by Ann Cory
Midnight’s Sweet Kiss
By Ann Cory
ISBN: 978-1-927111-50-5
PUBLISHED BY:
Books We Love
192 Lakeside Greens Drive
Chestermere, Alberta, T1X 1C2
Canada
Copyright © 2011 by Ann Cory
Cover art by Michelle Lee Copyright © 2011
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Chapter One
Sophie Kurtz roamed the arrival area of John F. Kennedy National airport. Her six-piece matching luggage set didn’t seem stylish or practical right then, in fact it was a hassle. After a lengthy flight from Portland, Oregon with three stopovers, she wanted nothing more than to soak in a warm bath and kick her feet up. Or kick a certain someone in the behind.
Kyle, her over an hour late fiancé, was nowhere to be found. She twirled the diamond engagement ring on her finger, as if the movement alone could summon him. Had he been unreliable before, she wouldn’t think twice about the minutes that ticked by. But Kyle was known for his punctuality, and abhorred lateness in both friends and business associates, a trait she didn’t mind. While she argued with herself that things were subject to change on occasion, she couldn’t figure out why he’d chosen now to do so.
She flipped open her phone and punched the number one. Under her breath she referred to him as the number one asshole. Again she was met with the impersonal voicemail message. Where the hell was he and why hadn’t he called? She considered leaving a message and thought it best not to if she wanted him to pick her up from the airport anytime soon. Instead she dialed her best friend Olivia for some long distance support.
After the third ring her friend answered.
“Hey Soph, I thought you were on a plane.”
“It landed a little over an hour ago,” she said, her words ending in a sigh.
“Yeah? How was the flight?”
Sophie groaned. “It sucked. I hate flying, you know that. I’m always stuck in between people who want to tell me about their lives or in front of a restless kid who should consider pro soccer for his future career. This trip I had the pleasure of both.”
“Ouch. So what’s up? And why have you been in the airport for over an hour?”
She pictured Olivia thrust a hand to her hip and frown.
“Kyle’s…late.” There, she said it. The lecture could begin.
Her friend clicked her tongue. “It figures.”
“Don’t do that,” she retorted before her friend could start in on her.
“What did I say?”
Innocence was lost on Olivia.
“I recognize the sarcasm,” Sophie pointed out. “It’s hard to miss.”
Her friend laughed. “I said two words.”
“With your signature tone,” she added.
“Look, you know I’m not a fan of the guy. Pardon me for wanting better for my best friend.”
“He’s a good man,” Sophie pressed, though right now he wasn’t her favorite person.
“If you’re into stuffy, boring, vain and self-centered,” Olivia listed in a rapid succession, “than yeah, he’s a prize.”
“Thanks,” Sophie replied dryly. “Remind me to dangle your boyfriend’s flaws when you’re stuck somewhere you’ve never been and about ready to have a nervous breakdown.”
“It would never happen.”
“You don’t know that,” she countered.
“Yeah, I do,” her friend stated. “After an hour of waiting he wouldn’t be my boyfriend anymore, and the nervous breakdown would wait until after I had a one-night stand with the first sex god that walked by.”
Olivia never let anyone walk on her, and she always had the last word.
“Point taken. You don’t put up with shit from people, unlike me.”
“If you’d quit wearing that doormat, you’d be better off,” her friend chimed. “Your figure’s much too nice.”
Sophie exhaled into the phone. “I called you for support, so support me. I’m not sure what to think. I’ve called him several times and he doesn’t answer. I’ve triple-checked that I’m in the right place and I even confirmed that the information I gave him was correct. I forwarded the itinerary straight to his email last night.”
“Maybe there was an accident?”
“Not one that he’d be stuck in,” she said. “I checked that first.”
“Work meeting ran late?”
At one time she’d have believed that, but not now. “Doubtful. Why wouldn’t he call?”
“I don’t know hon,” Olivia soothed. “I’d say take this as a sign—an out.”
“An out?” Had she heard correctly? “If I wanted an out I’d never have given up my great condo, quit my nice paying job, or considered living in New York.”
“I don’t know sweetie. I have this odd feeling he’s going to break your heart.”
The matter-of-fact delivery of her friend’s words concerned her. “You don’t know that.”
“I feel it in my gut. Or maybe that’s the fast food I ate,” she added.
“Ha ha.” Yep, good old Olivia.
“Just don’t get hurt,” her friend said in a lighter tone. “I think the world of you and want you to be happy.”
God she could really use a hug right now. “I know, and right back atcha.” She looked out at the sea of stranger’s faces wandering around, hoping to see one she recognized. “I guess I’ll give him another hour…”
“No,” Olivia interrupted. “What I suggest you do is get some booze in you and take a cab to his place. Surprise him, and let him know you aren’t going to put up with this shit. Oh, and be sure to demand unlimited sex.”
Sophie frowned. Unlimited sex with Kyle didn’t give her much incentive, but no one needed to know that.
“You’re too much,” she said.
“You know it’s why you called,” Olivia teased.
Sophie checked the nearest clock. “You’ve always been there for me. I miss you already.”
“Don’t go there. We did the goodbye thing this morning. I just applied a third coat of mascara and don’t want to cry.”
Not wanting to hang up just yet she asked, “What’s the occasion?”
“Dancing with DJ.”
She envied her friend’s confidence when it came to guys.
“Sounds like a night of fun.” More than what she planned to have. Kyle wasn’t big on crowds or parties unless they were business related. So she’d be ringing in the new year from the comfort of his…their home.
“Well, DJ’s more of a friend than anything but its still fun to flirt. Now hang up, drink up, and go show your man who’s boss.”
Like that would happen in this lifetime, but she decided to humor her friend. “Whatever you say. I’ll give you a shout tomorrow.”
“You better. Bye.”
She hung up and checked her messages. There was nothing in the message area but a big fat zero.
Sophie grabbed her airport carrier and dragged it behind her to the nearest bar. While not her scene, she had an affinity for bright colored drinks with fruit hanging off the rim. Late as it was, she decided on something less showy and ordered a mojito with its velvety mint garnish and clean, smooth taste.
Three mojitos later she was less pissed at Kyle, and just pissed in general. She moved to New York to start fresh with a new job, a new place, and a new life. It would be the start of an amazing year that included a wa
lk down the aisle with her man of three years. Only now the plans didn’t look quite so promising. If she could somehow take herself out of the one to blame category, she would, but it all fell on her shoulders. No one twisted her arm to make the big move. She’d decided on her own and it was a bit late to change her mind.
Sophie tried Kyle’s number one more time and after cursing the voicemail message, paid the bartender. If she spent another minute in the airport, she was going to lose it. Luggage carrier in tow she headed outside into the cool December air and hailed a cab.
To her relief, one pulled up before her foot touched the curb. At least she could count on something. The cab driver opened his door to get out but she waved him off.
“Just pop the trunk, I’ll take care of my stuff.” There was no sense both of them being cold. Plus, all of her possessions were in the suitcases. It gave her comfort to load each one in. They felt like old friends.
She gave a final look back toward the airport and then scrunched into the cab. Ready or not she was on her way. She hoped Kyle would be thrilled by her surprise. And she hoped he had a real good reason for not picking her up.
“Where to, miss?”
The seductive deep voice from inside the cab sent shivers along her spine. She looked up and met steel gray eyes in the rearview mirror. They were deep-set and hypnotic and trained on her.
“Uh, Miss? I’ll need your destination.”
Sophie blinked to break her trance-like stare. “My fiancé’s place,” she blurted and felt her cheeks blaze red.
The driver’s dark brows arched. “I’m not familiar with that location. Maybe you could give me a street name?”
Heat spread from her neck on up. “Sorry, it’s on the corner of 9th and Davidson,” she replied with a shaky voice.
What was up with the knot of nerves forming in her belly? She might’ve been with Kyle for the last three years but it wasn’t like she’d never looked at another man.
A charming grin tugged the driver’s full lips. Even with his body half concealed by the front seat, her senses responded, and not with any subtlety. It was like he’d been chiseled out of a clay mold of perfection. His navy blue shirt fit him snug around the chest, and there was a slight vee in the collar area that made her want to hook her finger there, pull down, and check out the rest of him.
She returned her attention to the mirror and back to his eyes. They scanned the road, moving ever so slight from one side to the other and then for a brief moment at her. His gaze had her transfixed. With his take-me-I’m-yours looks, he could tell her to strip and she’d obey in a heartbeat.
You’re taken, she reminded herself and glanced down at her ring. It was a princess cut, though the diamond was larger than she preferred. Kyle insisted on the size despite her preference for something modest. She wasn’t naïve. He’d bought it big to impress people with how much he’d spent on it.
“So, I take it you just flew in?”
Again shivers flecked her skin. How did his voice have such a commanding effect over her? “Yeah, I mean, yes,” she said and wondered if he ever made his girlfriend wait hours for him to show up. She didn’t think so. For right now, or at least while she stayed mad at Kyle, this dark-haired dream was the ultimate sex god and could do no wrong. Olivia would be jealous.
“Is this your first time in New York,” he prompted.
“Yes.” Sophie sighed, though not because of his question. She was homesick and starting to doubt her decision.
“I thought so.”
“It’s pretty much stamped on my forehead, isn’t it?” She drew her bangs back to give him a better look.
He chuckled. “Nah. You just don’t seem like a New Yorker.”
“Not even close. I’m from Oregon. What gave me away, the scared shitless look on my face?”
“No, but there is that. It’s just little things.” He glanced her way and shrugged. “I don’t have much else to do from up here, so I try to get a read on people. I’m usually good at it too, but you’ve stumped me.”
She arched her brow. “How so?”
“You strike me as someone who likes things calm and easy going. You won’t find those things here,” he replied.
Boy, wasn’t that the truth. “I’m impressed,” she said and smoothed a wrinkle out of her skirt. “I do like things calm and simple, but not stagnant. I thought change would be good, a way to start over. New house, new job, new life.” Each time she listed them it made her more apprehensive.
“Sounds daring,” the driver responded.
“I guess.” She glanced out the window as a reminder of where she was. All the months that she’d readied herself for this move had been bearable because she’d still been home. Now she didn’t have that comfort to fall back on.
“To be honest,” she started, “moving here wasn’t my choice.” Her eyes widened at the frankness of her own comment and she tried to backtrack. “I mean, at first it wasn’t. Now I’m cool with it. My fiancé’s work is here and if I want to be with him then this is where I have to live.”
Wow, the way she explained it made her sound like she’d been held at gunpoint. Where was her enthusiasm? This wasn’t a life sentence. Was it? The cab shrunk around her while her ring grew three times its already ostentatious size. Was she having her first official nervous breakdown?
“At least you’ll have someone to help you through it. That makes a difference,” he offered.
“Sure does,” she agreed and rolled the window down for some much needed air. “I don’t mind a challenge.” Since she couldn’t even convince herself, she switched the conversation onto him. “So do you do anything else besides drive people around?”
“I drive them crazy,” he joked and started to laugh.
She snickered along with him. Handsome and charming, what were the odds? “I meant, is this a full time gig?”
“For now,” he said. “It keeps me away from desk jobs and starched uniforms. I’m allergic to both.”
“Same here.”A chill ran through her and she put the window back up. Head cocked to the side she asked, “Do you like driving a cab?”
He rolled his shoulders. “Most days. Driving relaxes me.”
“Even in this traffic?” She wouldn’t last ten minutes behind the wheel here.
“Yep. It helps remind me to slow down. It’s easy to miss things.”
Sophie liked his carefree philosophy. It differed from Kyle’s nonstop rambling about how successful he was in his career, and how everyone admired him. He’d spend hours on the phone with her rattling on about business mergers and conferences until her hand tingled from holding the phone to her ear so long. It was nice to hear someone be casual about their job, and not make money the topic of every conversation. She didn’t have the nerve to tell Kyle how much it bored her, and often worried she’d fall asleep with him still talking.
In the next breath she felt a tinge of guilt. Sure she was mad at Kyle for not calling to say he’d be late, but it wasn’t fair to find fault with him. She’d feel even worse when he explained what kept him. He was going to be her husband soon, and she’d need to show interest in the things he did.
“We’re coming up to your stop,” she heard the driver say. His interruption was more than welcome. “Is there somewhere in particular you want me to drop you off at, or right at the corner?”
She grabbed her purse and poised her hand over the seatbelt buckle. “Yeah, the corner will be…”
Sophie’s words faded off at the sight of Kyle in a steamy lip lock with some redhead in a tight little skirt, his hands freely roaming.
Her chest tightened.
“I didn’t catch that last part,” said the cabbie.
From the corner of her eye she saw him turn her direction, follow her gaze out the window, and then turn back to her.
“Oh.”
Not wanting to get caught staring with her jaw to the floor, she scrunched down in the seat. “Um, sorry. Could you just keep going a little ways further?”
He nodded and continued on.
Heat barreled throughout her entire body. As they passed, Kyle continued his apparent quest to find out how far his tongue could go down the tramp’s throat. Sophie hated that she watched, but the whole scene was foreign to her. He’d never kissed her like that before, and he made her very aware in the beginning that he loathed public displays of affection.
Once the groping jerk left her line of sight, she released her held breath and shook her head. What the hell? How could he do that to her? She flew to New York to be with him. She stopped her life for him. Granted she knew love was a gamble, but she believed him when he said they were destined to be together. The ring meant something to her. Or it did. Now she felt like a branded fool.
Sophie leaned forward to instruct the driver to drop her off at the nearest hotel, when her phone rang. She glimpsed the name. Kyle Fischer. So now he wanted to talk? Part of her wanted to press the button to hear what lame ass excuse he had prepared for being late, or rather, what lie he planned to tell. But she couldn’t do it. There wasn’t anything he could say that would make it up to her or piece back together her shattered heart. If he wasn’t faithful now, he never would be. Besides, she was too angry and everything would spill out of her with no sense or rationality to it. The relationship had ended before the plane hit the tarmac, and she was just now finding out.
God, she felt like a total idiot.
What had he been thinking when he proposed? Did he honestly think he could marry her and have a mistress on the side too? A voice in her head answered with a most definite yes. Kyle liked it best when he got his own way, and damn whoever he stepped on or crushed to get it. She thought he reserved that mentality for his workplace, but now she wasn’t certain.
Well fuck him. She wasn’t going to waste another minute of her time wondering where she fit into his life. She’d seen red. Only it was long and silky, attached to a tall skinny what’s-it that looked way too comfortable in the arms of her…ex fiancé.
Her face flushed, her eyes watered and her nose tingled. Endless crocodile tears threatened to spill. No, she hissed to herself. No crying, not over Kyle. He didn’t merit even one tear.