Beefcake & Cupcakes

by Fennell, Judi

  She didn’t say anything. But she did start walking toward the opening.

  He snagged two of the folding chairs from the back of the booth—had to let go of her for that, but thankfully she didn’t take off.

  “Let’s head over there.” He nodded toward the back corner of the hall where shipping containers were cordoned off, ready for the event break down. He wanted privacy for this conversation, and given the blush blazing on her cheeks, figured she would, too.

  He held back the drape for her then set up the chairs. “Have a seat.”

  She sat. But she still didn’t say anything.

  He wasn’t getting a good feeling about this. “You okay?”

  “Huh?” She shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

  “Is the show going well for you? I thought you’d get some interest from those women.”

  “Not the kind you’re getting.”

  Ah, the wit was back. He smiled. “Yeah, well, beefcake does tend to trump cupcakes when it comes to women.”

  “I guess so.”

  And there went the wit.

  Her blush, however, only deepened. Man, was she a knockout. Dark lashes framed eyes so black he could get lost in their depths, and her black curls were tossed onto her head as if she’d just woken up after a night of passionate lovemaking.

  What he wouldn’t give to experience that first hand. She’d been gone before he’d seen her that morning. “So why’d you leave?”

  Shit. He hadn’t meant to just blurt that out, but, yeah, his ego had issues with it.

  When she licked her bottom lip, his libido got in on the issues thing.

  “I…um.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t sure what the protocol was. That was the first time I’ve ever done something like that.”

  He didn’t know how it was possible for her cheeks to get any redder.

  “First time? For what? Passing out in a guy’s bed?”

  “Must you make it sound so crude?”

  “Crude? I’m just stating the facts. You passed out. Actually, you passed out in the elevator. It was all I could do to get you into bed.”

  “So why did you?”

  “You wanted me to leave you on the floor?”

  “Why didn’t you just take me back to my room? That would have been the gentlemanly thing to do.”

  “Cupcake, I was not having gentlemanly thoughts about you at all that night. And you weren’t wanting me to. Not with the way you were dancing up against me. Then you practically threw yourself into my arms the minute we left the club. Plus, I didn’t know what room was yours and you were in no shape to tell me.”

  Lara bit her bottom lip and looked away, blinking as if she had something in her eye.

  Or was about to cry.

  Shit. “You’ve never picked a guy up before, have you?”

  She shook her head.

  No wonder she’d run out and was all sorts of uncomfortable.

  “You do know nothing happened between us, right?”

  “Really?”

  The hope in her voice and the relief in her eyes would have knocked his feet out from under him if he hadn’t been sitting down. It stung, dammit. Most of the women who came on to him would be totally bummed if nothing happened between them.

  “Of course not. I draw the line at taking advantage of comatose victims.”

  She blushed again. “I’m not used to drinking that much.”

  “So I gathered.” He buttoned up his shirt, feeling a little too exposed around her. Innocence and sexy were a potent combination, but given her lack of, uh, enthusiasm, he didn’t want to be tempted. Or tempting, because he wasn’t sure he’d survive getting shut down anymore than he already had. “You’re going to want to be careful in the future. Not everyone will be as conscientious as I was.”

  “Thank you for that.”

  “I’d say it was my pleasure, but, really, it wasn’t.”

  She blushed again.

  He could get used to that. Especially if all that hot pink deliciousness spread downwards, too.

  Not helping the no-tempting thing...

  “So I’m guessing you ran out because you were embarrassed?

  She tucked the wayward curl that escaped her bun behind her ear. “Like I said, I’ve never done that before. I wasn’t sure exactly what the protocol was and figured leaving was the better part of valor.”

  “Coward.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Oh, Cupcake, pardon is not what you want to be begging for.”

  Her mouth fell open. “I don’t know which I’m more offended by. That stupid nickname or your arrogance.”

  “I’ll take either because at least it got you to have a real conversation with me instead of the Miss Manners discussion.”

  “I’m not sure I want to talk to you.”

  “Hey, I’m more than willing to find better uses for our mouths.”

  She stood up. “You really do think you’re God’s gift to women, don’t you?”

  He reached for her fingers, entwining them with his. “Aw, come on. Can’t you take a little teasing? Some flirting?”

  She tried to yank her fingers back but he wasn’t about to let her go.

  “Is that what that was? Pardon me if I thought you were auditioning for Biggest Asshole of the Year.”

  “Nah, Bry’s got that sewn up.”

  “Bry?” She yanked her fingers.

  He still didn’t let go. “My partner. Bryan Lassiter.”

  “You’re gay?”

  “Funny, he said the same thing about you. No, my business partner. BeefCake, Inc., remember?”

  “Unfortunately, I’ll probably never forget it.” She sank back onto the chair. “So you’re one of the strippers?”

  “No. I own the company. I don’t strip.”

  The once-over she gave him might have had disbelief behind it, but Gage felt her gaze as if she’d stroked him.

  “Not anymore, I mean.”

  “So you used to do... that?”

  “Strip? Yeah. I’ll give you a private show if you don’t believe me.” It was just too easy to tease her.

  And there went her blush again. “That’s okay, I’ll pass.”

  “Sure? Any one of those women back there would die to change places with you.”

  “Then by all means, go save a life by making one of their fantasies come true. Don’t let me stop you.” She stood again, picked up the chair, and folded it. “I should get back to my booth. Thanks for being a gentleman that night. I’m sorry if it, uh, inconvenienced you.”

  Only if she counted blue balls an inconvenience. Him, he considered them a damn shame.

  She handed him the chair. “And thanks for your help today. I got a lot of leads. I hope it worked out well for you, too.”

  He took the chair and leaned it against his. “I’ll walk you back.”

  “That’s not necessary—”

  “I thought you were all about gentlemanly things? A gentleman walks his lady back to her place.”

  “But I’m not your lady.”

  The thing was, no matter how bad of an idea it was to his life plan, he wanted her to be

  Chapter 5

  It was all Lara could do to keep her composure as he walked her back to the booth. Granted his buttoned-up shirt helped, but all she could think about was that she’d seen him naked. Okay, just his ass, but it’d been one fine one.

  “So how did you come up with cupcakes?”

  She glanced at him. Longish dark blond hair brushed his collar and his aquamarine blue eyes sparkled as he looked at her. He was really too pretty for his or anyone’s good.

  “I’ve always liked baking. I took some culinary courses and my cousin and I opened Cavallo’s Cups & Cakes.” She left out The Jeff Years. Not appropriate for most conversations, but especially not with a smoking hot guy who seemed to have some interest in her for God-knew-what reason. “Cupcakes are the newest craze with the bakery crowd. I’m finding most of our business has become cupcak
es. Even brides are choosing them instead of the big tiered wedding cake. We can customize them much more easily and at a better price than traditional cakes. And they’re fun. People are shying away from the formal social event weddings have been in the past and are opting for a more party atmosphere. Cupcakes lend themselves to that party atmosphere. But we still do cakes. That’s never going to stop completely.”

  “Like bachelorette cakes.”

  “You saw that, huh?” She’d so hoped to escape this conversation without mention of that cake. She’d been mortified the whole time she’d been baking it. Cara had laughed her ass off when Lara had worked to make the scrotum realistic.

  “Who was your model for that?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Oh, crap. What was her problem? She didn’t want to engage him. Bad enough she’d already come on to him only to fail to follow through—there was a not-so-nice term for women who did that—she should not be flirting with him. That embarrassing night was best left forgotten.

  “Hey, I’ll volunteer if you need another one,” said Way-Too-Mr.-Sexy with a grin that defined hubba hubba. “Nothing you haven’t already seen.”

  Actually, it was. She’d only gotten the backside glimpse. But, again, she just wanted to put that whole night behind her. “I think we’ve got that cake covered, but thanks for the offer.”

  “Anytime, Cupcake.”

  “You know, that’s a really sexist term.”

  “I think it’s a sweet one. Full of sugar and mouth-watering deliciousness.”

  Well, when he said it like that…

  Crud. Now her knees were starting to melt.

  Thankfully, she was within a few feet of her booth. “Well, thanks for the escort. I wish you all the best with your business venture.”

  He studied her, his blue eyes narrowing as he scratched the opening of his shirt.

  And, yes, her eyes were drawn there, regardless of how ill-advised it was. But it wasn’t her fault the man’s company was aptly named.

  “If you need anything, you know how to find me.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  Not.

  Because, yeah, she needed. Wanted too. But she wasn’t going anywhere near Mr. Cowboy Sexy Gage. She ought to be immune. Jeff, after all, had been charming and gorgeous, and knew how to sweet-talk a woman. Any woman. That’d been the problem.

  Which was why she was staying far away from guys. Especially really hot, charming ones.

  He touched two fingers to his forehead in a quick salute, spun on the heel of his cowboy boot, and sauntered away with his hip-rolling cowboy style.

  Yeah. Stay far, far away.

  “Who is that?” Jesse asked, the breathlessness in her voice something Lara could totally relate to.

  “He owns BeefCake, Inc.”

  “He is beefcake, inc.”

  So true. Lara forced herself to turn away. Nothing good could come from mooning after a guy like that. A guy women flocked to, drooled over, and if listening to those women back at the booth was any indication, tossed aside the men in their life for, all for the hope of a roll in the proverbial hay.

  One she’d missed out on. “So how was the booth while I was gone? Any takers?”

  Jesse handed her a stack of orders. “Here are some leads. The one on top seems really promising. She’s going with a Disney theme and your Cinderella castle was right up her alley.”

  “It’s the Neuschwanstein Castle. I can’t market it that way or I’ll owe them my profits.”

  “Oh, sorry. It looks like Cinderella’s castle to me.”

  That was because her castle was modeled after Mad King Ludwig’s Bavarian one, as Lara had already explained, but Jesse had obviously forgotten. Lara couldn’t be upset about it; that’s what happened with hiring temporary help for trade shows. She and Cara weren’t at the hiring-permanent-staff stage yet; they could just afford the overhead for their shop and the payments on the equipment. But if they kept getting referrals like this, maybe they’d be able to in another few months.

  “How were the taste tests and sales?” Taste tests were for giving potential clients a sample of her work and encouraging them to purchase cupcakes on site. She counted on those sales to subsidize her attendance at the expo. It’d worked out well for the other shows they’d done, and with Gage’s harem, it should work out even better for this one.

  “Sales were great. Those women must have talked to everybody because you’re almost out.”

  Lara breathed a sigh of relief. And of dread. She hated being beholden to anyone, but after what Gage had done for her, she owed him.

  ***

  Gage brought up his Favorites contact list and pressed Call. “Hey, Gina,” he said when she answered. “I need a favor.”

  “No, Gage, I won’t bear your child.”

  He chuckled. “Damn, woman, you crush me.”

  “Yeah, well someone has to save my gender from your brand of sexy.”

  He loved Gina. A hard-ass who’d been around the block too many times to put up with any bullshit. Not that he would feed her any. They’d been friends for forever without a hint of anything else—a good thing or Bry, his friend and her cousin, would have kicked his ass. But it was nice to have that kind of relationship with a woman. Someone he could get the honest truth from and not have to wonder about an agenda behind it.

  “Actually, I was hoping you could help out another one of your fair sex.”

  “How? By setting her up with your dreamy self?”

  He could hear her clacking her fingernails against her teeth. She only did that when she was impatient or horny. And since it wasn’t the latter where he was concerned, he figured he’d better get to the point. “No. I want you to order some cupcakes from her for your grand opening next weekend.”

  “I’ve already got dessert covered, Gage.”

  “I’d consider it a personal favor.”

  The clacking stopped. “How hot is she?”

  “Huh?”

  “You heard me. How hot is she and why doesn’t she see your own level of hotness?”

  “Gina, you have the wrong idea.”

  “Uh huh. You forget, I know you, Gage Tomlinson. Other than when it comes to your sister, the only time you ever do something nice for a woman is when you want in her pants.”

  Ouch. Why was that the impression she had of him? It certainly wasn’t true. Sure, he was as horny as the next guy, but he did treat the women in his life with respect. Whether or not they let him in their pants. Lara, included. “Hey, I’m not that bad.”

  “No, actually, I’ve heard you’re pretty good. ‘Spectacular’ was the word she used I believe.”

  “She?” Had Gina talked to Lara?

  “Oh no, you’re not getting names out of me. Let’s just say some of your cast-offs have chosen to share.”

  “You’re comparing notes?” Women. He was seriously going to have to re-examine his M.O. when it came to them if his prowess was a topic of discussion. It always amazed him how much he really didn’t know, would never know, about the fairer sex.

  “You forget, Gage, I don’t have anything to compare.”

  From any other woman he’d think that was a complaint. But not Gina. She preferred her guys bald-headed and ball-less so she could run the show.

  “But, hey, thanks for keeping her satisfied. I just wish your women wouldn’t feel the need to share.”

  Yeah, him, too, after this awkward phone call. “Look, Gina, Lara just opened her own bakery and could really use the business. She helped me out with referrals at this expo and I’d like to return the favor.”

  “I already ordered food, Gage. And even though you’re giving me a great discount on the entertainment, this opening is over budget. There’s nothing left to help you play Knight In Shining Armor.”

  “Geez, woman, your tongue is sharp. I’m paying for the cupcakes; I just want you to order them. All you have to do is make sure Lara gets the order and sets them up on site. Oh, and don’t mention me.”r />
  “Well, duh. If you’re going to these lengths to get the job done, you obviously don’t want the woman to know she’s indebted to you. Are you going to tell her the price when she finds out? Because you know she will; we always do.”

  That was from Gina’s own personal experience. He and Bry had had to do major damage control the one and only time she’d let her heart get involved.

  The guy had definitely regretted breaking it. Especially when they’d broken his nose.

  “There is no price, okay? I’m just helping out someone who helped me. Will you do it?”

  “Of course I will. But you’re going to owe me.”

  “Anything, Geen.”

  “Ah, Gage, don’t tempt me. There’s that comparison thing, you know.”

  He loved Gina and her sarcasm. He could always count on her to keep it real. “No problem, sweetheart. It’s not as if I could tempt you anyway.”

  ***

  Gina hung up the phone and sighed. Big and loud and utterly defeated.

  Gage really had no clue. She’d been tempted for years. But she wasn’t the Plastic Barbie type he went for. And since he didn’t feel anything toward her like what she felt toward him, it was better to be his friend than a broken-hearted ex-lover pining after him for the rest of her life.

  But, yeah, she wanted to check out this baker chick.

  Chapter 6

  Lara didn’t see Gage the rest of the expo. She heard about him, though, from every woman who stopped at her booth. Seemed that BeefCake, Inc. was the hit of the show. She couldn’t blame the women; if she didn’t have to be at the booth, she’d be checking the guys out, too.

  Great, she was reduced to ogling.

  When had her life gone down the tubes? When had beefcake become her only shot at something remotely resembling romance and sex?

  And even that she’d screwed up.

  God, she’d passed out on him. In the elevator. Hadn’t even been able to make it to his bed.

  Jeff would have a coronary if he ever learned about that little incident. His ex almost hooking up with stripper. Or would he prefer the term exotic dancer? Either way, it would horrify him. He’d called her Vanilla. Said she’d had no adventurous spirit in the bedroom. Wouldn’t he be surprised?