To say I've had a shitty day would be putting it mildly.
It started with this morning's "training." I'd hoped to get in at least a few exercises or tips but I ended up cleaning the entire damn time. Coach had me broom and dust every inch of the gym like I was fucking Cinderella. I'd just about decked Cameron in the face when he offered to go buy me an apron. The guys had a good laugh while I sulked in my own fury and I'd had to force myself to relax. I knew they were only joking around, shooting the shit and all, but it had been a long time since I joked around with other guys and I wasn't comfortable doing it anymore. Hell, the last time I did something remotely similar to this morning's banter was before Lizzie was born.
I'd had plenty of guys I was friends with way back when. I used to go out for a beer with my boys, or watch football games at someone's house, or even meet up for a game of pool. When I had Lizzie, I just couldn't find the time to be a normal guy. I didn't regret having Lizzie because of that, not for a second. In fact, it was when Tara walked out on us that I purposely began distancing myself from everyone out of anger and maybe even fear. I'd secluded myself on purpose and now, being thrown into a situation where I was surrounded by guys that I could potentially be friends with, I just didn't know how to involve myself.
The reminder of my past was enough to have me scowling the entire time at the gym. The guy's sensed I wasn't up for a laugh so they immediately dropped the jokes and I felt like shit. It seemed I just didn't know how to not push others away. But what else was one to do when everyone in their life was either taken away or walked out on them? I tried to stay away from my thoughts by busting my ass at my first job, bartending at a local pub. There was hardly a rush but I made sure that every second of my shift was spent doing something. The few customers that did come were all men and this fouled my mood further. The best tips came from the women and I knew it was because of the way I looked, shallow as it may sound. I'd barely made ten dollars in tips by the time I was off my shift and making my way to my second job. Every lack of dollar felt like I was letting my daughter down and the knowledge of that had me fuming by the time I arrived at the local thrift shop I worked my second job at. It was admittedly the better job of the the two I had. Not because of the pay, which was less than what I made at the bar, but because the thrift shop offered employee discounts that made shopping for Lizzie's clothes a hell of a lot easier. So imagine my fury when I walked out of my shift fired. Yeah, fired.
I'd been handling the new shipping of clothes working maintenance in the back room when Casey, a co-worker of mine, sauntered in with a feral look on her face.
"Hey, handsome." She'd cooed.
I'd smiled back politely but offered nothing else. Casey was hot, sure. She was a busty blonde with one glorious face to match and I'm pretty sure she was a stripper. But I knew better than mixing business with pleasure, having been in similar situations before. Besides, it was a known fact that girls couldn't handle friends with benefits. No matter how clear the rules were, no matter how many times you tell them it's just sex, they always let their emotions get in the way. So when Casey suggestively ran her hand down my stomach and dangerously close to my dick, I'd swatted her hand away in agitation.
"I'm not in the mood, Casey. I've told you no more than enough."
"But I can make it better," She pouted and gripped me through my jeans. I was a guy, so of course my body reacted and Casey didn't miss the hardening underneath her hands. She grinned at me wickedly and dropped to her knees in front of me before I could tell her to fuck off.
"See," She purred, placing her hands on my thighs and digging her claw-like nails into my skin. "You want me."
I placed a hand on her head, ready to push her away, but never got the chance.
"What the hell?" My boss snarled and I'd whipped my head around in dread. It was not a promising position Casey and I were in. Her, on her knees in front me. Me, gripping her close. Casey immediately shot up and defended herself, spouting obscenities about how I lured her in first. Our boss, a perverted old man, didn't take his eyes off her chest as Casey leaned in close and begged him to look the other way. And the other way was me. Five minutes later, after I punched our boss's face in, I stomped out of the store and into my car. At that point, the only thing I wanted was to see Lizzie and it hit me then that I left my house keys in my gym locker. I ran every red light without a damn as I angrily drove back to the gym. There wasn't a word in the dictionary to describe how shit of a day today was.
So why am I amused right now?
Because I'd barged into Coach's office, expecting to get a lecture on being more responsible, but it wasn't Coach Resnick in there after all.
It was the most gorgeous fucking girl I've ever seen in my life.
She'd looked startled by my presence but that didn't stop her from gaping at me as she eyed me up and down. I don't think she was even aware of it. And damn, that did great things for my ego. My dick perked under her attention and I took her distraction as the opportunity to reciprocate and blatantly check her out.
Though her eyes dropped to my body within seconds of my appearance, I was instantly mesmerized by their colour; a shade of blue that's so rich you'd think they were drawn on. They were a darkish blue but light enough that you could see the hazel outline around it and fuck, that was a pretty combination. While her eyes were considerably the best feature on her I'd observed as of yet, the rest of her face had plenty going on for her. The entire structure of her face was almost heart-shaped and it matched the innocence she seemed to exude. Her lips were naturally pouted and plump and I could almost imagine how soft they'd feel if I bit into them. And her hair. Goddamn, that hair. A light shade of brown mingled in with some darker strands and it cascaded in large waves around her, stopping just at her waist. Or maybe even longer than that. I couldn't tell because she was sitting. Either way, I'd bet it would feel like silk wrapped around my fist and I'd been tempted to run my fingers through it. I schooled my expression, though, because her innocence made her look barely legal and that's not the kind of shit I'm into.
I'd asked her about Coach's whereabouts but I could tell she didn't hear me. I had to force agitation into my voice when I repeated the question so she wouldn't know how attracted I am to her. Admittedly I may have went too far with messing with her because she'd snapped at me and demanded to know who I was.
Which brings us to now.
"You're Jaxon Cage?" She asks in bewilderment.
Her already big eyes widen almost comically and take up nearly half of her face. Those lush lips drop into an "o" and I can't help but wonder how they'd look wrapped around my-
Motherfucker. Just get to the point.
"You say that like you've heard of me." I find myself saying instead.
Her cheeks, slightly pink already, flush even further as a full-blown blush takes over. I'm tempted to smirk because fuck, that's cute.
"I saw your name on your file." She says quickly, lifting up a sheet and placing it back on the desk in a flash.
I'm skeptical that that's how she knows of me so I saunter over to the desk to get a closer look. A panicked expression takes over her features as I near and she shrinks slightly back when I reach out to her. At the last second, I bring my hand down and swipe the sheet she'd just shown me off the desk.
"Wait!" She blurts, putting both her hands up in the universal "stop" sign. My eyes scan over the paper and I see it's just a tax return sheet.
"My name is definitely not 'tax return'." I drawl and I almost laugh when she smacks a hand over her face in embarrassment. I find I have to consistently force myself to not smile around her. She's awkward and shy but she's intriguing as hell.
"Speaking of names," I say as I set the paper back down and decide to give her a break. "What's yours?"
Why the fuck are you flirting with her?
She peeks through her fingers at me and mutters, "Emily."
Sweet and pretty. It fits her.
"Emily." I repeat, liking the way it sounds on my tongue a little too much. "I left my keys in my locker and the door to the locker room is locked. Can you get it open?" I ask.
"Uh huh." She mumbles but makes no move to get up. She's staring at me like she's trying to figure me out and I'm suddenly irritated. That's not a boundary for her to cross.
"Can you get the door unlocked or are you just gonna stare at me?" I say in a bored voice. She draws back and I can see the confusion and slight hurt on her face. God, I'm an asshole. Even I could admit that was uncalled for and that my dumbass decided to speak before thinking. I open my mouth to say something but she beats me to it.
"Unlock the door yourself. Maybe the keys to it are up your ass." She shoots back and I can't help it. My lips twitch.
She stands up all of a sudden and my amusement freezes. It's like the breath has been punched out of my lungs and I just about swallow my own tongue when I get a good look at the rest of her. Because, fucking hell, that is not the body of a kid. My eyes trace every soft curve and swell that's encased beneath her clothes. She's wearing one of those tight skirts that end right above her knee and outline the shape of her hips perfectly. Her blouse is just as form-fitting and while it doesn't completely give away the size of her chest, I can tell it's a generous amount. Probably a heavy handful. And I see now that her hair is longer than I'd guessed as the ends lightly touch her hips. My pants suddenly feel two sizes smaller as my dick hardens completely and I clench my jaw, trying to get myself under control. I'm acting like a horny teenager that's seen his first pair of boobs. Emily's hands land on her hips and I watch with interest, imagining my own hands replacing hers and tugging her flush against me.
"Do you want that door unlocked, or are you just gonna stare at me?" She haughtily throws my words back at me and my eyes fly to hers in surprise. I didn't think she had it in her. Apparently, neither does Emily, because she suddenly looks horrified and her cheeks colour once more.
"Did I just- oh, Jesus Christ, just come with me." She rushes out and swiftly walks past me.
I finally release the chuckle that I've been holding in since first stumbling upon her awkward but entertaining antics. The sound is almost foreign to me. It's been a while since I've genuinely laughed. I can almost hear how the end of my laugh darkens when I get a better look at her ass. Her heels add a natural sway to her hips when she walks and I can't find a single ounce of strength to look away. Not that I want to.
"How old are you?" I ask and mentally curse myself for wanting to know more about her. But shit, I'm curious, because while her face emits innocence, that slammin' body definitely doesn't. She looks at me over her shoulder and I see that she doesn't know what to make of my curiosity.
"23," She answers cautiously. Why this makes me happy, I don't know. Actually, I do. Because I want to fuck her. And now that I know she's only three years younger than my 26, I plan on getting her underneath me by the end of tonight. Like a man on a prowl, I easily fall into a heavy act of seduction.
Emily comes to a stop in front of the locker room and inserts the key she had in her hands. I'm not sure when she grabbed it but I was probably too busy eye-fucking her to notice. I step in right behind her, just close enough that my chest brushes her back and her ass grazes the front of my jeans. I hear her suck in a startled breath at my proximity and her hand tightens on the knob, her body going still. I bring my head down beside her ear and catch a whiff of her hair. What is that scent? Vanilla and something...flowery. It screams femininity and my senses heighten even further. My lips brush the shell of her ear and I don't miss the slight shiver the courses through her. I feel a slight smirk take over my face. Got her.
"Open the door, Emily." I demand softly and she jolts like she's been shocked out of a daze. She probably has. She clears her throat and pushes the door open, practically falling through it like she can't get away from me fast enough.
"Grab your things so I can get the door locked before I leave." She says with a slight tremble to her voice. Good. She's affected by me too.
Now that I know our attraction is mutual I'm even more anxious to leave together so I can end my shitty night with me inside of her. I'm about to ask her where she's leaving to, and hell, what she's even doing here now that I think about it, when the voice I've come to dread snaps me out of my fantasies.
"Cage!" Coach Resnick barks. I turn to him and see his eyes flicking between Emily and I suspiciously, grocery bags in his hands. His eyes come back to me and it looks like he's seconds away from strangling me. This has me confused as hell and I turn to Emily in question, wondering what she means to him. Her expression of guilt further solidifies my dread but she just about causes my heart to freeze from what she says next.
"Hey, Daddy."
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A/N
This was such a fun chapter to write!
Sorry it took a while to upload. I've been busy and my writer's block wasn't letting up!
What did you guys think of Jaxon's thoughts on Emily? What do you guys think of their chemistry?
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Thank you :)