Pushing away, Missy righted her clothes and turned angrily to him. “Is she getting a card lesson also?”
“Still tense, I see.” he brought his wet fingers to his mouth. “Do you want to go again? I’ll get rid of her.”
“Don’t do me any favors.”
Frowning, Brody stared at her. “Do you any favors? I’m the one still hard here!”
“Maybe she can help you out.”
“I don’t want her, I want you. Or do I need to prove it to you again?”
Flushing, she gathered her books, and headed to the door. “Missy,” he called out softly behind her.
“What?” she said, her hand on the doorknob.
“This isn’t over.”
Looking over her shoulder at him, she replied, “I didn’t think it was,” before opening the door and walking out.
Chapter 3
The dinging of the bell brought Missy out of her self imposed stupor. She was still reeling from the hand-to-hand combat with Brody this afternoon, so much so that she wasn’t even sure how she managed to get to work. Not that she had to be all there to ring up dildos, but it would help if she could at least focus on her medical terms. No one was going to hire anyone who didn’t know the difference between URI and UTI.
Sighing, she closed the book and set it down on the bottom counter. The rest of her day was completely shot because of him. If she didn’t get her shit together and soon, she was never going to get into medical school. It was a lifetime goal that had taken many months of skimping on everything from food to new clothes, just so she could save up for school. If it weren’t for this job, she would still be bussing tables and taking a class once a week at the local community college.
It might not be the most conventional place to work but it suited her just fine. Dean Harris, the owner, allowed her to work around her school schedule, and didn’t complain when she asked for days off. Despite its products and sometimes strange customers, Harris’s was an ideal place to work.
Climbing down from the stool, she picked up the duster and walked around the counter. Barely touching the shelf, she grazed the surface of the table, the feathers teasing the dust as she drifted down the row. Visions of this afternoon ran in her head, leaving her to ponder what the hell she had been thinking.
It wasn’t like her to be so free with her body, not that Brody had given her much say in the matter. He came, he saw, he conquered. Okay, so she came, she thought ruefully, but he had definitely conquered. She had been such an easy target. He had just swooped down and pounced, and all of her free will had vanished. Not that he’d done anything that she hadn’t wanted, it was just that he was so overpowering.
Brody’s sexual prowess far outweighed the meager bump and grind she had experienced in her past. And after Tony, her ex, she was a little gun shy. Which, mingled with her regular shy personality, left her feeling like an invisible mound of mush. There was no way he could ever be interested in her. The cute, great guy only fell for the homely fat chicks in bad TV movies.
The door swinging open wildly sent the buzzer into an epileptic seizure. Glancing up, she watched in surprise as Brody strolled into the store. In form-fitting blue jeans and a gray short sleeved shirt, he appeared as if she conjured him out of her fantasy. Every time she watched him move, she heard hot jazz music playing in the back of her head. As if she was mentally playing a song for him to strip to. The thought of him naked and shaking his moneymaker made her blush from the sheer vision of him.
“I would say a penny for your thought, but the way you’re blushing, I’d be willing to pay a hell of a lot more,” he teased, strolling up to her. His stormy blue-gray eyes twinkled in merriment.
Blushing brighter, Missy cringed at his knowing laugh and wished the ground would just open up and swallow her whole. The scent of his cologne drifted up to her and doused her senses with a direct hit of pheromone. The aroma, rich and spicy and with a hint of his own unique scent, soared around her, forcing Missy to grip the feather duster to prevent herself from attacking him and dragging him to the floor.
“You know stalking is illegal in the state of California,” she quipped, once she was able to gather her ability to think.
Grinning, Brody replied, “Well, if the mountain won’t come to Muhammad…”
“Comparing me to a mountain won’t get you far, Muhammad.”
“Sounds to me like someone is trying to call herself fat in a roundabout way.”
“No, I wasn’t,” she denied. “But if I wanted to, I would.”
“I wouldn’t advise it if I were you,” Brody threatened softly. His commanding tone caught her off guard, as did her urge to obey him. Something about his presence stilled her automatic response sensors.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, walking around the counter. Missy wanted to put as much distance between them as she could.
“I came to see you,” he answered, leaning against the counter. “We have some unfinished business, you and I.”
“Look, this afternoon I wasn’t myself.”
“So who was it that squeezed my fingers like a vise-grip in my office this afternoon?”
Missy’s eyes widened, mortified. She flushed, feeling the heat spread up from her breasts to her cheeks. Looking over his shoulder, Missy glanced around to see if any of the few customers who were nearby heard him.
Leaning forward, she whispered hotly, “Don’t talk about that here.”
“I can’t talk about sex in a sex shop?”
“We didn’t have sex and no, you can’t. This is my place of employment.”
“My purpose isn’t to embarrass you Missy,” he chided softly. “But to try to get to know you better.”
“Know me better?” she questioned in shock. “You don’t know me at all.”
“Oh, I beg to differ, little one. I know enough.”
“Because I took your class?”
“No, because I tasted you.” Running his hands over the counter, he brushed the tips of his fingers against the soft flesh of her arm. “I want more than a taste now; I want the whole damn meal.”
Pulling back her arm, she looked at Brody with fear in her eyes. There was no use trying to act blasé with him. She could no more pull off the seductress act than he could act like a choirboy. Missy was way out of her element, and she knew it.
“Stop looking at me like that,” he said, reaching over the counter for her hand. Pulling it forward, he caressed her palm as if he was trying to calm a skittish mare. “What are you afraid of?”
“You,” she said stiffly. “You’re going run all over me.”
“That’s not my intention.”
“But you’ll do it anyway. I’m not equipped to handle you.”
“What do you mean?” Brody tilted his head and smiled gently at her.
“You’re going to try to turn this into a sex thing.”
“And that would be bad, why?”
“Because look at you and look at me.”
“I am looking Missy.”
Frustrated, she yanked her hand away and stepped back from the counter. “No, look at me, Brody.”
“I am looking,” he said firmly. “And I like what I see.”
“You’re confusing me.”
“What’s confusing about me wanting to get to know you better?” Brody asked, shaking his head in bewilderment.
“You’re going too fast.”
“I’ll slow down.”
Missy tried to read his intent with a slight frown on her face. He appeared to be sincere, but she couldn’t be sure. She was still waiting for her bullshit meter to start going off. When something appears to be too good to be true, it’s normally because it is.
“Really,” he laughed at her disbelieving stare. “We can start off as friends.”
“Well, I normally don’t let my friends finger me in their offices.”
“Where do you let them finger you?”
“I didn’t mean…” she flushed, feeling foolish and embarrasse
d. “I don’t let them finger me at all.”
“Damn,” Brody teased. “And here I was looking forward to the benefits of being your friend.”
“You’re going to make me have an aneurysm from all this blood rushing to my head.”
“Stop blushing, then. You don’t have to be embarrassed with me.”
“I do if you want me to be myself.”
A customer walked up to the counter, shooting Brody a strange look. Stepping back, Brody waved the man forward, and browsed the novelty aisle as she waited on the customer.
Missy rang the customer up, keeping an eye on Brody. Many of her friends visited her at work, mainly for sport, but no one had come just to hang out with her. It was disconcerting, the attention he was paying her, but nice at the same time.
When the customer left, Brody came back to the counter with two jars in his hands. Placing them on the counter in front of her, he asked. “So Miss, which anal lube do you recommend?”
Looking down at the two jars, she looked up at him, trying to gauge if he was serious or not. “I think lube is a personal decision.”
“But you work here; you must have a personal favorite.” If it weren’t for the twinkle in his eyes, she would have thought by his tone that he was serious.
“Well sure, I guess it depends on if it’s your anus that we’re talking about.”
“No, it’s for a friend.”
“That’s some kind of friend.”
“That’s what I keep saying.” A huge grin split Brody’s face, and Missy had to chuckle despite herself.
“The KY is the best selling one.”
“Okay, then I’ll take it.”
“Big date planned?”
“No, but you can never have too much lube.” He winked as he took the other jar off the counter. Walking back down the aisle, he picked up a deck of cards, featuring nude people, and tossed them to her. “I’ll take these too.”
“I’m not learning poker on these cards.” Missy wrinkled her nosed in distaste, looking down at the graphic deck. “I think the Queen in here might actually be a queen, and I’m not talking the Elizabeth variety.”
Grinning, Brody caught the cards in mid-air as she tossed them back at him. “You have to be open-minded.”
“I’m very open-minded, but this deck brings a whole other image to mind when you say one-eyed jacks.”
Brody threw back his head and roared with laughter. Smiling with mirth, Missy watched him, pleased. Once she got over his devastating good looks, and the fact that he brought her to orgasm against a wall, she would be able to treat him like she did her other male friends. Maybe if she just put him in the friend box she could get a grip on her hormones and go back to being herself.
“So are you really interested in teaching me poker?” she asked, walking around the counter.
“Of course. Do you want to learn?”
“Very much so.” Walking around to the opposite aisle, she stood with the shelves between them.
“What about tonight, you want to go back to my house?” Raising his hands in mock surrender, “Or yours, wherever you feel most comfortable.”
“We don’t close until eleven,” Missy stated. Biting down on her bottom lip, she waited for his response. Reaching over the counter, he ran his thumb over her lip, gently moving it from under her teeth. The feel of his thick finger against her mouth had her nipples tightening under her loose-fitting shirt.
“I’m free tonight,” he said softly, taking his thumb away from her slightly opened lips.
Licking them, Missy felt a tingle run through her body. “I have class tomorrow at three.”
“I won’t stay too late.”
“Are you sure?”
“Definitely.”
“Okay, do you want to meet me back here at closing time?”
“It’s only an hour away. I’ll wait.”
Wrinkling her brow, she asked, “You’re just going to hang out here for an hour?”
“Missy,” he said teasingly. “I’m surrounded by lube, toys and porn. Why would I wait anywhere else?”
“If you open it, you bought it,” Missy smiled, teasing back. This was so out of character for her. She hadn’t blushed in five minutes. It had to be a new record, she thought sarcastically. She could do this; she could be friends with him, if he stopped touching her that is. Because when he did, she lost the last of the common sense God gave her, and wanted to body-check him and put the lube to good use.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Looking around the store, he asked, “Is it always this quiet here?”
“You’ve probably scared some people away.”
Turning back to her, he asked, “Why would you say that?”
“No one wants other people to see them buying this stuff.”
“But you’re here.”
“Who cares what I think? I work here, but you, well you’re another matter all together.”
“Because…”
“Because some people find it embarrassing to buy porn or lube in front of other people,” she explained mockingly. “Not everyone is as comfortable with themselves as you appear to be.”
“What about you?”
“What about me, what?”
“Could you buy something in front of me?”
“I don’t know,” Missy tilted her head as she thought. “Normally I would say no, but I did ring you up for a blow-up doll and handcuffs. Not to mention the lube you’re buying tonight, so maybe.”
“What would you buy?” he inquired curiously.
“I said maybe, it was a hypothetical question.”
“Well hypothetically, what toy here has your interest?”
Rolling her eyes, she said, “That’s like asking someone who works in fast food what you should order. They don’t eat the stuff there anymore, it’s old news. Same thing here. I’ve had to log, order and stock all these things. The novelty of it all is lost on me.”
“Well, if not a toy, what?”
“I don’t know,” she hedged.
“Just pick one thing. What would it be?”
“Well, it wouldn’t be a toy.”
“Okay, what would it be?”
“I don’t know, maybe a movie.”
“What kind?”
“The dirty kind.” Missy rolled her eyes and turned away from his probing stare. He was enjoying this conversation way too much for her peace of mind.
“Any particular kind of dirty movie?” he inquired dryly.
“Are you trying to make me blush again?”
“Are you trying to avoid the question?”
“No.”
“Then answer it.” Crossing his arms across his chest, he raised an eyebrow as if daring her.
“I don’t know, maybe something with…” Reaching up Missy tugged on her ponytail. This was definitely not the kind of conversation she had with Scott. “A threesome maybe.” Missy mumbled the last part, hoping like hell that her face wasn’t as red as it felt.
“Ahh,” he said, nodding his head slowly. “Interested in that, are you?”
“No,” Missy denied, resisting the urge to touch the tip of her nose, to check to see if it was growing. “I’ve just never seen one, and I’m curious about it merely from the ‘how does it work’ factor.”
“Really?” It looked as if Brody was holding back laughing at her. “From an instructor viewpoint, I would have to say that knowledge is power.”
“Ha ha ha,” she remarked snidely, stepping back behind the counter when another customer came up from the back of the store.
Brody disappeared around the corner as she waited on the customer. Ringing him up, she wondered what Brody was up to, but she had several customers come up and was unable to go investigate. As the last customer left, Brody appeared with a box in his hand.
Coming up to the counter he smiled and handed it to her. “I would like to purchase this along with the lube.”
Looking down, Missy did a double take when she saw the cover of the box. It
was a movie cover with a picture of a nude woman on it, giving head to one well-endowed man while getting fucked from behind by another. “What’s this for?”
“I believe in being prepared.”
“For what?”
“No,” he said pulling out his wallet. “For whatever.”
“I thought tonight was about poker.”
“It is. Tonight is about poker.” Brody handed her his credit card, and she just gripped it, still in shock. “Tomorrow though, is another story.”
Chapter 4
Brody followed Missy’s red Honda Civic closely, making sure he didn’t get lost. Teaching her poker wasn’t the way he wanted to necessarily spend the night, but anything that got him alone with her was okay with him. They had spent the last hour at the store, laughing and joking around. Missy had begun to loosen up and feel more comfortable with him the more he backed off and gave her some space. She was like a skittish colt, nervous and untrusting, but Brody was willing to take things as slow as she wanted, as long as she agreed to see him.
He had never had to pursue a woman in his life. It was a very humbling and irritating feeling. Missy was definitely worth the wait, even if she didn’t think she was. He’d just have to take matters into his own hands until she was ready to go further. He would give her time, but not too much. Brody didn’t want her to get so comfortable that he fell off her sensual radar and straight into her friend one. He was okay with being friends, as long as it was friends with benefits—the horizontal kind.
Pulling up next to the curb behind her car, he turned off the engine and looked around. The dark night sky seemed like an eerie backdrop to the destitute street leading to the perilous looking apartment building that Missy obviously lived in. There were a few streetlights on, but only two of them were lit, casting an even gloomier glow on her home.
Getting out of the car, he locked his door and set his alarm, something he hardly ever did. Walking behind Missy, who waited for him at the curb, he wondered how she managed to make it home safely every night. There were no security guards to patrol the grounds. No one to make sure she made it into her home unharmed. The thought of her vulnerable to anyone and everyone made his stomach clench. His protective instinct kicked into overdrive as he walked up the stairs behind her.
Jokers Wild: Stripped Bare Page 3