He’d played her, and the headlines of playboy Damien Grimes reminded her of Adam. Maybe that’s why she was already judging him. She knew better, but it was going to be hard to keep an open mind. Adam had destroyed her trust in men. Combining all her past relationships; she had zero belief in men or love.
She walked around making sure she hadn’t forgotten to pack anything. Her phone rang, and she did a quick search to find it. “Hello?”
“Hello, darling.” Gerri’s sweet voice floated through the receiver. “I wanted to make sure you were ready for this interview.”
Sky bit her lip and debated how to answer. “I’m all packed, just waiting until my cab arrives to take me to the airport.”
“Good. But are you ready? I know you weren’t thrilled with this assignment, but I think with your business background, you are the perfect person to get to the bottom of Damien Grimes.” Gerri laughed.
Sky leaned against her apartment window and looked out, thinking about her upcoming trip. “You’re right. I’m interested to see if he’s like the newspapers claim. I’m excited to see a new city or town. I can’t put my finger on what is causing my hesitancy though.”
“Maybe you just need to have a good orgasm.”
Sky pulled the phone away from her and looked down at the caller ID. Nope, still Gerri Wilder. “Uh, I’ve got a B.O.B. I think I’m good in that department for a little while,” she whispered. Her cheeks heated, and she was happy no one could see her blushing. Oh, shit. Was that something she could tell her new boss?
“Pssshhh.” Gerri laughed loudly. “A dildo is fine, but a good man with a nice cock takes the edge off better than anything else. Promise you will keep your mind open while you’re on the trip. Even if it’s a one-night stand. You might find what you weren’t even aware you were missing. Listen, darling, I have to go. Call me if you need anything, and I will see you after your trip.” Gerri made a kissing noise and hung up.
“What the fuck was that?” Sky mumbled to herself. Was the woman a modern-day Doctor Ruth? God. She couldn’t handle that. She’d had enough of a shitty emotional life when it came to relationships and sex. Her handful of exes had given her anxiety when it came to romance and zero desire to have sex. Not when all she got was okay sex with zero orgasms. Why was it so hard for a man to make her come? It made her so self-conscious. If she didn’t do it herself, she’d never have them.
Adam, had kicked her in the face one last time recently by sending her an invitation to his wedding. He’d added a note stating he’d never marry a cold bitch like her. He stayed in the papers, but the latest article had been with his fiancée. A beautiful blonde from an aristocratic European family. The total opposite of Sky.
Sky had been raised by her grandmother until she passed when Sky was in college. She’d started trying to find herself at that point, but one thing had been clear for her, she wanted a family of her own. But not bad enough that she’d allow a man to cheat on her and act like it was normal. And whatever man she made that family with, he’d have to give her orgasms. That was a deal breaker. Faithfulness and orgasms. Was that so much to ask for?
Chapter Five
She glanced at the clock. Shit her cab should be there any minute. She quickly tossed her phone into her purse, slung it on her shoulder, and grabbed her suitcase, then was out the door. The cab pulled up behind her and honked. She gestured for him to wait while digging in her purse to find her keys. She didn’t live in the best area so she had to be careful. Thankfully she didn’t have any pets or plants that needed to be taken care of.
With a sigh of relief, she locked the door and rushed to the cab. “Thanks for waiting.”
The cabbie smiled warmly and got out of the car. “Let me help you that luggage, miss. You don’t need to be hefting heavy things. That’s why you got us men.” He winked and picked up her bag.
After placing her case in the back, the cabbie climbed back in, and they pulled away. “No worries, miss. I’m happy to wait for whatever you need.” What a sweet old man. Sky let out a relieved breath and sank into the cab. She leaned her head back and let her mind wander.
Four hours later, she finally walked off her plane and looked around to find where to get her luggage. She was shocked to see a man standing there with a piece of paper with her name on it. Sky walked over to stand in front of the man. “I’m Sky Adler.”
The man gave her a grin and looked her up and down. “Well, you’re definitely not what I expected. A sight for sore eyes. Come on, I’ll take you to get your luggage.” He turned and walked away.
“Um, who are you?” No way was Sky following some strange guy through the airport. He needed to explain who he was first. Then she would decide if she should trust him.
The man looked over his shoulder. “I’m Mr. Grime’s assistant. He asked me to pick you up and escort you to the hotel. Is that okay with you, ma’am?” His tone of voice said he didn’t care if she liked it.
Sky followed him, mainly because she wanted her damn luggage. She would decide after that if she was willing to get in a car with him. Hell, she should probably rent one, so she wasn’t trapped relying on him and his people to take her anywhere. The level of animosity already meant she would probably be stuck cowering in her hotel room a lot if they had their way.
He finally stopped at the luggage carousel. She stopped next to him and read the screen to see which planes they were unloading luggage from. Of course, her luck was on target, and they weren’t doing hers yet. Sky decided to see what kind of information she could get out of the man.
“Any chance you’re willing to give me your name? Considering we will be together for a bit today. I’m sure I will be seeing more of you over the next few days. I don’t want to be rude and greet you by the wrong name, like Dick or something.” Sky smiled to herself and people watched as she waited for luggage to appear.
The man standing next to her sighed. “Fine, Elijah Thorne.” He turned away, and Sky rolled her eyes. Thankfully the screen announced the arrival of her luggage. She inspected and watched each piece as it came down the conveyor belt, finally spotting hers.
“There it is, the red and white one at the back.” She glanced up at Elijah, but he didn’t spare her or her luggage a glance. She shook her head and stepped forward to grab the case. She half expected him to push her aside and help, but apparently a gentleman, he was not.
Once she got it off and wheeled it over to him, she muttered under her breath. “Thanks for nothing.” He smirked and turned to walk away.
“Come on, I’m in short term parking.” Elijah walked away, not offering to help or make sure she kept up.
She huffed but followed along. When she got to her room, she was going to contact Gerri about a rental car. No way she was dealing with this attitude the whole time she was in town.
“Can you at least answer a few questions for me? I’m not here to persecute your boss, just ask him a few questions so Ms. Wilder can find him a mate. Wouldn’t you want that for him?” Sky didn’t understand the man’s attitude. Why did he pick her up if he was so hostile toward her?