So Much Trouble: Bad Boy Forbidden Love Romance Collection (So Wrong It's Right Book 4)

by Jamie Knight

“Hi, ma,” I mumbled.

  “Oh, dear.”

  “What?”

  “Aw, sorry, nothin'. It's just ya sound awful Yankee these days.”

  “They won the war, you know.”

  “But the skin of their goddamn teeth!”

  “I know, ma. Listen, I got your lovely invitation and —”

  “Ya'd love ta come, ah know, Junebug. It's just so excitin'!”

  “I —”

  “You know Chester's blood sugar level is actin' up again. He's been gettin' sicker lately. Just can't seem to accept that he's been diagnosed as a diabetic. Keeps sayin' he's been healthy his entire life.”

  I knew what she was doing. It was a transparent ploy to get me to come to the reunion only with an extra bit of potential survivor's guilt thrown in. My mother didn't just give guilt trips. She ran the travel agency.

  Cruel and underhanded as her tactics might have been, I couldn't deny that they worked like a running clock with fresh batteries. There was no way I wasn't going to the reunion to see my poor, ailing dad if what mom had said was true, or at least mostly right. She did have a tendency to exaggerate.

  Thoroughly manipulated by one of the best and suddenly looking at an unwanted trip, I felt suddenly motived to try and figure out what was going on with Chris once and for all. If he did only want a physical relationship, I would cross that bridge when I came to it.

  I knew full well that I shouldn't just show up at Sure Thing during the day, even if I was friends with or related to most of the people who worked there. I needed a cover story to get me in so I could talk to Chris — in his cubicle, if necessary.

  Brewing a large pot of coffee, putting it into a mug first, I headed down to the car, a plan already evolving in my head.

  “Are you trying to make me fat?” Camilla asked as I put the pastry bag down on the reception desk.

  “Impossible,” Jinx Dalton, the copywriter, said, heading for the coffee machine.

  “Just wait a couple months,” Camilla snapped, rubbing her baby bump.

  “That's not fat, that's beautiful, growing life,” Jinx said, making Cammy both smile and blush at the same time.

  “We still on for the ping-pong tournament?” Camilla asked him.

  “You know it.”

  “Ping-pong tournament?” I asked when she turned back to me.

  “Office tradition. We break up into doubles teams, and the losers pay for the monthly office party.”

  “Monthly office party?”

  “There are also vintage arcade machines in the staff room.”

  “You're kidding me.”

  “Not a bit.”

  “Prove it.”

  “Follow me.”

  Scooting out from behind the desk, Camilla made her way to the staff room, the baby weight still at a minimum. Knocking to make sure that no one else was in there, Camilla opened the door flicking on the light. There, along the far wall were three vintage arcade consoles.

  “Well, blow me down.”

  “Told ya. They're also set, so they don't need quarters.”

  “Any openings?” I asked, only half kidding.

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Well, if you ever need an on-site nurse, give me a jingle, yeah?”

  She shrugged. “It would be up to Cooper, he's the new manager, but sure.”

  I laughed. “I don't suppose Chris is around.”

  “Nice segue.”

  “Thanks?”

  “I'll go check,” Camilla said.

  I followed her back to the reception desk, making sure to keep my distance in case she was miffed at me for asking her to sneak me in again.

  Cammy flipped through some computer screens. “His schedule looks clear. You remember where he is?”

  “Indeed, I do!” I said, setting off toward his cubicle.

  I wasn't sure what I would say. I couldn't just come out and ask if Chris just wanted the nookie. If I started up with the relationship talk, I could scare him off entirely. Yes, he was willing to let me touch him, a lot as it turned out, but I still wasn't sure how comfortable he was and didn't want to force him into anything.

  “Hey,” I said, coming up to the door-like opening.

  Chris didn't even look up. I thought he was ignoring me at first, but then I saw why. He was in the middle of working on something and was still wearing headphones. Taking a risk, I went over and took out one of his earbuds. He jerked hard and turned as though he might jump on me. Though not in a good way.

  “Hi,” I said, backing up a bit.

  “Hi,” he said bluntly, not showing much emotion, “are you here to see Aden?”

  “No, um, I'm here to see you.”

  It was a lot harder than I thought it might be. It was a good idea on the way there, but I found myself quickly losing my nerve.

  “Really?” he asked, without a bit of sarcasm.

  His expression hadn't softened at all, but he started to gently stroke my arm with his fingertips. I could actually feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, a tremor of joy running through me. I didn't know how, but Chris always seemed to know exactly how to touch me. Apparently, he felt the same if the growing bulge in his pants was anything to go by.

  “Yes,” I whispered, my voice coming out almost like a gasp.

  “Is there something you wanted to talk about?”

  “Yes, if you have time.”

  I was just about to beg him to bend me over the desk and fuck me hard, damn the others when Aden showed up at the door.

  “Did you get one of these?” he asked me.

  I looked up and saw that he was holding the same kind of invitation I had gotten. My heart sank a bit.

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you going to go?”

  “I think so.”

  “Aunt Diane talked you into it?”

  “Yeah, pretty much.”

  “Oh.”

  “What?”

  “Well, according to my mom, Aunt Diane invited Ellis.”

  “What!?” At the mention of my ex-husband’s name, I sat down hard into one of Chris’ chairs. My mother had never accepted my divorce, and she was continually trying to get us remarried.

  Aden rolled his eyes. “It is meant to be a surprise for you.”

  “Damn right it is!” I snapped, feeling anger tighten in my chest.

  “Not what I think she meant,” Aden said.

  I wanted to cancel right then and there. It took me years to get away from that asshole, and I had no intention of being thrown back together with him. I would likely kick him in the crotch if I ever saw him again.

  “On the other hand,” Aden continued, “Dixie is coming.”

  “She's back from Europe?” I gasped.

  “Yeah, apparently it wasn't a scam, she really is a master painter now.”

  “No, shit.”

  “Not a spec.”

  That was a wrench in the works. I love my eccentric Grandma Dixie, the only other person in my circus of a family that I liked other than Aden. However, she was hardly ever around, always going off on some adventure or another. There were times that I wished I had half of her gumption.

  Aden sighed and leaned against the doorframe. “You could hire an escort or something, have them pretend to be your fiancé, and protect you from your evil ex while you're there,” he suggested.

  I laughed. “Yeah, I suppose, but that sounds crazy.”

  “I'll do it,” Chris said, making us both turn and look at him.

  “You will?”

  “Sure.”

  I did my best to contain my excitement. I wasn't sure how much Aden knew about what was going on with us, and I didn't want to spring it on him. On the upside, I wouldn't have to pretend to be attracted to my fake date.

  “Great,” I said, doing my best to keep casual.

  Aden smiled and left us to go back to his office. I keep my eyes on Chris and the determination on his face.

  “We should go out and get our meet-cute story str
aight before the reunion,” he said, and I could see the planning going on in his head.

  I thought about telling him that we had three weeks to get things in order but decided just to enjoy whatever time I could have with him.

  Maybe if we pretended to be together, I could get a better sense of if that was what Chris wanted.

  Chapter Six - Chris

  I decided on Koran. It was a bit of a risk. Chinese probably would have been safer, but I knew a really great Korean place near the hospital and while my grasp of all dialects of Chinese was loose at best, I had a pretty strong command of Korean. I liked to know what it was that I was eating.

  I set out of the office earlier the usual, much to the shock of everyone there. This being a rarity on par with Halley's Comet.

  “You feeling okay?” Aden asked.

  “Better than ever.”

  “What?” Aden asked, hearing Camilla snicker.

  “Nothing,” his fiancée said.

  “What the heck is going on!” asked a perplexed Aden as I reached the elevator.

  “Remember when you told me to decide how I feel about Shae?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I did.”

  The elevator closed before he could ask me any questions, and I was able to laugh at the dumbfounded look on his face.

  Almost whistling as I made my way to the car, I hopped in and took off, the first chapter of Men Who Hate Women, released in the US as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, starting up on the stereo. The smooth Swedish verbs flowing out like water.

  There were no ambulances out front, so I pulled into the front loop, hoping to heck that Shae would be ready. She only had a staff meeting at work, so she was able to go out to dinner. Turns out, I knew her pretty well even after such a short time, and it was less than a minute between the engine dying down and Shae getting into the passenger seat.

  “Naughty boy,” the nurse teased, doing up her seat belt.

  “I have my moments,” I said, pulling out of the ambulance driveway just slow enough not to get a ticket.

  Parking at the restaurant was pretty easy to find. It was still pretty early in the day, and most of the commuters on the road were more concerned with getting home than where to go get a bite to eat. The post-Lunch drop, as my brother liked to say.

  “Where is everyone?” Shae asked.

  “Trying to get home without getting shot.”

  “That's pretty dark,” Shae said.

  “Yet sadly true. I've learned how to avoid confrontation at a young age. Part of how I've lived so long.”

  “How old are you?” she asked, looking skeptical.

  “Thirty-one, but that's beside the point.”

  “No, I would say that's very much the point actually, particularly considering that I'm a year younger than you. I don't feel like I'm about to keel over.”

  “Well, no, but women live longer.”

  “Not that much!” she laughed.

  “Agree to disagree,” I said, unable to keep from smiling.

  “Was that a joke?”

  “My stars and garters! I do believe it was!”

  I held the car door open for Shae. I knew it wasn't needed, but I still liked to do it. Going so far as to hold out my hand to help her up out of her seat.

  “Why, thank you, kind sir,” Shae said, not mockingly.

  “No problem at all,” I hummed, feeling a spring in my step.

  Given our choice of tables, we took one near the window, so we could keep an eye on the setting sun and the Vegas lights. The waiter came by with a menu for Shae before heading back to the kitchen.

  “Where's yours?”

  “They know what I want,” I explained, leaning back and putting my arm along the top of the booth.

  “How?”

  “I always get the same thing.”

  “Of course, you do.”

  I considered asking what the heck she meant by that but realized that I knew full well. It wasn't exactly comfortable for Shae to figure out my oddities, but I assumed it would have to happen sooner or later, and in a way, I was glad that it seemed to be sooner. The more comfortable she got with me, the more natural this all would be.

  “I can't read this,” Shae said, looking over the menu.

  “Oh, right, sorry, I forgot to ask for the English version.”

  “You read Koran.”

  “Pretty much, yeah.”

  She shook her head slightly. “What's good?”

  “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “Well you clearly eat meat, pork anyway. Do you like spice?”

  “Some yeah, not a lot, though.”

  “Allergic to shellfish?” She shook her head. “Good.”

  “You have some suggestions.”

  “Three, all of which are about the same price.”

  “Okay, get whatever you think I'd like.”

  “That's a lot of trust,” I pointed out.

  “I know.”

  The actual eating part of the outing went reasonably well. Shae really liked what I ordered for her and had eaten most of it before I had really started. Her chopsticks skills were truly impressive. For a while, I wondered if I might have to get her a fork. Turned out, she was a lot more worldly than I had assumed. I made a mental note to avoid embarrassment in the future.

  “So, what are we going to tell your family?” I asked, distracting her attention from the food.

  “Could we tell the truth?”

  “Odd, but let's roll with it. We met at the office?”

  “Well, yeah. I mean, we did really. Granted, I was stalking you at the time, but still.”

  “Don't say that. You were perusing me for sure, but the feeling was mutual.”

  “It was?” Shae asked, seeming taken by surprise. A pink blush covered her cheeks.

  “Of course.”

  “Camilla helped.”

  “We can work that in, too. I mean, we first met when Aden invited you to the office party, and Camilla helped you get closer to me after. It is pretty romantic when you think about it.”

  Shae smiled and looked down at her plate. “I guess, yeah. Okay, what else?”

  “Well, we're engaged, obviously.”

  “That will make my mom happy,” Shae admitted, playing along.

  “And buying a house together.”

  “Wow, big commitment.”

  “We're ready for it, I think. I mean, we're already picking out baby names.”

  “W-we are?” Shae asked, sounding shocked.

  “Yeah. I was thinking Bridgit for a girl and Logan for a boy.”

  She was practically grinning at this point. “Those are really nice, actually.”

  “I know.”

  “Don't forget Jeepers. We also have a cute little kitty.”

  “Indeed!”

  It went on like this for a while, weaving quite the life together for ourselves. One I couldn't help but want for both of us. It sounded so lovely. Not just for me but for Shae as well. I really did want her to be happy. I wasn't really ready to admit it, even to myself, but I loved her.

  “Would you like to see my place?” I asked, opening the door for her as we got to the car.

  “Sure,” Shae said, without a hint of hesitation.

  We listened to the radio as I drove home. I figured Shae wouldn’t enjoy the Swedish book, at least, not yet. The ride felt comfortable. Nothing was forced.

  As I unlocked my front door, I realized it was the first time I'd had a woman, or really anyone, in my apartment since I'd moved in. Not that it was a stereotypical bachelor pad. I had figured out years ago that I didn't do well in disorder. As such, my apartment had reached an IKEA level of aesthetic organization.

  “These are beautiful,” Shae said, looking at my wall of advertising art, ranging from 1890 to 1945.

  “Thanks.”

  “Are they originals?”

  “Oh no, just lithographs.”

  “What's that?”

  “Somewhere
between an original and a print.”

  She gasped and pointed. “Is that an ad. for—”

  “Heroin. Yup, developed by Bayer, the aspirin people, to get people off of morphine. It was actually an official brand from 1898 to 1918.”

  “Wow. Bet they leave that off their 'about us' page.”

  I laughed. “I would imagine, yeah.” I crossed the room, putting my hands gently on her shoulders. “Would you like a drink?”

  “Sure, do you have any beer?”

  “Um, no. I don't actually like beer. I’m a self-proclaimed wine snob.”

  She laughed. “Have anything red?”

  “Pinot Noir or merlot?”

  “Um. The first?”

  I grinned at her. “Coming right up.”

  Pouring out two glasses of my favorite merlot, I joined Shae on the couch, handing her one of the glasses.

  “Is this one of your favorites?” Shae asked, after her first sip.

  I nodded. “It’s the only way to impress a lady.”

  It felt good to be so close to her. I tried to separate my emotions from sex, but it was challenging, particularly with Shae. I wanted to put my arm around her but really didn't know how she would react. The last thing I wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable.

  “I wonder how Jeepers is doing,” I said, trying to keep things light.

  She giggled. “Honestly, I have a different pussy in mind.”

  “Huh?”

  “Sorry, I-I'm really excited,” Shae said, whispering the last part and leaning in to kiss me.

  “You are?” I stuttered.

  By way of proof, she gently took my hand and slipped it down the front of her skirt. My fingers slid up against her warm folds that were damp with desire. “Oh.” I pushed one up inside of her pussy, feeling the hot, soft walls quiver with anticipation. The feeling made me gasp. Shae was ready to go.

  Immediately, so was I.

  “Bedroom?” Shae asked.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Definitely.”

  “This way,” I said, gently slipping my hand from her pussy.

  Shae was down to her panties by the time we got into the bedroom, apparently quite skilled at shedding her professional clothes.

  Evening things out, she slipped off my suit jacket and started unbuttoning my shirt. Kissing her way down from my neck to my belt, she started unfastening my pants, sliding them down easily.

  My cock was hard when she pulled my boxers down, not hesitating for a moment before taking it gently in hand. She had seemed a bit nervous the last time, which was understandable. She was pretty tiny, and I was more than endowed. This time, Shae seemed to have gotten over her fear, soon sucking my fully hard cock like her life depended on it. Loving the feeling, I took a gentle hold of her ponytail, guiding her and limiting her head movement.