Page 66 of The Winning Ticket

“Well, I really love watching you strum that guitar, which you always seem to do when you’re chilling out with the group. That’s always made me a little hot and bothered. It would be especially difficult now that I know about the rest of the things you can do with those fingers.”

He smirks while he trails his fingers down my spine and begins tracing his way back and forth along the top of my panties, the featherlight touch sending a shiver through me.

“Yeah… So all those times we hung out, and you were listening to me play around with my guitar, you were imagining… what, exactly?” He raises his other hand to tangle in the hair at the back of my head again, holding me in place while he begins kissing along my jawline and his other hand tickling along my back.

“I…” My words trail off, and he captures my mouth with his momentarily.

I gasp when he flips us so that I’m lying under him, and he begins kissing his way down my neck slowly, pausing when he reaches my stomach and looks up at me.

“Come visit me in Stanthorpe, Bri. Help me find a way to merge these two lives together finally.” He almost sounds like he’s pleading, as though our conversation has made him realise he’s unnecessarily kept those he loved at arm’s length.

I reach out and run my hand through his hair. “Of course, I’ll come visit you, Jake.”

He sighs before continuing to work his way down my body, showing me just how magical those fingers really are, and I once again melt for this man.

28

EVEN ON MY WORST DAYS, IT SEEMS LIKE I CAN'T SWITCH OFF FROM HIM

BRIANNA

Kylie

Good luck today. Let me know how you go.

I look down at my phone before locking the screen again. My leg bounces with nervous energy while I wait outside Lance’s office. He’d pushed back our meeting by a week, so I’ve been forced to wait even longer for the outcome of Cynthia’s tantrum. She went in a few minutes ago, giving me a sanctimonious look when she walked past.

“What are you sitting out here for?” Melissa asks when she walks past with a coffee cup in her hand.

I nod towards the office, where the word Director is plastered across the door. “Cynthia has had me summoned.”

“Ah, fun times. She really seems to have had it in for you ever since you arrived,” she says, shaking her head.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

Even though I have no real interest in working here anymore, I am still a little freaked out about this meeting. I’ve never been in trouble at work before, and this feeling sucks.

“She’s always been like this. If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know, okay?” She squeezes my shoulder, and I nod, distracted when Lance’s office door opens, and the man himself sticks his head out.

“Bri? You can come on in now.” He opens the door wide and ushers me inside when I walk hesitantly past him.

But I’m surprised when he turns back to Cynthia and tells her she can go now. Judging by the look on her face, Cynthia wasn’t expecting that either.

“But –”

“Off you go, Cynthia. You’ve aired your concerns, but I’ll take it from here now,” Lance says, sitting behind his desk.

Cynthia shuts her mouth and gets to her feet, giving me a brief glance before walking out. Once the door closes behind me, Lance shakes his head and laughs a little, causing me to raise an eyebrow at him in surprise. This was not how I was expecting this meeting to start.

“Firstly, I’m sorry about Cynthia. I’m aware that the two of you haven’t gotten off on the right foot, and I should have interceded before now.”

Definitely not what I was expecting. “Yeah, it hasn’t been great,” I say, nodding slightly.

“I’m going to move you to a different team. I get the sense that you haven’t been feeling as strongly about the luxury goods side of things lately, am I right?”

I stare at him. I’ve not had a lot to do with Lance since I started in the Brisbane office, and I’d only met him a few times before that, so I have no idea why he’s so understanding or how he’s noticed that I’m not as interested in my current duties.

Lance regards me closely when I don’t respond straight away. “You’re wondering why I’m being so nice, aren’t you?”

---