A Mess of a Man (Cruel & Beautiful #2)(52)

About ten minutes later, they arrive and I put Nick with Lauren, I go with Berkeley, and Britt and Carrie are paired. The six of us are in three carts with coolers in the back to handle the refreshments and the weather couldn’t be better.

The golfers start trickling in and head out. Soon we have everyone on the course so we go to work. I put Nick and Lauren on the front nine holes and Britt and Carrie on the back nine. Berkeley and I travel between the two. And we have an absolute blast flirting, bantering with them, and having them flirt back. Even the women golfers are fun to chat with. The only sour note is Ben. He scowls, glares, and when he’s close enough, grumbles about everything from his golf game to the refreshments. Berkeley even calls him Beastly Ben to his face, to which he stops and blinks rapidly several times, looking like a deer in headlights.

“Maybe he has a bad case of hemorrhoids today,” she says when he’s within earshot.

Her comment makes the guys with him laugh. Then one says, “Dude, lighten up. This is supposed to be fun. You look like hell. You need to get laid.”

That shuts us all up. Berkeley and I hop in our cart and drive off. Too bad these are electric carts and drive like those electric shopping carts at Wal-Mart. I wish they could zoom away like a Porsche on gravel, spewing rocks in his face.

The golfing ends and everyone heads back to the hotel to get their rooms. We all want showers before the dinner tonight and all the clients are headed home. The employees will stay for an evening of fun. After Ben brought up the budget, Martin opted for an evening pool party instead of a picnic. My girls are leaving and I hate that, because now I’m on my own, except for Nick, but I don’t really count him. I need my support group, damn it.

I hug them all, thanking them and wave good-bye. When I walk up to the front desk to get my room, Nick stands there looking pissed. Ben is also there checking in.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a screw up with the rooms,” he says.

“What?”

“Yeah. They didn’t book two rooms for us, only one.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! I went over the list several times with them. Just get another room.”

“That’s the problem.” Nick huffs out a frustrated breath. “They’re totally sold out tonight.”

“Oh, great.”

“Is there a problem?” Ben asks.

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” I snap. I’m not telling him anything. He’s been the biggest ass to me all day. He doesn’t need to know crap right now.

I turn back to Nick. “Well, the room we do have has two beds, right?”

“Yeah, it’s a double.”

I stretch my now aching neck and say, “Then I guess there’s only one option. We’re going to have to share a room.”





Share a room? Did I hear that correctly? No way in hell. All day, I’ve watched her with that * with green coloring my vision. This isn’t how f*ck buddies act. Never once did I care if Karen flirted or went out with anyone else as long as she was available when I needed her. Everything’s different with Sam. I know I have no right, but a possessiveness takes over rational thought.

“Can I get two keys?”

The attendant nods his head while glancing over at Sam. I’ve had just about all I can take with men checking out my woman.

“Do you mind? I’m here and she’s taken,” I growl.

The guy looks faintly amused and again glances over to where Sam is standing. I turn and see her gaping at me. She obviously heard.

“If you share a room with anyone it’s going to be me,” I say in no uncertain terms.

The hotel clerk hands me the keys just as I finish declaring my intention. I take them and snag Sam’s arm as that * Nick smirks at me. What the f*ck is that all about?

Sam, the consummate professional, doesn’t cause a scene and waits until after we’ve turned the corner to snatch her arm out of mine. I stab the elevator button out of impatience.

“I don’t appreciate being man-handled.”

“No, it seems like you’ve quickly moved on to your next f*ck buddy. I guess I had you pegged wrong.”

Her pretty mouth forms an O and I swear I want to fill it with my cock. “You keep looking at me like that and I’m going to take you right here in the hallway.”

The whip cracking sound is every bit as bad as the sting across my face.

“How dare you accuse me of sleeping with my employee? And you think I would sleep with you after that comment? What kind of woman do you take me for? Then again, I guess that’s your M.O. and you have me confused with how you do things.”

I rub my jaw knowing I deserved that. “I shouldn’t have said that. But even though you wouldn’t, I see how he looks at you. If you’d let him, he would gladly take my place.”

“And what place would that be?

If she only knew how her defiance turns me on.

The elevator dings and changes our focus. She may be pissed, but I haven’t given up yet. The doors part as if foreshadowing how I’m going to open her pretty thighs as soon as we get in the room. That’s the place I know where Nick would like to be. I press my hand against her lower back guiding her into the cab of the elevator.

“Samantha.” That * Nick catches up with us. He’s rolling an overnight bag as he slips inside with us. “Here is the room key when he pisses you off.”