by Yvette Hines
“Already on it.” Danni called out.
Crossing her room, she opened up the blinds and then pulled out clothes for her outing. Staring into her bathroom mirror, Mandy wondered about the sight that would greet her when Liza and Danni were through with her today.
“Anything, but this.” She gestured to the reflection. “And I will be happy.”
* * * *
“So, who is he?” Danni inquired as all three of them sat at Southern Pride Restaurant eating dinner.
“Who’s who?” Mandy checked around the restaurant, assessing the other diners and trying to figure out who Danni was asking about.
“The man that’s making you desire to become the gorgeous woman inside of you,” Danni clarified.
Chuckling, Mandy tried to dodge the question as she shoved a mouthful of her grilled pork chop into her mouth. “What made you think there’s someone?” she mumbled. “Can’t I just be doing this for me?” Mandy shifted her gaze between the two women.
“Of course you can. Every woman should do that,” Liza began. “However, most women don’t go to the lengths of buying a new wardrobe, restyling her hair and getting herself waxed bald from her ankles to her armpits—”
“Unless it is for some man,” Danni added.
Busted. Pushing her plate away from her, Mandy plunked her straw in and out of her cream soda, bumping the ice cubes around. “Does it matter who it is?”
“No, you can keep it private if you like.” Danni reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “You should know I’ll keep your confidence. Correction: we will keep your secret.”
Taking a few breaths, Mandy stared at Danni and blurted it out. “Steve.”
“Ryder?” Danni asked, her face showing her disgust.
Steve Ryder was a security guard at the Piggly Wiggly. He was a premature balding man of thirty-three years who lived with his grandparents so he could afford to pay child support for three kids by two different women. The sad thing about it was that she had dated him once in high school until she had to punch him in the face for shoving his hand up her dress at a homecoming dance.
“Not on his life. And none of mine, just in case there’s reincarnation.”
The three of them shared a smile.
“Steve Ewing,” she confirmed, before the guessing game started again. Slowly she looked over at Liza to gauge how the woman felt about it.
Liza shook her head. “All’s clear with me. Steve and I may have dated back in high school, but we were more friends than anything. So, our break up was mutual and we’ve been just friends ever since.”
Phew. Mandy was so relieved. She liked Liza a lot, even though this was the first chance they’d truly gotten to know each other. In school Liza had been on the cheerleading squad and she the basketball team, but they very rarely said more than a few words to each other. Today they had discovered they had a lot of things in common.
“Does he feel the same about you?” Danni asked, taking the last bite of her salad, then pushing it away.
“Doubtful.” Mandy fingered her new layers. Her hair was still long enough to put in a bun for work, but when it was down, as it was now, it framed her face and it was silky and soft. Inviting was what the stylist had said after three hours.
“Well, when he gets a load of you now, he will drop to his knees begging,” Liza declared.
“Whenever that will be.” Mandy sighed. But, Mandy had to be honest with herself, she wanted Steve to notice her, but she didn’t want him begging. She enjoyed the commanding strength he had shown her.
“Sometimes you have to make your own opportunities.” Danni waved Shonte, the waitress, over to place a dessert order.
After Shonte left, Mandy asked, “How do I do that?”
Liza’s smile was broad. “I’ve known Steve all my life. If anyone can help you get his attention, I can.”
Shonte returned with three slices of Marley’s famous sweet potato cake.
“Any help you could give me I’d appreciate. Not that you both haven’t done enough already. But, as you can see, I’m desperate here.”
“Don’t be desperate, be daring,” Danni declared.
Mandy liked how that sounded. She had never done a daring thing in her life with the exception of joining the force. Even that decision years ago didn’t have her heart racing like the thought of attracting Steve.
“If you’re going to get Steve’s attention. We have to go shopping for a few more items.”
“Oh, God, not again.” Mandy moaned. The day had not been as bad as she originally thought, but she hadn’t totally changed, she was still Mandy.
Chapter Four
“Hello, Ms. Ida.” Mandy closed the distance between her and the older lady as she entered the building. She walked with deliberate steps toward Claremont County Bank’s receptionist. Danni had made her wear heels all day yesterday in order to maintain her balance and not topple to the floor in one ridiculous heap. Her two cohorts had also made her practice subtle flirtation moves and other techniques to drive a man wild.
A bright smile lit up Ms. Ida’s small features. At sixty-three years old, the woman was like an aunt to her. Her mother had been an only child and her father’s siblings all lived out of state, so she wasn’t very close to them. Ida had been a friend of her mother’s. After her mother’s death, her father had moved to Palm Beach, Florida, unable to live in the house he had shared with his wife.
“Mandy, well, aren’t you just a pretty sight. Like a Georgia peach.”
Blushing at the compliment, Mandy had been aware of the stares she’d received as she walked from her car. All this attention was going to take some getting used to, for real.
“I was hoping you could help me with something.” Mandy schooled her features and kept a small smile on her lips.
“Sure, dear, anything. I was just tellin’ Howard this morning how I need to take you a pitcher of sun tea and some canned peaches and green beans. You’re so thin, I want to make sure you’re getting good nutrition as you protect this county.”
Relaxed for the moment, Mandy allowed Ida to talk. “I would love some peaches and beans. I can’t tell you the last time I had sun tea, either.”
“Great. I’ll have Howard put a box together for you and we’ll bring it by the station.”
“Thank you.” Clearing her throat, she began, “I wanted to know if Mr. Ewing had a few minutes to discuss a loan.”
“A loan? Oh, dear, I hope you’re not in danger of losing your mother’s home. With the economy and all, so many people are having problems.” True concern etched deep in Ida’s features.
“No, ma’am,” she reassured the woman. “The house is fine. The police department pays me well and I’m not in jeopardy of losing it.”
The smile returned. “Good. That’s very good.”
“May I meet with Mr. Ewing?” Mandy caught herself wiggling her right foot as nervousness built inside of her. She chastised herself and straightened up. Her heart was really racing now.
Looking down, Ida ran her finger down the appointments. “Well, he does have a full day of appointments. But, you’re in luck, his last appointment canceled. He is free for another thirty minutes.”
Quicker than she would have believed possible, Mandy watched Ida get up and walk down the back hall past the vault to Steve’s office.
Mandy didn’t know if she should be relieved that she would see him or frightened that it was now too late to high-tail it back home and put on some sweatpants and hide in her room. Glancing around the bank, she was glad there was only one other customer speaking with one of the two tellers. Claremont County was so small and family oriented that there wasn’t even a security guard present at the bank. The last big thing to happen in the County had been the drug runners and they were taken care of. Now, it was only the locals that had to be monitored. The climate in the city was changing, in some ways for the better and others she wasn’t sure yet.
Anxiety was getting the best of her, and no ma
tter how much she attempted to not focus on the coming encounter with Steve it wasn’t working. She’d almost convinced herself to turn and leave, when the squeak of Ida’s thick soled shoes alerted her to the older woman’s return.
“Go right back, Mandy, he’s waiting for you.”
Heat flashed through her body, but she had to remind herself it was part of his customer courtesy to be so accommodating.
Her shoes clicked against the high polished flooring as she headed to Steve’s office. Pausing before the last step she took a stabilizing breath.
You can do this, Mandy.
* * * *
His breath caught in his chest as Mandy softly knocked, then crossed the threshold into his office.
Oh, shit. Ida had told him Mandy was here and wanted to meet with him. He had been prepared for that, but not for the sex goddess who walked through his door. Over the years, he’d seen Mandy in her uniform, gym clothes, and other casual attire, but he’d never seen her like this.
He didn’t like surprises. Rising, he waited for her to take one delicious step after another until she reached his desk.
The gray tweed suit with black leather trimming hugged her form the way he wanted to. It was wrapped around her body like a lover. Claiming her. The blood in his body began to sink south. He wanted to groan.
“Thanks for seeing me, Mr. Ewing.”
“Steve.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve known each other too long to be so formal.” They shook hands and he sat quickly, barely allowing Mandy to claim her seat first.
“Steve.” Her voice sounded breathless and slightly husky, unlike any other ladies in town.
He wondered if she knew how she could make a man hard with one word. Focusing in on her mouth, he was captivated by the tint on her lips—it wasn’t quite red. Darker, like fine wine. All he could think about was seeing her plump, painted lips stretched wide around his dick. He forced himself to look away.
Glancing at his schedule, he said, “I have an appointment soon. What can I do for you?”
“Well, Steve,” she paused again and pressed her hands along her skirt as if attempting to push it past mid-thigh where the hem stopped. “I’m considering buying some property. Maybe selling my mother’s house and buying new.”
She crossed her legs.
Steve didn’t realize he had been waiting for the raspy sound of stocking legs brushing against each other, until he didn’t hear it. She wasn’t wearing pantyhose. That thought brought his gaze to her legs. Long, peanut butter brown, bare legs supported by very high black heels.
Pulling away from the view of her limbs, he kept his opinion reserved. “Sellin’ your mother’s house, hmm.” He took note of the quick bite to her bottom lip, before she released it and schooled her features.
“Well, there are a lot of options. Do you want to go bigger than the two-bedroom home or stay the same?”
She cleared her throat. “Bigger of course.”
“Is there a time frame you’re plannin’ for?”
“Not really.” She fiddled with the skirt’s hem.
He placed more cheer in his voice purposely. “Good. Then we don’t have to do this now. When you find somethin’ we can talk then.” He shifted as if he was getting up.
“But…!” Her voice came out forceful, reminiscent of the old Mandy he knew. She must have caught the sound because she took a breath, then pasted the sweet smile on her mouth again. “Before I spend so much effort on looking for a place…” Her words drifted away as she uncrossed her legs and deliberately kept her thighs slightly parted, giving him small glimpse of her panties.
They were his favorite color. It was confirmed to him at that moment, Mandy was playing a game of seduction. She knew he was the one in the moonwalk exhibit. He’d bet his bank on it.
He wondered if she knew how dangerous of a game she was playing. He knew how she had responded to his authority before, but could she really submit to his command? Yield her body to him even above doubts and fears, trust him? It was doubtful. Mandy was a cop. Cops got high on control as much as he did. He refused to war with her for the lead.
But, if she’d come to his territory to play, he’d give her a taste of what he’d require of her.
Getting up, he realized his cock was already at half-mast with expectation of what he was about to do. He felt Mandy’s eyes on him as he remained silent and strutted to his office door. He closed it. When he had a customer with him, Ida always called from her desk. Checking his watch he noted that, he would have only a few moments of privacy with Mandy.
Returning back to her, he took a seat on the corner of his desk.
Staring at her, he noticed her nervousness was more than obvious; the sharp heels of her shoes were tapping fast, yet quiet into the carpet.
“So, about my loan. How will I know if I’m approved?” She was still trying to keep her strategy going. Gazing up at him, she flicked the thick layers of her hair over one shoulder, baring the column of her neck. The desire to lick her skin overwhelmed him. “I’ve never done this before.”
That was probably the first honest thing she’d said since she arrived. “Mandy, you have a Grade A credit score. You have thousands of dollar equity in your mother’s house, because it is paid off.”
“Great.” Confidence weaved through her voice.
“But, you’re not plannin’ to buy a house.” He spoke softly.
“Now, I’m not.” She gave a dry chuckle. “I told you—”
“Not at all, Mandy.”
She folded her arms under her breasts, pushing the swells into the plunging V of her suit jacket and over her lace camisole. “What makes you so sure I’m not—”
He leaned forward, and was greeted by her soft scent. “You came here in that body huggin’ suit—”
“It’s fashionable—”
“Black pole dancin’ heels—”
“Now considered a standard height—”
“And red panties.” He waited for her to explain that one.
The muscles in her throat moved as she swallowed. “If Vicki can have a secret than so can I.”
“You came here for one reason alone, Mandy.”
“That is?”
He was close enough to see her pupils contract. She was just as affected by him. “To let me know that you know.”
“What?” she whispered.
“That I was with you in the exhibit. The moonwalk station.”
She remained silent, but the quick movement of her chest spoke volumes to him. He wondered how she would respond if he told her there had been a mix up and she wasn’t the one he was going to meet. He wouldn’t say it. Hurting her feelings was not what he intended to do.
Leaning away, he stood up, not caring that she could see the extent of his arousal. “You began this, my nightingale. I don’t think you’re fully prepared for what I want. However, you need to be taught a lesson.”
He watched her attempt to go to her comfort-zone as the strong cop. “In what way?”
He wasn’t having it. Not here. “Stand up,” he ordered.
Uncertainty clouded light brown eyes as she stood anyway on shaky legs. Normally she was only five-eleven, but with her high heels she almost met his six-four frame at eye level.
Reaching out, he stroked her chin with his thumb and allowed he fingers to slip down the length of her throat to the swell of her breast. Her eyes had fluttered closed and she leaned into his touch.
He reminded himself he didn’t have a lot of time. Stepping back, he removed his hand. “Stand behind the chair,” he directed.
Puzzled, she stayed silent and walked a half circle until she was in place.
He moved behind her. Still not touching her, he whispered beside her ear, “You’ve spent the last fifteen minutes tryin’ to show me your panties.”
Parting her lips, she took in a shuttered breath.
“Show them to me now.”
“How?” She turned her head toward him, insecurity filling her gaze.
Mandy gripped the hem of her skirt with shaky hands and barely hesitated as she slowly began to pull her skirt higher.
By the time he told her to stop, her skirt was inside out and risen past the mid-point of her back. Her beautiful golden brown skin was revealed to him from hip to ankles. Her legs appeared to go on for days. They were so long. It would take him hours of enjoyment licking every inch of them. Now, her thick, toned round ass was proudly displayed. The red string of her underwear was tied in a pretty bow directly at the top crease of her ass. The impulse to reach out and slip the knot loose and watch the tiny scrap of material flutter to the floor made his hand flex. He remained focused.
“Place your hands behind your back,” he ordered.
Without saying a word, she did as she was told and crossed them at the wrist.
Steve couldn’t help but admire her willingness to follow. It was unexpected. She was a cop, trained to be the one in charge. Removing his tie, he made quick work of securing her wrist. He noted the slight tremors as they clamored through her body. Her fingers flexed as if testing the restraints. As an officer of the law, she must feel ill at ease being bound.
She didn’t fight him. Maybe there was promise in her.
Placing his hand on the center of her back, he pressed her forward until her belly was resting along the wide top of the chair. Her backside was completely available to him. “Spread your legs.”
Beep. “Mr. Ewing.” Ida’s voice came through the intercom.
Mandy whipped her head around. Her gaze was full of trepidation, evident in her wide eyes.
Crossing to his desk, he pushed the button. “Yes?”
“Mr. Ranscal is here for his appointment,” she announced.
“Let him know I am finishing up with a customer and I’ll be out to get him momentarily.”
“Will do, sir.”