Boycotts and Barflies (48 page)

hips rocked together, the resulting sensation more than anything Grace ever

imagined it to be. All of her fantasies about him paled in comparison to actually

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being with him now. She couldn’t believe all the emotions she was feeling as  they made love. Michael made her feel sexy, beautiful, and loved with every  touch, every erotic movement of their bodies.

Grace didn’t feel inhibited or embarrassed in any way with him. Instead, she  found herself feeling bold and positively daring in their lovemaking. Everything felt right. She could say or do anything, completely confident in her own skin for the first time in her life, when she was with Michael.

Each time she heard her name cross his lips, her skin would ignite and her  heart would soar. Michael needed her; he wanted her, just as much as Grace  wanted him. That knowledge empowered  her, washing away any lingering fear  or insecurities.

The intense and erotic movements they had shared together on the dance floor were nothing compared to the ways they moved while making love. The brush of his skin, his undulating hips, and the feel of h im between her legs was so electric; the current between them was palpable.

Together, their emotions continued to grow as their kisses became more passionate, the sensations taking them closer to their limits, until finally they were unable to hold back any longer and climaxed together, both of them crying out at the peak of their ecstasy. Together they called out one another’s names and then collapsed in exhaustion.

Grace knew in that moment that Michael was the only man who could ever make her feel this way, the only one to make her feel this high, this fulfilled, this complete. When they made love, Grace had given him every part of herself—mind, body, and soul. She held nothing back. She was now Michael’s, forever. Grace had been waiting her whole life for him to find her, and now, here he was, his intense blue eyes looking lovingly down at her. She vowed to herself that she would never let him go.

Michael’s body surrounded her, the weight of it calming the tremors that were still surging through her. Both of their chests were heaving as they tried to catch their breath. A sexy sheen of sweat covered Michael’s body, evidence of their enthusiastic love making.

Grace wrapped her arms and legs tightly around him, never wanting the moment to end.

He leaned clos er and began whispering how much he loved her as he tenderly caressed her cheek, his eyes remaining locked on her, full of love and adoration. “You are amazing,” Michael said softly as his exhausted body finally  375

rolled off of her, a thoroughly satisfied grin on his face. He held his arms out  and Grace happily crawled next to him, resting her head on his chest, her  naked body pressed against the side of his warm, glistening torso.

“Well, that was definitely worth the wait. ” Grace giggled as Michael’s fingers  tickled her side.

They spent the rest of the night making love, unable to get enough of each other. Every time with Michael was pure bliss, her joy and love growing with every experience they shared. When their lovemaking finally ended in the wee hours of the morning, Grace glanced out the window and saw the first hint of sunrise breaking over the horizon. A pink tinge crept up in the distance, making the snow along the window sill sparkle.

Michael took her hand and raised it to his lips, the charm bracelet tinkling in front of his face. He tugged on Grace’s arm, coaxing her over onto his chest.

He sighed contently as she lay on top of him, her face nuzzled in his neck, his arms tightly wrapped around her fatigued body. “Let’s stay here all day.” Michael sighed as he stroked her tousled hair.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m right where I want to be—forever.”

Utterly exhausted, Grace drifted off to sleep in Michael’s protective arms. Sweet dreams filled her mind, making it the most peaceful night’s sleep she’d had in a while. Grace wasn’t quite sure how long she had been asleep, but she woke up to the sound of Michael hissing into the phone.

“I am not talking to you about that! No, I will not do that either.” Michael glanced her way and noticed her raised head peeking out from underneath the blanket. He threw Grace an apologetic smile, and then a devilish grin when she sat up, revealing her still naked body to him.

Grace stuck out her tongue and quickly pulled up the sheet, motioning to the phone with a confused look on her face as she tried to figure out who it could be. “Meg?” she mouthed to him, but he shook his head.

Michael rolled his eyes and let out a loud sigh in response to whatever was being said on the other end of the line.

“Jack?” Grace asked softly, and Michael pressed his index finger to his nose and nodded his head yes. “What does he want?”

He was becoming more visibly irritated until suddenly an evil grin danced across his face. Michael covered the receiver and winked at Grace. “Feel like

having some fun with him?”

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Grace beamed at the thought of having a little fun at Jack’s expense for a change. “Absolutely.” She snatched the phone from his hand and cracked her knuckles as she prepared for battle. “Jack, what can I do for you?”

Michael watched the gorgeous woman in his bed brush her hair over her shoulder and roll her eyes at whatever question Jack had the balls to ask her, and he assumed it was pretty bad based on the red color creeping into Grace’s cheeks. To her credit, she kept her composure, her voice never giving away embarrassment.

“You really want to know?” Her voice dropped an octave and took on a sultry  tone. “It was fantastic. Your boy is an animal in bed. The man can go for hours.”  She sent a playful wink in Michael’s direction, and his heart clenched with  absolute joy. Nothing rattled her. She took things in stride, she knew how to  have fun, and was the most genuine person he had ever met. Plus, she loved  giving Jack shit, and he couldn’t have loved her more.

Playing along with her game, Michael leaned in and whispered into the  receiver, “Sweetheart, come back to bed. I have something to show you.” The  suggestive tone of his  voice made Grace’s eyes grow wide. He winked and ran  his fingers over the swell of her breast and grinned.

“Jack, I gotta go. Michael’s calling me—again. No wonder he has all those sports  drinks in his refrigerator.” She giggled and sighed into the phone.  “He’s  definitely got stamina.”

As Jack stammered an awkward goodbye, Michael’s body shook violently with  laughter beside her.

“You’re incorrigible, Michael Andris.”

He rolled himself on top of her and paused to enjoy the way her black hair  contrasted with  the light sheets beneath her. “That’s not what you said last

night. You said I was actually quite … what was the word you used? Oh yeah,  magnificent.” He continued kissing her as his hands dipped under the covers  and ran along her bare thighs. “I think you may have actually made Jack blush  with that little performance. And you,” he ran his tongue along her neck, “are  perfection.”

“All right, Mr. Magnificent, don’t let it go to your head. It just means I have very  high expectations now.” Grace tried to laugh, but all the air flew out of her  lungs as she felt him slip out of his pajama bottoms, his body settling over hers.  “What do you think you’re doing?”

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“I’m keeping you in bed all day, just like I planned,” he murmured, his lips

brushing against the swell of her breasts.

“You sound so sure of yourself.” Grace laughed, wrapping her legs around his

waist.

“I am quite confident in my abilities.” He grinned mischievously.

“Really? Care to make a bet?” Grace asked with a twinkl e in her eye.

“No. Never ever again.”

T he E nd

V ictoria Michaels once again delivers a can’t-put-it-down novel loaded with engaging characters, cheeky dialogue, and powerful emotions. Trustin Advertising is a cleverly woven tale about two people getting to know each other and ultimately themselves. Turn the page for a sneak peek from …

∙ Trust in Advertising ∙

Lexi’s alarm started blaring at six a.m. sharp. With her mouth feeling like it was full of sawdust, she cracked open one eye just wide enough to see the irritating contraption and hit it with her fist, sending it crashing to the floor.

The body beside her  moaned.

“Shh, sleeping,” a raspy voice growled into the pillow.

“Shh, head hurts,” Lexi whispered in response.

“Maybe you should lay off the vodka next time.” A hand patted Lexi roughly on the head. “It makes you do crazy things, darlin’.”

Lexi groaned and rolled over, coming face to face with her bedmate.

“You snore.”

“I do not!”

“Hope, trust me—you snore like a hairy wildebeest. I think that’s half the  reason why my head hurts so much this morning.” Lexi pressed on her temple  in an effort to relieve the throbbing.

A feather pillow smacked Lexi square in the face. “Your head hurts because you  drank half a bottle of vodka in less than an hour, just because your new boss  happens to be a hunky guy who you had a huge crush on in high school.”

“Bite me, Hope.” Lexi rolled herself out of bed and fell onto the floor. “It’s not  too late for me to quit.”

“Don’t you dare!” Hope sat straight up in bed and glared at her friend crumpled  up beside the bed. “I stayed up past three this morning convincing you to stay  at Hunter Advertising, and you promised you’d give it a try.”

Victoria Michaels

“Hope,” Lexi whined as she stood up on her still wobbly legs and brushed her hair out of her face.

A yawn escaped Hope’s lips, then she laughed. “You promised me. And you, my frien d, are a good person. You wouldn’t break your word to me or leave Hunter high and dry. So, get your little butt in the shower and quit your whining.” Lexi’s feet thumped angrily against the hardwood floor as she stormed off into the bathroom to shower and  get ready for work. When the door slammed shut,  Hope slowly rolled over with a satisfied grin on her face and went back to sleep.

Still annoyed at Hope for making her act like a grown up and return to work,  Lexi began texting her every five minutes after l eaving the apartment.

When Hope shot off a message with every curse word known to man, Lexi felt victorious.

“Look who’s here bright and early.” Leigh beamed as Lexi stepped of the elevator.

“Good morning, Leigh.” Lexi laughed, pausing to tuck the BlackBerry into her

purse.

“Go get yourself settled. I have a feeling today will be a busy one.” Leigh

seemed to be trying a little too hard to sound nonchalant.

With a suspicious look on her face, Lexi sighed. “Okay, I’ll get a few dozen cups

of coffee in me, twenty or so ibuprofen, and then I should be good to go.

I’m going to mess around on the computer today and try and look through

some current projects and proposals so I have an idea what everyone is talking

about in meetings.”

A huge grin broke across Leigh’s face. “That sounds like a great idea, Lexi.

Don’t let me keep you.” She waved her hands dismissively, and then busied herself behind her desk.

Lexi said good morning to a few of the other assistants on her way to her desk.  Each of them wished her luck, which Lexi found odd, but she had so much she wanted to get accomplished that she shrugged it off and headed for her desk. She no sooner sat down than the sound of her chirping bird ringtone filled the room, making her head throb. Suddenly, her heart nearly leapt out of her chest, when she wondered if it could be Vincent calling to check in for the day.

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An E xcerpt From Trust in Advertising

“Lexi White,” she said nervously into her phone.

Hope’s laughter rang out. “Lexi White? That’s how you answer the phone now, not ‘Hey, Hope’?”

Lexi let out the breath she had been holding. “Hope, I’m hung over, exhausted, and about ten minutes away from a nervous breakdown, and you called to give me grief?”

“Absolutely.” Hope chuckled. “You need to lighten up and breathe, Lexi.” Drumming her fingernails on her desktop, Lexi waited. “Are you done?”

“Has the hunk called you yet?”

“Hope!” Lexi looked over her shoulder to make sure no one heard the little outburst. “His name is Vincent, and no, he hasn’t called yet.”

“So, what are you doing?”

Lexi shuffled the papers on her desk. “I’m looking over one of the files from his desk to find out what projects we’re working on.”

“Sounds exciting,” Hope said sarcastically. “So, are you still nervous to talk to him?”

“No, I figure I’ll keep my head down and my mouth shut.”

Lexi heard Hope snort over the phone. “Whatever you say, Lexi. I’ll let you get  back to work. Text me later if anything exciting happens. I’ll be at  work with  the meatheads.”

“Give them my love. Bye.” Lexi ended the call and flipped the phone around in  her hand as she continued reading through the papers on her desk.

For a solid hour or two, Lexi poured over file after file, learning every detail of  the projects Vincent was currently working on and the accounts he was in the  process of acquiring. She was taking a pile of files back into his office when her  phone chirped. Lexi rolled her eyes, wondering what Hope could possibly want  now. When she saw “Vi ncent Drake” in bold letters on the display, she nearly  dropped everything she was carrying onto the floor.