Page 7 of Unwrapped

Mona lets out an unladylike snort.

“That boy she was dating turned out to be—”

Miranda elbows her mother in the ribs as she widens her eyes and mouths something to her. Mona gets the hint and promptly shuts up. I’m disappointed. This is the only time I’ve ever been eager to hear what Mona has to say.

“No, Mr. Bain. I haven’t been there for a while now. I have a seasonal job at a Victoria’s Secret at the South Shore Plaza. I’m hoping to get something permanent when I graduate in the spring.” Her voice is soft and feminine. It’s perfect.

“Nicky here can always find work for you to do at the office. Why don’t you ladies go get some appetizers while Nicky and I greet our guests? Enjoy the party.”

The last fucking thing I need is her around the office torturing me every day with that beautiful face. Her voice itself is like a Siren’s call. I need her in the office like I need a hole in my head.

Reluctantly, I watch as Miranda walks away, her perfect little ass sashaying in that dress as I stand next to Uncle Joe, greeting the incoming guests. My eyes don’t leave her for longer than a few seconds. She looks bored as she talks with a group of women, most likely wives or girlfriends of the crew.

She grabs a glass of wine, sniffs it, makes a face and hands it to her mother. Yeah, she didn’t drink the first glass either. I don’t know why she thought this one would be any different. Definitely not a wine drinker. I make a mental note of that. She looks around the room, and when her eyes end up in my direction, I make sure that she sees me looking at her.

Just like a cliché in any romance novel or movie, our eyes lock from across the room. She bites her bottom lip and looks down my body before looking up to meet my gaze again. For the first time in a long while, I smile a genuine smile. She quickly looks away as if she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t, only to give me another view of her ass as she walks to the bar.

“I thought you were bringing a date, Nicky?” Uncle Joe says.

I twist my face and blow out a breath.

“Why on God’s green earth would you think that?”

“You don’t want to end up like me. Alone with a broken hip with only nurses to take care of you. Go mingle, and for the love of God, forget about Paige and find yourself someone new. I think everyone is here. I’m going to go talk to some of the guys.” He walks away before I can object.

I don’t get a chance to tell him he was happily married for thirty-five years until his wife died, or that his son, the investment banker, visits him every weekend with his wife and their daughter. There is no need to tell him I’m completely over Paige, and that losing the money hurt more than losing the woman. That particular woman, at least. That’s telling.

I’m across the room and at the bar in a few quick strides, grabbing a glass of wine along the way. I lean my back against the bar as she faces the counter. Soon, the bartender hands her a red drink in a mason jar. When she lets out a soft moan as she takes a sip, my mind flashes to her underneath me, moaning for a completely different reason. I will my body to remain calm, but it seems to have a mind of its own tonight.

“Are you even old enough to drink?” I ask, finally breaking the silence. She turns her head to look at me as I look down and almost drown in her brown eyes.

“Are you a cop?” she asks. She sticks out her tongue and licks a bead of moisture from her bottom lip. The gesture is fast, and I’d bet my last dollar she did it subconsciously, but my body didn’t get the memo. Those damn pouty lips with the bottom just a little bit wider and plumper than the top. Images of her underneath me, my mouth on hers while she breathes and moans into my mine as I pull her bottom lip between my teeth play through my mind.

“Hardly, but it’s my party and I have to make sure we’re not serving anyone who’s underage.” And I need to find out exactly how old you are, but I don’t tell her that.

“So, you’re a party monitor then? Or maybe a party pooper? I bet you’re the type who hands out apples or toothbrushes to the kids on Halloween.”

Unable to help myself, I laugh. I don’t tell her that on Halloween, I keep my lights off. I’m not going to be responsible for pumping children full of sugar and processed foods. Something tells me she would not approve.

“More of an observer.”

“Observer?” she asks, pretending to mull over the word. “Sounds more like control freak, but I promise you, Mr. Bain, I’m of age. You are not providing alcohol to any underage minors. Have been legally allowed to drink in this country for two years now.” To prove her point, she finishes her drink and orders another one. Then she does the craziest thing. She smiles at me as she playfully bats her eyelashes, not realizing for a second that she’s playing with fire.

Jesus, she’s fucking young. Thirteen years younger than I am. I have no business here. I should walk away and go back to my uncle. I can mingle with our guests and forget all about Miranda Moore, who’s too damn young for a jaded asshole like me, but I don’t do any of that.

There’s a secret part of me that’s relieved to find that she’s not only of age, but that she’s no longer a teenager. When I walked over here, all I cared about was that she was over eighteen. Twenty-three is a pleasant surprise.

“Two whole years above the drinking age, huh? You’re practically a senior citizen.”

She copies my stance and turns to face the room as she leans against the bar. When she puts the straw between her lips, my dirty mind flashes to something else between her lips. Maybe while I’m standing over her in the shower, or while she explores my body underneath my down comforter.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Bain,” she says after sipping. She reaches into her purse, and as she politely thanks the bartender for her drink, she shoves a few dollars in the tip jar.

“From whom?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“I think you know.” She smirks. “You’re often the main topic of conversation around the dinner table. For a while, I thought you were the villain in the Batman movie.”

I let out a loud laugh. She laughs too, revealing her straight teeth.

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