Feisty Heroines Romance Collection of Shorts

by D. F. Jones

  “It’s just my mom and sister. She’s twenty-two.”

  “My age,” Nora blurted out, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “No worries. Tess is an event planner with a large company and travels the globe for her job. She and I take care of Mom.” He said, “She isn’t sick or anything like that, but Dad died when I was twelve. We’re close.”

  A man who takes care of family. Check.

  “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine losing a parent.” She reached out and touched his arm. Barlow looked at her small hand against his black suit jacket. He covered it, and warmth spread through her.

  What would it feel like to have those hands on her body? Or the touch of his lips pressed next to hers?

  Oh, girlie, she was asking for trouble, but trouble never stopped her from getting what she wanted.

  And she wanted Barlow.

  “It isn’t easy losing a parent. I miss him.” He stroked her hand gently as the silence lengthened the chemistry between them, stoking flames of desire.

  He leaned in—was he going to kiss her? She closed her eyes, and the elevator jostled and began its ascent.

  Barlow stared into her eyes. “Back to work. Um, Cory is announcing in a bit about a staff get together after work. I hope you make it.”

  “After work, um sure.” Nora nodded. She had never been so attracted to a man before, and she couldn’t remember a relationship that mattered before him. Barlow was different, and she was drawn to him like a magnet.

  Nora went to her apartment to change clothes. Donella was a chic, upscale establishment, and she wanted to wear something sexy. Who was she kidding? She dressed with Barlow in mind and chose a shimmering silver dress accentuating every curve. She stepped out of the bathroom, slipping on her black heels. Valerie waited in the small living area. She wore a little black dress paired with diamond earrings. She was a picture of elegance, and Nora second-guessed her apparel.

  “You look great. Your red hair is a gorgeous color,” Valerie said. “Very hot. Barlow will love it.”

  “Barlow? Why would you say something like that?”

  Valerie said, “You’re not the first rookie that’s fallen for him, nor will you be the last.”

  “I haven’t fallen for Barlow, although he is sex god material,” Nora replied. “Do you have a thing for him? If so, I’ll back off.”

  “God, no. Cory is more my style, but his fiancé is a Wellington.”

  “Wellington? The real estate mogul?”

  “Yes, they own half of Philly,” Valerie said.

  “Alex?”

  “Maybe. Uber is downstairs.”

  Nora grabbed her small black sequin purse, and fit her phone and money inside, tucking her ID into the slot. They were taking a cab to Donella’s. They wanted to enjoy cocktails without the risk of a DUI.

  Barlow sipped a drink and exchanged witty banter with the female bartender. He frequented the restaurant, and they were on a first-name basis. Tonight, the office staff filled Donella’s. He noticed clustered cliques from different departments, laughing and drinking. Cory reserved a private room with an open bar and one long table with delectable dishes from the most sought chef in the city. His martini was dry, the food smelled delicious, but he waited for a certain woman to walk through the revolving doors. Cory and Alex chatted away with their personal assistants.

  Something in the room changed, and Barlow glanced up as Nora breezed in. Her smile brilliant, her hair radiant, thick and straight around her shoulders, but her clingy silver dress made him swallow hard. Nora was hands down the most beautiful woman in the room, hell, in the city. He wet his lips. He never wanted a woman as much as he wanted her.

  His eyes locked on Nora again as she waved to her coworkers and gave one or two a hug. She ordered a drink with Valerie. The evening seemed to pass in one fast blur, and he hadn’t had the chance to talk with Nora much less dance with her. She led the way to the small dance floor. She stepped over to the DJ and asked him for something as he nodded, then watched her move to the center of the floor.

  Usher played as she started to move to the beat. Several other employees joined her on the dance floor.

  Nora was petite with perfect curves and watching her dance was hypnotizing. Lights flashed in sync with the music on the floor, then he noticed a large tattoo on her back where the dress dipped. Barlow longed to caress her back and unzip the sexy dress to see precisely where the tat ended. To kiss and taste every part of her, but he remained immobile at the bar, watching. He couldn’t trust himself around her.

  She danced and occasionally threw him a seductive look. She went to a table, and drank shots with her team from work.

  “Hey, Barlow. How are you?” He turned, and Kenna, the HR head, leaned against the bar. She was wasted. He fought the urge to roll his eyes.

  “Fine. You?”

  Kenna had been hitting on him since the first day she started working for the company. He never returned it. She tried sliding one arm around his neck. “I was hoping you’d be here. Can I buy you a drink?”

  He removed her arm and said, “It’s an open bar. I think you’ve had enough to drink. Remember, this is a work function, those employees look up to you so pull yourself together, or I’m calling you a cab.”

  To his surprise, Nora pushed her way in between them, then turned to Kenna and said, “We’re together, so if you wouldn’t mind.” She wrapped her arms around his neck as he froze, staring into her mesmerizing eyes. Nora went up on tiptoes and kissed him, stunning both of them.

  Kenna mumbled something and left.

  He’d been fighting the intense attraction to Nora, but one innocent kiss lengthened, releasing a firestorm of pent up passion. Nora moaned against his lips. “I’ve liked you since that first day in the breakroom. I knew I would kiss you, and I don’t regret it. Do you?”

  He took her hand and walked around the corner not to subject her to office gossip. He opened a door marked, storage room, and pulled her inside.

  “You taste as good as you look,” she said with a rasp then kissed him again.

  Barlow tasted the sweet flavor of the drinks on her mouth, sensing she wasn’t entirely in control of her decision. Her tongue slipped against his lower lip, and he gave her access, with groaning approval. His hands stayed on her hips, ignoring the raging need to slide them over her ass and lift her to one of the barstools. He wanted to rip off the little clothes that she had on.

  He pulled away slightly to catch a breath as reality slammed into him. The woman he wanted the most was here for the taking, but every person from their office would know if he didn’t put a stop now.

  Nora blinked and dropped her head back, looking into his eyes.

  “As much as I’d like to ravish you— you’ve been drinking. I want you, but I want you without your inebriated state, Nora.” She stared at him in shock for a moment. “Go to the ladies' room and pull yourself together. We’ll talk more about your lovely lips later.”

  He watched her stumble to the door with her head downcast.

  “Nora?”

  She turned with a pout. “What?”

  “I do want you.”

  She lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders. “Damn right, you do.” Then left. He took a deep breath and counted to one hundred before joining Alex and Cory at the bar.

  “I want her so bad,” he murmured as Cory clapped him on the back.

  “I know, buddy. You two nearly melted the fucking stool before you took her away. Good call, though.”

  At some point, Nora left, and Barlow excused himself early. He would always regret pushing her away tonight, but one of his hard and fast rules was never to take advantage of a drunk woman, especially Nora.

  He wanted more.

  Chapter 4

  Nora woke up the following day in her bed, her head pounding. “Oh, my god.”

  She turned away from the bright window and buried her head under her blankets, needing the darkness. She realized a second later
that she also needed to pee and something to drink.

  Could she keep anything down?

  Ugh. Major hangover.

  What happened last night?

  Oh, shots of tequila. Tequila always made her do crazy things.

  What did she do?

  Nora tried to remember Donella’s.

  Oh my god. She kissed Barlow.

  He pulled her into a storage room, and oh my, he gently turned down her advances.

  The apartment door opened. “Nora, I’m home? You here?”

  Grace. Thank god. She needed reinforcements.

  “Gracie, I’m in the bathroom. I need your hangover cure.” Before her roommate entered the bathroom, Nora hugged the toilet. Sick didn’t describe the shit she threw up. She leaned against the wall, her head reeling.

  Grace brought her a cup of ginger tea with chamomile and two chewable vitamin C’s. “Get this down, and we’ll start hydrating you. What the hell happened? Are you okay, honey?” Grace held a bottle of seltzer until Nora finished the tea, then helped Nora to bed. She opened the carbonated water and handed it to Nora.

  “I went to an office thing, overate, drank way-way too much, and wait for it—kissed my new boss.” She sipped the drink.

  “Barlow, the one you emailed me about?”

  “I did something stupid, didn’t I?” Nora asked. She relayed to Grace to the best of her knowledge what transpired. The memories hit Nora like a train, and she covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, shit. Everyone saw it.” Nora dropped the bottle and buried her face in her hands. “I don’t do that kind of thing, Grace. I haven’t thought about doing that with a man in I don’t know how long.”

  Grace draped an arm around Nora’s shoulder. “Does he kiss good?”

  “Like a freaking dream. Oh god, he rejected me,” Nora said.

  “Then he’s a damn idiot.”

  “He said he wouldn’t take advantage of a drunk woman.”

  “Well, you gotta respect him for that.”

  Nora bawled like a baby. “I love my job, and I ruined it. Like I ruin everything.” With ragged breaths, she said, “I’ll go in tomorrow and clean out my office. I can’t face my team with the stunt I pulled.”

  “Hold up, sister. Was everyone drinking and doing shots?”

  Nora nodded.

  “Nora, you are a woman who goes after what she wants.” Grace hugged her close, and Nora laughed. “If anyone can pull this off as a win-win, it’s you.”

  Nora didn’t feel so strong Monday morning. She wasn’t feeling the effects of the alcohol anymore, thanks to a lot of Gatorade and fresh fruit. Grace was an amazing caretaker.

  Getting dressed for work, she took extra time. She dressed in her most professional attire, and before stepping out of the door, Grace threw her a red apple. “For the teacher.”

  Nora laughed. “I love you.”

  “I love you more.”

  She didn’t want to get to work early. Not today. Nora wanted all of this to blow over and go back to kicking ass with her team. She walked down the street, spending some time in the coffee shop to stall her arrival at the building. By the time she walked in, it was crowded with people, and Nora looked at the floor as the elevator scaled the flights. Then she took the next one.

  Nora straightened her shoulders and plastered a smile on her face as she entered the office. “Good morning.”

  “Hey. Why did you leave so early Friday night?” Valerie came up to hug her, and Nora shrugged.

  “I don’t drink often, and it hit me hard. Was it a fun night?”

  Valerie looked at the others as Nora busied herself at her desk. Her phone rang, and Nora stared at it for a moment before picking it up. “Hello?”

  “Nora, it’s Barlow. Would you come to my office for a moment? I want to talk to you.” His voice sent ice through her veins as the kiss played back through her mind.

  “Sure.” Nora hung up the phone and took a slow breath before letting it out. “I’ll be back, guys. I’ll take a good look at the design, and we can clean it up.” She stepped out into the corridor and glanced towards Barlow’s open door. “Fuck,” she muttered under her breath then strolled with her head high, but her knees went weak. She took a deep inhale and exhale, then stepped inside.

  “Close the door, Nora.”

  Her shoulders drooped as she followed his instructions. He motioned for her to take a seat in front of him. “Look at you. I’ve never seen you so quiet.”

  Nora met his eyes, and he smiled at her.

  “I guess I don’t know what to say.” She could still feel his lips on hers and shivered as she remembered the kiss. “It’s not every day I throw myself at my boss.”

  “I had no problems with that. It was hot as hell watching you stake your claim on me, Nora.” He said, “Your alcohol-induced state was the only problem I had with your kisses. Every carnal impulse I had wanted to take advantage of you, but I had to do the right thing.”

  “You liked what I did?”

  He nodded. “I’d like to give you a ride home tonight. Get your number. That kind of thing. Maybe go on a real date.”

  Nora smiled and leaned back in her chair.

  “Since Alex hired you, I am not your direct supervisor. So technically, it isn’t against any rules. However, if we pursue our relationship, we must keep it professional in the office.”

  “No making out at bars?” Nora giggled, and he laughed with her.

  “The thing is, we have a non-disclosure agreement at the urging of our legal team, that I’d like you to read over and sign if you still want to go out, but it is strictly up to you.”

  “I read a book about that once. Sure, I don’t have a problem with an NDA.”

  “Then, bring it with you this evening, and we’ll go from there.”

  She took the folder with the NDA and left his office feeling at least ten pounds lighter, then made her way back to the team. She was going to let him take her home later, and maybe they’d have coffee.

  The rest of the day, she couldn’t think about creative design or catchy slogans. All she could think about was if he would kiss her again.

  And kiss her— he did.

  They started off exchanging numbers.

  He called at night before bed, preferring to talk instead of text. Every day, they learned something new about each other. They were so similar in many ways. Liking the same books, music, and jokes, oh they laughed so much at times it made her belly hurt to pure exhaustion.

  Nora confided in him the details about losing her previous job. She applauded the equitable way BCA operated.

  “Fair is fair,” said Barlow. “My mother raised two teenagers, single-handedly. She impressed on me early how the male-dominated world took advantage of women. Cory and Alex practically lived at my house, so Mom’s philosophy sort of rubbed off on them too.”

  One evening, sitting on his couch after dinner, he relayed the first time he saw her. “I fell in love with you on the spot.”

  Nora tilted her head at him.

  “You made me late for work. It’s the same date we snagged the Vegan Lightly account, the one you’re working on right now, and just look at the clients lining up at the door. Your feisty, spirited nature drew me to you, and I finally got to taste first hand what the fuss was about.” She gave him a mock elbow to the ribs and he chuckled. “My hot little redhead was pummeling some man on the sidewalk as she screamed to keep his hands to himself. Sound familiar?”

  Nora covered her mouth and laughed. “You did see that and not the video?”

  “In the flesh, my lovely. It took me a few weeks to track you down. See, your temper changed my life.”

  “And my dad thought it would get me in trouble.”

  “Oh, it did, but the good kind.”

  “You recognized me on the elevator that day. I was wondering why you were smiling like that.” Nora shook her head and moved closer to him.

  “You looked hot that day too.” Barlow slid his arm around her. “I never a
sked, what did that guy do to receive your fury?”

  “The guy stuck his hand up Grace’s skirt. That disgusting piece of shit.” Her cheeks reddened.

  Nora slipped her arm around his waist. “I stand up for myself and my friends.”

  “And it’s why I’m in love with you.”

  “You’re in love with me?”

  “Let me show you the ways.” He scooped her into his arms and carried her to his bedroom.

  He reached for the hem of her sweatshirt, and lifted it revealing a thin T-shirt underneath. Her cotton leggings fit like a second skin. He caressed her soft skin as he trailed kisses down her neck, listening to her moans.

  Barlow chuckled as he lifted off his T-shirt, and she looked him over with a greedy expression. “I want to taste every inch of you, Nora. I want to make love to you.” He showered her hot kisses.

  “You smell incredible.” Nora covered her face with her hands as she felt shy.

  He kissed both of her hands and removed them from her face; she blushed crimson red. “You are so beautiful,” he murmured. The sexual hunger in her gaze rivaled his own. He smiled at his little wild cat.

  Nora’s fingers threaded through his hair as she whispered breathlessly, “I love you, Barlow.”

  “The feeling is mutual.” He moved over her, leaning in for a kiss. He pulled off her clothes and took in every curve as she bared herself to him. He kissed her skin and watched as her eyes closed, loving her response to him. He nipped and sucked at every part of her, hearing her moan and cry out his name.

  “This feels so natural being with you like this, I feel like I’m home,” Nora said and brushed her lips with his.

  “I feel the same way. It’s overwhelming, Nora, but I love you with every fiber of my soul. I’m so fucking in love with you.” He wrapped his arms around her. They made love on and off throughout the night until finally falling asleep in each other’s arms.