by Tia Siren
“Does that really matter to you?” she countered with a sated smile as she pulled her dress down to cover herself. Our eyes met, and a second later she turned back to the mirror to check her appearance.
A line formed between my brows at the nonchalant way she spoke. In all my years, I had never met a woman who seemed to care so little about losing her virginity. It was as strange as it was refreshing, and though it made me yearn for her again, I knew our time together was over.
“I guess not,” I replied as I stood beside her to fix my hair and tie. Once I was sure I looked as good as I had before our encounter, I turned to leave.
“You’re just going to leave?” There was a clear and unexpected outline of outrage in her voice.
I took a deep breath and, in an attempt not to be a complete asshole, turned to look at her. “The cocktail party has started, and I’m sure my associate is wondering where I am,” I responded, giving her at least a valid excuse. “But this was lovely.”
Without another word, I left the bathroom and walked to the hall where the party was being held. I greeted familiar faces along the way and flirted with a few women, but my mind stayed in that restroom with her.
I had never taken someone’s virginity, so I had no grounds to compare, but there was something about the way she had acted that puzzled me. Her laser-sharp focus on getting me made me feel like she had saved herself solely for me, which made no sense since we had just met.
I shook the thought away and scanned the room in search of Alexander, my business partner and best friend. Although Alex was a family man and had a poor grasp on my bachelor lifestyle, he liked a good story and never failed to offer reliable advice when it came to handling certain situations.
As per usual, the party was filled with celebrities, models, and businesspeople who socialized in a drunken haze that was only acceptable in these kinds of occasions. Usually I thrived in places like these, but tonight it was all too loud and busy for my taste. Trying to ignore people as much as I could, I made my way toward the bar, knowing that was probably where I’d find Alex.
From a few feet away, I saw him talking to his wife. I gave them a small wave and received warm smiles in return.
“I was starting to worry,” Alex proclaimed, shaking my hand.
I kissed his wife, Leslie, on the cheek before ordering my drink. When I looked back at my friend, his eyes were wide and curious. I cleared my throat and stole a glance at Leslie. No matter how many times I found myself in these kinds of situations with them, discussing my sex life in her presence always made me uncomfortable.
“That’s because you worry too much. I was just making a new friend,” I said, trying to defuse the awkwardness.
Leslie rolled her eyes and took a long sip of her blush wine while her husband stared at me with a broad smile and knowing glance.
“You were fast to find your fun for the night. You must be getting better,” Alex commented with a tipsy chuckle.
“I suppose I am, but tonight it wasn’t all on me.”
My words got Alex’s attention, but before I could continue, Leslie yelled, “Finally!” My brows gathered above my nose as she dropped her wine glass onto the counter and ran to greet someone.
That kind of overly excited behavior was very unlike Leslie—even drunken Leslie—and I let my curious eyes follow her. My frown deepened when I realized that I had just been between the legs of the same woman who was now between Leslie’s arms.
What the hell?
The bartender placed my glass of whiskey sour in front of me just as the two women started walking toward Alex and me. I couldn’t peel my eyes from her. She looked just as gorgeous and elegant as she had before our encounter; the only thing that had changed was the way she looked at me. Instead of the wild vixen who had seduced me not an hour ago, the woman walking toward me now regarded me with an aloofness and innocence that made my whole body twitch.
Her eyes stayed focused on me until she and Leslie finally stopped in front of us. Then they turned to Alex. “Hey, Daddy,” she greeted, and my heart sank to my feet.
“Hi, honey. Mom and I were about to send someone after you.”
I reached for my whiskey and downed half of its contents in on gulp as I watched my friend interact with his child—whom I had just casually deflowered. Shit!
Through my blurry eyes, I watched her say something to her father that made him chuckle, but I was too preoccupied, cursing inside my head, to pay any attention to her words. My silent freak-out only ended when Alex called my name. I plastered on the most natural-looking smile I could muster and nodded. “Yeah?”
“You remember Amelia, right?” Alex asked me with a proud smile.
This was such a complicated question to answer. “S-sure.” I shuddered and then cleared my throat before adding, “Hi, Amelia.”
Alex frowned at my unusual display of nerves, but before he could say anything, Amelia stuck her hand in my direction and smiled. “Hello, Mr. Shepard.”
Instinctively, I reached out and shook her soft, dainty hand. “I haven’t seen you since your high school graduation, I think. It’s a pleasure seeing you again.”
She kept her eyes on mine and broadened her smile as her hand gently squeezed mine. “Oh no, Mr. Shepard. The pleasure is all mine.”
Chapter Three
Kellen
I woke up to the blaring sound of my alarm going off. My eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the vibrant morning sun shining through my bedroom window. In a sleepy haze, I fumbled around in search of the culprit that disrupted my slumber, but instead I found the soft contours of a slender, pale body. I took a deep breath and sat up in my bed as the model I had picked up the night before grunted and shifted farther under my crisp white sheets. My hand slammed the noisy device just as the girl opened her eyes.
Her round, blue eyes peeked at me from under the blanket, and I could see a smile forming on them. She ran a hand through the dark roots of the mess of bleached blond hair sitting atop her head and scooted toward me.
I moved closer to the edge of the bed, farther away from her. “I have to get to work,” I said in a voice still drenched in fatigue as I rubbed the residue of sleep from my eyes.
The persistent young woman shifted once more until she was practically on top of me. She wrapped a thin arm around my waist and brought her warm, chapped lips to the small of my back.
“What are you doing?” I asked, slightly uncomfortable with the unnecessary affection she was bestowing upon me.
“Giving you a good morning,” she purred as she reached around to grab my crotch.
I sighed and moved her hand away from my body as I stood up. Morning sex on weekdays wasn’t something I was in the mood for—or used to, for that matter. The women I brought back to my apartment usually left before I woke up. They understood, as well as I did, that what I needed from them required them to stay for two or maybe three hours. Anything more than that was just an unnecessary invasion of personal space.
This one, however, didn’t seem to get the hint. “Not in the mood,” I deadpanned.
“Okay . . . . Would you like to take my number so we can have some more fun later?” she asked with hope laced in her voice.
“No,” I replied. In the back of my mind, I could almost hear my mother telling me off for being such an asshole, but I just rolled my eyes and kept walking toward the bathroom. There was, after all, no point even thinking about what she would have said.
Behind me, the woman scoffed and sat up. I could hear her feet patter against the floor as she gathered her clothes. Mom’s voice nagged at me again, so I turned to look at the woman.
“Look,” I started with a sigh, “it’s nothing personal. I just don’t do relationships. I’m too busy for that.”
Her blue eyes looked into mine, and for a moment my mind drifted to Amelia. I hadn’t seen or heard from her since that night. As a result, I had been walking on eggshells around her father for the pa
st four days and dreaming about her for four nights.
Alex was a man who loved his family more than anything, and, for that reason, I had no doubt that he would rip my head off if he ever found out about my involvement in the deflowerment of his beloved daughter. Since losing someone so dear to me because I couldn’t keep my dick in my pants around a beautiful young woman was something I couldn’t allow to happen, I forced myself to push Amelia out of my mind and instead focused on the young model cursing at me.
She yelled and called me every name in the book as she wrestled her clothes back on. I wanted to remind her that, as per my usual, I had warned her beforehand that I wasn’t looking for anything other than a one-night stand. However, I knew from experience that saying such a thing would only get me slapped in the face, which was, in my opinion, very unfair. It wasn’t my fault that, despite my warnings, they chose to believe they could change my wealthy bachelor’s mentality and make me want to settle down.
Once my front door slammed shut, announcing that my visitor had left, I glanced over at the clock. I cursed under my breath when I saw how late I was for my day and rushed to get ready. With Fashion Week around the corner, I didn’t have a minute to spare.
After a shower, a shave, and a quick breakfast, I was out the door and rushing to the office. Luckily, the traffic was light, which allowed me to arrive at the office within half an hour—only ten minutes late.
Once we reached the skyscraper where our agency was located, I thanked my driver and followed a few other people inside the mirrored building. I made my way inside the elevator and pressed my back against the cold stainless steel panel as about half a dozen people walked in. As much as I loved having our office at the top floor, the elevator ride—and its many stops—always made me tap my foot on the floor in anticipation. There was very little in the world I hated as much as waiting inside elevators.
Once the doors finally opened at my agency’s reception, I sighed a breath of relief and started making my way to my office.
“Kellan,” Alex’s voice echoed from a few feet behind me.
His voice made Amelia’s face appear at the back of my mind as I turned to look at him. I forced the aloof smile I had given him over the last few days and replied, “Aren’t you supposed to be on your way to Milan?”
He waved a hand at me. “I’m on my way, but I’m glad I found you first. I have something important to talk to you about before I go.” My brows pulled together in a frown as I prayed that this important thing was a business crisis instead of something regarding his daughter. To my great displeasure, he added, “It’s about Amelia.”
Shit!
Although I tried to keep my face calm and collected, my heart fell to my ass. I prepared myself for the angry glare on his face and for a very public argument that would leave our employees gossiping for months, but neither came. Instead, Alex smiled at me.
Double shit!
“As you know, Amelia is young and inexperienced.” Cold waves traveled down my spine as I tried to think of how to explain myself. Before I could find the right words, Alex added, “But she’s very bright, and I have no doubt she’d be a great addition to our staff.”
I blinked a few times as relief flooded my mind and muscles. “So, you want to talk to me about hiring her?”
“Actually, I already did.” Alex looked away from my eyes as if he was the one who had done something shameful. I almost laughed. “I know you’re the one in charge of hiring, and I don’t want to step on your toes. However, since we haven’t found anyone even remotely qualified to fill that agent opening in months, I gave her the position. I hope you don’t mind.”
I gave him a genuine smile and nodded. “As long you think Amelia’s up to the task, that’s fine with me.”
Alex sighed. “I do, and thank you, Kellan. It means a lot to me.” I nodded, and he checked his wristwatch. “Geez, I’m late. Okay, I told Amelia to wait in your office so you two can talk about whatever it is you talk to agents about. She’ll be working from my office while hers is being redone.” Before I could respond, Alex added, “I really have to go now if I want to catch my flight.”
He waved me good-bye and disappeared into an elevator. With a sigh, I headed over to my own office and found the dark-haired woman who had tossed me a curve waiting. She looked up at me with those brilliant green eyes and flashed me a pearly, welcoming grin. Her long hair was tied back in a sleek ponytail that displayed her heart-shaped face and high cheekbones, and I was dazed by her beauty.
“Good morning, Kellan,” Amelia said as she uncrossed her long legs and stood. She sashayed her way toward me, her navy dress swaying around her gorgeous legs, and for a moment I wondered if she was going commando like she had the last time we’d met.
I shook the thought away and walked around her to my desk. “Amelia,” I responded in a curt tone.
She closed my door with a thud and turned to look at me. Judging by the staggered look on her face, I could tell she had expected something warmer and more welcoming. However, for more reasons than one, that was something she was not going to get from me.
I rested my coffee cup and briefcase atop my mahogany desk and took a seat. With a raised brow, Amelia walked to one of the chocolate-colored chairs facing me and took a seat. Her legs crossed in a slow, calculated move. “I imagined your office differently.”
My eyes traveled away from her, focusing nowhere in particular. Most people thought my office was too classic for a man in my position, and, to some extent, it really was. The dark wood and earth tones didn’t exactly scream fashion forward, but they were a soothing reminder of the modesty of my childhood home. In a business as chaotic and fast paced as this one, the sense of security this room provided was what kept me same most of the time.
“Most people do,” I said as I returned my focus to her. “Your father told me you will be working with us from now on.”
A smirk curled up on her lush lips. “I am. Excited?”
“Yes,” I replied, and her smirk turned into a smile. Before she got any ideas, I added, “Yours is a position I’ve been trying to fill for some time, so I’m relieved and excited to have a full staff again. Also, your father told me you’re accomplished and up to the task.”
“Is that the only reason you’re excited?”
Despite the electric current set loose in my spine by her words and the suggestive way she kept staring at me, I kept my gaze firm as I cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, Amelia, it is. This is my job, my company, and my life. I take this very seriously, and I hope you do as well.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave me a challenging look. Ignoring it, I continued. “What happened between us was a mistake—a foolish mistake—and your father must never know about it.”
“And what if I have already told him?”
I rolled my eyes at her childish games. “Then you wouldn’t be in this office, and I would be missing a few teeth.”
“My dad would never hit you,” she muttered petulantly. “And it wasn’t a mistake.”
“Yes, it was. One that won’t ever happen again, I assure you,” I replied adamantly.
With pursed lips, Amelia got up and walked toward me. She pushed the contracts and headshots piled at the edge of my desk away and took a seat on the wooden tabletop. Her green eyes stayed focused on mine as she crossed her legs.
“So you’re telling me that you haven’t thought about fucking me at all?” Amelia tilted her body in my direction, placing her cleavage right in my line of sight. Instinctively, I licked my lips as her voice dropped to a sexy whisper. “Mr. Shepard, I know you want it to happen again just as badly as I do.”
I closed my eyes and took a sharp breath to calm myself. It was hard to tell if my heart was pounding so hard because I was incredibly turned on, unbelievably pissed, or an uncomfortable mixture of both. Before I could gather my feelings, the thumping sound of her red pumps falling to the floor echoed around my office. I opened my eyes just in time
to see her foot traveling up to my crotch.
Fuck! I pushed my chair back and stood up. “No,” I lied in a believable tone. “I don’t think about fucking you.” I walked toward the massive window behind my desk and ran a hand through my hair. “You seduced me, Amelia, and I feel for it, but I won’t fall for it again.”
“A man is only enticed by a woman who truly beguiles him,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving mine. “You wanted me just as badly as I wanted you.”
“I’m not saying I didn’t. You’re beautiful and sexy, but I didn’t know—”
“Knowing that I was his daughter wouldn’t have changed how attracted you were to me,” Amelia said, interrupting me. She turned around and walked over to leather couch at the far end of the room to gather her things. I watched her in silence as she made her way to my office door and glanced over her shoulder at me. “I hope you change your mind, Kellan. I promise it would be worth it.”
Amelia’s words hung in the air as she walked out of my office. Once I was alone, I collapsed back into my chair and took several breaths.
In all my years, I had never met a woman who got under my skin and caused my body to react the way it did around Amelia. She made me feel like a moth drawn to a flame, ready to throw everything to shit and burn with her. Every inch of me wanted nothing more than to chase after her and surrender to her charms. I wanted to make her mine again, consequences be damned. But I was twice her age, and she was my best friend’s daughter. There was no scenario where following my urges would end well.
After a few moments of breathing and reminding myself who I was, I regained my composure and devoted my energy to my work. For the sake of my company and everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, I vowed that Amelia would not get what she wanted from me, no matter how badly I wanted to give in to her.
Chapter Four
Kellen
New York Fashion Week passed as quickly as it came. I was proud that our agency had had the largest booking rate out of all our competitors. Still, a lot of the girls were left disappointed—which was part of the job, I guessed.