Best Man with Benefits

  Best Man with Benefits

  Aubrey Wright

  Copyright © 2019

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Mature audience only, 18+.

  Contents

  Introduction

  1. Jacob

  2. Chloe

  3. Jacob

  4. Chloe

  5. Jacob

  6. Chloe

  7. Jacob

  8. Chloe

  9. Jacob

  10. Jacob

  11. Chloe

  12. Jacob

  13. Chloe

  14. Jacob

  15. Chloe

  16. Jacob

  17. Chloe

  18. Jacob

  19. Chloe

  20. Jacob

  21. Chloe

  22. Jacob

  23. Chloe

  24. Jacob

  25. Chloe

  26. Jacob

  27. Chloe

  28. Chloe

  29. Jacob

  30. Jacob

  31. Chloe

  32. Jacob

  33. Chloe

  34. Chloe

  35. Jacob

  36. Chloe

  37. Chloe

  Epilogue

  Broken Sneak Peek

  Broken Hero Sneak Peek

  Introduction

  NEVER sleep with the best man.

  Especially if he’s your brother’s best friend.

  And, your first.

  There I am, naked, trying on this dang bridesmaid’s dress in the “women's only dressing room” and in walks Ol Big “bleep” Jacob.

  The same Jacob that deflowered me.

  Once my face stopped turning two shades of tomato, I sharply told him where to stick his big ego.

  He doesn’t deserve a second chance.

  Or third, or fourth, or fifth…

  But that cocky smile has a way of making panties spontaneously combust.

  Well, these panties ain’t going anywhere.

  At least, I hope not…

  One

  Jacob

  I stood in the center of the women’s dressing room—French, empty—holding an inhaler. “Addison, you in here? Hello?”

  My best bud, the groom, had asked me to deliver the asthma inhaler to his fiancée. And as the best man, it was my duty. Even if that meant crashing in on half-naked women.

  Except there aren’t any in here.

  “Addison. It’s Jacob. Charlie sent me.”

  I turned in a circle, noting the single empty mannequin, the closed curtains over changing areas, and caught sight of myself in a mirror on the wall.

  Stark, handsome, Big Dick Jacob, as they’d called me.

  Let’s deflate the ego.

  One of the curtains scraped open, and I turned toward it. “Addison, I—”

  My jaw dropped.

  A naked woman backed out of the changing room, wiggling her peachy ass, free of tan lines. She had a pair of earphones in and held a cell phone in her hand. She warbled a Spice Girls song and swayed her hips, the little dance seductive in the extreme.

  Just past her, in the changing room, a coat hanger held one of the bridesmaids’ dresses. Next to it, a full-length mirror afforded me a view of her entire body. Perfect, perky breasts, pink nipples puckered in the air-conditioned room, a sloping stomach, the strip of neat hair tracking down to the parting of her pussy lips.

  I was instantly hard. Well, that’s inappropriate.

  My gaze wandered up that shapely body and to her face. “Oh shit,” I said.

  It was her.

  Chloe Grace.

  The woman of my dreams, my past dreams. The very same whose virginity I’d taken, whose heart I’d broken, who had dominated my thoughts back in our high school years.

  Dark hair dropped past her shoulders in curls, sparkling green eyes snapped open. She focused on herself in the mirror then spotted me standing behind her.

  Chloe’s expression transformed from joy to unadulterated horror. A scream erupted from her throat. She ripped the earphones out of her ears, turned toward me, lost her balance, and stumbled.

  I rushed forward a step and caught her firmly underneath the elbows.

  “What the fuck!” she yelled.

  “Sorry,” I screamed back.

  “Are you—what the—what the hell, Jacob. What are you doing here?” She was still painfully naked, and it took all I had not to peep. I held her upright and away from my body so she wouldn’t feel the boner tugging at the front of my pants.

  “Hi,” I said, grinning at her. “You really want to talk about that now?”

  “Yes, I want to talk about that now! You friggin’ weirdo, what the hell?”

  “You don’t want to get a robe or something first?”

  “Oh. Oh my god.” Chloe, just as gorgeous as she’d been back in the day, even more so now she was older, straightened and laid a dainty arm across her ample breasts. “Oh my god. Turn around! Right now!”

  I did as she’d asked. Chloe was one of the only people in the world who’d ever gotten away with ordering me around on occasion. This occasion definitely called for it. I surreptitiously rearranged my junk while she scuffled around behind me.

  “You done?” I asked.

  “What in the hell are you doing here?” she hissed, alongside the sound of a zipper.

  “I’m looking for Addison.”

  “And you think that’s a good excuse to barge into a women’s changing room? This is a dress store.”

  “Once again with the sexism. You know, you and the lady at the front desk have a lot in common,” I replied. “Can I turn around now, miss?”

  “Sure you can. You can turn around and walk your cute ass out of here.”

  “You think my ass is cute?” I spun toward her and exhaled at the sight of her clothed. Thank god for that. I couldn’t handle her naked. Well, shit, I definitely could, but not in quite the same way as I had all those years ago. My best friend’s sister. The groom of this wedding. And the maid of honor. I’d been bound to run into her at some point, but like this? Fuck…

  “What?” she asked, crossing her arms over her blouse. She’d paired it with a pencil skirt that clung to her hips. “Don’t look at me like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “I know that look, Jacob. You know I know that look, so stop. Just leave.”

  “I can’t,” I replied. “I would if I could, trust me, but I can’t. Where’s Addison?”

  “She’s talking to the seamstress. She’ll be back later.”

  “Sooner, I hope.” I withdrew the asthma inhaler from my pocket it and held it upright for her to see. “Charlie wanted me to give this to her.”

  Chloe came forward, hips swaying, her bare toes gracing the carpet with their presence. Even they were dainty. I wasn’t into feet, but damn, she was perfect from head to toe. Not that it matters.

  “Hand it over,” she said and put out a palm. “I’ll give it to Addy, and you can get the heck out of here.”

  “The heck is hardly warranted.”

  “Give me the inhaler.”

  “No.” I grinned at her. “Your brother’s instructions were clear. It’s to be handed right over to her and no one else. Not even you.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Take it up with Charlie,” I said.

  I had her there. She wasn’t about to argue with her brother. The two were as thick as thieves, and she knew that Charlie meant well. He loved Addison. Christ, even the phrase “love” gave me the m
ental cooties. I was happy for him, but damn, I couldn’t help worrying that this would wind up coming back to bite him in the ass.

  Either way, I’d do what it took to keep my buddy happy. Guy had been there for me when no one else had. And then there was the promise too…the one he didn’t know I’d broken.

  “All right, well, fine,” Chloe said and walked back toward the changing area. She shut the curtains, scraping rings against a metal pole, then turned back to me, her arms still folded. Her face was impassive, as if she could take or leave my presence.

  That was very Chloe. She was an island and always had been. Fuck, and she thought I was the messed-up one.

  “How have you been?” I asked.

  “Don’t even start,” she replied.

  “Start what?”

  “Trying.”

  “You want to elaborate on that?”

  “Trying to talk to me. To be nice. You know this will go nowhere. We’re going to be stuck in a few rooms together for the next week or so, but that doesn’t mean we have to be anything more than cordial toward each other.”

  I tilted my head to one side, narrowing my eyes. “How long have you been preparing that speech? How long have you been thinking about the moment we’d meet up again?”

  Her eyelashes fluttered, she rolled her eyes. “Still with the massive ego, huh, Jacob?”

  “Among other things.”

  “Wow.”

  “I know, right?” But this was a game. A fun one, but still a game. Nothing would come of our banter or our history, because I wouldn’t allow it. She was the past, and my future had to remain empty. No matter what.

  “Look—” Chloe started, but the crash of the dressing-room door interrupted her.

  Addison barreled inside, petite, blonde and flush with excitement as most brides were before their big day. She stopped, gaze switching from Chloe to me, then back again. “Uh?”

  “Charlie wanted you to have this.” I walked over to her, handed her the inhaler. “He was worried the corsets and shit would give you an attack.”

  “We’re not wearing corsets,” Chloe called out.

  I kissed Addy on the cheek, then walked past her and to the door, pausing on my way out. “Doesn’t stop me from picturing it,” I replied and laughed at the redness of Chloe’s cheeks.

  Two

  Chloe

  “What was that about?” Addison asked, her inhaler-free hand closing around my upper arm. She steered me to one of the sofas and plopped me down. “That was Jacob. In here. With you.”

  “I’m aware of that fact. I was part of the interaction. Unfortunately.” I waited for my stomach to settle. The butterflies had erupted the minute he’d appeared. I’d expected I’d run into him on this trip, but… it had been too much of a shock.

  And you were naked. Stark naked. The last time he’d seen me, I’d been the same—butt naked. God, had I suffered by that comparison?

  “Uh, hello? Earth to Chloe!” Addy waved a hand in front of my face. “I’m not an expert on heat or sex, but it was like a hundred degrees hotter than an oven in here when I came in. And you were red as a tomato.”

  I made to get up. “We should check the thermostat.”

  She pulled me back down to the sofa. “What happened? Charlie told me…that Jacob is—”

  “Jacob is what?” I asked.

  Addy and Charlie both had no idea that anything had happened between Jacob and me. If they had, Charlie would’ve flipped his shit and broken off the friendship with Jake long ago.

  “The best man? Charlie’s best friend. And Charlie told me he’s just come out of a relationship.”

  My heart turned and did a little nasty dance. As if him being single made a real difference to me. I should’ve been furious at the fact that he’d even been in a relationship after what had happened between us, but that had been years ago, and I had so many more important things to worry about.

  “So have I,” I said, after a beat. “And I wouldn’t touch Jacob if I was paid to do it.”

  Addy pursed her lips then brushed off the front of her dress. She was so well put together—that was what came of being a successful lawyer—and intelligent too. A perfect match for Charlie, and the total opposite of me. I was the creative type.

  “What?” I asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “There was something going on between you two. The heat.”

  “There was no heat. In fact, there was the opposite of heat. There was ice,” I said, lying through my teeth. Seeing him again had made me tingle. As per usual. I despised that about him. He turned my better thoughts and instincts into mush. “Jacob and I have never gotten along.”

  “Oh,” Addy said and chewed on her bottom lip. “Oh, OK.”

  “Look, Addy, I’m still getting over the last guy, and even if Jacob had been…well, not Jacob, I wouldn’t be interested. I need to focus on my music career.”

  Addison’s mouth opened.

  “Don’t give me the Charlie speech,” I said, before she could get the thought out.

  My brother did not approve of my chosen creative outlet or dream. He thought it was ridiculous that I’d want to reach the top with my singing. Or that I would be a success at it.

  “Look,” I said, lifting a hand, “I think I’m going to go back to the hotel. I’ve already tried on the dress, and it fits perfectly.”

  “But the other bridesmaids aren’t even here yet,” Addison said and effected a pout. “We were supposed to have champagne and cake.”

  “Oh, I know, and I would so love to do that, but I am exhausted. Jet lag.” It was a legitimate excuse. My brother had insisted on paying for my plane ticket to Paris, since I couldn’t afford it, and I’d refused up until a few days ago. The others had been in France for more than a week already.

  “OK, I get that,” Addy said and smiled at me. “I’ll catch up with you at dinner. Ooh! Bachelorette party later. I’m so nervous.”

  “It will be great.” I drew her into a hug and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll see you later!”

  “Later.”

  I slipped off the sofa and bustled out of the dressing room, snagging my tote bag along the way. I’d dressed in my most professional outfit for the fitting today. The rest of my stuff was long, flowing skirts, or sparkling show dresses, or yoga pants and loose T-shirts. If Addy caught wind of any of it, she’d force me into a shopping trip, and as much as I loved shopping, I hated the fact that I pay for the stuff myself.

  An all-expenses-paid trip and a vacation from my receptionist job, fine, but I drew the line at clothes shopping.

  The hotel was a brisk walk from the dress store. The city itself was gorgeous, out of a dream, with the Eiffel Tower standing tall not too far away, and the scents of a bakery carrying me down the street. It was so obvious I wasn’t in LA anymore, and it was great. This was exactly the break I’d needed.

  I entered the Hilton hotel, admiring the aesthetic of the place. Gold and chandeliers and marble pillars. It was classy and so Charlie. He loved this type of thing. He was the billionaire, like Jacob, who could afford whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. That was part of the reason he couldn’t fathom how his wasn’t the life I wanted.

  Stop thinking about it.

  But it was difficult not to. Especially after seeing Jacob. He had achieved his goals—sure, he’d had a good head start with a wealthy family—but he had done it. And I was still trying to make it big.

  “Stop,” I murmured, as I passed the front desk. The receptionist arched an eyebrow at me. I gave him an awkward grin and kept walking. “Morning.”

  “Bonjour,” he replied then returned to whatever he’d been doing before. Something French.

  I hit the button on the elevator and waited for the gleaming golden doors to slide open. I stepped inside and pressed the button for the fifth floor, stifling a yawn. I did need some sleep, but what I wanted was a minute to be alone and…think.

  Lame. Thinking is not going to help you. There’s
no plan that’s going to send you straight to stardom. It’s hard work.

  And luck. I’d run out of that.

  “Hold the doors,” a man called out.

  I placed a hand on the side of the elevator, and a tall guy came into view. His familiarity dawned on me at the last second.

  Shit!

  I snapped my hand back from the door, but it was already too late.

  Jacob swaggered into the elevator. “Long time, no see.”

  “That’s the best line I’ve heard all year,” I replied. “Floor?”

  “I’ve got that.” Jacob reached across me, his arm brushing mine, and hesitated. “Ah, you’ve already pressed it.”

  “You’re kidding,” I said. “We’re on the same floor?”

  “Most of the wedding party is. Big shock to you?”

  I exhaled, mentally counting to ten. I had to keep my wits about me, here. This guy was…a toxin. Or a drug. The type that stuck to the insides of your veins and friggin’ stayed there.

  The doors slid shut, and I backed up, pressed my side to the elevator’s wall and placed distance between me and the man who had once broken my heart. Years ago. When I’d been young and impressionable.

  Jacob faced me, a shit-eating grin twisting his lips. “It’s good to see you again, Chloe. It’s good to catch up.”

  I nodded.

  Talking meant inhaling, and inhaling meant smelling his cologne—leathery, warm, and manly.