Jayded (2 page)

I finish a quick shave and head back to my closet to put on my dress clothes. I have a studio apartment. It
’
s small but efficient, and the rent is cheap. I have my bed, leather sofa, breakfast nook looking over the small kitchen, and a nice big window looking out on the busy downtown streets. But the best part of it is
—
there are no parents!

I check the thermostat before I head out, making sure it
’
s set to turn on by five in the evening so I can come home to a nice, snug apartment, and then I head out the door.

Work
’
s going to be a little crazy today. It always is when we have clients or prospective agents who may join our company. My parents have some big clients that are very loyal because my father is very good at what he does. He is usually extra tense and extra snippy on these days. He
’
s fighting for traditional publishing versus the self-publishing trend that authors seem to take to lately. So keeping our clients happy is extremely important to our company.

Me, I try to stay out of Dodge when my father is in his moods, and my mother gets the short end of the deal. She has no choice but to deal with the lion head-on.

I hustle my butt getting into my car. It feels like ten below outside. Really, it
’
s only about thirty-two degrees. At least that is what the radio man just said. Mental note: Get a car starter installed! I say this every winter. And each time I finally get down to making a move on it, it
’
s already spring and I let it wait until the next winter. Yes, I know; I am a major procrastinator.

What can I say?

I turn the key and the motor hums to life. I pat the dashboard and whisper her sweet nothings. My car is a beauty: a black 2014 Cadillac, CTS-V luxury sports coupe. It was a graduation gift from my parents. They may have gone a little overboard, but nothing
’
s too good for their
“
little baby boy,
”
as my mom would say.

I pull up to work and park to the back. The less cars, the better. I would crush someone if they scratched or nicked this baby. Now, if only I could find a girl who is just as sleek and sexy, my world would be perfect. Yeah, I
’
m a little crazy. I shake my head with a grin while looking around to make sure no one is seeing my craziness.

I buzz myself in and walk past the secretary, Elise. She
’
s quiet and shy
—
pretty in a natural, bland sort of way. Every time I walk past her, I make sure to give her an extra special smile.
“
Hello
, Elise. You
’
re looking very pretty today,
”
I tell her as I walk by. I like to see her cheeks redden.

She giggles.
“
Thank you, Kyle.
”
I give her a wink, she buzzes me in, and I stroll toward my desk.

As I walk past my coworkers, I nod my head and charm my way through the office. I finally reach my desk and clock in. Jeff Bauer, a longtime friend, comes to visit, hanging against the outside of my cubicle.
“
Hey, man. What
’
s up?
”

Jeff
’
s my dude. He
’
s a blast to party with. We
’
ve known each other since eighth grade when he moved here from South Carolina with his mom. He is one loyal friend. When he
’
s got your back, he
’
s got your back. He
’
s proved this many times during our drunken party nights. He never leaves a soldier behind, and he has bailed my ass out a thousand times. A true wingman.

I slap him up.
“
So, we still on for tonight?
”

His face lights up with the thought of some free booze.
“
Hell yeah! I
’
m totally in. Where we at tonight?
”
Jeff asks.

I can
’
t help but laugh. He kills me.
“
It
’
s a McGregor
’
s night tonight. My parents have to schmooze a possible new agent. You know how that shit goes,
”
I say, rolling my eyes to add some extra affect.

“
Alright, man. It
’
s on and poppin
’
!
”
He smacks the back of my head and takes off.

“
Douche!
”
I yell as quietly as possible. I get smacked upside the head again.
“
Ouch! What the
—
?
”

“
Watch the language, Kyle. We have a guest!
”
my mother whispers vehemently.

“
Yeah, yeah,
”
I respond, annoyed. I have to find another job. Getting scolded at work at eight thirty in the morning fucking sucks!

My mother eases up a bit, noticing my reaction.
“
I have Maxine in my office. Do you mind showing her around a little? Take her to the kitchen to grab some coffee, please?
”

She always makes me the errand boy while Junior, my older brother, gets to be in on the important meetings and conferences. Yes, he
’
s worked here since right out of high school and knows the business in and out, but
I
have a degree under my belt now. I am way more qualified than he could ever be. My father tells me I need to earn my spot in the business, which, in my opinion, is total bullshit. I could go work at any one of these top agencies with my background. I may be the baby of the family, but sometimes I feel more like the black sheep.

I grunt like a child about to throw a tantrum.
“
Fine. Not a problem.
”

My mother gives me a pat on my shoulder and walks away. I push my chair in a little harder than normal and begin my touring duty.

Before I can make it to my mom
’
s office, Elizabeth stops me. She sticks her chest out just enough for
“
the girls
”
to poke out, front and center. I can
’
t help but look for just a quick moment.
“
Good morning, Kyle,
”
she greets me with what she thinks is a seductive smile. I
’
m totally on to her, and her smile irks me like nails on a chalkboard.

“
Morning, Beth. Listen, I can
’
t talk right now.
”
I try to scoot around her, hoping she
’
ll get the hint.

“
Kyle, wait! Will you be at McGregor
’
s tonight?
”
she asks. Great. Stalker chick
’
s gonna be there. Awesome.

“
Yeah.
”
I turn and walk away.

 
“
I
’
ll see you there!
”
she yells from behind.

I stroll up to my mother
’
s office and knock on the door before opening it. A woman sits in front of my mom
’
s desk with her back to me, typing furiously on her laptop. I look at her boringly. Most agents seem to be dull, boring, snooty, and all about business. Their idea of fun is reading a book. Or maybe it
’
s just that any woman dressed in a dress suit reminds me of my mother.

“
Uh, good
morning
,
”
I say, trying not to startle her. She looks to be very concentrated on her work.

Maxine turns in her seat. My mouth hangs open. It
’
s like time freezes, and all I can think is
holy fuck
! I
’
m speechless. Never in my life have I been speechless or caught off-guard to this magnitude. The woman in front of me is fucking hot! On fire! I slowly take her in, starting with her high red pumps, long legs, and tight red skirt reaching her knees, hugging one amazing ass and some unGodly shaped hips. Man, those hips though. I can already see my hands being at home on those hips. My eyes drift up to her tiny waist and voluptuous breasts.
Yum.
Her face is flawless: lips plush and eyes a beautiful iridescent blue, which completely contrasts against her darker complexion and the brown of her hair. Simple perfection.

I must be standing here like a doof, making an ass of myself, because she smiles with a tiny bit of amusement. She reaches her hand out to me.
“
Hello. You must be Kyle?
”

I continue to stare, completely mesmerized. It takes me a moment to snap out of it.
“
Uh, yes, I
’
m Kyle. You must be Maxine.
”
I grab her hand, immediately feeling the softness of her skin.
“
It
’
s nice to meet you,
”
I say with a smile.

“
It
’
s just Max,
”
she informs me.

I scream at myself from within, trying to get a grip. She
’
s just a woman, for God
’
s sake! An amazingly attractive woman who undoubtedly has already, within seconds, caused a stir from down below. A woman with long, shapely legs that I would kill to trail kisses up and have wrapped around me. A woman with hips I could grab perfectly while watching her grind on top of me.

Her amusement has now traveled to her sparkling eyes.
“
Your mother, Connie, told me you would be giving me a tour?
”

She turns to close her laptop. I almost reach my hand out to grab that beautiful ass of hers, but I slap it away before she turns back around. Man, what I could do with that ass in my hands. Shit!
Okay, okay. Stay focused.

I pull the door wider and hold out my hand for her to go first.
“
After you,
”
I say.

She walks past me, her eyes meeting mine as she crosses my path. Our eyes stay connected for a moment, energy rampages through every limb of my body, gathering at the southern region. I
’
m unable to part from her gaze until she finally disconnects from me. The air whirls around me, leaving me with the fragrance of flowers and cucumber melon. It
’
s intoxicating. I lean in, without realizing it, to smell the air left from her trail. Shit! What the hell am I doing? I
’
m losing my mind, that
’
s what I
’
m doing. I can
’
t help it, though. I
’
ve only spent a couple minutes in her presence, and I
’
m already addicted.

CHAPTER TWO

Max

"Wow
”
is the only word I can seem to come up with. I knew Connie
’
s sons worked here, but when I pictured her younger son, for some reason I pictured a young teenage boy with acne and a socially awkward presence, not this beautiful, sexy, confident man I want to ravage like a beast standing in front of me. Just the sight of him has my juices flowing!

He is full of manly muscle, and his clothes hug him in just the right places. I can already feel my hands itching to give that tight ass a nice squeeze. I can
’
t see it, but I can only imagine. Those luscious lips and dark brown piercing eyes have me melting like butter.
Mmm!
With just one look from him, my nipples pucker to a salute, begging to be played with. My temperature rises and settles below the belt. All of this in just a matter of minutes? Damn!
I am in trouble. Maybe taking the job is not in my best interest.

I follow him toward the door, and he waits for me to exit first. I don
’
t know if he wants to look at my ass, or if he
’
s really just a gentleman. I walk past him, immediately locking eyes with him. A
zing
races through my body, giving me chills. My hair is literally standing up from my skin as though I just got jolted with a ten volt. This is some crazy shit! The worst part is he
’
s wearing my favorite cologne: Versace. I can pick out that smell from a lineup any day. Ugh! So freaking hot!