Love to Hate You

Chapter 2 - Cole

That sassy mouth. Those lips. I still remember the way she'd wrapped them around my cock. Fuck, I couldn't get the image out of my head if I tried. Still, I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she'd had any effect on me. I had to play it cool.

There we were, with her glaring up at me and being a smartass.

If looks could kill, I'd be dead. Almost. In those steely blue eyes, I saw a wavering, a hesitation to her hate. She hadn't written me off. Not by a long shot.

"Oh, I think you're happy to see me."

"You're still as full of yourself as ever, I see," she practically spat out at me. Touchy.

I raised a questioning eyebrow and took a seat across the table from her, tossing down my pen and folders.

"Is there any reason I shouldn't be?"

I wasn't an ass, or at least not as big an ass as she took me to be, but it was going to be fun to mess with her.

She ignored me and turned her attention to her notebook, so I did the same.

I tried to shake off the tinge of annoyance that had crept into my mood the moment I saw her. What the fuck was she doing here? This was supposed to be my blockbuster account. I'd already made a pitch the previous week, and had been called back to discuss some details. If there was anyone that knew lingerie, it was I. The way it complemented the female body, the special sensuality it added to every woman's attitude, the way it felt, the way it came off...I shuddered, in a good way. I was a sucker for a matching bra and panty set, with a garter belt. My mind wandered, and I couldn't help but sneak a peek at Lucy and imagine her body clad in a black lace outfit. Fuck, I felt the blood rush to my cock, making it stiff for her.

Her lashes fluttered as her eyes darted up to meet my gaze. Was it me, or did her lips twitch just before she looked back down? She was flustered at having been caught, that was for sure. I even thought I heard her sigh.

That sigh, which sounded so much like her moans, brought me back to that night in the hotel room. It was exquisite. She didn't know the effect she'd had on me. I planned to call her up and ask her for a proper date, but life decided to kick me in the ass the next day, because I received a call from my father, telling me my mother was in the hospital. She'd come down with a mystery infection, or rather, infections, which after much testing, turned out to be both a kidney infection and Legionnaire's. It was a double whammy, and had my father, sister, and I taking turns staying by her bedside. It was serious, and it was scary. Until they figured out exactly what was wrong with her, she was kept in an isolated room and each time we visited, we had to don scrubs, a mask, and gloves – the whole nine yards. It was a tough two weeks, and we were relieved when she made it out alive.

When the stress from all of that died down, I decided to get in touch with Lucy. Except she blew me off. I wasn't that surprised. After all, I'd waited two weeks to get in touch. I didn't have much of a choice, but she didn't know about my mother, and she didn't seem to want to know my reasons. I'm not a groveling type, and there's no way I'd risk looking desperate (which I wouldn't be, anyways), so I chalked it all up to bad luck and figured it wasn't meant to be, and I moved on. I told myself it was her loss and tried to forget her. But it was hard. So damn hard.

My thoughts were interrupted and I snapped out of my trip down memory lane by the creaking of the heavy doors. I stood up as Mr. Williams and one of his juniors entered the room. He was just what you'd expect of a heavy hitter in retail – probably in his fifties, with slightly greying hair and a go-get-em mentality and demeanor. He always walked fast and talked fast, as if he didn't have time for you, but he wasn't rude or crass.