#LUCKY (The Empire Series Book 2) (5 page)

    Instead of pursuing her inquisition, she decided to let it go, and move forward. After an hour of incessant, narcissistic behavior on Demi's part, Sam was ready to get the hell out of there. She was so thankful that Quinn was there to record the conversation because all Sam could picture was Declan and Demi curled up in each other’s arms.

    "Thank for your time, Ms. Pepper," Sam quantified as she offered her hand.

    "Any time. If you want to send someone over for a photo shoot, just let me know."

    Her smug attitude only crippled Sam where she stood. How could she compete with Demi? She had it all - looks, charm, confidence. Sam was confident, but not anything like this. Lord knows what this Ashley girl looked like.

    "I'll have one of my guys contact you to set something up."

    No longer wanting to hear her voice, Sam and Quinn made their way out of the studio. The two walked silently for a while before they were bombarded by dozens of college kids escaping the lecture halls. Class was discharged, and the two were walking into oncoming traffic.

    Without any warning or any way to dodge him, Sam was suddenly face to face with Declan. For a moment, the two just stared at one another contemplating their next move.

    "Sam, what are you doing here?" Declan finally spoke.

    "Empire is doing a piece on Demi Pepper...and, I... I was in charge of her interview."

    "I'm Quinn, Sam's assistant," she interrupted as she extended her hand to Declan.

    Taking it graciously, "Nice to meet you, Quinn. I wasn't aware that Sam was so important to warrant an assistant."

    "Intern is more like it. Assistant insinuates she gets paid" Sam chuckled for the first time since coming to the blessed school. As much as she wanted to scold Declan, deep down, she couldn't deny he was an excellent lay. They weren't an item, so their obligations to one another shouldn't matter.

    "Hey, I resent that, although she isn't wrong," Quinn defended herself with a smile.

    "Names Declan. It's nice to meet ya, darlin'"

    "Nice to meet you as well," Quinn countered as her cheeks turned pink with awkwardness.

    "Listen, Sam, I wanted to call you but..." Declan began.

    "...It's totally okay. I mean, I get it."

    "No, it's not okay. A gentleman wouldn't have departed the way I did. Especially after the night we had," he tried to whisper as he leaned in to her ear.

    "Shit happens," she blurted out.

    "Let me make it up to you," he pleaded.

    Sam tried frenziedly to resist his charm, but his dashing looks, magical accent, and perfect lips lured her in like a siren calling her name - enchanting her to give in to his every wish and desire.

    "How do you do that?" she probed as she offered him a sweet smile.

    "Do what?" he tittered.

    "You know, charm your way into convincing me to give in to you, when, really, I should be mad you left the way you did."

    "I guess it's the luck of the Irish, A stór. Now, what do you say? Will you go out with me Friday?"

Wavering on for a second, "Friday sounds great, Declan."

"I'll text you tomorrow if that's okay?" he stated as he flashed his emeralds her way. She was a sucker for this kid, regardless if there was something there between him and Demi. The
question remained, was she setting herself up for heartbreak?

E
arly Friday morning
, Sam received a text from Declan.

D
ECLAN
: Good morning, A stór.

SAM: Well, hello to you too. What the hell does A stór mean?

DECLAN: If I told ya, I might have to kill ya.

SAM: I'll stay in the dark, if you're okay with that.

DECLAN: I think that's a wise decision on your part.

SAM: For all I know, you're calling me a whore or something.

DECLAN: Hardly.

SAM: Thank goodness. I know you didn't just text me to insult me, did you?

DECLAN: How do you feel about breaking and entering?

SAM: I'm not sure I know where you're going with this.

S
am laughed hysterically
as she thought of the implications of his words. Did he really just type that?

D
ECLAN
: I assume it's not breaking and entering if I still own the apartment.

SAM: Ahhh, see, you should have led with that. I'm not sure our relationship is “jail stripe” approved yet.

DECLAN: Megan's going out of town this weekend and I need to get my stuff out of the apartment. It shouldn't take long, and then we can go grab something to eat. Sound good?

SAM: If you insist. I would love to do a B&E with you, binding I receive food as payment.

W
ho in their
right mind can say they broke the law on a date before?

D
ECLAN
: See, you're already my partner in crime.

SAM: If you get me arrested, I'm going to find some way to get you back. Perhaps a good shank?

DECLAN: Aye, remind me never to cross ya. Those are serious words.

SAM: I have to warn you about something.

DECLAN: You’re not a fella are ya? Was I that drunk the other night?

SAM: HA, NO!

DECLAN: Thank heavens. I was beginning to feel violated for a moment.

SAM: No, no, no. I don't have a car. You'll have to pick me up if that's acceptable?

DECLAN: That's it? Haha of course I can pick you up. How does six o’clock sound? That will give us plenty of time to move everything out and still grab dinner.

SAM: Sounds perfect. I'll text you later with my address?

DECLAN: You got it. See you later.

SAM: See you later.

S
am sat at her desk
, swooning over her Irish gentleman. She hadn't planned to see Declan again, but with the strange twist of events with Demi, things were taking a positive turn for the better.

"You look awfully happy," Ariel tapped on her door, taking a seat in front of her desk.

"Yeah, I guess I am," she smiled like a teenager.

"Is it that hot Irish guy from the bar?"

"Uh huh. He asked me out again."

"That's great, Sam! Sounds like you two really hit it off the other night...in more ways than one," she snickered as she picked up a trinket from Sam's desk. Shifting it from hand to hand, Sam grabbed it to put it back on the desk.

"That's not a toy, and yes...we did hit it off, hard," a smiled crossed her face to give away her devious actions.

"Trust me, I know," Ariel laughed hysterically.

"Were we really that loud?" Sam questioned.

"You certainly weren't quiet," she giggled.

"I'm so sorry. Cory never fucked me like that. It was..." she began.

"…fucking mind-blowing? Girl, don't even get me started. I get it," she grinned.

"YES! It was unbelievable. I guess that's why I'm looking forward to our date. Not to sound assumptive, but I was hoping to reenact that encounter."

"What are you doing on your date?"

"You're going to laugh," Sam snorted.

"Oh, Lord. What?"

"Breaking into his apartment, and moving his shit out. A regular B&E. You know. The usual," she laughed.

"Just don't call me when you get arrested," Ariel joked as she stood to leave."Trust me, I have zero intentions of getting arrested," she responded hesitantly.

"You say that now..."Ariel tossed out as she cleared the doorway.

One thing Sam did know, it was never a dull moment with Declan. She loved that, too.

S
ix o'clock came
and went as Sam languished around her apartment anticipating Declan’s imminent arrival.
Had she given him the wrong address?
She looked at her phone a million times to check the address she sent. Sure enough, every time she looked, it was the same address – the correct address.
What the hell?

Suddenly her phone rang. Somersaulting from the couch, Sam stood to answer the phone as normal as she could gather. She waited three rings hoping it didn't sound as if she wasn't sitting and staring at her phone.

"Hello?" she tried to sound casual.

"I'm so sorry, Sam," he appealed.

"It's cool," she tried to play it off as if nothing was wrong, even though her heart hurt a little.

"No, it's not. I got tied up with work. Last minute faculty meeting I couldn't get out of. I tried to slip away to text or call, but I could never find an appropriate time."

"Don't worry about it, Declan. Stuff happens."

"Is it too late to come get you?"

"Ugh, I guess not," she hated to say no considering she really wanted to see him, but his excuse seemed a little flimsy.

"I promise to make it up to you," he flirted.

"You have a lot of making up to do then," she giggled.

"I'll be there in five." Sam could hear him rushing around, trying to hurry.

"See you soon," she grinned.

E
xactly four minutes
and forty-five seconds later, Declan knocked on her door. With a ski mask in one hand, and a plastic water gun in the other, he greeted her with a smile.
How could she hate that face?

"Where the hell did you get those?" she laughed.

"One of the studios was setting up for a shoot. Guess they'll just have to deal without these," he grinned. "Ready to get our B&E on?"

"That sounded so American," she chortled.

"I've been trying. Late night television, especially Real Housewives, helps."

"As a collegiate professor, I would have hoped you had better taste."

"Aye, I agree. Fortunately for you, I don't," he smirked.

"So are we doing this?"

"I've got the get-a-way car parked out front," he snickered.

"Lead the way, partner."

A
rriving
at the Tory Oakes Apartment complex, Sam suddenly felt nervous.
What if Megan showed up? How was she going to explain herself? Then again, why should she?
She owed her nothing, but possibly a smack to the face for letting this man go.

"So where is Megan anyway?" Sam probed.

"She went out of town with her new...whatever he is," he said with a sour expression.

"Ahh, do you know where everything you need is at?" Sam asked as they approached the door.

Placing the key into the hole, "Aye, for the most part. I'm sure she tossed my shit in a garbage bag anyway. She's horrible like that, yet it helps me out."

"If you say so, cowboy," she stated as they crept into the apartment. Even though they knew no one was there, there was still an odd feeling walking into someone else's apartment without their knowledge. Yes, Declan had once lived there, but not anymore.

"If she hasn't cleaned out my dressers, toss everything in those top two drawers in here," he tossed her a bag.

"Sounds good."

Approaching the drawers, she wasn't sure what to expect; underwear, socks, smut mags. Anything was possible at this point. Pulling the drawer open, it was simple t-shirts – nothing more, nothing less. The drawer smelled like Declan. The combination of his laundry detergent and his cologne crowded her nose, making her head spin.

Tossing each shirt into the bag, one at a time, she was at the last shirt when something fell out of the fabric. Looking around, she could hear Declan in the kitchen banging around. Picking up what appeared to be a matchbook, she flipped it to the back to see,
Mars Club 10pm, 10k.
The message was cryptic and bizarre.
What the hell did it mean?

Hearing Declan coming, she tucked the book in her back pocket just in time. Declan walked in with several bags in tow.

"Almost ready?" he quizzed giving her a bold look.

"I just have one more drawer and we are good," she winked at him.

"We may need to hurry. I heard noises in the hall. Could be my old neighbor, and we really don't want to deal with that old bat," he persuaded Sam.

"Let's do this," she encouraged, as they slipped the last shirt into her bag.

As Declan squeaked open the front door, he leaned back to shush her.

"She's right there," he whispered while pointing at a slightly cracked door.

Slipping out into the hallway, the two bolted the door as quietly as possible.

"Megan? Is that you, sugar? I wasn't expecting to see you back until Sunday," Declan's elder neighbor pushed open her door to see the two making their escape.

"RUN!" Declan yelled to Sam.

Like kids, the two took off, laughing the entire way to the car.

"Did you see that old bird's face?" Sam laughed uncontrollably.

"Aye, she was fixing to kick our arses!" they collided into his SUV.

"That was quite conceivably the best date I've ever been on," Sam giggled as the two twisted to match stares.

Just as they bags were placed in the back seat, the sky unloaded, and the car was curtained in a sea of rain.

"Perfect timing," Sam smiled.

Leaning in, Declan placed a hand delicately on her flushed cheek. Running his thumb across her pink flesh, he caressed the soft skin.

"There's something about you I can't get enough of."

"Perhaps it's my exceptional B&E skills?" she smiled into his palm. Twisting her cheek, she kissed his warm palm.

"Could be, but I think it's more than that. You, Sam, are an exceptional woman. I've never met anyone like you before. Someone who can be graceful one minute, daring the next, and sensual as hell, right before my eyes. I've never had that before and in a way, it petrifies me."

"I know the feeling," she responded honestly while their heads made their way to one another. Drawn together like magnets, their lips locked, holding on for dear life.

"I don't want..." he initiated.

"...Me?” She questioned as she pulled away slightly.

"No. I don't want this to just be a hook up, Sami. I want you in my life...on a regular basis. Do you understand me?"

"Declan Flannery, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" she snickered.

"Aye, I suppose I am, sweetheart."There was something so sweet and simplistic about his words. It made all of the horrible days and nights she had recently, fade away into the distance.

Closing the gap between the two, Sam pounced on Declan. Sam shimmied down her jeans and ditched her panties in the back seat. Just as quickly as Sam undressed, Declan had dropped his jeans. Sam scrambled over the console to straddle Declan. Reclining his seat, she positioned herself over his swollen member. Tossing her shirt to the back seat, she quickly unlatched her bra, freeing her breasts into Declan's face.

She leaned forward, allowing her ample breasts to sweep across his salivating lips. As she slid herself down onto his erect cock, Declan took her already hard nipple in his mouth, clinching onto the tip. Sending a squeal of excitement through her body, Sam bucked her hips into his. The harder she thrust, the harder he bit. It was heavenly.

Sam grabbed a hold of his hands, raising them above his head and against the headrest.

"Fuck, Sam, I need to feel you right now," he begged.

"Can you feel this?" she asked as she rocked into his cock, working her Kegel muscles around him. "I can feel you, right baby?"

"Shit, Sam, your killing me," he stated flinging back his head in pleasure.

She licked and sucked up his neck, running her tongue across his perfect jaw before aggressively attacking his lips. As soon as they made connection, Sam freed his hands. Declan immediately claimed control of the situation, and ran his greedy hands all over her body.

Taking his time to explore her physique, his fingers came to rest on her throbbing clit. Rubbing and working the pulsing bud, he could tell she was so close by the way she thrust deeper and harder onto his erection. Her breathing picked up as she sat up in his lap, running her hands over her own breasts. She paused suddenly to drop her palms to his chest as the electrical current from her orgasm nearly took her by surprise.

Seeing her pleasure only heightened Declan's arousal. Clutching her ass firmly, she began hammering her onto his rock hard cock. Four hard pumps and he was done for. Completely satisfied, the two lay in a heap in his car, just listening to the rain beat down on the roof.