All the Pretty Girls Read online

I thought about playing it cool and shrugging off his question like it was no big deal. But one thing I really liked about Nick was he didn’t leave me guessing. He said he was going to call and he did. Well, he sent a text, but he’d done it the next day after our first date. He didn’t give me time to wonder if he liked me or talk myself out of what I felt. He deserved the same in return.

  “I’d like that.”

  “Good. Come on. I’ll walk you in before you’re late and Beth gives you more shit.”

  He bent down and gave me a soft peck before he grabbed my hand and steered me through the double doors and didn’t let go until I was safely at my desk.

  With another kiss and a promise to call, he was gone.

  I stowed my broken purse, reminding myself to stop by the mall on the way home to buy a new one and pulled out my cell.

  Me: Date number two in the books.

  The response was immediate just as I knew it would be.

  VV21: What? When?

  Me: Lunch today. Sigh. I think I’m in love.

  VV21: WHAT?! Love? Isn’t it too soon for that? Meadow, you need to be careful. You don’t know anything about him. And remember he needs something from you. Are you sure he’s not using you? Sounds too good to be true.

  I stared at the screen in disbelief. I’d thought Veronica Venus would be happy for me. I was hurt she was so negative about my relationship with Nick and this was the second time she told me he was using me for information.

  Me: Stop worrying. It was a turn of phrase; I’m not really in love with him. Back at work. Talk later.

  So, that might have been a small white lie. I wasn’t in love with Nick – Veronica Venus was right, it was too soon for that - but I was well on my way to falling. I could definitely love him, and the thought gave me butterflies.

  “Meadow! The reports,” Beth yelled from her office door.

  Sigh.

  Why was Beth always so miserable? Would it kill her to smile every once in a while?

  “Coming,” I answered, and sent one more text.

  Me: Best kiss ever! To answer your question in case you were wondering – no, I’ve never made out with a younger man. Or anyone in an elevator before. I approve. We should do that again, and SOON. Have fun with Sally tonight. Give her a scratch for me. xoxo

  I turned my phone off and tossed it in my drawer and grabbed the file Beth wanted. With a deep breath, I prepared to enter the den of doom and gloom, reminding myself it didn’t matter what Beth said to me, it never had, I was happy. I wouldn’t allow her to steal that from me.

  Not today.

  Not ever again.

  I was back!

  Chapter 17

  I’m there

  The last few weeks, the Butcher case notwithstanding, have been nothing short of a miracle. Watching Meadow slowly come back to herself was a thing of beauty. Each time we’d gone out, her confidence grew. On our first lunch date, I saw the shock on her face when the hostess and waitress didn’t pay us any attention. I watched as she worked through her emotions, every thought played across her pretty face but I didn’t tell her I saw. Now, she seemed to take it in stride that no one treated us, or her, any differently when we went out in public. I’d tried to mask my surprise when we met at Sam’s this morning, and she had her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Something so small was a huge step for her. Meadow always wore her hair down over her shoulder trying to use her shiny red locks to cover the scar on her face. Today? Today she wore it up, not trying to hide. I was so proud of her. So damn proud I couldn’t resist taking her in my arms in the middle of the coffee house and kissing the hell out of her.

  Another thing that had changed was, our text messages had become increasingly X-rated. She was driving me crazy with her suggestive messages. She still couldn’t bring herself to flirt with me in person, but I kind of liked that she was sweet and shy in person and a sexy minx over text. The contrast drove me wild. She didn’t know that tonight after I dropped her off after our date I planned on speeding home and calling her. We were going to take the next step from text to phone sex. I was taking our physical relationship at a snail’s pace. I deserved a gold medal for rebuffing her advances. Kissing had turned into full-on make-out sessions on either my couch or hers. I’d limited touching to over our clothes, even when she tried to get sneaky and push her hand under the elastic of my track pants. I’d stopped her and kissed her silly. It was killing me, but I needed to know she was ready. I had to know without a doubt she no longer believed herself to be filler. I was falling in love with her, and it would crush me if she thought I was using her.

  “Christ! You’re beautiful.” I looked up from the pile of mail on my table in time to watch her walk in the living room.

  We’d spent the day with Sally at the dog park. The entire time we were there, Meadow was happy and playing with Sally. I still hadn’t told her that Gabe was ready, and Sally would be leaving the week after next. She was going to be crushed, she and Sally had grown close. Selfishly, I wished we could keep her. The dog did a world of good for Meadow.

  An hour ago we’d come home to drop off Sally and get cleaned up for dinner. And holy shit did Meadow clean up well. She’d let her hair out of the confines of the band, and it fell in waves down her back, giving me an unobstructed view of her cleavage. Since I’d met her, she always dressed very conservatively, never wanting to draw attention to herself. The short black dress with a neckline that scooped down showing off her impressive breasts was not going to allow her to blend in. Men and women alike wouldn’t be able to help but notice her. If the dress wasn’t enough, the sky-high red heels were sure to turn heads. Fuck! I wasn’t going to be able to keep my hands off her.

  “Too much?” she asked.

  Her rosy cheeks and flaming red hair were too irresistible. I abandoned the mess on the table and moved to her.

  “No. Never too much. You are a beautiful woman. It doesn’t matter what you wear, but this? Holy shit, Meadow, I’m reconsidering going out. There’s no way I’ll be able to control my hard-on.” She smiled and lowered her eyes. “Does that bother you? Knowing I’ll be sitting across from you all night rock hard because I’ll be imagining what you’re wearing under that dress?”

  “No,” she whispered.

  “Look at me.” I waited until she lifted her eyes to me. “I love that you’re so shy. Christ, you make my dick throb when you blush and turn away at the slightest hint of me having an erection or when I know you’re turned on by something I’ve said. But Red, I want to see your pupils dilate and your face flush. I want you to look at me when I tell you that I cannot wait to taste every inch of your body. I need you to see what you do to me. You drive me wild, Meadow. I’m looking forward to the day when I can watch you come apart in my arms. I don’t want you to hide from me, not anymore.”

  She nodded and licked her lips before she replied. “I’m…umm…not used to feeling sexy. But you make me feel like I am. I promise it has nothing to do with…you know…even before I never thought of myself like that. I’m nervous because I want it to be good for you, but I’m scared I won’t be any good at the sex stuff. I want to be. Every time we kiss on the couch I want more, but you always stop.”

  “I stop because I want to take this slow with you. I need you to be a hundred percent comfortable with what we’re doing and where we’re going. I want nothing more than to sink into you, baby, trust me. But it’s more than physical. I don’t just want you tonight and a few nights after. I want to go the distance. I’m in this for the long run. I won’t take you until I know you’re there with me.”

  “I’m there, Nick,” she pouted.

  So goddamned cute.

  “Almost. We’re almost there, Red. Besides, think how good it’s going to be when we finally make our way to a bed. Anticipation.”

  “Fine. But I want it on the record; I’m ready now. Will you kiss me before I put on my lipstick?” she asked, then raised her head fully to hold my gaze. “And just so you know; all night wh
en you’re sitting across from me I won’t be able to stop thinking about your hard-on, and how it will feel in my hand and in my mouth when you finally lift the sex moratorium.”

  Jesus H. I couldn’t believe my ears. I might’ve shaken my head a few times to knock the surprise of her words clear before I gave her the kiss she asked for.

  Each time we’d kissed was no less exciting than the last. In fact, they got better and better. Meadow was more confident, bold, and trusting. Her tongue danced with mine, and when she bit my bottom lip, I nearly lost control. My hand tightened in her hair. Tugging, I tilted her head, giving me a better angle to fully control the kiss. Damn, she tasted like heaven, and in a moment of weakness I broke the kiss so I could finally taste her neck. Dipping lower, I ran my tongue across the exposed flesh of her cleavage. She had great tits, and the thought of sucking and biting her nipples until they were hard peaks had my dick throbbing and begging for relief. With a final peck on her lips, I pulled back and had to take several calming breaths before I could talk.

  “We need to leave the house, now. While I still have enough self-control.”

  She didn’t answer. Instead, she nodded and followed me to the door.

  ***

  The restaurant was packed, leaving us to wait at the bar until our table was ready. I was a little surprised when Meadow ordered a beer; I took her for more of the wine type. When I told her so, she laughed and explained that wine made her sleepy, and if she was sleepy she’d start thinking of crawling into her bed, which would lead to thoughts of us getting into bed and me licking her all the places I’d promised. She wasn’t doing my dick any favors. It still hadn’t fully softened after our kiss, and after her whispered admission, I was rock hard again.

  The well-being of my dick won out, and I pulled Meadow close. Taking her hand, I placed it over my erection. Keeping her hand under mine, I used it to adjust, relieving some of the pressure. Her body locked and her hand squeezed. Fuck, that felt good.

  “Soon,” I whispered and brought our hands up to my mouth, kissing her fingers.

  “I’m not above begging,” she said, low enough none of the other patrons could hear.

  “There are a lot of things I’ll make you beg for. Touching me will never be one of them.”

  “Hi, guys!”

  Meadow nearly fell over the bar stool she was half sitting half leaning against when she heard the exuberant voice over her shoulder.

  A shock of greenish blue hair and a huge smile greeted me when I looked from Meadow to the voice.

  “Becky, right?” I asked.

  “Hey, yeah. Weird seeing you outside of Sam’s,” she said.

  Meadow relaxed and turned to the barista. “You changed the color of your hair. It looks great.”

  “Oh, yeah, I was tired of the purple. Mom keeps telling me my hair is going to fall out if I keep bleaching it, but, you know. One day I’ll have to get a real job and do that adulting stuff. I won’t be able to have crazy hair anymore. Anyway, sorry to bother you, I just wanted to say hi.”

  “No bother. It was nice seeing you too,” Meadow told her.

  “Oh, one more thing. Not that it’s a big deal or anything, but my last day at the shop will be next week. I’m training the new person starting tomorrow. Make sure you come in. I want to introduce her to my regulars and teach her how you all like your coffee before I leave.”

  “Oh no. You’re leaving? Why? My vanilla coffee will never taste the same,” Meadow teased.

  “I graduated last June. Mom was happy to have me stay until I found a real job using my degree. I finally did. I start in two weeks,” Becky explained.

  “Well, then, I guess I’ll learn to love my coffee even if it’s not as good as when you make it.” Meadow smiled at her.

  “What kinda job?” I asked.

  “I got a teaching job. I majored in early childhood development with an emphasis on delayed and learning disabilities. I’m so excited. It’s a great private school; I’ll be in a first-grade classroom.”

  “That’s wonderful. What a great job.” Meadow’s smile faltered, but she quickly recovered, the same way she did anytime something to do with children was brought up.

  “Good luck! We’ll be in to see you before you leave,” I told her.

  Becky waved goodbye and took off to join a group of girls on the other side of the bar, right fucking next to where Beth was standing. Her eyes followed Becky with a look of pure hate. Well, it was good to know Beth was simply a bitch of epic proportions and didn’t only have it out for Meadow. I bet she was a lonely spiteful woman who wondered why she couldn’t get or keep a man. It was everyone else’s fault she was unhappy. A woman like Beth would never look in the mirror and admit their shortcoming. It was easier to blame others.

  The pager the hostess gave me when I’d checked us in for our reservation vibrated in my pocket, alerting me that our table was ready. Just in time. The last thing I wanted was Beth’s presence throwing a wet blanket over Meadow’s happiness.

  “Come on, Red. Let’s eat. The sooner we’re finished, the sooner we can get home.”

  Meadow shivered just as I hoped she would. Tonight, I was going to walk my woman through the best orgasm she’s ever had. That was until I got my hands her. Then I’d see to it personally that tonight’s was blown out of the water.

  Chapter 18

  I’ll call you

  “You’re leaving? But…”

  Nick had walked me straight into my apartment, kissed the ever-loving hell out of me until I’d lost my mind and was so turned on I was rubbing myself against his erection. I’d finally gotten a handful of it at the restaurant, and since then all I could think about was touching it without the fabric stopping me from skin-on-skin contact.

  “I want you to do me a favor,” he told me, pulling back.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “It takes me twenty minutes to get home,” he informed me of something I already knew. “I want you to take a shower, slip into bed, and wait for me to call. Can you do that for me?”

  I was confused why he’d want me to take a shower, but the hopeful way he looked at me had me agreeing.

  “Um. Yeah.”

  “Good. Twenty minutes. I’ll call you as soon as I walk in.”

  With a too-short kiss, he was out the door, leaving me standing with my forehead against the cool wood wondering what he was planning.

  I rushed through a shower, grabbed PJ’s, and hopped into bed. The wait was excruciating – longest twenty minutes of my life.

  When my phone finally rang, I fell out of bed reaching it for it; I was so excited.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Red. Did you do as I asked?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. Are you in bed?” he asked.

  “Yep.”

  “What are you wearing?”

  “Wearing?” I didn’t understand the question. Did he want to know what color my panties were or if I was wearing PJs?

  “Yeah, babe. Wearing. There’s no right or wrong answer. I just need to know where to start,” he chuckled.

  “Start?”

  What the hell was he talking about?

  “Meadow. Answer my question. After your shower what did you put on before you got into bed?”

  “Oh, my PJs. A t-shirt and shorts,” I finally answered, still unsure what my choice of clothing had to do with anything.

  “Are you wearing a bra?”

  I nearly swallowed my tongue at his question.

  “No.”

  “Good. Now I want you to lie back and relax. Remember what I said to you tonight before dinner?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Remember I told you I’d be sitting across from you with my dick hard, thinking about what was under your dress? And before we left, I got my first taste of your beautiful tits?”

  Holy sweet baby Jesus… was he… were we…

  “Yeah.”

  “You have no idea how hard it was to walk out the door and not waste sho
wing you off in that pretty dress. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to march us down the hall and taste you all over. When you told me you were thinking about touching my dick and sucking me off, I nearly came in my pants. The thought of my cock in your mouth is so fucking sexy; I’m afraid to touch my dick right now. And at the bar when you said having a glass of wine would make you think about us crawling into bed together? Well, you felt how hard you made my dick.”

  He stopped talking, and I heard the rustle of clothes on his end. I was tingling all over, a little scared, excited, and a whole lot turned on. I’d never done this. I’d never had the courage to talk dirty before. Was I supposed to say something to him? Was I supposed to touch myself too? There was no way I would be able to stop myself if he kept talking.

  “Meadow, baby, I want you to push just your shorts down your legs.”

  “Okay.” I did as he asked. “Are you…um… naked?” I managed to squeak out.

  “Yes.”

  Holy fuck. Nick was naked! And on the phone with me. Naked. The thought caused another wave of heat to rush through my body. I untangled my shorts from my ankles and kicked them off the bed. The chill of the room did nothing to cool my fevered skin.

  “Are you comfortable?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “Uh-uh,” I answered.

  “Why not, Red. What’s wrong?”

  “Because I’m so turned on I ache, and you’re at your house, and I’m here at mine.”

  “Ah. We’ll take care of the ache, Red.”

  “But I want you here,” I whined.

  “If I was there what would you want me to do?”

  “Touch me,” I whispered.

  “Touch you? Where baby? Where do you want my hands first?”

  “Between my legs?”

  “Uh-uh. I’ll start a little higher. I can’t wait to feel your skin pebble with goose bumps as I trail my hands around your breasts, feeling their weight as I squeeze and massage them. Jesus, you have great tits, baby. I cannot wait to touch them. I’m going to trace around your nipples with my tongue until they’re tight buds standing at attention, begging for me to suck them. Only when I get my fill, and I have you panting with need, will I move lower to your belly, tasting your skin, kissing and nibbling my way farther down. Tell me, Meadow, are you touching yourself?”