Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 47254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
I was hooked on the guy.
Or maybe I was hooked on having daily wild monkey sex.
No, it was definitely Theo. I felt alive in a way I hadn’t in years. And it was all him. Sure, I could credit the exhilaration of making money doing something I loved and his place in making that happen, but it was more than that.
It was as though I’d set a heavy weight down and freed some nameless thing inside me. At first, I only felt it with Theo. I appreciated his fresh perspective, his quiet intelligence, and his quirky mannerisms. His relentlessly sunny disposition was a balm to the soul I didn’t know I needed.
But it was easier for me to wrap my head around the idea that we were unlikely friends who’d bonded on a flight and stumbled into sexual attraction.
Wait. Let me rephrase that…mind-blowing hedonistic, wild, fuck-you-like-an-animal chemistry.
No shit. “Code night” was a game-changer. With minimal discussion, we’d established a loose set of rules that consisted of maintaining a professional relationship to fine-tune my marketing output while engaging in marathon sexy sessions whenever and however we could.
I was pleased to report that we were pros at both. Like I said, I’d never been busier in January and I’d never had customers clamoring for one specific product.
I also couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this horny for one person.
Okay, fine…I remembered. It had been a while, and Theo was nothing like Jack. Theo was eager and unfettered. He didn’t play games or keep secrets. It wasn’t in his nature to connive or contrive. He was more concerned with proving he still had marketing chops.
Sex was a side benefit…a release. And we both really fucking needed that release. We’d discuss price margins and social media relevance with Joanne or whoever happened to be in the store, then head upstairs and go at each other like hungry wolves, tearing at clothing in a quest to get to skin.
Yesterday morning was a great example. He’d stopped by the bakery to pick up a DIY box of fairy cakes for a new potential local collaboration. Or something like that.
I didn’t ask too many questions. I handed over the box and asked if he had a minute to go over a spreadsheet. Which I thought sounded better than “Do you want to go fuck on my sheets?”
He’d climbed the stairs after me, chattering away about conversion rates and the strength of the dollar versus the pound. I’d grunted in acknowledgment as I pulled him into my flat, pushed him against the door, and got on my knees for him. I worshiped his cock as though he were my new religion, sucking and licking him to oblivion. Theo’d returned the favor…’cause he was polite like that. And afterward, we’d made out until our lips hurt.
He returned later that afternoon and spent the night. I had to say, I liked waking up next to him and I liked—
“Ha-llo, love. Are you there?” Becca waved her hand in front of my face.
“Sorry.” I blinked and stepped aside. “I must have spaced out.”
“Right. You like him.” Her lilting accent made the statement sound like a question.
“Who?”
“The adorable fairy cake prince,” she huffed in exasperation. Her tone was light and teasing, but fiddling with her apron strings was a clue that something was off.
I studied Becca’s yellow Converse trainers and matching lemon print dress. She was quirky like Theo. I seemed to gravitate toward people who walked to the beat of their own drum, but I was crap at reading them. In Becca’s case, it was weird ’cause she was unfailingly open and honest. Sometimes to a fault. But I appreciated her fearless aesthetic and her candor. It confused me when she held back.
“Yeah. I like him.”
That was it. That was all I had to say. I didn’t have to give details. I didn’t owe her any explanations. I had nothing to hide, but I also didn’t see the benefit in admitting how much I liked Theo when he was leaving in two weeks anyway.
But my dumbass grin gave me away. It started as the slightest curl of lips before slicing my face in half. Christ, I probably looked like a clown.
“Me too.” Becca returned the gesture with convincing enthusiasm, then pointed at her watch. “Off you pop. They’ll be looking for those cakes in Bath.”
I gave her a thumbs-up and headed for the exit.
Coward.
9
Theo
Note to self: take more vacations.
The past month had been memorable and fulfilling on so many levels. I’d spent quality time with my mother, touring the local countryside, walking the dogs in Wellies, and drinking more tea than I’d ever had in my life. I’d also helped a struggling bakery launch an ad campaign that was on track to double its sales.
The balance of being with family and exploring a new country while taking on a project that validated my creative skills was incredibly rewarding.