Cheeky Candy

By Mila Hart

Harrison is a stickler for the rules; a pretty face and knockout body won’t change his expectations. But Candace throws him off his game with brains and beauty...and a total lack of interest in Harrison.

When rumors of the new boss start to spread, Candace plans to keep her distance from the man who rules with an iron fist. However, when Harrison challenges her work and reprimands her publicly, she can’t keep her cool.

Will she draw him in with her sweet charm or freeze him out completely? It’s up to Harrison to either prove the rumors wrong or let things get sticky with Candy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mila Hart
• Release date: Mar 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463431924

Mila Hart

It all started with two whores...MILA HART writes cheeky, erotic quickies.We have a ton of amazingly sexy stories coming your way.STAY TUNED...

Book preview

CANDACE

Istared at the clock, barely able to keep my heavy eyelids open. The Jimmy Neutron face mocked me as it read 1:24 a.m.

I sighed. It had been seven hours since the work day ended, yet I still wasn’t done with the report. My head pounded with the remnants of a fever I’d had all week, and my face felt like it was going to explode at any second from the pressure. I cradled my head in my hands and tried to massage the pain away from under my eyes and on my temples. Thus far, I’d been unsuccessful.

All the guys had left hours ago. Thankfully, Carlton—bless his glasses-wearing soul—had come back with Chinese takeout before he had called it quits for the night. He felt sorry for me, even though there was nothing he could do to help. I’d been on the verge of passing out when I smelled the Kung Pao chicken—which was a feat in itself since I couldn’t breathe through my nose.

A few charts and a summary later, I was ready to e-mail my research findings to my lab supervisor. The sigh of relief that exited my mouth probably carried as many germs as it did sound, but since no one was here, it didn’t really matter how loud I was or who I infected. I still had a couple of hours before anyone would be back into the lab. Without any real time to go home to get some sleep, I put my head on my desk and watched Assassination Classroom for the umpteenth time on my computer. Anime would be the death of me. It was my guilty pleasure and my greatest secret.

The clatter of men coming through the office and into the lab jerked me back to a conscious state and out of dreamland. The drool on my arm clung to my lips and chin as I lifted my head. It took me a second to realize where I was, but once I had my wits about me, I sat up to clear the cogs. I was certain I needed a brush when I pushed my dark hair out of my face and pried those free from the saliva that had captured a few strands.

Bypassing the molecular sequencer and a handful of tables, I made an attempt at a covert escape to the lady’s room before anyone else saw me. There weren’t a lot of perks to being the only female in a male-dominated lab, but having a restroom to myself was one. The ladies in the office had on up front.

What little mascara I typically wore now underlined my eyes instead of thickening my lashes, and I wasn’t sure which looked worse—that or my hair. I splashed some water on my face then stared back at the mirror, wondering what to do with the tangled curls that decided to form an angry looking cloud on top of my head. My pale skin looked lighter than usual, probably from the football war paint streaked under my eyes to contrast with the milky white. Freckles dusted my nose and cheeks, but I’d long since given up trying to hide them. Somehow, they made my dark brown eyes pop, so I just went with it. I could, however, use some tinted lip gloss or major lipstick, because I looked like the zombie apocalypse had wiped me out, taking all my color with it.

With a little water and a lot of finger combing, I was able to ply my hair into a sleek ponytail and secure it with a hair tie I kept on my wrist. Why I hadn’t thought of that last night before it got unruly, I’d never know. Even my black, long-sleeved shirt didn’t appear quite so dirty after I’d dusted off the crumbs and took a wet paper towel to the Kung Pao sauce on the collar. The day was going to suck, and I’d make it through it on pure adrenaline—and lots of caffeine—but for now, I appeared somewhat presentable and less like something the cat dragged in.

Once more, I dug into my lab coat pocket to pull out a tin of Altoids. I popped a couple mints in my mouth, huffed into my palm for the smell test, and then walked out of the bathroom. Bad breath was not part of my repertoire.

A sea of white surrounded the stations in the labs as the guys had all resumed their posts for the day. And it didn’t take long to find Carlton and Garrison at the lab table, reviewing the test results we’d run yesterday and my reports.

Good Morning, Candace. I see your night was quite splendid, right? I’m assuming you pulled an all-nighter at the lab and not in a bar. Garrison didn’t hide the playful gleam in his eyes. He also knew I’d been sick for days, and the last place I would have been had I not been behind at work was at a bar.

Why don’t you tell us what life in the fast lane is like, Garrison? I struggled not to sneeze on him. Remind me of how fast the climb was to the peak. I winked. I wasn’t willing to be outdone by a D&D nerd.

Damn Garrison, how fast was it? And how does Candace know? Poor Carlton didn’t have a clue. He was the nerd in the group of nerds who were typically outshined by his buddy Garrison. Although, I adored them both.

Shut up, man. Being with a woman is different from playing with yourself in the shower…at your mom’s house. Garrison, on the other hand, was at the top of the nerd food chain. Candace just wants more of this. He dragged his hands down his sides to indicate he thought of himself as the perfect specimen.

Oh please, the closest I’ve ever come to that— I waved my hands at his body just before I sneezed into my elbow—is standing next to you at a microscope. I giggled and rolled my eyes. "Go play with your board toys at your mom’s house." Ironically, both men still lived at home with their mothers with no plan to leave in the near future, but I didn’t bother to mention how unattractive that is at thirty years old to members of the opposite sex. Neither man stood a chance with the female persuasion as it was.

I’ll have you know, those things cost a fortune. Garrison turned to walk away and after taking a step he called back over his shoulder. And my apartment has its own entrance on the side of the house. Like that somehow changed that he still lived at his mother’s address.

I rolled my eyes at him, wondering what I’d do without these two idiots in this place. Despite being king turd on nerd hill, they were both great guys with huge hearts, which was the real reason neither of them were taken—they were too nice.

Carlton pushed his dark-rimmed glasses up his nose, a nervous habit I found endearing. But on a serious note, are you sure you’re okay? You don’t look like you feel any better, and you’re not going to get any better without rest. The guy was a total sweetheart. You could leave early today and catch up on some sleep.

I’ll be fine, Carlton. It’s nothing a strong cup of coffee can’t fix long enough to get me through the day. I did my best to give him a reassuring smile, but I wasn’t certain I pulled it off.

Garrison hadn’t gone far, and as soon as there was a break in the conversation, he piped up again. Candace, have you heard?

I didn’t shout back since he was within spitting distance, not that I spit on him to make that determination, either. Instead of Phlegm Olympics, I raised my brows to wait for his news.

We’re getting a new lab supervisor. Garrison was worse than any female I’d ever known about gossip. He was the churner in the rumor mill and made sure those who needed to know always knew—even if it wasn’t accurate. Although, ninety-nine percent of the time, he was spot on. And he was a walking calendar for employee birthdays. It was a little odd and occasionally cute.

Really? I didn’t have a clue where our fearless leader would be going. Sandy hasn’t been here that long.

Yeah. Garrison continued to talk while he worked; I’d never know how he concentrated while having a conversation. He put the test tubes he was messing with down and jotted something on a piece of paper. Word on the street is that Mr. Sanderson was transferred to one of the other branches, and we’ll be getting a new boss soon.

Mr. Sanderson—or Sandy as I liked to call him behind his back—had been great to work with. As long as our projects remained on track and our reports were handed in on time, he didn’t really interact with us. He spent most of his time pulling in funding for our projects. I’d always thought he was in the wrong position for his skill set, but no one asked me.

Interesting.

Carlton nudged my shoulder and waggled his brow as if my one word response had been seductive. Fraternization in the workplace is frowned upon, Candace. He winked, using my words against me when I’d turned down dates with every one of my lab mates.

I shrugged. I hadn’t even met the guy, much less seen him, but eye candy never hurt anyone…not that I knew he was good looking…or a he. Having a little something nice to look at never hurts. The days here can get long.

Carlton clutched his chest and stumbled back a step in feigned disappointment and wounded pride. Oh, and we’re not pretty enough for nerdy Candy, right?

Nah, she’s been blinded by our good looks. Garrison really was a good-looking guy if