Falling Into You (Geek to Chic) Read online

  Falling Into You

  By:

  Nikki Brinks

  Text copyright © 2014

  Nikki Brinks

  All Rights Reserved

  To the love of my life,

  You have always supported my dreams

  No matter how crazy!

  Table of Contents

  Contents

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty - Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty - Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty – Eight

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck, was the only word that came to Roni's mind as she met the bitter early March air. The word ping bonged around in her head like the hook from a one hit wonder song. Shifting the small cardboard box in her arms to get a better grip, she started to descend the five steps of the sleek black glass building for the last time. Fuck her brain shouted again. Six years she had been working for that company. One small lapse in self-control and poof here she was with her box of office crap and a security guard behind her making sure she ‘left peacefully’. Ugh. Just as her foot hit the third stair, the box in her arms shifted and her heel caught. “Double Fuck", this time the words spilled out of her mouth. Roni pitched forward, her stuff flying out of the box, her body landing against a rock dressed in a suit. The rock, however, was no match for her clumsiness as she took him down to the ground with her.

  Roni and the rock landed gracelessly on the small patch of grass covered in snow adjacent to the stairs. Landing flat on his back, with her falling smack on top of him. She felt the air on her cheek as it rushed out of him. Planting her hands on his chest, she looked up at him ready to apologize and ask if he needed an EMT. "Triple fuck", her brain screamed. Lying underneath her body, was a man she had pictured in this position many times, although the circumstances were entirely different. A man that inhabited more than a few of her dreams, none of said dreams would receive a PG rating that was for sure. She blinked a few times, in hopes the vision under she would morph into someone else. No such luck, she had just plowed over Starbucks Boy.

  A man she had silently admired every morning for close to six months while standing in line at the Starbucks down the street. Every morning, at 7:00 exactly, as she ordered her earl gray tea, he would stroll in, unknowingly sending her blood pressure skyrocketing, in his expensive suit, 6’ 4” muscular frame, dark curly hair cut business short, and piercing blue eyes. Completely oblivious to the world around him as he concentrated on his phone. She would wait for her earl gray and watch him intently while he ordered his venti quad vanilla latte. That's right, she was the kind of stalker who knew the drink order of her obsession. Now, the object of her morning obsession was lying beneath her not breathing all that well.

  Finally coming out of shocked stupor, she looked into his eyes, seeing both amusement and anger. "Oh my God, I am so sorry are you ok?" She leaned forward, grabbing his head almost violently checking for blood or bumps. Never once noticing that her change in her position, in her desperate attempt to verify he was fine (and touch him while she could), had pushed her breasts right into his face. She moved on to check his chest and arms, and wow, what chest it is, sliding down his body. That’s when he grabbed her hips and she realized that she was no longer lying on him. No, now she was straddling him. Her skirt riding all the way up to her hips. Way to make an impression Roni, her mind chastised her.

  "I'm fine, but you really need to get off of me... now" Anger punctuated the last word of his sentence. The small shred of amusement she had seen in his eyes a moment earlier was gone. Replaced by what she guessed was anger. After all, she had just tackled and molested him all in the span of 2 minutes. "As you can see we are drawing a crowd, and sorry to be blunt, but we look like we are doing exactly the word that seems to fall so freely from your lips". Crap! Had she been running her mouth instead of having an internal dialogue this entire time? Well, wasn't that just the cherry on top of her day!

  She glanced around to see that yes in fact, they did have an audience. "Sorry I was just checking to see if you were ok!" She stated half apologizing half sad she would have to leave the warmth of his body. She made a move to stand, which made her wriggle her ass on the sensitive part of him she was currently sitting on. His eye dilated instantly, point Roni. Then suddenly he had both of them on their feet, his hands still on her hips. Interesting considering how a minute ago, he seemed to want nothing to do with her.

  The crowd moved on, all but one man that is. He stood on the very stair that took her out moments ago, laughing so hard, Roni was certain she was about to see a wet spot appear on his pants. "Alex go set up for the meeting." Starbucks Boy said to his colleague without taking his eyes off of Roni. "I’ll be along as soon as I am sure the lady here is not suffering from sudden onset Tourette’s or a stroke given her fall and her language." He smiled, great now he was laughing at her. Ugh!

  "Yeah, whatever, don't be long this deal needs to happen today." The other rock in a suite, aka Alex, blurted between laughs. Alex took off up the stairs and into the office building.

  "Thank you, I am fine, go to your meeting, I am sorry I knocked you over." Roni said, waving a dismissive hand as she pulled free of his grip and began gathering her items.

  "Just got canned, huh?" Starbucks Boy stated as he bent to help her retrieve her items. She rolled her eyes, and without comment kept putting her pictures, pen holder, and other crap she had accumulated in the 6 years she worked for the land development firm in her box. "Well, I guess it was nice meeting you, um, see you tomorrow at Starbucks." He winked, handed her the box of oatmeal she had kept in her desk, and then he walked up the steps. She watched his butt for a moment as he walked away, with great appreciation for his backside. Suddenly she realized he had mentioned Starbucks... did that mean he had noticed her or had she blurted that out as well? She may never visit Starbucks again out of shear embarrassment or maybe she would camp out there.

  ***

  Derek casually turned to watch her leave, she was shaking her head and muttering something about never drinking Starbucks again. God, he hoped that she didn’t stick to that resolution. He looked forward to seeing her every morning at Starbucks. In the 5 months, 3 weeks and 2 days, since he had first seen her, Derek had not once found the courage to even say hi, let alone anything close to what he wanted to say to her. Instead, he walked into the coffee shop every morning, looked to see if she was there, and quickly looked down at his phone pretending to work. When she grabbed her grande earl gray tea, yep, he knew her drink, he would steal a glance of her curvaceous body. Trying to find a way to say anything to her. Today had been his perfect opportunity. Hell, he had her straddling him with her boobs in his face and he still had not said a word. Though who could blame him when her hips started moving against his, his mind simply turned off. It took everything he had to force himself to stand up removing her soft body from his muscular one. Luckily, his s
uit jacket covered the effect she had on him. 31 years old, CEO of his own tech company, rich and good looking, yet he felt as though he was still the short, thin, dorky 16 year old kid who never had a date. Sighing slightly, he watched as she stumbled and righted herself before finally making her way to her car. Maybe tomorrow would be the day he spoke to her, or maybe the day after. He didn't want to come on too strong after all.

  Walking as though he was the most confident man in all the world, he took on his fake persona of asshole CEO. Straightening his tie in the mirrored doors of the elevator. Derek took one last deep breath to clear his head and calm his body from Starbucks Girl. Stepping into the overly exuberant conference room of Conner & Walker Inc. he put on his game face. Ready to make the deal and move on. His tech company needed the property Conner owned, period. The server farm and neighboring research facility they were looking to build needed to be out in the middle of nowhere but connected to everywhere at the same time. Hence his meeting with the two men who he hated more than the dentist.

  "So what happened with clumsy Barbie?" Alex asked raising an eyebrow. He was leaning back in the leather chair, feet up on the expensive oak table, with his hands casually locked behind his head. Alex had been Derek's best friend since pre-k and was now his business partner. He was the cool kid who lets Derek tag along all those years. Dragging him to every party, every sporting event, and every social event he could find to get Derek away from his computer. Derek hated it at the time, but appreciated everything Alex had done for him. Now they ran an empire together, specializing in security technology. "She kind of looked like that girl you have been drooling over at Starbucks" Derek's face tightened in embarrassment at Alex's observation. Alex immediately bolted to an upright sitting position, slamming his hand on the table in pure amusement. "Oh, you have to be shitting me? That was Starbucks Girl? Tell me that while she was dry humping you in front of an audience that you managed to ask her out finally? Or how about getting her name?" Derek looked at his longtime friend and for the first time since high school he wanted to punch him. Alex's roar of laughter filled the oversized room. "You're an idiot." Before Derek could defend himself in walked asshole one and asshole too, better known as Michael Conner and Chad Walker.

  "Hey douche bags, are you ready to get spanked in this deal?" Michael boomed as he swaggered into the room. Yep, same jag off from high school.

  With his hands folded on the table now, hard business face in place, Alex responded with a snort. "Bend over and grab your ankles boys because you are about to get fucked" Let the games begin.

  Chapter Two

  "Izzy, you home?" Roni yelled as she walked into their small rental house. Their house was in the older part of the city, meaning small spaces and big rents. The craftsman style house had two bedrooms, one bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and a large open living room. It was all done in soft purples, blues and yellows. The French doors in the living room lead to the backyard, well the 12 x 12 block of grass they called a backyard. Roni closed the door with her hip, hands full with her box, two bottles of white wine and dinner from their favorite Chinese place. Izzy came out of her bedroom, obviously recently home from her workout as she was dressed in running shorts and a University of Colorado tee shirt that had seen better days. Her long wavy dark brown hair tied haphazardly into a ponytail, her chunky black glasses sliding down her nose as always. Roni smiled at her friend, no one would ever say she was a fashion icon that was for sure. Sliding the box onto the coffee table, Roni pulled out the bottles of wine.

  Izzy’s smile instantly dropped. “Oh no, two bottles of wine on a weeknight? What did your dip wad boss do now?" Roni turned to see Izzy with her hands on her slender hips, concern lacing her voice. That was Izzy always playing mom.

  "Well the good news is I don't have to deal with Captain Shit Head anymore, the bad news is he fired me." Roni stated without emotion, only sighing slightly at the end. She walked to the kitchen, grabbed plates, utensils and two large wine glasses and returned to the living room. Izzy still stood in the same pose, as if waiting for her to continue the story. With a loud exhalation, Roni launched into the story of Captain Shit Head vs. the Gorgeous Extremely Smart Admin. "As you know Captain Shit Head and his latest bed mate broke it off. He had some charity fundraiser coming up this weekend and the jackass needs a date." Roni held up her fingers in mock quotations and lowered her voice to do her best prick imitation. "'You know Roni, I need someone who would not only look good on my arm, but would know when to shut up and smile at the right investors. Not to mention I am sure someone with your lips and wide mouth would know how to properly relax a man on the limo ride there. I’ll pick you up at 7, and wear something that shows off your tits'" Izzy's eyes widened and burned with anger for her friend. Before Izzy could interject her hatred for all men, Roni continued. "Before he could slither away, I grabbed his arm turned him slapping him straight across the cheek. Needless to say I was fired for assault since everyone saw me hit him, but no one heard the crudeness he uttered." She shrugged, trying to keep the anger at bay. Michael Conner was a rich spoiled brat who had no class.

  "You have to be kidding me?!" Izzy started pacing feverishly at this point. "Tomorrow we are going to see a lawyer and sue his pants off! If that doesn't work, then we are going to hire a hit man, no better, we are going to let him live but castrate him! Then we are going…” Before Izzy got too far on the murder/castration plot, Roni thought she better interject.

  "Not worth it. First no one heard him so it would be a he said, she said bullshit case, second slapping him, felt great! And third, to keep me from suing, I assume, I left with a very nice parting package. Plus, let's not forget I hate it there. Time for a change and this is the push I needed." Roni thought she heard Izzy growl a little. “Ok, ok, I promise if we run into him in a dark alley I will let you as my 5'1" 100 pound bodyguard defend my honor, deal?" She laughed. Izzy's anger faded to laughter as she collapsed on the couch.

  "Fine, but to find him in a dark alley means we have to leave the house. Which is a great idea! Let's finish eating get dressed up and…"

  "No, I’m tired! I’ve had a crappy day and really just want to get drunk and..."

  Izzy, always determined, cut her rant off. "Nope, not happening. We could be in LoDo in an hour having a great time and dancing away your worries. So eat up and get dressed. Oh, this will be fun!" She all but squealed, filling her plate. She knew Izzy was 6 inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter than her, but damn Izzy could be scary and tonight would be one of those nights if she didn't comply.

  "Fine, but only for a little while". Roni glowered at her friend.

  Sure enough an hour later the girls were ready and heading downtown. Izzy looked Roni over, gasping when her gaze landed on her arm. "Where did you get the ugly bruise?"

  "That was the second part of my craptastic day. On my way out of the building after getting canned, I all but tackled,” Roni swallowed, "Starbucks Boy."

  Izzy was now utterly confused if her facial expression said anything. "Wait, what?" Roni spilled the entire embarrassing event. "So you knocked him to the ground, dry humped him, molested him and still didn't bother to get his name?" Hysterical laughter replaced the confusion. "Your clumsiness knows no bounds! I swear."

  "I am so glad my life amuses you, now can we go so we can get back and I can start my pity party?" Roni grabbed her jacket and purse and stepped out of the door locking it behind her. A night out is not what she needed. She could care less about losing her pathetically boring job, running over Starbucks Boy though? That had bruised more than her arm. Her bruised ego was currently in bed in old pajamas with a gallon of Oreo cookie ice cream, never planning on returning to the real world. As far as Roni was concerned her ego had the right idea. Instead, she was heading to the bar with her ever perky friend. Let this night be over quickly, Roni pleaded in her head.

  ***

  "How did I let you talk me into this? I have work to do." Derek all but whined to Alex.

  "Shut t
he fuck up, we just got the land deal done with the douche bag twins. Time to celebrate my friend, you need to step away from your computer if you are ever going to get laid!"

  "I get laid enough without your help asswipe!" Alex was always taunting him because Derek hadn't left a long line of broken hearts behind. Alex was known for his playboy status. A different girl every night wasn't even enough. Alex worked hard but at the end of the day he liked to have a woman, or three, to help him relax.

  "Yeah, when was the last time a woman got you off instead of your own hand and some porn?" Alex beamed at his own comment.

  "Let's just grab a beer and go home, I really do have work to do. Remember, I am the brains behind this business." Derek smiled back, knowing he was pushing Alex's button.

  Alex just smiled and sauntered into the bar. Rolling his eyes, Derek followed. Stopping short when he saw the vision at the bar. Starbucks Girl was here sitting at the bar. He always saw her in conservative business attire. Tonight, however, she was wearing a pair of tight jeans that perfectly showed off her curves, a blouse with a very low neckline, and heels that could best be described as fuck me pumps. Her long blonde hair fell over her shoulders in a wave. His brain started to shut down as it no longer had dibs on his blood supply. Alex turned with a devious smile on his face. “We are not leaving this bar without you at least getting her name, getting her naked would be better."

  "Naked right here in the bar?" Derek asked, wondering what was wrong with his friend.

  "Don't knock public sex until you've tried it." Alex had no modesty.

  "Seriously? What kind of girls do you date?” Derek held up his hand stopping Alex from answering. “Never mind, I don't want the answer. I can see the answer written all over your face." Derek took a deep breath. "Fine I will talk to her, but you are to either go to the other side of the bar or shut the fuck up. I don't need you hitting on her friend. We both know that will kill any chance I have." Derek knew exactly how it would end if Alex even spoke two words to the friend. Alex would screw Starbucks Girl's friend in the back of the bar and leave. Derek would be left to receive the angry slap from said friend or Starbucks Girl herself, or both. Hey, it had happened before.