Clueless (Pier 70, 5) Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Nicole Edwards Book list

  Copyright

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  E-book

  Acknowledgments

  About Nicole Edwards

  Nicole Edwards on Google Play

  CLUELESS

  Pier 70, 5

  NICOLE EDWARDS

  Alluring Indulgence Series

  Kaleb

  Zane

  Travis

  Holidays with the Walker Brothers

  Ethan

  Braydon

  Sawyer

  Brendon

  The Walkers of Coyote Ridge Series

  Curtis

  Jared

  Hard to Hold

  Hard to Handle

  Beau

  Austin Arrows Series

  Rush

  Kaufman

  Club Destiny Series

  Conviction

  Temptation

  Addicted

  Seduction

  Infatuation

  Captivated

  Devotion

  Perception

  Entrusted

  Adored

  Distraction

  Dead Heat Ranch Series

  Boots Optional

  Betting on Grace

  Overnight Love

  Jared

  Devil’s Bend Series

  Chasing Dreams

  Vanishing Dreams

  Office Intrigue Series

  Office Intrigue

  Intrigued Out of the Office

  Their Rebellious Submissive

  Their Famous Dominant

  Their Ruthless Sadist

  Pier 70 Series

  Reckless

  Fearless

  Speechless

  Harmless

  Clueless

  Sniper 1 Security Series

  Wait for Morning

  Never Say Never

  Tomorrow’s Too Late

  Southern Boy Mafia/Devil’s Playground Series

  Beautifully Brutal

  Without Regret

  Beautifully Loyal

  Without Restraint

  Standalone Novels

  Unhinged Trilogy

  A Million Tiny Pieces

  Inked on Paper

  Bad Reputation

  Bad Business

  Naughty Holiday Editions

  2015

  2016

  Nicole Edwards Limited

  PO Box 806

  Hutto, Texas 78634

  Copyright © Nicole Edwards, 2018

  All rights reserved.

  This is a self-published title.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  CLUELESS – A Pier 70 novella is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locals is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Image: © Wander Aguiar

  Cover Models: Kaz Vander & Rachel B.

  Cover Design: © Nicole Edwards Limited

  Editing: Blue Otter Editing

  ISBN (ebook): 978-1-939786-96-8

  ISBN (print): 978-1-939786-95-1

  Romance

  Mature Audiences

  One

  How Milly met Gannon

  Eleven years ago

  Millicent “If you call me Millicent, I’ll break your nose” Holcomb wasn’t sure what she was thinking when she answered the ad for an administrative assistant position. Perhaps it was a moment of insanity.

  Or sheer desperation.

  Yeah. Probably the latter.

  She’d applied at every retail business she’d come across with no luck, so she had moved on to administrative work. And she found an up-and-coming gaming company of all things.

  For heaven’s sake, she wanted a career in fashion, and based on the looks of the kids—because they couldn’t be more than eighteen if they were a day—sprawled out in the tiny box of an office, she knew she was as far from a Paris runway as she could possibly get.

  Seriously. The sheer volume of khaki pants should’ve been outlawed. Not to mention all the T-shirts with Star Trek references.

  Then again, if she didn’t want to move back in with her dad, which she absolutely did not, and she wanted to eat, which she definitely did, Milly knew she had to do something. This was her last chance before she broke down and applied at a fast-food restaurant. It wasn’t that she was above working a cash register or cooking food, but she wasn’t sure which was worse, hanging out with this group of tech nerds or wearing a hair net and asking if you wanted fries with that.

  “Millicent?”

  Milly cringed, digging her nails into her palm as she forced a smile and looked up. The king of gaming nerds was standing there, staring at her. The guy was handsome, she’d give him that. In a hot-nerd sort of way. It was the glasses, she decided. Those added that studious appeal.

  He took a second to push the black-rimmed spectacles up on his nose before lifting one dark eyebrow.

  Right. He was waiting for her to respond.

  “Milly,” she answered, getting to her feet.

  Why had she worn the four-inch pumps again?

  The man held out his hand and Milly returned the gesture, slipping her fingers into his firm grip.

  Instantly she knew the extra effort she’d put into getting dressed for this interview was for naught. Her gaydar was shrieking loudly in her head.

  Nope. She hadn’t needed any additional lip gloss and mascara this morning, because this guy did not care one way or the other that she’d had her roots touched up or that red was a good color for her.

  Then again, Milly was as professional as the next twenty-two-year-old wannabe fashion designer. If nothing else, her appearance would help to put him at ease and possibly make him believe she was cut out for … whatever he would need her to do.

  “Gannon Burgess,” he said by way of introduction.

  “Nice to meet you.”

  He nodded slightly, then motioned toward a small cubicle on the far side of the room. “Don’t mind the mess. We just moved in here a few weeks ago. Still getting it all set up.”

  Milly peered around.

  She would admit that she knew absolutely nothing about the gaming industry. According to the expensive equipment scattered about, gracing the surface of every secondhand desk and duct-tape-doctored chair, it was clear where the money was spent.

  “It’s a nice place,” she lied easily, forcing another smile.

  Gannon pushed his glasses up on his nose as he turned to face her. “Yeah? I was thinking it was a step above a cardboard box in the back alley, but what do I know?”

  That earned a choked laugh from her, and for the first time since she’d woken up that morning, Milly felt some of the tension in her shoulders ease. “Okay, yes. You’d probably find more high-end furnishings by staking out the Walmart back alley, in fact.”

  Oops. Had she really said that out loud?

  “I’ll
keep that in mind,” he chuckled, turning back toward the cubicle. “Maybe that can be your first duty.”

  “Don’t underestimate my dumpster-diving abilities, Mr.—” She racked her brain to remember what he’d said his last name was. Ah, crap.

  “Call me Gannon, please.”

  “Gannon,” she muttered, assigning the name to memory.

  “As a rule, I underestimate no one. It’s the safest way not to find yourself booted out on your ass,” he said beneath his breath.

  Milly figured there was a story there, but since she really wanted this job, she quelled her curiosity for the time being. If she was lucky and this geeky gamer decided to hire her, she’d have plenty of time to play Twenty Questions.

  “So, can you tell me about your experience?” he prompted, taking a seat in the worn leather chair that sat behind a scarred metal desk. It was like the ones that every teacher in her high school had sat behind.

  Milly lowered herself into the hard side chair, praying that the stain on the back did not rub off on her white jacket.

  “It says here that you have administrative experience.”

  Milly crossed her legs and rested her hands on her knees, grinning. “If you call answering phones at a nail salon an administrative position, then yes, I’ve got all the experience you could possibly want.”

  The man studied her.

  Although she’d been nervous when she woke up this morning, this guy quickly put her at ease. For one, he wasn’t staring at her chest like he wanted to go diving in her cleavage and spend a week swimming in the depths. And two, he seemed to be as nervous about this interview as she was.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly is it you’re looking for?” she asked, trying to relax her shoulders yet still look somewhat professional.

  His left eyebrow did a little lift/tilt thing that she found endearing. “I honestly wish I knew.”

  Milly couldn’t help but smile. “Would it require me to answer phones?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m good with phones.” Adding a slightly breathless quality to her tone, Milly said, “Thanks for calling…” She peered around briefly, looking for anything that would tell her the name of the company. Quickly waving it off, she continued, “How may I direct your call?” She smiled. “Oh, you’d like to talk to Gannon? Yeah. Well, he’s busy playing games right now, but I’m sure when he’s finished, he’ll be happy to return your call so you can chat about … game stuff.”

  Gannon leaned back in his chair, grinning from ear to ear. “You’re hired.”

  Milly’s eyebrows shot up into her hairline. “What if I have more questions for you?”

  Gannon’s smile dropped like a rock. “Do you?”

  She shook her head. “No.” Milly turned up the dial on her grin. “I’ll take it.”

  With a laugh, Gannon leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. “Good. When can you start?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “Perfect. Because I’ve got plenty of stuff from yesterday that I haven’t gotten to yet.”

  “Really?”

  He looked contrite. “You have no idea what you got yourself into.”

  Milly laughed. “I could say the exact same to you, Gannon.”

  Two

  How Milly and AJ met

  May 29, 2016

  AJ Ballard stepped into the banquet room, his eyes searching the masses to find someone he recognized. There weren’t many, but he hadn’t expected there to be. He was his brother Hudson’s plus one at this shindig, which meant he was the odd man out.

  It only took a minute to locate Hudson, who was standing by the wall, his eyes locked on someone across the way. With a grin, AJ headed for the bar and asked for two glasses of water. When the bartender passed them over, he offered his thanks, then marched over to the big, brooding man in the corner.

  “Hey, bro. What’s up?”

  Hudson’s eyes cut over to him briefly.

  They’d boarded the ship roughly an hour before and rather than race down to join the festivities, AJ had opted for a shower. He fully expected this trip to be full of activities because Hudson had already told him Gannon’s best friend/assistant was in charge and she wasn’t one to have everyone sitting around on their thumbs. Being that he was hoping to get a little downtime out of this cruise, AJ figured he’d take it where he could.

  And now here he was, in a room filled with strangers, all of them there to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of Cam Strickland and Gannon Burgess, who would be wed in just a few short days.

  AJ held up the two glasses of water—he wasn’t much for drinking, and neither was his brother—allowing Hudson to take one.

  “You good?” AJ cast a curious glance at his brother, wondering why the frown.

  As usual, Hudson answered with a simple nod before sipping his drink. The man might’ve thought he could pull one over on AJ, but he knew better. His little brother—if thirty-five years old could be considered little—couldn’t hide shit from him. Especially not when it came to his interest in one particular blond Hudson worked with.

  “So, where’s this boy toy of yours?” he asked just to get a rise out of Hudson.

  It worked. His brother flipped him off. He hadn’t expected anything less. Considering his brother was mute and couldn’t speak, his hands did all his talking for him.

  When it was obvious he wasn’t going to get anything more from Hudson, AJ grinned. “Okay, fine. My turn.” AJ’s gaze strayed across the room until he located the sexy blonde he’d noticed talking to Cam, the owner of the marina Hudson worked at, a few minutes ago. “Who’s the blonde? She single?”

  Hudson’s head snapped toward him, his eyes widening as he quickly jerked his head from side to side. AJ got the distinct feeling he wasn’t answering, per se.

  “What does that mean? She’s not single?”

  After setting his glass on a nearby table, Hudson started signing a response. You do not want to mess with Milly.

  “Milly, huh?” He peered over at her again, admiring the pretty blonde in the sexy red sundress that showcased her tanned legs and her toned arms. Her hair was piled up on her head in some fancy knot, and her eyes crinkled when she laughed. She was, by far, the most beautiful woman in the room. “Interesting name.”

  He wondered what it was short for. Unless it was simply an off-the-wall nickname, there were only a few possibilities. Of course, he could only think of one, but the woman did not look like a Mildred. Not at all.

  AJ turned back to his brother when Hudson punched him in the arm.

  No, not interesting. Nothing about her is interesting. Leave her alone.

  AJ laughed. “Since it seems to me that you’re trying to warn me away from her, I’m gonna assume she’s single.”

  Not warning you away from her. Her away from you.

  “Oh, come on.” It’d been a long damn time since a woman had caught his attention the way Milly had. For whatever reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Every move she made seemed oddly erotic in nature, calling to him on a completely cellular level.

  Now he had to figure out how to introduce himself without coming on too strong. If he was lucky, and she wasn’t too busy, perhaps they could spend some quality time together while they were stranded on this ship for the next seven days.

  Hudson elbowed him, then signed: Seriously.

  “I promise, I’ll be good,” AJ assured him. “Plus, it looks to me like you’ve got someone who could keep you pretty busy if you’d stop pretending you didn’t want to bang his brains out.”

  AJ walked away on that note, not waiting to get a retort from Hudson. He knew his brother was fighting every urge inside him when it came to the man who worked alongside him at Pier 70. AJ had known for a while that Hudson was interested in Teague Carter, but for some reason, he was fighting it.

  While Hudson might have all the time in the world to hold out, AJ didn’t. At the ripe young age of thirty-seven, AJ wasn’t getting any younger.r />
  Figuring now was as good a time as any to congratulate the couple gearing up for their nuptials, AJ headed toward them.

  Cam noticed him first, a smile on his face as AJ approached.

  “Glad you could make it, AJ,” he greeted. “You’ve met Gannon.”

  AJ shook Gannon’s hand. “Good to see you again.”

  “Likewise,” Gannon stated. His face had a slight green tinge to it, and AJ had to wonder if he was experiencing motion sickness.

  Cam continued, “And this is Gannon’s assistant, Milly Holcomb.”

  “That’s all I am?” she said with a huff. “Here I was thinking I was his best friend, the one who keeps him in line, who ensures he goes where he needs to go when he needs to go there. And most importantly, the woman ultimately responsible for the two of you getting together.” Her eyes widened. “Shall I go on?”

  Cam chuckled. “Not necessary.” He peered back at AJ. “AJ, this is Milly.”

  Unable to resist, AJ turned his full attention on the beautiful, sassy blonde. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Milly.”

  Her smile was radiant, transforming her from beautiful to downright gorgeous. Those ruby-red lips beckoned him to step closer, but he fought the urge. He’d just met her, after all.

  “Likewise,” she said sweetly, a gleam in her bright blue eyes. “I hear you’re Hudson’s plus one?”

  “That I am,” he admitted. “What kind of brother would I be if I refused to accompany him on a cruise to the Bahamas?”

  “There are certainly worse things,” she teased.

  True. When Hudson had originally asked, AJ thought for sure the man was kidding. But, come to find out, Hudson had been serious about bringing him along, so here he was.

  “Is it your first time on a ship?” she asked.

  Cam caught AJ’s eye, nodding his head as he took Gannon’s hand and slipped away while Milly was otherwise preoccupied.

  “No,” AJ said seamlessly. “And hopefully not my last, either. I tend to go at least once every couple of years.”

  “A man of the world?”

  “You could say that,” AJ admitted with a smirk, enjoying the way Milly’s eyes casually raked over him.