Stud Read online

  “Better?” she asked, twirling around in front of me.

  Her legs were tanned and toned, and the flirty little dress looked like it would come off real easy.

  “Yeah, much better.”

  I finally remembered my manners and stood up, pulling out a chair for her. I dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder and got a fantastic look down the front of her dress. She wasn’t wearing a damn bra. She also shivered when my lips touched her. I couldn’t wait to kiss her other places as well.

  Sitting down quickly to hide the bulge in my pants, I dropped my napkin in my lap. I wondered if I could get away with appetizers and a drink before shuffling her into my car.

  “You look beautiful,” I said and was pleased that I kept my eyes on her pretty brown ones instead of on the creamy swell of her breasts. I wanted my hands on them with her legs wrapped around my waist.

  I took a healthy chug of water. I had fantasized about her even before she came into my office. She had an amazing rack, and for five months I looked forward to seeing her tight shirts first thing in the morning.

  “Thanks,” she said and smiled at me as if she could read my thoughts.

  Nah, if she could read my thoughts, she’d never stop slapping me.

  I winced. The thought of slapping reminded me of my mother. After Terri left this afternoon, I fired my mother. She’s no longer speaking to me. But her assistant agreed to drop the sexual harassment claim for a hundred thousand dollars. Jackson also signed off on not filing any future lawsuits as well. It could have been worse. But it still made me the world’s worst son. Simon was overjoyed because that put him one step closer to the CEO seat.

  Terri didn’t know it, but she was my consolation prize for the world’s shittiest week. And it wasn’t even Wednesday yet. If I was lucky, though, hump day would come a little early and so would I.

  She ordered a steak and baked potato. Thank God she was one of those chicks who liked to eat. I hated paying fifty bucks for a salad that had only a few nibbles taken out of it. It wasn’t about the money, it was the principle of the thing. I ordered a 2011 cabernet sauvignon, which was a good use of fifty bucks, and swirled it in my glass to aerate.

  “Why do you bring Janet a cup of coffee every morning?” she asked me, reaching for the bread basket.

  “She gets cranky without it.” I went with the short answer rather than saying, because my brother knocked her up and I’m hoping she doesn’t sue, so if a seven-dollar coffee keeps her happy, it’s worth it.

  “So you’re not being nice. It’s self-preservation.” She smirked and pushed her glass forward.

  “Exactly.” I poured her some wine. “I’m not a nice man.”

  “I noticed.” Terri sniffed the wine and then took a deep pull of it. She raised her eyebrow appreciatively and saluted me with her glass.

  “So why are you here, then?”

  “I’m not looking for a nice man.”

  “Oh, come on, you’re not looking for Mr. Right?”

  She winked. “More like Mr. Right Now.”

  “Right here, right now?” I grinned, testing the table for strength and balance.

  “I think they’d notice if I slipped under the table and started sucking you off.”

  My pants got tight. “I’m willing to risk it if you are.”

  “I’m not.” She shook her head. I watched as her thick dark hair swayed around her pretty face. She wasn’t super-model hot, but she sizzled with an energy that attracted attention.

  The waitress brought our salads while I tried to think of a nice way of suggesting we skip dinner and get each other off in my car before driving to my condo for a leisurely session. I wasn’t usually the one to throw myself all over a woman, but there was something about her sass and her body that made me think of nothing but hot, sweaty sex. What was worse is I was pretty sure she felt the same way and it was killing me to be a gentleman. Why hadn’t I just told Lionel take her to my place instead of the restaurant? We could have ordered delivery and I’d already be inside her.

  “So what’s the deal with your tattoo?” she asked, spearing a crouton.

  I coughed to hide my embarrassment. I couldn’t believe she’d noticed that.

  “Are your ears turning red?” Terri asked in a fascinated voice.

  “No.” They probably were. “It’s a long story.”

  She leaned back in her seat and my eyes were drawn to her gorgeous chest. My cock throbbed a bit and I raised my eyes up to hers to see that she was amused. “Can’t keep your eyes off them, huh?”

  “Last time I checked, I had a pulse. You’ve been teasing me with them for the past five months.”

  “And yet, it took you needing breakfast for twenty-five to talk to me like a human being.”

  There was a bite to her voice and I realized that I probably could have treated her a little better. “I was under a lot of pressure from work. My family is heavily involved in the business and it’s been…”—I sighed—“a train wreck.”

  Terri raised an eyebrow. “And…”

  “And it’s a big pain in the ass. My father is a nightmare. My mother is worse, and my brother…“Why was she shaking her head at me?

  “When you hurt someone’s feelings what do you say?” she asked in a slow voice.

  Taking a sip of the wine to hide my aggravation, I said, “I am not a child.”

  “Stop acting like one.”

  We glared at each other for a few moments. Who the hell did she think she was?

  She snapped her fingers in my face. “Cat got your tongue?”

  “Don’t do that.” I swatted at her hand.

  “What’s the matter, don’t like it when it’s done to you?”

  Okay, she had a point. The finger snapping was a little obnoxious.

  “Why did you even agree to come out with me if all you’re going to do is bust my balls?” I gulped my wine and didn’t enjoy it. Maybe this was a big mistake. If I wanted to get laid, I could be at the Club Martini in an hour with much more agreeable company.

  She stared me down.

  I didn’t need this shit. I should throw some cash on the table and leave her there with her smart mouth and her big tits.

  Except, I was pretty sure she’d stay and eat dinner and enjoy herself. Maybe that fuckhead at the bar that’s been staring at her since she walked in would come over and they would drink my wine and laugh together. Meanwhile, I’d be stewing about her all night until I saw her tomorrow morning at the Beanery.

  “I’m sorry,” I forced out.

  “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” she said.

  Not anymore, unfortunately. Her attitude took care of my erection. Maybe we would just have dinner and I would put her in a taxi with a kiss goodbye. If she pissed me off enough, at least I’d be able to stop fantasizing about her. Reality never lived up.

  “You’re still not off the hook about the tatt,” Terri said. “Spill it.”

  “I got it in Key West after graduation.” There, that should be enough information to satisfy her. I looked toward the door hoping someone, anyone, I knew would walk in and I could excuse myself and walk away from her. I don’t know why she pissed me off so much. Maybe because she was right and I had been acting like a dick.

  “What did you major in?” she asked.

  “Marketing, same as you.”

  I saw that she wanted to say something, but thought better of it because her mouth was full of salad. At least one of us was enjoying themselves. I anticipated her question anyway. “Yes, I already had a job lined up at the family agency. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to work there.”

  She swallowed quickly. “Why the hell not?”

  “My family. As I said, it’s hard to work with your parents and your brother. There’s not a lot of separation between all the emotional stuff and business. My younger brother graduated ahead of me because he’s some kind of prodigy. I just wanted to prolong my summer vacation, preferably into grad school.”

  “How did that work out
for you?” She pushed her salad plate aside and the waiter swooped in to take it away.

  Terri gave him a grateful smile and I didn’t like that her attention was on another man. I was right here in front of her. She could at least smile at me. I took a deep breath through my nose. I didn’t want to be an ass, but I was still stung by her words. I decided to tell her more to see if I could get her to look at me like I wasn’t a jerk.

  “I thought I had it all planned out. I’d go to the University of Florida in Miami, spend breaks in a rented house in the Keys. That’s when I got Calypso.” I turned my forearm toward her, but the tattoo was covered by my jacket and shirt. I’d show her later.

  “Your mermaid is Calypso?”

  “She’s a Nereid, not a mermaid.”

  Terri smiled and I was distracted by her pouty red lips. There was the smile I wanted.

  “What’s the difference?” she asked.

  “Calypso was the sea nymph that seduced Odysseus away from his family. A mermaid is a Disney creation with a penchant for using a fork as a hairbrush.”

  “You wouldn’t know that if you hadn’t seen it.” She pointed at me.

  “Busted.” I bowed my head in defeat. “In my defense, I have a niece who forced me to watch it.”

  “I wish I had a family like yours,” Terri said, wistfully. Her face was dreamy and she smiled as if her thoughts were far away.

  I almost choked on my drink. I almost told her about my parents, but then I remembered that hers were dead. Felony and not speaking to me seemed not so bad all of a sudden.

  “I’m not close to them,” I settled on saying.

  “Blaming them for ripping you away from your island paradise?”

  Our dinner came, which saved me from answering that one. In a word, yes. But in the end, it had been my choice. My grandfather had needed me. And after everything he had done for me, I couldn’t just plant my ass in the sand and ignore my obligations.

  “So what do you do in your spare time?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from me.

  “What’s that?” Terri gave an unladylike snort, but I thought it was charming. She gulped more wine and I gladly refilled her glass. Hopefully, the booze would mellow her out a bit.

  “When you’re not working or helping your brother out, what do you do for fun?”

  She cut her steak and thought about it. “I should say that I go clubbing, right? That’s what all your chicks do.”

  “Are you my chick?” I was ridiculously pleased at the thought, even though I just spent a few moments wanting to get rid of her.

  “Not likely. I’m not the type to give you a BJ at the bar.”

  “Pity.”

  A devilish look appeared in her eyes and a moment later, I felt her toes slide up my calf.

  “How about in the car?” I asked.

  I startled a laugh out of her. I was serious.

  “You first, buddy.” She took her foot away and I missed the sensual caress.

  “I think we’d be better off going to my place, then. It would give me more room than the car.”

  This time, she was the one blushing. But I noticed she didn’t say no. She cleared her throat and looked away. I was getting hard again.

  “What are you thinking about right now?” she asked.

  “Why?”

  “You’ve got that look in your eye.”

  “What look?”

  “The one you give me just before you leave the Beanery.”

  I chuckled. “I’m wondering if you like your nipples sucked hard or licked softly.”

  She choked on her wine. “Jesus, Mick.”

  Got her!

  “You asked,” I said, innocently.

  “I’m glad to know this isn’t one-sided.”

  “This?” I finished my steak. I didn’t want pleasantries and small talk. I wanted pleasure and hot, wild sex as often as I could get it. But right now, I wanted Terri. The sooner we were done, the sooner I’d be inside of her. Any thought about leaving her with a chaste kiss had vanished the minute her foot touched my leg.

  “We have what the romantics call chemistry.” She also hurried through her dinner.

  “I think that’s a nice way of saying we’re horny for each other.”

  Inclining her head, Terri grinned. “So is this just a one-night stand sort of thing or do you want to be fuck buddies?”

  It was my turn not to choke. I looked around to see if anyone was listening in to this conversation. “The second choice sounds nice.”

  “I bet it does, but what if you’re rubbish in the sack?”

  I had to put my wineglass down. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I mean, you look great. Smell even better.” Terri waved her hand. “But you’re arrogant and you seem to go through women like you do expensive ties.”

  Smoothing a hand down my tie, I said, “I have a nice collection of favorites, thank you.”

  “I don’t think I want to be a favorite.”

  I was affronted and confused, which wasn’t something I was used to. “Why not?”

  She gave a half shrug. “Don’t sweat it. I’m still going home with you tonight. It’s going to depend on what happens there, whether or not we do this again.”

  That should have been fine with me. I didn’t like clingy women or women who assumed that one date led to marriage.

  “I take it by the look on your face, you don’t get told shit like that a lot.”

  “You would be the first,” I said. I was trying to figure out her angle. Was she using reverse psychology on me? If so, she was in for a big surprise.

  “I’m not your type,” she said with a sad smile as her eyes slipped down to her plate.

  I reached across the table for her hand. “You don’t know what my type is.”

  She squeezed it and gave me a rueful look. “I’ve seen you in action, remember?”

  “I like sex. You’re sexy. What’s the problem?”

  “I’m what you would call high maintenance.”

  Shaking my head, I brought her hand up to my lips and kissed it. “I’ve been with high maintenance. You’re not it. You’re a pain in the ass, though. I can see that already. But I think the benefits will outweigh that.”

  She tried to snatch her hand away, but I held on to it. I brushed another kiss over it and watched her shiver.

  “I dated a hotel heiress who didn’t know what Walmart was and a reality show star who thought she would be set for life if she sold a sex tape of us.”

  Terri’s mouth gaped open and I thought I probably should have kept that last one to myself.

  “What did you do?” she asked.

  “I unplugged the camera. Fucked her all night while she screamed like a porn star, and then I blocked her on social media and my phone.”

  “That’s a douche move,” she said, snatching her hand away.

  This time, I let her.

  “You should have broken up with her in person.”

  “We weren’t a couple. She wasn’t upset about it. She found another stooge to do the tape with and then emailed me a copy.”

  “Did you watch it?”

  “Nah,” I lied. “Been there. Done that.”

  Terri narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re full of shit. You watched it and jerked off to it.”

  I couldn’t stop my laugh and I looked around again to see if anyone was listening this time. “I didn’t jerk off to it,” I said, lowering my voice. I was suddenly enjoying dinner and talking with her, which was astounding. I usually didn’t have the patience for any of this crap.

  “Was it weird?”

  “No, just straight sex. She didn’t even want to do anal.”

  Clapping her hand to her forehead, Terri groaned. “No, I meant was it weird to watch your girlfriend banging someone else.”

  “I told you. She wasn’t my girlfriend. She was a hookup.”

  She nailed me with her gaze. Should have kept that last part to myself also.

  “This is a ho
okup.” Terri pointed to herself and then to me. “Got it?”

  I nodded. I was afraid if I said anything else, I’d fuck it up. After a few hours of orgasms, we’d see each other again. I was sure of it. She’d figure it out eventually. Then when we exhausted ourselves and it grew boring, we’d fade out of each other’s lives. I might actually have to go somewhere else for coffee when that happened. I’d have to keep Elaine in the dark about the real reason I wasn’t coming around anymore, if that happened. I didn’t want Terri to lose her job.

  Shrugging, I figured I’d deal with that when I needed to.

  “Look,” Terri sighed. “I work two or three part-time jobs to make ends meet. I live with my brother in the house I grew up in in the Bronx. When I’m not at doctors’ appointments or physical therapy sessions with Billy, I’m playing videogames in my comfy clothes. I don’t get to have a lot of free time.”

  “Why come all the way into the city instead of working at a coffee shop locally?” The Beanery couldn’t possibly pay more than another coffee shop. Plus, she wouldn’t have to take a train to get to work.

  “The best-paying pickup jobs are in the Manhattan clubs. Someone calls in sick, I fill in washing dishes or serving drinks. I make a lot in tips.”

  I flashed my eyes all over her curves. “I can understand why.”

  “So, I’m going to jump into bed with you on the first date, even though I know better, because men like you don’t come around the Beanery all that often.”

  “Maybe if you served wine at night instead of coffee, they would.”

  “I’ll bring it up to Elaine. But here’s the thing. I’m not going to hang around waiting for you to text or call or any of that bullshit. I don’t have enough energy to concentrate on that. As of right now, you’re a step above my vibrator. Are you all right with that?”

  I blinked at her, aroused despite her harsh words.

  “Yeah,” I said, huskily.

  “Then pay the check and let’s get the fuck out of here.”

  Chapter 6

  Terri

  My hands were definitely not shaking when he tossed three hundred-dollar bills on the table and took hold of my elbow. Where that little speech had come from, I don’t know. But I felt that I needed to say it for myself as well as for him. He was vain, arrogant, and a spoiled rich dude who was too used to having his own way. There would be no happily ever after for us. He liked to screw around. I had responsibilities. But we set each other on fire with just a look; I couldn’t wait to see what would happen in bed. We both weren’t looking for a relationship, but we both wanted this. And after seeing that Billy was at least getting some, I figured it was about time I had a night for myself.