by Anne Rainey
“I haven’t heard you talk like that about a woman since…well, ever.”
A blast of ice hit him square in the chest and chilled him to the bone. “Don’t get any ideas. Roni and I…it’s not like what Sarah and I had.”
“Of course not. Sarah was special, Jake. You were so sweet on her I don’t think your feet even touched ground when you were married. But I’ve not heard you talk about a woman since her death either.”
“Christ, I’ve been with women since Sarah. It’s not as if I’ve lived the life of a monk.”
Spencer sat back in his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him. “You’ve had sex, dumbass. You never once came to me asking for advice about it either.”
“That’s not why I’m here now.” The hair on the back of Jake’s neck stood on end as the truth of his brother’s words sank in. Damn it, Spencer always did have a way of seeing through the bullshit.
“Yeah, it is,” he muttered. “You just met her and yet you have feelings for her. It’s scaring you shitless too. I can see it on your face.”
Jake wanted to tell him to go to hell. It’d be easier. It wouldn’t help his situation, but he’d feel loads better. Spencer was right. Deep down Jake had known the truth nearly from the moment he’d met Roni. She was different than other women. It was like coming out of hibernation. She’d tossed her blond head and looked down her pert nose at him and he’d come alive.
“I should’ve sent a tech to fix her damn computer.”
Spencer laughed. “And take the chance of having some other jerk making time with her?”
The thought of one of his employees touching Roni, kissing her sweet lips, petting her hot little cunt tore a growl of rage from Jake’s chest. “No one touches her computer but me,” he bit out.
“Figured as much.” Spencer stood and took his glass to the sink. After rinsing it and setting it on the counter, he turned and said, “Now, the way I see it, you could sit here floundering around like a trout on a river bank or you could go to her and tell her how you feel.”
Jake stood and pushed in his chair. Tara hated when they forgot to push in their chairs. The woman was a neat freak. The image of Roni’s messy apartment had him grinning, until Spencer’s words reached his brain. “She’s not going to leap into my arms, Spencer. This isn’t a damn movie. Telling a woman you just met that you have deep feelings for her is bound to send her running for a restraining order.”
Spencer yanked the glass out of his hands, rinsed it and placed it next to his own. “I didn’t say fall to her feet and start blubbering like a fool. But I know you, Jake. You’ll try to give her space. You’ll let her make the next move because you won’t want to pressure her.” He paused and added, “Don’t wait for her to make the next move.”
Jake stuck his hand in his pocket and drew out the scrap of paper with Roni’s number. “She’s already invited me to a cookout next weekend.”
“And you’re content to go all week without a little taste of her? You’ve got more restraint than me, bro.”
Not by a long shot. Jake couldn’t imagine going the next twenty-four hours without feeling Roni’s sweet curves nestled up close, much less a week. “I could go to her office after work tomorrow. Help her with her perv problem.”
Spencer stood up straighter, a gleam of pride in his gaze. “I knew you’d think of something.”
Jake shook his head and clutched the phone number in a tight fist. “You don’t know Roni. There’s something holding her back. I don’t think she does relationships.”
Spencer moved toward the garage door. “Then you’ll just have to change her mind, won’t you?”
“Yeah, because the alternative sucks.”
“Damn straight. Now, get your head out of your ass and help me fix Lisa’s car.”
He followed his brother through the door and cringed at the sight that greeted him. “I’ll be lucky to make it home by nightfall. How’d I let you talk me into this?”
Spencer picked up a socket, read the size and tossed it back down and continued riffling through his tools. “Think of it this way. When it’s fixed, we won’t have to worry about Lisa stranded in the middle of nowhere.”
“You need to get her out here,” Jake said as he glared at the car. “If she sees what a pain in the ass this heap is, she’ll change her mind about wanting to keep it.”
Spencer cursed. “Now you sound like Tara.”
Jake leaned against the fender and crossed his arms over his chest. “Tara’s right. You should listen to the woman more often.”
Spencer rounded on him. “You’re saying I’m too damn soft with Lisa, aren’t you?”
Jake let his silence speak for him. Lisa needed a firm hand. That was the bottom line.
“I hope like hell you and Roni get married. When you do I’m going to pray you have a little girl. Then you’ll see.”
Spencer’s head disappeared under the hood, forcing Jake to move to the front of the car if he wanted to be heard. “And what will I see exactly? Besides an indulgent father, that is.”
Spencer smiled as he looked over at him. “You’ll see that everything you ever thought you knew about life goes out the window when you hear your little girl call you daddy for the first time. It changes a man, Jake.”
Jake didn’t say anything else. The love on his brother’s face said it all.
9
It’d been a long day. Normally Roni enjoyed her work. Helping people slay their inner demons gave her a sense of pride. She had a purpose in life. By the time she could read and write she’d known she’d be a doctor. She liked helping people. Today, she’d had to struggle to stay focused. Her mind kept going back to Jake and the weekend they’d spent together. How could one man deliver so much pleasure? Her body still tingled in places she’d forgotten even existed.
The lovers she’d had over the years couldn’t hold a candle to Jake and that just pissed her off. The men at Kinks, the men who bowed to her commands and gave her their total surrender, were the sorts of men she craved. They cherished her special brand of loving. She could give them what they needed and vice versa. Like addicts, they ached for that forbidden sexual gratification that could be had only in a place like Kinks. The doctor hat came off when she walked through those doors. There she was mistress and her pets enjoyed catering to her. Strong, virile men who knelt and begged to be spanked. Proud, intelligent, wealthy businessmen, and hard, rough construction workers alike. Their profession didn’t matter, not at Kinks. They were all there to be teased, fondled and enjoyed. They used their tongues to clean her boots, while their hands worshiped her body. Their engorged cocks dripped with the need to be touched and stroked by their mistress.
A single evening in Jake’s arms and all the nights spent at Kinks seemed shallow and unsatisfying. He’d taken her to places she would’ve sworn she didn’t need, nor want, to go. She’d loved every second of it. After he’d left, she’d spent the rest of her Sunday wondering how one date could rock her world so completely. It’d been a humbling experience for a woman who thought she knew all about pleasures of the flesh.
The little bell on the front door jiggled, signaling she had company. Her last client had already gone though and she’d sent Melissa home for the day. Roni stood and started to go out to the waiting area when Lydia and Jeannette peeked their heads through the doorway.
“You done for the day?” Lydia asked as she crossed the room to stand at the side of her desk.
She was still in her work clothes, Roni noticed. Jeannette held up a large, steaming latte and grinned. “I brought your favorite, vanilla.”
Roni hummed in satisfaction and took the proffered drink with relish. She took a sip and moaned. Jeannette made the best lattes ever. “You’re a goddess, darling. Thank you.” Roni put the cup on the desk. “What’re you two up to?”
“Jeanette needs some encouragement.”
Roni sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Mr. Motorcycle Man I presume?”
J
eanette collapsed into the chair across from her desk, a frown marring her brow. “I can’t seem to muster up the courage to speak to him.”
“What do you know about this guy?” Lydia asked, as she leaned against Roni’s desk.
“Nothing really. He comes in and orders a cup of coffee, black, drinks it and leaves.”
“Credit card receipts? Ring?” Roni inserted.
Jeanette shook her head. “He pays in cash and there’s no ring.”
Good, Roni thought, at least he isn’t married. “Have you ever caught him checking you out?”
“There were a few times I thought he was staring at my butt, but I can’t be sure.” Jeanette shrugged. “He was probably thinking I needed to lose a few pounds. Most guys do.”
Roni knew Jeanette was self-conscious about her figure. She had a feeling a past lover had something to do with that, which pissed her off. “You’re body is perfect the way it is.” Roni thought for a second. “Does he sit with his nose in a laptop or a newspaper when he comes in?”
“Nope. Just drinks his coffee, then leaves.” Her eyes glazed over. “On his black motorcycle. God, the man is so hot.”
Roni and Lydia both laughed. “Well, I think you need to make a move,” Roni said. “Nothing overt, just start with saying hi. Maybe introduce yourself as the owner, ask if he’s pleased with the service, or something like that.”
Jeanette sat up straighter. “You know how I am though. I stutter and stammer and pretty soon I’m making a fool of myself.”
“If you don’t get over this shyness, he could slip right through your fingers,” Lydia said, her voice gentle.
Jeanette started to pick at the hem of her blouse. “I really don’t want that.”
“Try to think of him as any other customer,” Roni said. “The Coffee House is your business and you are in control there. Not him.”
Jeanette smiled. “You’re right. I’m going to do it. Next time I see him I’ll introduce myself. If he’s not interested, well, at least I’ll have tried.”
“Damn straight.” Roni said before returning her attention to trying to figure out the command prompt thingy that Jake had shown her. “I’m finished here, just trying to figure out this camera.”
“Camera?” Jeanette asked, as she stood and came around the desk to stare at the webcam attached to her monitor. “Why do you have a webcam?”
“Yeah, what’s with the webcam?” Lydia said as she moved to stand behind her chair.
“Remember all the problems I’ve been having with my computer lately?”
“You were having the computer guy out again last we talked. Did he fix it?”
“Yes and no. It seems someone’s been using my computer to download Internet porn.”
“Oh my God! Are you serious?”
“Yep. that’s why the damn thing kept freezing up on me. I had a bunch of spyware on my computer. He cleaned it up and installed the camera so we could catch the person in the act.”
“Really? How?”
Roni explained about the camera being motion sensitive, then finally remembered the right commands. She typed them in and pulled up the file containing any images the webcam captured.
“There.” Roni pointed to the screen. “See the thumbnail?”
“Yeah,” Jeanette said, leaning closer.
“Hopefully it’ll show us who’s been sitting in my chair while I’m not here. Shit, please don’t be Melissa.”
Lydia coughed. “You think Melissa is downloading porn on your computer?”
“No, I don’t.” Roni simply couldn’t believe the girl was that devious. “Still, she’s the only one with access other than me and the cleaning service.”
“It has to be the cleaning service,” Jeannette inserted. “Melissa is way too…”
“Sweet and naïve?” Roni helpfully supplied.
“Exactly,” Jeanette and Lydia said in unison.
That had been her take on it, as well. “There’s only one way to find out for sure.”
“Click it,” Lydia mumbled.
Roni nodded. Moving the mouse until the cursor hovered over the video clip, Roni took a deep breath and hit the button. The video popped up immediately. Next, she hit play. Lydia and Jeanette both gasped when a man appeared on the screen. Man, hell, he was just a teenager! And she knew him, which made it even worse.
All three of them were riveted as the little jerk sat in Roni’s chair and started to mess with the things on her desk. At first it seemed he was riffling through her papers, which pissed her off even more, then he leaned back and smiled. His hands went to the fly of jeans.
“Oh my God!” Lydia shouted.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Jeanette muttered and stepped back, her hand going to her stomach.
“I think I’m going to kick someone’s ass,” Roni growled as she clicked the little X and closed the video. “I know that little weasel.”
Lydia’s gaze shot wide. “You do?”
Roni stood and paced the room, her anger at the boiling point. “He’s the son of the guy who cleans these offices. I’ve seen him a few times, coming and going. Damn, he must have gotten his hands on his dad’s keys and made copies or something.”
“I wonder what else he’s doing.” Jeanette scrunched her brows and sat in one of the chairs across from her desk. “There are several offices in this building. He could be robbing them all blind.”
Roni stopped pacing and stared back at Jeanette. “Whatever he’s been doing, it stops today. I’ve got him on video.”
“You need to call the police.” Lydia pointed to the monitor and said, “Who knows how long he’s been at this.”
Roni nodded and grabbed the phone off her desk. “First I need to call Jake and let him know his plan worked.”
“Jake?”
“The computer guy who installed the webcam.” Roni dialed his number. Damn, she didn’t even have to look at the little sticky note she’d tucked into her purse. His number had been etched into her brain because she’d stared at it for so long the night before.
Lydia crossed her arms over her chest and grinned. “He’s Jake now? Since when?”
Oops. Roni hadn’t meant to tell them about Jake just yet. She wasn’t even sure what there was to tell. When Jake’s voicemail kicked on, Roni hung up the phone. He hadn’t answered. Should she read something into that?
Lydia passed a hand in front of her face and said, “Earth to Roni.”
“After Jake fixed my computer and set me up with the webcam, I took him to dinner as a thank you.” Okay, so she’d left out the part about letting him blindfold her, tie her hands and spank her ass.
Jeanette and Lydia looked at each other, then back at her. Jeanette tapped the top of the monitor with her finger and said, “A thank you, my butt. We know you better than that, Roni. Spill.”
Roni bit her lip as heat stole into her cheeks.
“Oh my God, she’s blushing!” Jeanette squealed. “I haven’t seen her do that since we were little!”
Lydia sat on the edge of the desk and winked. “Wow. This must be big.”
Roni sighed. They were like rabid animals. Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but damn, did they have to know her so well? “If you two must have all the dirty details.”
“We must,” Lydia said and Jeanette laughed.
Roni rolled her eyes. “Fine. I sort of…slept with him.”
Both women started asking questions at the same time and Roni went to one of the two chairs across from her desk and dropped into it. “I don’t know what I was thinking. He’s just so damn sexy. One minute he’s making my computer purr like a kitten, the next he’s making me purr.”
“Good with his hands, was he?” Jeanette said, wagging her eyebrows.
“His hands, mouth, cock. My God, the man knows how to please a woman.” Roni’s body revved to life at the thought of how well he’d strummed her. He’d taken so much time to play, as if content to spend an eternity licking and petting. Roni had had enough of
men who seemed intent on getting to the finish line. Jake had taken the long route and she was ready to do it all again. An addict, that’s what she was. And he held the key to her fix in the palm of his large, strong hand.
“Dang, look at her, Jeanette. She has that glassy-eyed look. The one she gets when you bring her one of your homemade brownies.”
Jeanette laughed. Roni had heard enough. “I’m not glassy-eyed. It was great sex, but that’s all it was.” Liar, liar pants on fire! Any moment now she expected to be struck by lightning.
Lydia smoothed her hand over her tan skirt but kept her intelligent gaze on her, which made Roni want to squirm like a little kid in the principal’s office. “Sounds to me like he was sort of your fantasy guy. The blue-collar worker you craved.”
Roni saw an opening to drag her friends past the topic of Jake and she snagged it with both hands. “Exactly. I wanted a guy who wouldn’t treat me to a night at the opera. A man who would keep it real. Jake fit the bill perfectly. We went out for hamburgers then did it like rabbits. Which means I’ve fulfilled my part of the bet.”
“A bet, huh? That’s all it was? Hot sex with a regular Joe?”
Roni froze. Oh God, she knew that deep tone. Shutting her eyes, Roni sent up a quick prayer. When she stood and turned, her stomach bottomed out. Jake filled the doorway, his dark, furious gaze pinning her in place. His black case clutched in one hand, cell phone in the other. Roni shivered and took an instinctive step back when he moved toward her. How much had he heard? Damn.
“Jake.” Her voice shook as she watched him coming toward her. “I didn’t know you were coming over.”
He wagged his phone in the air. “You tried to call. Dumbass that I am, I was worried. I thought maybe your perv had decided to do something more than jack off to porn.” His angry gaze shot to Jeanette and Lydia, then back to her. “Imagine my surprise to find you here talking about slumming it with me.”
“It wasn’t like that. I didn’t mean—”
“That you fucked the help?” He winked and said, “Don’t worry, princess, I get it just fine.”