Good Girl : An Enemies-to-Lovers, Roommate Romance (Alphahole Roommates Book 2), page 32
I shouldn’t have spent Thursday night in her bed, taken her to dinner Friday and then spent Friday night sleeping with her on the couch. On top of me. Clinging to me like I was her favorite blanket. Fuck sakes.
I definitely shouldn’t have offered to take her out Saturday. I should’ve kept my distance from the start. I should’ve slammed that laptop shut when I read that story she was writing and never mentioned it again. Or fired her immediately.
Something.
What did I do instead? The opposite of what I should’ve done.
I open the fridge and there’s my dinner. And tomorrow’s lunch.
She made my lunch today, too, I was sort of surprised to find it and when I opened it at my desk today, I felt like shit. Because it was fajitas. She knows I love her fajitas. I don’t fucking deserve fajitas. I deserve some stale bread with dry meat and no cheese or mayo.
I definitely didn’t deserve the sweet little note she tucked in.
Austin,
I hope everything is okay with you. I’m here if you want to talk. No pressure.
-Jada
She made me barbeque sauce slathered spareribs, baked beans, and roasted potato wedges for tonight. My stomach growls. It smells fucking delicious. I warm it up and take it to the bedroom to eat it so I don’t chance running into her.
It tastes even better than it smells, and I eat every bite.
My phone rings as I’m putting my dinner plate into the dishwasher and it’s a long string of numbers, like when I got the call from Meryl.
“Hello?”
“Austin Carmichael?” a male voice asks.
“Yes?”
“This is Nathaniel Valerio. I’m engaged to Meryl Salinas.”
Fuck.
“I wanna ask you about this job you offered her.”
“Ask away, man. It’s all above-board.”
“You doin’ this to try to get her back?”
I roll my eyes.
“She was never mine, man.”
He says nothing.
“I’m not tryin’ to cause problems with you and your girl, Nathaniel. When we met, she was single. What happened with us was between me and her and right after that, she quit her job and flew home. She left and we didn’t see each other again until my brother’s wedding and barely made eye contact until you were there throwin’ punches. I offered her another job because she worked for me before, she did a good job, she’s already trained, and the company can use her skills. She won’t report directly to me and if she ever needs to come to San Diego or anywhere else for her job, I will gladly let her expense you coming along if it makes you feel better. If there ever comes a time where I need to see her face to face, unless it’s a company function with other people, you can be there.”
“I trust her,” he says.
“Good for you.” I don’t mean to come across condescending, but I’m sure I do.
“I just don’t know you, and I know what I read about you in her journal, man. I’m sorry for how I came across when I met you. I went into a jealous rage.”
“No you’re not sorry for how you came across. Don’t blow smoke, Nathaniel, bud. You’re just sayin’ that because I’m about to become the boss of your future wife.”
He laughs a little nervously.
“I didn’t handle things right that day, either,” I admit. “I wasn’t even nice to her and I regret that. I guess I had a bruised ego that she took off. Hey, it’s your ring on her finger, not mine, so she’s obviously where she wants to be.”
“She says I acted like an ape. Gave me the ice queen treatment the rest of the trip and fuck, it would’ve been nice to enjoy that place with her.”
“Maybe I’d be the same. No hard feelings, man.”
“Thanks. She said you’re a good guy. I started listening to her and wanted to talk to you myself. See how I feel.”
“I’m not after your girl, Nathaniel.”
“Thanks. Not that I think you’d win or anything…”
There’s humor in his voice right now.
I snicker. “Have a good night.”
“You too, man,” he says and hangs up.
Ten minutes later I get an email from Meryl.
Thank you, Austin. I’ll take the job. Sorry for the delay. I’m signing my offer letter now and sending it to HR at head office. I look forward to working for Carmichael Consulting again. Thank you for the opportunity. I won’t disappoint you.
Best Wishes,
Meryl.
P.S. Sorry Nate called so late. And thank you for giving him your time.
I reply with a simple welcome aboard again.
***
Tuesday
I come back early because my schedule yesterday was brutal and I was back in the office early this morning, so I’ve had enough for the day.
I know, coming in that I’ll probably run into her, but I’ve already decided to play it cool, say hello, and go straight to the bedroom to catch a few hours’ sleep. Then I’ll go to the gym and kill time, not coming back until she’s in bed. Yeah, my life has devolved to this – hiding from the girl I was forced to hire to clean the apartment and cook for me.
When I walk in, she’s mopping the kitchen floor.
Mopping the fucking floor.
Like in her Austin Smut story.
She’s wearing lose but short black jersey gym shorts and a white tank top. She’s got dance music playing, her hair up in a bun. She freezes, mop in her hand.
I stare at her. Instead of hanging my stuff on the coat rack like I usually do, I drop it on the floor and I’m immediately cutting up the space between us until I’ve got her face in my hands and then my tongue in her mouth. She drops the mop.
“Pick it up,” I order, gruffly.
This is a bad idea. A bad, bad fucking idea.
She stares wide-eyed at me. Her nipples are erect, poking through her white tank top. Her eyes are on me. Huge.
“I said pick it up,” I repeat.
Is she about to tell me to fuck off? She should.
She bends over to fetch it and I grab her hips with both hands and pull her ass to my crotch. She squeaks in surprise.
“Mop the floor, Jada,” I demand.
She’s frozen for a minute and it dawns that no, she’s not down to play any games with me. Of course she’s not. I’m an asshole.
I’m about to let go and apologize when the mop starts to move. She’s doing what she’s told.
My head rolls back as euphoria sweeps through me.
She’s not pushing me away. I grind against her ass while she does it.
She lifts the mop and pushes the lever to release water into the mop bucket, then dips it and presses the release again before she starts on the next row of tiles.
She’s trembling. And I fuckin’ like it.
I slip my hand up the side of her pantleg and push my finger under the elastic to get to her silky, hot pussy. I glide my finger back and forth a few times.
But the mop has stilled.
“Keep going,” I order, “Otherwise I’ll stop.”
She pushes it again and I reward her by cupping her left breast.
She leans back into me and squeezes her ass cheeks around my erection.
My eyes drift shut and then driven by need, I push her front up against the fridge and yank those shorts down past her hips and let them drop to her ankles. The mop crashes to the floor and stuff inside the fridge rattles.
“Stay there,” I demand. “If you move an inch, I’ll make you edge for a fucking hour.”
She shivers.
I smile as I rush to her room. There’s no box of condoms on her nightstand. I go to the bathroom. Not in the cabinet. I’m back in her room, opening the drawer to the bedside table and there they are, directly beside a pink rabbit vibrator.
Well, well, well.
I grab a condom and the vibrator and practically fly back to the kitchen where she still stands, looking so perfect, facing the fridge, her shorts around her ankles, her little black underwear askew so that one apple-bottom ass cheek is exposed. Her palms are against the fridge and the mop is still on the floor beside her.
I undo my suit pants, then roll up my sleeves, taking my time doing it, watching her, knowing she wants to squirm, turn around, something.
But she doesn’t.
She’s a perfectly good girl, standing there, waiting.
And she’s got no idea there’s a vibrator on the counter beside me.
I roll the condom on and then I’ve got her panties in my grip.
“Can I take these off?” I ask.
“Now you’re asking?” she retorts breathlessly.
Ooh. She’s feeling a little sassy.
I yank them down roughly and she jolts in surprise.
“Sassy sweetheart,” I chide and then I playfully nip her throat with my teeth.
She squeaks and then she tries to turn.
“Nope. You dropped the mop; don’t you know how to behave?”
“I do,” she whispers, stilling. “I can behave very well.”
Fuck yeah.
“Sir,” she adds after a swallow.
“Show me,” I whisper. “Stand there like a good girl and let me do what I wanna do to you.”
“Okay.”
“You understand this is all I’m capable of right now, Jada?” I ask.
She nods, saying nothing.
“I need to know that you do,” I say softly.
“I do,” she replies, her voice loud, clear, letting me know she gets it.
“Good,” I breathe, relieved.
I’ve lost half my hard-on with this moment of truth, so I decide to work her up so that it’ll work me up again.
I grab the vibrator from the counter and examine it.
Little minx. In there pleasuring herself when I’m across the hall? Fuck.
I flick it on and then I’ve got it between her legs.
Her knees buckle briefly and then I’m holding her up with my free hand banded across her ribcage, directly under her breasts.
She’s against me and my cock is immediately going from half-mast to fully reaching for the sky, so I grab it clumsily with my left hand while my right holds that vibrator against her clit. I position my cock at her entrance and slam up into her.
She whimpers. I press the pink silicone harder against her clit and push the button again to see if this thing will go any higher. It does.
I feel Jada jerk in reaction, so I do it again and then twice more until it sounds like we’re in a machine shop.
She whimpers and this has the effect of making her pussy clench around my shaft. No way has she used this at this level with me across the hall or I’d have heard it.
It feels too good, feeling her tremble around me while I’m inside her, and I take advantage of the access I’ve got and pull back a little so I can get my free hand to her breast, which was squished into the fridge. I scoot us over a few feet so that she’s leaned over the open counter instead, giving me more ability to grind into her, giving her room to bend forward and even brace on the counter ledge.
She does just that and I twist her nipple between my thumb, index, and middle finger, making her cry out a string of vowels. The mop bucket is in my way, directly against my ankle, so I shove it. Water sloshes over the edge, getting my pantleg wet.
“Shit.”
Jada lifts a foot out of the way, obviously now covered in sudsy water too, but we don’t stop. I continue pistoning into her, playing with her nipple, and holding that hot pink thing between her legs. My knuckles are mashed into the counter because I’m pushing into her so hard from behind, but the pleasure receptors are stronger than the pain ones, so I keep going.
She starts coming on my cock and I have a brief moment of wishing I wasn’t wearing a condom, because if this feels this good gloved, I can’t imagine what sort of heaven it’d be to feel her spasms around me without the millimeter of Latex between us.
She whimpers my name and I blow inside her, wishing my come was filling her body instead of this condom with a vivid ferocity that threatens to rip a hole in me.
The volume of want has just blown the speakers. It struck that hard.
I spin her and devour her mouth. She melts for me, opens for me, and I’m filled with the scent and taste of her.
Abruptly, she pulls back.
She pulls back and looks at me with horror in her eyes.
I flinch at the intensity of it and it immediately clears from her eyes.
She suddenly looks almost detached.
I take a step back and put the vibrator on the counter before I pull the condom off and drop it in the garbage can.
She squats, picks up her clothes from the floor, grabs the pink thing and then turns and goes. I hear a door close.
I look down at the half-mopped floor, at the puddle, and I drop a couple kitchen towels on it.
I sop up the water, then take the mop and bucket to the utility room and leave them there.
Jada’s in the bathroom.
She’s crying.
Fuck.
I put my forehead against the door, lift my fist to knock, but then the shower turns on and I no longer hear her.
I stand there a minute before I go to my bedroom, change my clothes, and then leave the apartment.
***
It’s now Thursday and I’ve successfully avoided her, except briefly Wednesday when she was going into the bathroom while I was leaving for work, late, because I’d been in a late-night conference call the night before. Our eyes met and she looked surprised to see me, then nothing else happened because I slid out the door without saying a word.
Today’s lunch is an egg salad sandwich on a croissant.
It makes my office stink and I’ve heard comments from someone nearby asking who the fuck brought egg salad for lunch.
Yep, egg salad at work is a crime, but I give no fucks. Someone else, I think it was Blake who used to work at our office in San Diego muttered it was ‘the boss’ and the noise hushed. I laughed as I ate it and loved every single bite of it. She’s put salt, pepper, and paprika on it and it tastes so good I wish she’d made me two.
There’s another note under the double-size pudding cup.
Pudding cup.
I laugh. Usually she puts fruit in my lunch. Or protein bars. Today I’ve got a pudding cup and a homemade Rice Krispie square treat. What’s with the pudding cup?
I’ve seen a whack of empty ones in the recycling bin, too. Clearly she’s eating pudding herself.
Another note.
Austin,
I hope you like egg salad. If not, let me know and I won’t make it for you again.
I have plans today that might make me get back late. I hope it’s okay if you can fend for yourself for dinner. I wasn’t organized enough to plan ahead. I’m sorry. If it’s not, message me before two o’clock if possible and I’ll make sure I get something ordered or picked up for you.
Thanks,
Jada
This girl.
I’m missing her.
But this is better. Better for both of us. Especially her.
Can I get away with fucking her again next time I see her? I don’t know. The way she switched into detached with me the other day – it has me thinking this is too much. That I should leave her be.
My cell phone rings at four o’clock.
“Hey, favorite sister-in-law!” I greet.
“Yo, what the fuck, buddy?” Carly asks and it takes a second to realize she’s not joking.
“Huh?”
“What the hell did you do to Jada?”
“Do to Jada?” I parrot.
“You broke her!”
I blink in surprise.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, but I don’t need to ask. I already feel it. Reality lashing across me like a whip covered in razor blades.
“I asked her what was going on with you and she started crying on the phone and was pretending she wasn’t, but I know she was. She’s having a shit time with her brother, too, and right now she’s at the hospital because of her father’s stroke, but the reason she’s crying is you and we both know it.”
“Huh?”
“Did you break her heart?”
“Maybe she’s crying about her dad,” I say. “A stroke? Is he okay?”
I loosen my tie.
Her father had a stroke? And she’s asking me if I can fend for myself because she wasn’t organized enough?
“He seems okay, but she is not! Clearly you’re not paying attention. Did you fuck her over?”
I swallow.
“Austin!”
“Kind of. Maybe.”
“You fucking alphahole!” Carly shouts.
Fuck.
“I’m doing it to protect her, Carly. I just backed off, that’s all. Reset the parameters and she got it.”
“She got it?”
“Yeah.”
“She. Got. It? You think so, huh?”
I hold the phone. Clearly yes is the wrong answer here so I’m not about to say it again and court the wrath of my sister-in-law, who my brother describes as a Pitbull puppy with her toys taken away when she’s angry.
“Do you care about her?” Carly demands.
I hold the phone.
“Don’t be an asshole to her, Austin. If you aren’t in love with her, fine, whatever, but don’t treat her bad. She’s going through a really rough time right now and if she’s pretending she’s okay with whatever this is you’re doing, she’s not okay. She’s not.”
“I’m having a shit time too, if you didn’t hear,” I snap. “And is it my fault if she’s not fine but she’s pretending she is? Am I supposed to be a mind reader?”
“Yeah, but see… no, your argument is bullshit. You’ve got a whole pile of people who have your back, people who are here to support you even if it’s just over the phone and you know for a fact that any of us would drop everything and come to you if you said you needed us. Jada has nobody but her brother and her brother is in the mental ward for trying to hurt himself on Monday and her father is now in the hospital after having a stroke Wednesday, and Jada has nobody! Except me. Don’t make me come down there, Austin… Up there, I mean. I will come up there and kick your ass.”
I’m thrown.
“I didn’t know that stuff, Carly.”
Monday? Her brother tried to hurt himself Monday?
