Marit couldn’t have been more thrilled with Julian’s fit in the store had she handpicked the man herself. He was quick and efficient and already extremely popular with the ladies. The older men didn’t mind him either as they tested his knowledge and were pleased when he’d give them the chance to teach him a thing or two.

  It was already Saturday, the end of her four days of work which meant it was the end of Julian’s first week as well. When the doors to her store opened, Marit didn’t even need to look up to know that it was Julian walking in the room.

  Trish, her lead cashier in the morning, a twenty-something with the only ambition for the day was making money to pay for her makeup and clothes, couldn’t keep her eyes or hands off of the man the entire time he worked. Bubbling and blond, she bounced off after the tall muscled man despite the fact that she needed to be at her machine.

  Sighing, Marit looked up and watched the interaction with annoyance. “Want me to tell her to back off that he’s yours?” Andrea whispered in her ear.

  Flicking a glance at her cousin, Marit shook her head and handed the papers over for her cousin to sign as a witness. Andrea didn’t work at the store full time, but she was still on the books for whenever Marit needed her to fill in shifts. Granted, she only worked for her, but whatever, life wasn’t always fair for everyone else.

  “He’s not mine.”

  “Sure. That’s why he didn’t even give me a second glance and got pissy with me being around.”

  Marit’s brow dipped. “He wasn’t pissy. And he greeted you just like he did me.”

  “HA!” Andrea flipped her hair back over her shoulder and popped her hip out with a finely manicured hand braced on it. The classic Pearce women stance. “Please. That man was relieved when I left. He likes you.” Turning to look at the short blond pouring herself all over Julian’s muscled chest, eventually Marit admitted to herself that the cashier was seriously pushing her boundaries.

  They would never allow a man to put himself all over a female coworker like that. “Go get her tiger!” Andrea whispered, swatting Marit on the butt as she moved out from behind the customer service desk.

  Jumping slightly at the swat to her behind, Marit shook it off and made her way to the clearly uncomfortable man and the unyielding female throwing herself at him. “So, it’s Saturday night. Would you like to get a drink with me tonigh… Oh hey boss.”

  Marit’s brow shot up at the casual greeting, and when she motioned to what was clearly going on between the two, Trish pealed herself from Julian’s black button up shirt. “You need to go sign out of your register for your replacement. She’s been waiting for you for five minutes, Trish. Then head home. No hanging out at the shop today.” That girl was a walking hazard for every male libido in there and that was bad for business.

  There was a look of displeasure that crossed the young woman’s face, but a stern gaze from MArit halted any protests and sent the younger woman strutting off to her register. “Sorry. I should have said something earlier. We don’t tolerate that behavior from men and we certainly shouldn’t tolerate it from women. It shouldn’t have happened, if you would like to make a complaint…”

  “Marit. It’s fine.” Julian’s gaze was sincere as he met his colleague’s and when she attempted to question him more in depth, he took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Really. Don’t worry about it.” He appreciated her stance on sexual harassment, but he was a man that didn’t feel unnerved by such actions. If a man did to Marit what Trish had just done to him though, he would have laid the guy out on the pretty white tiled floor at their feet.

  “Ok.” She was tired, otherwise she would have fought him a bit more. Instead it was best to just accept his acceptance for her lack of involvement at the beginning. With a deep breath, she held her hand out for his papers.

  “No , no!” Julien teased, dancing out of her way to head toward the customer service desk. “I’m a big boy now, I can turn these in to Andrea for filing.”

  “Yeah yeah. Get over here, I leave in five minutes.” The brunette shouted out from behind the customer service desk at Julian.

  Marit smirked and made her way to the register to sign off on the switch while Trish made her way to the desk to give her drawer to Andrea. One look of clear death later from said brunette, and Trish was gone out of the front door the moment the clock struck three.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Thanks.” Julian murmured to Andrea while they quietly completed their tasks.

  Andrea turned her dark gaze up to the tall man and smiled. Oh yeah. He liked her cousin for sure. “No problem. You want someone out of your hair, come to me. Also… if you want someone in your hair,” Her head jerked in the direction of her cousin, “come to me too.”

  While Julian knew that he certainly didn’t need help getting a woman, what he could tell about Marit was that if he wanted to go farther with her than just the pleasant conversation and excellent company he may actually need a bit of guidance. “I’ll let you know.” He muttered, catching a look of displeasure on Marit’s face as a woman who looked the spitting image of her though older, began to speak with her.

  The woman’s voice rose in pitch as Marit clearly denied her something she wanted. Julian was quick to deduce that while they looked a lot alike, they acted nothing like the other. “Is that?” Judge Pearce? She certainly looked different out of her robe.

  Andrea sighed and put the drawer in the back room safe. “Marit’s mother. Aunt Mabel. Probably trying to set her up on a date. Again.” The smaller woman rolled her eyes before sighing, “I’ll get her out of this.”

  “No.” Julian’s hand shot out to land on her shoulder, stopping Andrea from leaving the desk. Before anything more could be said, Julian approached the two women and stunned them both with his interruption.

  **

  “Baby.”

  “No mom.”

  “But baby. I saw him at the courthouse when I stopped by to check my log for the morning. He said he’d like to see you.” Mabel Pearce was nothing if not persistent, but her daughter had acquired a stubborn streak that was her match.

  Marit wasn’t the least bit interested in Westin Reynolds. They had gone on a few dates in her early twenties and it ended after his ex wanted to get back together. He had been nice enough and their dates were perfectly respectable, but there was only so much she could listen to about life at the courthouse. After all, she lived with her mother.

  Then a few years after that he had broken up with her again, and they had gone out for a few months. Again, pleasant enough company and Marit had decided it was ‘now or never’ for her virginity so she had foolishly decided ‘now’. It was the most ridiculous experience of her life.

  For a man she didn’t even care much for, he made her feel self conscious about her appearance and had requested her to not face him. When she told him it was her first time he gave in to her wants, but not once did he look at her. He barely touched her.

  It had been humiliating and uncomfortable. He barely paid her any mind, but at least used lube to ease the entry of his more than ready cock. Oh, he had spent time to show her what to do to him, but her pleasure was not considered. Once it was over and she had had time to assess it, Marit found that she felt dirty and used. It was nothing like her cousins had described and for a few months she had lied through her teeth about it.

  She broke off all contact with Westin, claiming he had once again gone back to his ex when it was Marit who had dropped him. Andrea was the only person to officially know about it, though she knew that her cousin had told the other two because they had never treated Westin nicely again.

  That was one thing she could count on. Her family. If anyone hurt her, her cousins would find a way to make them regret it. From time to time, Westin would still come around, completely oblivious to her disinterest and she would turn him down with some sort of lame excuse.

  Most girls thought her crazy because he was good looking with that head full of ash blond hair tucked up in a ball cap, and big brown eyes that made you feel like you could be swallowed up by them. Underneath his fake smile he was a self centered jackass and Marit had no desire to travel that road again.

  “No way mom. I have plans.” Marit lied through her teeth, starting to walk away when she noticed that Julian was heading her way. The moment he stopped in front of her, Marit opened her mouth to bid him farewell for the day but he cut her off instead.

  “Hi Marit. I know you’re leaving and I have to head back, but I was just checking to make sure you are still ok with our plans for tonight.” Oh thank you Jesus!

  If Marit were brave enough she would kiss the man. Her mother however seemed unimpressed. “Mr. Hollis.”

  “Hello Judge Pearce.” The older woman’s gaze was anything but kind as she raked him over with a chiding look. Clearly she was unimpressed with his audacity to interrupt her conversation with her daughter.

  Turning away from the woman and back to the blushing Marit, Julian lit up his smile and waited for her answer. “Uh. Yes of course.”

  “Great. I’ll pick you up at 6.” With a quick kiss to her cheek for added effect, Julian bid Judge Pearce a good afternoon and left a very stunned Marit in his wake.

  The spot his lips that had touched on her cheek was like a fire brand into her skin. He just…

  Glancing up, Marit could see Andrea’s excited face before she ducked into the office and out of the line of fire. Her mother was hardly pleased.

  “Baby.” Here we go.

  A deep breath of exasperation left her mother’s lungs before the berating started. “Look, that boy isn’t from here. He’s… well he’s a handsome man.”

  Damn right he was. Hell, if she could get away with thinking it without wanting to stutter her way through a conversation with him every time they came in contact with one another, she would say he was walking sex. He smelled good, dressed good, and boy were those blue eyes of his trouble.

  He was exactly the type of man author’s wrote romance novels about that made women go weak in the knees. And somehow she had made it through a week of getting to know him. Which meant they were undoubtedly…

  Friends.

  That shining ray of hope that had begun to shine in her negative mind set was promptly snuffed out as reality set back in. They were friends, because that’s all she ever was to any man she would ever possibly, remotely be interested in.

  Still, he had saved her from a date she didn’t want to go to and that was something. She was beyond grateful for that. “I’m aware mom. A man like that would never be interested in me. I’m not that pretty girl guys like Julian go for.” Marit summed up, having heard the speech enough to last her a lifetime despite her cousins’ attempts to tell her otherwise.

  Turning to meet her mother’s gaze, she muttered a parting word and turned to go back to the office. Andrea was waiting for her, but she didn’t have it in her to entertain the other woman’s exuberance over something that was just a kind gesture.

  Picking up the office phone she waited until a deep masculine voice rang out over the line.