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Authors: Willow Summers

Please (Please #1) (9 page)

BOOK: Please (Please #1)
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I packed it all up with care and moved back to my room like a rat with a rare morsel of fresh cheese. Before I ripped into all the packaging and started playing, I logged on to the work computer and the instant message.

O
livia Jonston
: *speechless* Thank you so much!!! I shouldn’t accept it.

I
waited
, staring at the computer. There was no sign he was typing.

I glanced at the clock—a little past four. He’d still be there, I had no doubt. Maybe getting coffee.

I tapped my fingers, glancing over at the big, pretty white bag. I took out the computer again, and then the iPad. I gazed at them with hungry eyes, but didn’t open the boxes. I really shouldn’t accept them—that had been a true statement. He didn’t owe me any of this—he was paying me a wage to work; that was enough. Plus, I had my work computer; I had all I needed.

I pulled my lips to the side as I debated, hearing the familiar
ping.

H
unter Carlisle
: I got top of the line—I didn’t know what you were into. You can exchange what you don’t want/need. If you want another brand, let me know and I can get a refund.

Hunter Carlisle: And you will accept it. I bet you are staring at it right now, waiting for my go-ahead. Enjoy. I would’ve gotten you a monitor, but I didn’t know your size constraints.

I
squealed in delight
.

O
livia Jonston
: This is perfect. Too much. And I don’t have anywhere to put a monitor. (I don’t have a desk)

Hunter Carlisle: We’ll amend that when you have more space. Have a good evening.

Olivia Jonston: Thank you again!!!

I
didn’t wait
to see if he was typing. I turned with ravenous fingers and tore into the packaging on everything. I wanted to feel it. I lost the rest of the day to my new devices, and eventually ordered in pizza. Grocery shopping could wait.


Y
ay
, you came!” Kimberly sauntered toward me in a cute little red dress with black stockings. Her hair bounced over her shoulder in a tumble of curls. She gave me a firm hug and then dragged me toward everyone else.

They’d chosen an upscale tavern that served oysters and clever creations for nibbles. The floor and tabletops weren’t just clean, they were shining in the mid-level light from recessed bulbs. Prices were high, though Kimberly’s friends probably didn’t notice, and drinks were decent.

Four people congregated in the back around a large, round table. Each already had a drink in front of them with two spots empty. What must’ve been Kimberly’s drink waited in front of one.

“Hi, Livy!” one of the girls, Tera, said with a big grin as I walked up. Her curly hair was pulled back from her face with barrettes. She wasn’t usually this excited to see me. Or anyone.

“Hi.” I hesitated before sitting down. “Do I need to order a drink at the bar?”

“No, someone comes around.” A guy named Jett absently waved toward the bar. The shock of freckles across his nose and cheeks stood out against the pale of his skin.

I sat at the same time Kimberly did. She plunked her phone on the table and sipped her drink.

“I’ll just say it—how did you get a job with Hunter Carlisle?” Jen, a girl in her early thirties, asked with shock on her face. She was the oldest in the group, but had graduated at the same time as Kimberly and Jett, having spent some time after high school abroad with various charities.

I glanced at Kimberly and got a slight shake of the head. These people weren’t in the know about the personal side of things, thank God.

I shrugged as all eyes found their way to me. “I applied, like I have to a million places, and he didn’t kick me out simply because I have zero experience. I’m just an admin, though. I’m not in my field.”


So?

Tera exclaimed, leaning forward on the table. “It’s Hunter Carlisle! The man is a god in business. I’d do anything to get that position.”

“Including him. He is h-o-t!” Jen fanned herself.

Rick, a man with messy brown hair, a full beard, and far more money than sense, rolled his eyes. “Is that why you dumped me? You like pretty guys half your age?”

“He’s a couple of years older than you,” Jen said. “And I dumped you because you were afraid of the shower.”

Rick’s even white teeth showed through his mat of beard. “Touché.”

The waitress stopped by with a smile and looked at me with eyebrows raised. “Can I get you something?”

“Yes, could I have a mojito, please?” I asked.

“Get her two, and another round for all of us—she’s behind,” Rick said, making a circle in the air with his pointer finger.

“And a round of tequila!” Tera exclaimed. “Olivia finally has a job—we have to celebrate.”

“No way.” I waved my hands at the waitress. “No shots.”

“Shots.” Tera overrode my complaint with an exaggerated head bob.

“Definitely shots,” Kimberly added.

“Whose side are you on?” I demanded of Kimberly.

“Yup, shots.” Rick gave a thumbs-up as the waitress moved away.

“It’s early, you’ll be fine,” Kimberly said with an evil grin.

“Now.” Tera stared at me across the table. “Tell me everything about Hunter Carlisle. I have been stalking that man forever.”

“No, don’t, Livy,” Jett said as he grabbed a cracker and loaded it with cheese. “Make her sweat.”

“It’s not like more information would help,” Jen said. “Carlisle doesn’t make friends.”

“I don’t need to be his friend, but I’d love to see the inside of his bedroom.” Tera’s eyes sparkled.

“Can we change the subject, please?” Rick asked with a groan. “This is really putting me off.”

M
y drink came and went
. The shots came and went. More drinks filled their place. Usually I was able to control my alcohol intake by ordering for myself. Not so this time. When the waitress came around, Rick or Tera took over ordering for everyone, Tera because she thought I should be celebrating the job of the century, and Rick because he didn’t do any sort of meaningful job for his father, and mostly just partied. He was ecstatic for any excuse to go wild.

A few times I tried to decline the next round, not because I was concerned about money as I usually was, but because I was on a short ride to Drunk-ville. I didn’t drink as often as the others, and didn’t have their tolerance. The thing that made me complacent, though, was that for the first time, I was included. I was treated as an insider. I was no longer Kimberly’s unfortunate friend that also graduated from their school—I was one of the crowd. It felt good to be accepted for once.

Toward the end of the night, when I should’ve been sober and asleep, my phone swam into my vision. I blinked one eye closed so I could properly see the numbers, and groaned. After ten o’clock. “I gotta go.”

I stepped away from the bar and bumped into Kimberly. She giggled.

“I gotta go,” I repeated. “Isss ten o’clock. Too late.”

“Oh my
God,
Livia!” Kimberly clamped a hand down on my arm and leaned closer. Her face glanced off my ear. “Ow!” She stumbled backward, rubbing her nose. “Oliv-a.” She pointed toward the door.

I swayed as I swung my head too fast. “Why did you make me do shots?” I asked the room in general.

Blurred people, fuzzy and multicolored, tilted in my line of sight. I blinked a couple times and then widened my eyes, hoping that might help my sight.

It didn’t.

“What?” I asked, leaning heavily against the bar.

“That
ass
hole is here,” Kimberly spat, looking around wildly. “Where’s Rick? Rick’ll get rid of him.” Kimberly staggered away, leaving me blinking down at my glass of water. I upended the glass in my mouth, belatedly feeling the cold liquid dribble down my chin and onto my chest, soaking one of the blouses I was supposed to reserve for work.

“Least it’s just water,” I said, swaying backward as I tried to look down at my chest. I groped for the bar and pulled myself back in. “I gotta go. Bad idea. This was a bad idea.”

“Olivia.” The voice tickled me in places I remembered vividly.

Chapter Ten

I
swayed toward him
, quickly caught in his arms. I glanced up into the face of Jonathan, the ex who tore my heart out and broke it apart like a wishbone.

“What’re you doing here?” With water dribbled all down my front, and my makeup probably all over my face, I wasn’t showing him what he was missing.

He showered me with that smile I remembered so fondly, fluttering a deep well of emotion.

“I loved you,” I blurted, falling into his embrace. “Why did you do…that-to-me.” With my finger I made a motion like a spinning turbine. “Pre-tend I…am talking-at-normal speed.”

His carefree laugh made me sigh. Those handsome features captured me. I’d stared at his face for hours, making love, cuddling, and laughing. We had our hard times, but on average, he’d made me happy.

“Why’re you here?” I leaned forward and braced my forehead on his chest.

“Because I heard you were here, and thought you needed a ride home. Or would you rather go to my place?” He tilted my face up and leaned down until his lips glanced off mine. “I thought maybe we could start things up again. I shouldn’t have let you go.”

“Oh no, bro?” Rick stepped up beside us. I felt his hand grab my upper arm and pull me away. “What happened to Crystal?”

“This doesn’t concern you,
bro
,” Jonathan said in icy tones.

Kimberly put an arm around my shoulders, staring at Jonathan. “You didn’t give a
shit
before she got a job with Carlisle.” Kimberly jabbed a finger at him. “You’re just trying to use her, you heartless
bastard.”


Oh, spare me.” Jonathan’s gaze came to rest on mine. “Why don’t I take you home. We can talk.”

“I gotta go,” I muttered, shrugging out of Kimberly’s grip and ambling away.

“Wait—” Jonathan started.

“Don’t even think about it,” Rick said.

“What are you going to do, bro?” I heard, but I wasn’t turning around to watch a male pissing contest. I had to get out of there.

I stumbled outside. The chill of the night draped around me. The temperature revived me a little, but soon it would make me shiver.

I lurched to a stop and made a U-turn. The closed door stared at me. If it could, it would’ve quirked an eyebrow, I was sure. “Are you sure you want to go through here?” it would ask.

And it had a point. Jonathan was through there. “He’ll seduce me.” That was bad.

I brought up my phone, which had stayed clutched in my hand somehow, and felt the weight of my handbag on my other arm. I glanced down to make sure, staggering forward with the shift in weight.

Yes, that was my handbag.

“Lucky,” I announced. A couple passing by glanced at me. I staggered backward to get out of the way.

The bus was out of the question. I was in bad shape. Very dangerous.

“Cab.”
Stop announcing things out loud!

I brought my phone up again and closed an eye, willing the image to solidify into one object. The glow of the screen made me squint as I brought up my contacts list and tried to scroll with a clumsy finger.

I hated this, being drunk. Buzzed was one thing. Even bent toward inebriated I could handle. But full-blown incoherence was no fun.

Too late now.

The screen lit up with a name. “Oh shit.” I stabbed at the red rectangle and missed. The image changed again—call connected. I couldn’t hang up now or I’d be a crank caller.

“Hello?” I asked as the phone neared my ear.

“Olivia?”

I leaned against the wall. “Yeah—sorry. Didn’t mean call you.” I pulled the phone away and squinted at the screen again, making out a blurry “Bert” as the title name.

“Oh shit—sorry, Bert! You don’t even know me and I’m an asshole. Sorry! Accident.” Someone else came out of the bar. I shuffled further over, regardless if it was helpful or not. “’Kay, bye.”

“Do you need a ride?” I heard.

“No, ’m good. Under control, Bert my man. Under control. See ya!” I pulled the phone away and stabbed again, this time ending the call.

“Well, that was embarrassing.” I winced again. “
Shhh!
God, I am drunk.”

“Let me take you home.”

I meant to groan, but I think I moaned instead. I closed my eyes as the familiar hand wrapped around my middle. Familiar lips, warm and soft, tickled my neck before landing on my lips. I fell into the kiss—literally. Off balance and out of my head, I threw an arm around his shoulders and face-dived into him. His tongue entered my mouth and I let it, wanting to feel how I had felt with him in the height of my happiness. Wanting that safety and comfort again, especially with all the turmoil I was going through at work.

“I’ll take you home, Livy.” I let him half lead, half carry me down the sidewalk. My phone vibrated in my hand. I tried to see who it was, but it was trapped in the hand around Jonathan’s shoulders. He looked at the screen as it neared his eyes before I gave up trying to see and slumped back against him.

“Is that Hunter Carlisle? Do you know any other Hunters?” Jonathan asked as he slowed. He stepped to the right and braced me against the wall with his shoulder as he tugged the phone out of my hand.

“No! I need to hold on to that, or I will lose it.”

“Hello, sir, this is—”

I bent forward to see that Jonathan had taken the call.

“No, hang up, that’s
my boss
!” I reached for the phone, but Jonathan pushed my hand away and half turned to cut me off.

“No, sir, she’s right here. I was just going to take her home—she’s had a bit too much to drink.”

“Way too much,” I groaned. “Tell him non’t worry.
Don’t
worry—I’m taking a cab.”

“Jonathan Banks, sir. I recently graduated from… Hello?” Jonathan pulled the phone away from his head. The wallpaper showed, which meant Hunter had hung up on him.

I chuckled. “He doesn’t like it when you kiss his butt.”

“He has your direct line, huh?” Jonathan asked, looping a hand around my waist and helping me up.

“Obviously.” I leaned on Jonathan. “Phone, please.”

Jonathan must not have heard me, because he continued to hold the device as we ambled down the street.

“Are we close?” I was regretting not getting that cab. I wasn’t up for the long walk in the cold with these heels. Quality heels were still heels, and there was a breaking-in period that wasn’t kind on my feet.

“Just up—”

A motor revved in the street. The glare of red signaled a stopping car. Bright yellow hazards flashed before Jonathan stopped, turning us toward the street. A man approached, wide shoulders decked in an expensive suit. He didn’t stop in front of us. Instead, he stepped to my side, put an arm around my back and one under my legs, before sweeping me up.

“Whoa,” I said as his strong arms squeezed me into his chest.

“Is that her phone?” Hunter asked, staring down at a wide-eyed Jonathan.

“Yes,” I answered as my head lolled against Hunter’s shoulder. “’S okay. He was taking me home. Put me down, Hunter.”

Hunter’s hold didn’t relent.

“I was just giving her a ride, sir. You didn’t need to—”

“Did you not think to offer her your jacket?” Hunter demanded. “She’s freezing.”

“S’okay,” I murmured, my face comfortably nestled against the heat of his neck.

“Well, sir, we were almost to my car, so—”

“Give me the phone,” Hunter interrupted in that commanding voice.

“Of course, sir.”

Hunter shifted and we were moving, walking between two parked cars and to the side of a sleek gray sports car. I had no idea what kind. Nor did I care. It was a ride, and right now, that was all I really wanted.

“Can you stand?” Hunter spoke quietly in my ear. His voice was soft, reminiscent of the time we were intimate.

“Mhm,” I said against his skin with my eyes closed, relishing his warmth.

I felt movement until my feet gently bumped concrete. I let him straighten me up, keeping a hand on me while he shrugged out of his suit jacket.

“It’s fine. I don’t need it, Hunter, honest.” The chattering of my teeth gave me away, though.

“Here.” His jacket draped over my shoulders, wrapping me in his delicious scent. I snuggled in, handing him my handbag so I could put it on properly. He opened the door and handed me inside then shut it behind me.

The heater blasted my face and the warmth of his jacket radiated around me. I sighed in contentment as I leaned into the luxurious leather, realizing belatedly that Hunter was taking a long time to get in. Glancing around, I noticed him back on the sidewalk, talking to Jonathan. With his straight posture, I couldn’t tell what message he was delivering, but with Jonathan hunching within Hunter’s stare, it couldn’t be good. After a moment, Jonathan nodded adamantly. Hunter stalked toward the car and then sat in the driver’s side.

“What’re you doing here?” I sounded like a broken record, despite the fact that he was not the person I had originally asked that question to.

“Mr. Ramous had some concerns about your well-being.”

“Why’d he call you?”

“He wanted to know if he was overstepping his bounds to go get you. I said yes, since you weren’t on company time.”

“Yet here you are.”

“I don’t have the same constraints.”

I closed my eyes as his expensive machine purred to life. “I was trying to call a cab. Don’t know how Bert came up.”

“And your ex-boyfriend?”

I furrowed my brow at the vicious tone in his voice. When I glanced at his face, though, illuminated by the red of the dash, it was completely impassive. I closed my eyes again. “He offered me a ride. I really did love him, once.”

“Not now?”

I directed my gaze out the window. “I dunno. A little, I guess. When he kissed me I remembered the happiness. But I’m hurt, too. And I know better. Usually.”

“Dare I ask why the copious amounts of alcohol?”

“Do you ever just do stupid things to feel included for once?” I chuckled to myself. “Pro’bly not. You show up and you’re the hit of the show. And look, you were my ticket in. ’Cause of you, they like me. Go figure.”

“They like your connections. Now you’re connected to money, status, and power. They were raised to think that is important above all else.”

“Not Kimmy! She’s not like all that.”

Hunter clicked a button on his dash. “No, she is mostly good stock. Her father is a good man, if a bit eccentric. But she keeps those friends all the same. You are a beloved pet project—at least you started that way. I have no doubt she’s seen you as a friend for a while, but she just hasn’t matured enough to realize that your type of friendship is much more genuine than those around her.”

“Says the man who’s the same age as she is. So what makes you an expert? You live in the same social circles.”

He was quiet for a moment as he pulled to a stop in front of my apartment complex. “I belong to a similar social class, but I don’t exist in the same circles. My life is work. Business is cold and unfeeling and it always makes sense. It always has made sense. That’s enough for me.”

“Are you sure?”

The question lingered in the silence. After a while, I peeked an eye open. He sat back in his seat with his gaze rooted to my face. His clenched jaw and hard eyes gave him that severe look. I recognized that look as trying to push distance between himself and others. Me, in this instance.

“Is this the part where I assume your silence means get outta here?” I fumbled with the seatbelt.

A blast of cold indicated Hunter exiting the car. I hit the button. The seatbelt whizzed from around me as my door opened. I took his hand, feeling the electricity crawl up my arm and heat my body before settling deep into my core.

“Oh no, not now.” I squeezed my eyes shut as he pulled me from the car. I didn’t want to see what was in those sexy bedroom eyes, nor did I want to look on that impeccably handsome face. Both of those things would add fuel to the already blazing arousal coursing through my body.

“Jacket.” I started to pull off the jacket when my legs were swept out from under me. I squealed, clutching muscular shoulders as Hunter clasped me to his chest.

“Bring it to me tomorrow.”

“I can make it from here.”

I know he heard me, because I said it right next to his ear, but he didn’t slow. Neither did I. I slid my arms around his neck as I licked the edge of his earlobe. Warnings were absent, hidden in the alcoholic numbness. Bad decision-making was a green light, despite what I’d been thinking not ten seconds before.

I sucked on his neck below his ear, giving him a small bite. I heard his hard exhale in the silence of the stairwell.

“Put me down here, Hunter, and kiss me.”

The man was good at ignoring me.

Undeterred, I sucked harder, knowing I’d leave a mark, wondering if he would stop me. Or speak. He did neither. Instead, he stopped by my door and said, “This one, right?”

“Yes, stalker.”

He set me down in front of the door and leaned his body into me. I felt his hard bulge in my stomach, and for a moment, when he bent, I thought he would take me. His hands reached low. I hooked a leg around his to give him more access.

Instead, my keys jingled as he took them out of my purse.

“Seriously?” I flung an arm around his shoulders as he bent to pick me up again. “You’ll seduce me in your office, but not in a fun place like a stairwell?”

“Where’s your room?” he asked in a strained voice.

I pointed before my lips went back to nibbling his hot skin. My fingers trailed down the middle of his chest, popping buttons as I did so. By the time he closed my door, I had the button against his belt line undone and my hand pulling out the bottom of his undershirt.

“Stop,” he whispered.

I didn’t.

My feet lightly bumped the floor as my hand ducked into his shirt and met bumpy muscle. I straightened up as he did, so I could reach up higher, feeling over a rock-hard pec. “When do you find time to work out?” I murmured, exploring with my palm.

“Where are your pajamas?”

“Don’t need them.” I pulled out the rest of his shirt as he stripped the jacket from me. He tossed it on the end of the bed before pulling my blouse over my head. I leaned my head back, pulling on the back of his neck.

BOOK: Please (Please #1)
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