I wanted to laugh and cry all in one motion at the childish absurdness of what I had done. It was now or never. I told Maci about the drunken email.
“Sweet Jesus, Alex! Were you smoking crack? Was he? Why don’t you just get a damn room and fuck each other like rabbits? Get it out of your systems and move on.” I could tell she had her hand over the phone trying to silence her laughter. At least she wasn’t yelling.
“He so wants in your panties. His eyes were a dead giveaway. And, Alex, I’ve seen your panties. You seriously need to up your game on your lingerie collection. No more cotton.” I didn’t find her comment amusing. My panties were cute! I had, like, maybe two pair that were cotton.
“Maci! Crap! You’re not helping me here. First of all, he’s plainly a jerk. And no. He does not want in my panties. He’s just a narcissistic dick. He’s messing with my head.”
I couldn’t think of anything else to say as our conversation suddenly went quiet. All I could really think of were those amazingly thick lips and what they might feel like brushing up my anxious thighs. Or what kind of sound he’d make when he pushed inside me.
“He actually admitted he had an erection at Venture? Jesus, some women may actually consider that inappropriate, Alex.” Maci was out and out laughing now. Suddenly I was joining her.
“Alex, you can blame a lot of shit on PMS, but I don’t think this has one single, solitary thing to do with cramps or bitchiness.” We both roared with laughter.
Chapter Eleven
Alex
My reflection caught my eye in the long hanging mirror on the back of Maci’s bedroom door, the snug fitting, dark plum-colored dress leaving little to the imagination. Bread was certainly off-limits tonight, even with Spanks underneath.
“Smile.” Maci pulled out her phone and clicked a selfie. “Damn, we look hot, Alex.”
An hour later, I was following her into the downtown upscale Italian restaurant, my uneasiness with being around a table full of strangers at an all-time high. Especially when the unknowns just happened to be a bunch of hotshot, overconfident attorneys. I didn’t know what it was that made me so edgy when it involved the legal profession.
Where the hell is David Beckham?
“I shouldn’t have come, Maci. This is your office party after all. Not mine.”
“Alex, you’ll have a blast once the drinks start coming.” She placed a perfectly manicured hand on my shoulder. “Ease up. You might actually enjoy yourself.” I silently cursed my ridiculous case of nerves, wishing every single thing didn’t embarrass me.
Two, or five, glasses of Cabernet later, I reached for my small handbag tucked in the chair beside me. I needed the ladies' room. Like yesterday.
“I’ll be back,” I whispered in Maci’s ear.
Searching for the bathroom, I stood, tucking my handbag underneath my arm. The gentleman I had yet to meet at the end of the table smiled and nodded. I returned the gesture and walked toward the restroom, feeling the eyes of the male attorneys on me. They probably wondered what I was even doing here in the first place.
Thankful for the sign reading Ladies in close proximity, I stiffened as the perfect set of lips and green eyes froze against mine as he exited the opposite door. My breath caught. How was I running into this man yet again?
His tie black, along with his shirt and designer suit, he wore shoes of a light color of brown, synching perfectly with the deep black tones. My heart leaped as I fixated on this man that seemed to be more beautiful every time I saw him.
“Alexa.” Polished and calm, his thick, deep voice validated my lust even more, the words from his email filling my head and moistening my panties. No cure for the effect he had on me, every cell in my body reacted just at the mere sight of him.
“You look absolutely beautiful. Who are you here with?”
My stomach wrenched, the hairs on my neck lifting, as I looked into his glowing green-gray eyes. Nervously shifting my weight from one leg to the other, he looked downward, moving his neck in a slow motion back up my torso. Why was he always so blatant and obvious? A tingling discomfort streaming between my legs, my hands balled into fists by my sides. The recessed lighting in the small hallway quickly exacerbating the color of Tyler’s brilliant gaze, flecks of gray sparkled around their centers. My insides were screaming to cup his flawless face and lower him in for a kiss.
“Alexa,” he repeated, taking a step closer. “Who are you here with?” My skin broke out in goose bumps, the sound of his gruff voice reminding me to exhale. His gaze turned hard as the space between his eyes narrowed.
“Not that it’s really your business, but I’m here with Maci. At her company party.” I swallowed back the large lump in my throat.
“Look at me, Alexa.” The sound of his unbending voice domineering, strangely, I did as he asked and looked up into his unfaltering gaze. The smell of his cologne was sexy and charged my lungs as he moved a step closer. My obsession for his mouth had to be obvious. I couldn’t take my eyes off his lips.
“I’m hoping you aren’t drinking tonight, angel. You and alcohol don’t really mingle well. Consider easing up just a little. I don’t want to have to worry about you getting home safely.” Now he’s calling me angel? And telling me how much to drink?
As if!
His persisting comments about me drinking flared my temper. “In fact, I am drinking again, Doctor. As long as I eat beforehand, I can handle my alcohol quite nicely.”
I glanced back at his mouth out of habit. His head leaned in closer to mine, sending a seductiveness that made me shiver. “So I’m not to expect another email tonight then?” I nervously pushed the hair out of my eyes, my attempt at being calm going haywire. Cool and collected wasn’t happening. My control was jumping leaps and bounds. A small smile caught his full lips.
“No. No emails,” I responded quietly with a shake of my head. My reddening cheeks burned as his gaze on my mouth made my heart pound. “I need to go. Maci will be wondering where I’ve gone. And I’m genuinely sorry about the email. That was very inappropriate.”
“Alexa, I really would like to see you again.”
He smiled as my eyes tuned in with his.
“Why? Why do you want to see me?” The magnitude streaming between the two of us was swelling by the moment, thoughts of his full lips touching mine, all I could think of. I was giving in and Alex Bohmann wasn’t one to give in.
A young lady walked out of the women’s room, her eyes quickly looking at me and then Tyler, before lowering them slowly down his torso in a lingering straightforward motion. Could you be any more obvious, hoe? With his back to the door, unaffected by the woman’s forward behavior, he nodded politely, his facial expression unchanging. I moved toward the door of the restroom.
“Enjoy your evening, Tyler.”
His hand landed against the Ladies sign, preventing me from entering. Pinned between his two long arms, he leaned over, whispering in my ear, “This is why, Alexa.” In one slow, deliberate move, he was dragging me into his wide chest, grasping the back of my neck with one hand as he found the lowest, most intimate part of my back with the other. He slid his lips across mine gently, heat flowing through me as his warm tongue stroked against mine. His kiss deepened just a little, his lips leaving a taste of bourbon mixed with mint on my tongue as he kissed the complete hell out of me. Moaning into him, my thirst to reach up and touch his face was monumental. Thoughts of walking away without him gave me a strong sense of dark angst. Every nerve in my body longed for him.
“Christ, Alexa. You’re so beautiful.” His fingers tangled through his hair. “Can I please see you again?” A slight rasp to his voice, his eyes were wildly green, deep with a look of want and determination.
“Only if you’ll consider removing this dimple from my face at an acceptable charge.” His body turned stiff and still and I promptly wished I hadn’t said that. I opened the door and stepped inside the restroom, grinning like an idiot as I listened to him mumbling, “I will see you agai
n.”
My body still trembled as I caught a glimpse of my flushed face and lips in the mirror. I finished up, re-applied lipstick, and walked out. Feet from our table, I glanced at Maci, although the sight of Tyler only a few tables over was all I could focus on. My steps slowed as a fiery stab of envy made me freeze, a beautiful redhead sitting across from him with her hand resting on top of his. The smile on her face was pronounced. Clearly, she was more than a friend. She’d most definitely seen Tyler’s incredible body naked. The thought behind that bothered me in a shockingly heavy way. She glanced up, staring back at me and shooting me an eerie grin. Quickly, I turned and returned to my chair.
The rest of the night seemed to creep. Maci was having her usual great time flirting with the attorneys, while I didn’t really seem to be mingling well. With a small sigh, I brushed my lips together, the faint taste of mint still lingering. The sudden ding of a text coming across my phone was loud, reminding me I hadn’t turned the volume down.
“Who’s texting, Alex?” Plainly drunk, Maci’s words were slurred. “Hey, Chuck asked me to hook you up with him. He’s the tall hottie at the end of the table. I gave him your number.”
“Shhh, Maci. You’re talking really loud.” She lifted her glass and finished off the last drops of wine.
“Seriously, Alex. You could be in dick heaven within the next hour.”
I shrugged at her drunken crudeness, even though I had to fight smiling just a little. Dick heaven? Honestly, the thought of that actually sounded nice. I brushed off the comment, pulling out my phone and staring at the incoming text.
Don’t forget to hydrate tonight. With water! Doctor’s orders. I can still taste your beautiful mouth on mine. And you can email me any time you wish.
The energy we had felt just moments ago returned and my lower body ignited, yearning for a repeat of his lips on mine. I texted back.
Thank you for the doctor’s orders. I’ll take the water into consideration.
My phone back inside my handbag, I was fighting the urge to look toward Tyler’s table. Finally, two waiters carrying large trays of food stopped at our long party.
“Yum. Food.” Maci smiled.
I stared at the large platters of pastas and seafood, trying to force the sensation of Tyler’s thick lips from my head. It was going to take a crap load more than food to do that. The look in his profound green eyes. That rock-hard body filling out his suit to utter perfection. Visions of him touching me had my mind reeling with thoughts of his large hands brushing over my breasts. Tweaking my nipples. Inching slowly down my belly.
I had to stop this now. The ache between my legs was piercing, the wetness uncomfortable and agonizing. An evening with my vibrator was going to be unavoidable.
At last, driving a very drunken Maci home, I was thankful I’d insisted on being the one to drive. Tomorrow a work day, I didn’t feel any jealousy toward the way she was going to feel.
“Drink some water before you go to bed,” I yelled out the car window as she stumbled to her apartment. Her hand lifted in a flimsy drunken wave as she opened the door. I waved back and turned on Octane to head home.
Makeup scrubbed from my face, I brushed my teeth, grateful to be climbing into bed after a crazy evening. In nothing but panties, as tired as I was, warily, my mind refused to stop the insane memories of Tyler’s lips touching mine. I closed my eyes, fighting this keyed-up feeling I couldn’t shake. My hand slowly lowered down my deliriously aching body and pushed my damp panties to the side, instantly touching my sensitive opening. Slowly, I massaged the wet slit, touching the rock-hard nub of my arousal.
“Can I please see you again Alexa?”
“Who are you here with?”
His sensual words vibrated through my head, my shoulders plummeting into the mattress as I thought of his smooth deep voice. Desperately, I slipped a finger inside my wetness as my body and heart longed for the talented hands that performed miracles on people every day. Thoughts of his fingers, his mouth, his everything … I slowly opened my legs indecently further, pumping a finger, then two, deeply inside my cavity to ease the unstoppable agony. His imaginary face looked down at me, his eyes blazing with lust. I circled my hardened clit with my thumb, the face I craved seizing my thoughts as his imaginary voice whispered my name over and over in my ear while I longed to grasp his hard ass as he filled me with his body. This time forcing me into a relentless, savage orgasm.
My heartbeat finally began slowing down to normal, his presence still filling me from somewhere deep within, even though I knew his thoughts weren’t of me. Most likely, Tyler Yates was buried balls deep inside the beautiful redhead he had on his arm tonight as I watched them exit the restaurant.
Chapter Twelve
Alex
The next few days were only a blur due to working double shifts after Richard let go of two waitresses for taking food. It amazed me how much employees actually stole from the restaurant. I’d seen it a thousand times. Richard made a good living managing Bryson’s, but he worked hard. Personally, I’d never taken a thing without paying, other than the occasional glass of iced tea.
Whipped, my butt was dragging as I walked into the break room to clock out and gather my things. Becca heavy on my heart today, as far as I knew, there was no new information on her death. The case was probably going to be closed as a suicide.
Bryson’s was booming. Although I hadn’t added up my tips yet, my pocket felt heavy as I clocked out. Mango iced tea in hand as I finished gathering my things from the break room, my feet hurt like a bitch. I couldn’t wait to soak in a bubble bath and climb into my bed.
Richard peeked around the corner. “There’s a man here asking for you, Alex.” A teasing lift of his eyebrows, he lowered his voice. “He seems pretty adamant on seeing you. Is there something you forgot to tell me about?”
“Richard. No.” I rolled my eyes. “You know I have no personal life.”
“Well, that’s a real shame. You damn sure should.” Richard’s words were soft. He’d hinted to me on more than one occasion that he was interested in more than just a work relationship. He was single and attractive. Yet, I just didn’t feel it.
“Whoa!” Long-time waitress, Candice, was practically glowing. “Please tell me the hot god up front is your brother, Alex. If he is, I’m dropping to a knee and proposing.” I grinned, wishing like hell my brother was in town. I could sure use a little one-on-one time with Adam right about now. Scheduled to come home soon, I couldn’t deny that I’d thought about making a hook-up between him and Candice more than once.
At the front of the packed restaurant leaning up against the wall, was Tyler with a large vase of beautiful pink flowers in hand. My first thought was that he didn’t come across as the flower-giving type of guy, but more of an ‘aren’t you special you got to see my dick?’ kind of arrogance. Then again, everything concerning Tyler was unpredictable.
Our eyes made contact. I flushed, slightly self-conscious by all the stares we were getting. He smiled and I couldn’t help myself—I smiled right back, suddenly forgetting there was anybody else in the room.
Dressed in tight, dark jeans with an untucked dark gray button-down dress shirt, he looked like someone straight off a runway. His sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbows, and of course, the black dress shoes he had on were every bit as sexy as the rest of his attire. Not sure when I acquired such a men’s shoe fetish, there was just something downright erotic about a man in a nice pair of shoes. This being the first time I’d ever seen Tyler dressed in jeans, the shape of his firm body gave me a long chill straight through to the bone. He was a beautiful specimen of man. The familiar, faint smell of his earthy cologne teased my lungs as I neared him.
“The flowers are stunning, Tyler. They’re unusual.”
He kissed my left cheek, tinkering with the hair at my collar, then handed me the pink blooms. “They’re Pink Asiatic Lilies. I think they’re quite beautiful.” I wondered how he knew so much about the lily. Was it iro
nic that Venture had the same type of flowers?
“They’re very beautiful,” I countered.
“What time do you get off work, angel?”
I held up the pink blooms, smelling the subtle, sweet fragrance. “I’m off now. I was just leaving.”
He reached for my hand and laced my fingers between his, his expression unreadable. My mind raced with thoughts of exactly why he was here.
“Can we go somewhere and talk?” The puzzled look in his green eyes hit me hard.
“Okay. Sure. We can go to my house. If that’s okay.” Shocked by the forward words that came out way too easily, I jerked a little, unsure if he meant he wanted to go somewhere private, or exactly what he meant.
“We can go sit outside in my car if you’d rather do that.”
Both silent for a moment, he stared at me, then nodded. “We’ll take my car to your place, Alexa. I’ll make arrangements to have yours picked up.” Still mysterious in his actions, I could only hope my duplex wasn’t too messy. Anything besides perfectly organized seemed similar to oil and vinegar where Tyler was concerned.
****
Dark as we walked through the door, my heart still raced with adrenaline from riding in Tyler’s Ferrari. Tired when I left earlier in the day, I’d completely forgotten to leave the lamp on beside the couch as I normally did. In a normal situation, I would have felt leery walking into total darkness. I set down my purse and the vase of flowers and flipped on the light. Now what do I do?
“I smell like food. Would you mind if I take a quick shower? I could get you something to eat or drink while you wait if you like.” He raked his eyes over me quickly. “I’m fine, Alexa. I’ll just wait here.”
His thick mouth mesmerized me as I fought for words. “I’ll be just a minute then.” I blinked away from his gaze, all the harum-scarum emotion fluttering inside me making it hard to look him in the eye.
Fumbling with my shirt as I found my way to the bedroom, nerves flushed my chest as I quickly glanced back at Tyler. His hands were tightly clenched together, his head looking straight down. He looked upset.
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