Violet Aches for Blake (Encounter Bay) Read online

  Yeah, she needed new underwear!

  Before Violet could rearrange her boobs and button up her blouse, which was now completely undone after that struggle, the door dinged and Violet turned to the front, looking like a kid caught in the cookie jar, with one hand in her bra and her whole chest and cleavage right out in the open, her blouse flapping in the breeze coming through the open door.

  Oh, and of course!

  Because life is just that cruel.

  There was Blake ‘never been caught elbow deep in a wardrobe malfunction, perfect in every possible way’ fucking Wilson.

  Violet froze as his blue eyes roamed her bra and all the skin her opened blouse had exposed. His gaze flitted to her face, then zeroed in on her chest. Violet watched on in mild horror as a sexy smile appeared across his perfect face.

  “Why, Violence, it looks like you require my assistance, lucky for you I’m an expert when it comes to bras.” His voice was all husky.

  Damn it, there goes her other ovary!

  Quickly pulling out her hand and buttoning up her blouse haphazardly, Violet felt her face turn red.

  Was there no end to the ways in which she could embarrass herself in front of this man?!

  Of all the people to walk in here right at this moment, of course it had to be him.

  Why on earth was she so cursed?

  “Can I help you?” Violet asked, averting her eyes and looking at the door behind him.

  “I’m here to see Mr Jameson,” Blake replied. Violet watched as he took off his baseball cap and raked a hand through his thick black hair

  Was every move he made so damned sexy?

  Why did he affect her so much?

  Several minutes passed where they both just stared at each other. Violet was too embarrassed to say anything and Blake seemed distracted by her blouse.

  Violet jumped when Mr Jameson spoke.

  “Blake, my boy! There you are. Now, you said on the phone you were thinking about buying the Cape Cod place?”

  She shot a look at Blake. He was going to buy her dream house?

  Typical.

  “Violet, what’s wrong with your… top?” Mr. Jameson said, turning away from her. Violet looked down to see that her shirt looked like blind person had buttoned it up, only they would probably do a better job. Oh god! One of the cups of her bra was 90 percent exposed by a gaping hole.

  “Shit!” Violet said as she got up and made a run for the small employee lounge.

  SHe spent a good 10 minutes in the bathroom and when she ran out of things to do, she gave herself one last look in the mirror. Her cheeks were still bright red, no amount of water could cool them down. Straightening her shirt and smoothing her hair, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders and held her head high. She could go back out there and make small talk, she could pretend that nothing had just happened.

  What else could go wrong?

  Making her way back out into the tiny office, she found Blake and Mr Jameson, not in his office like she had hoped, no, they were sitting on the waiting area chairs, chatting.

  “Jeez, Violet, I was about to call the Sheriff and send out a search party, I thought you might have gotten lost in there,” Mr Jameson said, laughing at his own terrible joke.

  Violet scurried across the small office to her chair and started blindly tapping away at her computer, keeping her head down to avoid the piercing blue eyes that were most definitely on her. Violet kept her head down, but watched the two of them out of the corner of her eye.

  “So, Blake, how do you want to pay?” Mr Jameson asked.

  “I’ll pay cash, on one condition,” Blake replied with a smirk, turning to Mr Jameson. “And what’s that, son?” he asked.

  She could see Mr Jameson counting the commission from here, he was probably going to get that pool he always talked about.

  “Violet has to go out on a date with me,” Blake said.

  Violet gasped. She looked over at them, he was not serious! There was no way she was going out with him! Mr Jameson wouldn’t make her, right? That had to be some employee violation, right? You can’t pimp out your receptionist to make a sale!

  She watched as Mr Jameson looked from Blake to Violet and then back again.

  “Violet can do that,” he said, reaching out to shake Blake’s hand.

  “Stop!” Violet shrieked before their hands touched.

  They both turned and looked at her like she was stupid. “I am not going out on a date with him!” She said, standing up and crossing her arms over her chest.

  Damn, two layers of fabric! And nipples with a mind of their own!

  “Violet it’s one date, you know him. You practically grew up in his house as a child!” Mr Jameson said, sounding angry.

  “Think of the commission!” He added with pleading eyes.

  “No,” Violet replied, shaking her head. There was no way she was going to be coerced into going on a date with Blake!

  Mr Jameson looked between the two, opened his mouth, and then shut it again. He looked at Blake and said, “The lady said no, son, when do you want to move in? The owners broke up and their divorce is getting nasty, so I can get a quick closing.”

  Blake shook his head. “If Violet doesn’t go on a date with me, I’m not buying it.” He crossed his arms and scowled at her, his eyes bright with mischief. Mr Jameson glared at Violet and she glared right back. She didn’t care if he wasn’t going to buy the house, that was his problem, not hers. “Violet, think of the commission, it’s only one date and let’s face it, you don’t go on many of those,” Mr Jameson said with a chuckle.

  Men!

  She couldn’t believe her employer was willing to sell her off like a piece of meat to make a deal!

  Violet looked at both of them. Blake had a smug smile on his too-handsome face and Mr Jameson looked fearful. “What if I give you 15 percent of the commission?” Mr Jameson said. Violet looked at him, then to a smirking Blake, and then back to Mr Jameson. Was he serious?

  Blake shifted in his seat, crossing a leg over the other knee. He was sitting there with his hands in his pockets, a massive smile on his face and that goddamned left dimple popping right at her! Jesus!

  Crap! Violet felt her mouth go dry, she was going to have to say yes! Fifteen percent of the commission was $9,000.

  She could do with nine grand! She could redo her kitchen! Violet blinked rapidly as she tried to figure out if this was a good thing.

  Nine grand to go on a date with the one man she has loved her whole life who has never loved her back and now suddenly wants to go on a date with her?

  Jesus, she was going to say yes!

  “Fine! But I’m not going to like it!” Violet said in a rush.

  She then watched as Blake and Mr Jameson high-fived and went into his office.

  Crap!

  She was going on a date with the man of her dreams!

  Deciding that potentially getting fired was worth the risk, She slumped to her chair, wheeled herself closer to the phone, and speed-dialed Sophie.

  “Vi?’

  “Ohmygod! Your brother just caught me elbow deep in my own cleavage! He also said that he would only buy the Cape Cod place if I went on a date with him! Mr. Jameson offered me 15 percent of the commission if I went on a date with him! I said yes! Sophie, what am I going to do?” Violet blurted out in a run along sentence.

  “Whoa! What? Wait, back that up, you were elbow deep in your own cleavage? Why?”

  “Sophie, are you serious?! That is the least interesting part!” Violet whisper-yelled down the phone.

  “Says you! So, you have to go on a date with Blake for 15 percent of the commission on that house Blake was thinking about buying?”

  “Yes! This is horrible!”

  “Ah, yes, going on a date with the man of your dreams and earning some cash on the side is just horrible, Violet. I’m sure your little heart is beating wildly at the thought.”

  “This is a travesty!”

  “Violet Stone
! Listen to the crap that is coming out of your mouth! This is what you have always dreamed of!”

  “I’m going to stuff it up, Sophie, I can see it now! I’ve broken dicks!” Violet hissed.

  Sophie laughed, “I still can’t believe we are talking about my ass-hat brother, so I’m going to overlook that detail for just one minute. Violet, this is a date with the man of your dreams and I hate to break it to you, but he knows what he’s getting himself into. Maybe he just likes you for you. And maybe you’ve built him up in your head to be something he is not. He is just a guy.”

  Violet leaned back in her chair and looked at the white ceiling. She knew that Sophie was right.

  “Thanks for calming me down, Sophie.”

  “So, you’re finally going to give it up?”

  “No one said anything about sex!” Violet hissed down the phone.

  Sophie started to laugh.

  “Oh, Violet! I so don’t want the details, but I hope you get laid!”

  “Shit, I better go, they’re coming back.”

  She hung up the phone and stared at her computer as she heard rustling from the other side of Mr Jameson’s door.

  Blake appeared in her line of sight a few minutes later. “Uh, Violence, are you busy Saturday?” he asked, looking down at her. Violet continued typing, not looking up, and kept her face neutral, hoping like hell that he would go away.

  “I’ll take that as a yes, I’ll pick you up at 6:30,” he said. She looked at him from under her lashes as a sweet smile spread across his face.

  “Fine,” she said, even though her heart was beating like a jackhammer. She didn’t want him to know how much he affected her. It would just make him cockier.

  Violet didn’t want to add to his already inflated ego.

  Chapter 16

  Blake

  It was Thursday, and Blake was in a little bit of a pickle because he had no idea where to take Violet on their date. He couldn’t take her anywhere that would draw attention. He was sure she wouldn’t be up for a drink at the Shoreline, with half the town watching, and he wanted to do something special. Something intimate where they could chat and he could get to know the woman she had become. He really should have thought of somewhere before he asked her. Well, not that he asked her, more like he made her.

  Blake had never had to work this hard to impress a woman in his whole life! After his morning run on the beach, he decided to head to Sophie’s place. She would have an idea of where to take Violet, surely.

  Parking out the front of Sophie’s house, Blake looked up at the square modern two-story building, painted white with a white roof. Being all white made it stand out in the street and it really was a stunning house, built by a leading architect. The last time he had been in her house was when his parents had bought it for her 21st. Blake remembered the view, a nearly uninterrupted view of the bay, blocked only by an old pine tree. Climbing up the decking steps, Blake hammered on the door and pulled out his phone to check the time. Shit. It was only 7:30, Sophie wasn’t a morning person and, according to his mother, she had quit her job at the Aquatic Center when Jamie proposed to her, so she could plan the wedding. Blake waited a couple of minutes, then hammered on the door again.

  He was just about to call her when a sleepy looking Sophie finally showed up and let him in. He snorted at her appearance, because Sophie never looked less than perfect and here she was standing at the door with her long brown hair resembling a bird’s nest and wearing a fluffy grey robe that was gaping open to reveal pink pajamas covered in monkeys and love hearts.

  “What’s so funny?” Sophie yawned as she showed him down the long hallway to the kitchen at the back of the house.

  “Nothing.”

  “What are you doing here, anyway?” Sophie added as Blake watched her slump into one of the tan leather dining chairs and stifle a yawn with her hand.

  “Can’t I come see my sister without getting the third degree?”

  “You can when you don’t show up here at the crack of dawn, I have a huge event coming up and I need my beauty sleep!”

  “It’s 7:30, that’s hardly the crack of dawn. And it’s a wedding, not an event, where is the twerp you’re marrying anyway? I guess I better get a look at him and make sure he’s good enough for my little sis. I missed him at the party Mom threw.”

  “Jamie stays at his mother’s house in Houston during the week, so he doesn’t have to commute and can get a good night’s sleep.”

  Blake scrunched up his nose and looked at Sophie. Was she seriously considering marrying someone so… fucking lame?

  “It’s an hour drive, what a pussy.”

  Blake watched as Sophie squared her shoulders like she was getting ready for a fight. Before she could open her mouth to retaliate, Blake added, “Sophie, I don’t want to fight, I’m sure he’s great, I would like to meet him though.”

  “Do you want some breakfast? Sophie asked, changing the subject as she got up and started rummaging through the fridge.

  “Yeah, bacon and eggs, and don’t be stingy with the bacon,” Blake replied.

  Blake and Sophie talked about mundane subjects like the weather and how much alcohol their parents consumed. While Sophie made them breakfast, Blake couldn’t help but relish the normalness he felt here. This was what life was supposed to be like, spending time with the ones you love, not having a microphone or camera wedged in your face as you come out a grocery store with cameramen asking stupid questions.

  Blake watched as Sophie put a large plate of eggs and bacon in front of him and took her seat opposite.

  “So, why are you really here, Blake?” Sophie asked as she dug into her own breakfast.

  Blake opened his mouth to answer, but Sophie beat him to it.

  “Let me guess, you want to pick my brains about where to take Violet out on the little date you scammed out of her. What’s wrong, Blake? Screwed your way through Hollywood, so now you thought you could fuck with my best friend?” Sophie’s voice got progressively louder as her little speech went on.

  Blake blinked in shock.

  “Just settle down, what goes on between me and Violence is none of your business,” he said, dropping his fork onto his plate.

  “Oh, hell no! It is my business! She has been my best friend for 26 years, you want to mess around with her, you’re going to have to answer to me!”

  Blake rubbed a hand across his face.

  “What do you want with her? Just want to screw her because you have nothing to keep you entertained? Just something to do? Think you can just string her on for a while until you get bored and go find a hot model or actress? Why Violet, Blake? And why now?”

  Blake cursed under his breath.

  “What was that?” Sophie yelled.

  “I said fuck! Jesus Sophie, I love her! There, are you happy?” Blake yelled. He stood up and walked into Sophie’s living area. Shit, shit, shit. Blake ran his hands through his hair as he looked out at that stunning view of Encounter Bay, now minus the offending pine tree. Holy shit, he had not meant to say that. He was pissed off that Sophie doubted him.

  “Whoah! WHAT!! Since when?” Sophie asked from behind him as she marched into the room and stood in front of him.

  “Shit, since always,” he said, in a quieter voice this time. Now that it was out there, he didn’t see the point in denying it.

  “This is crazy! What the hell is wrong with you then? What have you been doing for the last 13 years?”

  “Trying to forget her,” Blake whispered. He could feel that ache in his chest.

  “Screwing every hot chick you could get your hands on was you trying to forget that you loved Violet?” Sophie said, looking at him incredulously, demanding more answers, ones he didn’t want to give. Blake flicked his gaze from his stunned sister to Sophie’s wooden gabled ceiling. Fuuuuck!

  “Just leave it, Sophie,” he yelled, pissed with himself that he was getting this upset.

  Blake turned on his heel, walked back to the kitchen, and slu
mped back onto the leather seat. He needed to sit the hell down, his legs were feeling a bit wobbly, had he seriously just spilled his guts? He picked up his fork and shoved as much food in his mouth as possible, that way he wouldn’t have to answer any more of Sophie’s probing questions. He hadn’t meant to tell Sophie all of that shit. Now it was out there. And girls talked!

  Shit.

  “Blake, why now?” Sophie said in a softer tone, coming back into the dining room and standing at the table, arms crossed, looking down on him as he chewed. Blake continued to munch on his food, trying to think of a response that wouldn’t piss Sophie off and wouldn’t make him look like such a prick.

  “Because there is no one on this earth like her and I want her,” Blake replied with a sigh around a mouth full of bacon.

  “Really? You think you can just come back here and she will fall willingly into your arms?” Sophie slumped to her seat and stared at him, her blue eyes blazing.

  “Well, that was what I thought would happen, but it’s been a little bit harder than I anticipated,” Blake said with a sardonic laugh.

  “She isn’t a toy you can play with, Blake, she is my best friend and if you hurt her, I will cut you,” Sophie said a crazy voice as she swung a butter knife through the air and pointed it at him.

  Blake blinked as he looked at Sophie. He wanted to laugh at her, but he didn’t want to piss her off. She had that scary look in her eye, the one his mother got when shit was about to get real.

  “So, you come here looking for my help on how to get in my best friend in the whole world’s pants?” Sophie was now talking in a normal voice.

  “Yep,” Blake said popping the P and shoveling more food into his mouth. This conversation was starting to get awkward.

  “Well, you’re going to have to take her somewhere amazing. Oh! She’s always wanted to go to New York City! Take her there!” Sophie said, clutching her hands together and getting a dreamy look on her face.