May (Calendar Girl #5) (14 page)

“Nothing to be sorry for. I’m Mia, and this, very available hunk of a man is Tai Niko.”

“You mean, you’re not a couple?” She covered her mouth as if she hadn’t meant to ask that.

I smiled, looked at Tai but his eyes were stuck on Ms. Amy. “Nope. But we are really good friends, and I’m moving back to the mainland. I’m sure he could really use a new friend. Have you lived here long?”

She shook her head. “Moved here this week with my dad. Didn’t want him coming alone, and it’s just the two of us, so here I am. I don’t know anyone yet.” She picked up her tray and several pieces of broken glass until the busboy took over.

“Well, now you know one another. Do you have your phone on you?” Her eyes narrowed as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out an iPhone. I snatched it quick, added Tai as a new contact and then texted him. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out.

“Now Tai has your number. He’ll call you tomorrow.” Tai opened his mouth, but I gave him The Look, the one that puts the fear into any man that is on the receiving end of it, and he wisely chose to keep quiet. Amy looked from me to Tai and back again. “Do you like surfing?” I asked knowing that our time to chat with Ms. Amy was limited.

She shrugged. “Never been.”

I beamed and hugged her into my side. “Tai. Isn’t that horrible? Amy’s never surfed, and what do you know? Tai teaches surfing.”

“Really? Sounds fun.” She brushed off her skirt and straightened her apron. Tai’s eyes never left her movements. “I gotta go. It would be really great to make a new friend. And I’m really sorry about running into you.”

He put his hands in his pockets and rocked from his heels to his toes, playing it cool. “You can make it up to me by going out with me tomorrow night after I drop Mia off at the airport.”

Of course, Tai didn’t know that my escape plan didn’t include face-to-face goodbyes. Her eyes sparkled a crazy bright green. “I look forward to your call, Tai.” She blushed and turned to walk away.

“Oh, hey, Amy?” I called. She turned around. “One last thing. How do you feel about tattoos.”

She walked close to me and whispered in my ear. Then thanked me and strutted off to the bar to get new drinks for her tables. Thank God, we were in Hawaii and not some hoity toity place in New York. We’d all have been kicked out for dragging our feet and having a conversation over spilled wine and crushed glass. Here in Hawaii people just minded their own business and walked around the mess.

Tai and I sat back down.

“So champagne then?” I reminded him.

His eyes turned black and he practically growled. “What the fuck did she say to you?”

“About the tattoos?”

“No, about the pope. Yes, about the tattoos.” He looked incredibly nervous, which was awesome since Tai hadn’t really looked anything but perfectly comfortable in his own skin for most of the time I’d known him—aside from that one crazy night where he fucked me until I blacked out.

I leaned forward conspiratorially and looked around to make sure that no one could hear. “She loves them. Says they make her so hot. And get this…”—he moved closer so that my lips were touching his ear—“...the entire left side of her back, dipping down to her ass, is covered in a tattoo. Though it’s not tribal.” I sat back and enjoyed the look of pure hunger in his eyes. “Cherry blossom branches with the blooms and sprigs all running sexily up her back and down to her ass. Hot, right?”

His nostrils flared and he breathed long and slow for a couple breaths. “Yes. Absolutely hot as hell.”

I waggled my eyebrows. “I figured you’d like that.”

“And you setting me up. Isn’t that kind of weird?”

“Why?”

“Because we’ve been fucking for a month.” His reasoning was sound, but I didn’t care if he thought I was crazy. He needed someone and pronto. Besides, I was convinced she was the woman Masina spoke of.

“Yeah and it stops after tonight. You’re going to send me off with a night I’ll never forget and vice versa and then tomorrow, you’ll start your new life. Did you not see her hair, eyes and body? She is your forever!”

“You don’t know that.”

“You tell me you didn’t feel something when she ran into you and you had your hands on her thighs, her waist, her cheek and lips?”

“No, I can’t say that I didn’t feel something.” He narrowed his eyes and then laughed as I gloated. 

“I’m so happy for you!” I shimmy danced in my chair. “Let’s say fuck dinner and order dessert and the bottle of champagne you promised!”

“It’s your night, girlie. And tomorrow is your forever.”

***

Good thing I had enough foresight to pack my bags before dinner last night. Tai thought my plane left in the evening. I told him it left at eight. What he didn’t know was that it left at eight in the morning. Goodbyes and me just didn’t go well together.

I pulled out the package I had made near the shop that designed Maddy’s and my sister bracelets. I set the framed image of the Samoan symbol for friendship on the counter. A local artist was painting images when I left the jewelry store. I asked her about the symbol. She knew exactly what I wanted. She painted the symbol, which to my untrained eye, was very similar to a wide cursive L with bigger swirls at each end. The symbol was about four inches in size. Under the symbol, I used a black pen and drew a heart and wrote my name next to it. Then I framed the entire thing in a small five by five inch shadow box frame.

My stationary was the last thing to come out of my handbag. I sat at the barstool and wrote to my Tai:

Tai, my sinfully sexy Samoan—

Thank you for giving me one of the best months of my life. You filled my world with such joy, laughter, and pleasure. I’ll never be able to forget you. Not that I’d ever want to. When I came here, I was down about a lot of things. My family, my relationships, and my work. You changed that for me. With a wink and a smile, you took away all the dark and brought me light. Sunlight.

Through my time here, I learned to enjoy what life brings as it comes. To just “go with it.” Let life happen, and appreciate the moment. I can honestly say I had the most fun with you than I have had in a very long time. You reminded me that I’m young, and still have plenty of time to figure out what my forever looks like. I know you are aching to find your forever, and in my heart of hearts, I believe you may have. Call it women’s intuition. Things happen for a reason, we just might not know what the reason is.

I’m glad I met you that very first day. Every moment with you was a new experience, an adventure. Thank you for giving me that. I’m sad to go and will miss you terribly. Please keep in touch.

Your girlie,

~Mia

As usual, I’d slipped out of Tai’s bed, written my letter, left his gift, and walked out to the cab waiting at the curb without waking the hunk of a man. I wondered what awaited me in Washington, DC with Mr. Warren Shipley, old money and politics, with an emphasis on the old part. Who knows? Maybe I’d get to meet his too-hot-to-trot son, Senator Aaron Shipley. If not, oh well. I was getting a hundred thousand smackaroos to play trophy chick on the arm of an old guy who didn’t want sex. Ohhh, maybe it was like Tony and Hector and he was secretly gay? That would be too coincidental. No, there was definitely something fishy about why he’d hire an escort when he was a rich, good-looking old guy. There were tons of vipers ready for a go at an old geezer. He didn’t need to pay a hundred large for an escort when he could get arm candy for free.

Taking my advice and just “going with it,” I lay back in my seat on the airplane and instantly dreamt of white stone steps, phallic symbols in the sky, and a dead marble president who sat in his chair silently watching over a concrete city.

Mia’s journey continues in June (Calendar Girl).

Excerpt from June Calendar Girl (Book 6)

Warren Shipley did not greet me at the entrance to his mansion. No. The man that stood at the top of the stone steps when I exited the town car looked like he’d walked out of a GQ magazine. Aaron Shipley, the Democratic Senator for California stood leaning against the white column. I’d been around beautiful men. I’d been around giant alphas that could chop wood with their bare hands, but had not yet seen a man that wore a suit the way this one did.

The dark charcoal fabric clung precisely to his broad shoulders, trim waist, and long legs, as if it were tailored to fit his exact measurements. Probably was. His eyes were shaded behind a pair of black Ray Bans. His dirty blond hair was perfectly coiffed into that messy bedhead, yet “styled” look that was so popular right now. On him it worked and it worked hard. It gave him that put together appeal, yet with a hint of whimsy. A lethal combination for a girl like me. Hell, for any girl. 

As sleek as a steel grey jaguar, he took one step at a time from the top of the stone stairway down to the gravel drive below. Most people would make the attempt to meet him half way up the dozen or so steps. I wasn’t like most women and he was definitely not like most men. I liked watching him move. He had an air of authority that clung to him like a fine crisp cologne. I watched him take each step with grace and agility, exuding so much power I almost melted on the spot from the electric charge. The early complaint of humidity paled in comparison to the coating of sweat I could feel beading at my hairline, a single drop running down the length of my spine, shooting sparks of desire out each nerve ending.

“You must be Ms. Saunders.” His tone was straight forward yet welcoming as he held out his hand. The moment our hands touch I was zapped by an electric charge. I tried to pull away. He clung tighter. “Curious. I rarely feel someone’s essence just from a single touch.”

“My essence?”

A secretive smile stole across his very kissable lips. They weren’t too thin, nor too plump. Like Goldie Locks and her three bears. Those lips would fit mine just right. He still hadn’t let my hand go. Instead he turned it over, keeping our palms touching. Just that simple skin on skin contact was enough to have me salivating for more. He pushed up his glasses into his hair, a move that was far too cool for someone of his political stature. Men like him were supposed to be dull, boring, and all about government blah blah blah…my thoughts were interrupted by the depth of his brown eyes searing into mine. They were like identical Hershey kisses, melting me from the gaze alone. I sighed as his thumb brushed along the top of my hand.

“Your essence is your life force. Your magnetism. When we touched, I felt the charge. Did you feel it?” I nodded numbly, staring into those chocolaty orbs, focusing on the straight nose, the high cheekbones and chiseled jawline. “When I press our palms together harder,” he placed his other hand over the top of the one he was holding forcing them closer together. “It’s much stronger now.” His eyebrow quirked as I licked my lips. Those eyes went straight to my mouth and my knees weakened. It took every ounce of strength I possessed not to lick my lips again. “Come,” he said and I swear that one word alone sent a bolt of electricity directly to my slut button where it throbbed and pulsated ticking to a clock of its own making. He said something else but I lost track after the word, “Come.” He let go of my hands and reached up to cup my cheek. Oh, man, I liked that a million times better, but it also forced me to focus on my surroundings. “Mia, are you okay?” His gaze roamed all over my face. Worry and concern prevalent in the line that appeared between his brows. “I said come on, Father is waiting.”

I blinked a few times and then focused. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.” I shook my head attempting to clear the remaining lust fog I entered. “It was a really long travel day. I was in Hawaii and came straight from there to here, with a couple layovers in between.” Layovers, otherwise known as mad dashes to the gate so I didn’t miss my flight. I could have killed Aunt Millie for booking flights with fifty minute layovers in between. It left absolutely no time to get to your next plane. Potty breaks were completely out, and the captain didn’t let you go before takeoff and not until you reached a certain flying altitude. Not my best travel experience.

He sucked in a breath through closed teeth. “That sounds dreadful. Let’s introduce you to Father and then have James show you to your room so we can have a quickie.”

“What!” I stopped at the top of the stairs and pressed my hand into my temple.
A quickie
?

“I said I’ll introduce you to Father, have you settled into your room and then let you rest. The time zone change can be quite tricky.” 

“Oh, tricky.”

“What did you think I said?” He smiled showing a row of the most beautiful teeth known to man. He could easily grace the cover of magazines. Oh wait, he already does. Never mind.

“I thought you said we could have a quickie,” I laughed and he stopped in his tracks this time at the front door.

A sly smirk slipped across his lips. “Well, that could be arranged as well, though I don’t know that father would appreciate me dipping my hand into the cookie jar before offering a proper meal and a date.” He winked and then grabbed my hand. That same sizzle of excitement zipped through our touching palms stirring the magnetic energy again.

Aaron shifted, glancing at me sideways while leading me through the entryway. “You feel it too?”

Lord I wish I didn’t. Instead of lying, I closed my eyes, held my breath and nodded.

Books and Coming Soon by Audrey Carlan

The Falling Series

Angel Falling

London Falling

Justice Falling

Trinity Trilogy

Body (Book 1)

Mind (Book 2)

Soul (Book 3)

Calendar Girl Serial

(A twelve month serial. New installments will be released every month throughout 2015)

January (Book 1)