Tough Sell (Tough Love Book 1) Page 14

  What? She had that sultry, mischievous look on her face again. “Your own what?”

  “Wrecking ball.” She was grinning now, looking at him with joy in her eyes and vulnerability too. “You know the song? By Eric Church?” She paused and when he just shook his head, she whispered, “He’s imagining coming home after a long time away, crashing through the door and taking her against the wall. It’s so sexy.”

  Edward turned this over. The conversation was far from where he would expect it to be.

  “It’s sexy,” she continued, “because he can’t get enough of her, because he wants her so badly.” A deep sigh and her chest rose, fell. “Nobody has ever wanted me so badly they kicked a door open to get me to bed faster.” She looked him in the eye. “Being with you makes me feel … well, important.” Her blue-green eyes held his. Brave, she was brave to speak to him this way. He could see it in her eyes, that she expected something different than what he felt, something smaller. And still she told him this anyway. He kissed her fingers.

  “So, when I said this was the best sex ever and you asked was it? that’s because you’re not sure if I just had my mind blown?”

  Dorothy’s smile slipped away. “Well, yeah. Yes.”

  He closed his eyes, took a breath and looked at her. “Dorothy, I have never, in my entire life, had a sexual experience that was half as good as this. I want to do this again as soon as possible. But that’s not half of it, Dorothy.” She was looking at him wide-eyed and he thought it was possible she was holding her breath. Had nobody ever been overwhelmed with lust for this woman? How could that be? “If it was just that we had great chemistry, I’d still be in over my head, but you, you are … incredible. You want to create a wonderful campaign for my company. My company.” He gave her hand a shake. “And now … we’re just holding hands and I have …” He couldn’t finish the sentence. He couldn’t say to her how desperately he craved simple affection. She didn’t want a weak loser. She wanted a wrecking crew.

  Edward leaned over and kissed her forehead. “What do you say, we put on warm, comfy clothes and have omelets while you show me what you have in that suitcase?” A look of confusion crossed her face but she smiled softly and kissed him back.

  “OK, you got it.” She looked around. “Can I borrow some flannel pants?”

  Chapter 11

  Dorothy let the hot water roll over her. Ed had joined her in the shower for a few minutes, soaping up, and then kissing her, while the water washed the soap away. She thought he’d looked regretful as he stepped out and dried off, telling her to enjoy the hot water, while he started some food. She wasn’t sure how the man was still awake, she knew women stayed awake after sex much easier than men and he had certainly given it his all this evening.

  Her hands slid lightly over her body. She felt so freakin’ beautiful, she could hardly believe this was her real life. The reality of her position took that opportunity to slide back into her mind. This wasn’t really her real life, was it? She wasn’t really going to make a terrific campaign and save Ed. She was an assistant that took too much time from the rest of the staff. She was a day away from unemployment and letting Ed Walker down. Her arms hung limply at her side and she let the water pound on her back. How the hell was she going to fix this mess?

  “Are you ready, lady?” His voice called from the other side of the door. One step at a time. First step, answer the man.

  “Just a sec.” Dorothy turned the water off. “I’ll be out in a flash.”

  She only had the clothes she’d worn there—and she didn’t relish putting them all back on. She shut the water off, toweled her hair and ran her fingers through it and stuck her head out the door.

  “Ed, do you have a comb or hair dryer I can use? And um, those flannels?”

  She heard drawers opening and then the man himself came in. As he entered the tiny bathroom to look through the medicine chest for a comb, she found herself leaning against his back, her hands lightly resting on his hips. “You’re so warm, Ed.”

  He turned in her arms and leaned down and kissed her. “Here are your pants and your Mets jersey. I brought a pair of clean boxers if you want them … Probably not your size …”

  “Oh, this is perfect! Um, do you have a small tank top too?”

  Ed left and popped back in with a small T-shirt. “I had some company T’s here … this is a small.”

  Dorothy pulled on the T-shirt, tight enough to give her boobs some support, the boxers, flannels and her Mets jersey. She felt warm, cozy and just wonderful. After combing her hair and giving it a little blow dry, she headed out to the kitchen.

  The kitchen had a breakfast bar that divided it from the living room. She sat there and watched as Ed went about making some easy omelets and toast for them. He had made a pot of coffee too.

  “No single cup coffee maker?” Dorothy asked, leaning her chin on her hands.

  “Well … I wish I could say no, since they pretty much took over the globe with tiny plastic garbage.” He grimaced as he answered and then pointed to a unit by his computer. “I use the refillable inserts though, with ground coffee.”

  Dorothy smiled. “I expected nothing less, but I wasn’t judging … just teasing.”

  Ed put the plates on the breakfast bar and pulled up a stool to sit across from her. “So, what did you plan on getting done tonight?”

  The man was all business now. Now was the time she should tell him. She looked down at her plate. She had been raised by a self-made man. Business was no joke, she knew.

  “Ed?”

  He looked at her gently, a small smile on his face. “Yeah?”

  “You know they want to fire me, right?”

  “I know.”

  “And I know I said I want to save your business,” her face felt like it was on fire, “and I do, I really do. But I’m not sure I can.”

  “I know. I’m not sure you can either.” He brushed his fingers over her warm cheek. “You are so lovely.” He cleared his throat. “I’m not sure I can save my company for that matter. But then, nothing great comes with guarantees, you know? The only thing that counts is that we go all in. We strive, we try. That has to be enough.”

  Dorothy considered Ed. He seemed to believe what he said. She wasn’t so sure. She pretty much thought success was the key ingredient in greatness. “Well, then, I’ll get my brochures,” she said.

  For the next four hours, they marked up the brochures, went over the products, and outlined the campaign. It would highlight the most sensational products and then lure interested people to a website. Then they would be, hopefully, surprised and delighted at all the other products they found there. Dorothy’s plan was to make the website a place where people would feel hope. She wanted them to believe that climate reversal was possible and that they could make a real difference, right away. The site should be a place that gave them a sense of control.

  “Wow,” Ed said looking over all the drawings and the outline of their work. “Just wow.” He gave her a quick hug. “This looks so vibrant and, and, well, fun I guess.” Warm pleasure seeped through her at his praise. He really seemed to like it, to like her work, to like her. It was too good to be true, wasn’t it? She looked at the clock.

  “Whoa. It’s really late. Can it be after midnight?” Dorothy yawned and contemplated the subway at midnight, the walk home. “Guess I should have brought an overnight bag after all.” She smiled. “I better pack it in for the night.”

  They chatted about ideas as they gathered up all her stuff. She shoved her clothes and heels in the bag. “Mind if I steal these pants?” Dorothy pushed on the bag and tugged the zipper closed while she waited for Ed to say “sure.” When nothing came, she stopped and looked up at him. “Ed?” He was standing there, his face serious, his rugged face looking thoughtful as he looked at her. She straightened up. Hands shoved into the pockets of his sweats, biceps stretching his white cotton T-shirt, he looked like an advertisement for men’s casual wear. “What is it? Do you want me to l
eave them here?”

  He just shook his head slowly and prowled closer to her. She took a step back and something in that retreat seemed to stop him. He reached for her and drew her toward him. Hugging her close, resting his chin on the top of her head, his heart thudding in her ear. What the heck was going on here, this couldn’t just be about the ten-dollar flannels or the giveaway T-shirt. Dorothy wrapped her arms around him, feeling the lean strength in his back and waited to see what he would do next.

  Ed clutched Dorothy to his chest, praying she hadn’t seen his emotions written on his face. He stroked her back and her arms crept around him. He could feel the thudding of his heart as he waited out the storm inside him.

  The idea that this lovely woman was going to wear his clothes home shouldn’t wreck him but it did. Women didn’t just start showering at his place, borrowing his clothes and hang around to work late into the night. And they didn’t leave his place, warm, comfortable and sleepy, secure in thinking they would bring his stuff back later. They used him for sex and never saw him again, that is if they could even get past his quirks and aggression. He gave the woman in his arms a squeeze. She wanted a wrecking ball. She didn’t want an insecure man overcome with gratitude. He smiled to himself. He couldn’t do much to change who he was, but he for sure could be an aggressive idiot, if that was what she liked. Feeling better, Ed pulled his hands back and let his thumbs play with the bottoms of her tits. So soft, so full, better than anything. His cock started to harden and he felt Dorothy smile against his chest.

  “Hmmm,” she moaned. “Don’t wind me up and send me away again, mister.”

  He actually growled when she said that. He wanted to tell her he never wanted to let her go, but it was way too soon for that. “I could tie you to the bed,” he suggested instead.

  She wiggled against him. “Um, nooo. I’m too sleepy and happy right now. It’s cuddle all night or bust.” She looked up at him. “Pick one or I’m leaving with your pajama pants on.” She smiled broadly. “Unless you want to pay for the taxi?” She tipped her head.

  “If you go home, I’ll ride over in the cab with you,” Ed said, alarmed that she might travel some other way home. “Or you could stay here and we’ll cuddle. I can do cuddle if I have to. After all, I built a carbon cleaning tailpipe adapter. I oughta be able to do anything.”

  Dorothy’s beautiful sea green eyes watched him and she seemed to hesitate. “You can’t possibly be this nice.”

  “I’m not,” he said, a little shocked. Did she want nice? Lord, he was twisting himself up here. “But it’s late, you’re warm, beautiful and smell terrific. Curling up and sleeping together sounds great to me.” He tried a smile out on her and she beamed at him.

  The Mets jersey came off and she tossed it on top of her bag. She toed off her sneakers and the socks followed, landing on her bag too. Her tits were high and pert and braless under his company logo. Another thing to remember for later. He shut off the lights, took her hand and she followed him to bed. Best. Day. Ever.

  Chapter 12

  There was a soft snoring behind Dorothy and the feel of a warm body pressed against her back. She smiled to herself before she opened her eyes. She was sleeping in Ed’s bed and it was wonderful. The room was small and cramped but she’d had mind blowing sex here and then had a for-real spoon sleep. Keeping her eyes closed, she let herself drift a bit. This just felt so damn good. Saturday, sleeping in, having a man in bed with her and no plans. Wait, big plans for today, if she wanted to have any hope of success on Monday. Last night they had gone over all his products, and she’d brainstormed ways of changing the website, but she still needed to do all the prototypes and she needed to find a print shop to do the display placards from the photos she’d done by the green screen. Not to mention, she needed to draft a high-level marketing on-a-shoestring campaign. She had so much to do.

  Trying to ease out of the bed without waking Ed was a wasted effort. His arm tightened around her waist and he pulled her close, biting on the side of her neck. Desire went to war inside her with the fear of not doing this right, of not being good enough. The fear won. She turned, kissed him on the nose and then slid out of bed. His groan of complaint followed her out of the room, making her smile a little to herself. She gave herself the once over in the bathroom. Brushing her teeth, hair and washing her face was all she could do. By the time she came out, Ed was standing in the kitchen, one coffee on the counter, waiting for the coffee maker to brew a second cup. He kissed her on the cheek and took her place in the bathroom.

  “So you didn’t tell me you’re an early riser,” he said.

  She raised her coffee. “I hope this was mine. And I’m not an early riser normally, but I have a lot of work to do before Monday.”

  “OK, what do you need from me?”

  “Other than hot sex?”

  “In addition to hot sex. That comes with the package.”

  Blast it. Her eyes went right to there and he totally caught her. She blushed and looked anywhere but at him. “I don’t think I need anything more right now. I have to take some of the photo composites that we created last night, add the copy to them and then take them to the print shop … I mean find a print shop and then have them printed.” She took a breath. “And then I can start on the formal plan that I have to present for the campaign.”

  “OK, you don’t have a print shop you normally use?”

  “Well, we actually have one at the office but I need to have these done before Monday. I can’t count on the guys in the office shop being able to do this on Monday and I don’t want to mess it up. So no, I’ll have to find one that’s open today. There must be one in this city.”

  “There is, and I use them for carton labels and brochures.” He smiled at her. “I’ll call them when they open and then if you email me the photos and the instructions, I’ll take them over and have them printed.”

  “You will? I mean, you’re the client, you shouldn’t have to worry about any of that.”

  “Yeah, well I guess that’s an advantage of sleeping with your client—he doesn’t mind helping out.”

  Dorothy froze. “What?” The look on Ed’s face spoke volumes. It was clear he hadn’t meant it as it sounded. “You didn’t …”

  “Oh God, Dorothy, no. No. I meant I want to help you, to get you stuff, carry your bags, do stuff for you like any guy would, who was …” he hesitated.

  “Who was what?” she asked carefully.

  “Who was hoping to date you,” he said softly back.

  Her chest felt a little tight at that. How could he know that already? Normally, she people-pleased and men ran. Well, young men ran. Ed was a little older than the men she normally dated. By how much, she wasn’t sure.

  “Let’s see if you still feel that way after Monday,” she replied. He might never want to see her again if she blew this gig. “But I’ll take your help with the printing. That would be great.” She put down the coffee cup and picked up her bag.

  “Are you leaving?” Ed frowned.

  “I have to, I won’t get anything done here.”

  Ed offered to take her home in a cab and she was too selfish to say no. The truth was, she didn’t want their morning to end yet, so they rode together, thighs touching, holding hands and stealing kisses in the cab. Then he carried her bag to the door and softly kissed her goodbye. “Email me those pictures. I’ll take you to dinner tonight when you’re ready to call it a day, OK?”

  “If I’m done … I’m not going to stop for dinner unless I can,” she warned. She watched the cab leave and then trotted up the stairs in a burst of happiness.

  By the time the afternoon came around, she had emailed the pictures for the website to Ed. She had created the farm scenes she had imagined the first time they met, overlaid photos of the products onto exquisite pictures of sparkling fields shining with dew, populated with healthy looking black and white cows. She had added copy to them explaining how these products helped the land, the animals and the earth’s ecosyst
em. She had overlaid photos of highways passing through scenic areas and clean looking cities, with the tailpipe extender, and added copy to that. She had created a storyboard for how the website should unfold and she had told him which pictures she wanted blown up into large placards. Dorothy’s back ached from hunching over her laptop while she sat at the rickety kitchen table. She got up and strolled through to the living room. Outside it looked like a beautiful day. Opening the window brought in the sounds of the street and fresh air and that gave her a little second wind. She decided to take fifteen minutes and then she’d start on the campaign advertisements.

  With her cell phone in hand, she headed out of the apartment to do a quick walk around the block and while she was at it, she gave give her mom a call. Her mom answered on the first ring.

  “Hi, Mom, how are you?” Dorothy said.

  “Oh Dottie! I’m so glad you called!”

  “You are? Why? What’s up?” Dorothy couldn’t help smiling at her mom’s cheerful voice.

  “Oh, your dad and I are thinking of coming down your way and trying a new restaurant tonight. Do you want to join us?”

  “I’m working on an important project and the client was going to take me to dinner.”

  “Oh well, I guess you don’t want your parents at a work meeting.”

  Well, this was a sticky thing. Her client was fast becoming her beau too. Dorothy rounded the corner, already back on her block and almost to her door. She looked down at her sneakers, churning along the sidewalk.

  “Well, I’m not sure he would want to go to dinner with my parents, and I’m not even sure I’ll have time to go out tonight …” Dorothy let out a yelp as she turned to go up the flight of steps to her door. Ed was there and leaning against the handrail was a colorful stack of placards. Strong hands grabbed her by the upper arms. “Oh,” she grunted.

  “If that’s about dinner tonight, I would love to eat with your parents,” he said.