Page 3 of The Plus One Professional

My instinct was to explain that our timing had just never been right. He worked for his parents’ finance business, and they had offices all over the world. He’d had to put in his time in each of them because one day he’d be taking over Prescott Limited Holdings. But I knew my response would fall on deaf ears, so I just continued applying my foundation.

“You’re a toy he takes off the shelf to play with. I mean, I used to blame him, but at this point… you should know better.” She glanced in my direction. “Let’s face it, you’re not getting any younger.”

“Neither are you,” I pointed out, hoping to turn the tables.

Billie was a year older than me, and Birdie was a year younger. We were Irish triplets who could not be more different. Besides our one commonality, the almond-shaped green eyes we’d all inherited from our mother, we were polar opposites. Billie was a five-foot-eight, leggy brunette. She was a no-nonsense, no fuss, no fluff, take no prisoners, Type-A personality who thrived on structure and schedules and was allergic to spontaneity. Literally, when surprises occurred, she would break out in hives. She was also ruthlessly blunt. She didn’t understand the meaning of sugar-coating anything. She took care of finances, marketing, and day-of scheduling for the wedding coordination side of our business.

Birdie, my younger sister, was an auburn-haired, petite, five-foot-two, creative, go-with-the-flow, free spirit who was the most self-assured person I knew. She’d been born with an intrinsic sense of self and never deviated from who she was. She didn’t believe in rules or boundaries. She was an artist and saw beauty in things other people didn’t. She designed dresses for the boutique and also did the majority of the appointments with our brides. She always knew exactly what to put on a bride to make her feel beautiful. She radiated kindness and love and had the sweetest soul. I don’t think I’d ever heard her say a bad word about anyone.

I was the middle child, standing a very average five feet four inches, with dirty dishwater blonde hair and curves that I’d never quite come to terms with. I would describe myself as an introverted, empathetic, nurturing, overthinking, people-pleaser. On the surface, I was calm, but beneath the surface, my legs were flailing, trying to stay afloat. I never let anyone see if I was upset or if anything rattled me, because I didn’t want anyone else to stress. Grandma Betty always used to say I was the peanut butter that held the two slices of bread together, the bread being my sisters. I always wanted to make sure everyone was happy and taken care of. As far as the business went, I was the event planner and handled all customer and vendor relations.

“No, I’m not getting any younger,” Billie conceded. “But I don’t want what you do. I don’t want kids, a husband, or a family. You do.”

I gave up on my smokey eyes and pulled out my tablet. I pretended to read through the day’s itinerary and answer emails, but in reality, I was just avoiding speaking to Billie. Everything she’d said about my ‘situationship’ with Simon was accurate. It’s not like I hadn’t tried to move on from him. I’d dated plenty of guys. But none of them had made me feel the way he did. All he had to do was look at me, and my insides turned to mush.

Even though I didn’t want to admit it, Billie was right. I wasn’t getting any younger, and I did want those things. Unfortunately, I only wanted them with Simon. But this was it. This was the last time I was going to go through the toxic cycle she’d so eloquently outlined. If he wasn’t ready to commit, I was done waiting. That was an easy boundary for me in theory; I just hoped I’d be strong enough to enforce it.

“I got another quote for the house,” Billie stated, snapping me out of my inner turmoil.

The ‘house’ that my sister was referring to was the home we’d grown up in after our mother died giving birth to Birdie. In addition to inheriting Grandma Betty’s business, we’d also inherited the five-bedroom, two-bath Victorian, which, in its day, had been spectacular. Unfortunately, my grandparents hadn’t been able to keep up with repairs and upkeep over the past fifteen years. Since we’d gained ownership, we’d hired and lost two contractors. One took off with ten grand of our money, and the other just stopped showing up after ten days of work.

We were hoping that the third time would be the charm, but we were also very cautious. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us. Fool us three times; we’re obviously the fools.

I glanced over at my sister. “And?”

“It’s more than the last quote.”

“How much more?”

“A lot.”

“So, are you thinking we should sell?”

“No,” she stated firmly. “We’re not selling.”

For someone who was not at all sentimental, the house was one thing Billie held close to her heart. She had no desire to live in it, but she was adamant that we keep it in the family. The problem was, the boutique took up all of our time and money. The house had sat vacant for the past two and a half years, since Grandma Betty passed.

“Okay.” I smiled. “Then we’ll just keep looking. We’ll find the right contractor with the right numbers.”

She gave me the side eye as we approached a stop light.

“What?” I asked as I grabbed my lip gloss out of my bag.

“The optimistic gene must have skipped me.”

Yeah. It had. But, like Lady Gaga, I was born this way. That gene was why, even though Simon and I hadn’t worked out in the past, I knew that this time was different. This time, when he came back, we were finally going to be together. Yep. That was my story, and I was sticking to it.

2

COLE

Almond-shaped green eyes.Pouty red lips. Long, spun-gold hair. Pinup curves.

Every time I closed my eyes, I sawherin Technicolor.

Water poured over my back as one hand flattened against the tile wall. My other hand stroked my cock up and down as I imagined those full red lips wrapped around the tip. Those emerald green eyes staring up at me. That hourglass figure on her knees before me as my fingers fisted in that silky soft hair.

My release built in me as I fantasized about the breathtaking beauty sucking me hard, her tongue licking my shaft. She sucks me harder, faster. Her hands grip my hips. The sting of her nails digging into my flesh as she takes me so deep my crown hits the back of her throat. My muscles tense as I feel myself about to come in her sweet, pretty mouth.

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