by Lucia Jordan
Copyright © 2012 by Lucia Jordan
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Chapter One
The minute Carla walked into the bar, she knew she’d made a grave mistake.
It was filled with loads of Rick’s friends. Of course. After all, this was the place closest to where they worked and Rick and his colleagues would always hang out here. She’d come several times before, always with Rick. This would be the first time she was venturing into the vicinity on her own.
She wanted to turn around instantly, but then she saw Naomi’s face in her mind’s eye. Telling her she was a coward.
Naomi was her best friend and her flatmate – and also happened to be Rick’s co-worker. It had been Naomi who’d introduced them months ago, and now felt responsible for getting Carla hurt.
“If I’d known he was a cheat, I’d never have hooked you up with him,” Naomi had said regretfully last night. “He always seemed like such a nice guy.”
“I thought so too,” Carla had said bitterly. “But after catching him “sexting” some girl from his office typing pool, and then finding out he was actually planning to take her with him on his next business trip…”
“I’m so sorry, Carla,” Naomi had wailed, hugging her tight. “I wish there was a way we could pay the bastard back. Guys like him always seem to get away with everything.”
Carla knew Naomi may be right. Rick was handsome, successful – a charmer. Carla had felt so proud to have him as her boyfriend. But now it was over and he was probably on to the next girl stupid enough to fall for his charms.
“I bet he’s with her right now,” Carla had muttered, gulping down the last of the wine. “They’re probably on that trip together as we speak. He’s forgotten all about me by now.”
“Who cares?” Naomi had replied. “He’s a cad, so he won’t be missed, would he?”
“Not at all,” Carla had said vengefully. “But I’m going to make him wish he never made a fool of me. I’m going to do something that will make him look like the bozo he is. I’m going to make him pay.”
“But how?”
“You’ll love it when you hear it…”
*
Well, Naomi had thought it was a great idea. But then, they’d both been more than a little drunk. And yet now, with reality taking place, Carly wondered if her “plan” had been a good idea after all.
She looked around at the sea of faces, many of them glanced her way curiously. Most probably already knew that she and Rick were history. She told herself she detected one or two looks of pity. Gritting her teeth, she strengthened her resolve and walked straight to the bar to order a drink.
Carla wondered if, in the end, she’ll pick up some random stranger or if it would be someone from Rick’s office she’ll be heading home with tonight. Then she told herself, no matter. One way or another, the dependable office grapevine will do its work of letting Rick know that his ex had shown up here and then left with some guy – preferably someone richer, handsomer and please God, sexier than Rick.
Inroads into her second drink since she arrived; Carla felt her nerve start to harden from its shakiness earlier. She could do this. She wanted to do this. She could get tipsy enough to actually carry the plan through. She’d certainly dressed the part.
She was well above five feet, a good height for a woman. She was a runner and slim thanks to all those miles she did every other morning. She knew she had a nice face, a bit angular but framed well with her dark, wavy locks. She’d made up her sparkling green eyes and curvy lips to perfection. Best of all, she’d borrowed one of Naomi’s hot, drop-dead numbers. It was black and clingy and short – with absolutely no back and just enough neckline in front to hold her C-cup tits in.
And not to forget the shoes, of course – which were more or less just heels, all five inches of them barely attached to her dainty feet by two tiny black straps. She usually never dressed in such a come-on fashion, but tonight was different. She wanted to be as comely as possible to attract the right target.
She smiled at the bartender who poured another drink into her empty glass. Did she just imagine the handsome man give her a tiny wink before he went off to attend to another customer? Cheeky devil, she thought, eyeing him and checking out his ass in the too-tight trousers. Probably gay, she guessed, deciding that hitting on the bartender would be out of the question. She needed someone she could flirt with blatantly and then leave with equally visibly.
Before she was two sips into her newly filled drink, a figure appeared at her side. She hid a smile and looked up expectantly to find a familiar face smiling back at her. Her forehead scrunched up thoughtfully for a moment, and then she grinned in recognition. “Oh, hi, Henry.”
“Carla, such a surprise to see you here,” he said in a friendly tone as he placed his hand on the counter.
Carla’s eyes flicked over him speculatively. Good looking; a bit nerdy with those glasses, but nice blue eyes. He was one of Rick’s pals undoubtedly, and he worked in accounting. But was he the right candidate? She really did want someone to make Rick green in the face when he found out what she’d done.
“I can imagine,” she said drily, in answer to his last statement. The whole crew probably knew about the breakup she figured. In fact, she was sure of it. They probably knew the reasons, too. She could bet that Rick would make the picture look just bad enough to make her seem the perfect fool for ever trusting him.
Her smile widened as she noticed Henry looking her over with frank admiration. He really was nice – too nice to be put in the middle like this. Besides, was he really the type to want to zone in on his pal’s ex-girlfriend? Some guys had no principle, she knew, but she wasn’t sure she wanted Henry involved in her scheme. But if there weren’t any other takers…
“But as you can see, a girl like me always likes to take things easy,” she said lightly, lifting the glass to her lips and as her arm raised, managed to tilt her cleavage out even more invitingly. She could swear she saw Henry’s throat gulp. She added with a shrug, “I don’t let anything bring me down.”
“I understand,” Henry said, in a voice somewhat strained. Now he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes above her neck. “I mean, considering that you and Rick…I mean, now that it’s over – it doesn’t mean your life shouldn’t go on um…as normal.”
“Exactly. You so get it. Right back on the wagon, that’s me,” she said, pointedly placing down her glass with a smack of her lips as she faced him with purpose. She had to admit; it just might be fun seducing someone like Henry…bringing him over to the wild side will definitely be loads of fun…
Just as she was thinking of making a very targeted suggestion to the now pink-in-the-face Henry, someone shouldered in between them with a polite “excuse me” as he addressed the bartender. Carla frowned at the intrusion, till she caught his profile and then gasped – audibly.
He turned suddenly at the sound, and she was face to face with the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. He smiled a little at her dazed expression, before turning once again to the bartender. “Your usual, Mr. Holt,” the man behind the bar said respectfully.
“Thanks, Rob,” he said, and Carla swallowed as his deep, gravelly voice washed over her. Just then, Henry spoke from the other end.
“M
r. Holt – I mean sir,” he said in a stumbling voice. “Didn’t see you there.”
“That’s okay, Henry; and sorry to break in between you and your…lady friend,” he said, turning so that his back was to the bar. He switched to Carla who still hadn’t been able to close her mouth, which she finally did with a hot flush of pink of her face.
Henry seemed to have suddenly developed a stutter, as he said, “Oh, uh, sir, this is um…Carla Stevens. Carla, this is Mr. Jason Holt, my…my boss.”
Really? Carla thought in surprise, eyes raking with practiced speed over the tall, blindingly handsome man standing beside her. He was dressed in a dark grey suit, the white shirt unbuttoned at the throat, no tie. His eyes were a deep brown; his hair was stylishly short and a mass of russet curls. She was mesmerized by the piercing glint in those melting brown eyes.
Her brain was barely able to function though and she realized that if this was Henry’s boss, then by implication he was also definitely Rick’s boss. Well, well.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Holt,” she said, and shook his hand. The contact was brief but still managed to send a thrill up her arm.
He. Was. Hot.
No two ways about it. And he was looking at her with more than cursory interest, she realized. Instinctively, she perked up – in more ways than one.
“You don’t work for my company, do you?” he asked, regarding her with narrowed, quizzical eyes, as if trying to place her face.
“Oh, no, not at all,” she said with a laugh and a wave of her hand. Just then, as if on cue, Henry’s cell phone rang, and with a self-conscious smile and a mumbled “excuse me”, he went off to answer it. Carla had to bite back another laugh. The accounts guy was really flustered to find his boss appearing out of the blue.
Heck, she was flustered, herself.
Who wouldn’t be with such an image of utter manliness standing before her? From head to foot he was impeccably, undeniably sexy. The kind she’d kept especially for her deepest, hottest fantasies – the type she’d never dream of netting on a good day. But since today was a very wild and reckless day, she was very willing to take her chances…
She saw him watch as Henry walked off, head bent over his phone, before he turned to her with those molten eyes of his. “He’s not your type, you know?”
Carla went really red despite herself, but gathered her wits and decided to play along. She had an agenda of her own anyway, so she definitely needed to be on the mark to get what she so wanted tonight…
*
“Oh, you mean Henry?” she asked lightly as she took a welcome sip from her drink. Was her head beginning to spin from all that booze, or was it just Mr. Hottie standing next to her?
“Yes, him,” he replied with a slight smile, then, “Are you sure you don’t work for me?”
She rolled her eyes playfully. “Of course I’m sure. I’m a florist, Mr. Holt – I grow very rare orchids. However…I did date someone who works for you.” Her finger twirled flirtatiously over the rim of her glass.
“Really? Who?”
“Rick Fulsom,” she said, wondering why she was even going there. But she had to make conversation, didn’t she? Something to keep Mr. Red-Hot riveted while she figured out her next move.
He nodded slowly. “I believe he’s in marketing.”
Carla nodded, willing her heartbeat to stop pounding. He was speaking quite normally and yet, every single word sounded so sexy coming from his lips. Damn, he only had to just open his mouth and she had her inner walls quivering. Either she was already very drunk or just plain horny.
“You spoke in the past tense, Miss Stevens. I guess that means you two are no more an item?”
“Definitely not an item anymore – since last week, actually,” she said with a careless shrug.
“You don’t look too broken up about it,” he said, and she flashed her eyes up at him to see if he was making fun of her. He wasn’t. He just looked curious.
“I’m not. He was a lying, cheating, toad,” she told him calmly, finishing off her drink and dumping it on the counter with a “thunk”. “And I’m here tonight to revel in my singledom – find someone really hot to take home, and then screw his brains out.” She had an innocent smile on her face as she finished the sentence.
Did his eyes just turn from brown to black?
Whoa.
Carla couldn’t help the little shiver that passed through her frame at the prospect of how predatory he looked right then.
“I see. Then I hope you weren’t considering Henry as a likely prospect. Like I said, he’s hardly your type. Far too tame,” Jason Holt said as he placed his own glass next to hers on the counter.
“I can’t help but agree, Mr. Holt,” she murmured, uncrossing and then crossing her legs. Not with the intent to play seductress, but because she had to find a way to tone down the itching in the apex of her thighs. Why on earth was she suddenly feeling like a bitch in heat? Sure, Jason Holt exuded some serious male magnetism but was that enough to make her want to shove him on the nearest chair, hike up her skirt and mount him like a cowgirl?
Yeesh. No more rum and coke for her tonight.
“Please, call me Jason. And can I call you Carla?”
“Of course,” she said quickly. Mister, she thought with an inner squirm, you can call me anything you want…
“Well, Carla, I can’t help but feel that I appeared at a most opportune time – that is, if you meant what you said about how you want this night to go.” His voice was a calm, low drawl, but Carla was no fool; she sensed the undercurrent of feral heat and purpose in the way he picked his words.
“You think?”
“Yes,” he told her clearly. He was now standing so close to her she could inhale the delicious hint of his expensive cologne and something else…his own special, masculine scent. She could swear she was seeping from her inner folds by now.
“And if you don’t have any other prospects standing by, then allow me to apply,” he said in a husky, skin-tingling voice, before slanting his head and kissing her lips.
Chapter Two
Right there, right then, he kissed her, and stamped his claim.
Carla gasped into his mouth, shocked by the instant volt of electricity she felt. He took her fiercely, seeking entry into her with a tongue that was demanding and beguiling at the same time. He had the sweetest taste, the freshest feel. She could have kissed him all night.
Before she even had the chance to respond, he drew back, very slowly. Her eyes were fastened to those incredibly knowing lips that retreated from hers, and she wanted to protest; more, more! If that was his way of giving her a taste of what was to come, then she was already very much sure her search had indeed ended.
“Well,” she said, pushing her fingers through her hair to hide how much the unexpected kiss had thrown her. She stole a glance around the club and wondered if anyone had caught that bit of lip-locking. Suddenly, perversely, her plan seemed so foolish – even dangerous. What had she been thinking? Now here she was, faced with the reality that she was about to get exactly what she’d been looking for. She looked into Jason’s eyes and suddenly realized this was no longer a game…
*
“You said something about Henry not being my type,” she added through suddenly parched lips as she saw him stand back to view her with humorous, sensuous eyes. “What makes you think you’re mine?” Carla was aiming for lightheartedness, but she was a mass of confusion inside.
He shrugged his hard-packed shoulders. “Because you’re a woman with fire,” he said deeply. “And you need a man who can stoke up the flames just right. Someone with firmness…a man not afraid to take charge – of your body, and of your pleasure. I can be that man, Carla. I want to be.”
Oh heck, she thought with an inner moan. He was on all levels the most incredibly attractive male she’d ever met, and he wanted her. It was almost as impossible to believe as the fact that she’d ever thought she could carry out her dumb plan. Like seriously? He thought she ha
d fire? Hardly. She’d been silly to think she could just come up here, grab some guy and then jump into bed with him. She didn’t do stuff like that.
“Look, um…Jason; I have a confession to make,” she said quickly, shoving back her hair with slightly trembling fingers. “You know what I said about uh…finding someone to go to bed with. It was just me being silly. You see, I was mad at Rick for cheating on me – that’s why we broke up, by the way…So I came here, to make a fool of him by hooking up with someone in the hope that he’d hear about it.”
Jason paused, his gaze flickering over her face for a moment. “Thank you for telling me, Carla. And you’re right, it is silly.”
Her eyes widened, his words stinging somewhat. “Huh?” she said, dazed. She hadn’t really expected him to agree with her.
“It’s true,” he said, shrugging. “It’s silly for you to think that Rick’s opinion matters. That you need to prove anything to him. Because you don’t. If he could be so dumb as to let someone like you go, then he doesn’t even deserve another of your thoughts.”
“Oh,” Carla breathed with dawning realization, as her annoyance fizzled into warmth.
“Yes, oh,” he said with a tender smile, his hand reaching out to tip her chin higher so she could look straight into her eyes. “My point being…that when you leave here with me, it wouldn’t be out of the wish to make some ex-boyfriend jealous or angry…but because you truly, truly want to. So, next question – do you want to, Carla?
*
If she said no, he’d probably leave her alone. Carla felt sure about this. She also felt sure she’d regret it for a long, long time.
“I want to,” she replied, her voice breathy, barely audible.
But he heard her, and his smile was gleaming with sensuous intent as he said, “Great…because you got me ever since the words “screw his brains out” and trust me, Carla, I’m going to be holding you to that…”
Chapter Three
His place, his bedroom…his bed.
They’d started kissing the second the front door closed behind them. Carla felt his hands roam all over her, and she was just as eager to feel the solid strength of his body beneath her hands.