After a restless night of erotic dreams featuring him and Kara making love under a table in a restaurant, Max sat at his office desk, face unshaven, hair mussed. He had managed a shower, at least, where he jerked off to relieve some pent-up frustration, but it didn’t seem to do much good.

Why was he doing this to himself? Why didn’t he just go down and talk to her? Because he wanted way more than to just talk. But he respected her, too. She wasn’t some bimbo who would jump him at the chance of getting his money. He had a feeling dollar signs were low on Kara’s list of important manly qualities.

His wristwatch beeped to remind him of something he had going today. Damned if he could remember what. Nothing was on his calendar. Did he forget to write it down or did he forget to cancel the alarm for a previous alert? He pressed the side button to stop the noise and sighed.

Time to pull his shit together. Never had a woman got to him this much. But neither had he ever declined letting himself have what he desired. If someone had interested him in the past, he simply approached her and had her eating out of his hand, and bed, in no time. But that didn’t work with Kara.

He stared at his monitor at the spreadsheet she made for him last night before she left. And as earlier, the numbers were just a pile garbage he couldn’t focus on.

Coffee. Maybe another cup would help. He trudged from his office to the director’s lounge. At the Keurig, Susan, his secretary, was spinning the pod holder to see what flavor she wanted.

“Good morning, Mr. Richards. How are you?” He gave her a smile, but it felt fake.

“Honestly, I feel like I’ve been chewed up and spit out by like a giant dog toy,” he replied.

“That’s good,” Susan replied.

His brows rose. “Good?” he questioned.

“Yeah,” she patted him on the back, “by the looks of you, if you would’ve said you’re fine, I know you’d be lying to me.”

His head spun with that reasoning.

Susan continued. “This merger with the South American company must be quite important to you.”

Not as important as someone... “Yes, I think it’s one of the few things left on Dad’s bucket list.”

Susan laid a hand on his shoulder. “You boys have been so great with your father. I noticed at the board meeting he’s not doing as well as he has.”

“He’s a bit under the weather, but he’ll bounce back.” Max hoped so, anyway.

“How’s you mom? She have her next book out?”

Max just about dropped his coffee mug. Shit! That was what his watch alarm was for. His mom’s book signing. “She’s doing great. If you’ll excuse me, I have a signing I need to attend. See you later, Susan.”

He hurried down the hall toward the elevator. He didn’t hate going to these things; he wanted to as supportive as possible for his mother. But since her books were usually women’s self-help of some kind, he somehow became the attention of many of his mother’s fans.

Several of the older ladies had even hit on him, making it understood that if he was single, he was welcome in their beds any time. He was not in the mood to deal with a bunch of cougars today. A thought sprang to mind. He had the perfect solution.

He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Kara’s direct number. When she answered, he told her to meet him in the parking lot in two minutes.

When she finally got down to the lot, he had his Aston Martin pulled up and waiting with her door open. He waved her over and as nicely as he could, shoved her in and closed the door.

After he buckled in and drove off, she stared at him. “What is going on? Where are we going that’s such a rush?”

How could he say this without sounding like an ass? I’m using you so women won’t hit on me sounded really bad, even to him. “I, uh, thought you’d like to meet my mother. She writes book for women and I wanted to get one signed for you.”

The grimace on Kara’s face told him she wasn’t falling for it. Her arms crossed over her lovely breasts. “Nice try. What’s the real reason? You afraid of all the women there?”

His eyes popped wide and mouth fell open. “How did—” He’d forgotten Kara wasn’t a Jane type of person. Kara had brains and ambitions. “Never mind.”

She laughed. Music to his ears. He couldn’t help but return a smile. For the first time that day, he felt complete, like everything he wanted in life was there with him. “How about you buy me lunch since you dragged me out?”

“I didn’t drag you out,” he replied.

“Did you say, ‘Kara, would you like to attend my mother’s book signing with me?’ Or was it ‘Kara, get your ass to the parking lot now.’”

Well, shit. When put that way... “Okay, maybe I was a little bossy—”

She snorted. “Little?”

“Okay,” he lifted his hands from the steering wheel, “some.”

Her brows rose. “Some bossy?”

“We can go back to little,” he answered.

“Some works for me.”

They reached the bookstore at the top of the hour. They weren’t late, but they weren’t early either. The lot was nearly full, forcing Max to park around the block. By the time they got inside, everyone was seated for the short presentation by the author.

He grabbed a plate full of finger foods and a bottled water, encouraging Kara to do the same, and headed toward the back where the lecture had already started. With all the seats taken, Max guided Kara to a four-foot-tall bookcase at the back and set his food on top.

When his mom saw him, she smiled, and he gave her a little wave. Even after their parents’ divorce, Max and Brian always supported their mother as much as they could when it came to her career. Their father wasn’t happy with her lifestyle choice that kept her either secluded in her writing room or on the road promoting. But the boys would always be there for her.

The audience for this showing was bigger than most he’d seen in the city. As usual, the majority were females, but there were males—more than normal. He wondered if the book pertained to both sides. He’d find out in a minute when his mom pulled the cover off the easel holding the poster-size version of the book cover.

As he swallowed his first cracker, his mom gestured toward him in the back and everyone in the audience turned. Kara slid a step away and he pulled her back, wrapping his arm behind her waist.

Without moving his lips, he said, “Smile and pretend you like me.”

She replied, “I’m not that good of an actress.” He hip-checked her and she elbowed him while they smiled and waved to the audience. He read the surprised look in his mother’s eyes directed at Kara. Oh shit. He hadn’t thought this fake girlfriend idea all the way through. What was he going to say?

From on stage, his mother gushed on him. “Max and Brian, my two precious boys, were instrumental in my writing this new book. Everything I experienced was with them and we learned a lot from each other during the process.” He wondered what she was talking about. High school? Dating?

“That’s why I dedicated this to them.” His mom stepped toward the easel and pulled off the material hiding the book cover: “Your Child and the Sex Talk.”

Max choked on his BBQ mini wiener and fell to his knees behind the bookcase, hoping to die that instant. Kara leaned over and smacked his back. He pulled her down and said, “We’re making a run for it. Crawl that way.” He pointed to the retail area with cases of books.

She slapped his hands trying to drag her away. “Stop—what are you doing?”

“Max?” he heard his mom say. Oh fuck. He was sure everyone had turned again to see why his mother was calling out his name. Now would be a great time to just die.

Kara, unsuccessfully, tried to hide her laughter as she yanked on his arm to get him to stand.

His mom called out again. Fuck! He jumped to his feet, pulling his keys from his pocket. “Sorry, picking up my keys that fell on the floor.” Beside him, Kara covered her mouth with both hands and couldn’t stop laughing.

His brother was so dead. He’d bet money his dumbass sibling knew exactly what the book was about. At least Brian had to go to the next signing later in the week. Actually, Brian was hosting the next event. So, fuck him. Bastard.

His mom’s next words registered in his brain. “Max and Brian were so different when it came to the sex talk, I felt like I went from one end of the spectrum to the other.”

Max bowed his head and whispered to himself, “Oh god, Mom. Please don’t do this.”

Kara leaned into him. “Do what?” she asked.

“The ‘Pokey Pokey,’” he said.

She looked at him as if to say the what?

His mom started singing the “Hokey Pokey,” but with her own words. “You pull your penis out, roll the condom on, then put your penis in, and you shake it all about. You do the Pokey Pokey in the safe and proper way. That’s what it’s all about.”

The audience applauded, and Max never wanted to be more dead than at that moment. Some people even turned to him and smiled like the song was a good fucking idea. Little did they know Max couldn’t have sex without the fucking song playing in his head every time he was with a female until he was out of college. A few times, it kept him from even doing it.

But nothing would keep him from doing the scrumptious morsel at his side. She was close enough that he smelled her perfume. And her smile was dazzling even though she was laughing at him.

He imagined himself crashing his lips over hers. Biting and taunting her lower lip with a playful suck to ease the sting. His tongue slid along the seam of her lips the same as his cock would slide along the seam of her hot, wet pussy.

He’d flip her back against the bookcase along the wall and press his body into hers. Her soft tits would crush against his chest, her mound rubbing up and down his boner. Her breath was hot on his neck as she gasped for air from his dominating kiss.

“Take me,” she whispered. “Fuck me hard, Max.” He pulled her suit jacket open then ripped the buttons from her blouse, getting it off her body. “Oh, Max. I could come now from your strength alone.”

He gripped her breast in his hand, fingers tweaking the hard nipples. “You won’t come until I tell you to. Do you understand, my love?” She nodded, that’s all she could do under his power. His fingers inched up her skirt until it wrapped around her waist. He fell to his knees and pressed his lips against hers, the silky black material the only thing keeping him from his goal.

She groaned loudly. Fuck, she was so hot, so ready for him. “Max, I can’t wait any longer. Take me now. I’ve wanted you for so long.”

Maybe this fantasy of his was verbatim the last porn he watched, but fuck it. Who watched for the dialog and acting?

A sharp pain jabbed his ribs and he snapped back to reality to see Kara staring at him, close up. “Your mother asked you a question, Max.”

He turned and croaked out a noise, cleared his throat and asked her to repeat her question.

“I asked,” his mom began, “if you remember the discussion we had on sex when you were a teen?”

Goddammit. He felt his face ignite. “I was thinking something along those lines.” Though Kara was the star and not the varsity cheerleaders. He leaned closer to the short bookcase he stood behind, hoping his jacket and the books covered his extremely hard cock. With those thoughts, he’d never get out of here without the ultimate embarrassment.

Finally the discussion part of the signing was over and they took a break for refreshments. His mom hugged him while the crowd milled around.

“Thank you for coming, Max. I wasn’t sure you would. You were so different than Brian when it came to talking about sex.”

Kara bumped his side. “How so, Mrs. Richards?” she asked.

Max was going to kill his new manager and his brother. “Mom, this is Kara Masters. She works at the company.”

“She works under you?” his mom asked.

Fuck, his mom had to say “under.” He wiped a hand over his face. “Her office is a couple floors below from mine.”

Kara grinned. “He likes being on top.” Both women smiled at him. Jesus fucking Christ. He had to get out of here. “Stop with the sex innuendos, both of you. I know what sex is all about now.”

“You wouldn’t think that by the number of dates you’ve had the past six months,” his mom stated. “That would be none.”

“Mother, who I date and when is none of your business.”

“It is if I want grandchildren before I die.”

“I have too much going on. I have no interest in dating.”

An angelic smile graced his mother’s lips. “Oh, there is interest, dear. Max, darling,” Mom said, “why don’t you and Kara come over tomorrow night after my signing? We can have dinner and talk.” She took Kara’s hand in hers. “I’d love to get to know your new—”

“Coworker, Mom. She’s my coworker and we can’t tomorrow night.”

“Why not?” Mom asked.

Kara smirked. “We’re flying to South America together.” The smile on his mother’s face said it all. He was so fucked. His mom would not rest until he was on his knees begging Kara to marry him. And what a load of fun that would be when she laughed in his face and told him she hated his guts. This was so bad.

“South America?” Mom repeated.

“For business, Mom.”

That smile of his mother’s face got bigger. “Of course, dear. That’s what you father said to me, too. Nine months later, you came along.”

“Mom!” He couldn’t look at Kara or the traitorous woman who birthed and raised him.

“Relax, dear,” his mom soothed. “It’s all in fun.” She shook Kara’s hand. “It is wonderful to meet you. You’re the first lady Max has brought to one of my reveals.”

“It’s my pleasure to meet you,” Kara said. “The presentation was fabulous. I couldn’t stop laughing.”

His mom added, “And Max couldn’t stop blushing.” She patted him on the arm. “Okay, dear. Kiss your mother goodbye and get packed for your business trip.”