Page 46 of Not Quite Perfect

“I hate to point this out since he’s your best friend, but he hates a lot of women. That doesn’t really speak well of his character.”

She wasn’t wrong, and yet, Hank was battle scarred in a way few knew. We’d grown up together, so I’d seen the shit he’d been through. While his dad had been easy going, his mom had used fear to rule their household when her husband was away on business trips. Subsequently, it had left Hank a bit confused with how to behave with women. He gravitated toward ones who were beautiful, but cold and mean. And if they didn’t start out that way, he poked and prodded until they broke.

While I thought Miranda just might be the woman to put Hank in his place, I also hoped they never gave into their explosive attraction. I didn’t think our department could handle the fallout.

“Let’s just say he has severe mommy issues.” I clicked the button on my key fob and the tail lights on my car flashed. Opening the passenger side door, Victoria slid into her seat, snapping her seatbelt into place. I closed her door and jogged around to my side. “But enough about Hank,” I said, sliding in and turning the ignition. “Let’s get you home so you can read some of your dirty books out loud to me. I want to watch you get all hot and bothered.”

Victoria covered her face and let out a groan, followed by a weak laugh. “Isthatwhat your boner was all about?”

“That, and it seemed like you’re a fan of the idea of being tied up. That’s not something I’ve done, but I could be down with that.” I chanced a quick glance her direction as I navigated the wet and icy roads. “But mostly, it was the thought of licking your pussy while you read your favorite scene out loud, your juices running down my face from how turned on you were.” I held her gaze, letting her see the raw, naked desire I felt at the idea. When she shivered, I flicked my eyes back to the road.

A few seconds later, we came to a stop at a red light and I turned to face her. “That’swhy I was hard at the restaurant. It’s my new favorite fantasy.”

She licked her lips and her eyes dropped to my mouth. With her face lit up by the glow of the instrument panel, I could see how turned on she was picturing the scene I’d just described.

“I think I know just the book.”

I stepped on the gas, and my car shot forward.

I couldn’t wait to see what she had in store for me when we got to her house.

Nineteen

Victoria

I slidinto my chair across from Theo and his best friend Cassandra. The two had begun working together straight out of college, and had quickly grown into the best of friends. Unfortunately, Cass had been transferred to their company’s Silicon Valley office the month before, and was only in town for a couple of days to pack up her apartment. My brother had never looked more morose.

“Well, they did it.”

“Did what?” Cass asked around a bite of her salad.

“They fired me. Mayor Donaldson demanded my head on a platter.”

“They can’t do that,” Theo explained evenly. “That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

If anyone knew about corporate lawsuits, it was Theo. That was how he’d become CEO after his predecessor had knocked up a few secretaries.

“You think I don’t know that?” I shot my brother a look as I reached across and grabbed one of his french fries. “They tried to pretend it was part of a wider downsizing effort, but when the only people getting sacked are the reporters who were critical of the mayor’s campaign, it’s not hard to put two and two together.”

“You should sue them for wrongful termination,” Cass advised as she picked around her meal.

“I should, but I won’t.” I didn’t want to be known as the reporter who’d sued her employers. “Work is hard enough to come by these days; when you’re a troublemaker who rocks the boat, you’re limiting your chances even more.”

“And newspapers are a dying breed,” Theo added unhelpfully.

As if I needed reminding.

I’d grown up watching Dan Rather with my dad, and nothing—including the proverbial writing on the wall—could have stopped me from majoring in journalism in college. By the time I’d graduated, the digital revolution was well underway, and more often than not, being a reporter was a one-way ticket to the unemployment line. Thankfully, I’d been one of the lucky ones, able to eke out a living doing what I loved. But I’d lived with the knowledge that it could all disappear one day. Frankly, the fact that it had taken this long was surprising.

Cass tossed a frown Theo’s way. “Hey, Debbie Downer. No need to add to her worries.”

“What? I’m just being practical.”

“That’s you,” I muttered under my breath, “Mr. Practical.”

Theo had been in love with Cass for as long as he’d known her, but because they worked together he’d never acted on those feelings. Five years ago, he’d brought her to Thanksgiving at my place and when I’d asked when he was going to tell her how he felt, he’d told me he needed to be practical.

Now, that practicality had come back to bite him in the ass. While there hadn’t been any rules at their company about dating yourcolleagues, the second he’d been named CEO, that door had been slammed shut and sealed off forever.

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