Five Alarm Lust

by Elise Whyles

  “Not everyone strains themselves to be sure their belt and shoes match, Brad.” Jack inhaled slowly, anger broiling through his blood with each snide comment from the young prick. He knotted his fists and shot him a glare. “Listen, you ignorant prick, keep your teeth together, I don’t want to hear your bigotry.”

  “Aw, come on, Jack. Even you gotta agree she’s probably an ice queen. I mean, have you looked at her? Get frost bite on my di—”

  Grabbing a fist full of Brad’s shirt, Jack jerked him closer, his jaw aching with how tightly he had it clenched shut. “Button up, asshole. She’s not like that and you better watch your mouth. No wonder you can’t keep a lover longer than it takes to get off—you’re about as couth as a gutter rat.”

  Brad paled, his chin lifting slightly. “Ooh, getting a bit protective there, old boy. You think it’s worth it? Hell, she’d probably fall to her knees and cry if you so much as asked for a blowjob.”

  “Watch it, or I’ll knock that smug grin off your face.” Jack slammed his pack into Brad’s gut before striding up the walkway toward Gillian. Damn idiot. Sure hope she didn’t hear him. She’s hell on wheels and she ought to know it. God, she looks good. Better than I remember.

  “The new paleontology program for the middle school will do nicely. You did an amazing job breaking down the terms for the children. We’ll need to look at developing it further, Miss Hilliard, for the next school year.”

  For a second, Jack froze, his breath lodged in his throat, listening to Gillian’s words. “Thank you.” Gillian smiled, and he could see her dark eyes dancing behind the lenses of her glasses. “I’ll see to it the final outline is on your desk by the end of the day.”

  “Excellent. I’ll look forward to it.”

  Gillian nodded, her hair slipping free of the knot. Jack clenched his fist at the urge to straighten it out for her as he paused by her elbow. He shuddered at the brush of her jacket against his hand, only sheer will keeping him from pulling her into his arms. He licked his lips, the ghost of her taste strong on his tongue. “Excuse me, Gilli.”

  Shock flared in her eyes as she whipped around to stare at him. Her lips parted on a soundless gasp, her face coloring slightly. “Uh, oh, uh, hi, Jack.”

  “Bruce Learner, Dean here. Are you with the fire station currently doing a presentation?” The gentleman offered his hand, moving so Gillian had to back up a step.

  “Yes, Jack Payle, assistant chief. I’m filling in for Lenny while he’s away on his honeymoon.”

  “They’re back, he hasn’t returned to work?” Gillian sounded confused, her brows drawn together.

  “No, he booked three weeks off. He’ll be back in the office on Monday.” Jack smiled, his gaze darting over her, taking in the flushed cheeks, the lack of makeup on her face.

  Gillian nodded and shuffled her feet, her fingers plucking at the button at her throat. “Uh, oh. Well, uh, it was, uh, nice to see you. Excuse me, I’ll let you discuss—”

  “Actually…” Jack stopped her with a hand on her sleeve. Electricity raced up his arm straight to his groin at the innocent contact. He sighed, grateful for the loose slacks and the long jacket currently hiding his semi-hard cock. “I’d like a moment if you would. It’s nice to see you. I’d hoped we could get together—”

  “Oh, I couldn’t, I have to get—”

  “Gillian, if you don’t get the report to me today it’ll be fine. Take a few moments to spend with your young man.”

  “Thank you, Mister Learner. I promise it’ll only take a few moments. My associate will be happy to get things set up.” Jack glared at Brad’s stupefied form a few feet away. “He’s our PR rep so he’ll be able to answer any and all questions. Brad, you can set up by yourself, right? I’ll be along in a few minutes.”

  “Excellent. Come along, Brad. Let’s get you set up and this presentation ready to go. We’ve got the local elementary school coming in for it, as well as a couple of the high school grades.” The Dean’s voice faded as Brad trailed behind him until the crowd had swallowed them up.

  “Uh, are you here about…” Gillian rubbed her forehead. “Of course, I didn’t leave any money for the cleaning of your shirt. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’ll just run to my office and grab my purse. Would you mind a check? I don’t think I have any cash…”

  “I don’t want money for the shirt.” Jack sighed. “It’s fine. Had worse spilled on it and come clean.”

  “Oh, then what can I do for you? I, um, did the hotel bill you a lot for room service?” Gillian moved back, her eyes darting around nervously. He caught the tiny nibble on her bottom lip and groaned slightly.

  “I was hoping we could get together again.” Jack brushed a lock of hair back from his forehead. “Get a chance to talk, maybe dinner?”

  Gillian shrugged, her cheeks darkening with another blush. “I don’t usually, um, do what I did at the wedding. Perhaps it would be best if we just pretended it didn’t happen.”

  Jack stared at her for a second. His heart dropped at the flare of shame in her eyes. Not for the first time he wondered why she was so afraid of herself. “Dinner, Gilli, nothing more. Say, Saturday, I’ll pick you up at six?”

  “I was going to work Saturday night.”

  “Gilli, its dinner, nothing more.” Jack leaned closer. “Sure, we had a hot night in bed, and I’d love to repeat it, but let’s take it a lot slower? I want to get to know you and to do so means we start out with dinner.”

  “Sure. Uh, do you need my address? Or I could meet you at the restaurant.” Her voice rose with a faint tinge of hope at her suggestion.

  “I’ll pick you up at your place.” Jack wiped his knuckles along her cheek. “Where do you live?”

  Gillian prattled off her address, her eyes dancing past him nervously. She plucked at the folds of her jacket before adjusting her glasses. “I can just as easily meet you wherever you’d like.”

  “Nonsense.” Jack grinned, elation filling him at her hesitant agreement. He strongly suspected if he let her meet him, she’d stand him up. It was written in the hopeful expectancy on her face. “Dress comfortably. We’re not going anywhere fancy.”

  “Okay.”

  “Gotta run, but I’m looking forward to Saturday night.” Quickly, before she could move away, he pressed a kiss to her cheek, winked, and trotted toward the main building. His heart raced at the notion she’d said yes.

  As timid as a newborn kitten, but she said yes! Now I just have to get her to relax around me.

  He paused at the door, holding it open a couple of inches to glance behind him. He felt a flare of disappointment to see Gillian already scurrying away, but it was quickly washed away by pleasure. Saturday couldn’t come soon enough.

  * * * *

  Her pulse racing, Gillian all but ran the short distance to her office. She closed the door with a soft click, stumbled into a chair, and stared at her desk. “No, no, no. This can’t be happening. Oh, why did he have to come here? What to do, what to do.” Nerves ate at her belly until she couldn’t sit still. Moving the pencil holder around helped somewhat but did little to control her need to run.

  She collected her purse and grabbed her keys on her way out the door. Closing and locking it, she pulled her coat tighter around her as she navigated the corridor and out into the parking lot. Her breath caught at the red and white fire pickup parked several slots down from her.

  “No, I won’t go. I’ll be here on Saturday night.” Her hand trembled as she unlocked the door and slipped in. A quick glance revealed the interior was just as she left it. Gilli started the old car, pulled out of her parking spot, and headed for downtown. There was no going home; not yet anyway.

  You can do this, Gillian. You’re not some weakling. Come on, stiff upper lip and all that jazz. Remember, it’s just dinner. He probably wants to talk to you about the bill at the hotel. Your mother sure had a fit with you leaving before paying for your share. Perhaps he wants to collect on the debt for the room. It’s just dinner.
Oh, God, I have nothing to wear. No, no, just don’t go. Make up an excuse when he shows up.

  Gillian parked in front of the rustic-looking shop she frequented and sighed. She simply wouldn’t go—then why did she feel like the lowest thing in a sludge pond? Her eyes burning, she pushed her glasses higher on her nose and shuffled into the store.

  “Morning, Miss Gillian, how are you?” Bright, cheery, the shop owner, an older, round woman with short blonde and green hair, waved at her.

  “I’m well, just came to get a pair of shoes today. How are you, Betty?”

  “Well now, I’m doing okay. Just got word this morning my grandbabies are coming for a visit. We’re going to take ’em to the Dinosaur Dig—you still working out at the museum?”

  “Yes, I’m there Monday through Wednesday.”

  “Well, we’ll just come by on them days. What shoes are you looking for?”

  “I have a business meeting on Saturday night.” Gillian swallowed against the rising horror. A strange tingle raced along her nerves, pooling hotly in her gut. She shivered at the faint memories of excitement flowing through her mind. Ruthless, she clamped down on them. There’d be time for that later—much, much later. “Dinner and such, need something…”

  “Far from sensible, girl. Come on along with me.”

  An hour later, Gillian tossed the bags onto the car seat and gripped the steering wheel with hands that shook. “Oh dear, what have I gotten myself into?”

  Chapter 7

  “Hey, I hear you told Brad off.”

  Jack glanced up with a grin at the familiar bass. “Glad to see you back. Was startin’ to wonder if your new wife had done you in.” He chuckled at the man leaning against his office doorjamb.

  “Naw, not yet anyway.” Lenny straightened, a quick grin crossing his face before a more somber expression settled over him. “How’d it go here?”

  “Same old…” Jack tossed the pen down on his desk and leaned back in his chair. “Same shit, different day. You know how it is.”

  “Yes. So Brad’s whining about you making him do the setup at the university, and he said you threatened him.”

  “Yeah, I made him do the setup. It’s his job.” Jack shrugged carelessly. “And I told him if he said one more word about her I was going to slap him. Damn ass was harping on some poor woman’s lack of style.”

  For some reason he didn’t feel the need to brag or point out he’d seen Gillian, but he couldn’t explain it or shake the nervousness he felt at the admission. Lenny wouldn’t understand, there were few who would—maybe Luke, but he was out of town for the day, and he wasn’t going to reveal this just yet.

  “Seems you were pretty familiar with her.”

  “Wow, he really sank, didn’t he?” Jack stood to pour himself a coffee. “To answer your question, yes, I threatened him. Yes, I meant it, and if he says it again, I’ll follow through.” Tiny prickles of anger flared at the thought of anyone calling Gillian down. She wasn’t some random fuck—and it irked him the young punk would call her down.

  “Do I know this woman?”

  “Why?” Jack settled back at his desk. Rolling the pen between his fingers, he eyed his boss. “My personal life’s open for discussion around here?”

  “Jack, you have to admit your personal life has kept more than one dull shift alive. Hell, everyone here knows you love the ladies, it’s just who you are.” Lenny grinned. “However, when it creates tension it becomes an issue. Brad’s complaining to everyone, damn annoying if you ask me. Now, I’d hate to have to send him over to Coulee or something because he’s being an ass.”

  “There is no tension. Brad can stay on his side of the house and I’ll stay on mine. The little punk had no right to insinuate Gilli is anything but a lady.” Jack stared at the door behind Lenny. He wondered if he’d get fired if he confronted Brad. Jarred back to the conversation by Lenny’s snort, he focused on his friend.

  “Jilly? Who in the hell would name their daughter Jilly?” Lenny shook his head. He walked across the room and sank into a leather chair. “As long as you can stand to work with him it’ll be fine. Just don’t do something stupid, okay?”

  “I won’t.” Jack forced the anger back, focusing on a safer topic. “How was the honeymoon?”

  “Great. We went to Tofino and puttered around. Great place to go surfing.”

  Jack nodded as Lenny leaned back and really got into his story. Tuning him out, Jack glanced at his watch and sighed. Another day before he could pick Gillian up, and he still hadn’t figured out where they were going.

  “So we came home and Barbara phoned her daughter. Couldn’t believe how upsetting it was for her.” Lenny leaned back in the chair, his booted feet stretched out before him.

  The abrupt change in topic pulled his attention back to Lenny. “Who?”

  “Barbara, she phoned her daughter to chat. By the time she hung up the phone and came into the kitchen she was in tears. Gillian’s apparently quite the bitch.”

  “Not hardly,” Jack ground out. “She’s shy and reserved, hardly the kinda person to make someone cry.”

  “That’s right, you met her at the wedding. I hear you took her home?”

  “She stayed at the hotel. I just made sure she got where she needed to be.” Jack bit back a sharper, less friendly retort at the tone of Lenny’s voice. “Polite, sweet, she was everything my momma raised me to believe a good girl should be. Kept offering to pay me for dry cleaning my shirt, which I refused. She was nice.”

  “Careful there, Jack, best remember those good girls are the forever type, not likely to be interested in having fun in the moment.” Lenny frowned. “Though, if you were to ask Barbara, she’d have a different story. Never really got to know Gillian. She always avoided me when Barbara and I had to be around her. Kinda standoffish if you know what I mean.”

  Jack frowned, inhaling slowly. “Do you really think that’s unusual? I mean, Barbara’s been married several times before, hasn’t she? What do you know about Gilli? Seriously, Lenny, no bullshit, nothing from Barbara, just what you know about her.”

  “Gillian’s not your typical airhead. She’s some sort of genius, already has two degrees under her belt, has majored in history, and is currently working on her paleontology degree. Shy, quiet, always seems terrified of her shadow.” Lenny rested his ankle on his other knee, a frown tugging his brows together. “Hardly the type to be like her mom says she is, but then you never know. Some people are just that way.”

  “Yeah, that’s Gilli.”

  “Her momma on the other hand has nothing good to say about her.”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think Gillian is someone you should avoid.” Lenny leaned forward, fingers interlocked between his thighs. “She’s not the fly-by-night type, and something tells me when you’re in, you’re in. Don’t go messing with her, Jack. You break her heart and you’ll suffer for it.”

  “Breaking her heart is the last thing I intend to do.” Jack glanced up at movement from the door. “Barbara, how are you?” He stared at the older woman standing, palm pressed against her chest, an appraising look in her eyes.

  “Jack, darling, I’m quite well. I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear. You surely can’t be talking about Gillian Rebecca.”

  “Yes, we were.” Lenny rose to press a kiss to her powdered cheek. “I’m sorry. I thought I’d be done a lot faster.”

  “It’s quite all right, worse places to be stuck.” Barbara’s tinkling laughter filled the room. “Sit, sit, dear. Jack, you’re Lenny’s friend and as such I consider you my friend. Please don’t fall for Gillian’s fake persona.” She sighed, her eyes widening. “That girl has never done a thing to help anyone but herself. Why, she cast a good man aside all for the sake of a little fun. Accused him of some horrid things before moving on to greener pastures. Even now, she’s living off of my generosity. Mark my words, she’ll eat you up and throw away the bones.” She sniffled, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue pulled from h
er purse.

  “Now, Barbara, don’t get yourself all worked up.” Lenny patted her arm, concern written across his face. “Just talking is all. Jack isn’t Gillian Rebecca’s type.”

  “Goodness, I hope not.” Barbara reached over and squeezed Jack’s hand. Her long nails dragged across his palm.

  Suppressing the shudder of revulsion, Jack pulled his hand away and stood. “Thank you for your input, Barbara, I have to run. I promised Luke I’d help him with some lumber.”

  “What’s Luke doing these days?” Lenny asked.

  “Getting ready to take his new counterpart up north. You know him, if he can’t have what he wants, he throws himself into his work.”

  “Just hope this partner is more tolerant.”

  “Man won’t even know.” Jack pulled on his coat. “See you around, Lenny. Nice seeing you again, Barbara.” He swallowed, his throat burning with the scald of bile.

  How can a woman be so cruel and unforgiving to her own child? What sort of woman is Barbara she’d turn on Gillian such as she has? Jack didn’t like the answer flashing in his head.

  Jack tapped impatiently on the steering wheel as he drove across town. Irritation raked through him at the callousness of Gillian’s mother. Granted, the woman seemed attractive, but her tone, her manner toward her daughter irked him. There was no excuse for the cold-hearted attitude, none. His parents had both been loving and generous, parents he could be proud of. Briefly he debated calling his mom, talking to her, but discarded the idea. Better she met Gillian first, and then he’d see how it went.

  “Hey, you’re early,” Luke called out, his dark hair disheveled, shirt askew as he pounded down the steps of his small, two-bedroom house.

  “Yeah, well, needed to get away from the bitchfest happening.” Jack slammed the truck door. “You met the new kid on the block? What’s his name? What’s he like? You think he’s going to be okay to work with?”