Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
STELLA
My drive to Grumpy’s after my first shift at Doc’s gives me time to think. I’m meeting Emily and Megan for drinks and dinner to give them the rundown of how my first day went. And holy shit, do I have some things to tell them.
First off—that office. My God, I don’t know how they even functioned.
It’s an utter disaster. Nothing is organised and filed correctly.
There wasn’t a pen or pencil in sight. The previous receptionist wasn’t paying bills.
She wasn’t billing clients. She wasn’t doing anything she was supposed to be doing.
Yasmin gave me a quick rundown, and it was all pretty straightforward, but filtering through all the chaos is going to be a pain in my arse.
It’s going to take me weeks to get them back on track, if not months.
But I’m up for the challenge, it keeps my mind working.
Honestly, the look on those guys’ faces when I put them all in their place this afternoon was worth every second of pain I went through and will go through when it comes to that office.
But that’s not what’s bothering me the most.
It’s Jake.
When he called me ‘darl’, there was a spark of recognition.
A flickering thought. A lingering something.
I tried remembering if we’d met before, but then a lightbulb turned on in my brain, and I nearly fell to my knees.
It was his voice. There was just something about the way he said ‘darl’ that sounded exactly like the man who’s been haunting my dreams since that night at Grumpy’s masquerade party three months ago. ..
I don’t know for sure if it’s him, and he sure as hell didn’t let on that he knew it was me. I’m proud of myself for schooling my features quickly so I wouldn’t give away what I was thinking, but of course my pussy betrayed me.
Just hearing that word again—the word that’s been echoing in my memory.
The word that pops up every time I touch and please myself.
Every filthy thought I have at night. Or when I wake up wet from another fantasy dream about the masked stranger who made me come harder than anyone’s ever made me come before.
Is it possible that Jake is my kinky Batman’s cousin? The guy from my dreams? The guy who rocked my world and left without even giving me his name?
I don’t know, but when he cornered me in my office today, I didn’t push him back because he entered my space.
It was the instant sizzling attraction that struck me the second he walked through the door.
It sent my pulse into a frenzy, my brain to mush, and desire trembling through my body. It all felt the same as that night.
And the banter. God—I don’t know if it’s like foreplay or what, but even now I’m clenching my thighs, trying to relieve the pressure, relieve some of the tension, the ache. Fuck me, I would do anything to have those fingers on me again and that hand wrapped around my throat as I come.
Shaking the memories from my head, I pull into the car park at Grumpy’s and head inside to meet the girls. I find them in the booth at the back and sit down just as Logan walks over with a cocktail for me.
“How are you doing, honey?” Logan says in his overly enthusiastic tone.
“I’m good. And you, Logan?”
“I am fantastic! I am one step closer to getting the girl!”
I shake my head. We come here often enough for afternoon drinks or dinner that I know about Logan’s love life.
I’m pretty sure he’s delusional, because this guy has banged half of New Hope and tells everyone about it.
But apparently there’s this girl he’s got his eye on—she’s “the one,” and that’s it.
He’s done. He’s going to win her over, and they’ll live happily ever after.
Not sure she’s on the same page or knows he exists, but that’s Logan’s problem.
“I’m good. It’s been a long day. Keep the drinks coming.”
“Sure thing, hun,” he says as he strolls off back to the bar.
I turn to look at my friends, and Emily and Megan both stare at me expectantly.
“So,” Megan draws out, “how was it?”
I let out a sigh and take a sip of my cocktail. “It’s a big job, that’s for sure.”
“What do you mean?” Emily enquires.
“The office looks like a tornado blew through it. I honestly don’t know how they’re still operating or how they’re getting work done. It’s just... It’s a lot.”
“Is it something you can do?” Megan questions.
“Absolutely. I love the challenge, but there’s a little hiccup.”
They both look at me and level me with their stare.
“What hiccup?” Emily frowns in confusion. “Don’t tell me you’ve quit already.”
“No, no, nothing like that. If anything, it’s going to take a lot of time to get that shop back up and running.
As much as I don’t like my uncle and I’m not talking to him at the moment, I’m not going to let his legacy—his shop, his dreams—all go up in flames.
He built a reputation, and that reputation should be upheld.
From what I’ve seen today, I know that in the last few years of him running the shop, things went downhill quickly.
It would have been around the same time Mum died, so maybe he was feeling it in other ways.
Maybe he wasn’t coping as well as I thought he was, and maybe that’s part of the reason why he chose to have nothing to do with me. ”
It still stings that my uncle cut me out of his life. We were quite close before Mum died, but it was like he almost couldn’t stand being around me or dealing with the grief.
“So, what’s the hiccup?” Megan probes.
I take a deep breath. “You remember the masquerade party we came to here?”
“Yeah, the one a few months ago.”
“I’m so pissed I missed that one,” Emily adds.
“Well, you know how I did that thing?” I say, trying not to talk too loudly.
“You mean how you let a stranger in a mask finger-bang you in the corridor and make you come harder than you’ve come in months?”
“Yeah, that thing,” I grumble.
“What about it?” Megan asks.
“Well, I don’t know for sure, but I have a feeling he may work at Doc’s.”
Emily spits her drink across the table. “He what? How do you know? And how do you not know for sure?”
I’m chicken-shit to ask. I keep the thought to myself, though.
“Well, the night’s a little hazy because of how much alcohol I consumed, but some memories from that night are quite clear.
I remember what happened, and I remember I enjoyed it.
I’m not entirely sure it’s him—it’s just that he called me ‘darl.’ The same way that guy did that night.
He looked at me like he kind of knew me, but then again, he didn’t, like he was testing the waters. ”
“Did you let him know?” Megan asks.
“No, but I’m telling you, he has that voice, the same voice that’s been haunting my dreams for the last three months.”
“And getting you off in the shower,” Emily jokes.
I fucking hate these two, but I love them.
I hate that I’m so open about everything, but they’re my best friends.
They know everything about me—all my dirty secrets, all my fantasies, everything I do.
The same as I know theirs. There are no secrets between us.
But right now, I regret telling them that.
“Yeah, so I don’t know, but holy fuck, he is hot. Like, hot hot.”
“Are we talking like Channing Tatum hot, or are we talking like Chris Hemsworth hot?” Emily asks.
I look at her like she’s lost her mind. “Both of those guys are hot, but we’re talking like if Channing Tatum and Chris Hemsworth had a baby—that hot.
He’s tall—really tall—with this incredible build that comes from actual physical work, you know?
Not gym muscles, but the kind you get from years of lifting engines and wrestling with stubborn cars.
Dark hair that’s slightly messy, like he’s been running his hands through it while concentrating or frustrated.
And his hands...” I pause, remembering the way they moved with such confidence and skill.
“God, his hands are amazing. Strong, capable, with calluses that speak to real work, but gentle when they need to be. He’s got these dark eyes that seem to see right through you, and when he smiles, which he does with this slightly cocky edge.
.. There’s something about the way he carries himself, this quiet confidence mixed with just enough rough around the edges.
He’s the kind of man who looks like he could fix anything that’s broken, including you, and make you enjoy every second of it. ”
“Oh,” they both say together. “Okay, this could be fun.”
I glare at Megan, confused by her words.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if he hasn’t actually said that it was him, and you haven’t said that you remember it was him, maybe have some fun with it.”
“Have some fun with it?” I have no clue what my best friend is plotting.
“Tease him a little. Give it back to him. Try and push him, see how far he’ll go. We all know you’ve got that secret kink where you want some guy’s hand wrapped around your throat when you come,” Megan whisper-yells as someone walking past gasps and glances from her to me at her comment.
“Sorry,” I offer to the stranger, but they ignore me with a shake of their head. I think about what she just said. My life has been a bit monochromatic recently. I’m stuck in a routine. One that I love, but maybe spicing things up is exactly what I need.
“That might not be a bad idea. Maybe this is what I’m missing—some fun in my life.”
“Yeah, you definitely need some fun in your life,” Emily encourages.
“I love having you at the coffee shop, but it’s the same customers, the same routine every day.
Besides that dickhead you threw out last week, we rarely have any issues.
You need to get out a little bit more. How many times have you binge-watched Dexter? ”
“More times than I can count.”
“Exactly. It would be good for you to expand your circle. Maybe find a dick to ride.”