Stepbrother Charming(58)

“I said, isn't it a bit warm for that thing?” He points to my turtleneck. “Summers are short in these parts, Claire. I thought you were born and raised in Washington like me?”

Nodding, I pull on my sweater, adjusting it uncomfortably. “Totally. Lucky me that I get cold real easily. The only place I ever enjoyed wearing skirts and flip flops was DC in the summer. Can't imagine living there, though!”

I've always been quick on the draw when I need to be. The sweater's a big, fat lie hiding the aftermath of our fucking. It's unpleasantly warm when I'm wearing it outside, but it beats the alternative, having nosy pricks like my boss see the hickeys stamping my neck.

Then again, maybe I should've let him see them. Then I wouldn't be sharing this insufferable happy hour with a guy who has zero chance of going anywhere further than a friendly conversation.

He relaxes, an understanding smile tugging at his lips. “Ah, I'll drink to that. Everything about DC's stifling, and I don't just mean the politics.”

I give him a pathetic, fake smile for about the dozenth time since we sat down at the bar. Jesus, I'm fidgety. I need to pay him some tiny morsel of respect, I know.

But it's hard to give my boss the time of day when I've got a bad boy waiting to pick me up. It's hard to do anything except think about how he's going to rail me tonight, beat the worries out of my head with those piston hips slamming me into the mattress.

“So, you're set on staying in Cascadia, then? No big ambitions to move somewhere else and follow in your mother's illustrious footsteps?” Dan smiles shyly.

“Ew, none at all. I love helping out on causes I believe in. But I fucking hate politics.”

Dan cocks his head when I drop the F-bomb. Great. Ty's dirty mouth is really rubbing off on me in more ways than one.

“Sorry. Didn't get much sleep last night and I hit it pretty hard at the office today. I really shouldn't use that kind of –“

“Hey, it's nothing to apologize for. You're more political than you think.” There's that awkward wink again. Dan licks his lips and continues. “I mean, that's how it looks to me. You've got the right mouth on you to intimidate some of those bastards in Washington for sure.”

“Thanks.”

“No, I really mean it, Claire. In fact...I'm hoping you'll consider a full time position with our organization by August. We've got one coming up, and with the quality work you've been doing, well, you're first in line to fill it.”#p#分页标题#e#

Talk about desperate. I haven't even put in ten days, and he's already kissing my feet. It's awkward, uncomfortable, and kinda disappointing.

Is this really how things work out here in the real world?

I take several long pulls from my dark beer before answering. Cascadia Now! is fine for an intern gig, sure. But my life's totally up in the air with Ty in the picture. I'm not exactly looking forward to spending more time than necessary with Dan Jacobsen and his puppy dog eyes.

I'm also wondering how he'll react when I finally shoot him down. Some guys take it badly. How awkward will it be if he keep his distance after, or decides to retaliate for showing him I'm not interested?

“Can I think about this?” I look up into his hopeful face.

His smile slowly fades, and then twists into a frown. “Of course.”

He shakes his head and straightens his close. “How silly of me. You must have other offers coming in.”

“No, no, it's nothing like that.” I cradle my beer close to my chest. “I'm just mulling my options, wondering if I should go further afield for some good experience before I settle in any one place for the long haul.”

Of course, what I'm really mulling is how many times I'm going to feel my pussy clenched on Ty's cock as he fills me tonight, driving his molten seed hard and deep. I bite my lip right in front of my wilting boss, squeezing my legs together.

“Sure, I can respect that.” He pulls out his phone and taps the screen. “Hm, what time did you say your friend would be by?”

“I can text him right now.”

Thank God. It looks like he wants to kill this thing just as much as I do. Ten more minutes of hell, and I should be closer than ever to the heaven in my new step-lover's massive tattooed arms.

I feel like I've just dodged a bullet. All I need to do is get back to the office and climb in Ty's car.

Dan looks about ten years older than me. Maybe he's gotten the message. Maybe he won't hold anything against me.

That's what I think until we're in his car for the short drive down the road. Then I hear the words that turn my blood cold.

“Listen, Claire, I appreciate your honesty this evening. I really do. I think our little discussion clarifies a lot of things. My father handed me the job of finding a new full time employee, and I think I finally know exactly what we're looking for. Cascades Now! needs someone who's interested in long-term solutions. I'm looking for someone a little more enthusiastic, someone who wants to leap at the opportunities our organization presents. Unfortunately, I'm sorry to say it looks like we'll have to part ways sooner than I anticipated.”