by Mia Caldwell
“Mmm, baby, you taste so good,” came the muffled sounds as he worked his magic between her legs.
She felt a pressure building inside her, a burgeoning fullness, a throbbing ache that demanded release. Already? Was she on the verge of coming already?
Then he pushed two fingers inside her, twisting his way in, exploring her, scissoring inside. His tongue moved up to her clit, the center point of her world at that moment, and flicked her sensitive nub.
She wanted to stay this way forever, but she was climbing too fast. She couldn’t stop it, couldn’t hold back. It had been so long. So very long.
He rolled his hot, hard tongue over and over her, around and around, up and down, setting a solid rhythm that complimented the push and pull of his fingers.
Phae threw back her head and saw the stars peeking through the leafy canopy. Then she let herself go wherever Kent wanted to take her.
“Come for me, Phae,” she thought she heard him say. “Come for me.”
She thrust herself against him, abandoning herself to this onslaught of pleasure, pleasure like she’d never known. She couldn’t control the pressure any longer.
It erupted inside her, electric bolts of glorious release shooting from inside out. It passed in wave after wave, curling her toes and arching her back. She cried out, yes, yes, yes, again and again, without being much aware of it.
All she knew was that there was a man doing things to her that she’d never felt before. And this was heaven, this was the great unknown.
He worked her clit and pussy until the last of her orgasm died away, then he licked and stroked her gently until she came down the rest of the way. She lay limp and stunned as tiny aftershocks shivered inside her every few seconds.
Phae hardly registered that Kent was putting her shorts back on her until he needed her to lift her hips so he could pull them up.
She pushed the shorts away. “What are you doing?”
“Getting you dressed,” he said. “Believe me, I don’t want to, but we’ve pushed our luck far enough.”
“I want more. Come on. Let’s risk it.” Phae was positively daring right then. She didn’t care what might happen. It felt too good to be stopping. “And you’re left hanging.”
He smiled at her, his teeth white in the moonlight. “Baby, I’ve been hanging practically since the first moment I saw you. At least now I’ve had a taste.”
“It’s only been a week.”
“What?”
She pushed his hands away and buttoned her shorts. “Since we met. A week.”
“Is that all? Huh.” He moved beside her and sat. “Then I guess that’s another good reason for us to keep our distance tonight.”
“Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?” Phae fixed her bra and shirt.
“Definitely me.”
Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Phae finally relaxed under Kent’s silken touch stroking the outside of her thigh. Intermittent puffs of breeze cooled her heated face.
The leaves rustled gently and added a soothing rhythm to the distant fair sounds. She grew strangely happy. Okay, so there wouldn’t be any lovemaking tonight, but she’d had a hell of an orgasm all the same, and she’d learned that the man she desired, desired her in return.
She glanced at his still, shadowy form. “So, I guess you’re okay with me beating you back at the carnival.”
“It was a fluke.”
She heard the smile in his voice. “I see. And you’re not the least bit mad at me.”
“Don’t see why I should be. James and I talked it over before that last round and decided to let you and Neesa win. We figured there wouldn’t be any living with either one of you if you lost.”
“Uh-huh. I could have sworn that you genuinely wanted to win. You must be incredible actors. The way you threw that basketball into the crowd was a masterful touch. I’m impressed.”
“Thanks. I did it all for you.”
Phae ran her fingers down his muscular arm. “It’s kind of weird talking to you in the dark. You seem mysterious. I can see you, kind of, but not all the details.”
“I’m hurting, because I can’t have … you know what I can’t have. And I’m trying to get comfortable on this lumpy ground, but I’m smiling because your leg feels like silk. So why don’t you tell me about yourself? When we’re not together, I think of all these questions I want to ask, but then when you’re around, I never seem to ask them.”
“I bet Miss Eugenia and James have told you everything about me already.”
“I can’t trust what my aunt tells me and James wouldn’t tell me much. I know you grew up here, but that you went to Harvard and worked briefly in Chicago before coming back here and setting up shop as a hairdresser. Not much to go on. Why don’t we start with you telling my why you left Chicago?”
“It’s personal,” Phae said sharply.
“After what we just did, what could be more personal than that?”
Phae didn’t want to think about what happened in Chicago. She was happy and wanted to stay that way. “I left. End of story.”
“I heard you had a great future ahead of you.”
“I think I’ve still got a great future ahead of me.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” he said.
“Not everyone wants the same things, Mr. Entrepreneur, so-called billionaire,” she said, hoping to throw him off track.
“Where did you work?”
She sighed. “If you’ve got to know, then fine. I left because of politics. I couldn’t handle it. You wouldn’t believe all the backstabbing that goes on in big companies like that.”
“Where did you work?”
“In marketing at Fullerton.”
Kent whistled. “Wow. You really were in the big leagues.”
“I don’t know how big your company is, Kent, but Fullerton is beyond huge. They employ tens of thousands of people in the U.S. alone. Their world-wide figures are even more staggering since most of their production is carried out in third world countries. When people talk about gigantic, faceless corporations, they’re talking about Fullerton.”
Phae took a deep breath and continued. “I couldn’t handle it. The constant pressure to be perfect and you couldn’t trust anyone. I hated it. There was no point in being miserable the rest of my life, so I left. And that’s all there is to tell.”
“You could have gone to work for a smaller company.”
She shook her head vehemently. “No. I didn’t want to. I still don’t. I like it here. It’s safe.”
“Safe? That’s an interesting choice of words.”
“Just an expression.”
“I don’t think so. What are you holding back?”
“Don’t read so much into it,” she said. “Are you so bored in your present occupation that you’ve decided to branch out into psychology?”
Kent finally must have sensed her wishes because he answered, “I’m far from bored. In fact, business is so good at my company it’s driving me crazy. I’ve decided to sell it.”
Phae was surprised. “Why would you sell it if it’s doing well?”
“That’s easy. It’s all in the details. When I started, I had a partner. He was supposed to handle the business side and I was going to write the software. It took longer to become profitable than he was ready for, so when he wanted out, I didn’t stop him.”
“I’ve heard Miss Eugenia talk about him like he was evil incarnate.”
Kent laughed lightly. “Hardly. He simply lost faith, and he’s paid for it. About six months after he left, my latest app took off and I haven’t had a dud since. Only problem is, the bigger the company gets, the less time I get to spend doing what I love—creating the apps.”
“Why don’t you hire a manager?” Phae asked.
“I thought about it, but I’m unwilling to put my trust into someone I don’t know well, who might blow everything or rob the company blind. So, while I haven’t enjoyed it, I’ve learned what I needed to learn to
run the business side of things. And it’s gone well.”
“That’s impressive,” Phae said.
“Someone more knowledgeable could have done better, I’m sure. Anyway, not long ago, I walked into my office one morning and turned on my computer. I needed to review a financial report before I met with accounting, but I couldn’t find the file. Because I couldn’t remember the exact name, the computer’s search turned up an enormous list of possibilities. As I scrolled and all those file names flew by, it struck me that not a single file had any connection to programming. It was all management reports, financial records, advertising contracts and so on. You get the picture.”
“Yeah.”
Kent continued. “Somewhere along the road to becoming successful, I’d forgotten why I started the company to begin with. I had too many commitments to do much more than check in with what the creative team was doing without doing any of the real work. I’ve been feeling more and more dissatisfied ever since. So I think I’m done with it. I’m going to sell.”
“That’s a huge decision.”
“Yes and no. I’ve had an offer from a good company that I think will do right by it, so I don’t have worries on that front. I’m flying out to Phoenix tomorrow to meet with my people then on Sunday I’ll fly to San Diego for a Monday meeting with the potential buyers. It’s possible that the next time you see me I’ll be a free man.”
“And when will that be?” Phae tried not to sound disappointed that he was leaving so soon.
“Probably Wednesday. Will you miss me?”
“I’m not going to answer that. You’re conceited enough as it is.”
“You said you wanted me.”
“That’s the sort of thing I’m talking about. You think you know all the answers.”
“Only where you’re concerned.”
He pushed himself up off the ground and held out his hand. She grabbed it and he helped pull her up.
He twirled her into his arms and whispered in her ear. “I know that if I kissed you right now, you’d do anything I asked you.”
She opened her mouth to give him a snappy reply, but stopped short when she heard someone yelling Kent’s name.
“Oh, thrill,” she said. “I think it’s James.”
“The man has radar,” Kent said, bending down to pick up the stuffed dog and dice from the ground.
“I take it we’re leaving?”
James’ voice had gotten louder, then receded.
“I think he’s going away,” she said.
“Yeah, well, we’d better move anyway. He’s my best friend and I’d like to keep it that way. I can’t understand why he’s being so overprotective of you, though he did kind of warn me the other day at the cafe.”
“He’s not my keeper, no matter what he thinks,” Phae said.
Kent shrugged. “He’s stubborn. What do you say we go ride the Ferris wheel and eat some cotton candy or whatever else your heart desires?”
Phae firmly grasped the hand he offered and they began the stroll back to the fairgrounds.
“You know,” Kent said, “we started off talking about you, then I got sidetracked talking about selling my company and we never got back to you.”
“I don’t mind it. What’s next for you after the sale? Early retirement?”
“I don’t know yet. Maybe games this time. Not bloody games. Smart games that challenge kids and adults both. Something like that.”
“Fascinating. Tell me more.”
“No, Phae. That won’t work. I want to know … what’s your favorite color?”
“Blue, like your eyes. What’s yours?”
“Brown of course, like your eyes. What’s your favorite food?”
“I have too many favorites to pick. You?”
“Lasagna,” he answered quickly. “Do you like it?”
“Love it,” she said.
“Good. When I get back from San Diego, I’ll come over to your place and cook lasagna for you on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to leave your hair down. I want to see it down and untamed.”
“Hmm. I might do it.”
“I love your honesty. It’s a deal,” he said. He gently raised her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “We need to think of a story to tell James when we get back.”
Phae mumbled a reply but didn’t listen to what he said. She was too busy mulling over his comment about her honesty.
She hadn’t been completely truthful about what happened in Chicago. And she certainly hadn’t told him about being Captain Nice Guy. He wouldn’t be pleased about that particular bit of information.
She didn’t want to think about it. It was too soon to worry about confessions and the future.
“Phae? Are you listening? I said we should tell James that we were at the ag barns.”
“Right,” she answered quickly. “Ag barns.”
She admired Kent’s handsome profile as they stepped back into the lights of the carnival. She left her worries behind, in the darkness.
Chapter 10
KENT CHECKED HIS SPEED AS he neared the city limits of Zeke’s Bend. He stifled a yawn. It was nearly two o’clock in the morning.
He probably shouldn’t have rushed his return from San Diego, but the meeting with the buyers had lasted nearly two days longer than he’d expected and he’d been impatient to return home to Phae.
He’d called her on Wednesday to tell her that he’d see her Friday. She’d been strangely distant on the phone, not her usual sassy self. He’d texted her, too, but her responses were terse. She said she didn’t like texting.
He flattered himself by assuming that she was only disappointed by his delay, but truthfully, he guessed her reserve had been caused by second-guessing what had happened between them at the fair.
It had been hard to focus on the details of the sale because he’d kept daydreaming about Phae under the trees, dappled moonlight playing on her satiny skin.
It was as if he could still see, taste, touch and smell her. And hear her gentle moans when he made her come.
Damn. He was hard again. The woman had put some kind of spell on him. They hadn’t known one another long, or spent much time together, but he knew a winner when he saw one. And he wasn’t about to let this particular winner go.
While Kent’s career lay grounded in modern science and technology, his heart and mind remained open to a more mystical side of life. He believed in love at first sight.
His own parents were perfect examples that instantaneous love could happen, and more importantly, could last. They’d been married for over thirty-seven years, yet had only known one another for a month when they sealed their union.
Kent wanted what his parents had, and he’d been waiting for his perfect woman his entire adult life.
Just when he thought he’d never find her, Phae Jones had appeared. In his eyes, she embodied perfection. Beauty, brains and wit with a fiery, passionate side. And she was proud, confident, lusty. Oh hell yes. Lusty.
Her honesty about her attraction to him worked like an aphrodisiac. He didn’t like coy women, or those who were out of touch with their physicality. He liked women who knew what they wanted, and he especially liked that Phae wanted him.
He could barely concentrate on the road when he recalled the way Phae had responded to him at the fair.
As he drove down the quiet streets of Zeke’s Bend, he contemplated dropping by Phae’s apartment. He glanced at the gift box on the passenger seat. He could use the present as an excuse to see her.
No, it was late, and she had undoubtedly gone to bed hours ago. He shouldn’t wake her.
He grinned as he wondered what her response would be to his gift. He’d searched through more than a few boutiques in San Diego looking for the consummate little black dress. The box held the sexy fruit of his labors.
He laid his plans. Tomorrow morning he would drop by Phae’s shop and give her the present. She’d probably put up a fuss about him tryi
ng to clothe her, but Kent had confidence he could goad her into wearing the dress.
And hey, if the dress was a little too small, he couldn’t be blamed. After all, he was a man, and what did men know about dress sizes? His deep, throaty chuckle rumbled in the quiet car.
He pictured himself hand-feeding her a bite of lasagna. Maybe a drop of sauce would drip off the fork onto her luscious cleavage which would undoubtedly be spilling over the top of the oh-so-little black dress.
He’d be less than a gentleman if he didn’t clean up his mess. But wait. Where had his napkin gone? Oh well, when faced with life’s little challenges, one must improvise. His tongue could clean up the spill quite nicely.
He wore a wicked grin. Maybe Phae hadn’t gone to bed yet. He could drive by quickly and see if her lights were on. He turned the car down the next street, in the direction of Phae’s home.
He was less than two blocks away and had been wondering if Phae owned a pair of high heels when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed some shaking bushes over to his left. It was a windless night. He slowed to a near crawl.
Less than six feet away from the porch of a fine old house, the bushes fronted the sidewalk which ran the length of the residential street. A streetlight adequately lit the scene, but the depths of the shrubbery remained in shadows.
He stopped the car and waited a few moments. Nothing moved. It had probably been an animal.
He eased his foot onto the accelerator. Then he saw it. A man. Dressed all in black, including a stocking cap.
The back of his body was illuminated for a split second as he leapt gracefully from behind the bushes then disappeared into the shadows at the side of the house. Kent briefly considered chasing the man, but knew it would be pointless.
He’d just seen the elusive Captain Nice Guy.
He couldn’t believe his luck. And he had no doubt whatsoever that the man he’d seen was indeed Captain Nice Guy and not a burglar.
The man had a bulky belt around his waist, probably filled with the tricks of his do-gooder trade. A town the size of Zeke’s Bend wouldn’t attract someone the caliber of a pro cat burglar.