Meant for Me (A Second Chance standalone)
Page 29
Angelo narrowed his eyes. “There is nothing you would change in your life? An old lover you would want back in your life or maybe a different career path?”
“What I have is what I always wanted. I knew when I was younger I wanted to be my own woman and that I didn’t need a man to make me successful.” She had read articles on her being called heartless, but she wasn’t … she was cautious.
“Why are you still single?” he asked.
Skyler licked her lips and lifted an eyebrow. “That is personal, Mr. Giovanni.” His face showed his amusement, except he quickly covered it up with his hand, rubbing the jaw line thoughtfully.
Closing his notebook, Angelo sat it on her desk and leaned forward. “I want to kiss you,” he said in a thicker accent than before. It made her tremor thinking about what that voice could do to her.
He stood up and walked towards her. She didn’t know if she was going to stop him or rip off her clothes. When he moved around her desk, she allowed her gaze to follow his every step toward her. Angelo stopped beside her and she had to tilt her head to match his deep chocolate eyes.
“Stand up,” he ordered. Skyler narrowed her at his show of dominance.
“Kneel,” she said with a challenge in her voice. She thought he would laugh at her or demand her to do as he said. She knew when she was staring at another dominant. Sitting a little taller, she kept her eyes on his, never wavering.
Slowly, he dropped to one knee in front of her and she licked her lips knowing what was coming. She didn’t move. Skyler waited for his lips to capture hers; steadily, he leaned forward and kissed her neck. His scorching mouth hovered above hers and his eyes seemed to burn though her. She couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted his lips on hers so she grabbed his tie and pulled him to her. Their lips molded together and her eyes fluttered closed. His tongue licked her bottom lip seeking permission. Opening her mouth, Skyler moaned when his sinful tongue found hers. Her hands traveled up to his raven black hair and she tangled her fingers to hold him to her.
His arms snaked around to her back and she knew she wanted him. It had been six months since she had taken a lover to her bed and that was the longest she had gone since she lost her virginity. He tore his mouth from her and she groaned.
“I want you,” he said, saying the words she was terrified to say. “But I won’t take you here in your office.” She frowned at him because that wasn’t what she wanted to hear, she wanted him naked and inside her.
“You confuse me,” she confessed and he stood up. Her eyes went to the large bulge in the front of his pants causing her mouth to go dry.
Angelo placed his hand in front of her and she took it. He smiled down at her illuminating his dimples again. “I am not the type of guy that fucks someone in an office. I want to take my time with you and I couldn’t here.” He took the hand he was still holding and placed it on his bulge. “I want you, but I also want to do this right.”
She narrowed her eyes because what he wanted she didn’t want to give. “I don’t do relationships, I like to have sex and that is it. My life is too demanding for anything more than simple sex.”
“Well then I guess I have to woo you,” he murmured, removing her hand from the front of his pants, bringing it to his lips. When he kissed her knuckles he kept his chocolate eyes on hers. “Let me treat you to dinner.”
She moved away from him because she couldn’t think straight when he was touching her. “That sounds like a date.”
“Because I am asking you on a date.” He grinned at her and she felt things she hadn’t in a while. She wanted to wake up in his arms in the morning; she wanted his handsome face to be the first thing she saw.
“I don’t know,” Skyler responded hesitantly. Angelo moved back to her cutting her off, and when he kissed her hard she forgot the reasons for saying no. When he pulled away she was the one to smile. “Fine. You have one night so make it worth it.”
He laughed and hugged her tightly. “If you are there then I know it will be worth it.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a white business card. “This has my personal cell phone number on it, I will leave the when up to you.” Quickly, he kissed her cheek, handed her the card and turned around to walk out the door.
She was left standing in her office breathing as if she just finished running five miles.
Here’s a sneak peek at
First Glance by L.L. Hunter.
Scheduled to release on Jan. 31, 2014.
GETTING A CALL to come into work at three in the morning is not a new thing for me. I often expect it. But I didn’t expect this.
“This better be important, Jim, if I’m giving up my warm bed for this.”
“It is Addy. I can assure you.”
“Ugh, why are you so perky this time of morning!”
“I’m a vampire. I sleep during the day.”
I shoot ice missiles at my unnaturally perky assistant as he strolls over the fridge to retrieve the reason I was called down here. In less than a minute, he has the body bag on a gurney, wheeling it in front of me, and sliding it onto the metal slab.
“It still gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.”
I glance at him in confusion and anticipation and start to unzip the bag. The face that greets me is not what I was expecting, and I jump back with a shriek. Normally, I am fine around dead bodies, being a morgue technician and studying forensic science, but nothing I have seen previously prepares me for this. Lying on the slab in front of me, all pale and cold, is a face more familiar to me than anyone else’s.
It’s my face.
I BLINK.
Something is dripping on my face; something wet and annoying. I move my hand to wipe it off but more liquid comes. It’s now pouring onto my face, and it is cold. I groan and roll over.
“What the hell?”
“Wake up! Today’s the big day!”
“What big day?” I mumble in my pillow, hoping she won’t hear me. Fat chance! My roommate has the hearing of a dog.
“I can’t believe you’ve forgotten! You’re coming wedding dress shopping with me! You are my Maid of honor after all! Unless, you don’t want to be?”
I sit up. “What? Don’t be silly, of course I still want to be your Maid of Honor.” I laugh and toss my pillow at her, which she dodges.
“Great! Then hurry up! We’ve got to hit the stores early!”
I am not much of a shopper. I’d much prefer to get a wake up call to go to the morgue than one to go shopping for wedding dresses.
“There better be something in this for me, Cory!” I call out.
“There is, don’t you worry Miss Paige.” Cory pokes her head back into my bedroom and winks. I fight all the power within me not to throw another pillow. What is that girl up to?
AFTER THE FOURTH wedding shop, I swear I’m about to start a fight with one of the shop attendants or cut up one of the dresses, and I still didn’t have a clue what Cory had planned for me. Did she even have anything planned for me? I was also in desperate need of another caffeine fix.
“Not another shop,” I whine.
“Yes, another one. The previous one’s sucked.”
“Ugh, I need another coffee. I’ll meet you back here.”
“I swear, Addy, I’m buying you an I.V. bag for your next birthday.”
I only faintly hear her as I walk towards the closest café, and I wave her off. While standing in line, I rub my temples and glance at my watch. It wasn’t even nine yet. We still had at least another seven hours to spend shopping for darn wedding dresses. It was a nightmare. Where were dead corpses when I needed them? At least they didn’t make me try on fugly brides’s maid dresses.
“Who’s next?” asks the barista. I barely notice it’s me he’s calling until he insults me. “Hey, off-with- the-fairies girl, would you like a coffee?”
“Huh? Pardon?” I glance up and realize I’m the one he’s been speaking to, or rather insulting.
“Oh, she’s with us finally.�
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“Excuse me?” I cock my head to the side trying to figure out why this rude person is saying these things to me.
“I said, would you like a coffee today?”
“No, I’m just standing here getting insulted by a leprechaun!”
“Ooh, and she bites back.”
“Yes, so watch out.” He only smirks, so I add, “Firstly, don’t cross me before I’ve had my full dose of coffee or things get ugly. Secondly, I hate rude people. I can’t stand rude people. So can you just make me a freaking coffee and we can be done with this. Okay?”
“Gladly. What would you like? I’m not telepathic you know. You do have to tell me your order.”
“Alright, genius. I’ll have a soy latte. Double shot, thanks.”
“And can I have a name for that order, or shall I just put off-with-the- fairies girl?”
“I am NOT giving you my name.”
“Alright, off-with-the-fairies girl it is then.” He writes something on the side of the takeaway cup, smirking while he does it and puts the cup under the machine.
I cross my arms. “Where do you get off?”
“Oh, I got off on the right side of the bed this morning, thanks for askin’, Princess.”
“I mean, talking to innocent people in such a rude manner. Jackass.” He laughs while making my coffee. I watch him with an eagle eye to make sure he doesn’t slip cyanide in there.
“I don’t normally. You’ve brought out all my best qualities, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me that, smartass. Just make my damn coffee.” He doesn’t say anything, just smiles as he finishes my order and brings it back to the cash register. “You know, I thought I’d try this place just for a change, but I don’t think I’ll come back.”
“Aww, why not? Was it something I said?”
I scowl and slam five dollars down on the counter and practically snatch my coffee out of his hand. “Keep the change!” I shout as I storm away without giving him another look. I walk back to the bridal store more agitated than I was pre- coffee.
“Where were you? I think I found it,” Cory shrieks as soon as I walk in.
“Sorry, the rude Irish guy at the coffee shop was insulting me. He had some freaking nerve!”
“Irish guy? Was it that new place that just opened?”
“Yeah, why?”
She shrugs. “Nothing. Was just wondering, that’s all. Is the coffee at least good? Because if the coffee was bad you would at least have another reason to go back and complain.”
“It’s not bad. Another reason?”
“Yeah, you know, other than to go and ask for his number.”
I shove her and shoot her daggers with my eyes. “Cory, he was a complete jackass. No way will I ever consider dating him.”
“Come on, Adelaide, you need a date to my wedding. And don’t say you’ll bring Jim, because that guy is the epitome of a nerd.”
“What’s wrong with Jim? He’s a nice guy.”
“He’s a nerd. You’re not bringing him to my wedding.”
“Fine. But I am not dating that Irish idiot.”
“Whatever you say. Come help me with this zipper.”
I groan and set down my coffee with my purse and walk over to where Cory’s standing on the pedestal in the latest wedding dress design. When my fingers touch the white satin and lace, I begin to feel faint and light- headed. Then I see something.
My phone rings as I exit the morgue building. I look at the caller I.D. and click answer.
“Hey Cor, what’s up? I’ve just finished work. I’m heading home now.”
“Please hurry, Oh my god, there’s blood everywhere. There’s so much blood.”
“What, Cory? Are you okay? What happened?”
“Hurry! Oh my God there’s too much blood! It hurts!”
“What happened? Where are you?”
“At home. Please hurry.”
Then the line goes dead.
I don’t hesitate. I drive straight home, even running a red light on the way. When I reach the driveway I jump out of the car while the engine’s still running and hurry to the front door. I find that it’s ajar so I gingerly push it open and that’s when I see the blood.
Cory is right. There is so much blood. Too much blood. It is everywhere. All over the walls, all over her. And there she is lying in the center of it all in the middle of the living room floor, clinging to life.
“Ad…dy. He’s… here.” She gasps. I run to her side and kneel down in the pool of blood.
“What? Who’s here? Where’s Derek?”
“Watch out, he’s…” Cory screams and her eyes grow wide, and that’s when I lose sight of the world.
I jump back. I must have screamed or done something because Cory spins around and puts her hands on my shoulders.
“Addy, what happened? What is it?”
I can’t tell her. She won’t understand. How can I tell her I just saw her die, we both died.
“I… nothing. I just pinched my finger in the zipper, that’s all. I’ll try again.”
“You sure? You squealed like you do when you see a spider or a snake.”
“Really? I don’t remember. It did hurt quite a bit.”
Cory exhales and turns back around. “Okay, let’s try this one more time.”
I almost don’t want to do it but I have to. I can’t let Cory know what I just saw, not when she’s so happy, not right before her wedding. I brace myself and grab onto the zipper again.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
About the Author
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