Page 752 of Not Over You

This is exactly what I was afraid of. Confrontation on one of the most important nights of my life. I’m not going to cause a scene, but I need him to shut the fuck up. I slowly turn around and glare in his direction. “I’m not sure how much you’ve had to drink, Zack. But remember, I can cut you off with the snap of my fingers. Or, better yet, I could call the agency and tell them you were a bad boy tonight and perhaps they should find someone else to take your place. Obviously, you’ve lost your touch if you can waltz out here and leave a beautiful woman alone to fend for herself. Especially with all the womanizers in that damn room.”

Once again he gets too close, invading my personal space. “If you ever cause me to lose my job, it’ll be the last thing you do on this Earth. Do you understand me, Zane?”

I quickly take a step back when he jabs his finger into my chest. Otherwise, I’d kill him where he stands. Of course he thinks he’s intimidated me, and I let him think whatever the fuck he wants.

“If you’re referring to Lili,” he continues, “she’s very much into me. But I need to keep this on a professional level. If she wants to see me outside of work, I’m game. All I know is she’s one beautiful woman and most likely, with that body, a hellcat in the bedroom.” With a wink, he saunters back into the banquet room.

I can’t help shaking my head. I’d almost forgotten how big of an ego he has. Why he thinks he can fool me when I grew up with him is unimaginable, but he never ceases to amaze me. I always knew that Zack was a legend in his own mind. Well, in a few more hours it’ll all be over and thank fuck I’ll never have to see him again.

Thanks to Zack, I’m out of sorts tonight. The only thing that will remotely make me feel better is a smoke or getting laid. Since the latter is prohibited at work, I’m thinking a smoke might do the trick. I’m so glad I stopped to pick up a pack on the way to work today. I just had that niggling feeling that I’d need the cigs since Zack would be pushing my buttons tonight. Now, I can just slip out the back door and no one will be the wiser.

After a quick trip to my office, I slip out the door by the kitchen. It’s an emergency exit but we never leave the alarm on while the club’s open. Since there’s no outside handle, I make sure to prop open the door with a concrete block. Otherwise, I’d be locked out and would need to go around to the front to get back inside.

The stars are out in full force and the evening’s cool and crisp with a full moon that lights up the way. There are a few picnic tables off to the side where the crew can eat their lunches and enjoy their own smoke breaks. While the mighty ash trees block the midday sun.

I loosen my tie and sit on the makeshift bench that Drew built out of the trunk of a tree. Leaning back, I place the cigarette between my lips and light it up with one roll of my thumb. I inhale until my lungs are full, and only exhale when I need air to breathe. It’s times like these that make me wonder why the hell I gave up smoking in the first place. It’s relaxing, therapeutic and euphoric to a fault. It’s really a shame that everything that’s bad for you feels so damn good. Whether it be drinking, eating or smoking. Oh, and I might as well throw sex into the mix, ‘cause it’s fucking amazing unless you have the wrong partner.

As soon as I take my last drag, I light another with the stub of the cig. Is it wrong or crazy that I love everything about smoking? Like the way it feels between my fingers. Or the fact that I can make rings with the smoke. How it makes my dick hard and I’ll never know the reason why, but it does. It also reminds me of dark, smoky rooms and wet, willing women. Lili immediately comes to mind and my trousers tent with the thought. For the life of me, I don’t ever remember lusting after a woman before but there’s something dark and mysterious about her. Perhaps, it’s the thought of her creating an erotic tale that has me conjuring up all kinds of naughty scenarios.

My favorite fantasy has her spread eagled on my bed with her arms and legs tied far apart. How gorgeous would her dark skin look against my white pristine sheets? Mm, I’d love to bite and lick every square inch of her silken flesh. Pausing only long enough to suck and pinch her taut nipples. By the time I finish with my ministrations, I’d want her breathless and begging for my hard cock, chasing her own orgasm in every conceivable way.

I’m rather curious to know if she writes about her heroines being flogged or caned. Like in Fifty Shades. Or if she creates strong, bold women who would tell Christian Gray to fuck off. A smile tugs at my lips when I think of Lili being one of those women. To tell you the truth, I don’t know which one of them would turn me on more. That’s the beauty of women. They come in all shapes and sizes, and that makes them a mystery to me. And, believe me, I love a good mystery from time to time.

Taking a few deep breaths, I try to get my head back in the game. I’ve been out here for far too long and I need to head back inside before someone realizes I went AWOL. I stand up, brush off my trousers and tighten my tie. Fuck it. I think one more cig should do the trick.

LILIANNA

Zack disappeared, and I have no clue where he went. I know I’m partly to blame because I haven’t paid much attention to him. But, in all fairness, I didn’t ask him to come with me tonight and I’m having fun catching up with my friends. I’ve even danced, and I haven’t done that in years. I glance around the room in search of my hot date. Still no sign of him anywhere. Oh well, I’m here to have fun with my peers and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. With or without Zack the escort.

Janice and I are discussing the pros and cons of Kindle Unlimited when I think I see my stalker Mike out of the corner of my eye. My heart starts racing when I realize it’s really him. What’s he doing here? Did he recognize me? All I know is I need to get the hell out of here. I quickly give Janice a lame excuse and make a beeline to the nearest door. Dammit, there’s a long hallway with the restrooms to my left and an exit to my right. Well, I sure as hell don’t want to get trapped in the restroom with Mike, so I promptly head for the exit and my freedom.

I wouldn’t want to set off any alarms, but I’m not about to get cornered by Mike. If I’m outside, at least I’ll be free to run if I choose. I’m ready to burst through the door when I realize it’s already propped open. How convenient.

I cautiously squeeze through the opening and escape into the night. The cool breeze is refreshing since the inside of the club was so stifling. I’m sure the air conditioning was turned on but with a large crowd like that you can barely feel it.

There’s something about being outside on a clear night when the moon’s big and bright. I think it brings out our inner child for some reason. I remember nights like these when my sisters and I would lie on the grass and gaze at the twinkling stars. I was never good at constellations, but Maegan was. She would point out Aquarius, Gemini and Pegasus, just to name a few. To me, they didn’t look anything like their names.

Still, it was fun when life was so much simpler. Nowadays, I wouldn’t dare tumble in the grass for fear of ruining this gorgeous black dress that Natalie painstakingly chose for me. Although, a crazy part of me wants to climb up on that picnic table and lie down across the painted surface so I can admire the view, just like the good old days. But I decide to act like an adult and sit on the edge of the seat. It’s best if I keep my wits about me, just in case Mike spotted me slipping out the door.

I place my elbow on the surface of the table and rest my chin in the crook of my palm. I can still detect the muffled music from the band seeping through the crack of the door. The lyrics are not distinguishable, but the bass is. My foot automatically begins tapping out the rhythmic beat. I love music almost as much as I love the written word. In fact, more often than not the two go hand in hand.

I’m lost in thought of years gone by when I hear a noise. It takes a moment for the sound to register until I smell smoke. Someone just lit a cigarette and the sound I heard was the flick of a lighter. My heart’s now in my throat because I don’t know who it is and I’m almost afraid to turn around.

What if it’s Mike?

Slowly, I stand and begin walking along the edge of the property. Putting some distance between me and whoever the hell’s lurking in the dark. I freeze mid step when I hear a gruff voice. “Please, don’t leave on my account.”

Um, that’s not Mike. So, who the hell is it then? I swallow down hard and spin around to face my intruder and lose my breath. Leaning against the tree with a cigarette hanging from his full lips is the man of my dreams. No, wait. Let me rephrase that. He’s the man from my dream whose name I couldn’t remember. Even if I lived to be a hundred, I would always remember a perfect face such as his. All angles and masculinity at its finest. Especially with the full moon to illuminate the night. Right now, he’s ogling me from afar. I don’t know if I should be flattered or insulted. But when little snippets of my dream come back to haunt me, I start feeling a bit anxious.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you, Lili.” How the hell does he know my name? He must notice my confusion because he quickly adds, “We met a few years back at the Books & Babes author event.”

He remembered? I’m mesmerized as I watch him inhale, look up towards the stars and slowly exhale. I abhor smoking but somehow this man makes it look so fucking sexy. Oh god. It must be the remnants of my dream making me all giddy and pathetic. But I’m only human and I can admire perfection in its finest form.

“Boss, are you out there?” Now. That voice belongs to Mike. I want to run and hide when he suddenly whispers, “Oh, I didn’t know you had a guest. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. It can wait. Lili, it’s so nice to see you again.” The only reason I don’t take off running is because I have a witness in case he decides to kill me. You’ll have to excuse my inner author. Sometimes she’s a bit melodramatic.

The sexy stranger snuffs out his cigarette and blows out the last of the smoke. “Lili, you just witnessed me getting busted and I’ll never live this one down.”

What the hell’s he talking about? He pops a stick of gum in his mouth and in a few short strides he’s standing in front of me. “I quit smoking a few months back and Mike just caught me red-handed. So why do I suddenly feel like a reckless teenager who’s going to get scolded by his father?”