AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Show me the rest.” Martin undid the button on his jacket, revealing his lean and muscular torso.
My throat dry, I swallowed to moisten it. I bent over, wisps of my hair teasing my lips as I removed my thong. When I straightened, his eyes were on me, and I noticed he’d loosened his tie.
One beat passed while he stared. Two. Then three. I could see his pulse beating in his corded throat. Coolness skimmed my naked form, but between my legs I was wet and began to throb.
“I’ve never seen a more beautiful naked woman in my life,” he said, and my chin came up.
Heat washed over me. Desire drenched me.
“You like that. My praise.” His nostrils flared. “Me watching you. I won’t forget this, or those details. You,” he said softly, “may gather your things and go, my darling.”
The spell broken, I retrieved my clothing. Holding it like a cabaret dancer’s fan in front of me, I straightened, telling myself none of what I’d felt could be real.
“And ABCR?” I asked.
His eyes narrowed. “They will get another chance. But if they disappoint me again, it’s you who will owe me.”
“Did you get any sleep?” Rachel asked me the following afternoon, which felt more like morning given the hours we kept.
“Some.” I hedged while wiping down the bar. “But only fragmented pieces interspersed with nightmares.”
Surprisingly, I was on my own to manage Winston’s again, despite my error the previous night. Sitting across from me with a half-eaten grilled chicken sandwich in front of her, my sister was getting a quick bite to eat before the rest of the band arrived for sound check.
My emotions were like my sleep ... too disjointed to fit together anymore in a way that made sense. I loved Collin, but he’d broken my heart. I was attracted to Martin, and that disturbed me. Only to myself would I admit that I found it hot what we’d done in his office.
And then there was Barry, my handsome and off-limits best friend.
If there was one person I could share my conflicted feelings with, it would be him, but I couldn’t share them with him. The band was back on the schedule, and Martin saw him as a rival. I didn’t need to give Martin evidence for his suspicions, a reason to hurt Barry or fire ABCR.
“Are we still on for pancakes here tomorrow?” Rachel set her napkin down beside her plate.
“Yes, I’d like to get to know your Daniel.” I took her plate and walked it to the bin for dirty dishes that we kept by the kitchen door.
“But you forgot until just now when I reminded you, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” I turned around, knowing I was busted. “A lot happened yesterday.”
Her brow creased. “A lot that you refuse to talk about.”
“It’s complicated.” How could I explain it to her when I hadn’t figured it all out myself?
“Are you over Collin?”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be over him,” I said truthfully.
Collin had been my first love. Pain radiated inside my chest just talking about him, and that didn’t make me all fired up to give love a go with anyone else.
“You won’t consider Barry,” she said, studying me closely. “He’s my choice. And something happened with Martin last night, and now you seem ...” Suddenly, her eyes widened. “You’re embarrassed. Oh my God, youlikeMartin. What the fuck, Addy?”
“Quiet, Rach.” I came closer and took her hand, whispering, “There are cameras everywhere.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I know. That’s creepy, Addy. He’s creepy. Normal guys don’t make girls they like owe them favors—sexual favors, no less.” Lowering her voice to a whisper, she asked, “Did you sleep with him?”
“No.”
I was relieved to be able to answer that question truthfully. But maybe deep down, a part of me was disappointed too.
Why shouldn’t I move on or try to? Collin had moved on with Miranda, who I hadn’t heard from since. Which seemed to add fuel to my suspicion that she’d been sleeping with him while Collin and I were together. Had she ever truly been my friend?
