In that regard, Crystal had more in common with her than with Mia or Gwen, who were both in serious relationships. She hadn’t worked with Lydia for very long, but they had bonded almost from the start. Possibly, they each recognized that the other was lonely. They often went to a movie, dinner, or just to have a drink together in the evenings after work. Lydia was a beautiful woman with a fantastic personality. The only problem was that her heart seemed permanently broken. In her case, Crystal desperately hoped that time would heal her wounds or at least make them bearable.
She had opted to have a sandwich at her desk today instead of leaving the building for lunch. She took a bite of her ham and cheese while she pulled up her Twitter feed. When she looked through her feed, she almost choked on the suddenly much-too-dry bread. “I generally avoid temptation unless I can’t resist it.” Mae West. #Angel.
Oh, my God, he’d actually responded to her tweet, and with a quote from Mae West, no less. Crystal’s body felt warm all over as she pondered the meaning behind the passage he’d picked. Was he saying that he could or couldn’t resist her? Surely, he was leaning toward the latter if he was continuing to play this Twitter game with her. Heck, he’d started the whole thing. Should she answer right away? Or would it be better if she waited until tonight? How sad was it that this was the most excitement she’d had in her life in . . . maybe ever? She so desperately wanted to see him again, but she hadn’t caught even a glimpse of him around the hallways of Danvers. Shit, she couldn’t wait. Typing “Mae West quotes” into Google, she started looking for one to get his attention.
After several minutes, she had the perfect one. “An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises.” Mae West. #Angel. Giggling under her breath, she closed out Twitter and forcibly turned her attention back to her work.
She was putting together a marketing packet for Lydia when there was a tap on her door. Looking up, she smiled as her sister glided into her office. That was actually how the other woman appeared to walk now. Ella was so happy with her husband and new baby that her feet didn’t seem to touch the floor anymore. If she didn’t love her sister so much, then she would be jealous that she seemed to have it all now. A hot-as-hell husband who doted on her, an adorable baby, and a beautiful home near the beach. Yet Crystal couldn’t think of anyone who deserved it more.
Ella had been the preferred target of their meddling mother for years, while Crystal had been the favorite when she was married to Bill. She was embarrassed to admit that she’d actually felt special to her mother during that time. It was the only time in her life that she’d ever felt as if she wasn’t a complete disappointment. Sadly, she’d let herself be pushed into marrying Bill, and she’d stayed with him, even though she was miserable during the marriage. It had seemed easier than dealing with her mother’s disapproval. And even worse, she wasn’t sure if she would have ever had the courage to leave Bill if not for seeing Ella break away from her mother’s control and live her life the way she wanted to. Crystal would never be able to repay her sister for showing her that there could be more to life than what she’d had.
Ella dropped into a chair, giving her a wary look. “Did Mom track you down yesterday?”
Crystal held up an imaginary gun to her head. “Oh yeah, and in person no less. She let herself into my apartment and was waiting for me when I got home.”
“Crap.” Ella winced. “I hate those surprise visits. She did that to me a lot before Declan and I got married. Now he’s told me that I had better never give her a key to our home. He says he’ll be pleasant as long as she acts that way to him, but there is no way she’s walking in unannounced again.”
Crystal started snickering. “Remember when Mom walked in on you and Declan in bed together while you were dating?”
Ella shuddered. “How could I ever forget that? She almost caught us a few other times as well. She e-mailed me quotes on the evils of fornication for months after that. Declan was afraid he’d never be able to perform again, just remembering her staring at him.” Giving an impish wink, Ella added, “Trust me, his fears were completely unfounded.”
Crystal laughed, still amazed that her shy sister could talk about sex now with only a slight blush. “Thanks for sharing that. Maybe if you’d said something along those lines to our mother, she would have been too distracted with you to ambush me.”
“Was it bad?” Ella asked, even though she already knew the answer. Parental time was never pleasant for them.
“Just the usual.” Crystal shrugged. “I’m a disappointment, more than likely a slut, and I have horrible friends. I’ve ruined my life by not begging Bill to forgive me. Oh, and she’s not speaking to me again until I ask her forgiveness for being a disrespectful smart-ass.”
Wincing, Ella said, “Boy, she gave you the works. How long do you think the whole not-speaking-to-you thing will last before she shows up again?”
Clicking her tongue as if deep in thought, she finally said, “I give her a week—max. She’s too curious about where I was over the weekend. There’s no way she’ll drop that this soon.”
Ella’s eyes appeared to cross for a moment before she breathed out. “You sure don’t believe in taking baby steps, do you? I mean, I know you told me what happened with Mark, but I still can’t believe he took care of you like that. I’ve spent a little time around him at various business functions, and he’s always charming. But he’s so—gorgeous. He looks like Matthew Bomer. All dark, sexy, and mysterious. I’ve heard he never sees the same woman twice either. Crys, you’re like a long-term relationship to him!”
Lifting a brow, Crystal asked, “Why are you over there lusting after Mark when you’re married to Declan Stone? Your hubby is a serious stud muffin. You know I stare at his ass at all our family functions, right?”
Ella grabbed a paper clip from her desk and tossed it at Crystal. “I’d have to be blind to miss that. The only person’s butt he stares at, though, is mine, so that’s all that matters.”
“You’ve got that right,” Crystal conceded. “He’s totally whipped, Ells, so good for you.”
Suddenly, her sister snapped her fingers together and literally jumped up and down in her seat. “I’m going to have a barbecue this weekend, and we’ll invite everyone—including Mark. That way, you’ll be able to see him again without looking like you’re stalking him. Are you still doing that, by the way?”
Trying hard to look offended, but failing, Crystal nodded. “Just a tad, and only on his Twitter account. I haven’t resorted to walking up and down the hallway outside his office yet. It was easier before when he didn’t know me. Now it would look too obvious.”
“No, really?” Ella said dryly. “Anyway, I’ll get with the others and make this happen. Don’t make any plans for Saturday evening.”
Crystal didn’t bother to point out that she rarely had anything to do on the weekend. After Ella had left, she wondered why she hadn’t told her about the tweets that she’d been exchanging with Mark. Something about it just seemed too personal to share. For now, she wanted to keep it between them. It was almost too good to be true, and she didn’t want to tempt fate by overanalyzing it.
At least now she had a reason to see him again, and she had to hope that the week would pass by quickly before she resorted to driving by his house.
Chapter Six
Mark had gone straight home after work and given Denny the night off. He generally used the drive to and from the office to return calls and e-mails, but still preferred to drive himself when the workday was over. After changing into something more casual, he’d grabbed the keys to his Porsche and driven across town to his favorite bar, Rivers. It was a popular meeting place for college students and professionals. He’d been chatting with the bartender, Jason, while enjoying a scotch and water, when a blond-haired beauty settled on the stool beside him. A quick glance told him that she was around twenty-five and had a spectacular set of fake tits. She had the perpetual tan common to so many living in a beach town. He had the sudden
urge to lecture her about the dangers of sun exposure. What the hell was wrong with him? The only stern warnings he was usually interested in giving were in the bedroom. He had certainly never cared enough to go beyond that.
She was now turning sideways to face him, flashing her best flirty grin, and he felt . . . absolutely nothing. Nada. She was the exact replica of most of the women he picked to fuck for a few hours, and he wasn’t interested. Maybe it was the whole skin thing. Yeah, that had to be it. She’d turned him off by being too . . . tan. He angled his seat away from hers, and she stalked off.
“Man, I can’t believe you just blew Ashley off.” Jason laughed. “I’ve heard that she goes above and beyond. I’d kill for a shot at that.”
Mark shrugged, not in the least sorry. He was looking for something different tonight. After another thirty minutes, a brunette took the place of Ashley. This one looked to be a few years older, and she was a knockout. He was considering speaking to her, when she reached out and touched his arm, stroking up and down. He was immediately turned off. She was too forward. He didn’t like aggressive women. At least not tonight.
Things continued along the same lines for the next couple of hours. Jason was openly staring at him in confusion, probably questioning his sexual orientation by this point. He didn’t want to examine why, but no one appealed to him tonight. This was surprising because he’d been hard more often than not since Crystal crashed into his life. Why wasn’t he doing something about it? Just thinking of her again had him pulling his phone out and checking his Twitter account. “An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises.” Mae West. #Angel.
“Damn,” he hissed as his cock strained against his zipper. She was killing him. He hadn’t lied to her when he’d admitted to wanting to fuck her more than he ever had another woman. It was fast becoming an obsession. Just picturing those plump lips of hers sucking his cock was enough to make him blow his load in this very public bar. Before he could embarrass himself, he dropped some money next to his drink and made a hasty retreat.
As soon as he walked in the door at home, he picked up his iPad and Googled quotes. There was no way he could sleep until he replied to her little tease. A grin spread across his face as he found the perfect one. “When I’m good, I’m very good. But when I’m bad, I’m better.” Mae West. #Angel.
It was already close to midnight, but he stayed up another few hours in hopes that she’d respond. When she didn’t, he thought it was probably for the best. He’d have begged for her address, and then gone there and fucked her until she couldn’t walk for a week. Unless he was very wrong, sex with Angel wouldn’t be a onetime thing. That was reason alone enough to stay away from the woman who was rapidly turning his life upside down.
• • •
Mark was edgy and wired the next morning after tossing and turning most of the night. Denny dropped him at the gym with threats to leave his grouchy ass stranded if he didn’t exit in a better mood. He stopped at the juice bar to buy a bottle of water. He was paying when someone clapped him on the back. He jerked around, still in a foul mood, to see Seth Jackson giving him a questioning look. Mark felt some of his tension drain as he greeted his friend. Seth ran the Oceanix Resort in Myrtle Beach and had been a friend for years.
They had been talking for a few minutes, when his friend and coworker Jacob Hay strolled up to join them. Jacob was vice-president of operations for the DeSanto Group, as well as Mark’s right hand. He divided his time between their headquarters in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, with a liberal amount of travel in between.
Mark broke into a grin, as Asher Jackson was next through the door and immediately walked over to punch him in the shoulder. “I didn’t know you were in town again,” he said after they shook hands. At one time, he and Ash had hung out a good bit. They ran in the same circles and had similar . . . interests. Hell, they’d even shared those interests a few times in the past. If Mark was considered a hit-it-and-quit-it, as Denny often called him, then he wasn’t sure what that made Ash. The other man had some strange hang-ups, and if women wanted to spend time with him, then they had to accept those aspects.
“For a few weeks.” Ash nodded. “I try to get down and see Mia as often as possible,” he added slyly, while watching his brother Seth for his reaction. Mia was Seth’s girlfriend, and the guy was crazy about her. Mark saw her occasionally at Danvers, and she was a beauty.
Instead of looking jealous, Seth just laughed. “My woman is perfectly happy and satisfied. She thinks of you as the brother she never had, Ash.”
Giving a wolfish grin, Ash said, “I’m trying to encourage that. She gives her hugs more freely to family members.”
Jacob grabbed a towel off a nearby table and wiped his face before asking, “So what’s up with all this Angel stuff on Twitter? My assistant seems to think you’re doing some kind of Internet dating now. Who’s cryswebber?”
Dead silence settled between them as Seth and Ash joined Jacob in staring at him. Well, hell. Social death by hashtag—how original. “Er—it’s nothing. Just joking around with a friend.” Mark began edging away, trying to break the focus of the group. Who knew that so many people followed his fucking Twitter feed?
“Crys Webber,” Seth repeated slowly before snapping his finger. “That’s not Crystal Webber from Danvers, is it? Declan Stone’s sister-in-law?”
“Not sure,” Mark said vaguely. “Are we going to work out today or stand around chatting?”
Both Ash and Jacob were looking at him in surprise, while Seth looked uneasy. “Crystal’s a good friend of Mia’s. From what I gather, she’s rather—innocent, for lack of a better word.”
Exasperated, Mark said, “She’s been married before, Seth. It’s not like she’s never been around a man.”
“Doesn’t sound like your usual kind of woman,” Ash added.
“Listen, there’s nothing going on,” Mark snapped, tired of defending himself. For God’s sake, did his friends think that he was Jack the Ripper or something? Every one of the men surrounding him worked hard and played harder. A common interest had made them friends. He wasn’t sure where all of the judgment was coming from, but he was tired of it. He stalked away but had only gone a few steps when Jacob tossed an arm over his shoulders.
“PMS today or something? Sorry about tossing you under the bus. I didn’t think it was a secret or anything.”
“It’s not,” Mark replied, still annoyed. “As I’ve said, she’s just a friend.”
“All right, brother, whatever you say. But if you end up marrying her, I’m going to lose money.” At his questioning look, Jack added, “All of the women in the office are betting that you’ve met ‘the one.’ We may have placed a few friendly wagers. So whatever you do—keep it casual.”
Elbowing his friend in the side, he shook his head. “You’ve got problems. And don’t bother losing any sleep over your money—we both know I’ll never settle down.”
Seth and Ash joined them, and they worked out steadily for an hour before hitting the showers. After his recent round of teasing from the guys about his Twitter activity, he shouldn’t be dying to see if Crystal had replied yet. He knew that if she had, he wouldn’t be able to resist continuing the verbal foreplay, no matter how much his friends were enjoying his social media embarrassment.
• • •
Her palms were sweaty and her heart was racing—again. Enclosed in the restroom at Danvers with her cell phone, Crystal stared at Mark’s latest tweet. She’d overslept that morning and had no time to look before rushing to work. She normally didn’t check her social media while at work, but she felt like it was acceptable since she was taking a restroom break.
Once again, she was looking through Mae West quotes on Google and trying to find a reply for Mark. She was on the verge of giving up and doing it later when she spotted the perfect one. Giving a fist pump to the empty room, she quickly composed a new tweet. “I’ll try anything once, twice if I like it, three times to make sure.” Mae West. #Angel.
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Someone was frantically trying the door handle, so she washed her hands and hoped that she’d transferred the quote correctly. There was no time to check now. The person waiting was a blur of action as she hurried into the room behind her and slammed the door. Geez. It made her want to knock on the door and remind them that there were in fact several more restrooms on this floor. When she returned to her office, she had an e-mail from Ella, inviting her to lunch at noon.
Crystal spent the next few hours handling tasks for Lydia before collecting her purse for lunch with her sister. She’d invited Mia along as well. Gwen was having an ultrasound today and wouldn’t be in until later. They were all excited to hear if she and Dominic would be having a girl or boy. The couple had pondered letting it be a surprise, but in the end, they were just too excited to find out.
When she reached the lobby, not only were Ella and Mia waiting, but also Suzy, Claire, Beth, Emma, and Ava were gathered there. Suzy’s husband, Gray, was a vice-president at Danvers along with his brother, Nick. To make matters more interesting, Suzy’s sister, Beth, was married to Nick. Emma Davis was engaged to Brant Stone, who also worked for Danvers along with his sister, Ava Powers. Ava was married to Mac, who ran a security company based out of the Danvers building. To add even more confusion to the mix, Gwen had dated Mac briefly before falling in love with Mac’s business partner, Dominic Brady. Crystal could barely keep up with all of it in her head. When the women had lunch together, Crystal found herself overwhelmed at times by the details of who was with whom. If love was in the air at Danvers International, then Crystal had to wonder why it seemed to be overlooking her when so many others had found “the one” at the office.