Pleasure Control

by Cathryn Fox

  Erin’s glance skirted the room and then settled back on Laura. She pitched her voice low, like they were partners in crime. “What’s going on with you two?” Erin’s mocha-painted lips curled like shaved chocolate.

  Laura gave a quick, disgruntled shake of her head. “Nothing.”

  “Don’t tell me nothing. I saw the way you were looking at him.” She narrowed her big brown eyes. “Come to think of it, you look different tonight…”

  Laura jotted the matching vial number down in her notebook and grabbed another syringe to repeat the procedure. “I’m just stressed because of the break-in,” she said, switching topics, hoping Erin would take the hint.

  Erin gave her no reprieve. Suddenly her eyes went wide. “Ohmigod.” Her voice raised an octave.

  “What?”

  “You’ve had sex.” Her mouth dropped open.

  Laura could feel heat color her cheeks. “Don’t be silly. I did not.”

  Erin clutched Laura’s arm. “With Jay.” It was more of a statement than a question.

  “Shh…I did not.” She groaned and buried her face in her hands.

  “Like hell you didn’t.” Erin shifted her lab stool closer. “Tell me. Tell me everything. I want all the juicy details. Every last drop.”

  “Erin, stop it, he’ll hear you,” she whispered, glancing Jay’s way to determine if he’d heard Erin’s shrieks of hysteria. She was pleased to see he was in deep conversation with the detective.

  “So it is true.”

  Fearing her assistant was about to jump up and do the Macarena, Laura placed her hand over Erin’s and held her in place.

  “Well…?” Erin pressed.

  Laura blew out a frustrated breath, knowing Erin wouldn’t be satisfied until she knew all the intimate details. “Listen, I’ll tell you everything later, if you promise to drop it for now.” She hoped that was enough to appease her friend for the time being.

  “Woo-hoo, I knew it. I knew it,” Erin sang, rotating her arms in front of her like she was some rap singer getting a groove on.

  The excitement in Erin’s eyes was contagious and Laura couldn’t help but grin herself. She pointed to the door. “Go. Work. We’ll talk later.”

  Laura tried to focus on her work but easily became distracted by Jay’s presence. She glanced in his direction. Standing by the window, he carefully lifted Bonnie from the cage and placed her on his palm. After a thorough examination, he brought her close to his mouth and spoke softly to her twitching nose. Emotions clogged her throat.

  Laura wished she was privy to his tender words, but her distance prohibited her from hearing the private conversation. As if he felt her gaze on him, he tipped his head, lifted his eyes, and met her glance. Her heart did a little pitter-patter in her chest when their eyes locked. He smiled and gave her a sexy, knowing wink.

  Embarrassed that she’d been caught staring, Laura looked down, picked up another vial, and resumed her work. A short while later, unable to help herself, she stole another peek at her handsome lab partner. He stroked Bonnie’s back and then returned her to her cage. Like herself, Jay loved animals. All animals. The way he nurtured those two lab rats always filled her with warmth.

  Erin came back a short while later with the results. She plopped down on the stool beside her and handed over the test tubes. “Everything is fine, Laura. There doesn’t appear to be any problem with the chemical makeup of these libido enhancers.”

  Laura frowned. “Enhancers? These aren’t enhancers. I gave you suppressants.”

  “Afraid not,” Erin assured her. She tapped a long manicured nail on one of the vials. “These test tubes are enhancers.”

  Laura turned the tubes over in her hand and checked the numbers on the vials and the corresponding numbers in her notebook. Vial numbers twenty through twenty-five were suppressants, not enhancers. There had to be some kind of mistake.

  “Run the test again, Erin.”

  Erin tossed her a perplexed frown. “Why? I already ran them twice. There’s no problem. They haven’t been tampered with.”

  The hell they hadn’t been. Those five samples were supposed to be suppressants. Unless…Oh no! She felt the color drain from her face. Unless somebody had been messing in her lab long before tonight.

  Her stomach clenched as the truth dawned on her.

  She’d given Jay a libido enhancer earlier that day, not a suppressant. She felt her blood run cold. She exhaled a quick, sharp breath and stood up. Like nails on a chalkboard, her chair scraped across the tiled floor. The sound drew Jay’s attention.

  “Everything okay?” he asked. In three long strides, he crossed the room to stand beside her. His gaze darted between Erin, Laura, and the test tubes she clutched in her hand.

  Her mind raced with the turn of events. She closed her eyes in distress. Now it all made perfect sense to her. That was why he’d been so aroused, so eager to become physical with her. She’d known all along she wasn’t his type. His erection had nothing to do with her ability to turn him on. Hell, a stiff wind would have done the trick.

  Knowing that Jay could read her every expression, her every gesture, she tried to keep the disappointment from her face. She held on to her last trace of composure and settled her mouth in a grim line.

  With both Erin and Jay listening intently she focused on Jay and said, “Um, it looks like the vials had been tampered with and I gave you a libido enhancer today, not a suppressant.” She placed the vials back in the tray and tried for a lighthearted laugh. It came out humorless.

  A smile lit up his face. “You’re kidding?”

  She shook her head and squared her shoulders. “Nope.”

  He dropped a manila file on the counter and buried his hands deep in his pockets. The action drove his jeans lower on his hips. Laura forced her glance back to his face.

  “That’s great news, Laura. That means our experiment hasn’t failed.”

  She plastered on a smile, not wanting him to know her true feelings. Of course it was good news, except for the fact that she now knew that he’d slept with her not because he wanted to, but because he needed to. She wasn’t naïve enough to pretend otherwise. His hormones had been leaping like Mexican jumping beans.

  She suddenly felt very chilled. She wrapped her arms around herself to stave off a shiver. He must have sensed her sudden unease.

  Jay narrowed his gaze and looked at her. “You’re exhausted, Laura. Let me take you home. You’ve been through enough tonight. A good night’s sleep will clear your mind and you’ll feel better.”

  God, she needed to get away from him, to sort through her feelings. Carefully, she gathered up her vials, placed them inside the fridge, and fit it with a brand-new lock. Without turning back to face Jay, she tossed the words over her shoulder. “No, that’s okay. I can catch a lift with Erin, she’s going right by my place. We’ve done all we can do tonight anyway.”

  “Let me at least walk you two to the car.”

  She moved to the cabinet and pulled on the metal handles, double-checking the locks. “The police are still searching the perimeter. We’ll be fine.”

  He walked over to her, reached out, and with gentle hands touched her cheek, drawing her attention to him. His thick muscles shifted with the easy movement. “Are you sure?”

  Unable to find her voice, she nodded her assurance. Suddenly she found it most difficult to hold his stare.

  “I’ll stop by in the morning to pick you up for the ball game and barbecue. Then we can just head back here afterwards,” he said.

  “No, I’ll take my own car,” she rushed out. “I have a couple of errands to take care of in the morning.” Shoot! She hadn’t meant to sound so anxious. In an attempt to lighten the mood, she gave him a warm smile and said breezily, “I’ll see you there.”

  “Okay. I’ll stay here and clean up the rest of this mess. I’d like to run some more tests on Bonnie and Clyde again anyway and see if the latest serum works on them before we try our hand at it tomorrow night.”

/>   A shiver of unease slid down her spine. His words drummed in her head. How could she go through that again, especially after knowing what had caused his raging arousal? The reality was sobering.

  Before she had time to protest, Erin jumped from the stool. “So that’s what you two were up to. You tried the experiment on each other and it failed.” She slapped her palm to her forehead and laughed. “That’s why you ended up sleeping together, because of the mix-up in vials.”

  Jay opened his mouth, but Laura cut him off before he could make a sound. The last thing she wanted was to hear him confirm Erin’s suspicions.

  “Good night, Jay,” she said, grabbing Erin by the elbow and practically dragging her out the door.

  With Erin in tow, Laura pushed past the front security door and stepped outside. The cool night air helped wash away the stain of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. She ushered her very astute, but very talkative assistant across the well-lit parking lot and didn’t let go of her arm until they reached the car. The horn sounded as Erin pressed the unlock button on her keypad and opened the doors. They both climbed into the front seat of her compact Honda.

  As soon as the interior light clicked off and darkness enveloped them, Laura groaned and buried her face in her hands. How could she have been such a fool to believe Jay had wanted her? This was all so damn humiliating. How would she ever face him again?

  “What have I gone and done?” she murmured into the palms of her hands.

  “What’s the big deal anyway? So you slept with the guy. Didn’t you want to?” Erin slipped the keys into the ignition and started the car.

  “Of course I wanted to. Who wouldn’t?” She pressed her hands against her eyes and shook her head from side to side.

  “True. He does tend to have that effect on women, doesn’t he? I know if I had the opportunity, I’d jump his bones.” She made a small slurping noise.

  Laura glared at her friend and frowned intently as she pictured Erin doing the horizontal mambo with Jay. A pang of jealousy ripped through her and tilted her off balance.

  “The point is, Erin, he wouldn’t have slept with me if the vials hadn’t gotten mixed up. You said so yourself.”

  Erin gave a quick shake of her head. “What makes you think he wouldn’t have slept with you otherwise?”

  “Because hell hasn’t frozen over.”

  Erin chuckled. “Seriously, Laura, what makes you think he doesn’t like you?”

  “I’m not his type, Erin. You’ve seen the women he gravitates towards.”

  Erin adjusted her rearview mirror. “Have you looked at yourself lately? You’re not in band camp anymore, Laura.”

  “I’m a geek magnet.”

  “I hardly think you’re a geek magnet.”

  “Well, I am.”

  “Then Jay is the hottest geek I’ve ever come across.”

  “Just for the record, Erin, we didn’t sleep together, we just did everything else.”

  Erin backed her car out of the parking space and maneuvered it onto the highway. “So, do you want to sleep with him, then? Finish what you started?”

  Laura folded her hands on her lap and stared blankly at the road ahead. “No. Yes. I don’t know.” She rested her head against the cool glass window and sighed.

  “Well, which is it, then?”

  What would be the point in lying? Her expressions were so transparent. She lowered her voice. “Yes,” she admitted, knowing that another night with him would be emotional suicide. Not even body armor could protect her from the way he stirred her heart.

  “Then go for it. Seduce him when he comes by tomorrow night. That’s what I would do.”

  “Hellooo. Are you missing something here, Erin? He only slept with me because the vials got switched. Besides, he’s not going to want to sleep with me tomorrow because I’ll be giving him a libido suppressant.”

  Erin lifted one eyebrow, her lips curled. “Then switch them again.”

  Laura’s eyes opened wide in surprise at her friend’s suggestion. She never would have considered doing such a thing. “I couldn’t do that.”

  “Tsk, tsk, Laura—always the good girl. Always following the rules and coloring within the lines. Let me ask you a question. Did you enjoy yourself?”

  The word enjoy was an understatement. “Yes.”

  “Did he enjoy himself?”

  She recalled the heated, lustful look in his eyes. The way his body had reacted to her touch and the way he moaned in delight at the peak of his orgasm. A tremor rippled through her just thinking about it.

  “I guess so.”

  Erin waved her hand and rushed on. “Of course he did. And he would enjoy himself again. You both would. So what’s the big issue?”

  Laura rolled her eyes heavenward. “The big issue? Let’s try it’s immoral…” She stretched out that last word. “Besides, what about the experiment? We have to present our findings to the board next week. If we don’t have the results they’re looking for, our grant won’t be approved, and then we’re out of a job. All of us. Including you,” she lectured, wagging her finger to emphasize the point.

  “The key words being next week, Laura. You still have plenty of time. Plenty of time to test the experiment and plenty of time to slip between the sheets with a hunk of a guy who has a reputation for fulfilling every woman’s secret desire.”

  Laura eyed her friend. She had no doubt he could fulfill her every desire. Come to think of it, he already had.

  “I didn’t know you were so devious. Remind me to fire you in the morning,” she said good-naturedly.

  Erin grinned and pulled up in front of Laura’s apartment. “Just think about it.”

  Laura folded her arms across her chest. “I did, and I’m not doing it,” she said firmly. “Thanks for the lift, Erin. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Laura, wait. Do you really have errands to run in the morning?”

  “No,” she admitted honestly.

  “I’ll swing by and pick you up for the game. There is no sense in us taking two cars when I have to drive right by here anyway.”

  Laura nodded in agreement. “Sounds good. I’ll see you then.” She climbed from the car, waved to her friend, and hurried up the walkway to her building. How on earth could Erin have suggested something so ludicrous?

  She tried to push their absurd conversation to the back of her mind, but despite her efforts it kept creeping back. She pulled open the heavy glass door to the front entrance and stepped inside. All she wanted to do was have a warm bath, a hot cup of tea, and crawl into bed and get a good night’s sleep before tomorrow’s ball game. She did not want to spend one more second thinking about doing something so devious. Because the more she thought about it, the better it sounded.

  Oh hell!

  Chapter 5

  Still clad in her company softball uniform, Laura kicked back on a cushioned lounger in the director’s private, tree-fringed backyard while she sipped ice-cold lemonade and nursed her sore elbow. She tipped her chin, drinking in the warm afternoon sun rays as the floral arrangement beside her perfumed the air and enticed her senses.

  Why the director had insisted on her playing first base during the game was beyond her. Well, maybe not totally beyond her. Since everyone knew she couldn’t even catch a cold with a Kleenex, playing first base gave the director and his personal handpicked team an unfair advantage. That may bring happiness and harmony into his life, but it sure as hell didn’t bring it into hers!

  Her gaze sifted over her coworkers and settled on Jay. Moving toward her, he walked around the perimeter of the kidney-shaped pool and negotiated his way through the crowd. Gaze riveted, she appraised him as he approached. He’d changed out of his tight, ass-hugging, thigh-molding uniform and into a pair of deep blue knee-length swim shorts that rode low on his hips and exposed his athletic body. She acknowledged the sudden flare of need as her glance flitted across his face and panned down the length of him, registering every delicious detail of his bronzed skin,
sculpted chest, and tight abdominals. As she devoured him from afar, a restless ache settled deep between her legs.

  She brushed her tongue over her dry lips as she debated which look she preferred more, the tight softball uniform or the sexy, low-slung swim trunks. Suddenly Erin’s devious suggestion to switch the vials rushed through her mind like a windstorm and caused her blood to stir. A wave of lust clawed to the surface despite her efforts to bank her desires.

  Laura glanced around and noticed that she wasn’t the only one taking pleasure in the view. With heat in their eyes, a few women in the pool called out for him to join them.

  After he gave a quick nod of acknowledgment, his glance returned to Laura. His eyes glimmered with dark sensuality as his gaze collided with hers. Warmth and familiarity resonated through her. With long, determined strides he continued to close the gap between them.

  Out of nowhere, Sue from finance pounced before him like a dog, or rather, bitch in heat, blocking his path. Lord, if the woman had a tail, it’d be wagging.

  They spoke for a moment, but Laura couldn’t hear the exchange over the loud volleyball game in the pool.

  Head swung back, Sue’s long blond hair bounced over her waify shoulders as she shared a private chuckle with Jay. Her long, lithe attributes certainly fit Jay’s descriptive requirements.

  The woman looked like she was waiting for him to throw her a bone. Laura’s fingers clutched her drink as a strange primal possessive sound climbed out of her throat. After last night, she had an up-close-and-personal introduction to that much-coveted bone.

  Laura cursed under her breath as desire segued to jealousy and pushed back the lust. It gave her a small measure of pleasure when he casually sidestepped Sue and continued his journey her way.

  Jay stirred the still afternoon air as he sank to his knees beside her. She inhaled, absorbing his rich, earthy, masculine scent. When he nestled against her, a rush of moisture pooled between her thighs and gained her full attention. She shifted to face him.

  His brow puckered, concern evident in his eyes. “You okay?” The rich cadence of his voice triggered a reaction from her body. Laura lowered her head in an effort to veil her expression.