Engagement Rate (The Callaghan Green Series Book 1) Read online

  Vanessa passed me one of the drinks and sat down opposite. She smelled of sweet limes and I wondered how she'd react to me leaning over and plundering her mouth with mine then taking her over the desk, because at that moment it was the only thing on my mind. "I've booked a venue. I can cancel it if you don't think it will work but I think it will give the right blend of history and tradition with forward thinking."

  It was at this point I decided that she wasn't an employee as technically she was a contractor, and although she was a client it was only short term. I set the rules, therefore I could adjust them as needed. In my head I could manipulate my rules. "Where?"

  "The Hop Exchange. They've had a cancellation for June 16th which is the Saturday you wanted." Her eyes were shining and she was radiating a warmth that made me want to lean in and savor it. She licked her lips and my cock shifted like it has been conditioned to wake up whenever I noticed her mouth.

  "I like it there," I said. I did, I wasn't just being polite. It was a good choice and exactly what my father would want, not that he was getting a say as he was over in Niagara with my step-mum, Marie, deciding on which winery they wanted to buy. I was having no part of that venture unless they wanted me to taste the product. "What about caterers, music, décor?"

  "Alice in my office will coordinate it. I think she secretly wants to be a wedding planner so any events we have she asks to organize. Have you..." she paused, licked her lips again. My cock was still hard from before, "...contacted Richard?"

  "Seph's done it under my instruction. He's working on an injunction against Richard so he can't withdraw any more money and what he's taken will be debited to his director's loan account. I'll be checking everything Seph does, but he's good. I wouldn't trust him otherwise. Carry on as normal and me or Seph will keep you up to date." I moved to touch her hair, my blood definitely not in my brain but she tactfully moved back. Fuck knew why I couldn't control myself. I was an intelligent human being, not a fuckwit of a man who couldn't keep his hands to himself unless the woman had suggested otherwise. "Sorry. I shouldn't have and I apologize. I'll be more professional."

  Vanessa stood, pushing the chair towards the desk. She shook her head, her expression unreadable. "Claire asked what I was doing after work. I mentioned we were going for drinks and maybe food and she asked if she could join us. Do you mind?"

  Yes, I did mind, for fuck's sake. I wanted her to myself, to ask her questions and get to know her, to make her smile and laugh and watch every time her tongue touched her lips. And then I wanted to take her home and tie her to my bed for the rest of the weekend, which made me sound like a kinky kidnapper and I didn't want to come across as being quite that needy. I'd never been needy. If a woman hadn't been interested, which to be fair, hadn't been a frequent thing then I hadn't pursued it – there were always other women who had been. "No, that's fine. It'll give me a chance to catch up with Claire too."

  She screwed up her nose. "Max mentioned coming too. That's before he meets some woman apparently although I wasn't sure if he had a fixed arrangement or he was planning on picking someone up. I wondered about gifting him an iTunes voucher for something other than Ed Sheeran."

  I stretched my arms behind my head and smiled. "If you do, make sure I'm there to see his reaction. Is Seph joining us too, by any chance?"

  "Possibly. He's meeting Payton at Euston first though. I think a couple of the fee-earners from Claire's team are coming. They mentioned something about two for one cocktails at Whisky Ginger." She pulled her hair back into a ponytail with her hands and bit her lips together. I knew she was trying to avoid being on her own with me tonight although having a few drinks with my colleagues and siblings wasn't that much of a chore for me. I figured that she was attracted to me, her erect nipples gave it away yesterday - and now I'd made up my mind to pursue her – date, court, woo, whatever verb you wanted to use the end result would be the same: Vanessa Moore would be in my bed. Or over my desk.

  "What about Saturday?"

  "What about Saturday?" She looked surprised which was good. She wouldn't have time to think of an excuse.

  "Who are you going to surround yourself with on Saturday when I take you out so you don't have to be alone with me?"

  Vanessa stood up straight, eyes on fire and I wondered what she'd be like beneath me in bed. "My gran is coming for the day to see an exhibition at the V&A."

  I laughed out loud. I didn't expect that. "Which exhibit?"

  "The history of underwear. You can join us if you like." She crossed her arms over her chest, raising her tits and pointing her lips in a smile. She had dared me, she'd fucking dared me and there was no way I was going to back down. I hadn't said no to a dare since Maxwell tried to get me to dress up in Marie's favorite ball gown as a thirteen-year-old and I still wasn't sure what that said about him.

  "I'd love to find out about the history of underwear. What time are you meeting your gran?" I was standing too, leaning over my desk and looking at her directly in her eyes, their deep blue reminding me of the Irish skies and wild oceans.

  "She's getting in at Euston at 9.20 so she'll probably meet me at Borough Market for breakfast at, actually, I'll suggest Amelie's. She'll really like it." The daring look had been replaced with genuine delight.

  "I'm sorry, Van," I said. "I don't want to intrude on your day. I'm sure you want some time with your gran." She was clearly looking forward to seeing her gran and her having a good day. I felt like shit, forcing her hand to invite me.

  She laughed. "You're not getting out of taking an eighty-year-old woman around an underwear exhibition. She'll enjoy that far too much. Plus, she visits every three weeks, sometimes more. Especially since I left Richard."

  "If you're sure."

  "I'm sure." She looked thoughtful. "Would you mind picking her up from Euston? She's fine on the tube but if you could give her a lift you'd be doing her a real favor."

  "If you think she'll be comfortable with that I can take the car over. Just make sure she knows what I look like. Does she have a phone that you can send a picture to or something?" I was thrown by the request and that she'd made it clear that she wouldn't be coming to Euston herself.

  Then there was that smile again, the one that held all the secrets that I want to kiss out of her. "It's okay, Jackson, you won't need the car. My gran loves motorbikes; it'll make her day if she can ride on the back of yours." She gave me a wide grin that lit up the whole of her face. "I'll see you at seven at Whisky Ginger." And then she patted my bicep and I wanted to pull her into me, but instead, I watched her ass as she walked out of my office.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Chapter Six

  Jackson

  The rest of the day went relatively smoothly for a Friday. Richard did indeed call the office and tried to shout obscenities at Sylvia on reception and again when she put him through to me as Seph was on another call. By the end of the conversation – if you could call it that – I'd threatened him with an injunction against communicating with Vanessa, a threat I suspected he'd ignore. By the time I'd hung up I'd destroyed three pens and maimed several paperclips, fantasizing that they were his face.

  I reached the bar just after seven, using the showers in the office to freshen up rather than going home to change. It was busy as usual: Borough Market and the surrounding area were popular places to hang out after work and there was an electrified vibe about the place. The terrorist attack on the area had only pulled people closer together and although people were vigilant, no one was scared. If anything, people wanted to enjoy themselves more, a finger in the face of those who had tried – and failed – to conjure terror.

  I didn't see Vanessa at first as the bar was busy, bodies mingling everywhere, seeking relief after the working week. Claire was talking to some bloke I'd never seen before, standing near to three of the solicitors who worked with her in family law. They were all dressed up for a night out and I could tell Kelly, one of the paralegals, had necked a few cocktails already.

&nbs
p; "Brother!" Slender arms grabbed me from behind.

  I turned and saw my second youngest sister looking happy and slightly hammered. "When did you get here?"

  "About an hour ago. I've been drinking on the train. I met this group of lads coming to London for a stag weekend and helped them drink their tequila." She belched loudly then laughed, her genuine happiness contagious as always.

  "Payton, you're meant to be here to sort Seph out, not the other way around."

  She laughed. "I'm sorting him just by being here. Have I told you how hard I've worked in Manchester? It's a relief to be back, even though I'm babysitting my brother. Why have you let him get like this? We should go out for lunch tomorrow. Have a picnic in Hyde Park and hang out and not talk about work."

  Guilt wrapped her finger around me. "I can't. I have plans. Maybe Sunday?"

  She cocked her head on one side and channeled Claire. I'd been had. "What plans might those be, brother dear?"

  Shit. I didn't want to speak to any of my family about Vanessa. Not yet. They were going to enjoy this way too much and I didn't know Vanessa's take on it. For all, I knew she was trying to farm me out to her gran for more than just a motorbike ride. "I'm going out with a friend to a museum."

  "A motorbike one?" It was a serious question and I know exactly why she asked it. Despite having lived in London for ten years and spent time here growing up I hadn't been in a single museum since I was eleven and Marie tried to make me and Max develop a little culture. I didn't think it worked.

  "No. I'll tell you about it on Sunday." I avoided any more eye contact with her. I had more important people to see, like the tall brunette who was currently being felt up by some imbecile wearing a grey suit. Before I charged over to her and did something that made me look like a dog marking its territory I actually made myself think. I could ask the bartender to send over a drink for her, or I could start talking to the blonde I recognized from a magazine in the office reception. Or, I could just order a drink for myself and wait.

  I opted for the third, winding through the crowd to the bar and asked for a beer and whiskey. There was a free bar stool, so I took it, making sure I was in Vanessa's line of site and I waited. The grey suit was still talking to her, leaning into her space. Firey jealousy felt like it was burning through me and I was desperate to go over there but she wasn't mine and she didn't need saving, even though the rest of the world did from her, because she was too damn beautiful. Her hair was down to her waist, curling at the ends. She was wearing tight leather trousers and a black, long-sleeved blouse with a high neck that was buttoned at the top then split down her spine, tucking in at the waist of her trousers. Her heels looked like weapons; high stilettos with straps that wrap round passed her ankles and in bed I'd keep those on. I saw her take a small step back and she glanced over at me. I held my glass up to her as a toast and smiled and then she tapped the grey suit on his arm and said goodbye. Thank fuck for that.

  He tried to stop her leaving, of course, but she pointed me out and I lip read the word 'friend' before he returned his attention to his drink, then cast me an appraising look. I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt which was white so my tattoos looked prominent. My hair was tied up, partly to annoy Max and partly because it was Friday and I didn't need to look like I ran one of the top law firms in the country at that moment in time.

  "Who was that?" I may have been able to modify my behavior but the words out of my mouth were unfiltered.

  "Someone who's about to keel over dead because of the way you've been looking at him for the past fifteen minutes," she said, not looking at me. I thought I'd been subtle. Clearly not. "Why aren't you talking to Claire?"

  "I didn't want to cock block her."

  "But you didn't mind cock blocking me?" Her lips were painted red and it was killing me.

  I downed the whiskey in one. The burn was exactly what I needed. "Were you interested in his cock?" I stared at her to see her reaction.

  "I might have been."

  "Go speak to him then. I saw Maxwell come in about five minutes ago. I'll leave you to it." I got down off of the bar stool and picked up my beer, completely calling her bluff.

  Her hand grabbed my bicep firmly. There was nothing weak about this woman. "I'm not." She still held me.

  "Not what?"

  Her eyes glimmered, warring with mine. "Interested in his cock."

  "Whose cock are you interested in then?" I sipped at my beer, holding her eyes with mine.

  "Fuck you."

  "And exactly how would you like to do that?" I leaned over and whispered into her ear as Claire had abandoned her potential suitor and was making her way over to us along with Maxwell. She turned, her back to the bar and released her grip on my arm. She was standing close enough so my hand could brush against her side without it looking purposeful.

  "Please tell me you weren't falling for Liam's chat up lines?" Claire said to Vanessa. "He's got good delivery, I'll give you that and a decent sized penis but he's not that sure what to do with it."

  Maxwell took a step back and looked as if he'd just stepped into a different dimension where he was even less comfortable than usual.

  "You've been there?" Vanessa stared at Claire. "I wouldn't have thought he's your type."

  I didn't really want to know what Claire's type was. There were some things a brother didn't need to know.

  "He isn't. But he was a better prospect than my vibrator one Saturday night and he'd been persistently trying for several months so I thought why not? A few hours later the question was just why."

  There were definitely some things a brother did not need to know.

  Vanessa laughed and I realized she was empty-handed. "Let me buy you a drink. Cocktail?" I asked her, keen to steer the conversation away from both my sister's hookups and her vibrators.

  "Pick me something," she said, surprising me.

  "What about me?" Claire asked. "I'll have a margarita. I'm not letting you choose me a drink. You'll probably pick one with egg whites and added protein powder."

  "Mine's a virgin Mary," Max said. "Extra spicy."

  "And that's the only virgin you'll be having tonight," Claire glared at him. "And the spiciest thing you'll come across. Did you never see any other positions in Jackson's porn collection except missionary?" Claire smiled, not even trying to conceal the evil. Shortly after she turned nine she tried to decapitate Max and I on several occasions and using several different methods. We did suggest to our father and Marie that they might want to consider taking her to Battersea Dogs Home and having her rehomed, or even better, humanely euthanized as she posed such a risk to others, but we were told that it wasn't an option.

  "That's reminded me," Vanessa said, reaching into her purse. I grinned, suspecting what she was going to produce. "A gift, for you. It's to broaden your music collection so it's not just Ed Sheeran. I've suggested a list of bands that might inspire something other than vanilla in the bedroom."

  Max took the voucher and looked at the list. "Closer by Nine Inch Nails," he reads out. "Interesting." He eyeballed me, smiling. Unfortunately, we were in a public area and I couldn't risk punching him right then.

  "Don't you fucking dare," I said, the bartender finally coming over. Max had been repeatedly teased about his lack of variety in the position department since he was sixteen and lost his virginity to one of Claire's friends. Unfortunately for Max, the girl was a lot more experienced than him and duly analyzed his performance to her friends, including Claire, one evening several months later.

  "I believe 'Closer' is one of Jacks' favorite songs. It goes some way to explaining what I think he wants to do to..."

  A tall blonde I recognized as being the daughter of one of my father's friends was standing next to the bar. "Isn't that Lauren Standish?" I interrupted my brother, nodding in her direction.

  "Shit," Max said, forgetting the lyrics to the song. He and Lauren had dated for a few weeks. After he ended it she'd stalked his social media accounts and made various
derogatory comments that I'd always responded to with appreciation.

  "Maybe we could ask her if you managed to move on from missionary," Claire said, the expression on her face the same as when she'd been nine and had tied a large ribbon around Max's neck while he'd been asleep.

  Max passed me another beer and asked the bartender for a whiskey. "Let's just pretend we haven't noticed her," he said, turning his back away from where Lauren was standing. Claire and Vanessa walked away to sit with the rest of Claire's team and I watched as Vanessa smiled at something someone had said, her face lighting up and I didn't recognize the feeling that had just stabbed my gut.

  "You okay?" Max said, looking at me curiously. "I wouldn't have recited the lyrics to 'Closer', you know. She didn't need to know you wanted to fuck her like an animal."

  "Thanks, Max," I said. "And I'm fine. It's just been a busy, weird week."

  He nodded. "At least Payton's back. I've gotten used to Callum being away but it's felt strange not having her around. And you seem to have someone to keep your thoughts occupied." He nodded towards Vanessa.

  I shrugged. "Maybe. I think she might be interested. Keep it to yourself though, I don't need to be asked about weddings by Marie just yet," I said. Our step-mum was desperate for someone to get married.

  "I'd say she's interested. She keeps looking over at you." Max flicked his eyes towards the door and I figured he was indeed waiting for a pre-arranged hook up with one of his stable of professors.

  "I'm going to see if Vanessa wants to go get some food."

  "So, she is your lady?" he said, giving me the grin that never failed to make me want to hit him.

  "I don't think she'd like being called anybody's lady," I said, leaving him at the bar. My older brother was my best friend, but that didn't mean he couldn't irritate the shit out of me on regular occasions.

  Vanessa left her chair as I approached. "You have good taste in cocktails," she said, showing me her empty glass. "It was zingy and not too sweet. I'm impressed."