around and waiting and worrying and asking if she was okay. She wanted to get that over with, with someone who didn’t matter so she could focus on Rick.

  It had no logic whatsoever, except in her head. Her friends would think she was crazy. And she was. She didn’t even consider it cheating. Not really. She just needed to learn. This was an educational experience done for Rick. Not against him.

  Avery had no idea if Lucas Cruz was the correct person to bestow this information to her. However, she did know he was more experienced in the art of intimacy than she could ever hope to be, which meant he was qualified at the very least. He would keep her secret, probably. But the most important thing she was looking for was his willingness to say yes. She knew she was attractive. She was one of the few women who had yet to actually fall for his charm. She knew that would entice him even more. Werewolves liked the chase, liked a challenge, and she could do both for him. She would make it worth his while.

  He would say yes. He had to.

  Wouldn’t he?

  He lived outside the city in a single-story house that was too small to be a mansion. In fact, it almost looked the same size as a penthouse apartment if he did live in the city. The place was surrounded by other similar houses – it was odd that he lived in the suburbs by himself as a bachelor – as well as greenery, trees, parks, and neighborhood watch signs. She looked at his place – the lights were on – but she wasn’t sure if anyone was home. Also, she understood from her studies that werewolves tended to live in packs but it didn’t seem as though anyone was here. Except him. Maybe.

  She shook her head.

  If someone else opened the door – or worse, another woman – she could pretend she was coming over about their joint investment. Of course, it wasn’t officially joint, but the way the app designers were dicking around with them both, it almost felt as though this was going to end in a “We’ll be happy to take both of your investments” than an individual coup.

  She took a breath, thought for a moment. Did she want this? Like, really want this? Was this a good idea?

  “Well,” she managed to say, her tone raw. “What do you suggest I do?”

  “Get experience,” he told her. “A lot of it.”

  Logically, Avery knew Lucas was talking about business. But he compared business to a relationship. He basically told her he didn’t want to waste his time teaching someone the ropes – and this time, he was speaking of a relationship. He knew she wanted to wait until she was ready, but Avery had never told him she was a virgin. He might just assume that she had done it before but wasn’t ready to do it with him yet.

  What if he broke up with her because she was a virgin?

  Then he’s Dock Johnson from high school all over again. You didn’t care about Dock and, deep down, you don’t care if Rick does the same thing.

  If you want experience because you want to please Rick, then admit it to yourself. There’s nothing wrong with that. You’re an excellent fiancée who wants to make sure her man is taken care of. You want to make him quiver and beg and do whatever you want. You can’t do that without some type of experience. And that’s okay. But don’t do it out of some fear that Rick will leave you because you are what you are. That’s bullshit, and you know it.

  Avery nodded her head to herself. She got out of the car and dashed to the awning at his doorstep. She was already soaked and had only been in the rain for a manner of seconds. Her hands shook even in the smart leather gloves. She took a breath, and then another. If she didn’t knock now, she’d lose her nerve. That couldn’t happen. So she took a final breath, raised her right hand, and knocked on the door.

  It took him only a moment to answer. Lucas stood there in the doorway in an undershirt and pajama pants. He looked younger than he normally did in a suit. More approachable. Vulnerable. Avery realized her assessment of him was wrong. He appeared lean in his business suit but now that she saw him up close, he had surprisingly broad shoulders and well-muscles arms. He was compact, sturdy. Beautiful. His olive skin clashed with the white shirt and he wore black pants that looked so casual and comfortable on him. His black hair curled naturally and was wet and slicked back, probably from a shower. He looked surprised to see her. She couldn't blame him.

  "I need your help," Avery stated. It was hard to speak. She didn't know if it was because she was nervous or because she was cold. Probably a bit of both. "Can I come in?"

  Lucas blinked. "Of course," he said and took a step back in order to let Avery in.

  Avery didn't hesitate. She stepped out of the rain and into his home, her eyes trying not to stare at his room. She didn't want to be a fool.

  "Let me get you a towel," he said after shutting the door and locking it. "I have the heater on and coming from cold to hot could make you catch a cold. I want you healthy and fresh so when I take the LunaApp away from you, there'll be no other excuse save for the fact that I'm superior."

  "Thanks," she said, completely missing his humorous dig. Her thoughts were too consumed with why she was here in the first place, what she had come to ask him. It didn't help that her body was reacting to him, to the way he looked and dressed and smelled. She wanted as much distance between them as possible, especially due to the nature of his reputation. They were in his house, in an environment he was comfortable in, that he knew like the back of his hand. She needed to keep her wits if she was going to come out of this unscathed. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

  "Are you aski
ng me if I have a girl back here?" he asked, stopping just as he reached the hallway and throwing her an inquiring look over his shoulder.

  Avery felt her cheeks burn even further and Lucas smiled then, revealing the points of his canine teeth.

  "Because I don't," he told her. "It's just you and me." With that, he disappeared.

  Avery took a breath, trying to drown out the hammer of her heartbeat that echoed through her ears. She needed a distraction, anything to help steady her. She decided to look around the room, try and learn more about the icon, the bachelor, the man everyone wanted - Lucas Cruz.

  He preferred dark furniture. Everything looked polished, pristine. It reeked of masculine energy but a sophisticated masculinity that Avery didn't see much. Everything was in its proper place. Everything matched. Avery didn't have as much preference for her bedroom the way Lucas had in his house. She wondered if a woman organized this for him and then immediately felt bad because that thought was sexist and their last two encounters consisted of her berating him for being sexist.

  The one thing Avery noticed which was just plain odd was that there was no television located anywhere in the living room. There was a grand fireplace with a banister nearly as tall as she was - empty, no pictures, no books, filled only with space. The walls were a lighter shade of oak, off-setting the dark tones, but they, too, were bare. There weren't any paintings of artwork. The furniture still looked new - black leather pieces with matching pillows. There were black inconspicuous speakers so there was probably a radio or an iPod dock somewhere so music could play. There was a glass coffee table low to the ground but there weren't magazines or table books. There weren't even any coasters. For an alpha male, he sure seemed lonely.

  "Here."

  His voice surprised her, caused her to jump. She almost felt guilty for having such an intimate look into his life.