Just a Taste [Private Relations 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

Sara texted him, hey you. Hows your day going?

  Smiling, Deacon typed, drinking beer and watching football with Chris and my sister. What about your day? Still hard at work?

  His phone buzzed again. just wrapped up the job. It was much easier than i thought. About to go collapse. I am tired and achy.

  Grinning he responded, Poor girl. I’ll give you a rub down next time I see you.

  His phone immediately buzzed with a response. holding you to that! now I’m gonna go take a hot bath, then curl up in bed. Wish you were here.

  Smiling, he texted back, Enjoy. Sweet dreams…

  Setting down his phone, he looked up to see both Chris and Chloe smirking at him.

  “What?” he asked, defensively.

  “Was that your girlfriend?” Chloe asked in a singsong voice.

  Flipping them both the bird, he said, “Eat me.”

  Chris guffawed and then they turned their attention back to the game.

  By 4:00 p.m., their demise was complete. The Bucks had edged them out, miraculously finding a decent passing game. They collectively drowned their sorrows with Mario Kart. Chris just barely beat Deacon, but Chloe ended up destroying them both.

  After they left, Deacon was at loose ends. Deciding to work a little bit, he grabbed his laptop and caught up on some of the paperwork he brought home with him.

  A few hours later, he had completed most of it. He was getting up to stretch when his phone buzzed. Picking it up, he was surprised to see a text from Sara.

  She said, Taking a nap at two was stupid. I’m wide awake now.

  Deacon responded, Your sleep schedule is gonna be all jacked up now. Sorry.

  His phone buzzed again with her response, So worth it.

  He responded, Call me.

  A moment later his phone rang. Smiling, he picked it up and said, “Hey, beautiful.”

  Sounding almost shy, she said, “Hey, you.”

  “How did the job go today?”

  With what sounded like profound relief, she said, “Much quicker than I thought it would. Bret is turning out to be an amazing hire. He’s really stepping up.”

  “Good. I’m glad. You work too hard.”

  Pausing for a minute, Sara asked, “What makes you say that?”

  Laughing, Deacon said, “Every time I talk to you, you’re either on the way to a job, at a job, prepping for a job, or tired because you just wrapped up a job.”

  “True story. But Edible Innovations is my baby. Things were scary at first. I sank everything into the company. They got better, and I’m out of the woods now. I still work like a demon even though I don’t really need to anymore. It’s just habit, I guess. Does that make sense?”

  “Absolutely. Failure is not an option.”

  “Yeah. Exactly that. Your contract was a huge part of that, by the way.”

  “You guys were the best for the job. I’m glad I didn’t do the vetting. I probably would’ve avoided your company, honestly.”

  Silent for a moment, Sara said, “Really?”

  “Yeah. Turning around in the lobby and seeing you sitting there with that tiny little smirk on your face? It hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt guilty for being a dick and wanted to bend you over my desk at the same time. It was a strange mix. Plus the awkward as ass apology at your office. Totally would have passed your company over.”

  “Well. Not sure what to say there. I mean, I get it, but…I wasn’t smirking, was I?”

  “You were. What I have to say won’t always be what you want to hear, but I won’t lie to you. Ever.”

  “That’s respectable,” Sara said.

  After a minute of silence, she asked, “So how did football and drinking go?”

  “We lost. My sister and Chris mocked me incessantly…because someone scratched my back a little bit and Chloe saw before I put a shirt on. Then they both kicked my ass at Mario Kart. It was a rough afternoon. I guess the fantastic morning kinda balances it out though.”

  “Sorry about the scratching. I didn’t really mean to do that. It was kinda your fault though,” Sara said. “And what made your morning so fantastic?”

  Eyebrow raised, Deacon asked, “Why, Sara! Are you fishing?”

  “Damn right.”

  Smiling now, he said, “Waking up with you. It’s been a while since I let myself get involved with anyone.”

  Sara confessed, “I don’t normally do the sleepover thing. Since I moved out here, I’m finding myself involved with people that don’t do more than casual.”

  “Hmm. Not really sure what to say to that,” Deacon said with a frown.

  Sighing, Sara said, “I’m open to more than casual, but I tend to end up with people…I really can’t make that sound much better than what I said a minute ago. I date douche bags. People who are similarly driven to succeed tend to be selfish. You’re a welcome change.”

  Relieved, Deacon said, “I’m glad you think so. I know I was a dick to you way back when. I really don’t want you to see me as that kind of person.”

  “Deacon, when I said it was the past and that I was letting it go, I meant it. I can see you’re not that guy or, if you are, you’re hiding it really, really well. Do you really think I would sleep with you if I was holding a grudge? You’re great in bed, but I’m not that hard up.”

  Giving a surprised laugh, he said, “Geez. Tell me what you’re really thinking.”

  Laughing, Sara said, “Hey, you’re the one talking about honesty here. I just want to be clear.”

  “Mostly douche bags, huh? What’s that about?”

  “It hasn’t been that way always. I had a near miss on getting married right after college, then decided I would rather focus on my career when that went south. I guess I picked douche bags so I wouldn’t have to put in the work.”

  Pausing a moment, she said, “Ouch. That makes me sound terrible.”

  “I get what you mean. I haven’t really been seeking it out, but it’s worked out that way for me, too. About a year back, I was engaged. After I caught her cheating on me I decided that casual was good. Since then, I’ve been pretty low key. Didn’t really want to put in the work, either. “

  Rubbing a hand over his face, Deacon said, “Jesus Christ. I feel like I drank a truth serum. I just can’t shut up.”

  Deacon got up, grabbed a bottle of water, then went to lie down in bed. Dimming the lights, he snuggled under the comforter.

  Agreeing, Sara said, “No kidding. But I like the honesty. There’s something to be said for knowing where you stand with someone.”

  Hearing a grunt, Deacon asked, “You okay over there?”

  Slightly winded, Sara said, “Smitty just jumped onto my chest. I’m laying down and he seemed to take that as a sign that I was available to pet him.”

  “Gotta admit. I’m jealous of the little guy.”

  Sara laughed.

  Changing topics entirely now, Deacon said, “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

  “Hmm,” Sara said, thinking out loud, “something you don’t know…but I guess you don’t want something silly, right?”

  “Right you are.”

  Sighing, Sara said, “Hmm. My father was a Baptist preacher. I grew up really strictly religious.”

  Blinking, Deacon said, “Are you religious now?”

  “Hell no. I left really quickly after high school and haven’t gone back home since.”

  “Wow. I guess I asked for something serious.”

  “Now that I’ve sufficiently bared my soul, it’s your turn.”

  “Uh. I think my call waiting is beeping in.”

  “Lies! Spill it. Something deep. It’s only fair.”

  “My mom. I told you she just left when Chloe was a kid, right? I’ve got no idea where she is. She was a terrible drunk and when she just up and abandoned my sister, she was pretty much dead to me.”

  “Well, it sounds like we both have less than awesome parents.”

  “I don’t think about it so much, anymore. I’ve got some ange
r in there, but I figure once you hit like, twenty-five, you can’t really blame shit on them anymore. I’ve mostly let it go.”

  “Yeah. That makes sense. I’m more of an avoider though. I just don’t think about it.”

  “Your turn. Something else.”

  “My fiancé broke up with me three weeks before the wedding.”

  Wincing, Deacon said, “Ouch. That’s kind of shitty.”

  “Yep. It was. You go again.”

  “This is horrible. My ex? When I caught her cheating, I was angry, but also kind of relieved. I think I had just decided I was ready to settle down and Claire seemed to be close enough to what I was looking for. Yeah, that’s really horrible. You go now.”

  There was a silence on the line and then Sara said, “No. That makes sense to me. I don’t think anyone wants to be alone.”

  “Even so, you go again.”

  “Uh, we’re totally killing all the mystery here, but okay. Hmm, a good one? Oh. You were the first guy, way back when, to ever make me come. You were the third person I had even fooled around with.”

  “Wow. Really?”

  “Yes. Really. To all of that. Remember. I had a strongly religious upbringing. I was on lockdown until college.”

  “Glad to have been of service,” Deacon said, laughing.

  “Your turn, Deacon. Last one though. We’ve got to keep the mystery alive.”

  “Okay. This one has to be good, then.”

  “Yep. I want pure gold here.”

  “I’ve taken some time to think about this. You know, since we ran into each other again? The reason I took off so abruptly way back when? I liked you. I was kind of a messed up kid, and I didn’t want to feel anything at all. But, I genuinely liked you and it scared the hell out of me. So rather than deal with it, I panicked and ran.”

  “Oh. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if you just didn’t enjoy it or if I had done something.”

  Snorting, Deacon said, “You just stared at me with those gray eyes afterward and I felt like you could see inside me. It scared the shit out of me.”

  Quiet for a moment, Sara said, “Oh. I was so inexperienced, I was worried that I had been disappointing somehow.”

  Biting back a laugh, he said, “Not disappointing in the least. It was mind blowing. I wasn’t kidding in your office when I said the problem was all me.”

  “Thanks for telling me. I guess I did ask for pure gold. I feel like that counts.”

  “I’m glad you think so. Seriously though? Best sex I’d had in my life up until last night and then again this morning. It seems to get better each time.”

  Laughing now, she said, “We should continue to practice then. You know, in the interest of betterment.”

  “Day and night, if I have to. You have no idea what you do to me.”

  “The same thing you do to me, I’m sure.”

  There was a moment of silence on the line as they both considered these new developments.

  Finally Sara said, “You know what. I feel like I need to hang up. I’m likely to give you my credit card number in a few minutes if we don’t stop talking.”

  Grinning, Deacon said, “We can’t have that, can we?”

  “No. We can’t have that.”

  “I’ll talk to you later. Sleep well, baby,” Deacon said.

  “Surprisingly, I’m tired again. I totally will. Text me tomorrow?”

  “Yep. Don’t work too hard.”

  “I won’t. Night.”

  “Night.”

  Sara hung up.

  Deacon hung up the phone, staring at the ceiling. Wow, he thought.

  Chapter 13

  When Sara woke up on Monday, her head was throbbing and her mouth tasted like an old gym sock. Way too much wine. Grabbing the water bottle off the nightstand, she chugged until she felt more human again. Glad she had the morning off, she could only imagine how terrible Elle felt right now.

  Eyes going wide, she grabbed her phone to check for drunk texts. Breath caught in her chest, she checked the phone log. Exhaling loudly, she smiled. No texts and she hadn’t drunk dialed either. Thank God.

  Calling Elle at the office, she said, “Never again,” once she answered the phone.

  Elle laughed and said, “I can’t even think about food. Working for a caterer is horrible today. Bret laughed his face off when he saw me this morning. Little douche bag.”

  Laughing, Sara said, “Gonna swing by the office, then go to JDC to get the stuff ready for tomorrow’s thing.”

  “And then hang around and wait for your boyfriend to get off work?” Elle asked, laughing.

  “That’s such a juvenile term. But yes, basically.”

  “Well. You Googled him last night and showed me a picture. I’d wait around for that kind of hot, too!” Elle said wistfully.

  “How many times did you stop me from drunk dialing?”

  “Four or five, I think.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be in by ten. Do you want anything to eat? Coffee?”

  “Ugh. No!”

  “See ya later.”

  “Bye.”

  After a shower, Sara felt almost human. Dressing and putting on a minimal amount of makeup, she headed into the office. After returning a few calls and answering requisite e-mails, she made Elle eat some crackers, then drove over to JDC.

  As she was walking in the building, Deacon texted her. Are you gonna be here around lunch time?

  She laughed and responded, Are you tracking my ID badge? I literally just walked in the door. I won’t be eating lunch though. Drank a little too much last night.

  Her phone beeped with his response. Poor girl. I’ll stop down around noon anyway. Not one drunk text? Frankly, I’m a bit hurt.

  She typed back quickly. Elle hid my phone. She’s the best. See you soon.

  Wandering into the main area of the kitchen, she started to check in orders as Bret walked in the door.

  “Hey, Bret. How’s it going?”

  “Good. How’s your head, boss?”

  Narrowing her eyes, Sara said, “Fine, thanks. I probably won’t ever eat again, though.”

  Snickering, he said, “So what are we making?”

  “Tomato bisque soup, some annoying little finger sandwiches…pea and prosciutto, turkey and cranberry, smoked salmon and cream cheese, cucumber and watercress, curried egg salad, then chocolate mousse for dessert…and fruit.”

  “Ugh. Finger sandwiches. I have big hands. Hate making those tiny things.”

  Bret was six four and did have giant hands. Giving him a pitying look, she said, “It’s only for fifteen.”

  Holding up his hands, he sarcastically said, “Well, then. That’s not so bad.”

  Sara smirked at him and ignored the sarcasm completely, saying, “See. Problem solved.”

  Rolling his eyes, he laughed as he moved to the refrigerator and started to work on the curried egg salad.

  Sara continued to put the ingredients for the tomato soup together, then started making the mashed pea mixture for the minisandwiches. When she felt a presence behind her, she turned slowly. Deacon stood there, watching her work.

  “Jesus. You have to stop sneaking up on me.”

  “To be fair, I had a five-minute conversation with Bret. I think you may have been in the zone.”

  Lowering his voice, he asked, “Still not wanting food?”

  Sara cringed and said, “No. Definitely not.”

  “Are we still on later or will you be laying in a fetal ball regretting poor life choices tonight?”

  Narrowing her eyes, she said, “Poor life choices? I regret nothing. Except, perhaps, that last glass of wine.”

  Then she added, “But yes for tonight. I’ll be out of here by three thirty. Call me when you’re off. We can hang out at your place or you can come to mine. I’ll even cook.”

  Perking up immediately, he said, “Really? Is it a special occasion or am I getting hot pockets?”

  Laughing, she said, “Real food.”

  “In that case,
I’ll come to your place. Is six good?”

  “Yep. Ya know,” Sara said, in a conversational tone, “if Bret wasn’t here, I’d drag you into that office.”

  Raising an eyebrow, Deacon said, “If Bret wasn’t here, you’d already be in that office, bent over the desk.”

  Flushing, Sara said, “Hold that thought ’til tonight.”

  “Later, beautiful,” Deacon said in low tones, then elevated his voice slightly and said, “Later, Bret.”

  “See ya.”

  She heard a disembodied echo from the pantry.

  The rest of the day flew by. By 3:30 p.m. they had all of the food prepped and only had to put the sandwiches together tomorrow and heat the soup.

  Sara left, stopping by Whole Foods on the way home. She snagged two fillets, some asparagus, some decent red wine, and some red bliss potatoes. Home by 4:15 p.m., she had time to take a hot bath, and get ready.

  After starting the potatoes to boil at 5:45 p.m., she was working on the asparagus when there was a knock at the door. Washing the food off her hands, she opened the door to find Deacon standing there with red tulips.

  Smiling she said, “Hey. C’mon in.”

  Holding the flowers out, he said, “For you.”

  Flushing, she said, “Thank you. Let me put these in some water.”

  Reaching into the cupboard above her fridge, she slid the vase closer to her so she could grab it, when suddenly long arms reached up and picked up the vase for her. Feeling his body behind hers, she was tempted to turn around. Instead she took the vase, then turned to the sink and filled it with water.

  Trimming the end of the flowers, she set them on the mantel, where Smitty wouldn’t be tempted to eat them. Turning, she walked back over to Deacon and slid her arms around his waist. He pulled her close and pressed a lingering kiss to her mouth. Sara’s arms slid up to his shoulders, though the kiss didn’t deepen.

  Then, backing away, she nodded her head toward the kitchen and said, “I’ve got food cooking.”

  “I’m not going to be eating by myself, am I?”

  “No, no. I’m going to eat too. I’m making steak au poivre with asparagus and mashed potatoes. Feel free to pull up a stool.”

  “Sounds so much better than Hot Pockets.”

  Gesturing one hand toward the bar, she smirked and wandered back into the kitchen to complete dinner.