Cakewalk: A Calhoon Small Town Romantic Comedy

by Ivy Summers

  “I’d really like to be your client again,” I said, bringing my head back up. “The next town hall is Friday, and it’s going to be rough if I’m running the show by myself.”

  “Yeah, no kidding. Sounds like your strategy is to jog up on stage and announce, ‘I’m buying this town, bitches!’”

  I nodded. “See? You can’t let me do this by myself.”

  “All right. I’m working for you again. But I’m not going back up on stage. I think I’ve been permanently traumatized by that.”

  “Understandable. Just send me the invoice and I’ll pay in advance. Do you have somewhere to stay until then?”

  “I’ll crash at my parents’ house, I guess.”

  “You can live here. No funny business. Just roommates. And game-planning. We’ll hunker down and make this next town hall meeting one for the history books.”

  Jade laughed. “I don’t think they’re writing any history books about Calhoon.”

  I looked at Jade with a determined glint in my eyes. “They will once we’re done.”

  She raised her hands up in defeat. “All right. But really, no funny business. I need to know you’re here to stay.”

  “After Friday, you will.”

  Jade held eye contact with me for a few more moments, as if evaluating my sincerity, then she relented and grabbed the pot, emptying it into a strainer she had set up in the sink. “I hope you like sweet Italian sausages with pasta, because I’m not much of a chef beyond that.”

  “You’re more than enough for me.”

  She rolled her eyes playfully then plated our dinner, but all I wanted to do was rip her clothes off and make her mine. How I kept ending up in this situation where she was in close quarters with me, yet I couldn’t have her, I didn’t know. But I knew one thing: she was worth waiting for.

  Chapter 20

  Jade

  Griffin and I had fallen back into our old groove, minus any sort of touching. It was a special kind of torture being in the same apartment with him, closely working together, all the while acting like I didn’t want to wrap myself around him.

  I had tempered down his original plan to announce that he was having this town one way or another, either now or after its bankruptcy, which was apparently only a year away at the rate things were going.

  Instead, we’d expose everything we had learned, and let the town draw its own conclusions. I had a feeling they’d side with Griffin this time around.

  The bigger issue was Courtney. She had her issues with Griffin—understandably. She had unwittingly rented out the apartment to him, which was my fault, but that didn’t stop her from thinking it was some trickery on his part. And she blamed him for the family shame that was the photos Thomas took. She believed entirely that Griffin must’ve charmed his way into my pants, rather than earning it.

  So I talked her into a dinner with me and Griffin, where she could air her grievances and let us both respond personally. She preferred to have it at her house, considering she had a newborn, and I agreed.

  As nice as her cozy little house was, though, it felt like I was walking into the interrogation room all over again. I looked up at Griffin as we headed down the driveway to the front door. He gave me a playful grimace and said, “If we don’t make it out alive, just know that I don’t regret my time with you.”

  “That’s sweet. It was nice knowing you.”

  “You too.”

  I knocked on the door. Courtney answered after a moment, her stare hard as she looked between me and Griffin.

  I raised the new toy I bought for Avery, and Griffin lifted a non-alcoholic sparkling wine. “We come bearing peace offerings,” I said.

  Courtney opened the screen door and waved us in. “Thank you. But I’m still not letting you off that easily.”

  Griffin gave her a nod. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”

  Soon we were at the dinner table, James and Courtney sitting opposite us. We kept our voices down, as little Avery was in the middle of a nap. I would have complimented the chicken risotto, but from the continued hard stare on Courtney’s face, I decided to skip the niceties.

  “All right, let’s just get right to it,” I began. “So your criticism of Griffin and his company is that you believe he’s getting a sweetheart deal and won’t be under the same restrictions as all the other businesses on Main Street. Is that about right?”

  “Well, that was my issue in the beginning. Plenty more have piled on since then.”

  “We’ll address the other issues later. But first, I want to point out that he really hasn’t received a great deal. If anything, the only smooth part of the process has been purchasing the property from a private owner. Ever since, the council has made sure none of the utility companies they own are cooperating with Griffin, and of course, there’s all the resistance from town too.”

  Courtney sipped the sparkling wine, setting it down after some thought. “I was wondering what the hold-up was. So the council’s pulling some crap?”

  Griffin nodded, answering for himself this time. “That’s right. At first I thought it was resistance on account of town pride and me seeming like some outsider here for a quick buck, but after a bit of digging, it turns out the council has a near monopoly on this town, and very little gets through without their say so. It’s why the businesses on Main Street are so limited. You don’t even own your building; you rent it. I figured that out when I looked over the lease more closely and saw that you were subletting to me.”

  Courtney sighed. “Yeah. I mean, we don’t have much of a choice. The council owns all the prime real estate.”

  “And now they’re going bankrupt,” Griffin announced. “It won’t happen until next year, but it’d be better that they sell before any defaults. I can buy them out now, or buy them out later, but I’d rather not drag out the process.”

  “Then why don’t you?”

  “I want the town’s support. I know I’ll get it after everything goes belly-up, but it’d be better to have it sooner. I’ve already set up a tentative deal with the council to buy them out, but I don’t want to come across as hostile. I really want to cooperate with everyone.”

  “So you’re going to be the new landlord of the town?”

  “Temporarily. But my plan is to let all the current businesses and residents of any council property work out rent-to-own agreements with me, so that in time the town can have its independence and be fully invested in itself.”

  Courtney raised an impressed eyebrow. “It sounds perfect. Maybe too perfect, I don’t know.”

  Griffin shrugged. “All I wanted to do was build my development on the oceanfront. That’s it. I’m not looking to take over an entire town. Everything I do is to make sure we all prosper.”

  “Okay, that all sounds nice, but I don’t like what I read in the paper about you. Or the fact that Jade was working for you while you two were fooling around.”

  “One, the paper is owned by the council, and Jade’s ex works there, so of course they’ve printed the worst stories they could about me. Two, as soon as we started considering a relationship, she went independent and started her own PR firm. And three, we weren’t ‘fooling around.’ I’m very serious about my relationship with your sister, and have never been more serious about another woman in my life.”

  My heart pounded and cheeks heated as he came to his last point. Courtney’s eyes narrowed on him until finally her gaze softened. “I guess I’ve been the asshole this whole time, huh? I know Jade’s been hurt before, but she’s no longer my kid sister.” Courtney turned her gaze to me. “You’re a smart young woman, and from the sound of it, I shouldn’t have doubted your judgment. Griffin’s not so bad… outside of, you know, going to jail.”

  I glanced at Griffin. “Can I tell her?”

  He shrugged. “As long as it stays off the record, it shouldn’t violate the NDA.”

  I continued, “He had nothing to do with the tax fraud. His father made him take the fall, and in return, gave him this c
ompany.”

  “Holy crap…” Courtney and James exchanged a look, then she snapped her eyes back to Griffin. “Your own dad made you go to jail?”

  Griffin nodded solemnly. “You were right in your assessment of him. I can tell you that much. But I’m not my father, and I’m going to do what I can to reverse the damage he’s done.”

  “That is rough. I didn’t know. God, I really have been a…” Courtney glanced in the nursery’s direction. “Well, I can’t cuss anymore for my daughter’s sake, but you know what.”

  Griffin smiled and waved it off. “Not at all. It’s understandable to be uneasy with your trust, what with the paper mill, then the council. But I won’t screw this town, and I’m staying here for good.”

  “Well, then,” Courtney said, and she stood and held her hand out over the table. “You have my support. Unless you break my sister’s heart, in which case, I’m coming after you, buddy.”

  Griffin stood and said, “I’ll shake on that.”

  The dinner had served as a good test run for the town hall meeting the next day. Many of the same questions were asked, and most residents were surprised to learn just how deep the clutches of the council went. Suffice it to say, Griffin had their blessings to go through with the deal by the end of the Q&A session.

  Afterwards, the parking lot outside of town hall acted as an unofficial get-together, where Griffin had to wade through a throng of curious Calhoonians who wanted to know more details about his plans for the town. Even Betty from the general store came up and asked what happened with Patches, and lit up after Griffin told her he had adopted the little guy.

  “You bring sweet little Patches by my store sometime, you hear?” Betty said as she and the rest of the crowd started to clear out to their cars.

  Griffin mumbled to me, “I guess that went well, huh?”

  “I knew they’d come around eventually, even if I had to drag ‘em around by the scruff of their necks.”

  I then noticed Courtney and James a little ways off, with my parents beside them, Avery in my mom’s arms. I hadn’t realized the entire family came, and hadn’t planned for a “meet the parents” situation tonight. When my eyes met Courtney’s, I knew there’d be no backing out. I just had to hope my parents were impressed.

  I nudged Griffin and whispered, “You ready to meet the parents?”

  He blinked at me, then followed my gaze, landing on my two kindly, pudgy old folks. “Oh, uh, sure.”

  We walked across the parking lot, and my mom gasped when she saw Griffin approach. She immediately handed Avery off to Courtney, then spread her arms wide. “Griffin! I can’t believe Jade’s been hiding you from us this whole time.”

  Griffin awkwardly leaned down for a hug, seeming to hesitate at first, and I couldn’t blame him with his cold and neglectful parents. My mom squeezed him and he laughed, pulling back. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hayes.”

  My father held out a hand, and Griffin gave him a firm handshake. “Son, I like your plan for the place. I’m going to hold you to it, though.”

  “I’d hope you would.”

  “First, the paper mill owning the town, then the council… It really would change things around here if we could buy and own our properties.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  Dad’s expression grew serious. “And what’s your plan with my little girl?”

  Griffin laughed nervously and stuttered a bit before my dad gave him a hard pat on the back. “I’m only kidding! I know Jade can take care of herself, and if she thinks you’re good people, then so do I.”

  Avery started fussing, so Courtney rocked her back and forth as she started toward her truck with James. “Nice seeing you two again. Griffin, you’re allowed to stop by the shop for cupcakes again. I know you love them.”

  “That’s a relief,” he said, and waved Courtney and James goodbye. My parents took that as their sign to leave too, both of them giving me a quick kiss on the cheek before heading to their car.

  I looked over at Griffin and smiled widely. “That went well.”

  He wiped his brow. “I can only assume your parents didn’t see the newspaper article, because otherwise I would have expected a much less warm welcome, perhaps involving a shotgun.”

  “They stopped subscribing to the paper as soon as Thomas started working there.”

  “I like their loyalty.”

  Seeing that the parking lot was empty now, I faced Griffin and gave him a quick kiss. “You doing okay?”

  He let the facade slip, and looked choked up as he glanced at the setting sun. “The people here can be nice—when they want to be.”

  I laughed, and couldn’t think of a fairer assessment of Calhoon. Griffin watched my face, and it was as if he was looking at me for the first time, a new adoration present in his eyes.

  “Let’s get back to the apartment. We need to make up for lost time.”

  “Oh?”

  “The twenty-eight years I never knew you. The five years I spent in isolation. The almost two months we separated. The week we’ve been planning our comeback. Don’t you think we’ve waited enough? Deprived ourselves enough of each other?”

  My heart pounded. This was it: the return to our relationship that I both wanted more than anything, but worried might break me if it ended again.

  “Nobody’s stopping us now,” he said against my ear. “And even if they tried, I’m not letting anything come between us again. That’s a promise, and you know I mean what I say.”

  He’d more than proven that. He was going to buy the whole damn town to ensure it. “All right,” I whispered, my breath shaky against his neck. “We’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.”

  He took my hand, and we made our way back to the apartment.

  Chapter 21

  Griffin

  As soon as we crossed the threshold into the apartment, I swept Jade into my arms and carried her toward the bed. She yelped at first, then giggled at herself for making such a noise, then grew suddenly quiet as she realized my plans for her.

  I paused, squeezing the supple flesh on both sides of her hips. “Too fast?” I asked, prepared to hold off despite the hard-on raging against my pants.

  “No,” she said softly. I set her down on the bed, waiting for any elaboration. “I just can’t believe it,” she continued, her voice tight. “Can’t believe that I have you now.”

  I lowered to kiss her lips, lips I’ve been wanting to devour since she showed up in my life again. But it wasn’t enough. I had to have more, had to taste more of her.

  I was down between her legs before I knew it, pulling down her tight pants, the smell of her arousal reaching my nose and begging me to have her. I pulled down her panties, needing to get my tongue inside her. I breathed her in once more, then plunged my tongue inside, eating her out like a starved man.

  She writhed, her legs crossing over my neck, pulling me in. After a time, I pulled away for air, this time turning my attention to her clit. In moments she was shuddering against me, crying out my name, until finally her legs released me. I crawled up the bed, unbuttoning her shirt as I made my way up. I stopped on the last button below her collarbone when I noticed something behind her.

  “Err…”

  “What?”

  “We have an audience.”

  Jade followed my gaze up to the pillows, and we both stared at Patches as he sat before us, a handful of kibble on his fat belly. He grabbed one kibble and popped it in his mouth, chewing noisily as he continued spectating.

  “Go on,” I said, shooing him off. He remained seated, eating another kibble, like he was enjoying popcorn at a movie. I frowned. “Seriously? Don’t make me call animal control.”

  Jade gasped. “Aw, that’s mean!” Then she reached up and tugged Patches’s tail, saying, “Quick. He doesn’t make idle threats!”

  That seemed to work, as Patches scratched his ass, then rolled over, lumbering off the mattress.

  “Where were we?” I said, then I saw the las
t remaining button struggling to hold Jade’s shirt closed. “Ah, yes.” I popped it open and grinned to see she was wearing one of those bras that unclasped from the front. “Easy access. I like it.”

  She frowned at me, the expression cute on her face. “This is getting less sexy by the second.”

  I unclasped her bra, mumbling, “Oh yeah?” before I took a nipple into my mouth. She breathed in sharply then, her hands running through my hair with abandon. I kneaded her and sucked her until she was primed for more, whining sounds begging me to go further.

  I pulled away, reaching into the bedside drawer for a condom. Jade grabbed it out of my hand before I could do anything, ripping the package open herself as she said, “Strip for me, big boy.”

  Surprised, I suppressed a smile and instead tried to put on a sultry stare as I pulled at the rim of my shirt, lifting it up and over me. Her eyes danced around my tattoos, which she had always seemed so fascinated by. She ran a hand down my left bicep, focusing on the black cat of thieves. “Mittens missed you,” I teased, and she put a finger to my lips.

  “There’s something I missed more.” She pulled my arm, making me lie on my back as she tugged at my briefs, unleashing my cock into the air. Her eyes ran up and down the length of it, then she repeated the motion, this time with her tongue. My hands grasped at the pillows as she paid special attention to my tip, taking it into her mouth and sucking.

  I mumbled expletives, not even sure what the hell I was saying at that point, my mind off in some far off place. Just as I was close to my limit, she slipped the condom on, then hovered herself over me. I looked down at this beautiful woman, taking in the sight of her, then lost all sense of time and place again when she lowered herself against my cock.

  My hands clutched at her hips again, squeezing the flesh, beckoning it up just a bit further, just another inch so that I could—

  A growl escaped my lips when my cock slipped into her hot, wet tightness. She moved slowly, taking me in, inch by inch, until finally there was nothing more. Then she gyrated her hips, her mouth in an open gasp. I rutted beneath her, thrusting just enough to make her breasts bounce, until she returned the favor, riding me slow at first, then harder and harder until she was practically bouncing on my cock.