Page 6 of Just A Kiss

I watch her drive off in her beat-up piece of shit she calls a car, and I pull out my cell as I walk across the street to my black Porsche.

“Hello?” My brother answers on the second ring.

“What are you doing?” I ask him, knowing his ass isn’t asleep.

“Been waiting up for your call,” he growls. “How did the meeting go?”

“Not well,” I answer once my Bluetooth picks up inside my car. I place it in reverse and back out of my spot.

He sighs. “Well, we’ll have to go a different route.” I hear him shuffle some papers before he speaks again. “Where did you end up meeting him?”

“The Horseshoe.”

He’s quiet for a long second. “That place is a dump. Why would you …?” His voice trails off. “Please tell me you didn’t.”

I stay quiet, pulling up to a stoplight.

“Asher.” He sighs, and I can hear his frustration. “Don’t go there.”

I didn’t tell him what happened between Andrea and me in Tahiti, and from the surprise in his voice, I don’t think Andrea has told Hadley either. But he’s known how I feel about her for a while now. “Who said I was?” I press on the gas pedal once the light turns green.

He laughs roughly at my question. “I know you are. She’s not your type.”

I’ve wanted her from the moment I saw her two years ago at the donut shop with Hadley. He knows nothing about what my type is. Mainly because I’ve never had a certain type of woman. I like them all. Plus, he’s had his head so far up Hadley’s ass lately that all he sees is shit. “How do you know that?” I snort.

“I know a lot more about Andrea than you do.”

I hate how right he is. But things are about to change.

“Anyway, I’m off to bed. I’ll see you at the office in … five hours.” Then he hangs up.

“Goodbye to you too,” I say to the silence, pulling up to the next stoplight and looking around the deserted street. The only light I have is from my headlights. Only a few streetlights actually work, and even they blink on and off. This is literally the worst part of town she could work in. It makes me wonder why The Horseshoe instead of an upscale restaurant downtown? Or hell, even a different bar. Not like she doesn’t have options. A car a couple of stoplights ahead catches my attention. It’s hers. She’s in the right lane with her turn signal on. Her light turns green while mine’s still red. When she disappears, I look both ways before running mine. Thankfully, the next two turn green in time so I don’t have to break any more traffic laws.

I see the car make another right into an alleyway. Shutting off my headlights, I continue to follow her. She makes a sharp left and pulls into a driveway. I pull up to the curb and come to a stop. Not like the street’s busy at three in the morning. She gets out and walks up the single stair and unlocks the white front door before entering.

She lives here?

The door closes behind her, and then a light comes on inside. All the houses look the same. Small. They’re all two stories, but they are stacked in here side by side like sardines. No yard. No fence. And no security. Something a woman like her needs. A new light comes on, on the second floor, and I watch her silhouette through a curtain. She reaches down and pulls her shirt up and over her head before tossing it away. I should leave, but instead, I find myself leaning back in my seat and watch her like the perverted piece of shit I saved her from earlier this evening at the bar. The only difference is she knew what he wanted. She has no clue I’m watching her.

I walk into the donut shop by the office and spot my brother’s assistant. She’s sitting across from a blonde who I have never seen before. Not surprising, Hadley and I aren’t close. “Hadley?” I call out as I approach the table.

She looks up at me with a smile on her face. “Hey, Mr. Kyle.”

“Mr. Kyle?” the blonde asks, looking up at me with narrowed eyes. Maybe she knows me. “So you’re the jackass?” she asks, sitting back in her seat.

Hadley’s eyes widen. “Andrea …”

“I’ve been called worse,” I admit with my hands tucked in the pockets of my dark gray slacks. Her comment makes me smile down at her. I like a woman who speaks her mind.

“I’m sure you have.” The woman crosses her arms over her chest and raises a brow in challenge.

My smile just grows.

“Andrea, this is Asher Kyle, my boss’s twin brother,” Hadley informs her.

I look her up and down as she sits in the chair. She has her hair down and over one shoulder. A pair of black sunglasses sits on the top of her head. “Asher Kyle,” I repeat, introducing myself. Removing my right hand from my pocket, I hold it out to her.

She reaches out her hand but doesn’t apologize for mistaking me for my brother. It’s okay; we’re both fucking dicks. “Andrea Stikes.”

I grab her hand and lift it to place a soft kiss on it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” I wink at her with a big smile in place. Her hard look doesn’t change, and I like that. I prefer a woman who makes me work for it. “Well, I will let you ladies get back to your lunch. It was nice to meet you, Andrea.” I nod to both of them, then walk out, leaving them to talk about me like I know they will.

I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind since then. Two years later, I had my chance with her, but one night wasn’t enough. Not now that I know what she has to offer.

She walks out of the room and into another. The stained-glass window is much smaller, so I’m guessing it’s her bathroom. My suspicion is confirmed when I see her step under a shower sprayer. She leans her head back, soaking her hair, and I adjust myself in my seat due to my slacks growing tighter and tighter. I think of unzipping them, but I’m not a little teenager who can’t control himself. I decide to just drive home and get a few hours of sleep before I have to be at work.

I’ll see her again. I’m gonna make sure of it.