But the notion of some hot, commitment-free sex… That had piqued his interest.
He pushed himself off the wall and went into the house. Whatever his decision, he had to get a move on or he’d end up missing the party, and if nothing else he wanted to be there to support the girls.
He showered, and as he let the water run over him, he put all thoughts of his family to the back of his mind. Just for today, don’t worry, Maisey had said. So, just for tonight, he’d give it a try.
Instead, he thought about how he’d pulled her close in the car, the way her mouth had opened under his, the softness of her in his arms. A quick…fuck… What might have happened if she hadn’t hurt her arm, and they’d continued kissing? She might have asked him inside, and they would have gone into her bedroom, where they would have ripped off all their clothes before falling onto the bed in a tangle of arms and tongues. He would have kissed and stroked her until she begged him to take her, and then he would have plunged into her, spreading her legs wide and enveloping himself in her warm softness…
And now he had a hard-on that wasn’t going to go away any time soon. So he sighed, took himself in hand, and let the water run over him while he thought about Maisey and the way she’d given that sexy groan as he’d kissed her. Would she make the same noise when she came? He stroked himself and daydreamed, and when he’d finished, he leaned on the tiles, eyes closed as he waited for his pulse to slow, and thought maybe he was going a little bit mad for her.
He dried himself, and then stood staring at his wardrobe, wondering what to wear. He looked smart all the time for work, so he didn’t want to wear a suit. Equally, it was an evening party, so a T-shirt and jeans didn’t seem right either.
In the end, he chose his black jeans and a smartly casual dark-gray dress shirt, then stood in the front of the mirror and stared at himself. What would Maisey think?
His gaze slid across to a framed photo that stood on a chest of drawers. It was one of the few photos he owned, taken seven or eight years ago at one of the girls’ sixteenth birthdays. He wasn’t sure who was behind the camera—not Kole for once, because Kole sat next to him, one arm slung around his neck, one around Maisey sitting the other side. Tasha was there, along with half a dozen of their other friends, including Harry, captured forever in his celluloid prison, smiling and content. They all looked very young and carefree, with no idea of the tragedies, troubles, and strains that life had in store for them.
The fact that Kole sat between him and Maisey seemed symbolic somehow, as if, even then, he’d been sending Joss a warning.
Joss checked his watch. Time to go. He turned away from the photo, his stomach churning.
He’d just pulled on his jacket and grabbed his keys and wallet when the landline phone rang. He hesitated in the doorway, tempted to ignore it, then sighed and went back in. He’d never forgive himself if something bad had happened, and he’d ignored a cry for help.
He picked up the receiver. “Hello.”
“Hey, Joss. It’s only me.” Hayley’s voice sounded breathless.
“Hey. How’s it going?”
“Good. Okay. Well, rubbish really.” She burst into tears.
He closed the door and sat on the sofa, looking out at the view as she told him Ben was moving permanently to Auckland to be with the new girlfriend. The small amount of support he did offer was going to stop, and it meant when he did look after the kids every other weekend, she was going to have to meet him halfway, or even drive down there. Joss understood her consternation. Three hours in a car with four kids was no laughing matter, without taking the cost of petrol into account.
“Don’t worry,” he said quietly. “It’ll be okay. I’ll help as much as I can.”
“You already do enough,” she said hoarsely. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t put all this on you.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. It’s shit.”
“It is shit. But that’s what family’s for, eh?”
“Some of my friends will help too. It won’t all be on your shoulders, Joss, I promise. I just needed someone to talk to, that’s all.”
“I’m always here,” he said, half-wishing he hadn’t stopped to pick up the phone. Then he felt guilty and sank his hands into his hair.
“I know. I love you. You do know that, don’t you? I know I don’t say it enough. But I do appreciate everything you do for me.”
“I know, I love you too.” The unusual display of filial affection comforted and frustrated him in equal measure. It wasn’t Hayley’s fault her husband had left her—at least, it wasn’t all her fault. Joss knew she wouldn’t be an easy woman to live with. But marriage was for better and for worse, wasn’t it? Ben should have tried harder to make it work. And regardless of whether something in the relationship had gone awry, Joss would never have abandoned four kids like that.
He checked his watch—he was going to be late. “Hayley, I have to go, I’m supposed to be at the party at Treats tonight.”
“Oh yes, I heard about that. Go on, you go. Have a lovely time. You deserve a bit of fun.”
He thought of her stuck at home with four kids tearing the place apart. “So do you.”
“Yeah, I know. But I’m good. I love my kids, Joss. It’s not all bad. It’s bath time now, then it’s supper, and then bed. I like reading to them in bed, it cheers me up.”
He said goodnight and hung up, stared at the phone briefly, then picked up his keys and headed out.
Chapter Twelve
Joss tried not to think too much as he drove back into town. Just for today, don’t worry… It wasn’t easy, but worrying himself stupid wouldn’t do any good, not tonight.
Instead, he looked out at the sea and wished he was one of the birds circling over the water, diving occasionally for fish. It would be a long time before he’d be free again, if ever. His hands tightened on the wheel. Just for today…
The town seemed busy, even for a Friday night, and he had trouble parking. He ended up in a side road, got out and locked the car, and walked along the waterfront toward Treats.
Only as he neared did he realize why the town was so busy. Everyone was heading for the shop.
As he neared it, he slowed, a smile spreading across his face. People thronged the street outside, holding glasses of wine or cups of coffee, and taking truffles or dishes of ice cream from trays carried by waiters in white aprons. One of the waiters was Fox, Tasha’s brother, and he recognized a couple of his other mates who’d obviously been enlisted at the last minute, as well as the guy from the wine bar down the road.
Music blasted out from the shop, currently a sexy Barry White song, and most people were moving to the beat, even if they weren’t actually dancing. All the chairs and tables in the shop were full as well as those on the pavement outside, but nobody seemed to care; people sat on low walls and leaned on lampposts while they caught up with friends.
Joss pushed through the crowd to the open shop doors. The interior had been transformed. Swathes of dark brown silk hung around the place as if an enormous bucket of melted chocolate had been tipped over the building. Someone, presumably Maisey, had cut large star shapes out of silver card and pinned them up everywhere, and they announced the evening’s bargains—buy one box of truffles, get one half price, an extra scoop of ice cream for free, and various discounts on most of their products for the night only. The whole place smelled of chocolate, coffee, caramel, and a hundred other flavors that stirred his senses.
He searched for faces he knew. Plenty of patients. He tried to ignore them. He didn’t want to get caught up in diagnoses in the middle of the party. He caught sight of Caitlin at the coffee machine, grinding the beans. She was wearing a lovely short dress the same color as the dark brown silk that hung around the place, and it shimmered and caught the light of the disco balls turning in the ceiling.
Elle was serving ice cream, wearing a long tunic made of the same material as Caitlin’s dress and figure-hugging black pants that fla
red out past the knee. She waved as she saw him, and he waved back and gestured at the crowd. “I know!” she mouthed, and laughed.
Tasha stood behind the chocolate counter, and Joss’s eyebrows rose at the sight of the beautiful silky blouse she wore. She’d opted for her contact lenses and pinned up her hair, and someone—again, presumably Maisey—had curled a few tendrils to soften her face.
Joss scanned the room, looking for her best friend, but he couldn’t see her. He moved as near to Tasha as he could and yelled, “Where’s Maisey?”
She gestured to the break room. “Photos,” she yelled back.
Of course, he’d forgotten about the photos. He moved through the crowd to the small room the girls used for themselves when working. Outside were half a dozen chairs, all occupied by people waiting to get their photographs taken. And in front of a long brown curtain that temporarily covered the doorway stood Maisey, talking to a couple who were obviously debating whether to go ahead with the photos.
“Oh, Kole’s incredibly tasteful,” she was saying. “The idea’s just to have fun. Kole takes a few snaps, and then you get to look at them before you make any decision. If you like any of them, you can order a print, and the money will go to charity. He’ll show you the sort of thing he’s thinking about for the poster, and if you agree to be a part of it, you sign a form to give your permission.”
“Do I have to take my clothes off?” the girl asked anxiously.
Maisey laughed. “No, of course not, although if you want to show a shoulder you’re quite welcome! You can have them taken on your own, or with a partner, and if you want you can wear a mask or a hat, or be photographed from behind. It’s all about making chocolate sexy. You can interpret that any way you want.”
The couple turned to discuss it, and as they did, a guy in his forties came out from behind the curtain with his wife. He was laughing, and she was giggling. “Haven’t had so much fun in years,” the guy said to Maisey.
“I loved the photos,” the woman said, “especially the one of the two of us—I’ve ordered a few copies. And we’ve signed the sheet, Maisey. I don’t know how Kole did it, but he made even me look sexy! And you’d never know it was me behind the mask.”
They walked off, and the couple who’d been in discussion nodded at each other and took the vacant seats as another couple went into the makeshift studio.
Maisey turned, glowing with pleasure and excitement, and then stopped, her eyes widening as she saw Joss.
She wore a floor-length dress of the same chocolate-brown silk, and it complemented her creamy skin beautifully. The material draped over her breasts and encircled her hips, clinging to her generous curves and making his fingers itch to reach out and run slowly up her from thigh to shoulder. The dress had a halter top that accentuated her long neck, and she’d piled up her hair on the top of her head in some kind of Grecian style that left curls tumbling around her ears.
She looked breathtakingly beautiful, and at that moment, Joss was lost.
“Wow.” His brain regressed to caveman status as his sexual urges came to the fore.
Her face lit up, and she looked at the dress, then back up at him. “Do you like?”
“You look fucking amazing.”
She laughed and walked up to him. “So do you.” She ran a finger down his shirt. “I like this.”
“I’m glad.” He met her gaze, and for a long moment, stared into her eyes. They held such heat, such promise, all his frustrations faded away, and all he could think about was taking her in his arms and feeling her up in the sexy dress.
“Are you wearing any underwear?” he asked suspiciously. Her breasts were most definitely moving as if they were unrestrained.
“Nope.” She winked. “Completely commando tonight.”
“Holy fuck.”
She giggled. “Ssh. One of your patients might overhear you.”
“I don’t care. I’ve lost the plot. I’m tempted to push you onto the floor and take you right here.”
Her eyebrows rose, and her mouth opened in shock. “Goodness!” Her eyes glittered. “It might bring in more money from anyone who wants to watch.”
He stepped closer to her. His blood thundered in his veins in time to the beat of the sexy music. “Don’t push it, Crazy.” He rested a hand on her waist. She felt soft beneath the silk, lush and sensual without any underwear. She moistened her lips, and for a brief second he thought she was going to kiss him, in front of everyone.
Someone called her, and she tore her eyes away from his and looked around. He blew out a breath as she indicated to Tasha she’d be right over.
“Okay,” he said, “until later. What can I do?”
She turned laughing eyes back to him. “Grab a tray and start taking some truffles around. The boxes behind the desk over there are those we’ve put aside for serving tonight for free. When the tray’s empty, you can refill it there.”
“Sure. I’ll see you later.”
He spent the next three hours delivering chocolates, pouring wine, covering the girls scooping ice cream, or putting chocolates in the prettily wrapped bags. He even worked behind the till for a bit while the girls took a quick break. But although it might have been harder work than he’d expected for a party, he thoroughly enjoyed himself. Most of his friends had turned up, and so had a good proportion of his patients, who kindly saw how busy he was and refrained from talking about their symptoms for once.
And every now and then, he was treated to a glimpse of Maisey in her beautiful dress, moving around the shop both inside and out, talking to customers, passing out leaflets advertising the evening’s offers, and encouraging them to come in and have their photographs taken.
The posters she’d originally handed out had said the party would last from seven till ten. By the time the clock ticked ten, however, people had started dancing on the waterfront, and although a policeman or two wandered past to keep an eye on things, everyone seemed to be having a good time, and nobody had the heart to call it a day.
As eleven o’clock neared, though, Joss could see the evening naturally coming to an end. The girls were tired, worn out with excitement and hard work, and the queues at the counters had quietened down. Kole had finished his last photograph, and some of the shop’s stock had run low. Joss caught Kole’s eye, then Fox’s, and the three of them nodded and began to collect glasses and take black plastic bags around collecting up the rubbish.
Even though they did it surreptitiously, the customers obviously realized the party had finished and began to leave. First of all they came and thanked Maisey and the girls for a fantastic evening, and lots of hugs were exchanged and promises made to distribute leaflets and tell their friends about Treats to Tempt You and what a wonderful shop it was. They filtered away, and the girls promised each other they’d come in early the next morning and tidy up the rest of the place before they opened at ten.
Kole took Tasha back to his place, and Fox walked Caitlin and Elle back to the house they shared in town. Joss stayed behind with Maisey to lock up.
He perched on the edge of a table as Maisey went around, turning off the lights. “Thanks for all your help today,” she said. “I really appreciate it.”
“You’re very welcome. You did a marvelous job. I hope it helped the shop.”
“I’m sure it must have.” She took down a sheet of the brown silk and brought it over to him, gesturing for him to take the end and help her fold it. “I know we gave away a lot of freebies tonight, but the exposure we gained out of it must have done us some good.”
He watched her fold the cloth lengthways, following her lead, and then she came closer to him to take the ends. Her fingers brushed against his.
“It was good of Kole to take all those photos for free,” he said. “And to offer to produce prints for nothing.”
“Yes, sometimes he doesn’t suck.” She grinned, and then her eyes widened as realization hit her. “Did you have your photo taken?”
“Um, no.” It had only par
tly been a conscious decision. He’d been too busy to wander in and see if Kole was available.
She put her hands on her hips. “Joss Heaven. Really.”
“What? I was helping you out.”
Her lips twisted with a mischievous grin. “Right. Kole left his equipment set up in the break room to collect tomorrow. Come on. I’ll take your photo now.” She marched off toward the room.
Joss hesitated, thinking about what might happen if he started undressing in front of Kole’s baby sister. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea…”
She stopped and turned. “If you think I’m letting you go without taking a single photo of you, you’re very much mistaken.” She beckoned to him, and she looked so seductive in the silky dress, so sensual and tempting, all his resistance faded away.
Chapter Thirteen
Even though Maisey felt tired and slightly tipsy from the two glasses of wine she’d drunk during the evening, a thrill of excitement ran down her spine as Joss sighed and caved, walking toward her into the break room.
Jeez, Maisey, it’s just a photo. But as she ceremoniously closed the silky curtain behind him, she knew she was fooling herself. This was foreplay, pure and simple.
But first, she really did want to take a photo of him. He looked gorgeous. He’d obviously had a shower and a shave when he’d finished work, because no designer stubble marked his jaw. He smelled of body wash and aftershave, a manly, masculine blend that stirred her senses. And although he always looked great in a suit, the smartly casual mix of jeans and fancy shirt gave him an I’m-naughtier-than-you-think-I-am look that had her heart racing and her skin prickling, and he hadn’t even touched her. Yet.
Treat her Right: A New Zealand Sexy Beach Romance (Treats to Tempt You Book 2) Page 8