Perfectly Imperfect (Men of Whiskey Row Book 4) Read online

  Lucky felt bad for the kid, who now looked like she wanted the steps to suddenly open up and make her disappear. “Hey, thanks for all the feedback. Maybe I can use it at my next job because I failed the one thing I had to do today, and that was to make sure your dad didn’t miss his flight. Judging from the uh…commotion, I don’t think he’ll be coming out soon.”

  The little girl looked up sharply. “One, don’t ever refer to him as my father. Two, what do you mean flight? Do you even know who’s in there?”

  Lucky shook his head slowly, feeling dumber by the minute. “Can’t say I do, kiddo. I wasn’t given a name. My boss just made me sign non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements stating that I can’t talk about the clients with anyone.”

  “Okay, then that should have been your first clue that you were dealing with a big shot and that they don’t have flights. These dudes roll in private jets, ya dig?” she grimaced. “I don’t know why your boss would want to play you like that, but it certainly explains why you didn’t have a clue about anything, rolling up in here, twiddling your thumbs in your ears. You woulda had the biggest complaint waiting on you when you got back to your job. But for now, I suggest you get back in position because here comes Mr. Man.”

  Lucky scrambled down the steps and threw the car door back open. He attempted to fix his suit but kept his eye on the girl. “Kid, you’re alright by me. By the way, the name’s Donat. My friends call me Lucky, though. What’s your name?”

  She drew herself up proudly and looked him in the eye. “Well, it’s not ‘Kid’. My name is Sidra.”

  The front door flew open, and Lucky’s mouth just about hit the sidewalk when he saw the man who walked out, immediately recognizing him. Holy Shit!!! He watched as the man stooped down close to the little girl and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m sorry I can’t stay longer, but I hope you enjoy all the presents I brought you. Be good for your mama, okay?”

  Sidra nodded and stared at him hard, as if memorizing his features, but otherwise didn’t respond. Lucky’s heart went out to her. A movement behind her caught his eye. The woman from earlier stood in the doorway, now dressed in a short silk robe. ‘Sid the Kid’ looked just like her, so he knew when she grew up, she would be just as beautiful, if not more so. Hopefully, her eyes and mouth wouldn’t hold the bitterness and sadness that her mother’s did as she stared at the man and her daughter.

  Her eyes met Lucky’s for a brief moment, and he could see the heartbreak in them. She blinked, and it was replaced with defiance. “Come on back inside, baby. We don’t want to be late for granny’s party.”

  The man raised his head and locked eyes with the woman again. Although Lucky didn’t hear any words being exchanged, he knew they had played this scene out a thousand times before and would do it a thousand times more before ‘Sid the Kid’ was grown. Finally, with one last kiss on Sid’s forehead, he turned and hurried down the steps and she went back inside the house, leaving the door open for Sidra to follow.

  As the man approached the car, Lucky was ready. “Hello, sir. Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

  Grunting, the man ignored him and slid into the vehicle. Lucky shut the door behind him. Glancing back up at Sidra, he said “Thanks for everything, ‘Sid the Kid’! Hopefully, I’ll see you around.”

  She grinned, pleased with his nickname for her. “For sure, Lucky. Hopefully, your boss gets fired soon.” Sidra glanced back at the house before whispering loudly, “He sounds like a real d-i-c-k!”

  Lucky laughed out loud because she didn’t even know the half of it. “You got that right, Sid. You got that right.”

  Sidra refused to look back at the passenger section of the car, knowing that HE would be looking at her as the car pulled away. She refused to give him the satisfaction of showing that she felt anything for him. Thanks to him, her mama would be a wreck at the family gathering tonight. It would be up to Sidra to shine brightly, be more charming, sing and talk louder so that she would draw attention away from her mama. It was a trick she used because she knew tonight the gossipy busybodies from other branches of the family would be whispering in corners as they took in her mama’s sad state.

  With a sigh of resignation, she stood up from the steps, wiped her forehead clean and slowly walked into the house, bracing herself for her mama’s mood. After HE visited, Lena was always very emotional. She could be very clingy with Sidra, smothering her to death with affection or highly irritated and nothing Sidra did or said could make it right. This would go on for days, and just when things would start to go back to normal, HE would show up again, and the sick pattern would start all over again.

  She was exhausted already, thinking about the big performance she would have to put on tonight and just wanted to stay home. Her cousins would accuse her of being an attention hog, talk smack about her, and then refuse to play with her. What should have been the most wonderful time of the year had turned to crap for her as usual, and there wasn’t a darn thing she could do about it.

  Chapter One

  Washington D.C.

  Present…

  Casey Sullivan rolled over with his arm flung out in an attempt to pull his woman closer to him, but instead of her lithe, warm body, he got nothing because her side of the bed was empty. Slowly, he opened his eyes as the dawn’s early light filled his bedroom. The aroma of his favorite coffee, pecan praline, wafted through his home, and he could hear the shower running. With a yawn, he sat up and looked around, wondering why she was up so early. Casey grinned and shook his head at the scene before him. There were bright articles of clothing and shoes scattered everywhere, as well as his woman’s deejaying equipment. He remembered when he bought the condo and paid a pretty penny to have it designed in a sleek, minimal design because he didn’t like clutter. That seemed like a lifetime ago before he met the whirling dervish that was Sidra Jane Barton. Now, he couldn’t imagine his place without her stuff in it.

  He threw the covers back and strolled butt-naked to the bathroom. Casey pushed the door open and was enveloped in the steam from the shower. He relieved himself and flushed, chuckling when she yelped as the water temperature changed and screeched, “So not funny, Sullivan!”

  “Sorry, baby,” he called out with a grin as he unscrewed the toothpaste and spread some on his toothbrush. Casey stood in the front of the mirror and brushed his teeth as he enjoyed her silhouette reflection in the shower. He could see that tall, sexy body covered in skin the color of milk chocolate that was so smooth and perfect. She was lean and toned from years of kickboxing but curvy in all the right places. Her breasts were small but plump, fitting his hands perfectly. They were so full, they tipped up and were topped by nipples as dark as blackberries. He couldn’t get enough of them. Her ass was small, round, and full like a tight bubble, and her legs went on for days. The thought of those legs tangled with his as her sweet pussy squeezed him was enough to make his morning wood turn to a concrete block between his legs. Sidra might not know it, but she was about to serve him breakfast early.

  He spit and rinsed his mouth out before walking over to the shower and stepping in. “Mornin’, darlin’.”

  Sidra was already standing in the corner of the large stall with her hands on her head, clutching her shower cap. Although her eyes sparkled with interest as they slid over his body, her voice was threatening as she warned, “Do not play with me this morning, boy! I have a meeting in two hours, and I have my heart set on rocking this blowout.”

  “Uh-huh,” Casey drawled as his eyes roved over her body, and his heart overflowed with love for her. Sidra was sheer perfection, and he never tired of looking at her. From her perfectly-shaped oval face and those large, pretty brown eyes that held flecks of gold to that sassy, sexy mouth that knew him so well, Casey couldn’t get enough of her. “Did you kiss your man this morning?” At her teasing shake of her head, he mock-scowled and crooked his finger, “Get your ass over here, Sid.”

  Normally, Sidra would be spewing invitations for a fool to kiss
her ass at an order like that, but something about the way her man said it, let her know she would be the fool missing out if she didn’t obey, her breath catching as it always did when she looked at him. With his hooded hazel eyes, chiseled jaw covered in five o’clock shadow, deeply tanned skin, and tousled, thick, dirty blonde hair falling across his forehead, Casey was breathtaking, all six foot four inches of him. She moved into his familiar muscular arms and closed her eyes, reveling in his familiar and exciting touch as his firm, supple lips covered hers, and his tongue expertly explored her mouth. Sidra was instantly wet for this man who could set her body on fire with a simple look. Greedily, she pressed her body into his, relishing in the feel of his muscular frame against her body. Her hands slid downward, and she raked her nails across his firm ass. Casey growled into her mouth and bit her bottom lip as his hands moved up, causing her to break the kiss as her hands flew up again to her cap. “I’m not playing with you, babe. You’re like Maverick from “Top Gun” requesting the denied fly-by. Don’t you dare take it off!!”

  Casey laughed softly at her. It was true; he loved to get her hair wet and make her crazy enough to pounce on him, and he channeled that psychotic energy into something hotter, deeper, and wetter…

  “Mmmm, now that’s how you say good mornin’,” he groaned into her neck, addicted to the feel and taste of her as he licked the drops of water from her velvety skin, causing Sidra to clutch at him weakly as his tongue dragged against her sweet spot that really got her going. Casey chuckled as his hands cupped her breasts and plucked her rigid nipples deliciously and she cried out with pleasure. Slowly, he backed her under the water.

  “You’d better not, Casey-” Sidra’s warning was cut off by his lips as he ruthlessly dominated her mouth and lifted her into his arms, thrusting his swollen cock into her drenched heat. “Ohhhh, baby!”

  “That’s right, open up for me just like that,” Casey crooned as he surged into her pussy, and she clenched tightly around him. Sidra mewled in ecstasy, sucking at his bottom lip as his thickness filled her over and over again, torturing her g-spot as she readily received him, the euphoric feeling of an orgasm building inside of her as she clenched her muscles tightly around him and his face contorted with pleasure. “My pussy is sooo fuckin’ good! You love it, don’t you, darlin’? Lemme see you take this dick, sugar.”

  “Casey, I’m gonna cum,” Sidra moaned desperately into his ear as she frantically moved with him, but he stilled with her words. “Baby, please!”

  Casey ignored her shrill cry of need as he reached behind her and turned off the shower. Then he carried her out of the stall as she slowly rose and fell on his dick, their ragged breathing filling the room. Casey slowly lifted her off of his glistening shaft and lay her stomach first on the bed. Sidra assumed the position with her ass in the air and wiggled when she didn’t feel him. “Don’t you dare leave me hanging, Casey! Ohhhh!”

  “Hush it, Sid, or I’ll give you plenty more of that,” Casey warned as he leaned down and kissed the hand imprint on her ass before thrusting his cock balls deep inside of her, causing his eyes to roll back ecstatically at the feel of her tight pussy sucking him in. “You’re lucky we both got shit to do this mornin’ because I feel like givin’ it to you porn style in both holes...”

  He yanked the shower cap and wrap from her head and watched her shoulder-length hair tumble down, before wrapping it in his hand and pulling out of her only to plunge back in deeper and harder, as his thumb rubbed teasingly at her other puckered entrance. Casey tunneled in and out of Sidra’s mons as she clutched frantically at the sheets, loving the way he put it on her. Nothing and no one compared to this woman beneath him, and the urge to watch her lovely face as he fucked her was growing. Casey pulled out and rolled Sidra over, before plunging back in as her long legs circled his waist and trapped him in his own version of heaven. He loved the way her eyes glazed over and grew heavy with desire; she bit her lips trying to fight off her orgasm, and her skin grew damp with perspiration at the effort.

  Sidra moaned along with every savage thrust Casey gave as her pussy got slicker and slicker, and he captured a turgid nipple in his mouth. That tongue of his should be outlawed for the way he worked it, swirling around and laving her nipples before drawing them deep into the heat of his warm mouth. Christ, it was too much! Sex with this man had her wanting to go to church and testify to how good it was and confess how bad she’d sinned in the same sentence. Her hands slid into his hair and drew his head up, seeking his lips as she felt the pressure of her pending orgasm. “Baby, cum with me; please don’t make me wait! Caaasey!”

  “Never, love,” Casey breathed harshly as he too felt it in his balls. Sidra’s tongue slid into his mouth, and she clutched him to her tighter and tighter as her sex clamped down on him. He was drawn with her deep into the powerful vortex of their earth-shattering orgasm as they exploded together. “Holy shiiit!”

  When Sidra could finally catch her breath, she laughed tiredly and bit Casey’s shoulder. “Damn. Now that’s how you say good morning!”

  ***

  Sidra wheeled her roll-on luggage out of the bedroom and leaned against the kitchen counter, watching with admiration as Casey reviewed a file. His light gray suit fit him perfectly and was complemented by a white dress shirt and a tan and gray striped tie. His brogues were also light tan, and Sidra thought, not for the first time, that he’d make a great model for Ralph Lauren or J. Crew. He was so clean-cut but sexy at the same time that it drove her crazy. Only Sidra and his family knew how uncomfortable his good looks made him. Women made fools out of themselves to get his attention, and he’d been taunted with the “pretty boy” stigma since he was little. Casey hated any kind of fuss about his looks thanks to his asshole father’s verbal abuse and merciless teasing about his appearance.

  “What are you reading, babe?” she asked, taking a sip of her coffee and savoring the rich dark brew as she turned the television on to CBS. Ever since they became an official couple, Sidra had given up the frou-frou coffee drinks in lieu of Casey’s darker roast. She found it to be a time saver since due to her busy schedule of touring, Sidra didn’t want to waste a single moment standing in line waiting around for a cup of coffee when she could be snuggled up under him. Plus, he liked to share the cup with her, and they always drank from the same spot.

  “I’m just looking over this file again on Nate Sullivan,” Casey said with disgust. “I can’t help it! I still can’t believe he was out there the whole time and never made himself known. But I’m glad he didn’t because he wouldn’t have been welcomed with open arms. Knowin’ Jack, he woulda been run out of town.”

  Sidra stiffened at his words and couldn’t help herself from responding in the dead man’s defense. “It’s not really his fault. Did you ever think he might have been kept away deliberately? Judging from how cruel your father was, I don’t think he would have ever allowed his two lives to intersect.”

  “Well, what about after Patrick died?” Casey countered coolly, willing himself to not be irritated by her defense of his now deceased half-brother. “All the time he spent bein’ up to no good coulda been used redeemin’ himself, right?”

  “Yes, it could have been,” Sidra allowed tightly, “but again, you didn’t know his circumstances or what he was told. It was wrong of him to take advantage of people like he did, but for now, you should probably focus on how exciting it is to have not one but two wonderful nephews.”

  Casey searched her face. Although she appeared calm, he could sense her agitation in the way she held herself perfectly still and the way her eyes got all squinty. It was her newfound attempt at patience, which he appreciated tremendously. The old Sidra would have flown off the handle to voice her displeasure, but the new and improved Sidra was making an attempt for him and the next generation of Sullivans. There was turbulence lurking in her eyes that she was trying unsuccessfully to hide. He had the feeling that if he pushed the issue of Nate, the ‘old’ Sidra would make an appearance and come
out swinging. “How about we just agree to disagree on the subject? Besides, you’re right, and I do have two wonderful nephews to now spoil silly. If I can ever get close enough to them again.”

  Relieved, Sidra relaxed and walked over to Casey, offering him the coffee mug as she planted a lingering kiss on his lips. “You know, at first, I was mortified by the whole baby monitor thing, but I think we should now use it to our advantage and keep those over-attentive parents on their toes…”

  “Do I even wanna know?” Casey groaned as he took the cup and sipped from their spot before passing it back to her, amusement dancing in his eyes.

  Their attention was diverted by a vibrant, older black woman on television passionately arguing with Charlie Rose as Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King’s heads swiveled back and forth between them as if watching a tennis match.

  “Listen, Charlie, you can’t argue with facts. Men have two heads, but only one brain, and they hardly, if ever, move in sync with each other,” she said stubbornly, smoothing her dark feathered shag in place. “Hell, you have a better chance of a leprechaun on a unicorn with a pot of gold in its mouth showing up on your doorstep than THAT happening!”

  Charlie looked angry by her statement, and his disgusted tone confirmed it. “I hope I speak proudly for all men when I say that I find that kind of rhetoric highly offensive and precariously inflammatory, Ms. Woodrow. What if a man was spouting such idiotic nonsense about women and claiming YOUR sex was the weaker one?”

  The woman laughed long and hard at the question before daintily wiping her eyes with the tips of her fingernails. “Ooooh boy, that was a good one, Charlie! You keep telling jokes, and I’ll keep laughing! But the fact of the matter is, women are far superior to men! We bleed for three to five days every month and GROW people inside of us for nine months and then push said people out of a very, very small opening. Hell, we’re so strong that sometimes we don’t even need medication to do that. THEN, we make food from our bodies to nourish those people.” She smiled superiorly at him and gave Nora and Gail a wink. “A man can’t do any of that, let alone take pushing a tiny kidney stone out of his penis! All I’m saying is what I’ve been saying about men from the beginning. MEN. A-”