Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 101662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. Everyone was drunk,” she said.
“I wasn’t.”
“That’s because you’re a buzzkill.” She reached into her small clutch and pulled out two pieces of gum. She popped them into her mouth and chewed them like a camel. “So…what should we do now?” she asked, taking a piece of her hair and twirling it around her finger.
Remember how I’d learned that fact the hard way?
Ramona was my hard way.
One too many late nights in the office led to one too many hookups.
We’d only hooked up once, but like I said, it was one too many.
Now, she thought it was appropriate to call me a buzzkill and wonder what we’d do after a party.
“We aren’t doing anything. I’m taking you home, and then I’ll see you at work.”
“Or,” she offered, “you could stay at my place.”
“Ramona,” I said sternly.
She pouted. “Gabriel.”
“We’ve talked about this. What happened between us was—”
“Fucking fantastic,” she drunkenly sang. “I really appreciated that thing you did with your tongue when you licked my as—”
“Ramona.”
“Gabriel.”
“You’re drunk.”
“I am.” She spread her legs and moved her hand between them. “And horny.”
I ignored her, which made her huff and puff. “You’re so boring sometimes. I liked you better when you drank.”
“Of course, you did. I wasn’t myself when I drank.”
“I could learn to like you sober, too, you know.”
I already knew where the conversation would begin in the morning. She’d come into work and state how she didn’t remember anything from the night prior. Even though she probably did. It had happened a few times before. After holiday parties. During work celebrations. Ramona was a professional at hitting on me while she was drunk and then pretending like it never happened.
Ramona wasn’t an awful hookup. She was beautiful and gifted in the bedroom, but that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that ever since then, she’d looked at me with hopeful eyes. As if I’d someday give her more than that one night. That was a big issue because I didn’t give myself away to anyone.
I was what my mother called the ultimate playboy. I didn’t have the willingness to settle down with one woman. I’d never had that pull. I loved women—I did. In all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Still, I had a solid rule when it came to my hookups. The moment their eyes looked hopeful was the moment I’d have to cut them loose. It was for their own good. Nothing good came from falling for a man like me. my career was my life.. There wasn’t much room for anything else to exist within my realm.
Which was why it was odd how much Kierra remained on my mind after the evening came to an end. Most of the time, I kept to myself, but for some reason I’d felt a magnetic pull toward her all evening. I’d found myself searching for her out of the corner of my eye time and time again. Why was that? Hell if I knew. All I knew was there was something about her that just felt…right. I wasn’t a people person. I was never one to seek out connections, but something about Kierra Hughes made me oddly want to wake up early to get a damn muffin.
Kierra was beautiful. As stunning as a person could’ve ever been. Beautiful smooth brown skin, entrancing dark-chocolate eyes, and full lips painted red. She wore gold jewelry and her dress hugged every curve of her body. She smelled like gardenias, too. Gardenias and honeysuckle.
Fuck, why did I know that? Why did her scent linger in my nostrils every time after we’d crossed paths tonight?
“Do you think they have a good sex life?” Ramona asked, breaking me from my thoughts.
“What?”
“Henry and his wife.”
“Why the hell would you ask me that?”
“I’m just saying, he’s brilliant and I’m curious if he’s brilliant in all areas of his life.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be thinking about our clients’ sex lives,” I muttered.
“I wonder if he uses sex toys that he’s invented on her. To test out prototypes. Henry told me he was coming out with a line of robotic toys.”
For the love of…
Did she really speak to Henry Hughes about sex toys?
That rubbed me wrong in every way possible. How unprofessional could Ramona get? She was too grown-up to be acting so inappropriately.
I gripped the steering wheel. “Perhaps we should hold off on conversations about sex toys with clients,” I said, echoing my previous words.
I saw her smug smirk out of the corner of my eye. “Why? Are you jealous?”
I didn’t say another word.
She grumbled to herself and turned her back toward me. It was clear that she was irritated that I was back to being her grumpy ol’ boss man again, but I didn’t mind. Honestly, I couldn’t have been happier when I pulled up to her apartment building. She climbed out of the car, still not looking back at me.