Just A Kiss

by Tessier, Shantel

  She picks up the bottle of champagne she has in the sand next to her and takes a big swig. Not much is left. “How many women have you brought here?” she asks, looking over at me.

  “Uh … well …”

  She laughs at my unease and nods. “Right. I forget you’re a Kyle.”

  “What does that mean?” I ask.

  Shaking her head, she attempts to take another drink, but she completely misses, and it runs down her chin and onto her dress. “Nothing. Forget I asked.” She jumps to her feet and almost trips.

  “Whoa,” I say, standing up as well and catching her. Her chest slams into mine, and she looks up at me wide-eyed. “Careful.” My left hand snakes around holding her in place while my right hand pushes her blond hair behind her ear so I can see her moonlit face. I’ve dreamed of this for so long. Her and me. Alone.

  “Sorry.” Her voice is barely over a whisper.

  I’m not sure if she is referring to her previous question or the fact that I’m holding her. “Don’t be sorry,” I say and cup her face.

  She doesn’t try to pull away. Instead, her breathing picks up and her cherry-painted lips part. I lick mine.

  “Asher,” she breathes.

  “Andi,” I say, searching her face for any hint of an invitation. Just when I think she is about to pull away, she wraps her arms around my waist. And then I kiss her.

  “Damn.” After the lights come on, Catrina comes up to the bar with her tray and begins to count a handful of twenties.

  “Nice night?” I ask.

  She nods. “I got this guy in a suit who drinks like a fish. Handed me a twenty every time and said keep the change.”

  Sounds like Asher.

  She finishes counting out her tips and then puts her tray away. “Have a nice night,” she calls out, making her way to the front door. “Well, what’s left of it.”

  I clean up behind the bar and start washing glasses when Duke, the other bartender, tosses some cash down in front of me. “Here’s your cut.”

  “Thank you.”

  He places his arms in his coat and shrugs it on, giving me a nod. “What all do you have left to do?”

  “Not much. You can go ahead and leave.”

  “You sure?” he asks, taking a quick look around the abandoned bar. Now that the lights are on, you can see the yellowed walls from all the smoking, but it’s as clean as it’s gonna get. As much as a dump can be.

  I nod.

  “Okay, I’ll see you later,” he calls, walking out himself. And I hear the lock click into place behind him. Securing my safety.

  I place the last clean glass in its rack and pick up the cash. I begin to count it when the twenty-dollar bill the woman left me with her number pops up in the pile. I look it over, wondering why she gave it to me and what the hell move up in the world meant. I fold it with the rest of the cash and tuck it in my pocket. Christmas lights are still strung along the ceiling even though it’s already passed. At one point, they were probably pretty, but over time, the twinkling white lights have turned yellow from the smoke, matching everything else in this bar.

  Once all the lights are off, I walk out the door and lock it back up.

  “So how often do you work here?”

  I jump and spin around to see Asher standing on the sidewalk, leaning up against the brick building. Even though he’s removed his tie, he’s still looks like he belongs in a courthouse and not on the dirty streets in South Chicago.

  “Fuck. How often do you creep up on women?” I ask, holding my chest. My heart now beating wildly at his surprise.

  He pushes off the wall, and I take a step back. He notices the exchange and comes to a stop. “Afraid of me?”

  “No.” I square my shoulders. “I just don’t trust you.”

  He smiles a slow and sexy smile that would make the strongest woman weak in her knees. His blue eyes sparkle under the moonlight, and he runs his hand over his chin while his eyes lower to my legs. When they reach mine again, he chuckles. It makes my already shaking legs tighten. “That wasn’t the case two weeks ago.”

  “I was drunk.” It’s the only lame excuse I can come up with. I’ve wanted him for a long time but never made my move. He was off limits. When he just stands there staring at me, I cross my arms over my chest and shiver, pretending to be cold. But it has nothing to do with the chilly weather. “What do you want, Asher? It’s late, and I’m tired,”

  “I just wanted to make sure that you made it to your car safely. That the guy I escorted out earlier didn’t come back and bother you.”

  I roll my eyes. “How noble of you.”

  “I have my moments.”

  “And I have protection.” I pat my purse over my shoulder. I never leave home without my mace. This is Chicago, after all. Not only do I work on the south side of town, but I also live in it. After experiencing my fair share of catcalls and close encounters, a woman can never be too careful.

  Instead of saying anything, he reaches his hand out, gesturing for me to walk, and I give him my back. Letting out a sigh, I walk over to my beat-up old Honda. It’s not the prettiest thing, but it’s reliable.

  He takes my keys from me without asking and unlocks the door. When he opens my door, I watch him carefully as I fall into the driver’s seat. “Should I expect this kind of treatment every night?”

  “Depends. What’s your schedule?”

  I laugh uncomfortably but don’t answer. Instead, I say, “See you around.” It’s not a total lie. My best friend recently married his twin brother, so we’re bound to be around one another at some point. Even I can’t avoid that. But as he closes my door, I swear he mumbles, “Yes, you will.”

  * * *

  I watch her drive off in her beat-up piece of shit she calls a car, and I pull out my cell as I walk across the street to my black Porsche.

  “Hello?” My brother answers on the second ring.

  “What are you doing?” I ask him, knowing his ass isn’t asleep.

  “Been waiting up for your call,” he growls. “How did the meeting go?”

  “Not well,” I answer once my Bluetooth picks up inside my car. I place it in reverse and back out of my spot.

  He sighs. “Well, we’ll have to go a different route.” I hear him shuffle some papers before he speaks again. “Where did you end up meeting him?”

  “The Horseshoe.”

  He’s quiet for a long second. “That place is a dump. Why would you …?” His voice trails off. “Please tell me you didn’t.”

  I stay quiet, pulling up to a stoplight.

  “Asher.” He sighs, and I can hear his frustration. “Don’t go there.”

  I didn’t tell him what happened between Andrea and me in Tahiti, and from the surprise in his voice, I don’t think Andrea has told Hadley either. But he’s known how I feel about her for a while now. “Who said I was?” I press on the gas pedal once the light turns green.

  He laughs roughly at my question. “I know you are. She’s not your type.”

  I’ve wanted her from the moment I saw her two years ago at the donut shop with Hadley. He knows nothing about what my type is. Mainly because I’ve never had a certain type of woman. I like them all. Plus, he’s had his head so far up Hadley’s ass lately that all he sees is shit. “How do you know that?” I snort.

  “I know a lot more about Andrea than you do.”

  I hate how right he is. But things are about to change.

  “Anyway, I’m off to bed. I’ll see you at the office in … five hours.” Then he hangs up.

  “Goodbye to you too,” I say to the silence, pulling up to the next stoplight and looking around the deserted street. The only light I have is from my headlights. Only a few streetlights actually work, and even they blink on and off. This is literally the worst part of town she could work in. It makes me wonder why The Horseshoe instead of an upscale restaurant downtown? Or hell, even a different bar. Not like she doesn’t have options. A car a couple of stoplights ahead catches my attention.
It’s hers. She’s in the right lane with her turn signal on. Her light turns green while mine’s still red. When she disappears, I look both ways before running mine. Thankfully, the next two turn green in time so I don’t have to break any more traffic laws.

  I see the car make another right into an alleyway. Shutting off my headlights, I continue to follow her. She makes a sharp left and pulls into a driveway. I pull up to the curb and come to a stop. Not like the street’s busy at three in the morning. She gets out and walks up the single stair and unlocks the white front door before entering.

  She lives here?

  The door closes behind her, and then a light comes on inside. All the houses look the same. Small. They’re all two stories, but they are stacked in here side by side like sardines. No yard. No fence. And no security. Something a woman like her needs. A new light comes on, on the second floor, and I watch her silhouette through a curtain. She reaches down and pulls her shirt up and over her head before tossing it away. I should leave, but instead, I find myself leaning back in my seat and watch her like the perverted piece of shit I saved her from earlier this evening at the bar. The only difference is she knew what he wanted. She has no clue I’m watching her.

  I walk into the donut shop by the office and spot my brother’s assistant. She’s sitting across from a blonde who I have never seen before. Not surprising, Hadley and I aren’t close. “Hadley?” I call out as I approach the table.

  She looks up at me with a smile on her face. “Hey, Mr. Kyle.”

  “Mr. Kyle?” the blonde asks, looking up at me with narrowed eyes. Maybe she knows me. “So you’re the jackass?” she asks, sitting back in her seat.

  Hadley’s eyes widen. “Andrea …”

  “I’ve been called worse,” I admit with my hands tucked in the pockets of my dark gray slacks. Her comment makes me smile down at her. I like a woman who speaks her mind.

  “I’m sure you have.” The woman crosses her arms over her chest and raises a brow in challenge.

  My smile just grows.

  “Andrea, this is Asher Kyle, my boss’s twin brother,” Hadley informs her.

  I look her up and down as she sits in the chair. She has her hair down and over one shoulder. A pair of black sunglasses sits on the top of her head. “Asher Kyle,” I repeat, introducing myself. Removing my right hand from my pocket, I hold it out to her.

  She reaches out her hand but doesn’t apologize for mistaking me for my brother. It’s okay; we’re both fucking dicks. “Andrea Stikes.”

  I grab her hand and lift it to place a soft kiss on it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” I wink at her with a big smile in place. Her hard look doesn’t change, and I like that. I prefer a woman who makes me work for it. “Well, I will let you ladies get back to your lunch. It was nice to meet you, Andrea.” I nod to both of them, then walk out, leaving them to talk about me like I know they will.

  I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind since then. Two years later, I had my chance with her, but one night wasn’t enough. Not now that I know what she has to offer.

  She walks out of the room and into another. The stained-glass window is much smaller, so I’m guessing it’s her bathroom. My suspicion is confirmed when I see her step under a shower sprayer. She leans her head back, soaking her hair, and I adjust myself in my seat due to my slacks growing tighter and tighter. I think of unzipping them, but I’m not a little teenager who can’t control himself. I decide to just drive home and get a few hours of sleep before I have to be at work.

  I’ll see her again. I’m gonna make sure of it.

  After I finish my shower, I crawl into bed with wet hair because I’m too exhausted to dry it. Yawning, I check my phone and see I have no new messages. My brother never did respond to my last text, which means he’ll call me tomorrow and tell me how busy he is and how he doesn’t have time to come to Chicago. He’s been blowing Mom and me off for as long as I can remember. Last time we saw him was last year for Thanksgiving. And that was only ’cause Lynn’s parents went on a cruise to the Bahamas, so they were free. They live in California too, just a few miles away from them actually. I need to ask him if he can help me out with Mom’s expenses. If not, I’m not sure what I will do. My mother bought this house when we were just kids, so I’ve lived here for as long as I can remember. I owned it, but the financial obligations regarding my mother forced me to borrow against it. And I’m still paying on that. My car is paid for, but it’s not worth anything. And I don’t have a degree of any kind to qualify me for a job that will make me a shit ton of money by the end of the year.

  Running a hand down my face, I make sure my alarm for the morning is shut off ’cause for the first time in a long time, I actually have a day off from the clothing store. Turning off my lamp, I roll over onto my side and close my eyes, ready for a nap before the craziness starts all over again.

  This is a very bad idea! Your best friend just married his twin brother. You hate them both. Asher Kyle is a player. But he’s not the first player I’ve ever crawled in bed with, so it’s not like I can’t handle myself.

  He grips my hips and shoves my back into the wall, causing me to lose my breath. His lips are on mine the next second, and then his hands are in my hair. I moan into his mouth, and I grip my bridesmaid dress, yanking it up to my hips.

  “You sure …?”

  Tell him no! “Yes.” I breathe as my hands go to his slacks and undo his belt. I can feel how hard he is, and I want it. “Please …”

  I sit up straight in bed, my heart pounding and my body shaking. Running a hand through my hair, I fall back and close my eyes as I try to get the memory of Asher and me out of my head. It’s been there for two weeks now, and every time I close my eyes, it’s like it happens all over again.

  My phone rings, and when I reach over to snatch it off my nightstand, I see it’s Hadley. “Hello?” I’m panting.

  “Did I wake you?”

  I swallow and lie. “No.”

  “Did I interrupt …?”

  “No.” I take a deep breath, trying to even out my breathing, and sigh. “Nothing like that.”

  “What’s wrong?” she asks, catching my tone. I can’t hide anything from her. We’ve been friends since we were young, so she’s more like my sister than my best friend.

  I haven’t told her that Asher and I slept together in Tahiti. It was her wedding, and I haven’t spent much time with her since we got back. Hell, I didn’t see her much before the wedding either. We both have very busy lives. “I saw Asher last night.”

  “What?” She gasps. “Where?”

  * * *

  I walk off the elevator and step into the busy office on the thirtieth floor of Legacy Tower. My twin brother, Aiden, and I work for our father and his business partner. People are rushing around to start their day, but when I look down at my watch, I see that it’s a quarter till eight. “Millie, is Hadley in her office?” I ask, approaching her desk. Millie is the receptionist who holds this company together. She’s been here since the beginning.

  She nods, not even bothering to look up at me. “Mrs. Kyle arrived with Mr. Kyle twenty minutes ago.”

  It’s still weird to hear her called that. Hadley couldn’t be on time to save her life, but ever since she moved in with my brother, she’s no longer late. Shocker. “Send her to my office,” I order and then storm away from her desk.

  I shove open my door and throw my black jacket over the couch. Plopping down behind my desk, I squint as the Chicago morning light shines into my office through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind me. I didn’t get any sleep last night after I left Andrea’s place. I went home and buried myself in work to try to get my mind off her. It didn’t help.

  A knock sounds on my door. “Come in,” I call out.

  Hadley enters with a smile on her face. “You wanted to see me?” she asks, running her hands down her black dress.

  “Sit.” I point at the chair across from my desk. Her smile falters a little, but she nods a
nd complies. I lean back in my seat and cross my arms over my chest. She squares her shoulders and sucks in a deep breath. Ever since my last assistant tried to kill her, she’s been picking up my slack, and I appreciate that more than I let on. I’m a lot like my brother in the sense I hate to tell someone thank you.

  My door swings open once again and in walks my new assistant. “Mr. Kyle—”

  “Get out!” I interrupt her.

  “But sir, you—”

  “Get out!” I snap.

  She spins around and runs out, slamming the door shut behind her.

  Hadley watches her exit and turns back to face me, wearing a hard look on her face. That probably just brought back memories of how my brother treated her when she started working for him. The only difference is that I’m not secretly in love with my assistant.

  “Did I do something wrong?” Hadley asks with narrowed eyes, ready to defend herself.

  “No.” I take a deep breath. “I want to know about Andrea.”

  Her brows pull together. “What about her?”

  “I saw her last night …”

  “She mentioned that when I spoke to her this morning.”

  I lean forward. “You spoke to her this morning?” She nods slowly as if I’m slow to understand. “What did she say?”

  She shrugs. “Just that you came into The Horseshoe and threw some guy out who was giving her a hard time. And then you walked her out to her car after closing. That was nice of you, by the way. I hate that she works there. I’ve been telling her for years that it’s not safe.”

  I smile, and her eyes narrow on me. So I’ve got help on my side. This may be easier than I thought.

  “What’s going on, Asher?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest. At one time, she only called me Mr. Kyle, but that too has changed.

  She goes to speak, but my door opens once again, and she turns around to see my brother enter my office. He walks up behind her, bends over and kisses her on top of her head before falling into the matching chair beside her. “What are you guys in here talking about?” he asks, being a nosy little bitch. Then he looks at me. “Oh, and Tris is out there cussing you.”