Forever After Read online

  “Are you going to . . .?” My voice trailed off.

  “Shh,” he whispered, his lips mere inches from mine.

  I cursed my nerves. My shaky voice gave me away. Declan had to know how much he affected me. His gaze slid down to my pink lips. I pursed them, the lip-gloss making them feel a bit sticky.

  He’s going to hate my lip-gloss.

  “Stop being so nervous.” He smiled.

  I could feel his lips barely brush against mine.

  The close proximity of our mouths was utter torture. My mouth opened slightly and my breath hitched. Declan closed the slim gap between us. His lips pressed into mine softly at first, becoming hard and determined rather fast. I could feel all eyes in the bar on us. I could just imagine what my friends were saying. Then I got lost in him.

  My mind drifted and my heart leapt to my throat. Somewhere in the distance, little fireworks went off. Tremendous explosions of booms and bangs as our lips locked. Very subtly he pried my mouth open with his. He surprised me when his tongue invaded my mouth. It was as though he tried to conquer some foreign country. The kiss was hot.

  I couldn’t let him get the best of my mouth, though, so I launched my own invasion. I opened one eye and saw his sprang open in surprise. He seemed to get intensity behind the kiss. We were no longer kissing for show. He held the hair on the nape of my neck tighter, dragging my head back. A gasp escaped me. Nobody had ever done that before. I responded with an even fiercer kiss. When we finally came up for air, the only thing that could be heard was the music playing in the background. My cheeks turned a bright red as I realized everyone was watching us.

  “Now, they can look.” His accomplished smile made him look so smug. I didn’t care.

  “I-I don’t know what to say,” I replied, breathless and a bit shaky.

  “Just smile. You’re beautiful when you smile, Sarah.”

  “I’ve never done that before, Declan.”

  “What? Kissed a man?”

  “Not quite so passionately.” I blushed, thinking about Brandon’s amateurish pecks in the morning and the kiss on the cheek at bedtime. He had never been a passionate man. Declan was a welcome refresher.

  “I’m happy to be your first.”

  I nodded, while fumbling for my drink. It was a good thing I’d sat down otherwise I may have fallen over. My knees knocked, and I tried to swallow my heart that felt as though it were pounding in my throat. Slowly whispers started. People turned their heads away, but I knew they stole glances at us. I knew they were wondering who the silly blonde with the great Declan Press was. You’re blushing.” He smiled triumphantly.

  “That was quite the public display,” I whispered not daring to look directly at him. I knew my stomach would do somersaults and my cheeks would continue to flush.

  “I don’t think your friends are very happy,” he said into his drink while side-eyeing them.

  “Why?” I glanced behind us.

  Liza and Meredith’s mouths hung open, Veronica wouldn’t look at us, and Sam glared.

  “Oh.” In a flush of embarrassment, I dropped my eyes to the martini glass in my hand.

  “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.” He examined my face for any sign of regret.

  “You didn’t.”

  “Are you ashamed to be thrown into such a predicament?”

  “I never do anything that I should be ashamed of,” I asserted, sitting straighter in my chair. I brought my eyes up to meet his piercing gaze.

  “Your friends are coming to take you away from me.” His wondrous lips turned down.

  My heart pounded as I glanced over my shoulder to see Sam gliding toward us. Her gait was so lithe and graceful.

  Please be going to the bathroom! Please be going to the bathroom!

  She wasn’t. She stopped at our table and put on her big, fake smile.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Press, if you don’t mind, we are leaving. We were hoping Sarah would be joining us.” She glared at me with fire in her eyes.

  “Of course,” he said, nodding.

  “It was lovely to meet you, Mr. Press,” I mumbled, turning to walk away.

  “The pleasure was all mine, Sarah,” he replied, ignoring Sam’s catty tone and focusing his intense gaze on me.

  I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks again. He’d kept me in a perpetual state of blush since running into him. I took a few steps but stumbled. Fortunately, I did not sprawl out on my face. I took a deep breath, regained what composure I had left, and jaunted out as fast as my fuck-me pumps would carry me. I didn’t bother turning to see him or anyone else for that matter. I grabbed my jacket and exited Olive or Twist with the last shred of my dignity. The cool, refreshing air was a welcomed change to the stifling air inside. Closing my eyes, I leaned against the building and took deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves.

  Liza stood in front of me digging out a pack of cigarettes from her purse. “Are you okay?”

  “No man has ever made me feel like that before, and I don’t know why.”

  She shrugged her shoulders with the cigarette perched precariously between her lips. “He’s gorgeous.”

  “It’s more than that,” I muttered, smiling as I remembered the kiss.

  “I can’t believe you did that!” Sam said, stomping out of the bar.

  “You told me to!” I protested.

  “We told you to talk to him, not suck face with him in the middle of the bar!” She shook her head.

  “Yeah, well.”

  She rolled her eyes and strolled away. “Let’s go.”

  “Go where?” Meredith asked.

  “Innovation.”

  “That line will be wrapped around the block by now. How are we going to get in?” Veronica asked, waving down a taxi.

  “I know people.” Sam fished out her cell phone and sent a quick text.

  I sighed watching the door to Olive or Twist hoping to catch a glimpse of Declan or, as my deepest wishes wanted, for him to run after me and beg me not to leave his side.

  Forget about him, Sarah. It was fun, a quick few minutes of fun. Nothing more, nothing less. He’s Declan Press and you are some no-name lawyer.

  Unfortunately my thoughts kept drifting back to the man and his amazing lips. I stared out the window as the cab bumped along the city streets heading for the Southside.

  “Sarah, what is wrong?” Sam scowled at me.

  “Nothing,” I lied, feigning a smile.

  “Forget about Declan Press. He’s nothing but bad news.”

  “How do you know?” I asked, not looking at her.

  “The tabloids. He broke up with his supermodel girlfriend last month!” she exclaimed, flabbergasted.

  “So?” I sighed heavily.

  “A man like that will do nothing but break your heart. I don’t want to see you slip away like you did when Brandon left.”

  I winced at the name of my ex-boyfriend. I thought he was the one, until I found out he had been fucking my sister for two of the five years we dated. He was kind enough to let me know it was mostly in the bed we shared, in our shared apartment. I quickly dumped him and haven’t spoken to my sister since. Last I heard they were happily married with a kid, a dog, and a white picket fence.

  My white picket fence. Fucking whore.

  The cab stopped in front of a building covered in sleek black tile. The lights of surrounding bars gleamed off Innovation. The name was done in brilliant blue neon and white. There was an old ticket booth near the front doors. At some time in the buildings history it had been a theater. Those days were long over and now each time the doors opened obscenely loud music spilled into the street. A line of people wrapped around the building, a sure sign that it was packed inside. Unfortunately for everyone who waited, their turn would never come.
Sam led us to the bouncers, hugged them, and planted kisses on both of their cheeks. The taller, more muscular of the two unhooked the velvet rope and let us in. Groans erupted from the waiting people outside as we entered.

  Chapter 3

  I stood at a table as our cocktail server fought with a bottle of red wine. She was short, and in her uniform and heels she was nothing but boobs, fake-bake tan, blond hair, and brown eyes. She relented with the bottle and called over an incredibly gorgeous bar back. His hip-hugging black slacks were tight around his thighs and his black T-shirt was stretched over his chest and arms. He managed to pop the cork and with a smile poured each of us a glass.

  Meredith bit her lip and ran her hand down his arm. “Thanks.”

  “You’re, um, welcome,” he stammered.

  I could see the man’s cheeks flush. I chuckled and shook my head.

  Poor man.

  We stared, hypnotized by his ass, as he vanished behind a door across the room. It wasn’t nearly as tight and perfect as Declan’s but it was pretty damned close. I sighed heavily. It had been a long time since I’d been intimate with a man. I was going insane. He could have ended my drought.

  I could handle a friends-with-benefits relationship. Who wouldn’t want at least that with him?

  “Excuse me, ladies?” a voice like sweet honey asked from behind us.

  We turned to face a handsome blond man and a few of his friends.

  “Yes?” Sam asked, looking the group over, obviously pleased with what she saw.

  “We couldn’t help but notice you fine ladies here all alone.” He grinned, revealing a mouth full of perfect teeth.

  She smiled her most-seductive smile and flashed her infamous, ‘seductive Sam’ eyes. “We are.” Her voice was soft and sultry.

  I envied the sexiness that oozed from her.

  “Would you like to join my associates and me in VIP?”

  “That would be wonderful.” She winked at him.

  I rolled my eyes and wished for nothing more than to go back to Olive or Twist. Sam had a standing table in VIP. We didn’t need future CEO’s to help out. Innovation had a lot of good-looking men, but none of them were Declan Press. I shook my head to gather my wits a bit.

  You are obsessing, Sarah. You just met the man. Stop it.

  We followed them upstairs to the exclusive, private area that was reserved for men who could shell out tons of cash and girls with the shortest skirts. My mind was across town with the piercing eyes, soft lips, impeccable body, and dark secrets of Declan Press, though. My own lips still tingled at the thought of our unexpected kiss. I stood near the bar with my glass of wine and closed my eyes taking a deep breath. I could still smell his spicy scent and the whiskey on his breath. He invaded all of my senses. Reluctantly I opened my eyes, my heart sinking as I remembered that I was not with him. My so-called friends had dragged me away.

  Why did they take me away from Declan? I took a sip of my wine. They’re just jealous. A better question, Sarah, is why has he affected you so much in such a short amount of time? He is, after all, just a man.

  A tall, clean-cut man with a broad grin, well-coiffed hair, and a starched suit approached me. “Are you Sarah?”

  “Yes,” I mumbled, not giving him my undivided attention.

  “Your friends said that you might like company.” He leaned on the table I rested against.

  “Oh did they?” I arched my eyebrows, not surprised.

  “Yes,” he replied, sounding not quite as sure of himself as he had been when he first came over.

  “I’m sorry, but they are mistaken. I’d rather just be alone,” I muttered into my wine glass. “If you’ll excuse me.”

  I crossed to the balcony that overlooked the main dance floor. Below, I focused my attention on two girls who seemed to be zeroing in on an unsuspecting man and his friend. The girls seemed young, maybe twenty-one or so and definitely dressed like it. They wore what we called hoo-hah dresses. If they were any shorter, their vaginas would have been put on display and their bottom biscuits out in full view. I rolled my eyes but kept watching. It was like a train wreck. You couldn’t help but stare. The girls stood near the guys’ table smiling and giggling. One flipped her hair this way and that while the other used the age-old tactic of touching a guy’s arm and giggling.

  It worked.

  The two googly-eyed men followed the girls onto the dance floor like puppy dogs. The girls threw their arms over the guys’ necks and grinded on their knees. I turned away from the horrid debacle of bad dancing to see Samantha in a corner participating in very heavy flirting.

  Seriously? She drags me away from Declan to this hormone-fueled orgy wannabe and does that?

  Disgusted, I put my wine glass on the nearest table and plucked my phone from the clutch.

  Me: Sam, not in the mood to party. Going home. Have fun. Use protection.

  I looked around for the rest of my friends and found them in similar situations. I tucked the phone in my clutch and headed out of the VIP room. I stood in the cool night air deciding what I wanted to do. I knew it was too late to find Declan at Olive’s, so I flagged down a cab.

  “Leaving so soon, Sarah?” a burly man asked while checking an ID at the front doors.

  “I’m not in the mood for partying tonight. I just want to go home,” I muttered, opening the door to the cab that pulled up to the curb.

  “What’s wrong?” The bouncer left his stool and held the door for me.

  “Nothing.” I sighed while running my hands through my hair.

  “I know when something is wrong with someone.”

  “I’m just realizing some things.”

  “People aren’t who they seem to be?” He arched his eyebrows at me.

  “Yeah. That, and I’m just getting too old for this shit.”

  “Definitely something to think about.”

  “I know.”

  “Are you going to think about it?”

  “Yeah,” I replied, climbing into the taxi.

  Chapter 4

  After paying the cab driver, I headed to the only car in the lot. I was exhausted and couldn’t wait to get home. Thankfully I would only have a ten-minute drive. The city shut down around two. Everything seemed to just stop. The lights shut off and the people meandered off the streets. I turned onto three-seventy-six and floored it to the Oakland exit. The college town was busy. The bars kicked the drunken students out. Groups of girls giggled and walked toward their dorm rooms while boys’ catcalled to them.

  I left the noisy town behind and entered Shadyside, an old section of the city with mansions converted into multi-units. Large oak trees lined the streets and tall hedges protected lawns from prying eyes. My building loomed at the end of the street. A black wrought-iron fence surrounded it instead of the green hedge. Dogwood trees lined the short front walkway. For being so close to the college part of town, my neighborhood was quiet. I appreciated the solitude. I began the long climb to my apartment. A soft meow and a paw protruded under the door as a welcome home.

  “Sorry I’m late, Bob,” I called as I pushed open the fading brown door.

  Soft fur rubbed against my bare ankles as fat Bob meowed his displeasure at having me home at such an awful hour. My hand slid from the knob and the door swung behind me, slamming shut. I let the cat lead me to his barren food dish.

  “You are such a pig.” I opened the cat food container and dumped some in his ceramic bowl. “I filled that dish before I left.”

  The poufy tail twitched as the cat scarfed down his food. I shook my head and continued down the narrow hallway to my bedroom. Kicking my shoes into a corner, I slipped out of my dress and climbed beneath the down comforter on my bed. Sleep crept up on me and I was thrown into a crazy dream.

  Declan Press invaded my sub
conscious as much as my conscious thoughts. He looked impressive in nothing at all while standing waist-deep in warm waters off some white sandy beach. The sun glistened off his tanned, wet body. His enchanting smile beckoned me to join him. Looking down, I saw I was just as naked as he was but I didn’t seem to mind at all. I tentatively stepped forward, letting the water lap over my feet. I waded out to him. He grabbed my waist and pulled me into his body. He placed a hand on the small of my back and clasped me to him. The fingers of his free hand softly traced from my cheek, to my collarbone, and down to my navel. He seemed to be studying my every feature. He lowered his head to mine and caught my mouth with his. My body trembled as I felt his nether regions begin to stir. Breaking the kiss, I glanced down and saw the glorious cock fully aroused.

  “Are you ready?” his baritone voice whispered in my ear.

  “More than you know,” I whispered back, arching against his touch.

  Grasping my ass, he lifted me and as he slid into me, a distant alarm sounded.

  No! No! No! I kept my eyes squeezed shut, trying to remember as the dream faded. Okay, come on, Sarah! Remember! His dick. That glorious, glorious dick. Does it really look like that? Is it really that big?

  My eyes snapped open. “Oh my god, I have to find out!”

  I sat up in bed covered in sweat. Bob looked at me with his disapproving cat glare.

  “Stop it, Bob. It’s time for me to wake up anyway. That’s what happens when your silly momma goes out on Sunday,” I cooed while scratching the cat’s head.