A Mess of a Man (Cruel & Beautiful #2)(37)

“Tonight at your place?” I practically beg.

“My roommate will be at home.”

I forgot about that. “My place at eight.”

“I don’t know where you live.”

“I’ll text you.”

Leaning in, I kiss her mouth quickly again.

“Later.”

As she’s walking away, I say, “And Sam?” She turns and the view of her is stunning. I have no idea how I’ll be able to get any work done for the rest of the day. “Tonight will be slow and easy for our first time. But I can’t always promise that.”





The walk to my car is torturous as thoughts of being with Ben tumble through my mind. Slow and easy tonight is what he said. With the way I’m feeling right now, we might have to see about that. Fast and furious may be on the menu for Slutty Sam. I’ve thought of nothing but him for all this time and to take it slow? What the hell is he thinking?

By the time I walk back in my office, my phone dings with a text from Ben giving me his address. He wants to know if I need directions.



Me: Nope. I’ve got it. I’ll use GPS. See you at 8.



Then I decide to be cute and text him again.



Me: And I expect you to be naked and waiting.



I anticipate a fast response, but I get nothing but silence. After a few minutes I worry I made a huge mistake. Maybe he thinks I’m a crazy ho now. I snatch up the phone and call Berkeley, the specialist in all things slutty.

“Wassup, my girl?”

“I think I just did a total f*ck up.” I chew my nail as I talk.

“Spill it.”

So I tell her and she has the extreme nerve to break my eardrum with her loud cackle of laughter.

After she stops gasping for air, she says, “He is going to so love you. You are his dream girl. Stop worrying.”

“Be real here. I’m dying.”

“I am real, Slutty Sam. Now get to work and stop the angst. Wear something sexy cute tonight. You know, easy for him to take off, and you’re so in with him. I bet the dude is working with a boner.” She guffaws at her own little joke. And when I stop to think about it, maybe he is.

“You think?”

“I think. I gotta run. Cheers.”

A couple minutes later, my phone dings. It’s a text from Ben.



Ben: You do realize I’m trying to close a multi-million dollar deal here, don’t you? See you at 8. The door will be unlocked. Don’t knock. Just enter at your own risk. And I’ll be naked. Count on it.



Oh shit! He took the bait. Naked. He’s going to be naked. My hands shake at the idea. The memory of him pushing me against the wall rips into me and my face heats.

“Sam, you busy?”

Shit. My admin is knocking on my office door and I’m thinking of orgasms. Pull it together, Sam.

“Yes. I mean, no, I’m not.”

“Are you okay? You look flushed.”

“I’m fine. What is it?”

“Our interview is coming in soon. I wanted to go over a few things with you.”

“Fuck.”

“Excuse me?”

Jesus, I’ve got to get my shit together. “Sorry. Just a little unorganized here. Can you give me five?”

“Sure.” Nancy gives me an odd glance as she walks out. Probably because I never curse in the office and I just dropped an f-bomb on her.

Five minutes later she comes in and we do a speed run through our interview tactics. Our prospective employee, Nick, arrives, and thank God, I’m able to focus long enough to see he would make an excellent addition to the company. I tell him to expect a call by the end of the day.

After he leaves, Nancy and I talk and both agree I should make him the offer.

Nancy asks, “Do you think he’s gay? It’s not that I have an issue with it, I only ask because usually you don’t see many men as event coordinators.”

“I don’t know, nor do I care. He has the experience I’m looking for and need.”

“Yeah, and I think he’d fit right in actually. And you could use someone with some muscle out there when you have to lug that crap around.”

“No kidding. But don’t tell him that.” We laugh.

When I call him later, he happily accepts. I grin, glad that my day is going so well. I sit in my chair, forgetting about Nancy, when I let out a giggle, thinking that Ben will be the icing on my cake of a day.

“What was that for?” she asks.

“What?”

“That cute little giggle?”

“Did I giggle?”

“Seriously? Sam, you giggled like I never heard you giggle before.”

“It was nothing, really.”

She taps her pen to her mouth and says, “Didn’t sound like nothing to me. In fact, it sounded like anything besides nothing. And I’ll go so far to say it has something to do with a man because you’ve had this secretive little smirk on your face today.”

“I have?”

“Yes, you have. Is it Trevor? Are you two finally back together?”

My upturned lips immediately turn south. “Ugh, no. He’s a jerk and I don’t ever want to see him again.”