ROMANCE: Paranormal Romance: The Valley (Book One) (Fun, Sexy, Mature Young Adult Vampire Shape Shifter Romance) (49 page)

Chapter 2

“Evening Mr. Carter,” I said when I walked in the place and went behind the counter.

“It’s just you and me tonight,” he said when he looked up from what he was doing.

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“The other waitress just called in sick,” my boss told me.

I nodded my head, but knew it would mean a lot of work. The place got busy in the early evening, which was why Mr. Carter employed a couple of waitresses for that period. With many of the students returning for the start of the new semester, it made it even busier and I found myself rushed off my feet. I was glad when seven thirty eventually rolled around. The place was much quieter by then and it allowed me to finish my shift and go home.

Over the next few weeks I settled into a life of lectures, studying and work, with the busy routine keeping me occupied. The memories of what happened in the summer faded to an extent although not entirely, with my mind occasionally returning to what happened and what might have been with Conrad. I tried to convince myself that there was never going to be a future between us anyway, but all it needed was one sight of his handsome face to change that.

The Saturday shift when it happened was no different to any other in the weeks since I returned to college. The afternoon rush was in full flow and I was hurrying around to make sure those waiting were being served with their food and drink as quickly as possible. When I saw the corner table beside the front window was occupied, I came up on the customer from behind without really paying much attention. I was almost at the table when the realization came over me and the flicker of my pulse was instant. The jeans and t-shirt the man was wearing made me question my thoughts, but there was no doubting who it was when I saw his face.

Chapter 3

“Conrad,” I let out in a quiet voice as I got right next to him. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard this place served the best coffee in the area,” he said with a smile.

I frowned as I stared at him, but knew he wasn’t in the place for the coffee.

“How did you know I was working here?” I asked.

“It’s too long since we saw each other,” he told me. “I got your address from the details you provided for the internship and a pretty young lady told me where you were.”

“You spoke to Bella?”

Conrad laughed before he went on.

“If she’s your roommate then yes, I spoke to her.”

My heartbeat was racing as I stared at him and I was all too conscious of the effect he was having on me. My hands became clammy and one by one I wiped them on the side of my jeans. I couldn’t help liking that he tracked me down, but I was conscious that I was working and glanced around to see others coming in to sit at empty tables.

“It’s too busy for me to speak just now,” I told him. “What can I get you?”

“Just a white coffee,” he replied.

I turned to walk away, but stopped and glanced over my shoulder when Conrad said my name. His words came out when our eyes met.

“You look gorgeous.”

The moment stretched out as we stared at each other. I found myself back where I was in the hotel and his office when we made love. The thought flitted through my head that I would succumb to him again in a heartbeat, but I was quick to shrug it away.

“Thanks,” I said and smiled.

I went to get his coffee and returned to put it on the table.

“When do you finish?” Conrad asked.

I looked at my watch to see that there was still sixty minutes of my shift to go.

“In one hour,” I told him.

He nodded his head and smiled, but said nothing. I knew he would wait and saw that I was right. He remained in the corner seat slowly drinking from his cup as I finished my work for the day. I bought a couple of coffees when I did and went across to the table he was sitting at.

“Thanks,” he said when I set the cup in front of him.

I sat down then picked up my cup to take a sip and it showed me my hands were shaking. Over the previous hour I’d been considering what I would say when I was sitting opposite him although now that the moment was on me, I didn’t really know where to start. In the end it was Conrad that got the conversation underway.

“So, how have you been?”

“Fine,” I replied. “I went home to my parents after the internship finished and returned for the new semester a few weeks ago.”

He nodded his head as he looked at me.

“We should have exchanged numbers,” he told me.

“I didn’t really get to see you the last week of my internship after we…,” I told him, but my words ended abruptly when I realized what I’d been about to say.

“After the evening in my office,” Conrad finished.

“Well…, yes,” I replied and the words tumbled out before I could stop them. “Is that all you want from me? Is it why you’re here now? I mean, I know you like bigger girls, but is that all I am to you?”

“No,” he replied straight away. “I couldn’t get you out of my head in the last few weeks and just wanted to see you.”

“OK,” I replied. “And what happens now that you have?”

I surprised myself at the slightly harsh nature of my comment, but as much as I’d enjoyed the encounters we shared, it came in my head that I didn’t just want to be the girl he looked for when his fetish for a big, beautiful body kicked in. It wasn’t as if he used me and the truth was that I’d willingly given myself to him when the opportunity to do so was there. However, in that moment as I sat staring at him across the table, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to fall for a man that was only after a quick fuck when the mood took him then nothing else in the weeks and months in between. It really wasn’t how I wanted to live my life and I knew it would just mess with my head.

“Well, how about we go out together,” he replied.

I narrowed my eyes as I stared across the table.

“To do what?” I asked.

“You sound so suspicious,” he said and his laugh lightened the mood. “We can do whatever you want.”

I pursed my lips as I stared at him.

“OK,” I said. “How about we have a date at the movies?”

“Anything good on?” he asked then picked up his cup to drink some coffee.

I laughed as I shrugged my shoulders.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I was just making a suggestion.”

“Are you sure you trust me to behave and keep my hands to myself in the darkness,” he teased me.

“Hmm…, my mother warned me about men like you,” I shot back.

“She would love me,” Conrad said with a grin.

“No, she wouldn’t,” I told him and almost snorted as I laughed. “You’re too old for me.”

“That’s just rude,” he replied with a grin. “What age are you again?”

“I’m nearly twenty one,” I told him.

“So that means you’re twenty then,” he said. “And I’m in my mid thirties. Yeah, you’re just a baby come to think of it. I should leave right now.”

I stuck my tongue out at him and couldn’t resist saying the cheeky thought that came in my mind.

“Should I call you daddy?”

“Only if you want to get scolded,” he replied and rolled his eyes. “Hurry up and finish your coffee.”

“Do you have to go?” I asked.

“We have to go…, to a movie,” he told me.

“What, now?” I exclaimed.

“Well, unless you have something better to do this evening.”

A smile spread across his face and the flutter of my heartbeat as it began to race made me let out a slow breath. I wanted us to get to know each other and not just fall into bed for sex, but wasn’t sure I would be able to stick to that if we were alone. The handsome smile was enough to get me thinking about our previous encounters and I was sure I would melt in his arms if we kissed. I needed a moment to compose myself and knew how to get it.

“Just give me a couple of minutes,” I said and got to my feet.

I went to collect my belongings from the closet behind the counter then stepped inside the restroom to wash my face.

“Just be cool,” I told my reflection when I stared in the mirror.

I ran my fingers through my hair then looked down to realize I was still wearing my work apron. Taking it off, I put it in my bag then glanced at myself in the mirror one last time. My slightly scruffy jeans and t-shirt appearance was usual for me, but one that Conrad had never seen. I remembered the black dress I wore on our first couple of meetings then the smart business suit and blouse I wore while I was working. The contrast was amazing compared to the reflection I was now staring at, but a smile played on my lips.

“He did say you were gorgeous,” I let out quietly then turned away from the mirror to walk out of the restroom.

Conrad got to his feet as I approached.

“Shall we?” he said with a smile.

I nodded my head and followed on as he led the way to the door then out to the sidewalk. We chatted as we walked to his car then got in, with the memory of the last occasion I was in the vehicle coming to me. It was after we made love in his office and he gave me a ride home. We’d kissed before I got out and I recalled watching him drive away. It reminded me of something else and I looked at him as he turned the key in the ignition.

“I got the stockings you left on my desk,” I told him and saw his gaze slide to my legs before coming up to my face.

“You’re not wearing them are you?” he asked.

“No,” I said with a grin. “But I did put them on a couple of times during the last week of my internship.

He let out a slow breath and I suspected he was imagining my chubby legs wrapped in pretty nylon.

“I knew I should have made the effort to be in the office,” he said.

“Missed your chance,” I teased him.

“Have I missed it for good?” he asked and laughed.

“That’s for me to know,” I replied and said no more.

The conversation turned away from stockings and legs as we drove to a nearby cinema complex. It was nice the way Conrad held my hand as we walked inside and I liked the feeling of being part of a happy couple just enjoying being together. The fact that the man next me was a billionaire media mogul was neither here nor there and we went to the display of what was showing then joined the line to buy tickets for the movie we wanted to see.

“Do you want something to eat?” he asked afterwards.

“It’s the movies,” I replied.

“Popcorn and coke then,” he said and we walked up to the serving counter to buy them.

“Are you trying to feed me up,” I joked when I saw the size of the popcorn bucket he bought.

“This is mine,” he teased me. “You can buy your own.”

We chatted comfortably as we waited to go in to the theater then found our seats when we walked inside. The darkness surrounded us as the adverts began and the popcorn quickly started to disappear as we settled down to just enjoy ourselves. The container was put on the floor when it was empty and Conrad reached out to hold my hand. It was like being a teenager again as we sat through the movie and he was still clinging on when we eventually walked out.

“Are you worried I’m going to run away?” I joked as I glanced down.

“Can I help it if I like holding your hand?” he asked.

We walked in comfortable silence to the car and he didn’t need to ask for directions as he drove me to the college dorm building. The flush of nerves was strong when the vehicle came to a stop and I saw the smile on his face as he leaned in. His soft kiss pressed on my lips to bring on a familiar rush of arousal. I tucked my hair behind me ear when we moved apart and on this occasion we exchanged numbers before I got out. There was a sense of déjà vu to watching him drive away, but I knew it wouldn’t be weeks before I heard from him as I looked down at his number on the screen of my phone.

Chapter 4

“Well, well,” Bella commented when I walked in the dorm room. “You didn’t tell me you had a secret admirer.”

“Shut up,” I complained good naturedly as I removed my coat and hung it up.

“Come on,” she said. “I want details.”

“He’s the boss of Reed Commerce,” I told her.

She was silent for a few seconds as she stared at me before a grin spread across her face.

“It was so busy that there wasn’t much chance for anything other than work,” she let out in a bad impersonation of my voice to echo the words I said to her earlier in the day.

“That wasn’t quite true,” I admitted.

“And you had the cheek to call me a pervert for my comment about men in suits,” she went on.

“Yeah,” I let out. “He does look good in a suit.”

“And how good does he look out of it?” she asked.

The blush of red that glowed on my cheeks told her all she needed to know and I gave her the story of what happened between myself and Conrad at the initial interview and during the internship.

“A billionaire of your own,” she said after I finished speaking. “That’s so hot. Does he have a friend I can have?”

“No,” I replied.

“So, what happens now?” she asked.

It was a good question that I couldn’t really answer, but what happened was that Conrad and I kept in touch and in the next few weeks met up for a date on most weekends. It was fun having the opportunity to get to know the man and interesting to learn of the powerful family he came from. He was still close to them although he didn’t build his business success around the connections it offered. He’d struck out on his own after his university days and worked hard to build Reed Commerce from one small office in his home town to the media titan it now was.

Our dates typically ended in no more than a kiss when he dropped me off at the end of them, but it became increasingly clear as the weeks rolled by that we were heading towards more. I like that Conrad didn’t put any pressure on me to sleep with him, but it became increasingly obvious how much he wanted to. I could sense the longing in his kiss at the end of each date and it wasn’t only him that was feeling it. The urge to give myself to him grew stronger each time we met and when he called to invite me to dinner at the smart restaurant of a hotel, I put my plans in action. That started with me dolling myself up for the date and I used some of the money I’d saved from working in the coffee shop to buy myself a slinky red dress.

“This must be the night then,” Bella said cheekily when she saw me coming out of the bathroom wearing my new outfit.

I just smiled and put a finger to my lips as I stepped in my heels then walked to the door to leave. The anticipation of what I was planning really came to life when I walked up to the front of the hotel and I tried my best to suppress it as I went inside. That wasn’t easy when I saw Conrad decked out in a sharp black suit, but I contained my excitement as I approached him.

“You look like something special,” he said as his gaze roamed over my pretty appearance.

“Thank you,” I replied and linked arms with him.

He led me across to the restaurant and the hostess took us over to our table. She gave us menus for the food and wine then told us to signal for a waiter when we made up our minds. We were in no hurry and ordered wine to get the evening going before deciding what to eat. The first bottle was finished before dessert was served and after the meal was over, we remained at the table to drink the rest of the wine. I watched as Conrad poured the last of the second bottle in the glasses.

“Are you trying to get me drunk?” I asked and laughed.

“The thought did cross my mind,” he teased me. “I’m getting myself drunk as well though, so I guess we’ll need to get a taxi home tonight.”

“Hmm…, we could do that I suppose,” I let out before reaching in my bag to take out the key and laying it down on the table between us. “On the other hand, we could just stay in the room I booked.”

I saw the smile cross his face.

“Are you trying to seduce me young lady?” he asked.

“The thought did cross my mind,” I replied to echo his words.