I want You Deeper

He laughed, shifting into drive. “This one’s on loan. My buddy hooked me up. I’m trying to decide if I want to trade in for it.”

Alyssa looked around the interior. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to own an SUV like this. She was still driving the same sedan her parents had given her when her very first, very used car was completely worn out. There were dings from parking in tight spaces around town, not to mention tires she couldn’t afford to switch out. She should have thought about a new car while she had a full-time job, but she’d been hopeful she could pay down some of her college debt during that time.

Although she’d planned to wait until they’d driven a few minutes, she couldn’t put it off any longer. “So where are we going?”

“I told you-”

“It’s a surprise.” She rolled her eyes. “If it’s related to my business, I’d prefer to know in advance so I can prepare.”

The corner of his mouth tightened. It was a move she recognized all too well from childhood. Whenever she was being too pesky, he’d get that look, and she’d immediately shrink back, fearful she’d do something to make it so he’d never like her the way she liked him.

“Okay.” He took a deep breath as they slowed to a stop at a traffic light. “My business partner has a younger sister who’s starting a graphic design firm. We’re having lunch with her.”

Whoa. That was a lot. She was supposed to be wooing a new client and here she was, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. She looked down to make sure there were no stains and realized she hadn’t even stopped to remove her apron before leaving. She quickly remedied that.

“You look fine.” Jeremy didn’t even glance over her as he said that. “Fine” wasn’t how she wanted him to see her, at least not in the way he was saying it. Hot, beautiful, even great… All those would be preferable to “acceptable for interacting with other humans.”

“We could go back to the apartment and I could change,” Alyssa suggested, pointing behind them.

“No time. She’s already at the restaurant, waiting.”

No pressure there. Alyssa felt panic rise in her chest, not just because they were already late, but because she was in no way prepared for this meeting.

Jeremy pulled up to a valet stand, put the car into park, and turned to face her. “You can do this.”

For the briefest of moments, it was just the two of them. Everything outside this car seemed to disappear as he stared at her, his gaze so intense, it sent chills down her spine. She’d forgotten just how she’d felt in his presence, but now it was easy to see how she’d spent her entire adolescence waiting for him to notice her.

Alyssa nodded, mostly to break this hold he had on her. But he was right. She absolutely could do this. She’d logged plenty of hours in meetings with bigwigs while at TravTech. Losing her job had temporarily shaken her confidence. This was her chance to get it back.

The valet appeared in Jeremy’s window behind him, giving Alyssa the excuse she needed to break the spell. She reached for the door handle and exited the car, giving herself a quick pep talk. She thought back to all the times she’d pushed herself through challenges in the past and, in doing so, realized exactly what the difference was this time.

Jeremy was with her.

He led the way toward the front door of the restaurant, pulling it open and holding it for her. Yeah, he’d be sitting next to her at a table, watching her work her magic. She’d rather be speaking in front of a crowd of millions than pitching her services in front of him. It had her terrified.

“Someone is waiting for us,” Jeremy said to a hostess behind the podium at the front of the restaurant. “I’m not sure what she looks like, but

-”

Someone behind them was waving at them. Alyssa tapped Jeremy on the arm and nodded in the woman’s direction. The hostess grabbed some menus and led them that way while Alyssa concentrated on walking, her legs feeling weak and unsteady beneath her. “You must be Jeremy!”

The woman spoke very loudly and enthusiastically. She jumped up and gave Jeremy a big hug, rather than a handshake, then turned to Alyssa.

“Alyssa Kennedy.” Her voice was hoarse. Great. She hoped she wasn’t about to croak her way through this lunch meeting.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“Hi! I’m Mitzi. I’m a hugger.”

Alyssa encountered a lot of Mitzis in her work and usually, they annoyed her. But something about Mitzi’s exuberance was appealing. For one thing, right now it was exactly what she needed to put her at ease.

After the required hug-one that seemed to be just a little too tight- they all sat down and completely ignored the menus in front of them.

“So…my brother tells me you can help me get my business off the ground.” Mitzi looked from Jeremy to Alyssa and back again, as if not sure which of the two of them to give her focus. “I’ve been freelancing for five years, but I’m ready to grow. I have a logo and website and all that stuff. It’s just…getting the word out. That’s what I need help with. Oh, and bookkeeping and taxes and all that.”

“I can hook you up with my financial guy.” Jeremy looked over at Alyssa. “But this is the marketing expert. She is the former head of marketing for TravTech.”

Mitzi’s eyes widened. “TravTech. Impressive. Wait, didn’t they just lay off a bunch of people?”

“Yes, but they’re coming back strong.” Alyssa wasn’t sure why she was defending her former employer. She supposed she still felt loyalty toward them even though she no longer worked there. “I’m like you, though- ready to start my own business. Even if they offered me my job back, I wouldn’t take it.”

Although it would be tempting. Just having the comfort of a steady salary, not to mention medical benefits. She’d taken so much of that for granted. But she’d also spent almost every day wishing she were working hard to put money in her pocket rather than someone else’s.

Mitzi’s full attention was on Alyssa now. “Freelancing is a great way to start. So how does this work?”