A smile that brought back way too many memories of the man she’d fallen for a long time ago.
A familiar, dangerous hunger began to gather inside her. She could still feel the touch of his fingers behind her ear when he’d pushed her hair back, could still feel the warmth that had shot through her. His mouth had been so close. Within kissing distance…
With an abrupt movement, she closed the laptop. Then, after putting the computer down on the antique trunk she used as a coffee table, Judith pushed herself off the couch and strode over to the windows of her apartment before pacing back again, restless.
Oh boy, she was doing a Joseph.
Judith glared at the laptop, sticking her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. She was crazy, letting wretched Caleb Steele and his stupid smile get to her like this. So he was hot. So what? No, she did not still feel the brush of his fingers on her skin. And no, she hadn’t been trembling just before he’d done it. No, of course not.
She wasn’t hungry for him. Or aching for him. She wasn’t. Not. At. All.
Giving a soft growl, Judith walked to the couch, sat down, and opened the laptop again. As the screen fired up, Caleb’s image grinned at her.
She scowled at him. Stupid man. Stupid hot smile.
Perhaps she wouldn’t get a quote. Perhaps she’d just draw a mustache on him with her photo editing program. Or perhaps type the words of the latest unflattering Internet meme all over him and post it on her Facebook page instead.
The doorbell to her apartment rang and for one hideous second she thought it would be Caleb paying her a visit to collect his image. Which was just insane, since he had no idea where she lived anyway.
Judith got up again and walked down the hallway to the front door.
Of course it wasn’t Caleb. And she didn’t want it to be. Nope. No way.
She pulled open the front door, weirdly relieved—and at the same time disappointed—to find Marisa, Christie’s friend, waiting in the hallway outside.
Marisa smiled. “Hey, Judith. Sorry, hope you don’t mind me dropping in like this. Christie’s been nagging at me to pick up those prints from the wedding and since I was in the neighborhood…”
“Oh, no problem. I’ve got them all ready for her.” Judith’s natural courtesy and a desire for something to distract herself from the endless Caleb Steele thoughts kicked in.
She’d gotten to know Marisa during the build-up of Christie’s and Joseph’s wedding and really liked her. The other woman was smart and had a snarky sense of humor that neatly matched Judith’s own.
“Look, why don’t you come in while I grab them? I’ll show you the wedding pics I’ve got on my laptop, too, if you like.”
“I don’t want to interrupt—”
“I have wine.”
The look on Marisa’s lovely face brightened. “Well, in that case.”
Three hours, a Chinese takeout, and two bottles of wine later, Marisa wiped the tears from her eyes. “I knew I liked you,” she said unsteadily as Judith put the finishing touches on the mustache she’d drawn across the photo of Joseph giving his groom’s speech. “That looks awesome.”
Judith, sitting on one of her red velvet floor cushions, the laptop on her knees, gave her brother a critical look. “Yeah, it is isn’t it? Mutton-chops suit him, though I suppose it looks a bit weird with the Billy Ray Cyrus mullet. All right, let’s find a good one of Chris to fiddle with.”
She cycled through the photos and both of them groaned at one of Christie and Joseph looking adoringly at each other.
“Ew, sickening.” Marisa made gagging sounds that Judith found stupidly funny, laughing till her sides hurt.
“What?” she said when she’d recovered. “Something tells me you’re not a romantic.”
“Nope.” Marisa flipped her blond hair over her shoulder. “Love sucks donkey balls.”
Judith choked on her merlot. “That’s pretty definite,” she managed.
Marisa lifted a shoulder. “I tried it. Hated it. Not much else to say, really.”
“What happened?”
“Oh, the usual. Fell in love with someone.” She took a huge gulp of wine. “Found out he was married way too late.”
“That does suck.”
“Yeah. Men are bastards.”
“Amen, sister.” Judith raised her glass. “Bastards all.”
The other woman leaned back on her hands, legs stretched out in front of her. “What about you? You got any war stories?”
Judith absently added a pipe to her brother’s photo. “No. Not really.”
“Oh, come on. Tell your old pal Marisa.” Her look turned sly. “What about Mr. Abs of Steele? There’s a story there. My spidey senses are tingling.”
Judith laughed, took another sip of wine. She was enjoying this, sitting around relaxed and having a girly chat. It wasn’t something she did often—most of her other friends were way too arty and intense to indulge in gossipy conversations about men. Marisa, open and easy-going, was a nice change.
“Your spidey senses are wrong.”
“Crap. They’re never wrong. C’mon. Spill.”
Judith waved a hand. “It was nothing. Just a silly teenage crush back when I was eighteen.” She’d leave it at that. No one needed to know about the rest of it.
“You and half the population of New Zealand.”
That was true. Caleb had been a new All Black, New Zealand’s national rugby team. He’d come from nowhere and had taken the country by storm with his raw talent and intense good looks. And she, already with a bad case of hero-worship, had been taken right along with it. At least until she’d found out just what kind of a player he really was and that she’d been played expertly.
She took another healthy sip of wine. Damn it tasted good. She’d never been much of a drinker, but something about this evening and the sharing of confidences seemed to demand it. “Had a crush. Had being the operative word. I’m over it now. Waaaay over it.”
“Uh-huh. So what did he do?”
“He didn’t do anything.”
“Sure he didn’t.”
She pulled a face. “It was years and years ago.”
“Hey, I told you about my crappy love life.” Marisa crossed one slender ankle over the other. “Throw me a bone here.”
Judith chewed on her lip and took another, heftier sip of wine, desperately trying to think of some kind of believable lie.
Marisa wasn’t fooled, not even for a second. “Don’t tell me, you fell for him, slept with him, then he dumped you once he got what he wanted from you.”
Judith opened her mouth. Shut it. “Uh…how did you know?”
“Because that’s the way guys like him operate. Believe me, I know.” The look on Marisa’s face spoke volumes. “So come on, details, please. Chop, chop.”
What had happened with Caleb had always been a secret. Her secret. She hadn’t wanted anyone else to know just how hurt and humiliated she’d been to find out that the kind, generous, caring man she’d fallen for was just a player. That he was more interested in his career, and the fame and the money that came along with it, than he was in her.
She’d tried to put the experience aside, tried dating other men. But the guys she’d gone out with weren’t interested in anything more than the here and now. Some had even tried playing her like Caleb had played her, telling her all kinds of stuff to get her into bed.
She was so over that. She wanted more. Wanted something real.
The wine had loosened something inside her and suddenly she just didn’t want to keep it to herself any longer.
“Oh, it’s nothing major. I found out I’d gotten into art school, and Joe and Caleb took me out for dinner to celebrate. Joe met up with some girl afterward so Caleb took me home. We got talking and…uh…one thing led to another and…” she waved a hand. “You know.”
“Bloody hell,” Marisa muttered. “You’re as bad as St. John with the details.”
He’d kissed her good-bye on the doorstep, sl
ow and sweet, and it had been every fantasy she’d ever had come true. Then the kissing had become something else and she’d gone up in flames. Wanted him more than she’d wanted anything in her life. Making love with him had exceeded every expectation she’d ever had and set the bar so high no one had even come close since. No guy had ever made her feel the way Caleb had.
No guy had ever hurt her the way Caleb had, either. The day he’d ended it, he’d crushed a friendship she’d come to count on, not to mention broken her vulnerable heart.
“Anyway, the next day he’d gone. I expected him to call me but he didn’t. In fact, I didn’t see him or hear from him for days afterward. When I did, he told me he’d been given a sponsorship deal and a new contract to sign, that he was going to join one of the overseas clubs. Then he acted as if nothing had happened between us.”
“Man, that’s harsh,” Marisa said sympathetically. “I think I would have kicked him hard somewhere sensitive if you catch my drift.”
Judith stared down at the red liquid in her glass. “Yes, well, I thought about doing that, believe me.”
She’d eventually confronted him about it, wanting some sign that what they’d shared mattered to him. That it had been as special to him as it had been to her. And all he’d given her was some crap about her being too young for anything serious and about how his focus had to be on his career. Then he’d hammered the real nail in the coffin a couple of weeks later—a picture of him in the society pages of the paper with some bimbo TV star on his arm and a headline about his latest conquest.
She was over that now. Her heart had mended itself and she’d found other friends. She wasn’t a stupid love-struck teenager anymore and everything that had happened with Caleb was just water under the bridge. Lots and lots of water.
Marisa sat up, raised her glass in a silent toast. “Men suck.”
“I’ll drink to that.” So she did. Again.
“Hey, show me what you’ve done with the photo.”
Handing Marisa the laptop, Judith reached for the bottle to top up her suspiciously empty wine glass. How had that happened so fast?
“Ooooh,” Marisa breathed, her gaze on the laptop screen. “Now that is hot.”
“What is?”
“This.” Marisa turned the screen so she could see. It was her picture of Caleb, that sexy charismatic smile lighting up the room. “Did you take it?”
Judith glowered at the image. “Yes. It’s a test shot for that calendar idea of his.”
“It’s just…wow.” She turned the screen round again. “You know it’s funny, I have no idea why but he’s almost sexier here than with his shirt off.”
Judith knew. Because just for a second, the fake charm, the “Abs of Steele” façade, had dropped. And another man had been revealed. The man she’d once fallen for with every ounce of passion in her teenage heart.
Marisa sighed as she looked at the picture. “You’re good. You’re really good.”
“Thanks.” But she didn’t want to look at Caleb’s picture any more. Tonight was about distraction, wasn’t it? “Hey, another bottle?”
They managed another half before Marisa, tipsy and hyped, decided that going to a club was a great idea. Judith, who never went to clubs, thought this was a great idea, too. And why not?
She’d been eight when her mother had walked out and the responsibility of looking out for her ADHD brother had fallen onto her shoulders. Her father had always been too busy so it had to be her. But eighteen years of responsibility weighed heavily on a girl at times. Surely one night off wouldn’t hurt? Anyway, anything to take her mind of Caleb Freaking Steele.
Around eleven PM, onto her third frozen margarita, her phone vibrated in the pocket of her expensive, black skinny jeans. She tugged it out, looking down at the screen shining brightly in the darkness of the club.
Got my picture yet?
Ugh. Caleb. What was he doing texting her at this time of night? She typed in a reply.
You said tomorrow.
A pause.
It doesn’t take that long does it?
She snorted. Nearby there was a table full of guys and one of them had started glancing at her, trying to catch her eye. He was kind of hot but a little too blond for her tastes. Ignoring him, she concentrated on sending Caleb a response instead.
It takes as long as it needs to take.
And then, because she was tipsy and it seemed like a funny thing to do, she added.
I showed Marisa. She thinks it’s sexy.
The music in the club thumped. Across the table from where she sat, Marisa was busy flirting outrageously with a couple of guys.
Naturally. Marisa thinks everyone is sexy. What about you?
Judith frowned, her margarita and wine fuddled brain not processing things very well.
Do I think everyone’s sexy?
Another pause.
No. Do you think I’m sexy?
Why was she hearing Rod Stewart all of the sudden? Judith hummed and sent back a response, giggling at her own cleverness.
And you want my body.
Almost instantly his response came back.
Come on babycakes let me know…
She laughed.
How should I let you know?
Across the table Marisa was laughing, too. One of the guys had left but the other was sitting close to her, an arm around her shoulders.
You could reach out and touch me…
Judith’s laugh turned into a snort. Caleb was an idiot. She reached out for her margarita and had another mouthful. The icy liquid was sweet and so delicious. Hmmmm. How to respond to that? Sadly she’d run out of Rod Stewart suggestions. Luckily her brain supplied her with one of her own.
Where should I touch you?
Another pause.
So many questions, darling. Where do you want to touch me?
Okay, this had suddenly become more suggestive than she was expecting. She shifted on the seat, feeling jumpy. In the corner of the phone’s screen, she could see the little battery symbol telling her she didn’t have much juice left. A small, restless part of her shivered as an idea came to her. Why did he get to be the shocking one all the time? Why couldn’t she do it for a change? Send him something outrageous before her battery died?
She grinned, her thumb moving over the keypad.
All over, honey.
There. Perhaps that would shut him up. Marisa and her new beau got up and moved through the crowd to the dance floor. Judith hummed some more Rod as her phone vibrated again.
And why do you want to touch me, BC?
Apparently that wouldn’t shut him up. The words looked a little blurry. Judith squinted at the screen, frowning. Clearly she needed to be more shocking.
Don’t be coy. You know you’re sexy and hot. BC?
Another pause.
BC=Baby Cakes. But I like that YOU think I’m sexy and hot.
She rolled her eyes. The guy at the other table was still staring at her but she totally ignored him, too busy with answering Caleb.
Like every other woman in the country. You should be auctioning kisses btw, not a date.
Her phone remained silent for a second. Like it was thinking. Stupid. Phones didn’t think, right? Then it beeped again.
If I did, would you buy one?
Judith could feel herself blushing. Bah. How had she gotten herself into this mess? Oh, that’s right. She’d wanted to be outrageous to shut him up. Boy, had that ever been a bad idea. Perhaps she needed more frozen margarita. She gulped at her drink, stumbling through a reply.
Maybe.
A second later, Caleb responded.
Come on, yes or no.
Oh damn, she should have said no. Why hadn’t she said no? Dumb question, she knew why. Because Caleb made her a little bit reckless. A little bit wild. Always had. He rocked her cool, calm, in-control world and something inside her liked it. Liked it a lot.
Judith shivered and her thumb moved, almost of its own accord.
&n
bsp; Yes.
Another beep, another text from Caleb.
Where would you kiss me?
The wine and the cocktails made her feel loose and easy, her inhibitions falling by the wayside. Her attention focused on the tiny screen in front of her and the words on it, her brain suddenly flooded with fantasies. Of what it would be like to have Caleb kissing her. Of her kissing Caleb. She felt hot, restless, and dizzy, barely noticing that the battery symbol was flashing red. How had she gotten to this point with him? She had no idea. The only thing she did know was that she couldn’t stop.
I’ll start with your mouth.
She pressed send, a pulse of adrenaline ricocheting around inside her.
Then her battery died.
Judith blinked at the blank screen of the dead phone. Was she relieved? Disappointed? For a long moment she couldn’t work out what she felt.
“Uh, hey. Would you like to dance?”
Looking up, she saw Staring Guy standing in front of her with a hopeful look on his face. A dance? Suddenly that seemed like the best idea she’d had all night. Better than sitting around thinking about why on earth she’d just indulged in a sexy text conversation with Caleb Steele.
It wasn’t until she stood that she realized three things.
One: that she didn’t feel so good.
Two: that the room was spinning even worse than it had been a moment before.
And three: that the Chinese takeout she’d had with Marisa a few hours earlier was suddenly wanting to make a reappearance.
“Thanks, but I don’t think so,” she managed to gasp out.
She only made it to the ladies loo with seconds to spare.
…
Judith woke the next morning safely in her bed, a herd of elephants crashing around in her head. No, scrub elephants—it was more like Tyrannosaurus Rexes. Certainly her mouth tasted like a dinosaur had done something nasty in it.
Groaning, she managed to stagger out of bed and into the shower. Wine and margaritas? What the hell had she been thinking?
Half an hour later, liberally dosed with water and aspirin but still feeling like death warmed up, she pulled her phone out of her bag and stuck it in the charger, wanting to see if she’d had any missed calls or texts.
Tell me where else you’d kiss me.
Talking Dirty With the Player Page 5