ROMANCE: Seduced by the Bad Boy (Bad Boy Romance)
Read ROMANCE: Seduced by the Bad Boy (Bad Boy Romance) Online
Authors: Katelyn Manning
Seduced by the Bad Boy
By:Katelyn Manning
Copyright 2016 by Katelyn Manning - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Chapter 1
The locker room for emergency room employees was a cramped space, but I was glad to be escaping the madness for a few hours to get home and get some sleep. After pulling the ponytail out of my hair and changing out my scrubs for a pair of jeans and a Stanford hoodie, I found my flip flops in my bag and I was ready to head home. The lighting flickered and I heard the door open.
“Kate are we still riding to Beth’s shower together?” my friend Maddie called into the locker room, I knew she had to finish up some charting paperwork before she could leave. Grabbing my bag I stood up and headed towards the door. “Yes, pick me up around 2:00” I responded while rounding the corner realizing that if I got home before 8:00 I would get a few hours of sleep. She eyed me skeptically. “You didn’t sleep at all last night, are you sure you’re up for girls night and drinks after the shower?” she continued. After smiling and nodding I headed out the back door of the ER and towards my SUV.
After unlocking the doors and starting the ignition I turned the air conditioning on full blast, the California sun was scorching and it was only May. There were a few text messages from my mother on my phone and missed call from Brandon, my ex-boyfriend, but I decided to enjoy a quiet ride home back to the condo I had just purchased. My mother wanted to make sure that I was alright from the breakup and had been smothering me lately, and Brandon realized that the 21 year college girls weren’t really into him and now wanted to come crawling back. I didn’t have the patience to deal with either.
The road was winding and my La Jolla beachfront condo was getting near. Two years ago it seemed like everything was in order, I was ready to start my residency and Brandon and I were getting serious. I had managed to get through my undergrad in 2 years and I was the only 21 year old in medical school. As soon as I graduated med school and started my residency Brandon started to distance himself and work took over my life. Now I was just 24 and after a couple of years I would be a doctor and single.
Today’s bridal shower would be a reminder that I am again going to be a bridesmaid and not a bride, and tonight all of my friends would try to encourage me to find a guy, start dating and have some fun. Both of these events should be fun, but instead they were going to be long, boring and depressing. The garage door lifted and I slid my car in, quickly shutting the garage door behind me. My modern condo was lit brightly from the sunrise over the ocean, and I enjoyed the peace and quiet for a minute as I ate a banana.
The picture on the island of my kitchen stared at me, reminding me that I wanted to put it somewhere I didn’t see it every day. It was my med school gradation with my mother, stepfather and Brandon, and it was past time to take it down. The social media comments made when my mother posted it all talked about how smart and beautiful it was, but now those comments seemed silly and pointless. That was a time when I thought my life was perfect, and now I realized being smart and pretty didn’t get you anywhere.
As an undergrad I was loyal to my sorority and studies and only dated guys that seemed to meet my standards of a white collar upbringing and a prep school background. That’s why Brandon seemed like the perfect choice our senior year. He had the family history and wealth that was equal to my stepfathers, and I thought he was looking for a respectable wife and partner. Instead, he decided that his new job as a financial investor at his dads firm was an opportunity to hit on all the secretaries and USC girls in the area, and he dumped me while he “discovered himself.” Shaking my head I pulled off my clothes and tried to ignore my thoughts of self-doubt, that part of my life had to be forgotten.
The blackout curtains were drawn in my bedroom and the sheets were cool on my bare skin. There was barely any light in the space and I tried to be optimistic if as I fell asleep. As a tall, blond haired blue eyes California girl it was hard to imagine that I couldn’t find what I needed in a guy, and maybe I hadn’t been taking the time to look. The other residents and med students always flirted but I knew I didn’t want to date anyone that I worked with or could potentially work with, that would get in me in trouble when things didn’t work out.
My mind had been made, and the first guy that decided to hit on me or ask me out, either at girls night out or elsewhere, was going to be given a chance. I didn’t want to be a lifetime bridesmaid or someone who always lived for their job, and instead it was time to break out of my conservative shell. Besides, it had been forever since someone had been in my bed, and my body was starting to imply that I needed some attention from the opposite sex.
There were women all the time at bars that were out of shape and unattractive, yet they had guys all over them. Maybe my attitude was too transparent and guys could see that I wasn’t interested. I was going to put myself out there a little, have some fun, and get back in the game. I knew just the dress to wear for girls night out, that was going to send the wrong impression but in a good way.
Chapter 2
The shower had been exhausting hauling presents in, taking them back out to cars, smiling for all the pictures and realizing that the wedding was only a few weeks away. The bridesmaids were all requested to wear light blue to the shower, since that was the color of the bridesmaid’s dresses, and I didn’t change my dress before heading out that night.
The shower dress I had chosen was a form fitting strapless dress that had been covered with a white cardigan during the festivities, but I ditched it before walking into the martini bar we had decided to enter. As I sat down at a table I put my clutch down and pulled at my dress while I crossed my legs. Since I was tall the dress had climbed up my thighs slightly.
“So you do you really think she’s going to go through with the wedding?” Maddie asked me with curiosity while studying the drink menu on the table. I stared at her, a bit surprised by the question. Maddie had always been shadowed by Beth and I going out, she had brown hair and hazel eyes, and even though she was somewhat pretty, her body wasn’t very in shape and she was too blatant in conversations with men. “I assume she will, why do you ask?” I questioned her, wondering why she was suddenly so skeptical.
After glancing at the menu a waitress walked up ready to take our order. A pomegranate and blueberry martini was my pick and Maddie went with something citrusy. “I don’t know they just seem to fight all the time. I mean I get wedding stress, but it just seems like they half hate each other” she explained while still looking at the menu. I shrugged, I knew Maddie wanted to be married more than anything so I could only assume she bothered by another one of our friends walking down the aisle.
I glanced at my phone and noticed the waitress setting down the drinks in front of us. After taking a long sip I realized I hadn’t eaten much at the shower and the drinks were strong. “You look skinny, have you been working out or dieting?” Maddie asked me looking a little concerned. I rolled my eyes. I was a resident, sleeping and eating were things that were rare for me. Being a nurse, I didn’t really feel that Maddie understood how much pressure I was under.
“Yea it’s called the work all day every day and forget to eat diet” I said, taking another drink. As we started to talk about all of the potential dates for the wedding that Maddie had lined up I noticed the bar was starting to fill up. There were surprisingly a lot of men in the space, but I assumed it had to do with the fact there was a cigar bar attached to the back. I tossed my blonde curls over my shoulder and made eye contact with a guy at the bar who was staring at me. Looking away quickly I pretended to be involved in Maddie’s conversation.
“You look irritated what’s wrong?” Maddie asked. I sighed. “I just made eye contact with some guy at the bar it was weird” I said, making sure my body wouldn’t look in that direction again. “Remember what we just talked about, the next guy who asks you out you are going to say yes” she insisted. I waved my hand and turned around to the sound of my name.
“I hope you guys haven’t drank too much without me” said Beth as she made her way to the table. She was still wearing a white dress and she looked a bit frazzled. I ordered another round and got Beth one of my martinis. “Wow there are a lot of guys in here tonight” she said while admiring the room. I was trying not to pay attention, but it was starting to get difficult.
As she went on to talk about the doubles she got on her registry, and the stuff people got that she hadn’t even listed I let my eyes casually scan the room. There were several business types around the space, which was odd considering it was a Saturday and they shouldn’t be in business attire. There were some preppy guys, guys that looked like they had never been on a date in their life, and then a group of guys at the bar that didn’t look like they fit in at all.
My eyes stopped at the bar and I scanned all of them individually. They were all drinking beer and dressed more casually than the others in the space, and they were the loudest crowd by far. The guy at the end had particularly caught my eye, and I kept letting my eyes wander back to him. He was tall, at least a few inches taller than me and well built. His hair was cut short but you could still tell it was blonde, and he had a blonde beard trimmed out along his jaw line. The guy was very good looking, and you could see how blue his eyes were from across the room.
As I nodded and pretended to listen to Beth’s wedding woes I noticed that there were the lines of a tattoo on his forearm, although he was wearing a long sleeve shirt that was rolled up so it was difficult to tell. As I continued to look at the exposed tattoo he turned and caught me, taking me totally off guard.
Quickly I tried to turn, spilling part of my drink and hitting the table. My heart was racing and my cheeks were starting to burn as I grabbed my drink napkin and tried to clean up the mess. The table next to us watched with curiosity and Beth and Maddie were both staring at me wide eyed wondering what was going on. “What just happened are you ok?” Beth asked laughing and looking confused.
I was mortified. The guy at the bar saw every single move and he knew I was looking at him. I took down what was left of my drink and the waitress was already bringing another because she also saw what happened. She had been lounging around the guys at the bar so I wondered if she had also seen me staring and then spill. “I was daze out and not paying attention” I explained, trying to focus on my friends. Maddie looked over at the bar and then back at me. “Yea I would be dazed too if I was flirting with Malibu Ken over there, that guy is fine” she said. I didn’t want to look but I could see he was now glancing at our table.
“Stop” I warned, already embarrassed of what happened. “Stop what? It’s normal for you to talk to guys, go out and have fun, hell even take one home with you if you want” Maddie argued with me. She lifted up her hand and waved at the guy. My mouth dropped. “Stop right now” I told her almost pleading. The guy pretended not to see her for a couple of seconds and then made the gesture like he was confused if she was trying to wave to him. Beth nodded and continued to wave him over. After some laughing and noises from the bar the group of guys forced him off the bar stool and he slowly made his way over, beer in hand.
As we walked over I couldn’t help but notice Maddie was right, the guy was fine. His face was gorgeous and his body was incredibly fit. I took down half the drink and was playing with my fingers in front of me. “Hi, this is my friend Kate. I’m Maddie and this is Beth” she said with a huge smile on her face. The guy nodded with a smirk. “Chase” he said. I watched as his eyes eventually met mine and I couldn’t help but smile. I tried to bite my lip to prevent my lips from curving into a grin.
“Chase, are you single?” she asked. I was suddenly feeling panicked. He nodded yes. “Great, Kate over here is single too. She is in her final year of her residency and a doctor, a runner, and an avid supporter of all children’s hospitals in the La Jolla area, would you like to buy her a drink?” Maddie continued. I had no idea what to say and judging by his silence for a few seconds I thought he was going to say no.
I was about to let him off the hook and strangle Maddie at the same time, and he answered. “I would, but I insist if I buy her a drink I get to have her to myself at a different table while she drinks it, only seems fair” he said. “Perfect” Maddie responded. I finished what was left of my drink and realized that maybe I didn’t need another drink so quickly, and that maybe I should switch to beer. As I stood up to move to a different table I spoke. “I’ll take a light beer I can’t stomach another martini” I explained.
Chase look surprised but held up his beer to the waitress still talking with his friends at the bar. He held up two fingers and led me to another table that was two tables away.