Careless
Authors: Cleo Peitsche
CARELESS
All Romance eBooks Edition
Copyright, Legal Notice and Disclaimer:
CARELESS
© 2013 by Cleo Peitsche. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without permission in writing from the author. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, events, locations and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This book is for entertainment purposes only.
This book contains mature content and is solely for adults.
Cover Photo ©2013 by Pouch Pictures
Dear Reader,
Thank you for purchasing this ebook. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I look forward to sharing more of my stories with you.
xoxo,
Cleo
Other Titles By Cleo
After Forever/Bisexual Billionaire Series (Threesome Romance)
Careless
Office Toy Series (BDSM Gang Bang Romance)
Office Toy
Client Satisfaction
Company Vacation
Flex Time
Soft Skills
Take Me Hard Series (BDSM Romance)
Ride Me Hard
Love Me Hard
Use Me Hard
Take Me Hard Compilation #1
Push Me Hard
Fantasy Playland Series (BDSM)
Sleeping Lady
Sleeping chez Sade
Wide Awake
Wide Open
Mistress Moi Series (Femdom)
My Three Slaves
Cuckold Chuck
Faye-Faye and the Sadist
Bad Boyfriend Series (Femdom Romance)
Bad Boyfriend
“Now breathe deep,”
the yoga instructor intoned, his voice deep and soothing.
Kimberly snuck a peek out the corner of her eye. Neat dark brown hair, arresting green eyes, a sexy little cleft in his chin… He was far more muscular than most of the men who taught, and he wore sweat shorts instead of tight leggings. Nelson. She’d seen him around the studio for about a month now, and tonight he was substituting for the usual Friday night instructor.
She’d thought he would be distracting, and she was right; she couldn’t concentrate on a damn thing. She looked over at her best friend and saw that Samuel was staring at the floor, his curly blond hair looking like he’d stuck his finger in a socket, his face a mask of concentration.
Kimberly choked back a laugh, wobbled and then quickly regained her balance. She knew Samuel, and he didn’t take yoga that seriously; his game face could only mean that he was trying to avoid thoughts that might lead to an embarrassing erection. Her best friend claimed to be bisexual, but she’d only ever seen him openly lust after men.
Which was a shame because if he was even the least bit into women…
“And exhale.” Nelson walked slowly between the thin rubber mats, suggesting an arm adjustment here, a leg shift there.
And here he comes.
Kimberly stared straight ahead and tried to embody peace.
“Good,” Nelson murmured as he squatted near her. “You have a knee injury, right? Does this pose cause any pain?”
“No,” she said, her voice closer to a grunt than she liked. Not very ladylike. “Haven’t had trouble in a while.”
“Glad to hear it.” Nelson rose and continued his inspection of the students. Kimberly was impressed—he’d read their files before the class. That was dedication. She turned her head and saw Samuel shooting her a dirty look.
“You bitch,”
he mouthed.
Kimberly bit back another laugh. “He’s worried about my wellbeing,” she whispered. “Guess I win.”
The woman in front of her, a rich, thin, middle-aged woman whose face looked like she was sucking a lemon, glared at Kimberly.
“Take another breath and, if you can, stretch as you exhale. Only if you can. This isn’t a competition, my friends.”
Kimberly edged deeper into the pose and tried not to imagine Nelson’s voice murmuring dirty fantasies into her ear.
Half an hour later, Nelson dismissed the class. Exhausted men and women struggled to their feet. “My hamstrings feel tight,” Samuel said louder than he needed to. “Think I’ll just take a few extra minutes.”
They always walked home together, so that meant Kimberly was stuck there, too, unless she wanted to brave an hour in the dark streets alone. She scooted over to Samuel’s mat and smacked at his iron-hard thigh until he moved over. “Nelson is straight,” she whispered as she released her waist-length brown hair from its ponytail.
“No way.”
“Bet.”
Samuel held up a pinky, and they linked fingers. They didn’t need to discuss the terms of the stakes because they always wagered the same thing: dinner and a movie. They hung out all the time. Everyone in their office thought they were a couple.
Kimberly would have been up for it, but Samuel had trotted out his
I’m bisexual but currently only looking for a good man
line early and often, so she’d technically crossed him off her list.
Nelson stood near the window, a towel around his neck. Kimberly bit her knuckles. “So hot.”
“Watch a master in action.” Samuel jumped up and went over to Nelson. Kimberly couldn’t hear the conversation, but from the way Nelson inclined his neck and furrowed his brow, she guessed Samuel was going for some sort of pity angle.
They both looked over at her, and Kimberly’s face heated. Nelson nodded, said something, and Samuel hurried back. He continued his hamstring stretch.
“You look like the cat that ate the canary.”
“Not yet, but I’ll get my bird.” He wiggled his eyebrows lasciviously, making Kimberly giggle. “We’re all going out to dinner,” he said.
“Really? What’d you say?”
Samuel stretched his arms over his head. His muscles bulged. “I said, ‘Nelson, great class, man. My girlfriend and I were wondering if you’d like to come to dinner.’”
“
Girlfriend
?”
He gently shoved Kimberly off his mat, and her arm tingled where he touched her. “I know,” he said as he rolled the mat up. “I can’t believe he bought it, either. You are way too…”
Kimberly gave him a warning look.
“Too cute to date a bum like me,” he finished gracefully. He winked and sauntered off toward the men’s locker room.
Kimberly rolled her mat, then snuck a look at Nelson. He was watching her, and when their gazes met, he smiled.
She looked away, embarrassed, then hurried to the showers.
Nelson watched the
curvy brunette exit the studio, her neck bowed. All that gorgeous, dark hair. When she’d let it down and slowly shook it out, he’d had to turn away to keep himself from thinking impure thoughts.
A thin woman with a sour expression walked up to him. “Wonderful class,” she said, her voice oozing snobbery. “Between us, you’re much better than Grace.”
“Thank you,” Nelson said neutrally. If the woman thought that, she didn’t know much about yoga. He’d been practicing off and on his entire life, but he wasn’t a great teacher. The only reason he taught was because his sister owned the studio and had suckered him into doing a beginner’s class. This was his first intermediate class, and while it had gone well, he’d felt a little out of his depth.
“Maybe I’ll switch to your class.”
He smiled politely. “I’m afraid it’s full.”
“Too bad. Guess I’ll see you around.”
She was the last to leave. Nelson ducked into the men’s locker room and changed back into jeans and a striped polo shirt. When he was finished he went outside to meet Samuel and Kimberly.
Samuel wore jeans and a black shirt that stretched across his shoulders. Samuel put his hands on his hips, and the fabric strained. Nelson forced himself to look away. Kimberly wore slacks and a white blouse. The top buttons were undone, revealing a swell of cleavage. Nelson’s jeans felt too tight suddenly.
“So glad you accepted,” Samuel said enthusiastically. They shook hands. Samuel gripped him tightly, and Nelson found himself wondering if Kimberly suspected her boyfriend might not be straight. Samuel was an attractive man, with rebellious, curly blond hair and inquisitive blue eyes. He had a cherubic innocence that probably allowed him to get away with all kinds of nonsense.
“Nice to meet you,” Kimberly said shyly. He shook her petite hand. Her fingers were soft. She was the first to pull away from their contact.
“Thanks for inviting me.” He turned and locked the front door. “I only moved to town a few months ago and am still trying to get my bearings, so your offer is much appreciated.”
“From where?” Kimberly asked. She had chocolate brown eyes that Nelson could get lost in.
“Seattle. I grew up a few hours from here, though. Job situation changed, so I moved back.” He didn’t bother going into the details of how he’d sold his startup tech company and then had been forced out. It had been humiliating. One month he was on the cover of Pacific Entrepreneur, the next he was effectively unemployed.
The terms of the deal meant he’d never need to work again. Every digit before the last seven zeros simply meant more than enough. He was 30, and he had
much
more than enough, but he didn’t want to be retired.
Samuel stepped close, those innocent eyes full of mischief. “There’s a great Tibetan restaurant about ten minutes away.”
“No,” Kimberly said. “That place is too expensive. How about Pizza Palace? It’s closer.”
Samuel rolled his eyes. “Whenever we eat there, my cat ignores me for a day. I think they put rat into the sauce.”
“You’re insane—”
“I’d prefer Tibetan,” Nelson said. “My treat. You two can pick up the next dinner.”
“Deal!” Samuel said. Kimberly looked like she wanted to protest, but she shut her mouth firmly.
As they walked, Nelson learned that she and Samuel worked together at an accounting firm. Samuel played jazz saxophone for fun and watched slasher flicks, and Kimberly loved landscape photography.
The longer he observed them together, the more confused he became about their relationship. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there seemed to be a distinct lack of… something. Not sexual tension. No, they were attracted to each other.
He watched as Kimberly playfully shoved Samuel into a shrub. He frowned.
What is up with these two?
It was like they were trying
not
to be attracted to each other. They reminded him of high schoolers who hadn’t figured out how to transition from friends to lovers.
“Best food this side of the city,” Samuel said. He darted forward to open the door, and they entered. Nelson immediately liked the restaurant. It was calm and peaceful, and the scent of yellow curry made his stomach rumble.
The hostess greeted Kimberly and Samuel with a fair amount of familiarity. She gave Nelson a curious glance, then led the three of them to a wooden booth. Photos of the Dalai Lama adorned the walls.
Samuel and Kimberly each sat on either side of the table, and Nelson stood there. The booth was big enough to comfortably accommodate six; there would be plenty of space for everyone no matter which side he chose.
“Sit wherever you like,” Samuel said. They looked at him expectantly.
He decided to sit next to Samuel. That was the best way to hide his attraction to Kimberly; if he sat next to her, her boyfriend would probably figure it out in about thirty seconds.
She would never suspect that Nelson found Samuel equally attractive.
Kimberly picked up her menu.
Samuel raised his
eyebrows at Kimberly, but she was hiding behind the menu. He felt a little bad. On the way to the restaurant, he’d caught Nelson checking her out a few times.
He’d also caught Nelson checking him out.
The man was into men
and
women, no doubt about it.
He studied the yoga instructor’s torso and muscular arms. He wanted to touch him and see if he felt as good as he looked. Samuel had only been with four men in his life. Compared to some of his friends who bagged dozens every month, Samuel was practically a virgin. The only woman he’d slept with was his high school girlfriend. He’d adored Muriel, and he had made the mistake of trusting her with the truth. But when he told her that he was also attracted to men, she made it clear that she was repulsed.
The memories stirred to life. Him begging her to listen to what he had to say. Muriel accusing him of using her as a cover—which wasn’t even remotely true. He didn’t care if people knew about his uncommon sexual orientation, but he’d never meant to hurt her.
Then he and Muriel went off to college and he swore that he’d never do that to another woman.
Kimberly laughed at something Nelson had said. When he’d told Nelson that they were a couple, he wasn’t just having a little fun. He ached to be with her. She was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman: fun, smart, funny, pretty in a slightly nerdy way. She had that librarian thing going for her, and she knew how to work it.