His Proposed Deal
Sandi Lynn
His Proposed Deal
Copyright © 2015 Sandi Lynn
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used factitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover Design by Cassy Roop @ Pink Ink Designs
Photography by Sara Eirew @ Sara Eirew Photography
Models: Michel Giroux Fashion & Fitness Model and Tanya
Editing by B.Z. Hercules
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
BOOKS BY SANDI LYNN
About The Author
Playlist
Chapter 1
I finished putting the last loose curl in my long, blonde hair when Kara walked into the bathroom.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving in the morning.”
“I know. I’m going to miss you guys.”
I ran my fingers through my hair and swept a bit more mascara on the lashes around my blue eyes before Kara and I headed to meet the girls for dinner. It was our last dinner together in Florida before I hopped on a plane to New York City tomorrow. I would be attending the fall semester at Parsons School of Design. It had been a dream of mine since I was a child. I worked as a waitress in an upscale restaurant and saved all my tips and a good chunk of my paychecks for over a year to be able to move to New York and live for a while until I found a job. With the help of a student loan I was able to secure, tuition wasn’t a problem.
Kara and I met our friends, Molly and Aubrey, at Seafood Haven, and then we were off to a club. The four of us had been best friends since elementary school when we were put in a group together for a project. Kara and Molly were hairdressers and worked at the same salon, and Aubrey was on her way to becoming a lawyer. My dream had always been interior design and, at the age of twenty-four, I was finally pursuing it. Life hadn’t been so easy for me and my mom. My dad took off when I was two and my mom always struggled to make ends meet. When she’d work double shifts at the diner, my Aunt Laura would look after me. My mom did her best, and as soon as I was old enough to work, I got a job. After graduating high school, I put off college so I could work full-time and help my mom with the bills.
“So have you talked to Justin at all?” Kara asked.
“No. He doesn’t know that I’m leaving and I want to keep it that way. So don’t any one of you go and tell him.”
“It’s too bad things didn’t work out between you two,” Molly spoke.
“Yeah. He’s a nice guy but way too boring. I mean, come on; we never went out because he couldn’t tear himself away from his video games. Not to mention the fact that he refused job offers because he felt like they weren’t good enough. He has a lot of growing up to do.”
“But the sex was good, right?” Aubrey asked.
“Yeah. That was the only thing that was right with our relationship. I put up with his shenanigans for a year and I just couldn’t take it anymore.”
“But he cried when you broke it off with him.” Kara smirked.
“He cried because I broke the X-Box game he was playing when I was trying to break up with him and he wouldn’t listen to me. I’m done with guys unless they’re over the age of thirty-five. Hopefully, they’ll have their shit figured out by then.”
We all laughed, paid our bill, and headed to Club Fifty-Seven.
****
I was standing with my back leaning up against the bar, sipping a mojito and watching the girls twerking on the dance floor when a ruggedly handsome gentleman walked up and ordered a scotch on the rocks. I studied his six-foot stature as he talked to his friend. His light brown short hair was styled to perfection, as was the stubble and light mustache he sported. He wore a pair of black jeans – at least they looked black in the dim light – with a button-down short sleeve black shirt. I gulped when he turned my way and caught me staring at him. His lips were full and his gray eyes caught my attention faster than the rest of him did. He gave me a small smile.
“Hello.”
I nodded as I held up my mojito, feeling like a complete ass for getting caught. The bartender handed him his drink and he stepped closer to me.
“I’m Max.”
“Emma. Nice to meet you.” I smiled.
“Nice to meet you too, Emma. Want to go somewhere and talk?”
That was code for “Let’s go fuck somewhere and call it a night.”
“Sorry. I’m with my friends.”
“Your friends can join too.” He winked. His wink made him even sexier than he already was.
“You’re cute but I’m not into that.”
He leaned closer to me until his lips were dangerously close to mine. The smell of scotch on his breath swept over my face.
“I would love to know what you’re into.” His smile distracted me from my thoughts for a moment.
“I bet you would.” My finger ran down the front of his shirt. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Only the ones I find incredibly sexy. And judging from my hard-on, you’re one sexy girl.”
My body was overheating as I signaled for the bartender to get me another mojito. Max threw down some cash as the bartender handed me my drink.
“It’s on me.”
“So now you expect sex because you bought me a drink?” I smirked as I took a sip. “I’m not that kind of girl.”
His finger slowly traced the outline of my jaw as he tilted his head and stared into my eyes. “Why don’t you tell me what kind of girl you are?”
This game was pretty fun. But then again, what if he was some psychotic killer that was going to stalk me and murder me for turning him down.
“I’m the type of girl who doesn’t have sex with strangers. Especially those from a club. I like to get to know my men before I take them to bed. A few dates, some flowers, amazing dinners, and most importantly, the finest chocolates money can buy.”
“Well, I’m sorry that I won’t be able to do that for you because I’m flying out tomorrow morning. So, why don’t you live life on the edge and forget all that stuff for once, and we can get straight to the bed part.”
I certainly couldn’t fault the poor guy for trying. My panties were wet. That hadn’t happened in a very long time. Not even with Justin. But nonetheless, no matter how horny I was at this moment, I couldn’t have sex with this incredibly hot and sexy man standing in front of me. It wasn’t me and I wasn’t about to do anything stupid for my own sexual satisfaction. Molly, Kara, and Aubrey walked up and stood there staring at the two of us. I thought Molly’s jaw was going to hit the floor.
“Thanks for the offer,
but no thanks.” I placed my hand on his chest and swallowed hard as I felt what I’d be missing. “I’m sure you’re a really sweet guy even though you want to have sex with strange women in clubs, but like I said earlier, that’s not what I do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my girls are here and it’s time for us to leave.”
I hooked my arm in Kara’s and Molly’s and the four of us left the club.
“What the fuck was that?” Aubrey asked. “I would have pounded him right then and there. He was a god, Emma.”
“That he was, but I don’t have sex with random strangers. I know you all think it’s fine and fun, but I guess I’m old fashioned.”
“You’re leaving tomorrow. You don’t have a boyfriend. God knows when the last time you had sex was. So what do you have to lose? You can get on that plane in the morning feeling like a rock star,” Molly said.
“Sorry, ladies. If you want to have sex with him, then be my guest. I’m sure he would do you all at the same time. He said you could join in.” I smiled.
“You’re nuts!” Kara spewed. “I never would have turned down that fine piece of ass.”
Chapter 2
Before going through security at the airport, I hugged my mom goodbye.
“You be careful in New York City. I’m going to miss you, baby girl,” she pouted.
“I will, Mom, and I’ll miss you too. You know this is good for me. It’s what I’ve always dreamed of.”
“I know.” Tears started to fill her eyes. “Now get out of here and call me when you get there so I know you arrived safely, and be careful. New York City is scary.”
“I will. I love you, Mom.” I laughed.
“I love you too, baby girl.”
She stood there and gave me a small wave as I cleared security and headed to my gate. Just as I made my way across the airport, my flight was already boarding. With bated breath, I stepped onto the plane, shoved my carryon in the overhead compartment, and sat in my seat, taking out my phone and checking my emails before the plane took off. My heart started racing as I opened the email from the financial department at Parsons.
Dear Miss Knight,
We are sorry to inform you that we’ve made a mistake in approving your financial loan for the fall semester at Parsons School of Design. We are so sorry for this inconvenience. If you still wish to attend the fall semester at Parsons, we are giving you five days to pay the tuition to hold your classes. After five days, if payment is not received in full, we will be forced to give your spot to another student.
Robert Foreman
Director of Financial Services
I couldn’t even process what I was reading. How could they take my loan away at the last minute? My eyes filled with tears. My dream was no longer going to become a reality. There was no way I could afford the $21,000 fall semester tuition. I only had enough money to live off of for a while. I started to panic as my mind raced with fear. I left my mom and friends back in Florida to move to New York to attend school and now there was no school. A wave of nausea swept over me and I needed to get up and use the bathroom. As I made my way down the aisle, I noticed the bathroom was occupied. Shit. I stood there, literally shaking, waiting for whoever it was in the bathroom to get out. Suddenly, the door opened and a pair of spellbinding gray eyes looked at me.
“Hey. Emma, right?” Max smiled.
Oh my God, this can’t be happening.
“Are you okay?” He lightly took hold of my arm.
“Not really. I just need to use the bathroom, please.”
“Sure.” He stepped out of the way.
I shut the door and stood against the sink. First Parsons and now the guy from last night? I took in a long deep breath as I tried to rationalize the situation. This wasn’t the end of the world. I would go talk to the financial department tomorrow and clear everything up. When I opened the door, Max was standing there, waiting for me.
“Why are you still standing there?” I asked with irritation. He was the last person I wanted to deal with.
“I was making sure you were okay. You looked like you had tears in your eyes. Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine.” I walked away and he followed behind.
I sat down in my seat and looked out the window.
“Hey, buddy, how would you like my seat in first class?” Max said to the guy sitting next to me.
“Dude, are you serious?”
“Yeah. It’s seat 2A. If you don’t mind, I would like to sit next to my friend here.”
“Sure. I don’t mind at all. Thanks.” He got up from the seat and Max sat down.
“Really? You just gave up your first class seat to sit here? Are you crazy or something?”
“Maybe I am.” He smiled.
Damn. His smile was just as sexy as it was last night. In fact, he was just as sexy as last night. Thank God I didn’t sleep with him. What were the chances he would be on the same plane as me? I needed a drink and I needed one bad. The flight attendant walked by and I stopped her.
“Excuse me, can I please get a glass of red wine?”
“Sure. There’s a charge for the alcoholic beverages.”
“Fine.”
“Drinking already?” he asked.
I looked over at him and sighed. I didn’t need this shit right now. “Can you please just go back to your seat and leave me alone? I don’t want to talk to anyone right now.”
“Sorry, but I gave my seat up. Looks like you’re stuck with me for the duration of the flight. By the way, are you traveling home?”
“No.” I turned my head and looked out the window.
The flight attendant walked over and handed me my glass of wine. Before I knew it, Max reached in his pocket and pulled out some money and handed it to her.
“It’s on me.”
“Do you always make a habit of buying drinks for women on a plane?”
“No. Do you ever say ‘thank you’?”
I sighed. “Thank you and I’m sorry. I’m just having the worst life possible right now.” The sip of wine I intended to take turned into downing half the glass.
“I could tell something was wrong. Listen, I’m sorry for imposing on you. I’ll just sit here and listen to some music and I won’t bother you again.”
Now I felt like a complete bitch. It wasn’t his fault that Parsons took back my loan.
“You wanted to have sex with me last night.” I smiled.
He turned his head and the corners of his mouth slightly curved. “I never said that.”
“Oh, come on. You said you wanted to go somewhere and talk. That’s code for ‘let’s go have sex.’ Plus, you told me to live life on the edge and skip all the romance stuff and go straight to the bed.”
He chuckled. “Okay, fine. The thought had crossed my mind. I mean, look at you, but I could tell you weren’t that type of girl anyway. We had harmless flirting and you have to admit it was pretty hot.”
He wasn’t lying. It was hot and, unfortunately, after I left the club, I thought about him the majority of the night, which led me to take care of myself.
“You live in New York?” I asked.
“Yep. I spent the summer in Miami at our beach house, scouting out potential property for my dad’s company.”
“So you work for your dad?”
“Yep. I’m being groomed to take over once he retires.”
“That’s great.” I gave a small smile.
“Since we’ll probably never see each other again after this, I don’t see the harm in you telling me what’s wrong. Sometimes it helps to tell your problems to a complete stranger.”
“You’re not a stranger. I know your name and you tried to have sex with me.”
He shook his head while a wide smile splayed across his gorgeous face. “All right.”
I finished my wine and set the glass on the tray and Max looked away from me. He was right. I probably would never see him again after this flight, so what was the harm?
“I was moving to New York to attend
Parsons School of Design. Everything was arranged. My financial loan was approved. I had been saving my money from my full-time job for living expenses and I was staying at my friend Macy’s apartment while she’s out of the country. Attending Parsons was a dream I had ever since I could remember. I received an email from the school this morning telling me that they made a mistake in approving my loan and that I have five days to pay the full fall tuition or else they’re giving my spot to someone else.”
“Wow. I’m really sorry, Emma. How can they just take it back like that?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to talk to them first thing tomorrow morning.” I looked out the window with tears in my eyes.
“Hey. Don’t let it get you down. I bet it’s just a mistake on their part.”
The plane finally landed and Max took his phone off airplane mode. Several dings came through and I looked at him when he uttered, “Oh, shit.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Umm…nothing.”
He seemed really nervous. He got up from his seat, grabbed his bag from the overhead compartment in first class, then waited for me and we walked off together.
“I have to use the bathroom.”
“Okay. Well, it was great meeting you, Emma. Maybe I’ll see you around New York. Good luck.” He turned around and ran off.
I went into the bathroom, feeling confused and unsure of what had just happened. Oh well, I couldn’t think about him. I needed to go get my bags and get to Macy’s apartment and figure out what to do next. I exited the bathroom and headed towards baggage claim. Once I found it, I was startled when I heard my name.
“Emma, there you are. After I left the bathroom, I couldn’t find you,” Max said as he walked over and hugged me. “Go along with me. Please, Emma. I will compensate you for this favor,” he whispered in my ear.
“What the fuck are you doing, Max?”
“Just smile,” he said through gritted teeth.
He hooked his arm around me and walked me over to where an older woman and gentleman were standing.
“Mom, Dad, this is my fiancée, Emma.” His grip around me tightened.