Autumn's Coming: An Alpha Older Man and BBW Romance (Seasons of Seduction Book 4) Read online

  Autumn’s Coming

  Seasons of Seduction

  Book 4

  Copyright

  First Edition, May 2019

  Copyright © 2019 by Adele Niles

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and situations are the product of the author's imagination.

  All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written consent from the author.

  License

  This book is available exclusively on Amazon.com. If you found this book for free or from a site other than an Amazon.com country specific website it means the author was not compensated for this book and you have likely obtained this book through an unapproved distribution channel.

  Table of Contents

  Autumn's Coming

  Copyright

  No Regrets

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  About This Book

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  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  To The Top

  Chapter One

  Also by Adele Niles

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  About This Book

  Autumn’s Coming

  The last place Autumn Jenkins ever imagined herself to be was standing on a stage at a strip club and swinging from a pole, especially when she only signed up to be a waitress and make a few tips. But when Autumn finds herself hiding behind a mask and face to face with a sexy stranger, she gets more than she bargained for.

  Cody Gray is all business. He takes what and who he wants to continue his success in life and business. When he finds himself blowing off some steam at a friend’s bachelor party he doesn’t expect to be intrigued by a curvy masked beauty dangling from a pole, especially when it turns out to be his star student.

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  Chapter One

  Autumn

  This wasn’t going to cut it.

  I’d busted my ass at the pub last night, and then I’d only walked away with fifty bucks in tips.

  It wasn’t my fault when people didn’t like their food, but they still took it out on me. Did they know they were affecting my ability to make rent?

  Or did they just not give a shit?

  Sitting on the floor with Jessie while she counted stacks of tens and twenties next to my crumpled-up ones and fives, was even more disheartening.

  I sighed, watching Jessie arrange her bills into neat stacks.

  It had to beat least five hundred.

  She lifted her head, looking up at me with a tired smile.

  I’d spent a lot of my life looking down on strippers, but now that I lived with Jessie, I understood—sex workers busted their asses, too, sometimes in less-than-ideal conditions. They deserved the money they earned, every cent of it.

  Honestly, if I had the body for it, I would’ve turned to stripping, too. But I was too curvy, and probably too tall, and definitely not a good enough dancer to turn anybody on the way Jessie and her coworkers probably did.

  She was so gorgeous, anyway—petite, with long brown hair and eyes that were almost black and a stunning tan complexion. And her face was cute. She drove men wild, and even though I wasn’t into girls, I could see why.

  She sighed as she put her last bill in the stack.

  I couldn’t help it—I was a glutton for punishment. “How’d you do?”

  She nodded. “It was a pretty good night. Five hundred and twelve.”

  God.

  I looked at my own pile of money and sighed. “I made fifty-three.”

  Jessie’s eyebrows shot up in concern. “Holy shit, Autumn, really?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I’m—fuck. I’m gonna have to ask my mom for help again.”

  Jessie reached out and touched my hand gently. “Listen, if you need to borrow some money…”

  “No.” I shook my head. “Thanks, but no. I’m already borrowing enough from my mom. I don’t want to be a leech off you, too.”

  “You’re not a leech. You’re just having a rough time right now.”

  I opened my mouth to reply, but my phone started to ring. I looked down at it.

  My mom.

  It’s like she knew I needed her.

  I smiled weakly. “It’s Mom. I’ve gotta take this.”

  Jessie nodded. “Yeah. Go for it. I’ll be here.”

  I turned and went down the hall to my room before I answered. I flopped down on my bed with a sigh. “Hey, Mom! Morning.”

  My mom sniffled on the other end of the line.

  I sat up immediately. “Mom? Hey, what—what’s wrong?”

  She sniffled again. “Autumn, honey, I’m so sorry.”

  “What—what is it?” I frowned. “Mom, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  “No, no, I just lost my job, sweetheart. Layoffs. Company-wide. My position was marked as unnecessary. So they let me go.”

  My heart dropped.

  Not just for myself, but for Mom. What would she do without a job? She didn’t have anyone to take care of her. Hell, she was still taking care of me, even after I’d moved out.

  Now, she couldn’t even take care of herself.

  She didn’t need to know I was still struggling.

  “Mom,” I said gently. “Hey. It’s okay. You’ll find another job. You’ll be all right.”

  She let out a sob. “I just—I said I would help you, and now…”

  I wished I could give her a hug. “Mom, don’t worry about me. I actually did pretty good at work last night. I’ll ask to pick up some more shifts and it’ll be okay.”

  “I just feel so bad, honey. I hate leaving you hanging like this.”

  “You’re not leaving me hanging. Not at all. You’ve been going above and beyond to help me. Now you just need to worry about yourself.”

  But how the hell was I going to make rent?

  I couldn’t say anything about it. Not while she was already crying and beating herself up.

  I shut my eyes, fighting my own tears. “Mom, just focus on yourself. Okay? Find a new job and settle in. I’ll be fine.”

  “Are you sure, honey?”

  “Positive. I’m all right.”

  She sniffled. “I love you so much. I’ll
call you later, okay? When I’m doing better.”

  “Okay. No worries. I work tonight, so if I don’t answer, that’s why.”

  “Okay. I love you, honey.”

  “I love you, too, Mom.”

  We said goodbye and hung up.

  I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.

  What was I going to do now?

  Maybe ask Jessie to cover my half of rent, just for this month.

  It was the only option I had, really.

  I pulled myself together and came out of the bedroom.

  Immediately, Jessie looked up at me, frowning. “Is everything okay?”

  I shook my head. “My mom just got laid off.”

  “Oh, no.” Her voice was quiet. “If you need help, seriously…”

  I swallowed.

  “I might. Let me shuffle some stuff around and see what I can do, okay?”

  Jessie nodded. She hesitated, then spoke again. “You know…we’re still looking for waitresses at Bounce.”

  I bit my lip.

  Bounce was the strip club where Jessie worked, an upscale establishment where beautiful girls wore beautiful costumes. Most of them were trained dancers—Jessie had done ballet for most of her life, until she broke her ankle and had to quit. Still, she was good at it, and apparently very good at stripping.

  But I was sure that it wasn’t for me.

  At the same time, if Jessie was suggesting it, then maybe there was a spot there for me.

  “Waitressing, right?” I asked.

  Jessie nodded. “Yeah, like…you’ll have to dress sexy, but it’s not like what me and the other dancers wear.” She smiled. “Short skirt, tight top, sexy lingerie underneath? You’ll make bank.”

  I blushed. A little bit of discomfort, and I wouldn’t have to mooch off of Jessie or my mom anymore. It would be worth it. “You know what? Yeah. If your boss is hiring, I’m in.”

  “Great!” She smiled. “Do you work a double? He might want you to start tonight.”

  “Nah, I’m off at five.” I hated the lunch shift—most of the people who came in were grumpy old people who stiffed their waitresses over the dumbest stuff. I remembered being told not to expect a tip once because there was no artificial sweetener on the table, even though I was able to bring some over. “I shouldn’t have to ask for anything,” the old bat had shouted at me.

  I hated my job.

  It was all I could think about as I drove into town. I hated my job. I just wanted to be done with my degree so I could start a career and not have to worry about money anymore. I wanted to live on my own, and be able to take care of myself.

  I wanted to take care of my mom.

  I sighed, pulling into the parking lot and sitting in my car for a moment, head bowed forward.

  Just get through this. See if the strip club works out. If it does, go from there. Hopefully make lots of money.

  I sighed and walked into the pub.

  * * * * *

  The day was dragging.

  I needed more tables than this, but I’d only had ten in my entire shift. Two of them had left nothing; one had left me a ‘tip’ that looked like a $20, but was actually a pamphlet for their church.

  I’d made thirty-five dollars.

  This wasn’t going to cut it.

  I sighed and took a look around. My manager was at the back, playing on his phone. No surprise there.

  I went to him, smiling. “Hey, I was just wondering, are there any other shifts open this week? I could use the—”

  “Nope. No extras.”

  I hesitated, then tried again. “Please, I’m not making enough to cover my bills, and I—”

  “I said no extras. If somebody calls out, I’ll let you know, but we’re not looking to put anyone else on the schedule.” He looked at me and frowned. “Get back to work, Allison.”

  That wasn’t my name.

  I frowned at him and turned away.

  It took another hour for my phone to buzz in my pocket. When it did, I excused myself to run to the bathroom, locking myself in a stall.

  It was a text from Jessie.

  You’re on! You start tonight. Be at the club at nine. Dress sexy, wear makeup and heels. I’ll meet you there babe! xoxo

  I owed her. A lot.

  Jessie was saving my ass, whether she realized it or not.

  I just hoped I didn’t fuck it up. What if the men at the club thought I was gross? What if the owner hated me?

  I was grateful, but I was also scared shitless.

  I just had to make it work for one semester. That’s all.

  Chapter Two

  Cody

  The conference call ended and I leaned back in my chair, unable to keep from grinning.

  “Folks,” I said, addressing the rest of the board room. “That was fantastic.”

  There was a general murmur of congratulations as my team realized just how well the call had gone. We’d secured a major client that would bring in millions over the course of our contract.

  Everyone in the company was going to be getting a nice raise at the end of the year.

  As people began to move, I reached for my phone and opened my calendar app. This meeting had wrapped a little early, but the rest of my day was still packed—lunch with another client, another conference call, a meeting with one of my teams, and then an evening spent doing paperwork of my own.

  Running my own business was exhausting, but it was completely worth it. Gray Investments was a huge success, big enough that we needed to hire more people.

  I needed to add that to my schedule—plan for a recruitment effort.

  I looked up. The conference room was mostly empty. Only Dylan remained.

  His wedding was this weekend.

  I still hadn’t found a date.

  “What’s up, Dylan?” I asked. “Don’t ask me for any more time off. You’ve already got most of this week and all of next.”

  Dylan laughed. “Nah, I’m good on the time off front. I was gonna ask if you were coming tonight?”

  I realized what he meant—he’d sent out an email to me and a few of the other guys, asking us to go out to some bars and clubs with him after work. His bachelor week, he called it. He wanted a big party, and needed some people to go with.

  I could afford it, but I was pretty busy.

  “I don’t know, Dylan. I have a lot to get done tonight.”

  Dylan blinked. “But—c’mon, man, it’s my big party week! I won’t drag you out every night, just tonight? Please?”

  “I’ve got a company to run, Dylan. I’ll throw in some money, but—”

  “Exactly! You run an amazing company, and you need to cut loose every once in a while.” He smiled, and I remembered why he was so high-ranked. He was incredibly charismatic.

  I sighed. “Dylan, I really don’t think so. My day tomorrow is insane. I’ve got the first day of the recruitment drive, and a ton of stuff on top of it.”

  “I won’t push you to drink. Just come to a few places. You’ve gotta come out with us and have a good time, Cody. Okay?”

  That didn’t sound like I had much room to argue, as much as I wanted to.

  Going out on a Tuesday, though? That sounded terrible.

  “Dylan…”

  “You’re coming. I know where your loft is. The limo will be there around nine to pick you up.”

  I groaned.

  Dylan already had me dreading tomorrow.

  “Fine. But only tonight. I can’t do too many nights out this week.”

  He grinned. “Sure. Only tonight. I’m down with that. And, of course, the wedding on Saturday. Got a date yet?”

  I shook my head. “Not yet. Still working on that. But I’m sure I’ll have one by Saturday.”

  “Cool, cool.” He moved to back out of the conference room. “See you tonight. Be ready to party!”

  I watched him go, shaking my head.

  I was never ready to party.

  Chapter Three

  Autumn


  I was glad I had a few hours between getting off at the pub and starting at Bounce.

  I got home and took a long shower, shaving… everything. I took a while to do my makeup, making sure it was perfect, and styled my hair—a little tousled, like I’d just gotten out of bed.

  Dressing was the hard part.

  When I wasn’t at work, I was a casual person—jeans, hoodies, t-shirts. I loved sneakers. I didn’t dress sexy, or even especially fancy.

  I liked to be comfy.

  But with some digging, I found something I thought was appropriate.

  I put on my best lingerie set—a deep red bra and panty set, overlaid with dotted black mesh and trimmed in matching lace. Over it, I wore a short, pleated skirt and a sleeveless black button-up that I left unbuttoned, tied under my breasts. I put on a pair of kitten heels to complete the look.

  It was cute, I thought, looking at myself in the mirror. A little bit of a naughty schoolgirl vibe without being a costume.

  It would’ve looked better with stockings, but I didn’t have any.

  It was good enough. I shrugged my bathrobe on over the top and headed out like that, not wanting anyone to see me dressed so scantily until I got to the club.

  I parked in the employee lot behind Bounce and let myself in the back, right at nine.

  True to her word, Jessie was there. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, makeup heavy. She wore a neon orange bikini, and blacklight paint streaked her body. It looked like handprints, like somebody had touched her all over.

  It was hot. I wished I could be that sexy.

  “Autumn!” she said brightly. “C’mon, let me introduce you to Max. He’s the manager.”

  “Okay,” I said, forcing myself to match her enthusiasm. “Is there a place where I can leave my robe and purse?”

  “Yeah, I’ll take them and put them in my locker for you.” She smiled as I shrugged the robe off. “Wow, Autumn! That’s a good look.”

  I blushed.

  “I put it together fast. Is it really okay?”

  “Yeah! Your tits look amazing, girl!”

  I laughed softly. “Well, thanks.”

  Jessie grinned. She took my arm and walked me to an office in the back of the building. She knocked on the door, then opened it. “Max, hey, this is my friend Autumn. The one that’s supposed to start tonight.”