In the bathroom I splashed water on my face and glared at my reflection.
“You’ve been working with Beth too long,” I lectured myself. “You’re turning into just as much of a bitch as she is. Arg, I need a new job. No more feeling sorry for myself if I’m not going to do anything to change.”
I washed my hands and dabbed a cold, damp paper towel on my neck. With a final glare at the woman in the mirror, I touched up my lipstick and pushed out of the bathroom.
I returned to the party and found myself another drink. My brain started spinning, trying to figure out where in the world I could find another job and if leaving Winterville was worth it. Riley faced the same question a few months ago when Connor got a job in Chicago. She was ready to move to be with him, but thankfully didn’t have to. She deserved to be happy. Riles was a bookworm to the nth degree and found a man who loved her for it. Connor was sweet and kind and adored my friend.
As I was contemplating my next move I noticed Riley kiss Connor and turn toward me. I knew what was coming.
“Why are you over here by yourself?” she asked me in a chiding voice. Riley knew exactly what I was up to and wasn’t willing to let me feel sorry for myself.
“I’m just not in a party mood. It was a long week.”
“When are you going to find another job? I hate you working there. Beth is going to work you to death.”
Riley was forever telling me I was getting old before my time. She was right, which made me sad. I was tired all the time, crabby most of the time, and had my phone attached to me just in case Beth needed something. I was at her beck and call and despised every second of it.
“I was actually just thinking about that. I’ve looked in Winterville and haven’t found anything so I’m wondering if I need to leave. I also don’t know what I’d want to do. Nothing appeals to me.”
“Okay, first of all… I don’t want you to leave. If you end up having to, I’ll be really disappointed, but I won’t stop you from doing what’s right for you. You know I’d hire you at READ, right?”
“I know, Riles, but I also know you can’t afford to pay me enough to keep my own place. It’s not pretty or perfect, but I don’t think I can go back to having a roommate. Besides, who would I live with?”
“I know, Care. Maybe something will come up. I’d just hate to see you leave. Have you looked at teaching jobs lately?”
I shook my head. “No one is going to hire me with just a business degree. I can’t teach college without something higher, and high school doesn’t have a lot of openings for business teachers. Besides, you know I really wanted to teach home economics or something like that. I won’t ever get one of those positions.”
“Why don’t you look at what’s available and try to get out from under Beth? If there still aren’t any teaching spots, look for something else, even if it’s not a perfect fit.”
I nodded, accepting her advice. I needed to do something different. There was no reason for me to stay with Beth. She had given me absolutely nothing that would keep me there. Yeah, she paid me well, but not well enough for the treatment I endured.
If I was ever going to feel like I was doing something worthwhile, I had to start pulling my life together. It might as well be with a job that didn’t make me feel worse about everything.
“Have you met Drew yet?”
I shook my head. “Mandy said she was going to find him and introduce us.”
“I still can’t believe you don’t remember him. He was Xander’s best man.”
I shrugged. “That was a year ago, and we’d only just met them. The only reason I knew who Xander was at the wedding was he kissed Mandy when the priest told him to.”
Riley laughed. She’d met Drew a few times over the few months while the guys did research for opening XD Home Restoration. Riley was even the one who convinced them to change the name from XD Designs to XD Home Restoration, making sure the name conveyed exactly what they did.
“I think you’ll like Drew. If you stick around Winterville, maybe you two will hit it off. He’s pretty cute.”
“I thought he was dating some bitchy woman that Mandy hated.”
Riley shook her head and smiled over my shoulder. “They broke up a few months ago. Hey, I’ll be right back.”
I nearly groaned at the new information, wondering again if Mandy was setting us up. Mandy thought highly of Drew, I knew that, and she was always telling us how great he was. I guess there were worse guys for me to get hooked up with but I still wasn’t so sure I wanted a blind date. Especially at a launch party for the guy’s new company.
If I were Mandy I’d just be drinking as much as possible so I could get through the night instead of setting up my friends. Well, if I wasn’t pregnant. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t married. I was more interested in the refreshments than the people.
Then I saw him across the room. It’s so cliche to say the world stopped, but… no, it didn’t stop. But I did. He was gorgeous. Tall, dark hair, stubbled jaw, tequila-colored eyes… yep, I was sunk. His broad shoulders and trim waist were enough to get my attention, but when I saw the tattoos covering his exposed forearm I nearly drooled.
I was a sucker for tattooed men.
His forearm was completely covered with colors. From my distance I couldn’t make out what any of the designs were, but it was hot.
His black dress shirt was rolled up to his elbows and looked amazing with his khakis. I wanted to peel that shirt off and see how many more tattoos he had. It was absolutely ridiculous.
I finally let my eyes travel to his face and saw him watching me. Busted. I smiled and raised my glass to him, not remotely worried about the hot guy catching me checking him out. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but I knew I’d have remembered him. He had to have a doppelganger somewhere. I turned back to the party and tried to look interested in the conversation around me. Damn, where was Riley, or Charlie, or Sam? Shit anyone.
I weaved through the crowd, looking for someone to talk to. Instead, I ended up near the edge of the room again. The bar was close so I downed the rest of my drink and headed that way.
“Are you having fun?” a smooth voice asked from directly behind me when I was in line at the bar. He was close enough that I could feel his heat through the thin fabric of my tank top. Without looking, I knew it was the hottie from across the room.
“I know a few things that could make it… more fun,” I teased, looking over my shoulder.
I wasn’t a fool. If he came over to hit on me, he liked some of what he saw. I was a size 20, nowhere near skinny, but my skirt accentuated my assets and he was obviously an ass man. I had plenty of ass to spare, but my curves were relatively well balanced for being as big as I was.
Not that I minded my size. I loved being a bit husky. It meant men couldn’t push me around, literally and figuratively, as much. When I stood my ground I was an oak tree, not a toothpick swaying in the breeze.
“Maybe we should find someplace a little quieter so we can explore those options,” he whispered, his breath tickling my cheek.
I let my gaze run down his body, not shy at all about my appraisal of him. Up close his broad shoulders were even broader than they appeared across the room. He was tall, but just about everyone was compared to me. At 5’5”, 5’8” in my heels, I came up to his shoulders. I guessed he was around 6’2”. I loved a man who could make me feel tiny.
My eyes drifted to his forearm where I could see tribal symbols, a compass pointing up, and a beautiful cross. In the center of his forearm was an anchor wrapped in words that I couldn’t quite make out. I wanted to ask but didn’t want to get too personal with him.
I finally met his eyes and offered a barely perceptible shrug that he interpreted as agreement. I didn’t argue as he gently guided me away from the crowd and down a deserted hallway. He directed me into an office and locked the door as he pressed me against it.
His mouth came down over mine as his hands closed over my ass cheeks. Definitely an ass man. He dragged me tight against him, his erection already raging between us. His kiss was insistent, his tongue wasting no time before plunging into my mouth. I fought him for control but gave up when he nipped my lip. Yeah, I liked that, too.
My heart rate climbed with every nip and suck. His lips drifted from mine and trailed down my neck, nibbling my skin until he reached the edge of my shirt. His hands left my ass to slide under my skirt and where he cupped my bare cheeks, teasing the edge of my thong, and groaned.
“Jesus, you’re hot,” he mumbled against my neck.
He spun us around and backed me up to the large dark wood desk that dominated the room. I hoped it wasn’t Xander’s office for about a second, then he kissed me again and I didn’t care. My head spun just from the way he kissed, the feel of his thick tongue inside my mouth. I wondered what else he had that was thick.
Without waiting for him to answer my unasked question I reached down and cupped him through his khakis. His whole body jerked at my touch then thrust into my hand. I stroked him as we kissed. His kisses got sloppy and uncontrolled the longer I palmed him.
Finally he snapped. He broke free from me and lifted me up onto the edge of the desk I’d been leaning against. His hand dove between my legs and ducked under the edge of my thong. I moaned as his fingers brushed over then dove deep inside me. His thumb circled over me and my hips arched toward him.
“Fuck, you’re wet,” he growled before he closed his lips over my throat. His hand worked between my legs and I leaned back, unable to stop myself as my control slipped away. My body started to clench around his hand and he said, “That’s it, baby. Just let go. Let me have it.”
My body obeyed his command. I quivered and moaned as I exploded with a ferocity that I’d never felt before. He stayed with me, one arm holding my body up as the other hand continued massaging me. When I stopped trembling he leaned down and kissed my neck then slowly removed his hand from between my legs.
“That was amazing,” he said, a note of awe in his voice.
“Yeah. But I think I got the better end of the deal,” I teased him. “Do you happen to have a condom?”
“No, I don’t. It’s okay. That’ll hold me.”
I gave him my best sultry look and turned us so he was the one against the desk then kneeled in front of him. He watched me, not stopping me, as I unbuttoned his khakis then slowly dragged the zipper down. His pants slipped lower on his lean hips and threatened to fall so I nudged them until they were out of the way. I caught a brief glimpse of another tattoo on his leg but didn’t waste time inspecting it. I had more important things to look at.
His black boxer briefs held him securely inside, although he was bursting at the seams. I hooked my fingers around the waistband and slowly pulled them down, his erection springing free quickly.
He was even more beautiful without clothes.
Well, without pants.
I wrapped my hand around the base of him, my fingers not reaching my palm due to his thickness. One stroke of his smooth, firm erection and his fingers threaded through my hair. I didn’t want to waste any more time than he did so I took him into my mouth.
“Oh, fuck,” he groaned.
I smiled around him and stroked him, my hand and my mouth working together to drive him mad. His heated skin was soft against my tongue and was getting me turned on all over again. It wasn’t about me though, it was his turn and I was determined to give him as much as he gave me.
He moaned softly and tightened his grip on my long hair. His hand wrapped through the strands as he started talking.
“Just like that. That feels so good. Yes. Fuck. Yes.”
Dirty talk always turned me on, but his rough, gravelly voice made it that much hotter. Not to mention the fact that I didn’t know his name and there was a risk of someone catching us, even though the door was locked.
I moved against him faster, my hand working opposite my mouth. I lightly closed my teeth around him and took him deeper into my throat, drawing out a groan from him and earning a thrust of approval. I hummed, and he groaned again, then talked his way through to the end.
“Oh, God, you feel so good. I’m gonna come. Yes, fuck, Jesus, yes. I’m coming, baby, I’m coming. NOW!” He bellowed the last word as he poured into my mouth. The salty liquid streamed down my throat, and I worked him until he stopped shaking, just as he did for me.
I swallowed quickly, then stood back up before him. With his pants around his ankles, his satiated look was even hotter. His eyes were droopy, and his erection was still bobbing. Standing in front of such a sexy man, one I would have thought was untouchable, and knowing I put that look of pure pleasure on his face made me feel powerful.
Unfortunately, I knew I’d never see him again, so I figured the best thing would be to get out while he handled himself. “That certainly made the party a lot more fun,” I teased, not really sure what else to say.
His dark eyes cleared slightly, and he grinned. “Glad I could be of service. Although I’m pretty sure I got the better end of the deal.”
I smiled at him, throwing my words back at me. “I think it worked out well for both of us. Um, I’ll head out first so you can… get dressed.”
He glanced down at his pants on the floor and reached for them. “Yeah, okay,” he said, sounding slightly disappointed.
I flipped the lock on the door and looked back at him. “Thanks,” I said, then slipped out the door.
Down the hall and back into the party, I found Mandy talking to Claire and Aidan. I sidled over to them and pretended like I wasn’t still aching between my legs. I could have easily gone a few more rounds.
“What happened to your hair?” Claire asked when she looked at me.
Crap. I’d forgotten about his styling. I reached up and patted my head, then ran my own fingers through my long, wavy brown hair. “Oh… long day. I’ve been pulling at it all day, and I guess I just forgot to check it.”
Mandy eyed me curiously. “I don’t remember it looking like that when you got here. Did something happen?”
I noticed Aidan smirking at me and realized I was totally busted. I huffed out a breath and opened my mouth to explain when Mandy cut me off.
“Oh, there’s Drew. I finally have you two in the same place.” She waved to someone behind me and called Drew’s name. I glared at Aidan instead of turning to greet Xander’s partner.
“Finally. Carrie, this is Drew Montgomery. Drew, this is Carrie Taylor. She’s the one I’ve been telling you about, your new assistant.”
Wait, what? Did Mandy just say I was his new assistant? I turned from her delighted face to look at my new boss, apparently, and found myself face to face with the hottie I’d just had my mouth on.
The smile faded on my lips. I didn’t know if my night just got better or worse.
