© Carey Decevito, 2013

Hey guys!  If you haven't read Once Written, Twice Shy or Almost Forgotten you might want to back up a bit and read them. Play Me to Infinity is the 3rd book in The Broken Men Chronicles series.  Enjoy!

Prologue

I sat at Fairfax, checking out the flavors of the evening while unwinding from a grueling day at the office.  It was slim pickings in the crowd but the night was still young.

Sitting in the back corner at a table by herself, I spotted her — Nicole.

I wondered what her problem was.

I’d helped my brother-in-law, Jake, with her and the woman had warmed to him but she now had a gun out for me.

Okay, so you’ve surmised that I’m single, perhaps even a player and you’re somewhat right.

I enjoy my bachelorhood… sort of.  I wouldn’t say that it’s the lifestyle I’d chosen for myself, more like one chosen for me thanks to my ex-fiancée.

I’d loved Tracey with everything I had but it hadn’t been enough.  Nothing ever was with that woman.

She trolled for men and snagged them with a flip of her hair, a wiggle of her tight ass, or a batting of her lashes.  The woman was poison and despite the warnings from numerous friends, I lived by the “denial is bliss” adage until I couldn’t deny reality any longer.

After six months of dealing with her deceit, I figured I was better off shredding my devoted fiancé card and moved on.

I’ve been playing the field for a year and a half since.

Truth be told, I don’t have time for a relationship as much as I’d prefer one.  I’m the CEO of Withers International, a multi-billion dollar company that specialized in public and government relations.  Need I say more for lack of time?

“Rough day?” Ben asked, knocking me back into the present as he dropped himself in the seat across from me.

“Rough few months is more like it.”  I huffed out a breath.  “I need a new assistant.”

The man’s brows furrowed.  “You still haven’t gotten rid of Karen?”

“Tania,” I corrected him on a chuckle.  I didn’t have the gall to look at him because I knew I’d be met with his look of disapproval.  As of late, there was quite the revolving door where my PA’s were concerned.

“Why do this to yourself?”

Okay, so I may have overstepped the whole boundaries on employer-employee relations.  In my defense, they were the ones who’d approached me, not the other way around.

Ben shook his head at me.  “It’s ridiculous!  Man, Tracey really did fuck you up.”

I took a swig from my beer and let out a loud tension-filled sigh while leaning my bottle toward my best friend.  “You don’t know the half of it.”

It was late and despite the fact that I’d made it out tonight, my interest in entertaining a possible suitor to cap off my day, was lost.

What about Little Nikki?  As soon as the thought occurred, I almost choked on my last sip of beer.  I would have to be desperate — no — insane to even approach that man-eater.

Despite my intent on ignoring the woman who’d been eying daggers at me all night, I turned my gaze toward the table she had been sitting at to find that she was no longer there.

Nicole was a beautiful woman and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t remember much about her from our childhood.  Harassing her and my sister back in the day had been one of mine and Ben’s favorite pastimes.  In later years however, she became skittish, always quick to leave the room as soon as I entered it.  The teenager I’d been had always wondered about her school-girl crush and I have to say that I enjoyed cornering her to see that blush of hers climb her features, especially that last summer before Mom and Dad picked up and moved us all to Austin.

Shaking the memories from my mind, I left my empty bottle on the table.  As I turned to leave, I plowed into a tiny body with soft edges.  Bracing my hands on the soft skin of slim shoulders to prevent the person from toppling over, I found myself staring down into bright green pools laced with flames that were Nicole’s eyes.

What color do they take on when she’s in the throes of passion?  I groaned at the imagery that flashed through my mind.  Forget it, bud, there’s no way in hell that you want to go there.

“Watch where you’re going.”

 “Sorry,” I mumbled, my voice a few octaves lower than normal.

“D-do you mind moving?”

I smirked at her unsettled demeanor.  “Do I make you nervous, Little Nikki?”

I finally let go of her shoulders and she stepped back.

“No,” she gave me a saccharine smile but her eyes showed mischievousness, “you make me nauseous.  Get out of my way.”

As she made to pass me, I grasped her elbow.  “You know,” I started, “if you’re ever looking for someone to help you get that stick out of your ass, I’m all yours.”

The claws came out.  “Bite me!”

“I’d love to, sugar,” I said, grinning when her face turned a delightful shade of pink.  Yes, that blush was still as much fun now to bring about as it was back in the day.

As quick as our interaction occurred, it ended when she turned and trotted off.

I looked back, let out a low whistle as I watched those hips sway in that skirt of hers.  Her rounded ass filled the material to perfection and images of that luscious derrière, bent over as I took her from behind began playing in my head.

Damn!  Too bad she’s as cold as ice.

I headed home.

I came to a stop in front of my large four-bedroom house and sighed.  Purchased to avoid the cramped lofts and high-rise condos, it was a constant reminder of the dream I once had of a home filled with kids and a woman to worship.  Aside from my abode, all I had to look forward to now was the cold beer in my fridge, my comfortable furniture, and a house filled with silence.

Silence — it was always there when you didn’t want it and never there when you needed it.

Over the last eighteen months, I kept my new façade intact, my machismo held close to the vest in an effort to mask that I was a family man to the core.  Being honest, I was miserable and there were no two ways about it.  I was lonely.

Maybe it’s time to take a chance?  It had been two years after all.

Danica, Jake and so many others all disagree with my casual dating but for the most part, they also understood.  All of them with the exception of my sister’s judgmental best friend, Nicole.

So why wasn’t I going for it?

The answer was simple: I was scared.

But was being miserable worth it at the price of being scared?

Something told me no.