Chapter Ten
Adrienne
The knock on my door makes me smile. It’s almost eight, and I wasn’t sure if he was still stopping by or not. When I open the door, Caden is standing there, holding a bag of food and looking at me like I could be his last meal. His eyes hungrily devour me from head to toe, taking in my tight tank top and little sleep shorts.
The look in his eyes tells me I won’t be doing much sleeping tonight.
“Hey, I wasn’t sure you were still coming,” I state, stepping back and allowing him entrance.
“Oh, I’ll be coming, as will you. Multiple times.” He sets the bag on the counter and pulls me into his arms. His kiss is fierce, consuming, hungry, and I am here for all of it.
Unfortunately, he pries his lips from mine before it reaches the point of no return, and we’re going at it again on the kitchen table. “Sorry I’m later than I thought. The championship game went into overtime.”
“Did his team win?”
“No, lost by two,” Caden confirms.
“Damn.”
“Yeah, he was bummed, but he made all-tournament team. He played great all day. I’m super proud of him,” he says, sliding his hands into my hair. “And I have to say, finding out you played b-ball, total turn-on.”
“Yeah?”
He leans in once more, slipping his hands down my sides and around to the globes of my ass. “Definitely. I can just picture you on the court, playing D and shooting threes.”
Reaching down, I stroke his cock through his jeans. “I definitely like to play with the D.”
He snorts a laugh and starts to move us through the house. We’re up the steps and in my bedroom before I can say another word. When I’m tossed into my bed, I ask, “What about your dinner?”
He crawls on the bed like an animal approaching its prey. “I can eat later. I’m having dessert first.”
As he starts to remove my clothes, I find myself thinking about tomorrow, which is totally unlike me. However, tomorrow means something a little more than normal. “We work together. Starting tomorrow.”
He pauses, having just slid my shorts and panties off my body. “We do, and we won’t let any of this interfere with working together.”
“Right,” I reply with a decisive nod. “Whatever happens outside of the office, happens. It’s between us and no one else.”
Caden smiles a mischievous little grin. “Exactly. Now we have that settled, it’s time for dessert.”
***
I walk into the front entrance of Premier Electrical at five minutes to eight, a little bell announcing my arrival. There’s a long counter on the east side of the room, with parts and shelves all around the rest of the space. The lighting is warm and welcoming, the walls a basic white color. It’s a spacious room, if not a little dusty and needing a woman’s touch.
“Good morning,” Jack greets, drawing my attention to the west side of the large office space.
“Hi.”
“Come on in and make yourself comfy.” He stands up from his desk and heads my way. I can’t help but steal a few glances at Caden, who’s sitting at the desk beside Jack’s and talking on the phone.
I set my purse down on the floor behind the counter and take a sip of my iced coffee before spinning around and taking in their business.
“Morning.” His greeting is like a warm caress that sends prickles of awareness down my arms. It’s reminiscent of last night, of the attention he showed and the two orgasms he administered. When he finally left, almost three hours later, we were both blissfully sleepy and completely content.
“Hi.” My voice remains calm and cool, but in my mind, I’m removing those rugged jeans and work boots.
Caden stands, and a single eyebrow arches toward his hairline as a smirk plays on his lips, as if he knows where my mind went. “Well, I’ll get out of your hair. I have work to do,” he says, grabbing his travel mug of steaming coffee off his desk and heading toward another doorway. Before he opens the door, he asks, “Lunch?”
Jack glances my way, waiting on my response, to which I just shrug. “Let’s play it by ear, but I’m sure we’ll be ready for a break by noon,” he tells his friend and partner.
“Sounds good. Adrienne, you’re the boss. Take charge,” Caden says before pushing through the door and disappearing from sight. Clearly, he was referring to taking charge in the office, but my dirty mind instantly dove into smutty territory again. Caden seems to have that effect on me.
“Let’s start off with a tour,” Jack says. “You can sit at the desk here behind the counter,” he offers, pointing to the small area housing a new computer. “We’ll get you all set up on the accounting program, email, anything else you need. Like I mentioned, we’re considering offering set storefront hours, but that’s not anything we need to worry about now.”
“I don’t mind manning the storefront when I’m here,” I tell him, taking in the area which is on the opposite side of the room from Caden’s and Jack’s desks.
“Let’s see how much time you need doing the office side, and we can talk. I don’t want to overwork you, considering you’re putting in four days at Burgers and Brew too.”
I nod in understanding. “Sounds good.”
“Caden and I sit over here, as you know,” he says unnecessarily. This side of the office is complete with two matching desks and chairs and a wall of filing cabinets. He picks up a coffee mug that reads “World’s Best Dad” and points to his desk. “My computer currently houses the accounting program, and you’re welcome to use it anytime you need. You have full access to my desk.”
“Okay.”
A door opens behind us, and we both turn to see who has arrived. An older gentleman with aged hands and wrinkled skin offers me a warm smile the moment he enters the room, using the same door Caden exited with. “You must be Adrienne.”
“I am,” I reply, stepping toward him and extending my hand.
“This is Glenn. He works part time with us three days a week, so you’ll be seeing his ugly mug often.”
“Happy to know you,” Glenn replies with a grandfatherly smile. “Maybe this guy won’t be so grumpy having to do all that paperwork stuff.”
“That’s the plan,” Jack states with a laugh. To Glenn, he says, “Caden left you a service call in your bin. If you finish by noon, you’re welcome to meet us for lunch at Burgers and Brew.”
“All right, I just might do that.” Glenn walks over to a series of bins and grabs a sheet of paper from within. “I’ll get out of your hair. Holler if you need me.” To me he adds, “Pleasure meeting you, Adrienne.”
“You as well,” I state, watching as he exits out the door, which must lead to their large work area.
Jack points to a closed door. “Restroom.” To a second closed door, he adds, “Small storage room.”
We walk out the other door into the huge work area. It’s an old warehouse building, complete with a loading ramp and large roll-up doors. The space is cool, with large fans moving air and the windows covered to help keep the temperature down.
“There’s a second smaller employee restroom over there, as well as a washing station. You shouldn’t need to come out here too much, but if we’re here, this is usually where you’ll find us.”
“Okay.”
“What do you say we head up and get started?”
“Let’s do it.”
***
I climb into the passenger seat of Jack’s work truck so we can head to grab lunch. Before we left the office, Jack called Stevie to join us, but she was having lunch with her sister, BJ. Glenn will join us, but may be a few minutes later, as he’s cleaning up from his service call. So, until then, it’ll be just Jack, Caden, and me.
We park on the street and walk to the restaurant side of the business. Cool air hits us the moment we open the door, as does the scent of delicious food. My stomach growls the moment we cross the threshold, my mouth watering as I inhale deep fried goodness.
Caden is already seated at a square table in the middle of the room, so we make our way to him. He takes a drink of his Coke and smiles, his eyes casually watching as I approach. “I ordered some appetizers,” he says in way of greeting.
“Excellent. Office work makes me hungry,” Jack states, taking the seat across from him, while I slide into the empty chair to Caden’s left.
“How’d it go?” he asks, his eyes bouncing between Jack and me.
“Really good. She doesn’t even need me,” Jacks informs his business partner.
“You use the same program I’m accustomed to, so it’s pretty easy,” I add to the conversation.
“She already has last week’s payroll done and all the bills caught up. Things that take me hours and hours, she does in no time. This afternoon we’ll tackle invoicing, but that’ll prove to be a challenge, because you write like a doctor.”
Caden feigns shock. “What? My writing is perfectly legible.”
Jack snorts as our server, Marla, approaches. “Hey, guys. What can I get you to drink?”
“Ice water,” I order.
“Coke, please.”
“I’ll give ya a minute to look over the menu. Jasper does have a new daily special today, I’d Smash That. It’s two smashed patties with a slice of melted Colby Jack cheese, topped with grilled onions, fresh pickles, and Jasper’s homemade smash sauce,” she says, placing four sets of silverware on the table.
“Something tells me I don’t want to know what Jasper’s smash sauce consists of,” Caden states, making us all chuckle.
“You’re not the first person to say that today,” she replies with a laugh. “I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
“Despite the nasty innuendo, I think I’ll have that,” Jacks states, putting the menu he had just retrieved back in the condiment holder in the middle of our table.
“Agreed,” I reply.
When Marla returns with our drinks, we decide to wait for Glenn to place our order. Fortunately, our appetizer platter of fried onion rings, mushrooms, cheese sticks, and jalapeno poppers arrives, so we dive in while we wait.
“So, do I want to know what you decided with the wedding?” Jack asks Caden, a worried look etched on his face.
“I already promised Gram I’d go, and Adrienne agreed to be my date to help keep the peace.”
It’s the first time it’s been brought up since I left the school yesterday after agreeing to go with him, and even though I could very well be walking into the lion’s den of family drama, I’m a little excited to go. I love a good wedding, even if the apparent bride was once engaged to my date.
Jack glances my way before returning his gaze to Caden. “I get that, but I still don’t think it’s a good idea. I mean, it’s not just Dawn there. You’ll have to deal with Tyler too.”
“At least there’ll be alcohol,” Caden replies with a toothy grin.
Jack leans back in his chair and shakes his head. “Shit, I’ll have the bail money.”
Caden barks out a laugh. “Come on, man. You know this face gets me out of trouble.” He waves his hand in front of him and throws a cat that ate the canary grin.
“Your modesty is showing, Caden,” I tease with my own grin.
Glenn arrives and joins us, sparking Marla to make another stop at our table. “Hi, Glenn. Whatcha drinking?”
“Just water for me, Marla. Thanks.”
“I’ll grab that and then take your orders,” she replies before disappearing again for a few minutes.
The guys instantly jump into work talk, leaving me to my own thoughts. I picked up enough pieces to realize the bride was once engaged to Caden—something I still have a hard time wrapping my head around, considering how relationship-phobic he is. But at least I know why. There’s someone involved named Tyler, who I’m going to assume is related to Caden somehow, since it’s a family wedding and all. This might not be a good wedding after all. It might be a drama-filled day full of tension and bad blood.
But I can’t back out now. Caden might not need me to go, but I want to. I don’t know if we’re considered friends or not, but we’re definitely on friendly terms, so if he needs someone to help for whatever reason, I’ll do it. I should probably ask him for those details before I walk into the wedding. At least a heads-up before I step on a hornet’s nest.
Our food arrives a few minutes later, and we all dive in. The smash burger special is amazing, the sauce perfect. I don’t know what’s in it, and there’s no way Jasper will share his secret, but I hope they feature it again. Or add it to the menu. And the best part, I work tonight starting at four, so as long as they keep it on the menu all day, I’ll be able to enjoy it for dinner too.
“You working tonight?” Marla asks me as she stops by with drink refills.
“I am,” I confirm.
“Should be a busy night. There’s both a boys baseball and girls softball game at the school. We always get hit before and after.”
“Good. That’ll help make the night go quicker.”
“You’re working with Jasper tonight. I heard one of Numbers’ kids is sick, so he swapped.”
I shrug. I’ve heard all about how grumpy Jasper is, but I’ve never had any issues with him. He keeps to the kitchen most of the night, checking on me at the bar occasionally. Plus, I know if I need something, I can holler at him, and when it comes time to start closing down the bar, he always jumps right in, usually completing tasks before I get a chance. “Makes no difference to me.”
She flashes me a grin. “That’s because he likes you. He still tries to make the new employees cry. He’s succeeded a few times over the years.”
“You just have to give it right back to him,” I insist, remembering a few times after I started where he’d try to trip me up on orders or duties behind the bar.
“Exactly! That’s the reason he likes you,” Marla agrees. “Anyway, holler if you guys need anything else.”
After she walks away to check on another table, I hear Caden ask, “You have to work tonight?”
“Yep,” I reply, popping a French fry into my mouth. “At four, so I’ll head out by three so I can run home and change into my work clothes.”
Caden’s gaze drops down to my chest, where there’s no missing my cleavage. I’m not wearing a low-cut top, but my boobs just spill out of about anything I wear. He finally looks up and meets my gaze, so I fire off a questioning smirk, letting him know he was busted. Of course, he doesn’t care, just shoots me a knowing grin back.
“How do you like working here, Adrienne?” Glenn asks when Marla moves to the next table.
“I like it,” I reply, grabbing another fry and pushing my basket forward. “I’m a people person, so talking is sort of my thing. Plus, I like slinging beers and mixing drinks, so it just fits.”
“I’ve heard great things about the boys,” Glenn states, and I assume he’s referring to the four owners. “Good kids. They really grew the place from an empty warehouse to this.”
I smile, feeling like one of those little kids sitting in front of their grandpa, waiting for them to tell them more stories about the good ol’ days.
“Even that Jameson turned out to be a pretty good fella. He was ornery when he was younger, him and that Walker boy, but they grew into upstanding young men. I remember one time when they were in school, they lit a bag of dog shit on fire and left it on the principal’s front porch.”
Our table busts out laughing, and even though I don’t know Jameson well, I’ve spent a lot of time with Walker in the bar, and I can totally see him doing that. “I’m going to have to ask him about that when I see him next,” I insist with a giggle.
He points at me. “You do that. He won’t deny it. I think I heard he had detention for a week for that stunt.”
“Did they all go to school together?” I wonder aloud, realizing I don’t think I’ve heard the story.
“Nope. Walker and Jameson grew up here, but only Walker went to college. Jameson used to visit though, and that’s where they met the chef. So they were all friends, hangin’ out like college boys do, and while at some dive bar, they went to the restroom and lit a smoke. That’s where they ran into Isaac, who was just in there using the john. Well, their smoke ended up setting off the sprinkler system, and then the next thing you know, they were all running out together, soaking wet. They’ve been friends ever since.”
Shaking my head, I revel in the story of friendship and how they all met. “Wow, I love that.”
“Rumor has it, Isaac pissed on himself when the sprinkler system went off,” Glenn adds with a mischievous grin.
“Oh, I’m definitely asking about that too.”
“All right, we should probably head back to the office,” Jack interrupts, pulling out his wallet.
When I do the same, he gives me a quick smile. “My treat. First day lunch.”
“Oh, well, okay. I’ll buy next time,” I insist, tossing some cash onto the table to cover the tip.
“Doubt that,” Glenn replies. When I give him a questioning look, he adds, “I’ve been trying to buy ‘next time’ for two years.”
Caden stands up and claps Glenn on the shoulder. “You snooze, you lose, ol’ timer.”
“I’ll show you ol’ timer,” he retorts, standing up and narrowing his eyes at Caden.
“You know I’m teasin’ ya. You can buy next time,” Caden states with a wolfish grin.
Glenn snorts and shakes his head. “I won’t hold my breath. Okay, I’m headin’ out to my last service call. See you back at the shop,” he says, tossing a few extra bills on the table for Marla’s tip.
“Ready?” Jack asks, turning his attention to me.
“Yes.”
“See you back at the shop,” Caden says, following us out of the restaurant. Even as I move to Jack’s truck, I can feel his eyes on me every step of the way. Like a caress, he’s with me when I climb into the truck and shut the passenger door. Even then, I can still sense his gaze on me.
The wild part is, I don’t hate it.
Not at all.
I like it.
I like him.