Unbridled and Unbroken (3 page)

Chapter Two

From their adjoining room, Adam heard Johnny return along with the scent of coffee which also drifted in. Usually, they acquired a suite when they traveled, but there had been a problem with their reservations and this deluxe set of rooms had been their only option for this trip. Both rooms had king beds, nice views and a kitchenette each for intimate dinners when they stayed in.

He planned to “stay in” as many times as possible this trip.

Johnny rapped his knuckles lightly on the door between the rooms and entered. He extended his arm leading with a large Styrofoam cup of goodness. Adam wasn’t much of a breakfast lover, but he couldn’t function well without coffee. He’d probably spend the majority of the trip here working including the time he should have been sleeping. Regardless of the time investment, he loved being an architect. When they weren't kicking around at the ranch, that's where Adam spent his days. Johnny understood his caffeine addiction and had volunteered to fetch the morning brew for them.

“Did you get any sleep while I was gone?”

“Nope. But I’m finished with the plans for the Archer building. Now I can get some rest.”

“Good. Finish your coffee and rest up. I want you fully functioning for tonight’s festivities at the DRMC offsite.”

“Don’t worry about me. Watching ménage sex is one of my favorite pleasures. I won't miss it.”

Johnny sipped his coffee. “I hope so. Because you still look like you could use about twelve straight hours of sleep.”

“I don’t need that much. The meet and greet doesn't start 'til ten. And the live show isn’t until eleven. Trust me, I’ll be ready. I just wish we’d reserved a suite for the event night now. If I’d known we wouldn’t have a suite at our hotel, I would have reserved us a room for the night there.”

“Want to bring someone back here?”

Adam glanced around his hotel room. “We could, but it probably won’t be as nice as a room at the club. Maybe it isn’t too late to get a room there tonight. I can call and at least ask.”

Johnny shrugged as if indifferent. Adam wasn’t sure what
that
was about. His business partner was usually much more excited about impending sex shows and a woman ready to fulfill their ultimate desires.

Adam took a sip of his coffee. It was delicious. Piping hot and flavorful. A complete surprise since, given the container, he assumed Johnny had gotten it at a gas station. “Where’d you get this? It’s surprisingly good.”

Johnny smiled and nodded. “From the Quick ’n Easy Mart a couple miles away. The girl said it was twenty minutes fresh when I got there.” His eyes lit up as he spoke about the clerk and provider of coffee.

“And the girl is attractive, is that right?” Adam deduced his friend’s interest immediately. That’s why he was being so noncommittal about tonight.

Johnny laughed. “Indeed she is very pretty. Downright beautiful if you ask me. She’s got silky blonde hair and intelligent vivid green eyes. Seriously, I could have stayed awhile and just looked at her.”

“Great. Did you get her number?”

He made a face and shook his head. “Nah, but I did tell her where I was for the week. If she’s interested, I guess she’ll find me. And if she shows up, I’ll introduce her to you.”

Adam nodded and drank deeply from his cup nearly scorching his tongue with the strong brew. “Unless she comes while we’re occupied at tonight’s party.”

Johnny tilted his head. “Or if she comes in time, we could bring her with us.”

Adam lifted his brows in questioning surprise. Had Johnny found a girl willing to participate with them in wild threesome activities?

Johnny shrugged and shook his head, meaning that she hadn’t expressed any unusual desires. However, Adam knew Johnny and if he found her intriguing, he wouldn’t let the matter of her sexual preferences lie until he’d explored it fully. “No. But there was something about her. She was beautiful, but also smart. You would have liked her, too.”

“I’m certain I would have. You know what I like.”

“Her name’s Veronica.”

“Veronica, the Quick ’n Easy Mart clerk,” he said with a smile. “What does she look like again?”

“Blonde, green eyes and gorgeous. She actually looks out of place there. Like maybe she should have been in a richer, more distinguished environment, but opted for a job beneath her for some reason.”

“Maybe she’s hiding out in witness protection,” Adam joked.

Johnny rolled his eyes and took a sip from his cup. “Or maybe she’s working her way up in life.”

Talking about pretty girls and the possibilities of sex with one should have aroused Adam immediately, but he was very fatigued. Johnny was right, he needed a long nap. He’d worked on the red eye flight they took all the way here. They’d checked in at the crack of dawn, delighted and grateful that the hotel didn’t make them wait until early check-in at noon.

The coffee Johnny had brought wouldn’t keep him awake for long, but it made him feel so much better. “I’m going to take a nap. Don’t get into too much trouble while I sleep, or at least wait until I’m rested enough to join you.”

“Like I ever get into trouble.” Johnny stood and walked through the double doors to his room. “I’ll be working on the plans for construction for the blueprint you just finished. Rest up. I expect we’ll be up all night. At least we will if I have anything to say about it.” He swung his door in, but didn’t close it all the way.

“Yes, indeed.” Adam pushed his door almost shut, too. Johnny wouldn’t keep him awake either. He finished drinking his coffee, discarded the cup in his bathroom trash can and sat on the edge of his bed. The curtains in the room blocked out most of the sun from the single window, but a faint light at the edge crept in and put a thin orange streak along the wall next to the mirror.

He closed his eyes and drifted off, but hadn’t had time to dream when he startled awake sometime later.

Adam glanced at the clock, noting he’d only had his eyes shut for less than three hours. Before he closed his eyes again to rest, there was a knock at the door from Johnny’s room.

Who could that be? He sat up and slid from the bed to find out.

* * * *

Veronica entered the Redfield Hotel as if she belonged. Shoulders back and spine straight, she prepared to rebuff anyone who tried to stop her. She headed directly to the elevator, stepped inside the first open car and pushed the button for the seventh floor before she lost her nerve. Alone in the plush space as quiet classical music played, she was whisked to her destination in no time. She exited the elevator and marched down the quiet hallway until she found the number she sought.
Seven fourteen
.

Losing her nerve at this point was bad timing. She paused and stared at the door and tried valiantly to summon the courage to knock on it. What’s the worst that could happen?
Being turned down for the illicit sex with a stranger I’ve come to crave with every breath.

Hands sunk in the front pockets of her denim skirt, she took a deep breath and stepped away. She no longer held the capacity for disappointment she once had. Life was different now. It sucked. Each and every disappointment weighed more heavily than it would have a year ago.

The memory of Johnny’s ass, both on his way getting coffee and then as he left the quick mart, slid into her brain, teasing her with the dangerous possibilities of her wanton desires. She eyed his door again.

Seriously, what do I have to lose?

Do or die. Now or never. This is it.

In her right rear pocket rested the lotto ticket he’d lost. She removed her left hand from her front pocket, fisted it and aimed a knock at the center of the door. It opened immediately as if he’d stood by his door waiting for her to arrive. The man decorating her fantasies appeared in the frame. She froze in place, as still as ice, with a hand still in the air as if she were a prize fighter about to land the winning punch. She quickly dropped her arm.

His sexy smile, formed the moment his eyes focused in on her face, warmed the private space now heating and moistening between her legs. “Hey, Veronica, right?”

Not trusting her voice to work, she nodded. Her gaze swept down his tall, lean frame and took in the nicely sculpted muscles of his incredible body. His hair, a burnished blond, was cut short. Just the right length to run her fingers through to test the silky texture. He was just as attractive without the cowboy hat.

“Come in. I was just about to get some ice.” The door opened wider and he lifted an arm gesturing her to come inside.

She entered and looked around the tidy space. The hotel was very nice and the rooms were superior. Upscale. Exactly like all the hotels she used to stay in before her fall from grace.

“I don’t want to bother you,” she said, but hoped he’d let her stay.

“No bother at all. I can’t believe you came here.” Johnny’s handsome rugged face and shocked smile had lured her inside his room. But even with the door closed behind her, she didn’t get any kind of bad vibe. All the vibes running through her body were electrified and ready for sex.

“I’m a little shocked myself. Actually, you forgot something and it gave me the added courage to find you.”

His eyebrows lifted, but the surprised grin remained. “What did I forget, besides you?”

“Your lottery ticket.” She pulled it from her back pocket and handed it to him.

He took the small rectangular paper as if in awe. “Thanks.” A quick grin shaped his mouth. “I’ve never won the lottery before.”

She cocked her head sideways and smiled back. “But you still don’t know if you’ve won yet. They won’t pull the numbers until tonight at six o’clock.”

“Given that you’ve delivered this in person, I’d say it’s as good as winning the lottery. And my odds are better across the board.”

“How do you figure?”

“You’re here,” he repeated and took a step closer. “Now I can use my boyish charm to convince you to stay.”

“Actually, it was your tight, fine ass that brought me here. Your boyish charm is simply a bonus.”

He laughed out loud. “I’m so glad I could entice you here, for whatever reason.” He brushed a tendril of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. The tingle of his touch from that simple act zipped warm arousal straight to her core.

Johnny took a long look at her hair, her face and then a slow perusal of her body came next. Her golden hair was likely her best feature. Or at least that’s what she’d been told by a jealous woman in a ladies’ room awhile ago. Once she pulled her hair free from the clip she wore during work, it was fairly long.