Do Bad Things Page 6

  “When?” Any thoughts I may have had about staying strong and standing my ground when it came to him were shot to hell. I was a goner as soon as I saw him on the marina.

  “Soon.”

  “You have my number.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to stay a little longer?”

  “I can’t.” I could but I was afraid of what was coming next. Not that I didn’t want what was coming next but this time we had to take this slower. This? Whatever this was. “I have an interview tomorrow morning.”

  “You’re looking for a new job?”

  “I work in Senator Apell’s office.”

  “And he’s retiring in a few months.”

  “He’s been good about helping a few of us look for new jobs. Calling some contacts.”

  “Where are you interviewing?”

  “With someone in Senator Pale’s office.”

  “The Minority Leader. Impressive.”

  “It’s a long shot. I don’t have a ton of experience but I’m a fast learner and I’ll start at the bottom. I just need a job.”

  “It’s not a long shot.”

  “We’ll see.” I pointed toward the dock. “I should get going. I don’t want to appear tired tomorrow.”

  “You’ll do fine.” He placed his hand on my back and guided me out. “Justin is a great guy.”

  “You know him?”

  “I know most of the people in Congress.” He grabbed my bag I’d left by the door and handed it to me. “It goes with the territory.”

  “Wish me luck.”

  “You don’t need luck.” He took my hand. “Just be your sparkling self.”

  “Thank you for tonight.” I slipped out of his jacket and handed it to him before we made our way outside. “I liked getting to know you. To talk.”

  “As opposed to...”

  The heat spread up my neck and to my cheeks. “Um... you know.”

  “I’m just teasing.” He playfully tugged on my ponytail. “I like when you blush.”

  “You have a way of making me feel awkward.”

  “Don’t.” He took my hand as we walked toward my car. “You should probably get used to me.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I plan on being around a lot.” He tightened his hold on my hand. “When I want something I go after it. I don’t stop until I have it.”

  “I’m not a thing.” We approached the end of the dock and the end of this magical night. “I’m a person with real feelings.”

  “I know.”

  “Last time we were together it took me a long time to get over what happened.” I still wasn’t over it but being with him made all those negative memories disappear. If I was going to take this any further I had to make sure he understood it couldn’t be like before. “We weren’t supposed to become attached but I broke your rule. I did develop feelings for you. Maybe it wasn’t real because I didn’t know you. I didn’t get a chance to really know you.”

  “I want to forget about that stupid deal. You meant more to me than I thought you would. I played it all wrong.”

  “Then why did you end it so abruptly?”

  “I was an idiot.” He shook his head. “In some twisted way I thought I was protecting you but I realize now that I could have done things better. There was another path I could have chosen. I want to walk down the correct one this time.” He cupped the side of my face in his hand. “With you.”

  “We still don’t know one another.”

  “We will.” He dropped his gaze to my mouth as he bit the corner of his bottom lip. “Starting right now.” Bringing me closer, he brushed his lips along mine before slowly pressing them into me.

  I sighed into his mouth as the reality seeped in. I had waited a long time for him to kiss me. A year ago, I would have given anything for the intimacy I didn’t think possible when it came to him. He swirled his tongue around my mouth as his lips gently swiped mine. I held onto his forearms for support just as he broke the connection. He looked down at me, his eyes full of passion.

  I’d had sex with him on more than one occasion. He’d brought me the most profound pleasure but nothing we had done before tonight could ever compare to that kiss. I exhaled as I held his stare. The heat of his scorching kiss lingered on my mouth. I’d never forget this moment. The lights reflecting off the water in the background, my first boat ride, and the moment he’d ruined me for any other man. Did he know the power he possessed? Did I want him to know?

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I have no control when it comes to you.”

  “We’ve never kissed before.” I was still stunned over the affection he’d initiated.

  “I told you things will be different this time.”

  Chapter Eight

  Jameson

  Leaning back in my chair, I glanced out at the Capitol in the distance. If everything went my way during this current conversation, Cecilia would have a new position in one of the coveted offices on Constitution Ave. If this one didn’t work out, I’d make it my new mission to get her in the best place possible. My lists of contacts were endless and there were many people in this town who’d love having a favor from me to cash in.

  “Thank you, Justin. I appreciate your time and you know I’ll be around to reciprocate.”

  “I appreciate that,” Justin Pale, the senator from Connecticut said. “I’m sure you wouldn’t recommend Ms. Keller if you weren’t sure she wouldn't be a good fit for my office.”

  “Of course not.” CC needed a job and if she didn’t want my apology because she didn’t think it was necessary, the least I could do was call in a favor to insure she got a position in such a competitive town. “She’ll be a wonderful asset.”

  “She probably won’t be able to start until the fall. Is that okay?”

  “No problem at all.” I planned to occupy most of her time.

  “I’ll have my assistant call your office and set up a golf outing. It’s been too long since you beat me on the course.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Miles came into my office just as I was finishing up. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

  As I ended the call, Miles took a seat. “What’s up?”

  “Just taking care of some business.” I scrolled through my phone looking for that florist I had used a few months ago for my mother’s birthday.

  “With Pale?” Miles asked. “I heard you when I came in. He’s pretty set in his career. Is he thinking of making a move?”

  “No, I was calling in a favor for a friend.”

  “With him?”

  “This woman I know needs a job. She interviewed with his office today and I was giving her a reference.” Or something like that. “No big deal.”

  “What woman?”

  “You don’t know her.”

  “How do you know her?”

  “Did you have something work related you wanted to discuss?”

  “How come I tell you about all of my conquests and you don’t share anything about your social life with me?”

  “You choose to tell me about your conquests, in great detail, I might add.” I shot my brother a smirk. “And yours are all so entertaining. I can’t possibly compare with the stories you have. My social life is boring.” Except now I wanted to date a woman I had obsessed over for a year. The same woman I paid to distract me with sex. Maybe my social life wasn’t as boring as I thought it was, but my brother didn’t need the details.

  “Somehow I doubt anything you do is boring.” Miles put his feet on my desk. “If I threaten to tell mom you have a girl will you tell me all about her?”

  “Don’t go there.” I knocked his feet off. “If you do I’ll tell mom about the stripper.”

  “Exotic dancer and you wouldn’t dare.”

  “Try me.”

  “Okay, fine.” He backed off. “You’ll tell me about her when you’re ready.”

  Maybe.

  “Conrad’s numbers moved a little after the weekend. He impressed some people at the
benefit.” He scrolled through his tablet. “But his new girlfriend is the real news.”

  “New girlfriend?” I looked up from my computer screen to find Cecilia’s picture staring back at me on the tablet. “She was his date for one night.”

  “Well, he’s quoted right here saying that they’re in a relationship.”

  “What the hell?” I grabbed the tablet and read.

  “Isn’t this a good thing? She’s freakin’ hot. Maybe you should have Meg do a background check on her to make sure she doesn’t have any skeletons. I can set it up if you want.”

  “No!” I cleared my throat as my brother stared suspiciously at me. “It won’t be necessary. They’re not dating.”

  “How do you know?”

  Because she’s mine. “He asked her to escort him that one night.” At my request. Of all the women in D.C. he had to find the one that I wanted. “They’re just friends.”

  “Maybe I should get her number.” Miles stared at the tablet. “She’s definitely worth looking into.”

  “Maybe you should focus on how we’re going to get Conrad’s numbers higher. At this rate he’ll finish in the bottom.”

  I knew he was a long shot but my father asked me to do this. I didn’t want to say no but I had some serious doubts about Conrad’s political future. If he failed, I failed. And I never failed at this job.

  “You know what your problem is?” Miles headed for the door.

  “What?”

  “You work too much and you don’t get fucked enough.”

  “I’m sure you get enough for both of us.”

  “Seriously, man, just go get laid. You’ll feel so much better and you won’t be such a tyrant around here.”

  “I’m not a tyrant.” I picked up my phone and continued to look for the florist. “I’m keeping everyone around here well paid including you. I didn’t hear you complaining last month when you bought that Porsche.”

  “True story.”

  “Yeah.” I pointed to the door. “Get out.”

  “I’m going.”

  Laughing to myself as he left, I realized he was probably right. I was tense, overworked and a tyrant. Maybe I did need to unwind. I knew exactly who I wanted to do that with too.

  Cecilia

  I ended the call and danced around the living room. “I got the job!” I screamed with excitement. I never expected to hear so quickly. I’d just gotten home from the interview an hour ago. I thought I did well, but it was hard to tell. When I left they told me they had other applicants to interview and then they’d set up second round meetings to those candidates they were interested in. I was worried I wouldn’t get a call back but instead I got the job. “I got the job!” I shouted again. Things were finally looking up.

  My phone dinged with a text. I glanced at the screen. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Jameson’s name sprawled in front of my eyes. Last night. That kiss.

  Congrats on your new job.

  What the hell? How could he know when I just found out? I answered him back.

  How did you know?

  The bubbles popped up on the screen immediately and then his reply.

  It’s my job to know, remember?

  As I tried to formulate a response the doorbell rang. This was the busiest three minutes of my life. I answered the door to find a man standing there with the biggest bouquet of lavender roses.

  “Um... you must have the wrong address,” I said.

  “Cecilia Keller?”

  “Yeah.”

  “These are for you.” He handed them to me. “Enjoy.”

  “Wait, let me get something,”

  “It’s already taken care of.” He hurried down the porch. “Thanks.”

  “Thank you.” I pressed my nose to the large bouquet of roses, inhaling the refreshing scent as I went back into the house and placed them on the coffee table. Picking out the card, I opened the small envelope.

  Last night was just the beginning.

  Jameson

  The thought of seeing him again made me giddy. Part of me was frightened beyond anything I’d ever experienced, but a bigger part of me wanted to see him again. I wanted to see where we could end up this time. It had to be better than the last time.

  “Hey, sweetie.” Carla walked through the door. “Whoa, those are beautiful.”

  “Aren’t they.” I beamed. “They just came.”

  “From your new boyfriend?”

  “What? Well, I wouldn’t exactly call him that.” Although it did sound rather pleasing.

  “He’s referring to you as his girlfriend.” She bent down and sniffed the flowers. “It’s been years since Al sent me flowers. I might have to complain.”

  “Who is referring to me as their girlfriend?”

  “Conrad,” she said. “I read the article of him in the paper this morning. He was interviewed after the benefit and the reporter seemed very interested in you. He said a lot of nice things about you.”

  “He said I was his girlfriend?” I thought I made it clear that we were friends. “We’re not dating.”

  “Here.” Carla handed me her phone. “It’s right here.”

  I quickly read the short article and there it was in black and white. He told the reporter we were an item. “I don’t know why he said that. I told him we were just friends.”

  “Judging by those roses you are. There has to be thirty of them there.”

  “Conrad didn’t send them.”

  “What? Who did?” She grabbed the card off the table. “Who’s Jameson?”

  “I met him last year when my mom was sick. It wasn’t the right time for us. We parted ways but ran into one another the other night. He asked me to have dinner last night. I agreed.”

  “And?”

  “He sent me these flowers today.” I plopped down on the couch. “I think he got me a job with Senator Pale too.” How did I feel about that? Did I want him intervening?

  “What? You got the job?”

  I nodded.

  “That’s fantastic.” She hugged me. “I’m so proud of you.”

  “Thanks.” I sighed.

  “What is it?”

  “I’m a little overwhelmed.” I didn’t expect Jameson to reenter my life. “Good things are happening.”

  “You deserve good things and if this guy makes you happy I say go for it.” She smiled. “Maybe it wasn’t the right time before but this is a different stage in your life.”

  “We’ll see. He’s complicated and intense. I’m not sure how compatible we are.”

  “Complicated and intense can be sexy.”

  “Hmm...”

  Visions of him bending me over the foyer table cluttered my mind. Those memories had dominated my thoughts for months. When it came to sex we were compatible but that wouldn’t be enough this time. I wanted all of him.

  ***

  Two hours later, I’d taken a hot bath, slipped into my favorite jammies and cuddled on the couch with a pint of ice cream. I hadn’t had anything to celebrate in a long time. My new job certainly seemed like a good enough reason to eat right from the container.

  I put my feet up on the table and stared at the roses. They were over-the-top but everything about Jameson was over-the-top. His clothes, his watch, his shoes, his penthouse, his yacht. His yacht? How many people had a yacht? It did suit him.

  The doorbell rang just as I popped the lid off the ice cream. Carla went to dinner with her husband, and Kirsten was out of town. Maybe if I ignored my unexpected guest they would go away. What if it was a neighbor who needed help? I slid off the couch, put the ice cream on the coffee table, and peeked out the front window. Oh! I glanced down at my faded tank top and old pajama bottoms. My hair was in a messy ponytail and my feet were bare. My toes needed a fresh pedicure. Should I let my over-the-top, complicated, intimidating caller in?

  The doorbell chimed again. My stomach flipped when the reality of him being on my front step hit me. Why was he here? How did he even know where to find me? Swiping the
loose hair from my neck, I answered the door.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” He leaned against the railing, looking incredibly handsome in his slim dress pants, crisp white shirt and no tie. He’d left the first few buttons undone, allowing my eyes to focus on his throat. My mouth went dry when I thought about kissing my way down his neck and chest. “I wanted to stop by earlier but the evening got away from me.”

  “How come?”

  “Work.”

  “No, I mean, how come you wanted to stop by?”

  “I wanted to see you and when I want something...” He stepped inside before I could invite him in. “Didn’t we have this conversation already?”

  “Well, I guess.” I closed the door behind him. “Thank you for the flowers.” I pointed to the vase. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful bouquet.”

  “I’m happy you like them.”

  “No one has ever sent me flowers before.” I rocked from side to side, wishing I’d chosen a sexier pair of pajamas. Not that I had anything sexy but the pants with the Chihuahuas on them I had since freshman year of college probably didn’t do it for him.

  “That’s unfortunate.” He took my hand and brought me close to him. “But I’m thrilled I could be the first.” Dropping his gaze to my lips, he ran his thumb along my bottom lip. “I’ve wanted to do this all day.” He brushed his mouth along mine before softly kissing me. “Congratulations.”

  “Hmm...” I closed my eyes as he deepened the kiss, running his hand down my spine and resting it on my backside. “How did you know where I lived?” I pushed my palm against his chest. “How did you know I got the job? Don’t say it’s your job to know.”

  “I love how feisty you are.” He pulled me back to him, holding me in his tight embrace. “I’m not done kissing you.” He captured my lips in his and skillfully moved us to the couch, lowering himself onto the cushions he settled me into his lap. Judging from the bulge in his pants, maybe my Chihuahua pants did do it for him.

  When he finally broke our connection, I gasped for air.

  “It wasn’t difficult for me to find your address.” He tugged on my pants. “These are cute.”