He responded immediately.
Cole: Hmmm. I’ll think about it. Did you get all your other products figured out?
Jillian: I did. I need to send you an invoice.
Cole: I’ll be waiting.
As the last few clients lingered around, Jillian couldn’t stop the perma-grin. Success! A few women she’d recognized as regulars at The Peekeasy were pleased to learn she was running the store, comfortable that she had the foresight to have what they were looking for.
“I don’t know how you could work for the man that put you out of business.” A few women repeated the same thing over and over to her.
Jillian didn’t feel it was worthwhile to go into detail about her feelings on what part was Cole’s fault versus hers. So she just smiled. “It’s fine. I’m learning a lot about the business. Some things I didn’t know about. It’s been an eye-opener. I’m more than happy to be here; I can promise you that. Lacie’s Lingerie has everything you could want or need. It’s a great place.”
“Are you ever going to re-open The Peekeasy?”
“I still have dreams of doing that,” she smiled, knowing that she wasn’t going to work at Lacie’s forever when her dream was within reach. It didn’t go unnoticed that Levi didn’t seem too happy about her comments but it was the truth. He wasn’t going to be here to deal with the aftermath once she was in a secure financial position to do so, so she wasn’t sure why the grumpy face.
“Thank you for all your help. It was hugely successful. Cheers!” She held up her lilac-colored plastic cup full of punch to his, and over the rim of their cups, she took in his guarded gaze and not for the first time that evening, wished that they hadn’t gotten interrupted when he’d been about to kiss her. She’d been so close to finding out what the caress of his mouth would feel like along hers, the faint release of his breath along her cheek as he snuggled her in close.
She wanted that kiss.
She knew she shouldn’t especially when he was going back to Nevada. Aside from having a working relationship with him, he was absolutely the wrong guy to get hung up on.
Just one kiss wouldn’t hurt though. Would it? Because that was the problem, watching his mouth graze his cup and the way his eyes caressed her face and body like he’d never seen anything like her. His entire demeanor sent off pings in her brain that this guy would know how to kiss her and touch her. He hinted at starting out slow with that lazy grin and large hands, and somehow promised to finish any way her body needed. A woman’s man. The kind of man that was all about pleasing his lady.
“Jillian, did you hear me?” Levi asked. His lips were curved in that deliciously cocky grin she started looking forward to every day and his eyes were alight with humor.
“Huh? No, what did you say? I was daydreaming.”
“No kidding. About what?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.
You. She wanted to tell him. Our almost kiss. “About how much I will miss you when you have to go back home.”
“Aww, Jillian, I’m gonna miss you too.” He told her in a girlish voice.
“I’m serious!” She shoved at his arm. “It’s been nice having you here. Makes the days go by quicker.”
“At least you’ll have Cole.”
“Cole isn’t you. I think I like you more,” Jillian said.
Levi tilted his head. His jaw clenched. “The guy whose franchise I’m buying, wants me to go back. I’ll be leaving soon.” Out of left field, Levi dropped the bomb on her. He set his empty cup on the counter, waiting for her to respond. No!
“How soon?” she asked.
“Two days.”
“You’re kidding? Why so soon?” she asked. This was what had been bugging him all night. Now everything made sense. He probably hadn’t wanted to tell her before the open house, trying to keep her in the best mood possible, knowing it would dampen her spirits. Damn, he was even thoughtful on when to deliver bad news.
“Something came up with some new software or something and he thinks it’s imperative that I go back there with him to learn about it. I’m sorry.” His rueful eyes bored into hers.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be so soon. I thought…” Her voice drifted as she realized it didn’t matter. This wasn’t his home. She knew it was coming, she just didn’t know it was going to be the day after tomorrow. But there was so much she wanted to do with him! Like kiss him. Run her fingertips up the delicious swells of his arms. To feel the scratch of his beard along her face.
“I know. I wasn’t either. Jesus, Jill. You don’t need me, you can handle all of this by yourself,” Levi said.
“I don’t need you, but I want you,” she whispered, suddenly feeling on the verge of tears. Which was ridiculous because she knew this was going to happen all along.
He stood and held out his hand. “Come on. Dance with me.”
“What would you like to dance to?” she asked. “I’ll go throw a record on.”
“You mean, you’ll play something besides Elvis?” He teased her.
“I don’t mind me some Sinatra.” She’d play anything if it meant she could have one last dance with the man.
“Sinatra,” he said.
“Some Frankie coming right up.”
She thumbed through her records, trying to ignore the humming in her heart as she did. Her body yearned to be against his again. To feel the safety and comfort of his arms around her body. She dropped the needle and casually tried to run back down the steps so she wouldn’t miss half the song.
“Great choice,” Levi said as her arms found their proper place around his neck and he began to lead them in time to “Witchcraft.” How could something that felt so right be wrong? Wrong because he was leaving, if nothing else. Did he feel it too? The perfect way her smaller body fit into his larger one. How they were of perfect height to one another? She wasn’t too tall or too short – she could comfortably rest her head against the crook of his neck.
“You’re a great dancer,” she whispered.
He gave a non-committal grunt and she laid her head on his chest, knowing that she was falling too deeply for a man that was going to be leaving soon.
Then he started to whisper-sing against her temple in his low, perfectly on-key voice.
“When you arouse…”
Oh, God, that was all it took for her from telling herself no, she couldn’t fall for the guy to straight fallin’. How could she not? His husky voice filtered right into her heart as his lips moved against her head. The words of the song enclosed around her heart and seared into her memory. Song lyrics were meant to be lived. Cherished. Understood. And Levi got it too.
She pulled back and met his unwavering gaze and he gently rolled her out in a smooth spin and caught her again, their eyes never leaving each other’s but only to turn.
The soothing strains of the music warmed her entire body along with his voice. She felt like her gaze told him everything she was feeling - wanting to fully immerse her body to his lyrical words. Levi’s eyes said so many things that he wasn’t saying, even in song, and she couldn’t stop herself. She let go of whatever it was that was holding her back—the fact that he was leaving Colorado—and she slowly leaned into his mouth and placed her glossy lips against his.
His beard tickled her chin but she didn’t care because his lips were heaven-sent – just how she envisioned them to be. His mouth parted and she heard herself sigh as her tongue darted out and tasted him. Was this what they meant by Punch Drunk Love? Cause so help her, his punchy taste was making her drunk in love. She wasn’t sure when they stopped dancing or for how long the sweet flavors of him swirled around her but when “Strangers in the Night” began to play, Levi reluctantly pulled back.
His eyes rested at half-mast as he watched her, sending warm chills throughout her body. Her heart was doing slow drum-pounding thumps. Thump. Thump. Thump. Waiting. Wondering. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to do that as much as she had.
“I shouldn’t have done that.” She rubbed her hands along her thighs.
“You’ve been wanting to.” His mouth twitched up. It shouldn’t be sexy how damn confident and sure of himself he was, but dang, it was. So. Damn. Sexy.
“You’ve been wanting to, too.” She called him out, smiling, because maybe she shouldn’t have done that, but she was entirely too happy to have the unspoken out in the air.
“I just..I don’t want to hurt you. I have to leave,” Levi said.
“I know. Annnnd, I don’t want your last day and a half here to be awkward. Let’s agree that was us getting caught up in the moment.” She plastered a fake smile onto her face, even though all she was feeling was disappointment. Disappointment and okay, some joy at finally tasting his goodness after weeks of wondering.
“Good. I don’t what things to be awkward either - for the next few days and when I have to leave.”
“Okay. Well, good. That’s settled,” she said.
“Yep. Settled.”
She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “I better lock up then. See you tomorrow?” she asked, turning away, hoping that he would pull her back into him. Crazily wishing he would do that even though she knew he wouldn’t. When he didn’t, she forced her feet to step forward.
“See you tomorrow.” His voice sounded as rough and hollow as she felt on the inside.
Damn him. Damn her. That was such a stupid thing to do. She blamed it on the Witchcraft.
Wicked witchcraft, indeed.
It wasn’t until the following morning that she realized she never sent Cole a message telling him about the open house. She’d just submitted another review for a new product. A necklace like none other that she’d ever worn. Unlike any ole regular necklace, this one vibrated. And it was beautiful. More importantly, the vibrations got the job done.
* * *
“I was skeptical at first, because how well can a vibrator work if it’s a necklace? It shouldn’t seem that the two go hand in hand. But A-MAZING! The vibrations were strong and powerful and I can’t tell you the wonderful thrill you get wearing it out in public. It’s a gorgeous necklace that can be ordered in silver, rose gold or gold. You won’t regret this piece. I’m definitely keeping it for my collection!”
~Ms. Winters
* * *
This was no lie. She found a keeper! She held the vibrator part of the necklace in her palm. It wasn’t heavy or chunky. Just a narrow, four-inch long cylindrical design that resembled a bullet or shotgun shell. It was attached to a delicate set of crosslink chains. She’d worn it out to the market, and it did give her a thrill that it could easily be used to give her an orgasm when and if the need rose, and not a soul was privy to know that.
She chained it around her neck and checked her reflection before she messaged Cole. The amber rose tones stood out perfectly against her pale skin. She liked it a lot.
Jillian: Last night went FABULOUS!
He messaged back immediately.
Cole: Congrats! I knew it would.
Jillian: You have so much faith in me.
Cole: You’ve proven how invaluable you are.
Jillian: I’m blushing.
Cole: Blushing looks good on you.
Jillian: Oh, yeah? You can remember that long ago? Besides, it probably wasn’t blushing but anger.
Cole: Haha. But no. When you showed me the powerful vibrations of that egg thing, that wasn’t anger.
She chuckled at the memory.
Jillian: You’re right. That was blushing ;-)
Cole: Levi told you he was leaving? Spoke to my friend and he wants him back.
Jillian swallowed and touched the necklace. It was strange to have a conversation with Cole about Levi. Especially after the heated kiss they’d shared from the night before. And her flirting with Cole? Gosh, she’d been dormant for months and now there were two fully-grown, well-defined and capable men she’d love to take to bed.
Separately, of course.
Actually, together would be okay, too. Then she laughed out loud at her wanton thoughts. She pressed her free hand against the pulsating heat between her legs that didn’t seem to go away and half-groaned half-moaned in delighted angst. She was turning into a crazy, sex-starved woman.
Jillian: He told me. Sad to see him go. We get along really well.
Cole: Yeah? How well?
Jillian: Pretty well. Well enough that I’m going to miss him.
Cole: Are you saying it’s turned into a FWB kind of thing?
What? She didn’t want to tell Cole that she had thought about that. Would be okay if something like that were to happen. She couldn’t help but smile every time she and Cole exchanged messages.
Jillian: No!
Cole: Sorry. That’s none of my business. Unless…
Jillian: Unless what?
Cole: Maybe you and Levi aren’t FWBing but does that mean you’re not into that idea?
Jillian: With Levi? Or in general? Who are you suggesting I FWB with?
Cole: Me
She laughed at the little devil emoticon he sent next. What should she say? Their conversations always led to this flirty banter and she enjoyed it.
Jillian: Kinda hard to FWB when I don’t see you in person.
Cole: This is true. Let’s change that.
She gripped her phone to her chest. He wanted to take it further. Oh, hell yes.
Jillian: Okay. When?
Cole: Friday night. I’ll come pick you up from Lacie’s at closing.
Jillian: I’m all yours.
Cole: I’m hoping ;-)
So confident, that one! Although she couldn’t necessarily deny that they had a moment of attraction the day he came to spill the bad news. As she couldn’t deny the crazy thrumming in her pulse from their banter back and forth over the phone either.
Jillian: See you Friday.
Chapter Twelve
Zander had gotten the shovels in for the official groundbreaking as well as RSVP’s from the governor and local representatives. Invitations had been sent to potential donors and future business entities that would work together in bringing in women that needed shelter to The Francesca Project, which also included a Mrs. Veronica Winters – he’d checked. Jillian’s mother could become an important asset in all of this based on who she was and who she might know that could come in handy for them once the complex was built. All media outlets had been informed, as well.
All he had to get through was his last day at Lacie’s and his subsequent date with Jillian the day after, where, inevitably, his cover would be laid out on the table. It was time. That much he knew because he wasn’t sure he could handle keeping his hands off her any longer. If she would still talk to him once she found out.
He refused to do anything more with her while he was undercover as Levi. He had to get her to like him more than his fake persona. Maybe she did. He couldn’t be sure, but he knew she got off to a bad start with Cole. Needless to say, if he did anything beyond kissing with Jillian, it was going to be while she was screaming out Cole, not Levi. He wanted her to look into his green eyes, and know it was him buried deep inside her as she convulsed around him. That it was him whom she shared the connection with. Yeah, connection. He could admit that. It had been a long damn time, but he recognized it when he when he saw it. Hell, when he felt it in her touch.
The scrape above his eye was healing and he couldn’t wait to shave his beard and mustache tonight the second he left Lacie’s for the final time as Levi. He donned his standard Levi attire, put in his contacts and annoying-assed earrings and took his Maserati into LoDo. He parked in a nearby garage and made his way into the shop where “Love Me” was playing through the speakers. Like it or not, he was becoming a pro at all the Elvis songs. He’d never reflected on the lyrics as much as he had working in such close proximity to Jillian. There were songs for every emotion. Happy. Sad. Heartbreak. Love. It was an endless barrage of listening to the tunes and thinking, oh hell, that’s me. Or holy shit, this is our song.
Admittedly, he was going to miss the records
she played. It’d become a game for him to guess what kind of mood she was in. The saying was that music was the window to someone’s soul and with Jillian, nothing could be closer to the truth. If The Beatles were playing she was in a nothing-can-hurt-me attitude. Every once in a while, she’d play current music from musicians who were realizing that vinyls were making a small comeback. But it usually always came back to Jillian playing Elvis Presley. Elvis from Clambake to Elvis from the mid-60s, she loved each and every one of them. She wasn’t discriminatory when it came to the King of Rock and Roll. Aside from the records and the way his chest squeezed every time he watched her shimmy her hips, he was going to miss seeing her handle her clients with efficiency and care - miss seeing her bring Lacie’s up to the top. God, she blew him away with her talent. The Peekeasy would have left Lacie’s in the dust had they been in side-by-side competition.
He was lucky to have her, in the business sense.
It would be a privilege if he could have her any other way.
“Hey you! Look, I got you something for your last day. I was going to wait until we closed, but I’m never good at keeping secrets and I’m too excited to see your reaction!” Jillian’s pearly whites were on full display as she walked out from behind the counter. She wore a beautiful red dress that stopped inches above her knees where her black boots ended. Her long wavy hair was down flowing around her in tufts of chestnut and lines of auburn. What he wouldn’t give to run his fingers through it. To root his nose into it and immerse himself with her strawberry smell.
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