Fancy Free

by Shelley Munro

  * * * * *

  Not one light showed when James drove up to his house and parked out front. Alice had probably gone home when he didn’t show up as arranged. He’d tried to ring a couple of times but the line remained engaged. A bit weird if Alice wasn’t at his house. Must be a fault. At least all the order had made the plane in time and Fancy Free had fulfilled its obligations.

  He let himself into his house, noting the locked door. Sometimes he locked it and sometimes he didn’t—the beauty of living in the small country town. He noticed an envelope on the floor just inside and stooped to pick it up. It was addressed to Alice. He dropped by the kitchen and set it on the counter. The phone was off the hook. No wonder he hadn’t managed to get a call through. He replaced the hand piece and walked down the hall to his bedroom without bothering to turn on the lights.

  The moon shone through the windows of his bedroom, highlighting Alice’s sleeping form in the middle of his bed. She lay curled up on her side, dressed in one of his T-shirts with a sheet covering her feet and not much else. James smiled, his tiredness dropping away. Rapidly, he shucked his clothes and joined her on the bed, curling his arms around her and nuzzling her neck. She stretched, her body undulating against him and drawing a startled hiss when her ass brushed his groin. Aware, but not fully awake. He slipped one hand beneath the hem of his T-shirt to cup a weighty breast. Lord, she felt so soft, so unconsciously sexy. His dick seemed to agree with the assessment, rising against Alice’s curved ass.

  James kissed her cheek and across her collarbone, taking delight in her sleepy sighs as she slowly woke. The delicate scent of flowers wafted up from her silky skin.

  She tensed, coming to full alertness. “James?”

  “Who else did you expect in your bed?”

  “Maybe an alien. According to the news on the television there’s a lot around.”

  “I don’t believe in UFOs,” James growled. “There are lots of other things I’d prefer to think about.” He grasped her nipple between finger and thumb and twisted it, giving her a physical demonstration of what he’d rather do.

  She turned toward him, her breasts squashing against his chest when she drew closer. “Your mother rang.”

  Hell. “I don’t want to talk about my mother or my sister.”

  “She rang too.”

  Both his mother and sister ganging up on Alice. No wonder he hadn’t been able to get through with his phone ringing hot. “Did you take it off the hook?”

  “Yes.”

  He could hardly blame her, not when he’d have done the same thing. “Sorry.”

  “Not your fault.”

  “I don’t want to talk about my family.” James edged up the T-shirt until her breasts were no longer covered. Dipping his head, he licked around one nipple before sucking it into his mouth. She slipped a hand into his hair, threading her fingers through the strands and pressing him more firmly to her breast. Not that he needed much encouragement. He’d thought about making love to her the entire drive home from the city. He’d imagined French kisses, thrusting his tongue deep, the taste of her mouth and of teasing them both to distraction. He released her nipple and reached up to kiss her just as he’d imagined. She parted her lips and their mouths and tongues mated in a slow tango. He gripped her shoulders a tad tighter and fit their bodies together so they were in perfect alignment. When he pulled out of the kiss and pressed a playful one to her upturned nose, both of them breathed heavily.

  “Lift your arms.” He whisked his T-shirt over her head the second she obeyed. Tossing it aside, he ran his hands over her naked body, stroking, shaping, plucking. “That’s much better.”

  Before she could move, he caged her in place with his arms and kissed her again.

  Slow. Thorough. Deep.

  Alice clutched at his shoulders, her response letting him know she enjoyed their interaction. He kissed her mouth, the tender place where shoulder met neck and the slopes of her breasts. Despite his mind and his aching dick encouraging him to hurry, James kept the pace slow and easy, building the heat between them until she trembled and each of her breaths was ragged. Her skin glowed in the moonlight that crept into the room. His nostrils flared, the perfume of flowers and sexy musk along with a hint of his aftershave filling his every breath. James stroked the flare of her hips before he slipped his hand between her parted thighs. Warm liquid heat met the delicate brush of his questing fingers. His shaft jerked in reaction when he massaged drenched folds, blood crowding his cock along with clawing tension. He slipped one finger into her, thrusting. A moan fell from her lips, the knowledge of her pleasure a strong intoxicant.

  He kissed her again, thrusting finger and tongue together in rhythm. Unable to resist a second longer, he removed his finger and moved over her, feeling the desperation etched in his face. He pushed deep into her hot, wet core. Oh god. She felt so good, her flesh clinging to his cock, her hips cradling his body while her lips returned his kisses. James felt the sting of fingernails on his back and the pain made him hotter. The sensation spiraled through his body, making a familiar low pressure gather at the base of his spine. He set up a steady pace of thrust and withdrawal until he couldn’t hold back an instant longer. He trembled, his heartbeat a loud tempo in his ears. Using one finger, he teased her swollen nub. Alice moaned, arching up against him. He felt the tremors deep in her pussy, the clench of her inner muscles. Clawing tension tightened his balls.

  “James.” A moan fell from her lips and her inner walls convulsed with the force of her orgasm.

  He thrust hard and fast, no longer trying to hold back. Once. Twice. His hips pistoned one final time, exploding, hot spurts of his cum flooding her core.

  For a moment, he lay there to let his heartbeat recover while a sudden truth beat him over the head. He hadn’t used a condom. For the first time in his adult life he’d had unprotected sex.

  Confusion filled him even as he withdrew and tugged her into his arms. He arranged the covers over them and didn’t utter a word. He couldn’t because for the life of him he didn’t know what to say. He knew the danger of pregnancy remained low since Alice took the Pill. But, dammit, that was the whole point. They were only having sex together in order to test the condoms and ensure that the company survived.

  This wasn’t about fun. He scowled into the darkness, her even breathing telling him she’d fallen asleep. Their sleeping together wasn’t about anything except money. Having sex was all about the condoms.

  It certainly wasn’t about making love.

  Chapter Twelve

  James separated their bodies and flopped over on his back. After a brief pause, he held his left wrist in front of his face to check the time. “It’s almost eight. We’d better move.”

  Alice stretched, enjoying the sensual aches in her body before curling into his side. “Do we have to?” She sighed and pressed a moist kiss to his chest. They’d had a slow start since they’d taken the time to test two of their condom samples. A tingling sensation shot from her breasts, landing in her nether region at the memory. Making love with James was fun. Excitement plus. Her thoughts drifted to the previous evening when she had woken to find him in bed with her. They’d made love without a condom in sight. Alice had no idea whether this rated as a good or bad thing. Oh, she knew about sexually transmitted diseases, but after getting to know James, she knew his reputation regarding bed hopping was total exaggeration. She’d seen not a scrap of evidence.

  “Things to do.” James pulled away from her and rolled out of bed, taking the covers with him. She shivered at the chill on her skin, wanting nothing more than to curl up and go back to sleep. After a quick ogle of his backside when he padded through to the en suite, she dragged the covers back over her naked body and lay there deep in thought.

  Each time they made love he seemed to distance himself even farther. Sometimes she felt like a commodity, like a…a used condom. She really liked him and would jump at the chance to make their relationship permanent, but it was obvious he wanted n
othing to do with her. The sting of tears made her blink. Maybe security wasn’t in her future. Despite the problems, she enjoyed learning to run Fancy Free. James was a good teacher. Yeah, maybe she was meant to be a business tycoon.

  The shower shut off and he returned to the bedroom, dressing rapidly. “I’ll make coffee. I want to leave in half an hour.”

  Alice watched until he disappeared from sight before climbing from bed. Luckily, she kept some of her clothes here rather than at the bed and breakfast or else she’d have nothing to wear. Now that she’d used her savings to prop up Fancy Free she couldn’t afford frivolous expenditure. Lord, she hadn’t even mentioned the break-in to James. They’d have to take better security measures here.

  Fifteen minutes later, she entered the kitchen. The scent of coffee welcomed her and she noticed James had also made toast and put out some of her favorite marmalade. It gave her a warm, cozy sensation in the middle of her tummy.

  “There’s a letter for you.” He handed her a white envelope. Immediately her arms prickled in alarm. She didn’t want to take it but reached out anyway, her hand trembling.

  “Some one broke into the bed and breakfast yesterday. The intruders trashed some of the rooms and left messages in mine. It was the clown and dog. We called Luke.”

  “Hell.” James ran his hand through his damp hair. “I thought that was just a stupid prank by students or one of the cult members. I mean, I know they don’t agree with condoms but they’ve never resorted to violence.”

  “You saw the balloons in my office.” Alice stared at the envelope again. “I think this is another note.”

  “Do you want me to open it?”

  “Maybe we should call Luke.”

  “It might be something totally innocent.”

  Alice studied the neat writing on the outside of the envelope, handwriting rather than the childish block printing she’d seen on television shows whenever a star had attracted a stalker. “Maybe you’re right and I’m paranoid.” Before she could second-guess herself and panic too much, she opened the envelope and extracted the single sheet of white paper inside. The unease in her gut intensified when she unfolded it.

  “Hell,” James said, after reading over her shoulder. “I’ll call Luke.”

  She carefully placed the sheet of paper on the table and stared at it with horror. It contained the obligatory clown and dog signature in the form of two shiny stickers, one with a grinning clown and the other a dog sitting on its haunches. The message, made by chopped up words from a magazines, carried more sinister overtones.

  You have been warned. Ignore the warning at your peril. Leave Sloan now or suffer the consequences.

  A piece of red and white floral fabric, taken from one of her blouses was pinned to the corner of the letter. Alice shivered, unable to look away from the letter.

  “Luke will be here in about ten minutes.” James tugged Alice to her feet and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. Although he felt warm and smelled so good, his touch did nothing to ease the chill that had curled around her heart. She couldn’t leave Sloan, even if she wanted to. All her savings had gone, sucked away by Fancy Free’s overdraft. If she ran away, she’d end up with zilch. She snorted at her previous naivety. After getting to know the people of Sloan and those involved in Fancy Free, she couldn’t walk away at the end of six months. A soft sigh resounded in the kitchen. No going back. Fancy Free was her future now, no matter what dangers that entailed.

  On hearing the strident thump on the front door, James released her. He raked a hand through his hair, reminding her of a devilish angel. Sexy and so attractive. The thought of losing him made her chest ache. “That was a quick ten minutes.” He stalked off to answer the summons.

  Luke prowled into the kitchen, dressed in his uniform. Alice took one look at his set face and felt instantly safer. James stopped beside him, equally tough and impressive. Alice’s mouth quirked upward in a slight smile despite the seriousness of the situation. With these two warriors on her side, the clown and dog didn’t stand a chance.

  “Where’s the letter?”

  “On the table,” Alice said.

  Luke bent over to read the message before speaking again. “James said he picked it up off the floor when he arrived home late last night. You didn’t hear anything?”

  “No. I received several calls last night and in the end I took the phone off the hook.”

  “Who rang?”

  “My mother and sister,” James said. “I know they don’t like the way I live but I can’t believe they’d threaten Alice.”

  His friend let out a bark of amused laughter. “Hell, no. I can’t imagine your sister dirtying her hands, but I’ll speak with them both, ask a few questions in my official capacity. Did anyone else ring?”

  “There was a third phone call. I didn’t actually answer it. I just picked up the phone and left it off the hook,” Alice said. “I thought it would be Mrs. Bates or her daughter again, and I didn’t want to speak to them.”

  “Hell, I don’t blame you, sweetheart.” James wrapped his arm around her waist in a possessive manner. She let him, his touch calming her jittery nerves. “I hang up on them all the time.”

  Luke produced a plastic bag from his pocket. “I’ll take this note and have it checked for prints. James, look after her. Don’t let her go anywhere on her own.”

  “I won’t.” James’ deep voice sent her heart into a vigorous pitter-patter until she remembered he was leaving soon. Despite everything they had going for them as a couple, he still intended to leave.

  Luke left and shortly afterward, James and she locked the house and drove to work.

  “I visited the bank manager yesterday. I think everything is okay now. There was a problem with the budgets, and I told him I would take another look at them. I—”

  “Good.”

  A man of few words. Alice noted his set face and clamped jaw and decided to tell him about how she’d sorted out the predicament another time. He obviously had a problem on his mind. Even when they’d tested the condoms this morning, he’d remained mostly silent. Maybe it was something to do with his family. She shuddered, remembering the venom in Mrs. Bates’ voice. For all their faults, her parents and brothers and sisters would help her in the blink of an eyelid. No matter what their differences, she knew that she could ask for their help at any time. Apart from monetary aid since they were all hopeless with money.

  “I intend to collect the test results from the board members and work out which sample numbers we need to delete from the test,” she said. “Do you want me to check with you before I go to see Rodney?”

  “No, I intend to visit some of our customers today.”

  “Will I see you tonight?” The moment she said the words she wanted to recall them. James didn’t want permanent. He’d never made a secret of the fact yet here she sounded like a…a girlfriend!

  “I’ll ring you this afternoon and let you know.” He glanced across at her. “Make sure you don’t leave Fancy Free on your own. Luke’s right. It’s obvious that this bloody clown and dog friend have kangaroos in the top paddock. Take care, huh?”

  Alice nodded, relief flooding her at the concern in his words. Maybe she hadn’t sounded as possessive as she’d thought. She offered him a cautious smile before climbing from the SUV and heading for her office. He didn’t return her smile and that hurt.

  Voices from the boardroom grabbed her attention the minute she neared her office.

  “Hi, Rita. Joseph. Ben.” She noticed Joseph and Ben had their clipboards with them. “Oh good. Are those for me?”

  Rita grinned. “They’ve been telling me about their preferences. Oh good news. The bank seems to have changed their mind and given us a little slack. I’m not sure why they’ve had such a sudden change of heart, but I wasn’t about to argue.”

  Alice smiled back, hiding her worry and suspicions about Rita. Maybe she had made an honest mistake with the budgets. “Yes, I went to see the manager yesterday.
” The board members and James might trust Rita implicitly but Alice remained open to possibilities especially since speaking to the bank manager. Friendship didn’t blind her the same way. She decided to have a quiet word with everyone testing the condoms, ask them to give the results directly to her and not to discuss them with anyone, not even each other. This morning, she’d scrutinize the budgets again. If it meant she hurt feelings, then so be it. She was determined to do her level best to ensure the company succeeded. Her future security depended on it. “Would you like to come through to my office so we can discuss the results?”

  “We can do it here,” Ben said.

  Alice shook her head. “I have all the other paperwork locked up in my office. It would be easier if we went through everything with all the information.”

  “All right,” Joseph said.

  “You know.” Alice strove for normalcy so no one took offence or became alert to her suspicions. “Lindy made me some chocolate chip cookies a few days ago. She was baking for the school fete. I have a tin in my office.”

  “You have a stash?” Ben asked, cocking his head. He stared at Alice for a fraction longer before turning to Joseph. “Damn, the woman has a stash of Lindy’s cookies. I intend to buy some at the fete tomorrow, but hell, I’m all set to eat cookies now. Let’s go.”

  “Lindy made dozens for the fete. You can buy more tomorrow.” With a laugh, she led the way to her office. “Rita, would you be able to make us a pot of coffee?”

  “As long as you save a cookie for me.”

  Alice nodded in relief. Rita hadn’t suspected a thing or read her request as a slight. “No problem.”

  They discussed Sloan and Ms. Knowall’s column, due out later in the day, until the coffee arrived. Alice handed over two of the homemade cookies to Rita and waited until the woman left, shutting the door after her before bringing up the test results.

  “Do you have any favorites?” she asked, picking up a pen and grabbing a pad so she could jot down some notes.