Torn Series: A Bundle Set 1 - 10

by Pamela Ann

  My hand immediately reached out to her, pulling her close. Yep, Bass Cole had lost his wits. “Wait. Do you want to join me and my friends at my table?” I gestured towards where my booth was at and, as expected, they were all watching, probably just as confused as I was as to why I was pursuing a woman that was not my usual type.

  Unusual, yes, but beautiful nonetheless. Her soul, her core, was made of substance. One look into her depths and I just knew. She wasn’t a faker, which was a novelty in my line of field.

  Hesitation etched all over her face as she weighed my invitation. “I’m good. Thank you though.” She tried to pull away, however my hand was on lockdown with hers. No, she better try to a better job in trying to get away because I wasn’t going to let her until I figured out why my reaction to her pulled at me. I mentally gave myself the entire night to find out why.

  Yep, this woman was going to tolerate me dogging her around. That’s simply how this cookie crumbles, I thought with underlying purpose.

  “Okay, well can I invite myself to join you then?” I used one of those easy, cocky smiles that the photographers always asked of me during a photo shoot—and to my luck—it seemed to work.

  “If you want to, I guess,” she replied.

  Hallelujah!

  I smirked as I introduced myself. It was stupid, but I knew she deserved this much courtesy. She looked gullible for some reason. “I’m Bass Cole.”

  She looked at my outstretched hand for a second before she clasped it with hers. “Emma Anderson.”

  Emma…

  Her name suited her personality. It was perfect, I tried to think past the magnetizing feel of her hand as I took it upon my lips and kissed it.

  A soft gasp came from her.

  I never EVER kissed a woman’s hand—except for films—so I was clearly baffled.

  One look into her face—her eyes—was all it took and then I was that yearning fiend again.

  Emma was beautiful, like a lot of women around here, but her gullibility topped with this strangely unique, hypnotic way she affected me, sent me into a state of stupefying awe.

  I couldn’t help it. My spellbound body leaned over and whispered into her ear, needing another excuse to sniff her like a dog. Jesus, I wanted more. More of what precisely? It was another blank answer. “I want you, Emma Anderson.” This was the closest thing I could find to sum it up with. It was a typical line for any guy that wanted a woman, but Hell, my vocabulary seemed to have diminished somewhere.

  “I’m not going to have sex with you, you know. If that’s what you’re after, you’re going to have to look elsewhere,” she said with all seriousness.

  My crass blatant-ness made her pull back, so I had to reassure her that this wasn’t a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am situation. Far from it.

  My eyes gleamed with pure amusement. “As much as that thought appeals to me right now, Emma Anderson, I don’t have sex on first dates either.” The fight to keep myself in check was an easy one, mind you.

  Hell, yes, this was going to be a date. I was going to get it, one way or the other.

  I wasn’t merely determined; I was hell-bent on it happening tonight. My questions wouldn’t be answered with a quick lay, but with talking. I just needed to get to know her, talk some more… and I prayed to God that I would get the answers to my baffling thoughts.

  My lazy smile got wider at her obvious confused expression. “What date? We just met. This is obviously not a first date!”

  Not yet anyway.

  I smirked at her perplexed face. “Oh, but it will be, Emma. It definitely will be,” I whispered into her ear.

  The thumping music of the latest single immediately vanished around me as I became absorbed by this lone being I held in my arms. Emma was puzzled and I gave a soft chuckle at her seemingly frozen state. “So, want to introduce me to your friends?” I pointed a finger at her table which had all of her friends staring back at us with avid curiosity.

  Her forehead furrowed as she thought it over. Blue eyes looked at me with interest, and yet, with great hesitation. It was good to see that she wasn’t all that affected by me.

  “Sure. I know someone who will be very interested to meet you.” She emphasized the word, cluing me in a bit.

  I knew what she was getting at and I was willing to let that slide for now because I didn’t want to scare her away.

  With my hand still intertwined with hers, I guided us towards her table and awaiting friends. When we got there, all the girls were overly giggly and way past enthusiastic to meet me. It was obvious that her group consisted of a lot of pretty girls—especially the one who scrutinized me with laser eyes—who was more of my type, but tonight was different because, for the very first time, I was pursuing something else. God help me if I regret this decision.

  “Guys, this is Bass, as all of you know already.” Emma’s soft voice tugged at me. So I gave it a light squeeze for encouragement. “This is Cece, Trista, Amber and my good friend, Lindsey.” Lindsey was more of my type—or Amber—usually.

  As always, my work persona was now in place as I faced these expectant women. It was a mechanism that had shielded me well for years. “Hello, ladies. Glad to make your acquaintance.” I smiled as I guided Emma towards the leather seat.

  Emma slid inside the booth and I quickly followed suit, comfortable amidst all these strangers already, which was an added bonus.

  Cece, who was sitting across from us, got out of her seat and purposely sat next to me. Women like her flooded the city and I could spot a bitch with an over-hungry appetite for fame a mile away. The woman didn’t even wait a beat until she talked my ears off.

  Cece’s kind were familiar to me, and typically, I could tolerate having them around. Tonight, however, I wanted to speak to Emma alone, but I didn’t want to be rude because I had just met her.

  So I had to act like I was interested in Cece’s failed auditions; and it took her what? Ten minutes to ask if I could help her get roles? The woman was brazen, I would give her that.

  Pretending to be engrossed in my chat with Cece wasn’t a hardship, but what amused me more was Emma’s persistence to pull her hand away from mine. The more she tugged, the harder I clutched our intertwined fingers.

  Need I say that I was acting like an irrational man? It disgusted me that a guy like me was too taken by her; to the point where I kept checking the time because I couldn’t wait to get her alone.

  Amber and Trista both excused themselves to find some guys. They had been openly chatting about what type they were looking for.

  A few minutes later, Lindsey left as well, bidding me goodbye.

  It was just the three of us and I could feel—yes, I fucking felt it—where Emma was going with her next move.

  Just as Cece thrust her overly sized, hard as rock breasts, Emma tugged away again, getting up this time. “Bass, I have to go to the bathroom.”

  I saw something in her eyes and wondered where she was going with this. She couldn’t be seriously trying to hook me up with this plastic injected wannabe? Not going to happen.

  “Let me take you,” I offered, wanting to follow her everywhere.

  Her stricken expression gave her away. She wanted to be away from me, dismissing me already without giving a proper chance to get to know me better.

  I should’ve been ticked off, but alas, it only fueled my determination.

  “No, thanks. I’m good.”

  Reluctantly, I let go of her hand, willing to give her a buffer from me. I was giving her this tiny space then I was going all out.

  It was madness. The only explanation to this was that I could possibly be horny. Which I was, however it was also so much more than that.

  My dwelling thoughts were once again casted aside as Cece’s advancement became blatantly obvious. She was now touching my thigh, rubbing. “You’re wasting your time with her. Why don’t we dance and I can show you a good time?”

  Even if I was wasting my time with Emma, I certainly wasn’t going to spare
a second with this woman. Her toxic personality repulsed me.

  Checking the time again, it seemed that Emma had been gone for over ten minutes. My eyes immediately scanned the crowded club, feeling a daunting feeling sink in that she probably had left already. Or better yet, out to seek her other friends… or another man had caught her eye.

  Not needing to waste another second with this self-centered chit, I got up and excused myself. “I better go find her, just in case she got lost.”

  Cece snorted, offended that I wasn’t accepting her generous offer. “Good luck with that.”

  With a curt nod, I left her all by her bitter, lonely self. I was just about to turn towards where the restrooms where located when I saw her breeze through the throng of people, aiming towards the entrance. She had this confused frown on her face as she walked about, neglecting the open, appreciative stares she was getting from her male counterparts.

  Moving as quickly as possible, I headed towards her. Just in the nick of time, I heard her sigh just as I grasped the side of her hips and pulled us into a darkened corner, tucked behind the bouncers spot and the bar.

  There were stacks of empty crates, but I barely took notice because Emma was ready to fight me off.

  “What the fu—” she halted mid-sentence when I expertly spun her around to face me and placed a finger on her luscious lips, hushing her.

  Her blue eyes sparked at me, ignited by the licks of burning fire; desire and hunger permeated the air. It was thick with it.

  Good to know it wasn’t only me feeling this weird connection.

  Her lips were partially parted while her hot breath licked my finger, making me beyond aware of the perfervid chemistry that seemed to engulf us, holding us in its trance.

  My eyes darkened as I studied those lips.

  Her hitched breathing only added to my purpose. The pad of my thumb grazed against her cushioned bottom lip, memorizing it. I agonized with the anticipation of tasting it one day.

  My lungs seemed to have some trouble working when her heaving breasts started to press against my chest.

  Her breasts… don’t fucking go there man. Her lips alone were doing me in and, if I start focusing on her supple cleavage, I might do something drastic and take her right here, right now, uncaring that we were in some storage area at a nightclub. `

  “Call me crazy—call me anything you like—but I want to get to know you, Emma. Give me the rest of the night to get to know you. The moment my eyes spied you tonight, I was mesmerized and I can’t let you walk away.”

  Those gorgeous eyes looked into me, seeking answers, seeking reason.

  “I don’t know about that, Bass.”

  “Tonight, just tonight… that’s all I ask, Emma. I know you barely know me, but I give you my word, I will not do anything you don’t want me to do, I promise.” I gave her my assurance, meaning each word.

  As much as the thought of sex with her appealed to me, the need to get to know the woman behind the small, unsure smile intrigued me even more.

  “Why? What do you have in mind?” she asked, still contemplating.

  I understood her reluctance and I was glad that it was there to begin with. It proved what type of a woman she was, and it pleased me to no end.

  “All I want to do is talk and enjoy your company, nothing more.” I used my pleading voice to sway her decision and I was happy when it worked.

  “Fine, as long as you keep your promise, okay? No sex of any kind or shit will turn very ugly.” She was warning, though her cuteness got to me and I simply had to give a mega-watt smile. The need to kiss her nose was tempting, but I didn’t dare do it.

  I knew my limits, and certainly, that gesture would be pushing it.

  “Thank you, Emma Anderson. I promise you won’t regret this.” My finger traced her bottom lip again with excruciating slowness, fighting off the urge to taste her.

  “You better,” she croaked back, breathless.

  Her ragged breathlessness made the rush of my blood head downwards, diffusing my brain as I held her tighter. Pressing my hard, muscled body against her own, I lavished on her heat, merely satisfying the animalistic hunger she evoked in me.

  When she shivered against me, I almost lost it.

  “Exquisite beauty,” I rasped out, staring at her with hunger, ready to suck on her sweet lips.

  My fingers trailed down, caressing her neck, and then her jaw with soft, gentle strokes. Her delicate skin was like velvet to touch.

  Something about this woman held me captive. The more time I spent with her, the more the feeling intensified.

  It was beyond baffling.

  Emma looked so entranced, ready to be savored by me, ripe to my touch… but I wasn’t going to take us there. I needed more time.

  Pushing against her breasts, cheek to cheek, I murmured into her ear. “I told you we would have our first date tonight.” My hot breath brought a soft moan from the beautiful siren herself.

  Her moan did strange things to me.

  As much as I liked this electrified, sensual foreplay though, it wasn’t my intention with her.

  The night was young.

  Besides, for the first time in months, I looked forward to something bright.

  Maybe it might even turn out to be extraordinary…

  Glimpses of The Woman Underneath

  When Lou, my driver, bid us goodnight and left my driveway, I took hold of Emma’s arm and guided her towards my home. She remained silent as I opened the door and deactivate the alarm system before the lights immediately flickered to life.

  Silently, I studied her reaction as her eyes took in her surroundings. An entire glass wall panel was made into a waterfall. The open space was done elegantly in black, white and silver with cerulean blue accents that jazzed up the space.

  My home was the ultimate man’s pad, although it held something warm and didn’t give out that hard, cold feeling.

  Emma cocked her head to the side, biting back a playful smile. “I want to tell you that your house is gorgeous, but you probably hear that all the time.”

  She was mesmerizing to look at. She was talking about my home, but my eyes were trained on her face, captivated. Beautiful, I wanted to say, but changed my mind at the last second. “Thank you. I do, but it’s a first from you. So, it counts.”

  With my arm loosely around her waist, I playfully nudged her forward. I needed any excuse to touch her. Each time I did, the whole bizarre feeling set in again and I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. Even with my indecisiveness, though, I knew one thing, I wasn’t about to stop.

  Her sexy heels echoed loudly against the black marbled floor, hips swaying as she did so. “Come on, I want to show you the view from the patio.” It was one of the reasons why I had bought this house.

  Situated on a hilltop, the bright lights of Los Angeles sprawled before our eyes, vast and mysterious. It was completely captivating with the famous Hollywood sign seen in the distance.

  Her eyes took in the sight before us, twinkling with great fascination.

  Coming up behind her, I brushed the tip of my nose against her hair, getting high off her scent. “It’s marvelous, isn’t it?” I asked, referring to this thing between us and not the view.

  Emma merely nodded in agreement.

  Could it be possible to feel this distracting kind of closeness towards someone I had barely met? Even with the women I’d had before, it took me a few times to engage with them until I could feel comfortable. However, with Emma right now, everything felt new, while, at the same time, it felt as if I was meant to feel this way.

  Baffled as to where my train of thought was going, I cleared my throat and asked, “You’re a new guest in my home, Emma Anderson. What can I get you for refreshments?” It was my excuse to head indoors, hoping to clear my head a bit.

  Emma moved sideways, captivating me some more. “Red wine and water, please.”

  “Right away, Miss.” I put out a lazy smile. It was idiotic, yet I couldn’t help it. I like
d having her here.

  Emma decided to follow me inside the house. Her heavy perusal was felt as I moved about, trying in earnest to ignore her avid interest. I almost groaned when I saw her lean over the granite island, watching me closely as I tried to focus on gathering our drinks.

  “So, where did Cece go?” she inquired, fishing for some dish.

  I think I only just failed holding back my smile. “I knew what you were doing, you know. I have to tell you that I feel insulted—truly and deeply insulted—that you would ditch me and hand me over to someone else, but you weren’t that slick.” I shook my head, beaming like a mad person. “I caught you at the right moment.” I certainly made an emphasis of the word ‘caught’.

  Rounding the counter, I handed her a bottle of water then opened a bottle of red wine and took out two wine glasses from the cupboard.

  “Whoops. Thought it was a match made in Heaven.”

  Heaven wasn’t the word one would associate with a woman like Cece, but Emma on the other hand…

  “Not even close. Not. Even. Close,” I murmured as I left for the patio, barefoot.

  She followed, watching as I placed the items on the table and turned on the huge, outdoor marbled fireplace.

  All this time, I was pleased her eyes never left me.

  It was definitely mutual.

  Emma remained outside as I strode inside again to get some snacks to nibble on.

  When I got back out to the deck, Emma looked deep in thought. A large part of me knew that she was thinking of the ex because she somehow looked sad again.

  A pang of something ignited inside me, but most of all, I wished to have her sad face erased permanently. For some reason, it seemed to matter a lot.

  I placed a tray of food on the rattan coffee table. It consisted of fruits, brie and crackers, cold cuts, black and green olives, cherry tomatoes, dark and milk chocolates, a slice of strawberry cheesecake and chocolate cake, along with a bag of Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream chips.

  Her laugh was music to my ears. “This is a very interesting mix you’ve got here, Bass.”