Chasing Perfection Vol. 2 (3 page)

BOOK: Chasing Perfection Vol. 2
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Fuck that. I’d been great.

 

Things were always better when I did them my way. Everyone got what they deserved and no one could touch me.

 

People getting what they deserved turned my thoughts towards my encounter with Krissy earlier that day. I had to admit, I’d enjoyed her coming into my office and questioning me about firing George. Her face had been flushed, her eyes flashing, and I’d wondered what it would take to tame her.

 

Not that I was going to. She was off limits to be brought under submission, but just because I wasn’t going to fuck her didn’t mean I couldn’t fuck
with
her.

 

I chuckled. Krissy all but accused me of firing George just to get in good with her, but the truth was, he’d had the worst conversion rate of all my agents. Keeping him at a hundred, twenty-five thousand a year plus bonuses – not that he’d really ever made any – hadn’t been prudent. The incident with Krissy had just been a good excuse.

 

A flare of anger went through me when I thought about what I’d overheard two people saying had happened between George and Krissy. I told myself it was because a part of me wished it was true, that Krissy really had slept with me to get the job. Not because she didn’t deserve the job otherwise, but because at least then I’d have gotten it out of my system and wouldn’t have had such a shit week.

 

Images flashed through my mind. They were all from what I’d done tonight, but in each one, it was Krissy, not Angelica. Krissy’s mouth I was fucking. Her ass gripping my cock. Her skin reddening as she begged for more.

 

My cock twitched.

 

“Fuck,” I muttered. I was getting hard again and I didn’t want to go to bed with a hard-on...again. And I certainly didn’t want to take care of it myself. Aside from the fact that I didn’t need to, I knew that Krissy would play a leading role in any masturbatory fantasy I came up with. I wanted to stop thinking about her, not fantasize about her.

 

Who could I call?

 

I glanced up at a neon sign for Chinese food. That sounded good. Mika was nothing like Krissy. For some reason, Mika’s number wasn’t in my phone, so I recited it from memory, then waited for my bluetooth to connect me.

 

“Hello?” A young woman answered.

 

“I would like my little Chinese special,” I said.

 

“Chinese special?” The woman sounded confused.

 

She must’ve been new, I thought. “Yeah, my usual. This is DeVon.” That should’ve been enough.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. DeVon. This isn’t a Chinese restaurant. You’ve reached–”

 

Was she kidding me? “I know this isn’t a Chinese restaurant!” I was almost yelling. I wasn’t in the mood to be screwed with. “Just put Mika on the phone. She’s my little Chinese special.”

 

The woman’s voice turned cold and hard. “You have the wrong number, Mr. DeVon. This is not a restaurant or a bordello. This is Sister Mary Margaret of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. You can call any time you need prayer or counseling, but for other...services, I would ask that you refrain from calling back.”

 

Heat flooded my face as I slammed my finger into the bluetooth button on my steering wheel. I pressed the accelerator to the floor and sped past two old women in a rusted Chevy Impala. Great fucking way to end the night.

 
Chapter 5
 
 

KRISSY

 

“You’re kidding me,” Carrie said incredulously. “He didn’t do that.”

 

I nodded. “He did. He fired the guy on account of me. George insulted me and that’s what happened.”

 

George had actually been fired two days ago, but since I’d gotten a call from Carrie saying she was coming in this weekend, I hadn’t bothered to tell her any of this over the phone. Aside from the fact that I’d wanted to save it for a face-to-face conversation, I’d also gotten another call right in the middle of her telling me her plans. Carrie’s trip to LA turned out to be perfect timing. I’d gotten one of the apartments I’d applied for, which meant she would arrive just in time to help me move in to my new place. After a busy morning and afternoon emptying the moving van I’d had in a paid lot since it arrived, everything was at least in my new, two-bedroom West Hollywood apartment, though not much of it was unpacked. It was nearly seven by the time Carrie and I finally sat down for a well-deserved meal. That was when I’d spilled the whole story.

 

Carrie shook her head. “Unless you’d reported him for sexual harassment, which you didn’t, that’s not a legitimate reason to fire him.” She grinned at me. “Sorry, not that you’re not special.”

 

I rolled my eyes and tried not to let Carrie see how much I’d missed this, sitting down and talking to her. “Well, he said it was also because of some previous lawsuit.” I put down my near-empty glass. “Fuck it. I’m tired of talking about DeVon and my job. Come on.” I stood. “Let’s go out and see what the Hollywood nightlife has to offer in this part of the city.”

 

I managed to find one of my favorite dresses, the kind that looked painted on and was guaranteed to get me laid. Carrie had brought clubbing clothes and while she’d definitely loosened up since she’d started dating Gavin, there was almost twice as much fabric to her outfit as there was to mine. Still, I had to admit that she looked hot. Being in love agreed with her.

 

All eyes were on us as we made our way through one of Hollywood’s hottest clubs. We weren’t famous, but we were gorgeous and running Club Privé had certainly taught Carrie how to work a room. We were on our third round of drinks when I decided I wanted to dance. Carrie excused herself to the restroom and I made my way onto the dance floor.

 

An arm slid around my waist, turning me around so that I was looking directly at the very muscular chest of one of the hottest guys I’d seen so far since I’d arrived in this town. Thick dark hair and eyes, both of which could’ve been brown or black. His shirt was fitted and his pants rode that line of being too tight, but both showed off his considerable assets. He looked younger than me, but he’d gotten in, so I was counting on him being at least twenty-one.

 

We didn’t speak as we danced together, grinding our bodies against each other until I could feel how hard he was. He pulled me closer, his hands on my ass, and leaned down so that he could speak in my ear.

 

“You know where you want to go tonight.”

 

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I do?”

 

“Yeah,” he said with a cocky grin. “Home with me.”

 

I laughed. He actually thought he’d get to be in charge. How cute. “I was actually hoping you’d come home with me.”

 

“Krissy.” A hand on my arm reminded me that I hadn’t come alone.

 

The guy’s eyes lit up as his gaze raked over Carrie. “Oh, a threesome. I can get into that.”

 

Carrie rolled her eyes. “Keep dreaming, hot stuff. I’m just going to steal my friend for a second here.”

 

I let her pull me away from the dance floor and felt the guy’s eyes on me. I put a little extra sway into my hips. I was pleasantly buzzed and enjoying myself. I’d almost forgotten how much I loved going out with friends.

 

“I hate to spoil the party,” Carrie said. “But I’m exhausted. Jet lag.”

 

Suddenly, I realized. She was still on East Coast time and it was, I glanced at my watch, almost five in New York.

 

I nodded. “Give me a minute.” I walked back onto the dance floor and cut between the guy I’d been dancing with and a girl who’d tried to take my spot. I ignored the girl’s protest and stuck my hand in the guy’s pocket. His eyes widened as I fished around more than necessary before I pulled out his phone. I dialed my number from his phone, then handed it back to him.

 

“I’ll call you,” I said as I sauntered away, confident that his eyes were glued to my ass. As I went to save his number, I realized that I didn’t know his name. I shrugged. That wasn’t really a problem. I didn’t usually scream a guy’s name when we fucked. I saved the number under ‘Club Hottie’ and put my phone back into my purse.

 

Carrie grinned at me as we left the club, but I waited until we were out in the comparative silence before I asked her what she thought was so funny.

 

“You,” she said. “New city, new time zone, same Krissy.” She linked her arm through mine as we started to walk towards my apartment. “I’d been worried that moving here might change you.”

 

I grimaced as my heels pinched my feet. Another way LA and New York were different: cabs. Back East, there were always cabs around the clubs, ready to take home inebriated partiers. Here, they were few and far between. I paused and pulled off my heels. That, at least, was a positive. I could walk in my bare feet at two in the morning during the first weeks of autumn and my feet weren’t even chilly.

 

“I’m going to miss you,” I said suddenly. “I mean, I was already missing you, but now that you’ve been here, when you leave, it’s going to be so much worse.”

 

Carrie squeezed my arm. “I’ve missed you, too, but I promise that I’ll keep coming to visit as often as I can.”

 

“Definitely a perk of being your own boss,” I said. “Or sleeping with the boss.”

 

Carrie rolled her eyes. “Gavin’s not my boss.” She gave me a mischievous look. “And I’m not the one whose boss wants her.”

 

I shook my head. “DeVon doesn’t want me. He just likes fucking with people.”

 

Carrie didn’t argue, but I could see on her face that she didn’t agree with me. Instead, she flagged down the only cab we’d seen so far. The ride back to my apartment was quiet, but it wasn’t a bad kind of quiet. For the first time since I’d moved out here, I felt comfortable. When we got back to my new place, we both kicked off our shoes and headed for my bedroom. The only things that were set up were my bed, a small kitchen table with two matching chairs and a love seat that was full of boxes. It didn’t really look like home, but with Carrie there, it kinda felt like it.

 

We dropped onto the bare mattress. I didn’t even know where my sheets or blankets were, but it was warm enough that it didn’t matter. Carrie rolled onto her side, but I stayed on my back, staring up at the ceiling. I’d missed this. My old life had been so uncomplicated. Go to work. Go out with friends. Hook up with guys. Repeat.

 

“I think I should come home.” It was the first time I’d actually spoken the words out loud. I felt the bed dip as she turned to face me, but I didn’t look at her. “I mean, Mimi would give me my old job back, or I could just find another one.”

 

“Even though I would love to have you back in New York, I don’t think you should give up.” Carrie’s voice was soft. “You really wanted this. Paradise compared to boring divorce law. And I know you love it here, no matter how tough it can be.”

 

She was right and I knew it.

 

“Just give yourself some time. You’re going to be homesick.”

 

“I wasn’t when I moved from Chicago to New York,” I countered.

 

“You wanted out of Chicago,” she reminded me. “And you have family in New York.”

 

She was right, again. Technically, my biological family was in Chicago, but my real family was Carrie and Leslie and Dena. I didn’t have anyone like that here. I was a people person, always had been, and there wasn’t anyone in LA worth staying for.

 

The image of DeVon popped into my head and I tried to push it away. I just needed time and I’d make friends, meet new people. This place could become home. I tried to hold onto that thought until I fell asleep, but DeVon kept forcing his way back in. Finally, I gave up and let myself think about him until I finally went under.

BOOK: Chasing Perfection Vol. 2
12.29Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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