by Abby Brooks
Slipping off my stool, I beelined for the ladies’ room, then braced myself on the porcelain sink and stared into the mirror. “Just tell him you’re not interested romantically. Tell him you thought this was a business meeting and that’s the only reason you accepted his invitation. You’re strong. Capable. You don’t have to worry about his feelings because he’s the one acting slimy here.”
Clearly unconvinced, my reflection gave the slow-blink to end all slow-blinks. I scrubbed my face, hoping to shock some good sense into myself. “It shouldn’t be this hard.”
A toilet flush scared the shit out of me. Not literally, thank God, though if it was gonna happen, I was in the right place.
A stall door swept open and a cute blonde with a hot pink smile stepped out. She washed her hands, meeting my gaze through the mirror. “You’re right. You are strong and capable and if he’s slimy, you shouldn’t feel bad about telling him to slip right on out of here.”
I was in dire need of bolstering and if this woman was dishing out encouragement, I’d let her fill my plate and gobble it up, stranger or not. “You think so?”
“I know so. Look at you! You’re smart and beautiful. He’s the asshole. You have no reason to save his feelings, unless it’ll make things awkward at work.” She peeked over her shoulder. “You did say you work with him, didn’t you?”
I nodded and she frowned.
“That makes it a little more difficult.” And with that, she pulled a lipstick out of her purse and puckered her lips at her reflection.
Well, shit again. Shooting Ramsey down could definitely make things awkward at work.
“Thanks for the encouragement,” I said as I reached for the door.
“I’m here all night. You come find me if you need any more.”
I nodded my appreciation, stepped out of the bathroom…
…and ran right into Joe.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Joe
The fact that I was an asshole was never up for debate.
I was an asshole. The end. Everyone knew it, me included.
But showing up to the very bar where Kennedy was having her so-called business meeting took the title to an entirely new level.
I recognized it.
I owned it.
I was ready to defend it.
Until she barreled into me in the hallway near the bathroom. Shock dropped her jaw and disbelief sparkled in her eyes. The betrayal on her face made me question the decision I’d spent the whole day rationalizing. Sure, showing up uninvited was intrusive, but she’d see my desire to protect her was both chivalrous and noble. With a hand to her forehead, she’d swoon into my arms and spend the rest of the night rewarding me with devious sex acts for my romantic decision to come to her rescue.
Apparently, I’d been very, very wrong.
“Are you kidding me right now?” she hissed. “You’re spying on me? Really?”
“No, see, you’ve got it all wrong. I just randomly showed up at the same place you told me you’d be, and it was a total accident. Whoops! My bad.”
Kennedy folded her arms across her chest, shifting her weight to one heel. “The moment you get caught stalking me like some kind of lunatic is not the time to be funny.”
“Are you sure? Because this whole event smells ridiculous to me.” I waved my hand in the direction of the real asshole in the situation, the douchebag in the man-slut uniform who tricked my girl into meeting him for drinks. She’d given him nothing but “slow the fuck down” signals since he joined her. He was either so nervous he hadn’t picked up on them or only scored by wearing women down.
I’d put money on the latter.
Kennedy shook her head and flared her hands. Color rose in her cheeks as her eyes flashed. “I don’t even know how to process the fact that you didn’t trust me enough to have a business meeting with a colleague.”
“You’re still gonna die on the business meeting sword, huh?”
“Fine.” She practically groaned the word. “He’s clearly not here for professional reasons, but Joe, you can’t just stalk me when you think I’m making a mistake.”
I put both hands on her shoulders and met her gaze. How could I tell her I couldn’t stand the thought of someone taking advantage of her? How could I say I wanted to be there in case she needed me? How could I say I took care of the people who mattered to me and somehow, some way, she claimed one of those spots?
Great questions, squawked my inner narrator. Oh, hey! Here’s an idea! Why don’t you say those exact things, asshole?
Fuck. Simple in theory, impossible in reality. I raked a hand through my hair as I chased down the words.
Before I got there, the bathroom door swung open and a cute blonde stumbled out. Her eyes widened when she saw Kennedy. “You got this. Remember, you’re strong and capable,” she said with two thumbs up to my girl and a girl power glare my way.
Kennedy blushed. “Wrong guy.”
Motivational Barbie cocked her head. “Huh?”
“This is the wrong guy…” Kennedy sighed. “Never mind. It’s a long story.” She grinned. “You’re right. I’m strong, capable, and I totally got this.”
The girl ambled away as I tried to process the situation. “What the hell was that?”
“She’s…a friend. I just made. In the bathroom.” Kennedy fidgeted with the ends of her hair. “I was pep-talking myself in the mirror and she happened to hear and offer some advice.”
“You’ve been reduced to pep-talking yourself in the bathroom and you don’t think you need my help?”
A rotund man waddled into the hallway and squeezed past us in a series of shuffling steps and mumbled apologies. I pressed myself against the wall and pondered the wisdom of important conversations in high traffic places.
When he disappeared into the men’s room, Kennedy leaned on the wall beside me. “Under normal circumstances, I’d show Ramsey your favorite finger and bail. But I work with this guy. He has seniority. I like my job…”
I held up a record scratch of a hand. “Firstly, his name is Ramsey? And you didn’t think something like this would happen? To say I’m disappointed is an understatement, Penny. And secondly, I’ve not heard you say one thing in all the time I’ve known you that says you like that job.”
“Fine,” she huffed. “I like the idea of my job, but that’s beside the point because I actually want to keep it. If I piss this guy off…”
“What? He’ll what? Get you fired? I don’t think that’s gonna happen.” I gave her a look that begged for her understanding. “This is why I showed up tonight. To protect you in case you found yourself in a situation that required bathroom pep-talks with Motivational Barbie.” Kennedy smiled through her anger and I put a hand to her cheek, thumb grazing that soft skin. “I know it makes me an asshole.”
“It makes you so much of an asshole, I don’t know what to do with you right now.” She nuzzled into my touch, then pulled away. “You can’t protect me from everything.”
She paused as the rotund man stepped out of the restroom. He smiled awkwardly when he saw us, then shuffled past with another round of apologies. When he was gone, I started to reply, then paused again as a herd of women filtered through.
Cue more awkward rearranging, embarrassed eye contact, and polite smiles.
“Are you in line?” one asked Kennedy, thumbing at the lady’s room. She shook her head and the women pushed through. As the door clicked shut, I peered down the hallway then turned to Kennedy when I was sure the coast was clear. In any other situation, I would have bailed on the conversation the second we were interrupted because fuck this shit.
But clearing things up mattered, regardless of how many awkward encounters we racked up. I’d drag her into the bar, stand on a table, and serenade my way through the discussion if I thought it would help. Thankfully for both our dignities, I didn’t see how it would.
“Protecting people is my superpower. I protected Collin all the way to stardom and he didn’t always like
me for it. I’ll do the same for you.”
Did she understand what a big fucking deal it was that I compared her to Collin?
No. Of course she didn’t. How could she?
Since I was twelve years old, he was the one stable thing in a life that was anything but. He was my lifeline. My anchor. No one mattered as much to me as he did.
And I just implied she was on his level.
My heart tripped over the information with the grace of a giraffe on ice.
“Kennedy?” The douchebag from the bar loomed. “Is this guy bothering you?”
“Perpetually.” A grin teased her lips as her eyes bounced off mine. “But apparently that’s the way I like it.” She sighed, then squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Honestly Ramsey, when you said this was a work meeting, I took you at your word. I’m not interested in dating you, because I’m wrapped up in this guy.”
Kennedy leaned into me, her cheek to my chest, and I wanted to roar my victory.
The guy flinched, then grimaced, then took a step back, holding up his hands to wave her off. I recognized the reaction as shock, disappointment, then preparing a cover up to protect his massive ego at Kennedy’s expense.
“You still thought this was a date?” He pinched his nose and shook his head. “Honestly, Doctor Monroe. I thought I was clear in the office that my intent for tonight was purely professional.”
“But then you made it clear at the bar that you were full of shit in the office.” Kennedy took my hand and paused beside him. “Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice? Well, I’m just not a fool, you see.”
“So, shame on you,” I spat as we strolled past a forest of chest hair poking out of an expensive button down.
Kennedy patted my chest. “Atta boy, Wiki. You tell him.”
With our arms wrapped around each other, we wandered out of the hallway, and past Motivational Barbie with her table full of friends. Kennedy gave an enthusiastic thumb’s up and the girl rewarded her with a bright smile.
Even strangers fell in love with this woman. A brief bathroom encounter earned her cheerleaders and moral support. Her Royal Majesty, Penny Dreadful, Kennedy Reagan Monroe was something special.
And she was leaving with me.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kennedy
The second we stepped outside The Drunken Goat, I whirled on Joe. With both hands on his chest, I pushed until his back pressed against the building. “I don’t know if I want to thank you or yell at you for what you did tonight.”
A wicked grin slid into place, transforming his handsome face into sex god status. “I’m definitely digging aggressive Penny.” He cocked his head, cranking the wattage on his smile. “And for what it’s worth, I vote you thank me.”
He looked so pleased with himself, I had to bite my lip not to melt into him. “You can’t just show up out of the blue because you’re worried about me. I’m an adult and can take care of myself, even if I need to pep-talk myself into it.”
“I see you’ve chosen the yelling option.” Joe bobbed his head and sighed dramatically. “Disappointing.”
The twinkle in his eyes had my heart doing flip-flops, while the fact that I couldn’t decipher how I felt about him showing up to save me from Ramsey had me confused.
Should I be touched by his urge to protect me?
Or weirded out because he thought he’d need to?
The answer seemed to be a little of both, with a dash of turned-on added for good measure. His proximity, his scent, the way he seemed utterly in favor of being pushed against a wall by little old me…it all added up to five glowing stars from my body’s point of view.
“Do you understand how crazy this story sounds?” I asked as I fell into his eyes. Our gazes locked with an almost audible click. “How can I tell anyone what happened without them thinking the worst of you?”
Joe gripped my shoulders and flipped us, so I was the one with my back to the wall. He pinned me to The Drunken Goat, his hands resting on the brick exterior, my body trapped between his arms. I totally understood why he dug me being aggressive. The feeling was one hundred percent mutual. Was it possible for the human body to actually melt from desire? I figured we’d find out in another couple minutes.
“I recognize that everything I did tonight is two clicks off normal.” The heat in his voice sent my blood racing. “But I don’t think you understand how crazy you make me, Kennedy. I don’t do the caring about people thing. It just doesn’t work out. Not for me. But here I am. Attached. Completely. You are the only thing I think about. All day. All night. It’s just you. And that makes me really fucking nervous.”
“You don’t have anything to be nervous about,” I whispered.
Except maybe me jumping his bones in a public place. He probably could have worried about that.
“Last I checked, knowing the woman I care about is with another man is a damn good reason to be nervous.” His face softened, and if I didn’t know any better I’d say his guard was lowered. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“Last I checked, stalking someone was a good way to send them running in the opposite direction.”
“I’m…” Nerves jangled across his face. “That’s the last thing I wanted to do.”
“I’m joking, Wiki.” Though, given the way he looked at me, I regretted hiding behind humor. I cupped his cheek and met his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere, but I do need you to work on the trust factor.”
Light from the streetlamp skewed across his face, casting half of it in shadow. Emotion danced beneath his surface, but he turned just enough to complete the shadow before I understood what I saw. When he met my gaze again, I saw pain layered on pain layered on pain. Sadness swam in the depths of those blues. “I’m not good at the relationship thing.”
“Who is?” I offered him a smile. “I’m sure a lot happened in your past that made it hard for you to trust people.”
I paused, hoping he’d take the chance to open up. To give me some insight into what he lived through that made it so hard for him to let me in. Every time we got close to the topic, he shut down the conversation with non-explanations and moved on. I didn’t want to push, but I craved the opportunity to know him better.
Especially if I was going to tolerate light stalking as one of his quirks.
Joe dropped his gaze to his boots. He took a long breath, then let it out, finally looking up with a smolder that put Ramsey’s to shame. The change was impressive. Every hint of sadness was gone, leaving nothing but lust in its wake.
“I’ll get better at the trust stuff.” His hand slid up my arm, curved along my shoulder, then cupped the back of my neck. He leaned in, brushing his lips against mine. “I promise.”
“I just want you to know I—” I gasped as his lips grazed my ear. “I’m really good at listening. If you ever want to talk.” My sentence dissolved into mumbles as I proved it really was possible to melt from desire.
“You’re also really good at other things.” Joe ground his hips forward, his erection pressing into my belly. “And in case I’m not being clear, I’m talking about sex,” he murmured. “And being sexy. You’re very good at all things related to sex.”
He was using his sexuality to distract me. The rational part of me was sure of it.
But, his plan worked beautifully because the rest of me was too engrossed in what he was doing to care.
We made it home and into the guesthouse in record time, dashing through the backyard like Navy SEALS on a mission. As we stepped inside, Joe slid down the zipper on my skirt. The fabric hit the floor and he helped me out of my shirt, his eyes lighting up with a wide grin.
“That settles it. I’m officially sure you didn’t think you were on a date tonight,” he said as he took in my sensible bra and underwear. “Not a strip of lace in sight.”
“It took that to make you sure?” I quirked an eyebrow and bent to slip off the stilettos.
Joe stopped me with a firm hand on my arm. “Leave the shoes, Pen
ny.” His gaze raked over my body. “Definitely leave the shoes.”
With a wicked grin, I stepped forward and pressed my hands to his chest. “Whatever you want, Wiki,” I said, then grabbed his waistband and pulled him toward the bed.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Joe
Maxine tossed an oversized scoop of flour into a bowl. A puff of white dust filtered onto the counter as she crammed the measuring cup back into the bag for more. I didn’t know much about baking, but somehow, I knew more than her.
“I think the measurements are actually important…”
“Did I miscount?” She frowned at me, then peered at the bowl. Sunlight grazed the herbs on the window and danced through the flour motes hanging in the air. “The recipe calls for three cups of flour and I’m pretty sure that was only two.”
“I wasn’t counting. But, I think I’ve seen people weigh their ingredients. Or at least level off their measurements,” I added as she hefted a rounded cup out of the bag.
Maxine gave me a look that said I was full of shit. “You’re just trying to distract me from talking about work because you don’t like what I’ve been saying.”
I wasn’t trying to distract her from our work conversation. I genuinely worried about whoever had to eat what she was concocting—it certainly wouldn’t be me—but let the topic drop. “You got me there. I won’t know what to do with myself if you genuinely want me to hold off renovations for a week.”
Which was true. I got along with idle hands about as well as I did with pressure.
“The stock market’s been crazy the last couple days. I think I’ll be fine, but until everything settles, I don’t want to spend money. I’ve built my fortune, such as it is, by paying attention and staying cautious.” She aimed a flour covered finger my way. “And no more gifts. The bookcases are lovely, and the backyard is everything George wanted it to be. But I’d rather you buy yourself a better vehicle than spend another cent on me—especially because I’m not paying you in the first place. Something I’m feeling worse and worse about by the day. Your work is too good not to charge for it.”