My eyes narrow. “Really? You want to go there after having me thrown off a mechanical bull?”
“Fine. No. But he was hot. You’re sure you don’t —"
“Yes, I’m sure.” I make sure to infuse my words with as much finality as possible, and thankfully, she lets it go.
After Suzie drops me at my house that night, I head inside. This place is my pride and joy, and the one big expense I indulged in after becoming partner at my firm. I love it, even if it is a little too big for one person. Well, one person and a hedgehog.
“Hi Winston,” I coo, reaching between the bars of his cage so he can nuzzle my finger. “You’re the only man I need, right?”
Except Winston doesn’t keep me warm at night. And it’s been so long since I had sex, I’m not sure I remember how. After meeting Topher, all my previous arguments about not needing a man when I have a vibrator seem silly and wrong.
It’s only once I’m in bed, cozy in my flannel pajamas, that I let myself think about him. About Topher. Yes, he was hot. But I also got the distinct feeling he was young. Like, really young.
“Too young for me, that’s for sure,” I murmur under my breath wistfully.
Yet even with that in mind, the last thing I think of as I drift off to sleep is how good his hands felt holding onto me…and how good they might feel on other parts of my sex-deprived body.
“Yes, okay, just have it to me by noon tomorrow.” I hang up the phone and take a deep breath, my eyes drifting out the window to the Westport city skyline. The last two weeks have been beyond hectic, prepping for a client’s merger. But I wrapped the case yesterday, and today has been all about catch-up. Just as I turn to the next task on my never-ending to do list, my phone buzzes with the tone that indicates it’s reception.
“Hello, Tina,” I say into the phone.
“Ms. Waters, there’s a delivery here for you, courtesy of Banks and Klein. As your assistant isn’t in today, I wanted to check with you before sending them back.”
Her voice sounds odd. Normally, our front desk admin is smooth, calm and collected even in the face of lawyers panicking over deadlines and clients panicking over lawsuits. But Tina sounds…excited. I’ve never heard her excited. And seeing as our clients normally send bottles of alcohol or gift baskets as thank-you presents, neither of which generate much excitement anymore, I’m even more perplexed.
As much as I don’t have the time or energy for an interruption, maybe there’s some good chocolates I can devour as I finish up for the day.
“Yes, that’s fine, you can send them back to my office.”
I hang up and stand, intent on meeting the delivery person at my office door, but when I look up, I realize there’s nothing I could’ve done to prepare myself for this.
Chapter four
Topher
By some small miracle, I manage not to drop the heavy vase full of flowers in my hand when I see her standing there.
“Bridget?” I say hoarsely, still not quite sure if I’m dreaming. The woman who has starred in all of my fantasies for two weeks is standing before me, dressed in a tight-fitting pencil skirt and a cream blouse that hints at some fucking spectacular tits. Suddenly, I’m not annoyed at having to drive from Dogwood Cove to Westport to deliver this order.
“Topher, what are you…you…oh my God, you’re here.”
I step into what I assume must be her office and put the flowers down on the small wooden table next to the door before turning to her. She’s frozen, staring at me, but now that I’m a little bit closer, I can see her pulse fluttering in her neck. The realization that she’s just as affected by our reunion as I am hits me, and I have to fight back my grin. The sparks I thought I had imagined at the bar are back in full force, leaping between us.
“Flower delivery for Ms.BridgetWaters, courtesy of Wild Rose’s Florist. Aka me.” I sweep my hands out in front of me sheepishly.
Her head tilts slightly, sending her hair cascading over one shoulder. Then I swear I hear her mutter something under her breath that sounds suspiciously like “fuck it” seconds before she launches herself across the short distance that separates us. My hands come up instantly to catch her and drag her against me; then her lips are on mine, and it feels like I can breathe normally again for the first time in weeks.
Her lips fit mine perfectly, and we melt together into a kiss that beats any other kiss. Bridget has taken control of things and I am happy to let her. I’ve kissed plenty of girls, but I’ve never kissed a woman like Bridget. It doesn’t take a genius to realize she’s older than I am, which is intriguing and sexy. She’s clearly not afraid to go after what she wants, and I just count myself lucky that I seem to be what she wants right now.
Hopefully, that doesn’t change when she finds out about my…experience, or lack thereof.
But that’s a conversation for another time, when she isn’t kissing me like her life depends on it. When her phone rings, I want to slam it to the floor because I feel the exact second she comes back to reality and realizes we’re making out in her office.
“Oh shit,” she blurts out, stepping back from me unsteadily. “I…I can’t believe I just did that.”
Her phone keeps ringing. But her eyes are focused on me.
“I’m not complaining,” I say, my voice rough with the desire to go back to what we were doing. The phone stops ringing, and I take a step forward, then freeze when she steps back.
