Bad Girls Do: a Billionare Romance Novel (The Everly Brothers Series, Erotic Romance Book 3) (7 page)

“Bad girls don’t have regrets,” he murmured.

For some reason, his words softened the tension coursing through her veins. She shot him a flirty smile and tilted her head, breaking free of his hold. “I know.”

His mouth twisted into an approving grin as she brushed past him and headed back down the corridor to the main part of the pub. But by the time she slipped through the cord and back into the lighting of the pub, her bravado had already begun to slip away. Although no one looked at her, she couldn’t help but feel like they all knew what she’d just done.

Sam’s hand landed on the small of her back and he led her back to her stool, which was still empty with her coat lying atop it. He wordlessly snatched up her coat and held it out to her. She slipped into it and turned back around. To her surprise, he reached out and slid the buttons through their holes for her. Then he grabbed his coat and put it on.

When he held out an arm to her and motioned toward the door, she looked back toward Zoey, who was busy pouring drinks for a couple of guys at the other end of the bar. “Aren’t you going to close your tab?”

“Naw. I’ll square up later.”

The proper thing to do would be to politely tell Zoey goodnight, but since she’d already decided she wasn’t going to do what was expected of her, Diane allowed Sam to lead her to the door. He nodded to the bouncer as they exited the building, then accompanied her to the edge of the sidewalk.

A multitude of questions raced through Diane’s mind as she paused to stare up at Sam. Did he expect them to go back to his place now? That wouldn’t be out of the realm of expectation, given what they’d just done.

A sliver of panic slid through her. Despite her decision to be bad, despite what she’d already done, she didn’t know if she was ready to go that far with him.

Sam faced her and one corner of his mouth quirked into a grin. “So, what do you think, sweetheart? Have it in you to be a bad girl?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but whatever response she might have made stuck in her throat.

His smile twisted as if he’d expected her to freeze like that. When a cab pulled up in front of them, he stepped off the curb and opened the door, then held out his hand to her.

Confusion wound through her as she accepted it, relying on his support so she wouldn’t slip in the icy snow.

His arms wound around her and he pulled her in tight, staring down at her with an expression that said he was maybe trying to figure her out.

“Tell you what, sweetheart. Why don’t you take some time to decide whether you really want to go down this path?” His eyes twinkled, then he slid his cheek against hers, his breath kissing her ear. “Because I can guarantee that if you do, you are going to be very,
very
bad.”

Diane’s whole body shivered and she fought back a moan at the flood of naughty images his words elicited. Then he was helping her into the cab and closing the door.

Dumbfounded, she stared up at him through the glass.

He gave her one last saucy wink before hitting the roof of the cab and stepping back onto the curb.

The driver pulled away, leaving her numb and confused in the back of the cab.

“Where to, lady?”

“Oh, um.” Shaking herself from her haze, she recited her Upper East Side address.

The whole way there, she couldn’t shake the thoughts Sam’s words had sparked. The memories of what they’d just done. Just a few days ago, she would have called what had happened in the back of Zoey’s pub shameless and about as bad as you could get.

Now…well, she couldn’t help but wonder how bad his definition of
bad
could be.

***

Sam forced himself to look casual as the cab pulled away with a shell-shocked Diane inside of it. He could hardly blame her for looking so affected. What had just gone down between them had blown his mind, too, and he’d done more than his fair share of wicked things in his life.

Maybe it was because she was the prim and proper daughter of one of his company’s investors, or maybe it was the taboo aspect of her having dated his older brother. Or hell, maybe it was just
her
. Whatever the reason, that little scene up against the wall had been one of the hottest of his life. And that was counting the threesome he’d had with two sorority girls in Cabo last summer.

His body felt languid and heavy, but at the same time, his mind raced with scenarios of what they could do together. It left him feeling confused as hell.

He turned in the direction of home but realized almost instantly that he wouldn’t be able to sleep if he went home now. So instead, he wound up heading back into the pub, where he retrieved his vacated bar stool.

Lost in his thoughts, he zoned out for god knew how long before a glass of amber liquid was plunked down in front of him. He locked eyes with Zoey.

“You’re an idiot,” she pronounced, shaking her head in disgust.

“Been called worse,” he joked, gratefully lifting the glass for a gulp.

“You’re gonna end up hurting her.”

“She knows what this is about.”

Her forehead creased. “You’d better hope so. Because as callous as you might claim to be, I know you. You’ll regret it if you break her heart.”

With those words, she turned away to fill another order.

As Sam downed the contents of his glass, he started to wonder if maybe Zoey were right. Much as Diane had shocked him tonight, he didn’t know if she had it in her to fool around without getting emotionally involved.

Maybe I should just leave her alone.

But then he recalled the way her glorious tits had glimmered in the slivers of light that had strayed to where they’d stood in the dark. How deliciously tight and wet she’d been. The mouthwatering scent of her arousal.

Yeah, maybe he was an idiot. Because now that he’d had a taste of Diane Milstrom, all he knew was that he needed more. And soon.

Chapter Five

S
everal days had passed since that night at Beringer’s Pub. Days of agonized indecision as far as Diane was concerned. She’d gone back and forth about a hundred times as to whether or not she regretted what had happened with Sam. And, unfortunately, she didn’t even have work to distract her since the charitable foundation she’d convinced her father to fund was closed down for the holidays.

Finally, Diane decided to set up lunch with Angela so she could spill her guts and ask for advice. Although she’d left Beringer’s convinced she wouldn’t tell anyone what had happened between her and Sam, the secret was burning a hole in her. She had to confide in
someone
, and Angela was the only true friend she’d made here in the city. The only one who’d understand.

That was how she found herself inside the swanky restaurant just a few blocks from her place, her body racked with nerves. What would Angela say when she confided in her?

“Over here,” Angela’s gay voice called out.

Guess I’m about to find out.

Her heart pounded with a surprising amount of anxiety as she stalked over to the table and slid her coat off. She sat directly across from her friend.

“How’s the Bad Girl list coming along?” Angela teased.

Diane flushed. “Well…”

Angela’s joking grin slid off her face. “What? What did you do?”

Damn, she’d really hoped for a glass of champagne before she went into this. Since it looked like that wasn’t going to happen, she took a breath and said, “I met Sam at a pub a couple of nights ago.”

“No,” Angela gasped. Mesmerized, she leaned forward in her chair. “What happened?”

Shifting in her seat, Diane murmured, “We, um…fooled around.”

Angela’s eyes went wide as saucers. “You went back to his place?”

Diane winced. “Not exactly.”

Her friend’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Then where?”

“In…the…” The last part she let out in a low mumble. “The back of the pub.”

Apparently, her words weren’t loud enough because Angela scooted even closer, lifting off her seat entirely. “Huh?”

Heat flooded Diane’s body, making her skin prickle. “In the back of the pub.”

Angela let out a choking laugh. She plunked back into her seat, her expression a meld of amusement and disbelief. “You’re joking, right?”

Diane scowled. Was it
that
unbelievable? “No.”

Shock transformed Angela’s face. “You’re not?”

“I said no,” Diane snapped.

“Holy…” Angela’s voice faded into shocked silence as she processed what Diane had just confessed. “What did you two do back there?”

The prickles in Diane’s skin turned into full-blown sweat. She pressed her hands into her cheeks, certain she must look like a tomato by now. “I’m not getting into
that
.”

Relentless, Angela lowered her voice to a stage whisper. “Did you see his…you know?”

Although Diane didn’t respond, something in her expression must have given her away because Angela gasped and covered her mouth. Her eyes danced with excitement. “Well, was it big?”

“Angela,” Diane snarled. But when her friend only lifted a brow, she knew she had to give her something, or Angela would never let it rest. “Yes, it was.”

“Oh, my god,” Angela shouted, clapping her hands. “I knew it!”

“Shh.” Sending an apologetic glance toward a couple at a neighboring table who’d shot them a dirty look, she muttered, “Keep your voice down.”

“Oops.” Angela made a visible effort to calm herself, then whispered, “Did you two have sex?”

Shoving her hair off her suddenly clammy neck, Diane said, “No.”

Angela gave her a sideways look. “Why not?”

Confusion and embarrassment flooded Diane when she thought about Sam’s last words to her. “He said I should take some time to decide if being bad is what I really want.”

The waiter picked that moment to stop at their table, and Diane ordered the much-needed glass of champagne.

Once the woman left, Angela leaned back in. “So, what’s happened since then?”

Diane shrugged. “Nothing. I haven’t decided what to do.”

Angela stared at her. “Have you talked to him?”

Absently smoothing her napkin onto her lap, Diane admitted, “He’s texted me a few times, but I haven’t responded.”

Looking at her askance, Angela said, “He probably thinks you aren’t interested, then.”

“Probably.” But when she’d seen his text asking when they were going to meet up again, she hadn’t known how to respond. She’d frozen, and in the end, had done nothing.

“That’s not the worst part,” she told Angela. “Father just told me he expects me to attend the launch fete at Everly Publications tomorrow evening. Sam’s sure to be there.”

The thought of facing him again, after all the sinful things they’d done, made her skin itch uncontrollably. Especially when you considered who they’d be in the same room with.

“Andrew’s sure to be there, too,” Angela noted.

Diane winced. “Yes, thanks for pointing that out.”

“Sorry,” Angela said, though she didn’t sound it one bit.

The waiter dropped their champagne glasses off, and Diane took an eager sip. She was beginning to wonder why she didn’t drink more often…though the memory of how she’d felt the morning after New Year’s Eve answered that question. Hangovers were not for the faint of heart.

“So,” Diane lowered her voice into a whisper, “what do you think I should do?”

Angela gave her a fascinated glance. “What do you want to do?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Well.” Angela lifted her glass in a mock toast. “You have until tomorrow night to figure it out.”

“Gee, thanks,” Diane muttered. “You’ve been
so
helpful. I’m glad I confided in you.”

Angela let out an amused laugh. “You want to know what I really think?”

“Yes.” That was why she was here.

“I think you’re attracted to him.”

“Given what I’ve confessed, that’s sort of obvious, isn’t it?”

Shrugging, Angela said, “So, maybe you should listen to your mother after all. At least this once. Maybe, sometimes, it
is
better to be bad.”

With those words, her friend clinked her glass against Diane’s and took a sip.

***

At half past six o’clock in the evening, Sam strode out of the elevator into the Everly Publications corporate offices, wearing one of the few suits he actually owned. Much as he hated this type of dress, the occasion certainly called for it. Tonight was the launch party for the company’s expansion, and the board had decided to hold the festivities here at the offices. The gigantic conference room had been transformed with candles and flowers, and servers wandered around with trays of appetizers and champagne while the company’s investors mingled in their finest business suits.

A corporate barf-fest if he ever saw one, but since he was part owner of the company, he supposed he’d put up with it. More importantly, this was Andrew’s big day. A time to celebrate what Sam’s oldest brother had managed to accomplish.

As he stepped past the opened double glass doors of the conference room, his brother James’s loud voice sounded out from across the large room. “Look at that. You actually bothered to show up.”

Sam sauntered over to where James and Lyssa stood by the large windows providing an enviable nighttime view of the midtown Manhattan skyline. He smoothed his hands over his jacket. “And I even put on my monkey suit.”

Andrew’s fiancé, Hailey, sauntered up out of nowhere, squeezing Sam’s arm. “Andrew will be happy to see that.”

He grinned down at the perky brunette. “I debated not doing it, though. Been missing that glint of disapproval in big brother’s eyes whenever he looks at me.”

She gave a good-natured shake of her head and then glanced around the crowded room. “I can’t believe we’re finally here.”

Sam couldn’t agree more. After months of hard work, admittedly not on his part, the foreign expansion was finally launching. Paris, London, and Milan, all in one fell swoop. An ambitious undertaking, to be sure, and one only Andrew would be crazy enough to attempt. He’d been confident he could do it, though, and had managed to convince the other board members, as well as their private investors.