The Rules (10 page)

“Because we’re done for the night.”

“Done for the night.” Gavin sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Because…?”

“This is isn’t serious. No expectations,” she reminded him.

“I see.”

His eyes traveled over her again, and Terri’s grip, which she had maintained on the doorknob as a sort of anchor, tightened.

“Is that the way it usually works for you?” Gavin asked.

Terri shrugged. “More or less. I prefer to sleep alone, so…”

“You prefer once a man does his business, he leaves.”

“It’s not personal, but I thought we were on the same page.”

“Oh, we are.”

Relieved, Terri relaxed. “Good. I’m glad we understand each other.”

“Absolutely.” His mouth said the right words, but his body appeared tense.

He was probably accustomed to women hanging all over him and begging for his time, but that wasn’t her style.

She cleared her throat. “So…thanks. I had a good time.” That was an honest statement. With delicious food, great conversation, and even better sex, tonight marked the best night she’d had in a long time.

“I had a good time, too.” Gavin didn’t move or make the slightest motion to get up.

With nothing more to say, Terri entered the small bathroom. She stood over the pedestal sink and tamed her rumpled hair by smoothing her fingers over the strands. Gavin would be gone when she came out of the shower. The way she preferred.

She strained her ear, listening for movement but couldn’t hear any. Deciding he probably just moved quietly, Terri donned a shower cap and climbed into the tub. She pulled across the colorful paisley shower curtain and turned on the water. The massaging showerhead—a splurge she added a month after moving in—pelted her body with a lukewarm spray. The mild scent of oatmeal and almond filled the bathroom as she rubbed the bath bar into a washcloth.

All of a sudden, the shower curtain was yanked aside. She jumped back in shock and watched as Gavin climbed into the tub with her.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, clutching the washcloth to her chest.

Water bounced off his back and spattered around them. “You really think I’m a chump, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t.”

He yanked the curtain closed. “Like I told you before, I’d really like to know what kind of men you’re used to. From what I can tell, they A, don’t know how to treat a lady. B, expect you to put out every time they do you favor. And C, obviously let you do whatever you want. That’s not going to work with me.”

Sex, then kick them out. Her system had worked fine the past few years, and that’s how she maintained control—the first rule of surviving on her own.

“You know what, you need to leave. We are done for the night.”

The flash of anger in his eyes and rigid set to his sensual mouth suggested otherwise. “We’re done for the night?”

“Yes.”

He stepped closer in the already tiny space. “After all that mind-blowing sex?”

Terri swallowed at the thought of him hitting it from the back the first time around, so good and hard she saw stars. Then there was the second time, when he licked her sex and sucked her clit with such dedication that she almost passed out.

“Yes, we’re done,” she croaked. She did not sound convincing at all.

“So I should just leave?” Water dribbled down his dark skin in an enticing display.

“That would be best.”

Gavin yanked away the washcloth she’d been clutching like a shield. He rubbed more soap into it, the circular movement of his hand oddly erotic. “I need to wash up first.”

“You need to go home and wash up in your own bathroom.”

“Matter of fact, I think I’ll help you,” he said, ignoring her order.

“I don’t need—” Terri gasped as he twisted her around to face away from him. “I don’t need any help,” she insisted.

“Don’t move.” Gavin massaged her back and shoulders with the soapy washcloth. Not missing an inch of skin, reaching around to push the rag over her breasts and engorged nipples.

“Gavin,” she gasped, hands splayed out on the cold tile as she strived to stay upright.

“I’m helping you.” His voice vibrated close to her ear and contained a thickness that betrayed his burgeoning need.

He tended to her entire body, rubbing between her legs and over her engorged lower lips. She widened her legs to accommodate his movements, grinding against the pressure of his hand until she neared the brink. Cruelly, he abandoned the apex of her thighs and dragged his hand over her hips. She expelled a wail of frustration and closed her hands into tight fists against the wall.

Terri no longer cared that she expected him to leave. She no longer cared that she should have kicked him out of the bathroom. All she cared about was getting the orgasm he had viciously snatched from her loins.

“You’re sure we’re done?” he asked huskily.

She couldn’t reply, feeling extremely vulnerable as he ran the cloth between her ass cheeks. She inhaled deeply and, unable to help herself, stretched onto her toes and bowed her back into the drag of the rough cloth.

“You sure, baby? You’re sure we’re done?” he asked again. Now he was just mocking her.

Gavin slipped his bare hand around to the front again and stroked the slick folds of her sex. The length of his thick erection pressed into her backside and the friction from the front and the pressure from the back created an erotic combination that brought her dangerously close to the edge. Gavin squeezed her clit between his finger and thumb and she free-fell. Legs shaking, she cried out his name. Gasping. If not for the cold tile at her cheek and being wedged between Gavin’s pelvis and hand, she would have collapsed.

His hands cupped her raw, aching breasts from behind and he lowered his lips to her ear.

“We’re not done yet.”

He couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Gavin tossed the blue Mont Blanc pen onto the cherry wood desk filled with files and reports and stood abruptly from the chair. How was he supposed to cram information into his brain about the company when all he could think about was honey-dark skin, husky cries of completion, and quite frankly, the best sex he’d ever had? And he’d had a
lot
of sex over the years.

He paced in front of the wall-length window in the temporary office at Johnson Enterprises, offered to visiting executives from other corporations or one of the company’s other locations. Though basic, he had everything he needed—a large desk, guest chairs, currently empty file cabinets, a credenza, and a small sitting area complete with a low-to-the-floor glass table flanked by two solid brown sofas.

Rubbing a hand across his jaw as he stared over the tops of commercial buildings to the Space Needle in the distance, Gavin contemplated the untenable situation with Terri. The date went well, they both succumbed to mind-blowing orgasms all night, but the next morning, she stuck to her decision of one night only and practically kicked him from the apartment with the heel of her shoe.

He was Gavin Goddamn Johnson. Rich beyond belief and not bad-looking, even if he did say so himself. So why the hell couldn’t he convince Terri to see him again? Twice, he called and left a message, but she didn’t acknowledge his calls. Not even to send a text to demand he stop ringing her phone.

Was it because of her not-serious relationship with Dumbo?

Why him and not me?
Gavin thought irritably.

At a knock on his door, he swung around. “Come in.”

Trenton strolled in. “How’s it going?”

“Good.” Gavin went over to the desk and picked up a bound report, an encyclopedia of facts and figures that summarized everything about the family businesses. Pages and pages of data on how many liters of beer each brewery produced, the various brews now in production, and the ones that failed. Information on their restaurants, headed up by his twin sister, Ivy, included menus and details about the casual dining chain and the higher-end restaurant. “Fascinating reading.” He dropped the thick document onto the desk.

“Hey, you’re the one who wanted to learn about the company. That gives you the best overview.”

“Actually, I didn’t want to learn about the company. Xavier railroaded me into this, and I still have to get him back for it.” Gavin frowned and fell onto the chair and crossed his ankle over his knee.

“You seem extra cranky. What’s the problem?” Trenton crossed the room and stood behind the chairs.

“No problem. Everything’s great.” Gavin repositioned a paperweight on a blue dossier. “Have you talked to Terri lately?”

“Er, no. And I never talk to Terri unless Alannah’s around. Why?”

“Nothing.” Gavin lifted the glass weight and dropped it with unnecessary force onto the file.

Trenton braced his hands on the back of a guest chair. “I already know things didn’t go well.”

Gavin sat up. “How do you know that? Did Alannah tell you something?”

Trenton chuckled. “Nothing like that. I just know because this is the second time this week you’ve randomly asked me about Terri.”

Gavin relaxed and tilted back the chair. “Yeah, all right. Whatever.”

“Are you going to tell me what happened between the two of you?”

“We went out.”

“And you haven’t heard from her since? She’s not taking your calls?”

Disliking the line of questioning, Gavin shifted in the chair. “It’s not a big deal. She’s just another woman.”

Trenton straightened and rubbed his chin. “You trying to convince me or yourself?”

“I’m not trying to convince you or myself of anything.”

“Oh my, my,” Trenton said, laughing. He folded his arms across his chest.

“What’s so funny?” Gavin demanded.

“You. She’s doing to you what you do to women all the time.”

“Don’t you mean
we
?”

“I’m a changed man.” Trenton stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Look, Terri’s Alannah’s friend, and I’m not going to pretend I know her well enough to have a good gauge of her personality, but I’ve seen enough to know she keeps men eating out of her hand and discards them when she’s done. There are very few women who treat men the way she does.”

“Stop talking in parables. What’s your point?”

“My point is, she’s not like Sharon or Blake or probably any other woman you’ve ever met. She’s the fuck ’em and leave ’em type. She’s not the kind looking for love. If you want my advice—”

“I don’t recall asking for it.”

“She’s the female version of you. Have your fun and move on. If you’re looking for anything deeper, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

“Thank you, Confucius, but I’m not looking to marry her. We barely know each other. We went on one date.” Two, if he counted the night he had her SUV detailed and bought her two slices of pizza. “As you pointed out, I’m the fuck ’em and leave ’em type, too. Just because I asked about the woman doesn’t mean I’m in love with her.”

Trenton threw up his hands. “My mistake.” He strolled across the room but paused at the door. “Oh, I came by to tell you there’s a special set at The Underground on Sunday night. A group of female musicians by the name of Played Out. You probably remember them from your Stanford days.”

“I do. Five women, if I’m not mistaken.”

“That’s them. Seems they decided to abandon their careers and revive the band to see how far they can take it. They’re on a west coast tour, hitting clubs like The Underground. Alannah and I are going to hear them. You interested in coming out?”

Gavin twisted the paperweight around and around on the file. “No, thanks. I might fly down to LA for the weekend and hit a club or two with the guys.”

“All right, then.” Trenton opened the door and then snapped his fingers. “I almost forgot. Terri’s going to be there.”

Gavin straightened in the chair.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Trenton said, smug grin in place. “See you Sunday,” he tossed over his shoulder on the way out.

“Asshole,” Gavin said to himself, smiling.

****

“Hi, honey!” Terri hopped into Alannah’s black Lexus LS. “Sorry I’m late.”

“I’m used to it,” Alannah said, drily. She wore a cute, long-sleeved navy dress with burgundy polka dots, tights, and her hair pulled into a neat doughnut at the back of her head. “What kept you this time?”

“I couldn’t decide what to wear.” She settled on dark jeans, boots, a denim jacket, and a purple blouse. She wore her hair in a neat topknot, her go-to style the past few days, and gold earrings the size of round coasters.

Alannah rolled her eyes.

Terri shoved her. “Stop. You know you love me.” She sighed. “Can’t wait to see Dorothy Koomson.”

Seattle was a book lover’s paradise. In addition to the ubiquitous coffee shops on every street, the Emerald City claimed the title of having the most book stores per capita of any city in the country. One of Terri’s favorite things to do was attend author readings and literary events at the iconic Elliott Bay Book Company. And few pastimes delivered the same giddy excitement as browsing the shelves of a small bookstore, packed to capacity and filled with the distinctive, musky odor of aged books. In a place like that, she became lost, disappearing between the pages of tales spun for people who liked to escape the drudgery of life for several hours and live vicariously through characters within the pages turned sepia with age.