Unconventional Fling (A Working Girl’s Guide, Book 1) (3 page)

“I’m not famous.”

“How much do people pay for you to fly from city to city visiting them?” His Sharpie hovered over the print, but he didn’t write anything. “I’d say that makes you famous.”

“Or a good negotiator when it came to my employment contract.”

He scribbled something, holding it at an angle so the glare of the lights above kept her from reading it. He nodded to his left. “Who’s your friend?”

She followed his gaze to Andie, who stood at the edge of the line, almost hopping with irritation. Jade’s smile faded to embarrassment. “That’s who I borrowed the badge from.”

He grabbed another print. “I’m flattered. What’s your plan now that you’re here?”

“I hadn’t gotten that far,” she confessed.

“Hey, people are still waiting,” an irritated voice from behind cut through the banter.

“Sorry.” He looked like he meant it. “I need to get back to this.”

“And I should probably give Andie back her badge.”
So much for this being a brilliant idea
. Jade didn’t know what else to say. “Are you in town the rest of the weekend?” she blurted out before she could talk herself out of it.

“Hey, bitch. You’re holding up the line.” The insult carried distinctly over the chatter of the hotel lobby, bringing most of it to a stop.

Heat flooded Jade’s cheeks, but before she could figure out how to respond, Brandon had jumped over the table and was standing in front of the impatient line-dweller. Jade whirled so quickly as she followed the movement, it made her head spin.

“Is there an issue?” Brandon stood toe-to-toe with the shorter man, his voice a low growl.

Any conversation that hadn’t stopped before ground to a halt. An eerie silence blanketed the packed room.

Line-dweller had to crane his neck up to look at Brandon. “I’ve—that is—I mean—I’ve just been waiting in line for a while.”

“So have a lot of people.” Brandon’s quiet response echoed in the still room. “Apologize to the young lady.”

Line-dweller turned his head toward Jade, the rest of his body staying rigid. “I’m sorry.”

“For?” Brandon prompted.

“C-c-calling you names. I’m sure you’re very nice when you’re not holding up a line.”

Jade would have laughed at the qualifier if her emotions weren’t already torn between appreciation and mortification. “It’s okay.”

Death Demon stepped into the middle of the tension. “You need to leave,” he said to line-dweller.

Line-dweller shot Jade one last look. “Sorry again.”

For as hot as her face was, she had to be bright red. Jade forced a smile, her hammering pulse making it difficult to speak.

“I’m sorry.” Death Demon turned to Brandon. “We can shut the whole thing down if you want.”

Brandon shook his head. “No, it’s all good now.”

The room erupted in chatter again as though a switch had been flipped.

Brandon climbed his way back behind the table, taking the time to walk around this time, and dropped back into his chair. He tugged Jade’s hand. “Sorry about that.”

Her head was still spinning, but she found her voice enough to reply. “No, thank you. It was really sweet of you to do that.”

He flashed the same slow, crooked smile that had captivated her that morning. “What else was I going to do?” He handed her a print and nodded at the now wide-eyed Andie. “For your new friend.” Then he handed her the second one. “For you. Don’t get them mixed up.”

Jade gave him one last smile. “Thanks.”

She trudged toward Andie, handing off the girl’s pass and the signed poster without another word, and then headed upstairs. So much for her brilliant plan to seduce the gorgeous stranger. Maybe she should just stay in her room the rest of the night.

When she pulled out her signed print and turned it over to read the inscription, her embarrassed heat shifted to something new. Maybe it had been worth it after all.

Brandon exhaled and resisted the urge to glance around him one more time. The phone call from his agent that morning still had him paranoid, especially since he was doing exactly what she’d told him not to.

The incident that afternoon had to have made it to social media. If the animation companies hadn’t liked him before, this new run-in wouldn’t win him any popularity points.

But at the same time, when he’d seen Jade standing in front of him in the autograph line, jeans hugging round hips and a T-shirt showing off perky tits, he’d lost any will to behave. And hearing someone insult her…It had taken all of his self-restraint not to threaten the kid.

Of course, none of that mattered if she didn’t show up. He scanned the hotel bar, looking for her familiar straight black hair. Maybe she hadn’t seen the note on the back of the print asking if she wanted to pick up where they’d left off that morning. He knew she’d been interested. Otherwise, why go to the trouble of running into him again? It was obvious how out of her element she was with this crowd. But something told him she had just as much passion under the surface as any of the fans, even if she applied it to her life differently.

His hesitation broke into a broad grin, and he cut a straight path to the gorgeous brunette sitting at the bar. Barrettes held her hair back from her face, and every few seconds she pulled her attention from her drink to let her gaze flit around the room.

He dropped into the seat next to her, arm brushing hers. A tingle rushed through him.
What is it about this woman?
“I was worried you might not show.”

Jade shifted to face him but didn’t break the contact. A soft smile danced on full lips. “Does that happen a lot? They don’t show?”

He bit back his surprise. If she’d been anyone else—one of the attendees for instance—he might think the question was founded in the rumors. But there was no way she’d heard those. She hadn’t even known who he was. Which was kind of nice. “I don’t know. I haven’t made a habit of extending the invite.”

Her brows rose, hazel eyes studying him. She shook her head and took a sip of her drink. “Thank you again for this afternoon. I don’t think I’ve ever been rescued by a knight in shining armor before.”

Pride rushed through him but wilted when something occurred to him. “Is that why you’re here?”

She laughed—that was a beautiful, playful sound—and shook her head. “I mean, it certainly didn’t hurt. But I’m here to see you, not because I felt obligated.”

“Good. Perfect.” He fumbled for more words. It was difficult to concentrate with all the blood rushing from his head and into his lower extremities. He was having a hard time thinking about anything but her gorgeous mouth, kissing those full lips, and if that was what her laughter sounded like, how incredible it would be to make her moan.

He tucked the thought aside. He needed to focus on the conversation.

“So, voice acting. How does someone get into that kind of work?”

He could answer that question. It came up in every single panel he sat on, and yet it still sounded new from her. Besides, he didn’t have to filter his answer here. “Honestly? It’s all about who I knew.”

She traced a finger over her bottom lip. “That’s it? Nothing about hard work, training, and studying how to make different sounds for years on end or anything?”

“I had a fraternity brother who knew a guy who was looking for some extras in a cartoon. One thing led to another…” He’d never told the story that way before, but it was true. “What about you?”

She winked. “I’d be a terrible voice actor. I don’t know anyone.”

“You know me.” The banter was the same as he remembered from earlier. It made her that much sexier. “But I meant, what kind of work do you do that has you traveling so much?”

“Boring stuff.” She leaned in, licking her lips. “People buy our software; I go to their offices to make sure it’s running on all their computers.”

She was dumbing it down for him, he was almost sure of it. “Sounds technical.”

“Only some of it. Most of it is knowing when to smile politely.” When she shifted her weight, her shirt moved with her, offering a fantastic view down the front.

He wouldn’t mind running his lips along that crease of cleavage. Of course, that’s exactly what he shouldn’t be doing. He’d promised to keep his hands to himself, and a fling with a random woman in the hotel was exactly the opposite of that.

“So.” She tilted her head to the side, watching him. “I kind of screwed this bit up earlier.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

A nervous tremor ran through her tiny laugh. “Yeah. I’m going to try and do it right this time. Do you want to come back to my room?”

Damn straight. His arousal kicked into overdrive. Except, Michelle would kill him if she found out. Who knew who might drop him next if people started more rumors?

She ducked her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

Did she have to be so alluring? “I’d love to.” He let the truth flow out before reason could suppress it again. “More than you can imagine.”

She slid from her barstool. “I can imagine a lot of things.”

He offered his arm. When she rested her hand in the crook of his elbow, a new rush of want seared through him. Her soft palm against his bare skin sent a series of deliciously tortuous images through his thoughts.

They only passed a handful of people between the bar and the elevator, and he was relieved when they were the only two people in the car. The glass walls were the only thing that kept him from pressing her against the doors and stealing a taste before they reached their destination.

The ride to the top floor seemed to take an eternity, but at least there was no one else around once they got there. He slid a hand into her back pocket, and she leaned against him as she led the way. Her hands trembled when she swiped the key through the lock.

The moment they were in her room, he spun to face her. He wrapped his fingers in her hair, pushed her back to the door, and pressed his lips to hers. She whimpered and shifted against him, fingers digging into his arms and holding him close.

They broke apart with a gasp, but he didn’t let go. “I’ve wanted to do that all day.”

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “Did it live up to the fantasy?”

He stepped back, grasping her fingers between his, and tugged her toward the bed. “Left it in the dust.”

He rested a hand on the side of her face, thumb tracing a line over her cheek. Her flushed skin seared his palm. Desire thrummed through him at the want reflected in her hazel eyes. He brushed his lips across hers, barely making contact. She gasped and closed her lids. He traced down her jaw to her neck. Every time she made a soft noise, she rubbed against him, and his cock twitched in response.

His hand slid to the base of her neck, fingers twisting in her hair, and he tugged. Her quiet mewls grew louder when he found the soft spot between her neck and shoulder and scraped it with his teeth. She pressed her entire frame to him, hand on the back of his head, holding him close. His blood pressure screamed in response, and he took the hint, sucking on the sensitive skin.

Hands roaming down her sides, he found the hem of her T-shirt and pushed up. She felt incredible against him, yielding and molding to his every touch. They broke apart long enough for him to tug her shirt over her head and toss it aside. His gaze raked over her smooth, pale skin. White lace restrained her round tits, chest rising and falling with each breath. He dipped his head to resume his attentions, seeking out her collarbone, and then licking lower.

Everything about her sensual movements drove his senses wild. He reached her breasts, kissing along the top of one mound before switching to the other. She stepped away, smiling when he gave her a questioning look. Reaching behind her back, she unhooked her bra and let it fall, catching it and tossing it aside. He brushed his thumbs over her swollen pink nipples. She gasped and arched her back.

The reaction spurred him on. He pinched one nub between his fingers, rolling it and occasionally pulling. He lowered his mouth to the other, tongue flicking lightly over the surface. She pressed closer, pushing into his mouth. He wrapped his mouth around the sensitive skin, sucking and scraping his teeth over her nipple. With each light bite, her moans grew louder, and her hips ground against him.

He alternated between breasts, sucking on one and kneading the other, his own ache straining against his jeans. She pulled his face back to hers, kissing him again. In one rapid movement, she grabbed the bottom of his shirt and tugged it over his head. Her fingers dropped to his waist again, only fumbling with his belt for a moment before undoing it.

And then something occurred to him. He frowned, disappointment crashing around him, and he rested his hand on hers, stepping back a few inches.

Jade hadn’t known what to make of him at the bar. He’d bounced between flirty and reserved enough to make her head spin. But once the door closed them off from the rest of the world, with the hunger in that first kiss…all her concerns evaporated.

Except that small frown on his face brought back all her doubt. She almost didn’t want to ask. Then again, what she really wanted was to keep exploring each other, and whatever was causing his dismay seemed to be stopping them. “What’s wrong?”

His expression shifted to a sheepish smile. “I maybe should’ve thought of this before. I don’t have any condoms.”

“Oh.” Right. It had been long enough since she’d been in a situation like this, she hadn’t even thought about it. No wonder he looked unhappy. Her shoulders slumped. As much as she was enjoying the moment, there were some risks she wasn’t willing to take.

His scowl morphed, and he met her gaze again, a wicked, seductive smile dancing in his eyes. He kissed up her neck, hands gliding down her sides and finding their way to the button on her jeans. His voice caressed her ear. “Then again, maybe we’re okay without.”

She covered his hands, more regret pulsing through her along with the heat of his skin against hers. How could she tell him she disagreed without completely ruining the evening?

“That is.” He nipped her earlobe. “If you don’t mind letting me watch.”