Seduce Me Forever (Seduce Me #4)
Read Seduce Me Forever (Seduce Me #4) Online
Authors: E. J. Adams
Seduce Me Forever
(Seduce Me Part Four)
Seduce Me Series
by
E.J. Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
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Copyright © 2014 E.J. Adams
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under reserved copyright, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by an means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the express written permission of the publisher.
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Published by E.J. Adams Romance
Table of Contents
Seduce Me
Series
Seduce Me
(Seduce Me Part One)
Seduce Me Again
(Seduce Me Part Two)
Seduce Me All Over
(Seduce Me Part Three)
Seduce Me Forever
(Seduce Me Part Four)
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I had stood my ground with Brandon. My desire for him was not quenched, but I was not ready to trust my heart to him again. The phone message from Jeremy was sweet and reminded me that there were nice guys left in the world. Nice guys who wouldn't cheat.
Okay, the sex was less than spectacular with Jeremy. But, to be fair, I was still reeling from Brandon. My mind was filled with thoughts of Brandon. Filled with thoughts of sex with Brandon.
So, comparing sex with any man to sex with Brandon probably wasn't going to help me. I didn't think any man could measure up to him in the sex department. I wondered if a nice guy, who was a great kisser, could offer me a level of sexual pleasure that would satisfy me. Did pretty good sex with a really nice guy outweigh earth-shattering sex with an Adonis who cheated?
That, for me, was a mystery of the universe at the moment. I guess there was only
one
way to find out the answer to the question. I'd have to table that discussion with myself for another time. I had the more immediate conversation with Lauren Caldwell from
Adele
fashion magazine.
That was my second surprise phone message. Lauren Caldwell was the Vice President of Human Resources at
Adele
fashion magazine in Los Angeles. I had been offered an entry-level position with
Adele
when I had graduated from college. I declined the offer to take my high-profile, mega-bucks, beyond-dream job at
Jacqueline
fashion magazine.
But the entry-level offer was almost six months ago. A lot had changed in that short time. Adele had taken notice of my success with the Digital and Social Media strategy at
Jacqueline
. They wanted to steal me away so that I could do the same at
Adele
. I assumed the job offer would be a good one.
However,
I wasn't at all sure they would be willing to pay me anything close to what I was making at
Jacqueline
.
I nervously wrapped my fingers on my desk as the phone rang. I was returning Lauren Caldwell's call. I was intrigued at what the offer might be.
Was the universe somehow trying to tell me that I had a future in Los Angeles? A future without Brandon Mitchell and
Jacqueline
? A future that could include Jeremy due to an amazing job opportunity at
Adele
? Did I even want that?
On the third ring my call was answered.
“Lauren Caldwell,” answered the voice on the other end of the phone.
“Ms. Caldwell, this is Ashley Sullivan returning your call,” I said.
“Yes, Ms. Sullivan. Thank you for returning my call. I know that I didn't leave any details, but I hope that this is more than a courtesy call to decline discussing an offer,” Ms. Caldwell said.
“To be honest, I'm not sure of my intentions. I'm interested in learning more about your offer,” I replied.
“Well, that is an encouraging start. We'd like to bring you out to Los Angeles to visit the office. We want you to meet the staff and have your questions answered. It will also give us an opportunity to present our formal offer to you. What I can tell you is that we are prepared to beat your current salary and benefits package,” explained Ms. Caldwell.
“I haven't shared what my current salary and benefits package is,” I said.
“Let's just say that we have a pretty good ballpark figure on what it is and how we are prepared to entice you with a sweeter offer,” she replied.
Perhaps I was still a bit naive, but I wasn't clear on how
Adele
would have any idea about what I made. They were a private company.
Jacqueline
was part of a private company. And the two magazines were fierce competitors. I decided not to dwell on it.
“I appreciate that very much. I must admit that I am flattered in your level of interest. I need to also say that I am happy at Jacqueline. I am happy living in Manhattan.”
“We expected that to be the case. We also believe that if you visit with us and see all that we have to offer, a position at
Adele
will be very attractive. If nothing
else,
you can get an all-expenses paid getaway to L.A. for a few days,” she said in completing her pitch to me.
“It would be hard for me to get away during the week with everything I have scheduled right now. A trip would also raise questions here that I am not prepared to address at the moment. I would like to explore this option with you further, but not at the risk of my current position,” I replied.
“Understood. We were thinking that we would have you out over the weekend. The key staff have already agreed to meet with you on Saturday. Ms. Sullivan, we all believe you would be a tremendous asset at Adele. We are willing to accommodate you as much as possible.”
As Lauren Caldwell
spoke,
I was finding fewer reasons not to go. A weekend getaway on the other side of the country might be just what the doctor ordered. I agreed to meeting with
Adele
that coming weekend.
“Excellent news,” said Ms. Caldwell. “Give us a few hours to finalize the plans and I will email you all the details later today.”
“That sounds fine. I look forward to meeting you this weekend,” I said.
“The pleasure will be all of ours. See you Saturday.”
My head was spinning. I wasn't sure how I felt about the trip. I was both excited and burdened with a tinge of guilt.
Jacqueline
had been very good to me. I was paid amazingly well, had a fabulous
apartment
that I shared with my best friend, and generally enjoyed living in Manhattan. The only thing that soured the whole experience was the state of things with Brandon. My relationship with Brandon had been amazing, and then he cheated. That fact complicated everything.
I reasoned that I owed it to myself to explore my options. Once I knew what the situation at
Adele
looked
like,
I could compare that to my experience at
Jacqueline
. Maybe seeing Jeremy while I was in Los Angeles would also give another point of reference with respect to my personal life. I decided that going to Los Angeles for the weekend was a good choice. I'd decide on the rest later.
Chelsea and I sat down to dinner at our kitchen table. I had picked up a pizza from the pizzeria around the corner from our apartment. Half cheese and half anchovy. I loved anchovies. Chelsea hated them.
I had a flashback to all the times I had shared a pizza with Phil Reed. Half anchovy and half pepperoni. No one in my life ever wanted anchovies on their half of the pizza.
“Wow, Ash. Is it a real serious offer?” Chelsea picked up a piece of cheese pizza and put it on her plate.
“It sure seems to be. I'll know better this weekend,” I answered. I took a bite of my anchovy pizza.
Chelsea made her
yuck
face at me.
“I'd hate to see you move that far away, but if the job is that amazing then it may not be a bad thing for you. A fresh start.”
“I'd miss you to pieces,” I said, “but we can visit each other often. Especially if I'm making even more than I do now. And don't worry about the apartment. I can take care of the rent until the lease is up,” I offered.
I didn't want to force Chelsea to have to find a new apartment during the school year. I also knew that she'd need to find something much smaller and not nearly as nice, even if she found a roommate.
“But, we don't need to worry about any of that right now. Let's cross that bridge when we come to it. I may not even take the job.”
“Now you listen to me, Ashley Sullivan. I don't want you spending one second thinking about me or what I will do. Living in this fabulous apartment with you has been a real gift. You know it still makes me feel weird not contributing to the rent. You make the best decision for you. Period.”
Chelsea was the greatest BFF in the world. She always thought of me first. She always had my back. The biggest downside to a possible move to Los Angeles would be moving away from her. She'd been in my life since the first day of college and now I couldn't imagine a day without her.
“Have you decided whether you are going to call Jeremy?” Chelsea asked as she polished off her first slice of pizza.
“I'm thinking I will. I checked the itinerary for
Adele
and I'll have Saturday night and all of Sunday free. I have the vacation
days
so I decided to take next Monday off and fly back then. A long weekend, after what I have gone through, won't raise any suspicions at the office.”
“So, do you think that you may give Jeremy another go in the bedroom?” Chelsea asked rather hopefully.
“I haven't given that part much thought. Not this weekend. I know that much. There is too much I am trying to process. That would just complicate things further,” I said.
“Complicate or offer a nice distraction?” Chelsea pressed.
“Complicate,” I reiterated.
“But you're not ruling it out altogether?”
“No. But it's not like I'm making plans for it either. Like everything else in my life right now, I'll just have to wait and see what happens.”
“He is cute. And you said a great kisser. Great kissers can become quite skilled at sex. I think it is in their DNA. He probably just needs more practice,” Chelsea offered with confidence.
“So you think I should give him all the practice he needs to unleash the sexual beast within him?”
“All I said is that with more practice I bet he'd be pretty good in bed. Probably better than just pretty good,” Chelsea replied with a smile.
“I'll take your comment under advisement. Now, tell me, how are things going with Wes?”
Chelsea had been dating Wesley exclusively for nearly a month. Not that this was a first for her, but she seemed to like him better than any guy she had ever dated before. She smiled at the mention of his name.
“He's really great. Handsome, smart, funny. I've already told you how a-ma-zing the sex is. Have I also mentioned that he is hung like a horse?”
I laughed. “More than a few times.”
“I think this one has a chance of being a healthy, long-term relationship.”
“Well, I certainly hope so. You deserve it,” I said.
I picked up another piece of anchovy pizza and took a big bite.
“Yuck. I'll never get you liking anchovies,” she said as she turned up her nose.
“I think you've said that before,” I replied.
“Just as true now as it was before,” Chelsea said.
I realized some things were constant in my life. I was grateful for them. It made the changes swirling around me a little bit easier to deal with. I hoped that would keep me moving forward and making the best decisions.
