Cheater by Rachel Van Dyken
Ugh, I hated that I was curious by nature.
“Funny you should ask.” He led the way to his office, set his briefcase on his desk, then pulled out a stack of papers and held them out to me.
On the first page was Monday, or Molly.
She had a short pixie haircut that looked killer on her, and with tattoos down her arms and a nose ring—well, she so did not look like a Molly to me, but she was absolutely stunning. Her tattoos added to her beauty, and her smile was wide. She looked normal, too good for him. The bastard.
I turned to the next page. Tuesday, or Tabatha and Cary. “Wait.” I frowned. “Why two girls?”
Lucas glanced over my shoulder. His breath, which unfortunately didn’t smell like an old man’s, kissed the top of my neck. “They’re roommates.”
I took a few soothing breaths. “And they’re okay with this?” I seriously wanted to rip up the paper, set it on fire, and shove it down his pants. What a complete ass!
Lucas’s voice was calm, gentle. I dared not look at him. “They’re flight attendants, they travel a lot, and neither can seem to find time to date regularly. The arrangement works for them because it’s convenient.”
I snorted. “What? So you screw them, and they say thank you?”
“No. Actually, we don’t have sex every time. If you must know, sometimes they just want to relax and hang out, so I make them dinner, rub their feet, and sometimes just please them.”
Had it just gotten really hot in that office?
My face heated to a painful degree. “You . . . please them.”
“Why is that so hard to believe?” He walked around me. I chose to stare down at the paper so I wouldn’t look at his gorgeous hazel eyes.
“It’s just—” Both girls had brown ombré-style hair coloring and seemed to love pink lipstick. “I thought it was all about sex, that’s all.”
“Believe me, pleasing them pleases me.” His voice was gruff. “And in the end, they want to make me happy in bed because of it.”
I took a cautious step back and quickly glanced at the next page. “Wednesday looks . . . way too normal.”
He laughed. “Chelsea’s a teacher.”
I almost dropped the stack of papers again. “But that’s so . . .”
“What?” He placed his hand on the paper and lowered it so I had no choice but to look at him. “Normal?”
“I was going to say typical, that you’d sleep with the help.” I grinned wide. “Let me guess, she works here?”
“No, she works at the low-income school down the road, earns below the poverty line, and volunteers at a soup kitchen every Saturday.”
Well then. Who was the ass now? “Sorry.” It literally hurt my body to apologize to the man.
“You didn’t know.”
“So I’ve already met the new Friday.” I tried not to get jealous as I glanced at Nadia’s picture and moved along to Saturday.
“Whoa.” I stared at the picture. Hard. “She’s . . . um, different.”
“Forty.” Lucas answered quickly. “And yes, Amy’s special, but then each of the ladies has something unique. She’s fascinating, irresistible, loves going for long walks, has three dogs, works at Starbucks headquarters.”
“I hope she gives you free coffee,” I joked.
“Sex in exchange for coffee would be wrong. Where are your morals?”
“MY MORALS!” I yelled.
Lucas burst out laughing. “Don’t get your panties in a twist—I was kidding. Stop looking at me like you want to stab me in the testicles.”
“The idea has so much merit.” I sighed dreamily, holding the papers to my chest. “So these are the chicks you . . .” I waved a hand flippantly in the air.
“Screw,” he answered helpfully. “Yes.”
“And cheat on.”
“They’re well aware of the arrangement.”
“And Sundays?” Not staring at him was too hard; therefore, I focused on the cleft in his chin so I wouldn’t look at his perfect lips . . . or the swell of his biceps. When he crossed his arms, I was almost afraid the shirt was going to rip, and it was a nice shirt, soft, white. Okay, Avery, stop staring at the fabric like you want to make babies with it. That’s weird—don’t be weird.
“Sundays are for my sister, Erin.”
He shifted uncomfortably. Was it my imagination, or did those biceps flex beneath the shirt like he was tensing?
As if the tensing wasn’t bad enough, he cleared his throat and blinked way too many times for a man who was being completely honest about his sister.
“Huh.” His shirt really was nice though—stain-free. How did he manage it with all the sex and lipstick? “So you were being honest about that?”
“Honesty,” he said, “is necessary when you casually date seven women, right?”
“Oh please!” I locked eyes with him. “You’re excusing horrible behavior by saying the girls are aware, but the whole sex without strings doesn’t exist. That’s a fantasy like Santa Claus or the Easter bunny.”
“Holy shit! Santa’s fake?” He winked. “And they’re all okay with it. Besides, it’s not like I’m sleeping with you.”
I hated him for saying it.
Because immediately I had a vision of his mouth on mine, clothes on the floor, and every forbidden fantasy I’d had throughout high school flared to life, fanned by the words that he’d just released into the universe, words that would be impossible to take back.
I sucked in a breath, and he licked his lips, his eyes focusing on my mouth.
It was wrong.
And a small part of me liked that feeling, the wrongness of being in my boss’s office, the history, but it was only 1 percent.
Ninety-nine percent of me still wanted to nail him to a wall and use his balls as target practice with a shiny, new aluminum bat.
Lucas took a step toward me. I took a step back.
He stopped approaching, instead shoving his hands into his pockets and offering a lazy smile. “That’s rare.”
“What?”
“A girl running in the opposite direction.”
“I’m not one of your desperate women grateful for little cheap crumbs—plus there are only so many days in a week.” I tried to sound cheerful, like it wasn’t a big deal that he was a lying, cheating asshole of a man, and not the man I used to know.
“Pity,” he whispered.
“Hey, you two, meeting in five.” I jumped a foot at the sound of the feminine voice, and then Lucas became all business.
I scurried back to my desk and shoved the papers into my purse just in time for Lucas to lead me to the conference room.
Chapter Seven
LUCAS
I hated Saturday meetings—they threw off my entire week—but this time, I’d looked forward to going to the office on my day off.
And it had everything to do with a certain spitfire currently drawing a horrible stick figure that I could only assume was me, with an arrow going through its head, and then the heart. An airplane was going down in flames in the drawing, and it was about to flatten said stick figure that had my name written above it in giant block letters.
Nice.
“Lucas.”
I glanced up, acknowledging the speaker at the head of the table.
Bill was my boss. Hell, he was everyone’s boss. He was the founder of Grant Learning. This announcement had to be big for him to call in all the VPs like this. “I know you typically do a four-ten if you can, but I’ll need you to move back down to five-eights.”
Avery frowned.
“No problem.” I suddenly had no issue with being in the office more. Besides, I usually had so much work, it was rare that I could take Fridays off anyway.
“Thank you, everyone, for meeting on your day off. I know this is very last minute, but I have an update on the new tutoring app that I think you should be made aware of.”
I leaned forward. The app was my idea. I’d hired the tech team to build an app for students. It worked a lo
“We’re out of the beta testing and ready to launch.” Bill grinned wide. “Good job heading this up, Lucas. The results have been outstanding.”
Pride swelled in my chest. “That’s fantastic.”
Sure, I was a jackass, I “cheated” on women, or just dated multiples, depending on one’s perspective, but I loved kids. Adored them. They were still so damn innocent. They had the whole world ahead of them, and I wanted to make sure that they had every opportunity possible. My parents had given me that—I wanted to pay it forward.
Just thinking about Patty and Bill had me itching all over.
God, it had been way too long since we’d talked.
And I only had myself to blame.
Things were still tense—years later. It burned that my own parents still held me responsible for what had happened with the Blacks. Like I single-handedly ruined a twenty-year friendship on purpose.
What? Did they think I wanted to destroy lives?
My mood darkened as it usually did when I thought about the mistake, about how and why it happened. Hell, if Kayla and I had gotten married, I would probably have been teaching my own kids now.
The thought was absolutely terrifying. Not the kid part, but the part where I was married to a woman like Kayla.
Maybe that’s why I liked the opposite of what she represented.
My eyes focused on Avery.
She glared at me and then made a slicing motion with her finger across her neck. Yeah, message received.
“Your department is going to be in charge of visiting all of the local schools and doing a training tutorial on the app,” Bill said. “So for the next few weeks, you’ll be very busy.” Ah, that’s why he needed me to work Fridays. “And because Shannon’s taking maternity leave, we’ll need your new intern . . .” His eyes searched for Avery. “There you are. Avery Black, you’ll be assisting Lucas with his school visits and keeping his schedule straight during the launch.”
Avery swallowed and gave him a very strong nod, as if to say, I’ve got this, can do it in my sleep and won’t let you down.
That was her attitude about life—about everything.
I envied her that.
Even if it was a front. Her confidence had always been impressive. At such a young age, it was rare.
Especially considering how much shit she took from her sisters growing up. She’d always been a tomboy.
And now?
Now she had curves for days. She surpassed her sisters in ways that were astonishing.
And there I went again.
Staring at her.
Lusting.
Wanting.
Isn’t that what got me screwed in the first place?
Her strawberry-blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail that kissed the back of her neck. Her white silk shirt hung loosely tucked into black-satin shorts, and she was wearing tall black stilettos.
I was sure Bill was still talking.
But I was too busy lusting after my ex-fiancée’s little sister, a tale as old as time—been there, done that—but I couldn’t help myself.
Being near Avery made the want that much worse. Whenever she used to give me the silent treatment, it had been torture. She was a talker, and I used to love it when she’d tell me about all the drama in high school while I was busy joining the workforce. Avery had always had a way with words, but not only that, she was animated. So animated that I used to make her sit on her hands when she talked because she made me so dizzy. I don’t remember a time when she’d ever sat and folded her hands while having a discussion. She was all action. I was suddenly thankful that hadn’t changed.
It would have been a travesty.
“Alright, that’s it, guys. Thank you.” Bill dismissed us.
Avery ripped the drawing from her notebook and handed it to me. “I made something for your fridge.”
“That was thoughtful,” I said dryly. “I look forward to glancing at my impending death every time I want some OJ.”
“See?” She grinned. “I can be nice.”
I grunted.
We walked in silence back to my office. It was nearing ten in the morning. I was supposed to meet Amy for lunch a few blocks over, so I had some time to kill. I went into my office and hit the return key on my computer.
“Do you need me for anything?” Avery popped her head in my office. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her to bend over my desk.
She was right.
I was a horrible human being.
Would probably rot in hell.
But damn, she was pretty.
Her eyes narrowed. “Stop that.”
“What?” I grinned wickedly and shoved a pen in my mouth, sucking on the tip.
Her chest rose and fell a bit faster, her cheeks reddened. “The Lucas Thorn effect doesn’t work on me, sorry.”
“It does, you just won’t admit it.”
She stomped into my office and slammed her hands onto my desk, leaning over so far that I could see down her blouse. Hell, she had nice tits. “Look at me like that again and I’m putting Ex-Lax in your coffee, then locking all the bathroom doors.”
“Graphic.” I licked my lips, craning my neck so I could look into her large green eyes. “Also false.”
“Excuse me?” Her teeth clenched, snapping together as if she wanted to take a bite out of my head.
I got a bit closer, my mouth inches from hers. “You wouldn’t do that to me. You’re too nice.”
She grinned and then shoved at least two weeks’ worth of files off my desk. “How’s that for nice?”
“Mature, Avery.” I let out a series of curses.
Avery bit her bottom lip and then sighed. “Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the best idea since you’re assessing me on this internship.”
“Now you think that? After the damage has already been done.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and then her nostrils flared as she narrowed her eyes at me and lifted her chin. “It’s a business relationship. Check my ass out again, and I’ll report you for sexual harassment.”
I stared at her in silence for a minute before I pointed down at the files. “Your job is in the palm of my hand, Avery Bug . . . Maybe next time play nice, or who knows what I’ll be forced to do. I’d hate to give you a bad review—after all, I know how much you hate not being perfect.”
It was a low blow.
She knew it.
I knew it.
All her life she’d been trying to measure up to her older sisters, and I’d just made her aware of it all over again.
I opened my mouth to apologize, but she turned on her heel and left. On her way out of the office, she flipped me off with one hand and waved good-bye with the other.
So much for getting work done. It would take me at least an hour to organize all my files again.
But for some reason, when I got down on my knees and started shuffling them together, I smiled the entire time.
She had fight in her.
I had to give her that.
“Hey,” Amy mouthed, waving me over to the dimly lit booth. She was wearing a short black dress with capped sleeves, and her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. Little smile lines formed around her mouth and eyes. She was beautiful in a mature way, a way that Avery would never understand.
Damn it. I needed to get Avery out of my head before I started calling out her name midorgasm or something.
Which had never happened.
But something told me that if I kept thinking about her like that, it would. And while some women would forgive the whole Hey, I date other women right along with you thing, I was pretty confident that calling out “Avery!” at the wrong mo
“Hey, gorgeous.” I kissed her full on the mouth as her arms wrapped around my neck, forcing our bodies to connect and giving me a nice tease until I could get her naked and underneath me. “Mmm, you taste good.” Amy was an amazing kisser. In fact, I was pretty sure she was the best I’d ever had, which was saying a lot.
I didn’t typically kiss many of the girls I was with.
I made an exception for Amy.
Any living, breathing male would.
“Busy day?” She tilted her head and waved down the waiter.
“Nothing I can’t handle.” I winked. “So, lunch and then my place?”
“Sounds great.” Her hands shook a little as she reached for her water. Frowning, I watched in fascination as she chugged half of it and then nearly spilled the rest onto the table.
“Look.” I reached for her right hand and grasped it in mine. “If it makes you nervous, we can just talk.” Damn me to hell, I needed sex. I needed Avery out of my head. Fast.
“No, no. You’ve been so . . .” She nodded way too many times for her words to be believable. “I’m fine, completely fine. You’ve been so patient with me, and ever since Sam died, I just . . .” Her eyes welled with tears. “I think this is best, like ripping off a Band-Aid.”
My chest clenched as I stood and moved to her side of the booth, pulling her into my arms. “Amy, the last thing I want is for you to feel uncomfortable. Not only will it be a horrible experience for both of us, but you’ll feel guilty. I want you to be free.” I kissed her soft cheek. “I want you to allow me to please you, to bring you pleasure, no-strings-attached pleasure. I’d like to be the first man to do that since his death, but if I’m not the right man for the job, we can end this, no hard feelings.” What the hell was in the water? I meant every word, but damn, losing two girls in one week?
“No.” Her voice was firmer this time. “No.” Her grin was shaky. “I don’t want food.”
The waiter approached just then, and at Amy’s words he hunched his shoulders and walked off.
“I want you.” Her eyes lit up with excitement. “But I may be horrible.”
“It’s been a while.” I nodded thoughtfully. “Let’s just take it one step at a time, alright? You have the right to feel anxious.”