by Yvette Hines
“It’s not that.” She waved her hand between them, stopping his words.
He watched her take in a shaky breath to calm down. “What is it?”
“All the things that my parents have done for me…” She turned her head, as if taking in the painting of the cow wearing a bonnet. “I’ve been so selfish over the years. Now here I am groveling again and I can’t even afford to get them Christmas gifts.”
Now he understood. “I get it. Do you wan t me to lo--”
Both of her hands came up like stop signs. “No! Please, don’t even think it. There’s nothing I can do about it days away from Christmas.”
Richard had never seen Lorna like this before. She was always so confident in school. Head held high, knowing one day she was going to kick sand on this town as she ran fast away from it towards her dreams in a big city. Now, she was back with her dreams crushed.
“Just having you home for the holidays or longer is more than enough for them, I’m sure.”
Nodding, she grabbed a napkin from the table dispenser and wiped her eyes and nose. “You’re right.” She shrugged. “It just would’ve been nice to have something for them. A little appreciation.”
He watched her lower her gaze to the table, fiddling with the strap of her purse. Everything inside of him yearned to ease her mind and the stress weighing on her shoulder.
“I need to head home. My dad needed some things from the market. I want to get to them before it gets too late.”
Reaching his hand out, he grasped hers and halted her movement as she started scooting off the bench. “Tomorrow night is the Carlton County Christmas party, are you coming?”
Lorna’s mouth twisted slightly as she sat silent, pondering. “Is it still here at your family restaurant?”
Chuckling, he said, “Where else would they have it?”
Her nose crinkled in the cutest fashion as she smiled. “You’re right. I thought maybe they would try the high school gymnasium again.”
“Not since the disastrous event during your senior year. Too small to hold all the town folks.
Besides I think my ears are still ringing with Principle Jenkins’ scream not to boot-scoot because it would scratch up the floors.”
This time she laughed outright and he loved hearing the sound. “I remember. Since I’m in Carlton I guess I have to come. My parents would be heartbroken if I didn’t show.” She groaned. “But I can honestly say I’m not looking forward to the game of twenty questions on the topic of Lorna.”
“Well, it is a small town.” Still holding her hand, he stroked his thumb across the back of it. He was glad she didn’t make a move to pull away. “People don’t mean any harm, their just curious as hell.”
“How many cats have to die?” she grumbled. Finally, pulling her hand out of his, she rose. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“By the way I do need some help with my bookkeeping,” he said.
“After the holidays I’ll come by. Do you have QuickBooks installed?”
He frowned. “Quick what? My dad used paper and pencil, if that helps.”
The start of a smile twitched at the side of her mouth, but the sadness hadn’t gone away. “I’ll help.”
Getting up as well, he towered over her. She looked so vulnerable, he wanted to pull her in his arms and hold her. Shit, who was he kidding? He wanted to do a hell of a lot more than share and innocent hug with her. More like hold her with both of them buck-naked in a horizontal position and a lot of stroking and grinding going on.
Thankfully, someone called him from the kitchen. Clearing his throat, he waved a good-bye to her and went to take care of the needs of his establishment. One second longer of staring at Lorna and he’d have pulled her to his office. Once there, he would’ve let her unwrap a big Christmas gift with her name written all over it.
Chapter Three
Lorna felt guilty as hell. The night had finally began to wind down. Three hours of grilling questions from everyone in the damn county and three hours of her tap dancing around the truth.
She’d been home now for four days and still hadn’t opened up to her parents about what was going on with her.
She was being a sacred selfish twit. Regardless of how wonderful it felt to be home and around her family, she knew it was all pretence until she opened up to her mom and dad. Five days until Christmas and she was still holding out, like her news was going to be a happy surprise. She shook her head. No, her news was nothing like, ‘Hi, Mom and Dad I’m getting married to the man of my dreams’ or ‘Mom, Dad, your son in-law and I are pregnant.’ Nope, nothing like that. It was more in line with ‘Mom, Dad, I dropped out of college and spent all your money on a time share in the Everglades’ or ‘Hi, Mom and Dad, please answer the collect call, I’ve been arrested and need you to bail me out.’ “Again,” she mumbled.
“Beautiful women shouldn’t stand around talking to themselves.”
The smile that curled up her lips was instant at the sound of Richard’s voice. “Good thing I’m just marginally good looking.” Still keeping her back to him, her heart fluttered at their word play. It was doing a lot of that lately. She’d find herself doing things around the house, then gazing off in the distance with thoughts of Richard. It seemed as if her crush in high school was rearing its head with a vengeance.
“So, you say. I disagree strongly, Lorna.” Richard’s breath tickled her ear as he leaned behind her.
“Why don’t you help me win a bet? I’ll give you fifty percent of the winnings.”
She could almost feel the heat of his body along her backside, the urge to take a step back to make contact with him overwhelmed her.
Turning, she eyed the striking features of his face, the precious blue of his gaze drawing her in.
“Aren’t you boys a little too old to be placing bets?”
One broad shoulder lifted and lowered. “Probably, but you know how it is with Doogey. He’d bet on the time it took for a fingernail to grow if he could. Then he has a way of getting everyone else all involved.”
Some things in her small town would just never change. “What’s the bet?”
The lopsided smile gracing his lips made the single dimple on his left cheek deepen. “Let me just preface this by saying it was Doogey’s idea.”
Nodding, her understanding that it would be something crazy because of the owner of the bet she sipped her eggnog and waited. Doogey started his name in high school and soon progressed to being known in town for his pranks and bets. Amazingly, he’d turned out to be one of the town’s deputies, which wasn’t saying much.
Richard peered over his shoulder at his co-conspirators across the room. The four men, a term she thought of loosely, huddled around the same back table she and Richard had occupied yesterday.
They laughed and jabbed each other in expectation.
When Richard faced her again, his blue eyes assessed her. Starting from the top of her head and slowly lowering.
His slow gaze was like a caress. Her body began to heat up underneath the short red and white striped sweater dress she wore. It was the only thing in her closet that was Christmassy, at least in color. Now under Richard’s perusal it felt as if she were dressed indecently.
“I do believe you’re the hottest thing here tonight, Lorna. Like a chocolate dipped candy cane.” His eyes met hers and her heart leaped. In high school girls had whispered at sleepovers about Richard ‘Dick’ Patterson saying such things to them.
Her mouth went dry. Licking her lips, she tried to stay focused. “The bet, Richard,” she wasn’t going to allow herself for a moment to be flattered by his words. It was hard enough not fantasizing about him just by seeing him, she didn’t want to give herself false hopes.
“The guys don’t believe that you’ll let me kiss you under one of the mistletoe hanging around the room.”
Did he say kiss? Swallowing to remoisten her mouth which instantly went dry, she asked, “I’m sorry what did you say?”
Crossing
his arms over what she could assume was a well muscled chest, he gave her a direct look as a smile played at the corners of his mouth. “They said you wouldn’t let me kiss you under the mistletoe.”
“That sounds like a silly bet. Matter of fact a little lame for Doogey. It’s Christmas, people give out meaningless kisses all the time.” She attempted to make light of the situation. Even though there was nothing light about the pounding of her heart. Her mind was racing with the thought of what it would feel like to have Richard’s lips on hers, again. This time he would know it was her he kissed, instead of an easy no name woman in a darkened forest. She’d never forgotten that experience in her sophomore year. It had been a mistake, an earth shattering mistake. She knew if he’d known it was her he would’ve been disgusted. Guys weren’t banging down her door to go out with her, then. So, she’d made it a point to stay away from him.
“Possibly,” his single word broke into her thoughts.
She frowned at him. If this was the bet, it had to be part of a joke. “So what’s the price?” Lifting the glass, she took another drink hoping the brandy laced eggnog would calm her nerves.
Leaning forward, Richard whispered, “Five hundred dollars.”
The alcohol went down the wrong pipe, causing her to begin coughing violently.
Richard moved quickly taking the glass from her, fiercely patting her on the back.
Seeing all of the twenty people remaining at the Christmas gathering staring at her, she held up her hand to halt the firm strikes letting him know she was okay.
Doogey and his chums were laughing even harder. She knew they couldn’t hear them so she wondered what they thought was so funny.
Clearing her throat a few times before she spoke, her voice raspy, “Did you say five hundred?”
His nod confirmed.
“That’s a lot of money for my lips.” She cleared her windpipe one more time. “If I’d known they were worth so much, I’d put them on the Internet. I’d make a killing on eBay. Lord, knows I need the cash,” she mumbled. She wanted to get her parents something for Christmas and with her depleting funds it wasn’t a possibility.
He laughed.
She enjoyed hearing the strong rumbling. “If your game I’m willing to make two-fifty.” Glancing around the room for one of the various mistletoes dangling from the ceiling to get the “deed” done, she didn’t see Richard step to her.
“I don’t think you fully understand the extent of the bet rules.” He slipped one large hand around her waist.
Fireflies danced up and down her spine causing waves of flames to rocket her body. “Believe it or not, Richard, I understand the workings of a kiss. I pucker, you pucker, and voilà.”
Moving closer, the heat of his body enclosed her own as he spoke into her ear as he moved her body to the overhead music. His lips brushed the shell. “The wager is on the lips below your navel.”
“Below my nav--” The fog of confusion lifted and took her ability to speak with it. Everything became clear. Here was the catch. She should have known there was more to it with Doogey involved.
Staring passed Richard’s shoulder, she could see the four men now to the point of holding their side. Doogey was practically lying across the table as he stared their way. Once again she was the town joke. The urge to throw eggnog in the culprit’s face made her grit her teeth. In school the guys had picked with her and called her boogie. Spreading rumors that she thought she was too good to date any of them.
But that wasn’t the truth, it was just that the only guy she’d wanted to ask her out never did.
Shifting her gaze she stared at Richard. The one she wanted was now before her asking to kiss her sex for five hundred dollars.
“What do Doogey and the boys want me to do? Walk under the mistletoe in the middle of the room and raise the hem of my dress while you drop to your knees before me in front of everyone?” Her town was small. Only seven hundred people and gossip traveled fast. Her baring all of her glory to the people in the room was definitely gossip fodder.
“They didn’t say, but I have a plan how we could do it and no one would be the wiser.”
Was he serious? Maybe he took her for some behind the bleachers floozy. Deanna Carmichael was still in the room and she would have done it and more without blinking. The girl was on her fourth husband as of two weeks ago and fifth child three months ago. No one knew who the father of the fifth child was, but Lorna had already heard the town suspected the principal at the high school. Someone had seen Deanna and Mr. Ford arguing behind the Piggly Wiggly. His wife had died a year ago.
With all the older people gone home for the night, Deanna wouldn’t have hesitated.
“As flattering and insulting as this offer is…I’m not the girl for the job. Go ask Deanna.”
Tilting her head up, Lorna started to walk away.
Curling his arm all the way around her waist again, Richard halted her steps and pulled her body flushed against his. Sweeping her around the dance floor as Rockin Around the Christmas Tree played, he met her gaze.
“Lorna, I wouldn’t allow anyone to insult you.”
Was there something in his voice, more behind his words? No, she was fooling herself. Wanting there to be more.
“The bet is already insulting on its own.”
“Hear me out, Lorna.” His hand squeezed hers. “Two hundred and fifty dollars. You can’t afford to walk away from that.”
“That was a low blow, Dick.”
He growled at the name. “Listen. You see that mistletoe hanging over the bar?” he twirled her.
Glancing around, she saw the bushel.
Pulling her back to him, he went on, “We go back there and I’ll pretend to be picking up something or fixing the tap, who knows I’ll figure it ou--”
“While I what? Sit on the bar with my legs spread.” She wanted him to hear every bit of sarcasm in her voice.
The lift of his eyebrow told her he did and his fingers pressing her back seemed to be saying something else. What she didn’t know.
“No, you just stand behind the bar. When I kneel down, everybody else will think I’m doing something respectable. But, we need to convince Doogey, Skip, Paul, and Rocky that I’m doing my part to win the bet.”
Her feet followed the steps he made around the floor. “What’s going to make them think any different? They won’t be able to see what you’re doing.”
“But, your Oscar winning performance will be the selling point.”
She returned the single eyebrow lift.
“You were in drama for a year in high school. All I need is for you to put a pleasured, shocked look on your face.”
The other eyebrow joined the first one she had raised.
“You know. Part those full lips of yours, open those hazel eyes wide then look down at your feet as if my head is between your legs.” The low sexy timber of his voice was doing a number on her.
Lorna could feel the slight tremor in her legs and the wetness saturating her panties. She wanted to take a deep breath, but her chest felt constricted. Richard’s words were turning her inside out. She couldn’t deny that part of her desired the real act, not the fake one they were attempting to pull off.
The thought of Richard truly placing his lips against the folds of her sex made her clit throb. She was aching between her thighs as if something was really going to happen between them tonight. It wasn’t, so her body needed to calm the hell down and deal with it.
“What do you say, Lorna? Do this and we both walk out of here with fatter pockets.”
Glancing one more time at the men and seeing them shaking their heads with so much confidence that she wouldn’t do it irked her. “When do you want to start?”
Richard’s broad smile made her heart flutter. He looked so pleased at her agreement she couldn’t help but return the expression. It was them against four cocky bastards who needed to grow up and be taken down a peg or two.
“Lorna, would you like something to drink?”
He spoke loud as if to make sure she heard him over the music. Jingle Bell Rock was now playing.
The play was beginning and the actors were taking the stage.
“Yes, how about,” she stared at the bar and thought quickly, “a pina colada?” She spoke a little louder. “I’m a little tired of eggnog.”
Winking at her, he stopped the dance. Taking her hand, he escorted her behind the bar.
He pulled her right under the mistletoe before letting her hand go.
“I’ll be right back.” He said, then jogged to the back of the store room. Returning quickly, he carried a can of pineapples, coconut milk, and a jar of cherries. He set it all on the counter.
Nerves were beginning to set in. Lorna nibbled on the bottom of her lip. She didn’t know what else to do in order to pull off the hoax. The urge to turn around and see if the guys watched them was strong, but she didn’t want to give herself away.
The confident look on Richard’s face kept her calm.
“Now, I have everything, but the blender.” There was a lopsided grin on his mouth.
Scrunching her forehead she stared at him.
His gaze lowered. She followed him and sure enough there was a blender beside her foot on the bottom shelf. Perfect. Understanding, she gave him a co-conspirators’ smile.
“Would you like me to get it for you?”
“No,” he said. “I got it. You just stand right there.” Like fine cognac his words were setting her insides ablaze.
Taking the few steps to her, he stood in front of her for a moment. Neither of them moving. Then with precise slowness, he lowered his frame to the floor at her feet. Lorna was captured by the blue eyes staring up at her. His gaze left her face and travel to her breast and beyond. When he stopped, she realized the convenience of his position. The fact that she wore heels placed him at eye level with the apex of her thighs. That vision alone was causing the aching inside to intensify.
His eyes closed.
Was he counting? She wondered. Was there a time limit expected?
The light touch on her ankle was unexpected, she jumped. Opening his eyes, he looked at her. His hand continued to slide up her stocking covered legs. When he got to the back of her knees he paused making small circles.