Just One Spark: A Black Alcove Novel Page 8

  “Splendid, I’ll have Ann send you an email with a time slot.” He looks to Maverick. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Swell,” he manages to squeak out.

  “All right then, I’ll see you both soon.”

  The moment he’s out of view I swat Maverick’s arm. “What the hell was that?”

  “I’m not really sure, but I think you should go back to your office.”

  “What?”

  “I have things to work on.”

  “Maverick, we have things to work on together.”

  “Just go.” His voice is thick and I’m a little taken back. “Please.”

  “Fine, if that’s how you want it.” I grab the printed slides off his desk. “Strictly work it is.” I head for my office.

  “Beth, I just need a few minutes.”

  I pause and turn. “Trust me, Maverick, you can have all the time you need.”

  Maverick

  It’s after lunch by the time Beth and I meet in my uncle’s office. I know she is irritated with me, but I’m even more frustrated with myself. I’m here for one reason and I can’t even get my shit together long enough to get it done.

  I feel extremely out of my element here, like I’m in high school all over again. Trying to get the girl by impressing her and doing the right thing. When I worked at the Colorado office, I felt much older than my twenty-six years; business is serious around there. It’s not a group of people competing for a job. It is the job and it came with a lot more responsibility than the spot I’m in now. Back home, I was busy the entire workday overseeing multiple accounts; now I’m working on one and feel like I’m not doing anything all. Either this place needs more structure and more work or being near Beth is throwing off my game.

  I glance over at her, since we are both seated across from my uncle, who is finishing up an email. She isn’t looking at me and my uncle hasn’t said a word. I’d say both the structure and the girl are what are wrong with me.

  “So, I hear the two of you have decided to team up away from Austin,” he says, folding his hands in front of him. He settles his eyes on Beth for a moment as she just nods and then he looks to me.

  “Well, then, how’s it going?”

  “As good as can be expected.” I answer.

  “Yes,” Beth agrees. “We still separated out some of the Fourth of July fireworks event duties, so in a way we are still working together.”

  “That’s good to hear. These next couple of weeks leading to the event will pass quickly.”

  “Yes, sir. Maverick and I have already contacted a few different companies who are willing to make donations for raffles during the event,” she says. “Most of them are the same food and shop vendors that will be set up during the show. It’s a great way to cross promote.”

  “They’ve agreed to work solely with TACM on their donations, too. The exclusivity will bring more people directly to us,” I add.

  “Good, good, this is what I like to hear.” His computer pings. “I believe it’s time for my next meeting. I’ll schedule another meeting next week to go over your entire vision for the event.”

  “Of course.”

  He nods, and Beth and I file out of his office.

  “Almost feels like sitting in the principal’s office, doesn’t it?” I ask.

  Beth glares at me and turns for her office.

  “Are you going to be mad at me forever or just today? I mean, we do have to work together and all.”

  “I’ll talk when it’s necessary, and your poor attempt at a joke is not a reason to talk to you.”

  “All righty then, when you’re ready to talk, I’ll fill you in on the progress I’ve made,” I say.

  “Or you can come to me when you have something because we are adults and not kids. I believe your ‘come to me; no, go away; no, come back’ vision of life is the exact definition of a child.”

  It impresses me that she speaks to me like she is my boss. Turns me on, too. I really do enjoy when she calls me out on this crap.

  “I think I’ll wait till you come to me,” I say and walk past her.

  I hear her huff as I turn the corner. She won’t hold out long. We have a lot to do to be ready for the event.

  Chapter Eight

  Beth

  My laptop is open and a bright white PowerPoint document stares back at me. Microsoft should have “Stop procrastinating and get to work already” appear on the screen to get people motivated. Then again, I know exactly what I need to be doing right now and I’m still not making any progress. And why am I not typing away and creating a marketing proposal on paper yet? Oh, because my idiotic partner on the project is holding out on his half until I talk to him. Without his research on TACM, I have only part of a plan. A half-assed proposal isn’t going to keep me around after ninety days. I should go talk to Maverick, I know. But then he’ll know he holds the cards, and I can’t have that.

  My purse buzzes on the kitchen counter behind me. Not only do we have the event to focus on right now, but we have a proposal to put together that will be presented to the client at the end of our ninety days. I refuse to move out of this seat until I have a least one more slide done. Preferably, the part that explains the outcome we’d like to receive from the said proposal I’m working on. I’ll start with the end goal, and from there I can lay out the steps to make it happen. That part I know without Maverick being here.

  My fingers finally start to glide over the keyboard when my phone buzzes again. I continue to ignore it, pressing my eyelids together to regain my focus.

  What is Maverick’s deal anyway? And I can’t even run off to complain about him. I mean, I could, but considering I’m an adult now, I’m positive telling on him to his uncle isn’t going to make me stand out. Well, not in the way I would like to stand out anyway.

  A groan slips past my lips the moment my phone goes off for the fourth time in twenty minutes. Seriously, no one in this town needs my attention this badly. The legs on my chair don’t scoot easily, and once I’m standing, my seat falls on its back with a loud thud. It hits the floor right before someone knocks on my door. Both loud noises cause me to jump.

  What in the hell is going on?

  Ignoring my phone, I answer my door instead.

  “Hey.” A coy grin greets me as Maverick leans against the frame. “I’ve been trying to call you,” he says. I let the door slam closed in his face.

  All right, so the end goal on this project should be to gain—

  “Beth, come on, open the door.”

  I take a deep breath, release it slowly, and flip my chair upright.

  So, the end goal should be to gain—

  “Beth … come on.”

  …Should be to gain—

  “Beth,” he calls out my name again, just the way my phone kept going off before he showed up. If him standing outside my door is anything like his phone calls, I may as well get this over with and send him on his way.

  “What?” I snap, jerking the door back open.

  “You know”—he brushes past me as he enters my apartment, his minty scent taking over the air in front of me—“I can’t say the attitude doesn’t turn me on. Everything about you, actually, turns me on. It has since the first day we—”

  “Why are you here and how in the hell do you know where I live?”

  “I looked you up on the company website,” he says like it’s no big deal.

  “They don’t keep my address on there,” I reply. I know because I’ve viewed the site before.

  He chuckles and it sparks something inside me.

  Dammit.

  “I have connections.”

  I cross my arms, deciding against closing my door, because I don’t plan for him to stay long. “I’m pretty sure there is a rule somewhere in that harassment pamphlet they gave me that says you can’t do that.”

  “Did you read the entire booklet?” His head tips and he grins while he waits for my answer.

  I hesitate. Of course I didn’t read
the whole thing. Harassment is common sense. “No, I didn’t.”

  “I’m also pretty sure we’ve already broken most of the rules anyway,” he adds. The click of his tongue against the back of his teeth redirects my attention to the mess of papers surrounding my computer on the kitchen table. That tongue has many talents. Just thinking about it makes me want to forget everything and shove him back onto my couch so I can shed his clothes and climb on top him. Finally bringing us to that point we’ve both craved. Maybe if we just have sex, he won’t be so irresistible anymore.

  Whoa. Shit. No. What am I thinking? I’m not some horny teenage boy. I’m a lady. And fuck if I don’t have rules to stick to.

  “Beth, did you hear me?” Maverick asks, and I don’t miss the soft gaze in his eyes as he begins to take a step toward me.

  Of course I didn’t hear you. I was too busy imagining a way to get you naked. “Yeah,” is how I answer, and from the satisfied look on his face, I’d say that was not the best answer to go with.

  “Cool, I’ll just be downstairs waiting then.”

  “Waiting for what?” I ask as he passes by me once again. For real, his smell alone can quicken my pulse.

  Fuck. I have got to get a grip on this.

  “To go to dinner and drinks? You know, what you just said yes to?”

  “Oh no.” I shake my head and take my seat at the table, twisting in my chair to look back at him. “I have work to do, but you do whatever you want.”

  I turn back around and pretend to be working, because let’s face it, that control I wish I had isn’t just going to magically appear. He doesn’t say anything, and for a moment I think he left, deciding to give up, but when I turn around, my eyes meet his dark stare.

  “If I could do whatever I want, I definitely wouldn’t be standing here right now and you wouldn’t be sitting at that table.”

  I try to hide the deep breath I inhale and release slowly. Pinching my lips together and looking up at him, I notice the way his eyes practically eat me up and his chest rises and falls quickly. I use every ounce of control I have not to jump across this table.

  “I see you are back to your come-hither part of our relationship.” I have to keep myself from laughing at my own comment. Laughter mean happiness and happiness means I enjoy his company. I’m still undecided, but leaning toward no.

  “If you keep licking your lips the way you are right now, all rules against a workplace romance will be off the table … along with everything you have on it right now when I replace it with you lying on your back and me between your legs.”

  My chair flips over, again, as I stand. “Dinner sounds great. We should leave. Right now.”

  I’m doing this for myself so I can focus. Not for him.

  “I’m only going because we work together and our lack of communication isn’t good for this project.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  I brush past him with intent, the exact way he did earlier when he arrived, and I grab my jacket. With my purse over my shoulder and the last button on my coat fastened, I wave for him to exit first, ignoring the pleased look on his face.

  I’d most likely enjoy just slamming the door behind him, locking him out, but just like before, I don’t think he would leave. And right now is not the best time for me to test my self-control alone with him in my apartment. What he just said he would do is exactly what I want him to do to me.

  Maverick chuckles, rubbing his facial hair, and licking his lips as he walks in front of me. My head drops back and I close my eyes instead of looking at the ceiling.

  With one more deep breath, I’m following him down the stairs. Just a quick trip out for dinner. How bad could it be?

  Maverick

  “Just one more shot.”

  “No. There is no way I can drink any more,” she says.

  Her tongue occasionally darts out to glide over her lips as she speaks, leaving a glistening coat. I want to press my lips against hers just to have the taste of her mouth against my own. It’s been only about a week since I last kissed her, but it feels like years. And both amounts of time are way too damn long.

  Of course, I didn’t plan to take her to dinner and get her drunk, but she’s opening up a lot more than I expected her to, and that’s beginning to be a problem for me. Tonight was supposed to be for me to get her out of my system. The night isn’t even over yet and there is no doubt in my mind that my idea of hanging out with her to confirm there is nothing special about her is a complete backfire.

  “Another round?” the blonde bartender, I think her name is Sky, asks.

  “No, no,” Beth shakes her head with wide eyes.

  “Just the check is all,” I say, never taking my eyes off the beautiful redhead across from me.

  She laughs and takes another sip of her drink. When her lips pull away from her straw, her cheeks grow an even brighter shade of red.

  “Maverick, you can’t keep looking at me like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like a coworker should never look at a coworker. I mean, am I even wearing clothes in your eyes?”

  I pause before I answer. Beth speaks her mind. She doesn’t do much of the whole “think before you speak thing,” and I like it. She’s the most real person I’ve spoken to in years. People in this world have grown sensitive to almost everything around them. They’re always afraid of hurting someone’s feelings with the truth. If more people adopted Beth’s approach, maybe they would realize that hiding the truth hurts more than revealing it. Then again, Beth and I haven’t had a conversation tonight that would even remotely come close to hurting feelings. We’ve talked about beer, dinner, music, and she’s filled me in on the lives of all her friends who work here.

  “Maverick, stop.” She laughs again, bringing me back into this moment with her.

  “I can’t help it.”

  “Here we go, back to the cheesy lines.” Her eyes roll, landing on something toward the bar. I follow her gaze and catch sight of Sky and who I think is Luke behind the bar. He’s got his arms locked behind her back while they kiss. People start shouting, but they continue to kiss for another ten seconds at least before Sky pulls away.

  When I look back at Beth, she’s still focused on them. She’s smiling, but it doesn’t stretch ear to ear. It reminds me of those smiles you see in movies, where the person is happy for what they see in front of them but sad because they wish they had it.

  Beth has never come off as the type of woman who wants that type of relationship. Then again, I hardly know her, so I guess I wouldn’t know what kind of relationship she really wants. Other than a one-night stand, which, according to her, is in the past and never happening again.

  “Those two seem to make being a couple and working together look easy,” I say.

  “Maverick …”

  “It’s just an observation. I didn’t mean anything by it.” Because I know more than anyone that we sure as shit cannot go there.

  “Yeah, okay. I’m sure you also don’t mean anything by the fact that you have no idea whether or not you’re actually attracted to me,” she says and leans back in her seat. She slowly folds her arms in front of her and meets my gaze.

  I should have known she would come right out and ask me what my deal is. No hesitation in her voice at all. She wants to be blunt, so can I.

  “I have to keep myself at a distance in order to keep myself from walking into your office, placing you on your desk, and having my way with you, not giving a damn who might see. I haven’t stopped thinking about you all week. I crave you more than I’ve ever craved another woman in my entire life.”

  “Oh.”

  I lean forward, never taking my eyes off of her. “A part of me thinks I should just seduce you. Finally find out what you feel like when your naked body is brushed against mine. That way I can get back to my job and regain my focus.”

  “Oh.”

  “But the other part of me is convinced that once I have you, I won’t be able to let
you go. That I’ll be even more addicted to you once I’ve touched you than I am now.”

  She swallows and leans forward, just like me. “But you have touched me.”

  “And that’s exactly why I know the side that won’t be able to let you go is right.”

  Beth doesn’t reply. She only licks her fucking lips one more time.

  “Do you think—” I start to say.

  “We should go? Yes.”

  That wasn’t what I was going to say, but her idea is much better than mine. I drop some cash on the table. Beth doesn’t say goodbye to anyone as we leave the bar.

  * * *

  Her door slams behind us. The noise is bound to startle someone, but not us. It didn’t even faze me or her. All we can focus on is each other. Or at least, the way her nails scratch my back gives me the impression that she is thinking the same way I am.

  My hands travel from her hair to her neck, over her shoulders, and slowly glide down her sides. When they finish making their way over her perfect, plump ass, I grip the backs of her thighs and lift her, spreading her legs to wrap around me. She knows exactly what I want and her feet hook behind me. I hear her shoes hit the ground, but the noise is quickly covered by the moan coming from deep in her throat.

  Our lips move faster, harder, more desperately. She tastes like cinnamon and mint. A one-of-a-kind flavor I’ll never be able to get enough of. My hands weave back into her thick, silky hair as I press her against the back of the door. At this pace, we’ll being having sex on the kitchen floor if we don’t find a room quickly.

  I grind my hips into her core and she groans.

  My lips kiss hers then move to her cheek, to her ear, and then her neck. From there I kiss down to her collarbone, pulling her shirt aside to reach the top of her breast.

  “Maverick.”

  “Beth,” I say, loving the way she says my name.

  She pushes me back and slowly I let each leg drop until she’s standing. I hover over her, her chest rising and falling just as quickly as mine. Her hands go to my pants, where she pauses.