Dirty Addiction (Dirty 2)

“I’ll call you tomorrow and see where your head is at. Unfortunately, this is something you need to decide on quickly, so we can start spinning the news in your favor before the public has totally made up their minds about you. But, even if you decide that this is not what you want, you can always count on me being here for you as a friend.”

I pick up my oversized purse that functions as my briefcase, and I turn and walk out the door of her second-floor office where she works as a lawyer, which is situated in a larger building that contains several offices.

I haven’t walked far when I bump into a hard chest. I should step back, giving the man some space, but I linger, keeping my face against his chest as I breathe in the manly scent of his aftershave. My body tingles as his hands go to my waist. He hesitates for a second as well, not sure if he wants to pull me closer or push me away. Finally, he gently pushes me away from him.

I look up, hoping to find a sexy stranger standing in front of me, who I can ask out for a drink, hopefully leading to dirty things later tonight. I could use the distraction and an actual bed to sleep in tonight. And, if his smell and firm grip on my body are any indication, I would love to get in his bed.

My heart immediately hardens to that idea when I realize who is standing in front of me.

Carter.

His eyes widen when he sees me. “What are you doing here? Trying to sabotage my meeting?”

I smile. “No, despite what you think, my life isn’t all about you.”

He smirks. “It should be.”

I resist the urge to punch him in his chiseled, alluring face and wipe the smug expression off his face. But, man, does he look good with a cocky expression and a tailored dark gray suit. If he wasn’t such an asshole, he would be exactly my type. Ambitious, confident, good-looking. The bad boy I shouldn’t want because I know he will burn me in the end. That’s exactly who he is, and even forgetting our history together, his bad boy reputation is the reason I shouldn’t want him. If only I could figure out how to turn off the button inside me that finds him far too attractive for what is healthy for me.

The way Carter is looking at me isn’t helping either. His eyes are searing into my body as he studies my black stilettos, my dark gray pencil skirt, and my purple blouse. He doesn’t hide the fact that he is imagining what it would be like to remove each item of clothing from my body. He stares for far too long, lingering over what he finds sexiest—my legs and breasts.

I bite my lip, and his eyes immediately go to my lips.

Please suck on my lip, I think.

No, what am I thinking? He’s the devil.

The devil who is amazing in bed—or so I heard from half of my high school.

“I think you have ketchup on your lip.” His thumb brushes against my lip before I can stop him.

He stares at the red liquid on his thumb, smells it, and then tastes it. “Nope. It’s blood from you biting your lip so hard to keep from kissing me.”

I glare at him. “I don’t want to kiss you.”

He laughs. “You should tell your body that.”

I roll my eyes. I’m not going to let him goad me.

He cocks his head to the side. “I never thought I’d see you in a dress. You look good, Tori.”

“Victoria. And it’s a business skirt, not a dress.”

He nods. “I thought you hated dressing up.”

“No, I hated dressing up because you always ruined whatever I was wearing. So, what was the point?”

He looks from me to Lily’s office behind me. “So, you hoping that Lily can help you get a job?”

I smirk. “Something like that.”

He studies my eyes for a second. “You can’t seriously think that you can come in here and get the crisis PR job to fix all of her problems, do you? Lily’s life is a mess right now; she needs an expert. Not someone who just got fired and has zero work experience.”

“I was laid off, not fired. And I am an expert. Just because I don’t have a flashy business card and my own business doesn’t mean that I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve been doing this for almost as long as you. I know what Lily needs and how to solve her problems. We just had a great discussion. She and I will be working together.”

Carter laughs. “Not after I talk to her.”

I narrow my eyes. “Oh, that’s right; I forgot. You plan on sleeping with her to get the job. Lily’s better than that. It won’t work.”