Checking It Twice by Jodi Redford Read Free Book Online Page B

the magazine on top of his case, he reached for his navy blazer and shrugged it on. Grogginess weighed at him, an undesired side effect from the nap he’d forced himself to take shortly after checking in to his hotel room. Normally he wouldn’t have bothered, but after a month of nonstop travel, the jet lag was taking its toll. The good news was his latest pet project was proving to be a big hit with the vendors he’d pitched the Bodylicious line to, but the bad news was he’d been living out of a suitcase for the better part of the past eight months.
    He was fucking exhausted. And lonelier than shit.
    His attention returned to the magazine. Kevin was the biggest factor behind his impetuous decision to make the trip to Michigan. Not the only one, certainly, but finding a way to repair things between him and Kev was priority number one. This might be his only shot at getting his best friend back. He wasn’t going to blow it. No fucking way.
    He strode to the nightstand situated near the bed and freed the phone from its cradle. After dialing the valet to have his car brought around, he slipped his hotel keycard into his wallet and threw on his wool peacoat before snatching his presentation case. Less than five minutes later, he rode the elevator down to the lobby and spied his rental waiting outside the entrance.
    “Enjoy your evening, Mr. Pappas.”
    Offering a distracted nod, Nick passed a tip to the valet and stowed his case on the backseat before settling behind the wheel. He probably should have flown in a day early so he could see Kev before diving into business. Fear of having a door slammed in his face had stalled that idea dead in the water. Granted, there was still a strong chance of getting that slamming door, but this way he had something to look forward to after his meetings.
    Chuffing a humorless laugh that did little to dispel his uncertainty, he punched the address for Wicked Delights into the GPS. The directions loaded and a rather bossy female popped on, demanding he turn right. Shifting the Audi into gear, he swung out of the Townsend’s service drive.
    An electrical zing zipped along his spine as he headed toward the expressway and Jana’s shop. Kevin wasn’t the only reason he’d endured the extra dose of jet lag in order to come to Michigan. Jana had assumed the starring role in his X-rated musings for the past year, and she dominated a good portion of his thoughts. It didn’t matter that he had no damn clue what she looked like. From the start, there’d been something about her that’d intrigued him. For one thing, she had the sweetest, sexiest voice. She’d make one hell of a living as a phone-sex operator because merely listening to her made his cock stand at attention. It’d gotten so bad lately he’d been forced to take matters into his own hand—literally—after the majority of their phone conversations. He’d lost count of how many times he’d ended up stroking his cock while imagining the lips attached to that alluring voice bobbing up and down his length, sucking him deep into her throat. Unbeknownst to her, Jana had contributed to some of the best damn blowjobs of his life. The realization prodded a grunt from him. Now if only he could convince her to try out the real thing.
    Judging from the flirtatious nature of their conversations, there was a better than decent chance that their attraction was mutual. Hell, attraction was a mild word, in his case. He was half convinced he was in love with Jana. Insane? Fuck yeah. How else did you describe falling for a woman he’d never met live in the flesh? Then again, he’d never met a woman who stimulated and engaged him the way Jana did. If they had this much of a connection just through their phone and email interactions, how off the charts might their chemistry be face-to-face? That was precisely what he aimed to find out.
    The GPS announced he was less than half a mile from his destination. Not wanting to overshoot his last turn,