That Thing You're Good At (A Starview Novel Book 1) Page 3
“Invitation still stands, Holly.”
“Snap out of it,” she mumbled at his bid before she countered in haste. “Um, I . . . I’m not available at the moment. See you around!” Never had she used the expression 'pedal to the metal' but by checking her rearview mirror the Dustbowl of Oklahoma would have been put to shame.
* * *
JAKE
Jake sighed at the computer screen at his desk and the amount of paperwork piled to its right. Why couldn’t people just be nice for once and avoid getting entangled with the police? This wasn’t that big of a town, people should be capable of keeping their shit together. Lately, his dreams had lost their expectations. He only wished to evade strip searching horny older ladies attempting alcohol embezzlement to get a body search by a hot cop (their words not his) or men who couldn’t keep their drunken hands of women. Was that too much to ask?
Tonight he joined Drew for a night shift and sighed at what may meet them during the nocturnal hours. Hopefully nothing horrendous, or old, yikes. He shivered at the thought of deceased Preacher Kucher’s widow, pressing her behind into his crotch earlier in the week while he helped her reach a container of baking soda off the shelf at the store. He’d rather have a much rounder bottom connected to someone local and blond grinding into his crotch. He got hard at the thought and before swiveling the chair he readjusted his swelling erection through the uniform.
Jake turned to Drew and sighed. “What?” Drew clipped his pilot glasses to his shirt pocket and smirked as Jake’s unease filled up the entire room of their undersized headquarters. Pouring some fresh black coffee into a styrofoam cup he shook his head and turned to Jake.
“You truly didn’t realize you’d met Holly before? She had pimples, not yet carrying that marvelous rack, and worshipped the very ground you walked on. Are you seriously telling me that’s the truth?” Drew took a sip of his coffee and leaned against the countertop of the area.
“First of all, don’t bring up her rack,” he pointed his finger in Drew’s face. “She had a baby you know.”
Drew shrugged and continued drinking his coffee. “Just saying they’re there and they weren’t before. And since when do you pay attention to what I say about women.”
Jake knew he was being misled into a confession but wouldn’t give in. Hell, he didn’t even know what he felt about Holly. Only that she looked good occasionally. Okay, all the time and when she entered his mind his pants became uncomfortable.
“I’m thinking about asking her out,” Drew cut off his thoughts and grabbed him by surprise.
“What?”
“Didn’t you hear my previous comment? She’s got a nice rack and those nipples . . . yum. I could go at them for hours, and I don’t mind children. Holly can call me daddy all she wants.” He smirked at Jake and leaned further back against the counter.
“Shut up! Hell no, you can’t!” Jake spat. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to.
“Why, Jake, do you care so much?”
“Yeah . . . why do I?”
“I don’t know, man, maybe you need to get it out of your system and see someone. To get your head on straight. Sleep with a woman, get rid of all that pent up . . . whatever it is you have going on.” Drew pointed to him. “There is speed dating this weekend at the hotel, and you’re going.”
Chapter 6
HOLLY
When the little bell on the wooden podium ring-a-linged Holly glanced up from her small round table where she’d been seated for the first round of speed dating and felt her heart get caught in her throat. The Marriott Hotel had been fixed up in the honor of tonight’s occasion. Here she was in the hotel’s conference room, being one of the numerous women in an oval of lined tables decorated in crimson silk tablecloths and vases with roses. Cliché was laughing at her in every corner. The lights in the ceiling were dimmed and a feeble bar was situated in the entrance of the facilities, which seemed like a remarkably profitable plan.
Holly pushed a strand of blond hair behind her ear and looked around. Women were sipping their beverages meaning she could too without seeming too much of a panicked chicken. Reena waved her long manicured fingers from a table across the room. With a sexy smile and constant rising of eyebrows she downed almost half her flute of champagne. Reena could get away with anything. It must be great having such confidence, Holly thought and tried not to focus on the sweat drop attempting to run down from her neck.
Reena looked amazing in her barely-there black silk dress with bare shoulders. How it stayed up was a mystery to Holly and she knew with an inner groan her mom-boobs would have let that dress down. It screamed for someone like Reena. Holly on the other hand had settled for something nice, which Reena had then tossed, and had then opted for something less obviously sexy than Reena’s yet less timid than her first choice.
Her red dress hugged her curves which Reena said were . . . juicy and ought to be tapped. Sigh. If only that statement made her feel confident she’d be glad. It felt quite the opposite and Reena shook her head from across the room silently asking her to stop pulling on the fabric. It wouldn’t grow anyway.
The double door to the conference room opened and not only let in a nice chilly draft but a large group of people. The men. They were here. “God help me,” Holly whispered and downed the rest of the drink in her hand only to feel it refill itself quickly by a walk-by bartender seeing the horror spreading across her face. “I’m downgraded to cattle,” she mumbled and thought of herself being pushed away to auction.
“Then may you get a good buyer,” the woman at the next table answered nervously and locked gaze with Holly. Yeah, they were all in panic mode together.
***
JAKE
Jake took a deep breath and released it, just as his yoga instructor had recited to the hockey team while in New York. He thought of how fucking stupid this idea was. He, out of all men, didn’t require advice on women. Hell no! He knew a woman’s body as he knew the movement of his skates of the ice. In other words, damn well.
“Drew—“he started.
“Nope, you’re going in. Here,” Drew pulled out a bottle of whiskey from the inside of the suit jacket and passed it over.
“First of all, nice judgment in booze,” Jake acknowledged. “Second, we’re officers of the law, hell, we can’t consume this in public,” he whisper-shouted holding the bottle close to his heart away from the mob of horny men.
“We left behind our titles the minute we stepped into Marriott. Heck, I think I might even see Reena in there,” Drew said with a drawl craning his neck to see the inside of the hotel venue. “Must mean Holly is here too, don’t ya’ think? Maybe I’ll start with her tonight. Damn that dress looks excellent on her.”
“Fuck you!” Jake hissed, but it was no help. Drew was already inside the hotel and he was left outside in the crisp evening breeze. But with a superb whiskey.
He should’ve recognized some faces in the throng of people in the hotel from his youth, but shit if he didn’t. No one stood out except for Holly since Drew threw him the hint. Oh, and Reena, whose bosom was merely detained behind some satiny material moving in the gust of men strolling by her table. She was hard to miss, and he bet all the other men in the salon felt the same noting the direction their eyes were going.
Thank God the place was becoming more crowded by the minute. Who even knew Starview had these many citizens? He was now a cop in this town and he felt rather insignificant looking around the room he’d entered. Sure, his time in the Big Apple had held interactions with thousands of people every day: on the street, in the stores, at the cafes, on the sidewalk. There, it never ended. The only difference was he actually knew none of those faces. Here, was a different story. Several of his classmates from school had grown up and sought his example of moving elsewhere, but most had remained and now looked vastly different from their high school days. Two had even hit the six-feet-under from a nasty accident. “Holy shit, bless their souls,” Jake muttered and took a bottle of beer
from a nearby tray and consumed the cooling liquid.
His eyes wandered the masses of the room and . . . bingo, found her sitting at one of the tables close to the short side of the oval circle. Holly looked ravishing. Insecure, but attractive. And Jake was correct, even though he didn’t want to acknowledge the shallow thought, she carried a remarkable rack. Thank god she had the sensibility to wear something different from Reena or there would be a line at her table to no end.
He took a few steps into the cluster of men in the heart of the room, all waiting for the announcer to ring the bell for the event to start, which he dreaded but had conformed to. If not for dating women, he thought, it would increase his lacking awareness of the individuals he had recently sworn to protect and serve. He better become acquainted with all misfits in this group of losers paying $50 to join the evenings dating circus, himself included.
As a drop of sweat fell down his back, the announcer shared a brief welcome note, then pointed out the rules of speaking for only five minutes with each woman before proceeding to the next.
“That’s damn quick,” Jake muttered down the neck of his beer bottle.
“Not if she’s like Ronda over there. Believe me.” The man, whom he’d never faced before walked behind him and took off the center crowd to search for a table where he could sit. Away from who turned out to be Ronda. Jake stretched his neck and found the person of interest. “Hm, who knows. Not here to generate presumptions.”
Drew nodded from about six heads away and mouthed a good luck before he followed the head of the vast group spreading out from the middle of the room to the oval of tables, or as he would from now on call it, the Ring of Fire.
Chapter 7
HOLLY
Three men had sat then left her table, identical to the number of times she’d refilled her glass of booze. Or methanol. This shit was going to be her death. Any type was accepted at this point. Drunk seemed to be the stronger card stronger as the event dragged on. Then she recognized him. His sharp eyes were locked on hers when he approached through the flock. His height and physique owned the space, the dominant way he walked through the crowd only stirred her senses and when he let on an inviting grin, she gulped hard and a burn developed between her thighs. She crossed her legs to eliminate the pulsing. Dear God, Jake was the sexiest man she’d ever set eyes on, and that he looked perfectly at ease in a well fitted black suit made her almost combust in her chair.
Jake joined her table and set down his bottle of beer, scooting in the bar stool with the most confident smirk.
“Hi,” he reached over the table to shake her hand. “Jake Bentley,” he grinned. “Thirty-seven, former NHL hockey player for the New York Rangers. Grew up here in Starview, moved away, and have returned and now work in law enforcement. I enjoy drinking beer, working out, and I’m not gay.”
Holly was puzzled and stared at him behind her glass that had already dried up. “It’s me, Holly,” she whispered across the table and made a mental note that four flutes of wine made her unsteadily. While sitting. “We already know each other.”
“Are you drunk?”
Holly gasped at the acquisition and shook her head before she zipped her mouth. “Tipsy, Jake. It’s called tipsy.”
He grinned at her and lazily opened his suit jacket turning Holly’s eyes the size of dinner plates. “Don’t take off your clothes here!” she wheezed and looked to the ceiling, whistling nervously. That caused the man across the table to lean back in the most masculine, deep laugh she’d heard, turning heads around the room.
“Shh, Jake!” Holly hushed from across the table and smiled graciously to the glares from around the room.
“You seem less constrained with that in your body, honey.”
“Don’t honey me, I’m not something sweet you can—“
“Holly,” he growled low and drilled his eyes into hers and she silenced immediately.
“I’m not implying you should drink alcohol to brave yourself to talk to me, I just like you staying put and not rushing away when I try to chat.” He grinned and if she stood she might notice a wet spot where she’d been seated. Christ, she was a puddle of goo around him.
“The wine, Jake . . . I’m staying put for fear of tumbling over if I choose to run away from you.”
“Why do you?”
“Drink?”
“No, always run away from me. This is the longest we’ve ever spoken.”
“Since high school,” Holly sighed and her smile fell. His did too.
“I’m sorry, Holly. I was immature, self-centered, and—“
“Horny,” she continued. Remembering the girls he used to surround himself with as he strode through the school as he owned it.
He chuckled faintly at the memory. “That too, Holly. That too.”
“For all it's worth,” he went on, “I’m sorry I was too arrogant to notice your hardworking nature, helping me pass several classes.”
“You don’t know which ones, do you?”
He winced and leaned back in the chair. “Drew enlightened me. So sorry.”
“Not good, Jake.”
“On the upside,” he sought to open up his suit jacket, and she noticed the modest bottle of whiskey in the inside pocket.
“And you claim to be the police?” She shook her head calmly and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
“First, I’m not on duty tonight. Second, Drew gifted me this before we went in here.”
“I can see Drew doing that, not you. You,” she waved her hand in the way of his torso, “need to take care of your body, you lived off of it for so long. Don’t let it go to waste.”
He smirked at her remark and leaned closer to her face across the table the same moment the bell sounded from the podium. “Let me take care of your body, Holly. I’m still to discover that thing you’re good at.”
***
JAKE
Jake strode out of the Marriott hotel a little less wound up and with a smile on his face, according to Drew who’d asked if it had been the view of Holly’s curves or the whiskey that had produced it. He’d shook his head at the ridiculous comment and stepped out to the parking lot to snag one of the many cabs that had been requested for the event. Smart move, he thought, as he didn’t want to get called in for overtime just to bust everyone for DUI’s. In the backseat of the taxi, he’d loosen his tie and peered out the window. Holly hooked arm with Reena and he laughed at their soft facial feature. “Toasted,” he mumbled before he scrunched his eyebrows and the man wandering up behind Holly, running his hand down her upper arm to draw her attention.
“Who’s that?” he asked the taxi driver who was rolling ever so slowly out of the parking lot.
“That’s Ronan, he owns a music store not too far from Starview, heard he’s moving up to corporate too. He’s a good customer when he’s in town, does business with the local mom and pop stores in the area. Might do a cruise back later to see if he’s still lingering, waiting for a ride.”
Jake ground his teeth at the picture as the taxi rolled away. Was Holly going to date any of these men here tonight? He hadn’t given that a thought, he’d assumed this was a dating-gag locals did but as his gut burned at the thought of this being a more serious event his mind turned sour. Not that he was dating Holly, or had asked her out, he just didn’t want her to go out with anybody else. Ever.
The ride home was agonizingly tedious, and he picked up his phone. Not a single text. Should he text Drew? Holly? No, why the hell should he. Man, he was a mental case. He closed his eyes and imagined the women he’d met tonight, some more memorable than others. But fuck, if Holly didn’t stand out. Her innocent blush, somewhat tipsy comments on his body looking good, but he knew he wasn’t the only one who’d been seated at her table. He struggled to remember who else had been there, but he didn’t know.
The Doors, Light My Fire, rang in his pocket and he took out his cell and stared at the number. Drew. He pressed the answer button and waited for a snarky comment. Nothi
ng but static on the other end made him realize Drew had butt-dialed him and he hung up just to send a text back making him aware of the situation It came back instantly. Beep. “Noted. A good time? Holly?”
The text from Drew held one question too many, and he pondered how to respond to his friend. “Many tables held my interest. Holly is not mine. You? Reena?” He pressed send and watched dark houses go by the car window as he awaited the taxi to arrive at his place.
Beep. “Good. Because Holly just received a kiss from Ronan, and I believe Reena mentioned a date she had coming with someone else. Me? I’m good.”
Jake’s grip grew moist, and he inhaled in a sharply. Didn’t he just make a deal with God not to make Holly go on any dates, did that not fall through? Fuck it, he thought and a malicious idea came to him. If he hadn’t made an impression on her, then he would prove, at least to himself, that she hadn’t done that to him either.
He brought his phone back up from his pocket and ran his finger through the list of contacts. “Em, this is Jake Bentley. Would love to take you to dinner next Saturday. Let me know when you have a chance.–Jake.” Send.
Chapter 8
JAKE
His first date since the speed dating experience had been with Emily. It had been a friggin’ nightmare. She’d been the third woman on the dating event and he’d found her cute and calm. Two things he needed in his life, no hotshot models that would clamber up his leg for wealth and glory. So, he’d invited her over for a chance to get to know her better. He didn’t plan on getting her into bed, he truly didn’t, even so, he made sure he showered and looked his somewhat best in a pair of jeans without cuts on the knees and a nice cobalt blue button-up shirt. He looked decent. Emily was a kindergarten teacher in the area, she’d like decent. He hoped.