Distracted (2 page)

Kennedy

“Congratulations, babe!”

Landon pulled me into a big hug the second I walked into our apartment. I had called him on my way home from the interview, desperate to share the news of my new position with somebody. It was almost unbelievable that they had decided to take a chance on me, but I was more than grateful for the opportunity.

“Thank you. Thank you very much,” I replied, serving my best Elvis impression.

“So what’s next? Do you get season tickets? Tell me all about it.”

I really wasn’t ready to talk about
that
part of the job for two reasons. For one, I really didn’t have the answers yet. And for two, I hated that Bryson was still on my mind for reasons other than the job. I wasn’t even nervous going into the interview; more optimistic than anything. But the second I saw him, with his long, muscular, tattooed frame just waiting for me to tend to his…
needs
.

His fashion needs that is.

I swallowed hard to wash away those thoughts before I answered, “I’m not sure yet, Landon. They’re gonna send me all the employee info via email some time tomorrow.”

“So did you get to meet him?!”

I knew exactly who he was talking about, but I played dumb. “Meet who?”

“Bryson Harris. That’s who the job is for, right? You know he’s one of my favorite players.” Landon’s list of supposed favorite players changed so often I could hardly keep up.

“Oh yeah. Yeah, he was there. He umm... he hired me on the spot.” I said it in a low tone on purpose, hoping he wouldn’t catch it.

But he did.

“You’re shittin’ me! That’s great, babe! I’m so proud of you, future wifey.”

My stomach turned at that one.

I mean, what kind of future wife was I thinking about another man that I knew nothing about other than the fact that I’d get to dress him up like my own personal Ken doll?

Instead of basking in my guilt, I changed the subject. “How about we go out for a drink to celebrate?”

Landon’s face changed from excited to gloomy as he replied, “I wish I could, babe. But I picked up a shift tonight at the club.”
The club
was short for the upscale gentlemen’s club his uncle Lionel owned. Even though Landon had a regular 7-3 as a high school math teacher, he still picked up shifts from time to time to bring in some extra money. It wasn’t the worst place in the world, especially since the dancers weren’t completely nude and he only had to sweep up money all night. But I still wasn’t thrilled about the idea of spending one of the most exciting nights of my life alone.

So I brushed it off, wrapping my arms around his neck as I told him, “He’s family, Landon. I’m sure he’ll understand if you cancel.”

He looked down at me with a smile, wrapping his arms around my waist before giving me a quick kiss. I thought he was convinced until he replied, “Well I would, but I really need the money since we decided to, you know… get married.”
My damn stomach.
“Wedding isn’t gonna pay for itself, right?”

He had a point though I hated to admit it. My parents were hardworking people, but they certainly couldn’t afford the wedding I had in mind.

“Well hopefully with the extra money I’ll be bringing in, you’ll be able to quit the club for good.”

He wore a half-hearted smile as he said, “Yeah, I hope so too, babe. But don’t let me stop your shine. Why don’t you call some of your friends and go out on the town?” My face turned stank on its own.

“
Friends
? What are those?” I could hardly call any of the ladies I hung out with friends. They were more like associates; always down to go out and have a good time, but not really about anything substantial. Like… none of them were qualified to be the godmother of my future children.

But my personal opinion wasn’t enough to stop Landon from groaning, “Kennedy…”

“Fine. I’ll go out. You be safe at the club. And tell Uncle Lionel I said hello.”

&

Never again.

I should’ve known it wasn’t a good idea to bring my girl Chloe out fresh off of her break-up, but she was my last resort after my first two options flew out of the window thanks to the lack of a babysitter and being in between hair appointments.

“He’s such a piece of shit, Kenn! I mean, he knew I saw the girl climb out of the window and he still had the nerve to claim I was seeing shit. But I saw her ass, Kenn. I know I did.”

I took the longest sip of my cocktail as I tried to come up with some surely terrible reply. Part of the reason I couldn’t stand hanging out with the girls was because all they wanted to talk about was man drama. You’d hardly believe these girls were
ever
happy in their relationships with the way they acted, though with Chloe’s situation her unhappiness actually made sense.

“Maybe it was a burglar,” I tossed out before closing my lips over my straw.

“What?!”

This time I gave her the complete version. “Maybe it was a burglar you saw climbing out of the window.”

Chloe looked ready to slap me as she said, “Kennedy, you can
not
be serious right now.
A burglar
? You almost sound as bad as him!”

See what I mean?

Terrible.

I didn’t understand drama well enough to be able to contribute to the solution, especially when no one really wanted to hear a solution. They just wanted someone to cheer on their speculation.

So instead of providing a rebuttal, I started something fresh. “Well what are you gonna do about it?”

She took a sip of her Rum and Coke before she answered, “I’m gonna go over there, get my shit, and move into a hotel until he fesses up the truth.” It sounded all fine and dandy, but I knew how easily those type of plans usually flew out of the window. Especially with good, consistent dick on the line.

“And then what?”

“Then I’m gonna… I don’t know, Kennedy. What should I do?”

I thought long and hard, providing the only answer that came to mind. “I’m… not the one you should be asking. In fact, I’m probably the last person you should be asking.”

She brushed me off. “Oh that’s right. You have the perfect future husband, with the perfect ass engagement ring, and the perfect happily ever after. You wouldn’t know the struggle if it bopped you on the head.” My initial reaction was along the lines of
“fuck you, jealous bitch”
, but I held it in for the sake of the night. I was supposed to be celebrating, not engaging in an argument with the only “friend” I could get out of the house.

So instead I teased, “I’d probably recognize it then, but you know what? That’s beside the point. If you need a place to stay or whatever, you know you always have a couch at my crib.” I was really only offering it out of respect, not because I actually wanted her crazy ass staying in my apartment.

“Thanks, Kennedy. That’s why you’re my girl,” she said, clanking her glass against mine.

I was just getting ready to put my straw to my lips for another long drag when I heard, “Kennedy?”

I turned around and had to tilt my head back to find his eyes.

Mistake #1.

Bryson’s eyes were beautiful; so beautiful that I already knew what color handkerchiefs I wanted to use to complement his dressier ensembles.

Stop it, Kennedy!

“Mr. Harris! Hi!” I piped out nervously, standing to give him a handshake under Chloe’s watchful eye. I certainly didn’t want her to get the wrong impression.

“Kennedy, please. Bryson is more than fine,” he replied, totally ignoring my extended hand as he pulled me in for a quick hug.

Damn, he even feels good.

“
I’m
… I’m sorry. Hi, Bryson. I like your outfit, but we have to get this shoe situation under control. I mean, tennis shoes again? You’re better than that.” I couldn’t wait to have full reign over him.

I mean…
his wardrobe choices
.

“Damn, girl. You aren’t on the clock tonight,” he said with a laugh that rumbled all over my skin. I was embarrassed for more reasons than one, but mainly because of the way my body kept reacting to his every move.

I looked down at my own shoes as I pushed out, “Oh. Right. I’m sorry.”

Again.

“And quit being so sorry. You’re right. I didn’t have to wear tennis shoes. But I guess that’s what we’ll be paying you for, right?” He completed his sentence with a swipe down my bare arm that gave me tingles instantly.

Mistake #2.

I tried to focus on something other than my burning skin as I pushed out, “Right.”

“Hey, why don’t you and your friend come up to VIP with us? The sound is better and the drinks are free.”

Though I knew I probably should’ve stopped with the first long island, drinks on my boss’s tab didn’t sound like the worst idea in the world.

“We’ll come!”

Wait what?

I looked over to Chloe who was already standing up, smoothing out her form-fitting dress with her eyes glued on the guy behind Bryson.

Bryson looked between the two with a goofy little smirk before directing his attention back to me.

“Cool. Let’s roll then.”

Bryson

“You can’t possibly be this quiet all the time.”

I figured Kennedy was pretty reserved, but her bangin’ ass outfit completely contradicted that persona. The way her dress was fitting in all the right places gave me instant thoughts of being able to see what kind of body was hiding under it.

But her energy…
that
read more like a shy, Catholic school girl.

They did use to say those girls were the biggest freaks though…

I watched as she licked her lips nervously before she replied, “I’m sorry. I was just… listening to the music.”

“And will you quit with all that sorry talk? Don’t be sorry for doing what the hell you wanna do.” She nodded her head to confirm her understanding.

Instead of letting her go back into her silent groove, I asked, “You like this song?” I was familiar with the tune, but I didn’t know the words nor who it was by.

She pulled a few strands of hair behind her ear as she answered, “Yeah. It’s one of my favorites.”

“Well if it’s your favorite, shouldn’t you be dancing to it?”

She rolled her eyes and her little hint of an attitude actually surprised me. “I don’t dance, Bryson. I vibe, I groove, I chill, but I don’t dance.”

Yeah right.

I’d been around women enough to know that they all danced, or at least tried to dance. It just took the right person to bring it out of them.

“Kennedy, you dance. I know you do no matter how hard you’re frontin’ about it. So come on, let’s dance.”

I tried to pull her up off of the couch, but she remained glued as she said, “Bryson, I’m serious. I don’t dance. I...
can’t
dance.”

“Well I’ll teach you then. Now come on.”

She sighed once she realized I wasn’t giving up. I drug her out to the dance floor before flipping her around and pulling her long frame against mine. She followed my lead as I let my hands wrap around her waist and began grinding against her ass. She leaned further into me, adding more friction as we found our groove to the beat. And before I knew it, she was actually keeping up.

“I thought you said you couldn’t dance?”

She visibly sighed, her shoulders dropping as she said, “I shouldn’t be.
I’m
... I’m engaged.”

I just know I didn’t hear that right…

I looked down to her hand and didn’t see a ring, so I figured I must’ve been trippin’.

And besides, she was here with me;
dancing
with me. So whatever she had going on must not have been much.

&

“Damn. You’re incredible, Bryson.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah, tell me somethin’ new.

I couldn’t believe I had ended up in bed with the girl, but I knew it didn’t take much which meant I’d be cutting her off just as quickly as I had acquired her.

“You were good too, Hazel. Take your time gettin’ up, love. I’ll be back in a minute.”

She blushed as she cuddled back into the sheets, more than likely getting ready to doze off. I’d let her get her rest for now, but in my head I knew I’d be kicking her to the curb once the sun came up.

It was nothing personal. I just didn’t want her to get the wrong idea that I was actually interested in a relationship with her. I mean, if she got with me on the first night, more than likely it wasn’t her first time.

I left her in the room and headed to the kitchen to get some grub. I often kept music playing low through my house, but I could clearly hear that pesky little tune from the club. The song Kennedy loved enough to let her guard down and dance with me to.

Damn, she’s so adorable.

I wasn’t use to being attracted to the quiet types, so it honestly caught me off-guard. But I could tell there was a lot more to her than what she led on. She just needed somebody like me to bring it out of her.

I could hardly wait for the opportunity.

I grabbed a granola bar and a banana before I went to my home office and pulled up her contract. It was supposed to be the final draft, ready for sending first thing in the morning, but I knew I needed to add one more thing.

The one thing I forgot to include when I hired Madeline.

I had a strong feeling Kennedy would be tempting me to break my own rules sooner than later. The least I could do was make sure my ass was covered.