Page 53 of The Manny

“Need a ride home?” Roy asked, wiping beads of perspiration from his ruddy face with a cocktail napkin. “I’ve only had one beer.”

“Thanks, but I have an Uber coming.” I smiled to soften my rejection.

Even if I had been tempted to sleep with Roy, which I wasn’t, texting with Jack had brought me back to Earth. The type of attraction I had for Jack was what I was looking for; pulse-pounding lust. I didn’t just want sex for the sake of sex. I wanted a searing connection with someone. That wasn’t anything I was going to find at this club. It certainly wasn’t anything I’d find with Roy. If I was going to fuck anyone tonight, I’d want it to be Jack.

Never going to happen.

Having sex with my employer was a dumb thought, but that was the kind of mood I was in. The thought of his pretty green eyes and full lips made my dick warm. Too bad he was off-limits. He was probably great in bed. Selfish. Aggressive. Just the kind of lover I preferred when I was in this reckless mood.

“You sure?” Roy interrupted my lewd thoughts of Jack. “Why spend all that money on an Uber?”

“It’s not that much money.”

He laughed. “Yeah, but I’m free.”

I grimaced. “I don’t want to put you out.”

“It’s no trouble.”

“Uh…” I didn’t want to hurt Roy’s feelings but wasn’t sure what to do because he wasn’t getting the hint. Those drinks had definitely done their job, and I was fully inebriated. That made it harder to think of how to discourage Roy. My phone vibrated and I saw it was my Uber driver telling me he was out front. “Oh, my ride is here already.” I held up my phone so Roy could see I wasn’t lying. “But thank you, Roy. Maybe I’ll see you here again sometime.”

“Oh, yeah. Sure.” His face fell.

Pushing away my guilt, I rose and headed toward the front entrance in a crooked line. My balance wasn’t the best, but I managed to make it outside without falling on my ass. Considering my drunken state, that was a win right there. I spotted the car with the Uber sign in the window and got in. The driver wasn’t too chatty, which was a relief, and soon we were pulling up in front of Jack’s home. I got out and waved to the driver as he drove away.

I made my way unsteadily up the path and then the stairs. When I unlocked the front door and stumbled inside, I gave a little giggle. I clamped my hand over my mouth, wincing. The last thing I needed to do was to wake up Jack and Mia. Especially Jack. He’d be pissed.

There was a light on over the stove in the kitchen, but other than that the house was dark. That was probably why I didn’t see Jack sitting in a chair in the front room. When he spoke, I almost had a stroke.

“I see you finally made it home in one piece,” he grumbled.

Clutching my chest, I widened my eyes. “You scared me to death, Jack.”

“Sorry.”

“Why are you sitting here in the dark?” I rubbed my face roughly, trying to clear my foggy brain.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

I moved closer to him. “How did it go with Mia?”

“Okay, I guess. I mean, maybe she was bored out of her mind, but at least she’s still alive. So that’s a win.”

I smiled. “I’m glad it went well.”

“I’ll bet. This way you can spend your Sundays with Aiden.”

Was it my imagination, or did he sound resentful? It shouldn’t be a problem that I wanted days off, right? He got days off. “Well, it definitely was nice to have a day to myself. Aiden won’t always be available though, since he has Percy full-time.”

He chuffed. “I’m sure he’ll make time.”

I didn’t understand why he seemed annoyed. “Are you upset because I was noisy coming in?”

“Not really.”

“You seem like you’re in a bad mood.”

He stood and came closer to me. My pulse picked up as he neared, and I tried to keep my excitement at bay. The heat of his body and the clean scent of him made me wish I could touch him. What would he do if I kissed him? I knew he was attracted to me too, maybe he’d like it.

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