For Her Pleasure (The Pleasure Series Book 2) (3 page)

Ryan’s lips curled into a sneer. “Who are you calling a bum?”

Mackenzie adjusted her dress, dragging it down over her hips. She could only imagine what she looked like. Her lips felt tight and swollen, her breathing was ragged and she knew her hair was now out of place.

She caught Ryan’s hand just as he prepared to step forward. “Ryan, don’t!” she cried. He stopped, but if looks could kill Allen would have exploded.

“Allen, what do you want?” Her chin lifted impatiently as tension crackled between them.

He pursed his lips, clearly unhappy with her tone. “I came here to talk and caught you kissing someone else.”

“
Kissing someone else
?” She erupted with laughter. “And when were you going to tell me you had a wife?”

Allen’s face heated at the incredulous tone of her voice. “I came back to explain.”

“And where is she? Waiting in the car?” Anger tainted her tone.

“No, I took her home. She followed me here tonight. I was coming to tell you the truth. We’ve been separated for months.”

Mackenzie blinked. Maybe if he had been honest in the beginning things would have been different, but after the confrontation… After the kiss she had shared with Ryan… She wrinkled her nose. The contact still had her brain scattered all over the place. Now was not the time to lose her head. Although, the kiss had been everything she had imagine and more.

Mackenzie ground her teeth together. “We have nothing to discuss. I don’t do married men.”

“Mackenzie, I—”

“You heard the lady.” Ryan intervened.

Allen turned and quirked a dark eyebrow at Ryan.
“I was talking to the lady, not you.”

Mackenzie stood and watched in outrage as Allen charged Ryan
,
then fists were being thrown.

“Stop it!” she cried and tried to break it up, but the last thing she wanted was to get swung at as well. When Ryan shoved Allen into one of the shelves and a bottle of rum crashed to the floor, the two jerked to their senses. She couldn’t remember ever being so angry before.

“What in the world is going on down here?”

With a groan, she swung around to face Charlie, who was standing in the door along with two cooks. Three other employees were on the stairs, with bated breath, ready for the gossip. Celina was center stage.

“Everyone go back to work! There’s nothing to see here,” she said, exercising her power. They quietly slipped away, but Charlie wasn’t buying it. As her silent partner, she hadn’t the authority to make him leave. He stepped into the vault, his eyes traveling from one to the other.

“Allen, I thought I told you to stay away from my cousin.”

He straightened his tie as he spoke. “I came back to talk to her. But as you can see she didn’t waste any time hooking up with someone else.”

“What is he talking about?” Charlie asked looking from one to the other. “What in the—”

Mackenzie waved a hand to silence him. “Allen caught your buddy here kissing me.” The corner of her mouth twitched with humor. She wasn’t one to kiss and tell, but she loved to piss her cousin off every now and again. It was even better that Allen was there, allowing her a chance to show him she didn’t care as much about him as he thought she had, even if it wasn’t the complete truth.

Swinging around, Mackenzie pressed a hand to Ryan’s cheek. “Are you okay?” she asked and was certain Charlie didn’t miss the slight purr at the end of her voice.

Ryan’s dark eyes twinkled as they collided with hers. He nodded as he replied, “I’m fine.”

Allen looked over at them, his golden eyes keen and angry. She sent him a sly smirk and watched as he finally got the message and departed. Once she was certain he was gone, Mackenzie dropped a hand to her hip and glared at Ryan.

“The utility closet is around the corner. You’ll find a mop inside.” With that, she sauntered out the room and headed upstairs.

*
 
*
 
*

Ryan walked down to the closet, muttering under his breath as he reached inside for the mop and cleaning supplies. He was at the sink, adding water to a bucket while trying to make sense of what had finally happened between him and Mackenzie, when Charlie came storming to the closet.

“Ryan, what the hell is going on?”

“Nothing you need to be concerned about.”

“If it involved my cousin, then I’m concerned.” Charlie moved around so he had his full attention. “Was Allen right about walking in on you and Mackenzie kissing?”

He had never been one to run and tell everyone’s business, so he wasn’t about to start now, although Mackenzie had already done a good job.

“That’s a discussion you need to have with her.”

“You know how I would feel about that,” Charlie said tartly.

“Yes, and again, that’s between me and Mack.” He walked away, but Charlie was right at his feet.

“She needs a man to settle down with, not someone who’s looking for another notch in his headboard.”
 

Ryan laughed. “Chuck, you’re so busy trying to run her life, how do you know what your cousin needs?”

“Look,” he paused and dragged a hand across his head. “Mack has a bad habit of picking the wrong men. There was that bigamist Blake and then the fiasco tonight. The last thing she needs is to get involved with you.”

“I think I’m exactly what she needs. Because with me she knows what she is getting herself into.” He reached down for the large shards of glass and placed them in a bag. “Mack’s a big girl. She knows what she wants. She always has, you just don’t give her enough credit.”

Charlie’s narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, but do you?”

I want her
. The thought of having her for himself knotted a hungry fire within himself. “Stop worrying. I have a lot of respect for Mackenzie. I don’t plan on doing anything she doesn’t initiate.”

“Anything with you is too much.”

Ryan looked up from kneeling on the floor at Charlie towering over him and met his eyes with a hard stare. “What the hell is wrong with me?”

 
“You don’t believe in commitments.”

True.
 
His hard laugh cracked the air. “And neither does she, and that’s what makes us perfect.” He didn’t condone the way he treated other women, although he was upfront about his intentions, but he had always been different with Mackenzie.

There was no denying the rage building on Charlie’s face.
“Listen Ryan.
I don’t want my cousin to come between us, but if I find out you are seeing her, then Allen isn’t the only person you’re going to have to worry about.”

He drew up to his full height. A muscle tightened in his jaw. “Chuck, that sounds like a threat.”

“No, it’s a promise.” His eyes were glaring, as he turned and left the vault.

“Sorry Chuck,” Ryan muttered,
then
he reached for the mop and started cleaning up the spill as he thought about their twenty-year relationship. He would do anything for his boy, but this was one time he would have to say no. He’d waited too long for this moment, and if Mackenzie wanted him, then who was he to say no to a beautiful woman.

TWO

She still couldn’t believe she had finally made a move on Ryan.

Mackenzie sat behind her desk and took a deep breath to steady herself. It was crazy. All the years she’d spent fantasizing about him, and yet, she never would have dreamed of it ever happening. Mainly because Ryan was Charlie’s best friend, and he would be all in their business, like he was at the bar.
And that, she wasn’t having.
It was enough he was always at
Spanky’s
, reviewing the books, double-checking the inventory, as if she had an alcoholic on staff stealing the booze.

With a scowl, she brushed thoughts of Charlie aside. Her cousin needed to find a woman and get laid.

As she swiveled around in the chair, she tried once again to understand how he and Ryan could be so close, especially considering Charlie was a square and Ryan had a reputation of preferably living life in the fast lane.

But that’s what attracted me the most.

He wasn’t interested in a commitment and neither was she.
At least not yet.
She was only twenty-eight, so as far as Mackenzie was concerned, she had plenty of time for happily ever after. If she met the right guy, she wouldn’t be opposed to seeing where the relationship went, but until then she just wanted to have a relationship with a gorgeous man who promised fourteen days of mind-blowing sex.

And Ryan was the perfect man for the job.

At least in theory, she thought with a frown as she reached for her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk. The only problem was once the relationship was over there would be no avoiding him. Ryan had been a part of the Batum household for years. Barbecues, holidays, and special events, he was always there and it never bothered her to see him. He was like a big brother that she never wanted, because he liked to tease and give her a hard time about her choice in men. Not that he was one to talk when it came to the opposite sex. A smile curled her lips. A romantic fling with Ryan was going to be quite interesting.

Her head popped up when she heard a light knock on her office door.

“Hey chick, Ashton and I are getting ready to head home.”

She looked up at Kaelyn as she sauntered into her office. As usual, she was glowing beautifully. Her
eyes were light brown, large, and almost like a fawn’s with long lashes that swept shadows across a smooth face, the color of cream with a bit of honey. After several failed relationships, she was happy for her.

“I hope you enjoyed the evening.”

Kaelyn nodded. “I did.
Ashton too.
Thanks again.”

“It isn’t every day that my best friend gets engaged.” Mackenzie stood up from her position behind the desk and tiptoed around to the other side, then leaned in and hugged her close as she said, “I just kissed Ryan.”

Kaelyn reared back. “Ryan?
Charlie’s boy
?”

She nodded.

“Oh shit! Why?”

Mackenzie rolled her eyes as she released her.
“Why not?”

Kaelyn blew out a breath. “But he’s a…”

“
A ho
’.” Mackenzie shrugged and crossed her arms as she took a seat on the edge of the desk. “Who am I to judge?”

Kaelyn barked out a laugh. “True, but Charlie will have a fit if he finds out.”

“He already knows and,
trust
me, he’s pissed. I’m sure he’s lecturing Ryan right now.” She paused to chuckle. “Just wait until he finds out I’m the one who asked Ryan to have sex with me.”

“What?” she cried and collapsed in the chair. “I know you’re crazy, but I didn’t know you were that crazy.”

“After that fiasco with Allen, I just don’t care about following rules and doing things the traditional way. Men have been screwing over women for years. And to think I was trying to have a monogamous relationship with that fool.” Mackenzie shifted on the edge of the desk as she told her best friend about Allen catching the two of them in the liquor vault.

Kaelyn waved a perfectly manicured hand.
“Oh my God!
You like living on the edge.”

Mackenzie thought about her comment and said with a saucy grin, “No, I just believe in excitement.”

“Yes, but with Ryan?” she asked, incredulously.

“Especially Ryan.”
His body screamed sex, from his bald head to his bold swagger. “I don’t know why I didn’t ask him before. I already know who he is and I know what to expect, so how can I lose?” She felt compelled to explain to her best friend why she was doing what she was doing.

Playing and having fun… at least most of the time, although with Ryan she was certain all that was about to change.

Kaelyn didn’t look convinced. “I hope you’re right.”

“I am. Watch and see.”
Friends with benefits.
What could go wrong?