Something More
Authors: Jenna Tyler
| Something More |
| Tyler, Jenna |
| (2014) |
Something
More
a novel
by
Jenna
Tyler
Copyright
© 2014 by Jenna Tyler
All
rights reserved.
No
part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author,
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This
book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are
products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance
to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The
following story contains mature subject matter, strong language, and sexual
situations. It is intended for adult readers.
Editing
by Kim’s Editing Services
Cover
Design by Robin Harper at Wicked by Design
Published
by Jenna Tyler
To
my mom, who loves unconditionally and unwavering;
To
my girls, who I love bigger than the sky;
To
my sweet Roxy Girl, who stayed by my side every step of the way.
Everyone keeps telling
me, “It's all make-believe”, “Why are you wasting your time reading that crap”,
and “It's just a bunch of trash”. But I ignore them. I can't help that I have a
passion for romance and paranormal books. Or books, in general, for that
matter. I've always loved the sexiness and mystery of them. Books have a way of
taking you out of your everyday life. They make you a world traveler. They make
you believe that anything is possible.
Enter me, Rebecca
Michaels, and my boring world I call reality. Mundane doesn’t begin to describe
my boring, predictable life. Something about turning forty-years-old this year
changed everything inside of me. I was still too young to be living this way
and I decided it was time to make a change. So I did it! I packed my bags, left
my friends and family behind, and moved all the way across the country to a
place where the sun didn't shine. Well, not often, anyway.
I made the drastic
change from most-of-the-time sunny Florida to most-of-the-time cloudy Oregon.
This should make for an interesting change, to say the least, but I'll be kind
of close to the beach so I can go and listen to the waves crash on the weekends
like I did back home.
My new Portland
apartment isn't much. It's a modest two bedroom with a decent sized kitchen,
but that doesn't matter since I'm not much for cooking. As I unpack the dishes,
I start thinking about the things I'd like to do before I start my job as an
office manager for a local doctor — Dr. Thompson. Luckily, I found a job out
here right away. I don't start for a couple more weeks so I have a little time
to check things out and get settled in. I know that I definitely want to check
out the beach as soon as possible.
I'll have to look up all the goodies to
do in the area,
I think to myself
.
Setting up the place is
taking most of the day, but it's starting to look nice and homey. I've set up
my computer in the second bedroom, along with a double bed just in case my
daughter ever comes to visit. Have I forgotten to mention that I have a
daughter, Charlotte…or Charlie, as everyone calls her…who is away at college? If
you ask her, I’m sure she'd tell you that I'm nuts, just like everyone else
does. It's not my fault that I believe I deserve to be loved like a great
romance story. Every woman deserves to be worshipped and ravished, and I'd love
nothing more than to prove them all wrong.
While hanging the
towels on the holder, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I’m not terrible
to look at… long brown hair, brown eyes, fair skin, and not horribly out of
shape… but I’m not ready to grace the cover of a certain lingerie catalog. I'm
just your average woman, trying to keep it all looking decent. For the most
part.
After working and
cleaning all day, I'm exhausted. I settle in on the couch and start looking up
sites to see and things to do around here. I decide to hit this fabulous
looking bookstore in the morning. With tomorrow laid out, I decide to play a
little game of Mahjong online and finish my cocktail. Then off to bed I go. A
new day, a new life, awaits.
I wake up and stretch,
greeting myself, “Good morning, Bec. Let's have a great day today.” I pull
myself out of bed and peek out of the blinds to see a beautiful, cloudy day.
Who
would've ever thought that I'd use beautiful and cloudy in the same sentence?
Dragging myself to the
kitchen, I brew a cup of coffee and head to the bathroom to hop into the
shower. There is nothing like steaming hot water awakening your body to start
your day. I towel off and get dressed, keeping my coffee nearby wherever I go.
Going back to the
kitchen, I make another cup and take it to the bathroom with me so I can finish
getting ready. It never takes me very long, but I'd like to make a good
impression on the city today so I decide to really take the time to look
presentable. You never know who you will run into.
After about an hour, I
manage to have most of myself ready to greet Portland. The only thing left is
to choose the shoe for the day. I've discovered the weather here to be iffy so
I don't know what to pick. Sneakers are probably my best bet, but they are
definitely not very cute, nor do they go with my outfit. I seem to be all kinds
of risky lately. Feeling a little gutsy, I opt to go with a tall wedge. So,
shoes are on and looking semi-cute, I grab my mini-umbrella on the way out the
door and shove it in my purse.
Once I'm outside,
people are rushing past me to their destinations. I love seeing this, for some
reason. Everyone in Florida drives everywhere because of the heat, unless they
are downtown where things are more convenient to get to. Here in Portland, they
appear to like being outside whenever they can. Just in case it happens to
downpour while I'm out and about, I decide to drive to the bookstore. My little
umbrella wouldn't be able to hold up for too long in that.
After I find a parking
space, I make sure to put ample money into the meter. The last thing I need is
to have my car towed in a place where I don't know anyone. I locate the
bookstore and see that there is a coffee shop inside. Perfect. I need to grab a
muffin or slice of bread or something before I risk getting any more coffee in
my system. I always get a little jittery if I don't eat while drinking large
amounts of coffee. To have even more caffeine on an empty stomach would just
be, well...not good.
I stand in line and
order a blueberry muffin, a slice of banana nut bread, and a small coffee. You
can't be too careful. I stash the slice of bread in my purse for later, just in
case, and take off to wander around.
Man, they weren't kidding about this
place being ginormous.
The bookstore has an
open staircase, leading all the way up three floors. I just stand there looking
up at it as if I'm in Times Square, amazed at all the buildings. “Amazing,” I
say aloud to no one…or so I thought.
A nice looking young
lady that was passing by me smiles. “First time here?”
“Uhh, yeah. It's quite
breathtaking,”
She extends her hand. “My
name is Alyssa.”
“Becca,” I say, as I
extend my hand to shake hers. “I just moved here from Florida. This my first
adventure here.”
“
Very
adventurous,”
she replies with a slight sarcastic tone. “You'd think, being new in town,
you'd head to the cliffs for hiking or something like that. Not to a bookstore.”
Nodding in agreement, I
smile. “Well, I am a book junkie. It's my passion, other than my daughter. I do
plan to do the sight-seeing and touristy stuff before I start work, though.”
“Ah,” she says. “You
already have a job here?”
“Yes, at a doctor's
office. I have two weeks until I begin.”
“I work here,” she
replies. “I am also a 'book junkie', as you say.”
Feeling a little more
outgoing than usual, I attempt to make a friend. “We'll get along nicely, I
think,” I continue. “And seeing as how you are the first person I've met,
besides the people I will be working with, maybe we can do lunch or drinks some
time?”
Alyssa is a cute girl
with long, dark blonde hair, almost a brunette, which goes down to about
bra-strap length, fair skin, brown eyes, and a very slim figure. She has little
curves in the right places with a modest behind. Not as luscious as mine,
that's for sure.
“That sounds wonderful.
I don't hang out that much, with work and school and all. Let me give you my
number. Just text me and then I'll have your number,” she answers. After I text
her and she saves my number in her phone, we say our goodbyes so she can get back
to work and I can get back to exploring.
*
* * * *
After a couple hours, my
stomach starts rumbling, even after snacking on my muffin. Yep, definitely time
for a lunch break. So far, I've explored the first and second levels of the
bookstore. Good progress. Heading downstairs, I spot Alyssa working away. She
doesn't notice me as I'm heading out.
There's a deli a few
doors down and a sub sounds mighty good right about now. I go in and order a
12-inch Italian hoagie (my favorite), get my fountain drink (no coffee), and
grab a little table near the back of the deli. I sit facing the front so I can
people watch. It's fun to wonder what other people's lives are like, or guess
where they're going.
As I'm finishing up the
first half of my hoagie, I start to wrap up the other half to save for dinner.
I always do this so I don't have to cook. I smile, then I remember that I'm in
public and I probably look like a doofus. The bell on the door rings to signal
another customer entering or exiting.
I look up to see a man
entering.
O. M. G. He is breathtaking.
I let out a little huff as my mouth
turns from a goofy smile to having to pick my jaw up off the floor. Blinking a
few times brings me back to reality. My eyes scan the little restaurant and
notice a lot of the women are gawking at him, too.
Quickly grabbing a
napkin, I wipe my mouth for any crumbs or condiments. And…alright, mainly just
to make sure there is no drool. “Holy shit, that is a mighty fine tall drink of…”
Wait!
Did I just say that out loud? Damn it! God, please tell me I didn't say
anything out loud.
I blush, and know for a fact that it was actually said in
my head and not out loud…this time.
This beautiful man is
about 6'4”; lean build, yet seems muscular; dark hair, with a little gray
sprinkled in; and beautiful fuck me eyes. I mean, exquisite blue eyes. He's
dressed in a black suit and expensive-looking shoes. There's nothing better
than a man with nice shoes. Well, almost nothing.
I'm feeling a little
parched. Taking a sip of my soda, trying not to be noticed, I start cleaning up
my unfinished half of the sandwich. I can't bring myself to eat the rest of it
in his presence.
I peek up and catch him
looking at me.
Shit.
Man, he really is something to look at. Not quite
rugged, but not quite freshly shaven. He even has a chin dimple. “Mmmm,” I moan
while imagining dipping my tongue into that little crevice on that perfect
face. My body is buzzing from the brief eye contact.
I look down at what I'm
doing. “Water…a tall drink of water,” I mumble, finishing my thought, or what I
may have said out loud, from moments ago. I stand up and grab my sandwich, my
trash, and my drink. I turn to walk towards the door, and as I pass by where he
is standing, I glance up and see him still looking at me. I give a friendly
smile and continue walking out the door.
Crap,
I think, looking down
.
I completely forgot to throw my trash away. Way to go, Bec. You're so smooth,
you idiot.
Shaking my head to
clear the haze, I head back to the bookstore to finish up my mini-adventure for
the day, disposing of my trash in the garbage can just outside the store. When I
open the door to the, I glance back towards the deli and “Mr. Tall Drink of
Water” is stepping out onto the sidewalk. I blush and step inside.
Going back up the
stairs, to the third floor this time, I have a little pep in my step. A silly
grin spreads across my face. How do really hot men make women feel twelve
again? Now a giggle slips out.
Oh, snap out of it, you fucking dork. Jeez,
what is wrong with you?
I make it up to the
third floor and start browsing once again. Nothing overly exciting up here, but
I will browse anything to see if something catches my eye. My thoughts go to
him again.
Damn, he was scrumptious.
Oh, well. I probably won't ever see
him again. What would he want with someone like me anyway? I'm just an average
woman with abnormal fantasies and a daughter in college on the other side of
the country. There's nothing special or extraordinary about me.
I finish up on the
third floor and head downstairs. I say goodbye to my new could-be friend,
Alyssa. We agree to get together soon.
Once I get home, it's
not quite time for dinner so I start cleaning up and doing a little laundry.
This reminds me that I need to go buy some scrubs for work. I write a reminder
on the note pad that's hanging on the fridge, then plop down on the couch and
turn on the TV. Something on one of the home improvement channels catches my
eye and I just vegetate.
Apparently I drifted
off and now I've woken up past dinner time. I go put the clothes in the dryer
before grabbing my other half of the sandwich and a drink. I sit back down and
watch some more shows. When I'm done eating, I take the clothes out of the
dryer, fold them, and put them away. Remembering I still have the banana bread in
my purse from the bookstore, I get it and put it in a baggie for another time.
Tomorrow, another new adventure
begins.
