Poolside Pleasure

by Renee Ashley Williams

  Table of Contents

  Poolside Pleasure

  Copyright

  Dedication

  PRAISE FOR AUTHOR

  Poolside Pleasure

  About the Author

  Also Available

  Thank You

  Poolside Pleasure

  by

  Renee Ashley Williams

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Poolside Pleasure

  COPYRIGHT © 2013 by Renee Ashley Williams

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com

  Cover Art by Diana Carlile

  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewilderroses.com

  Publishing History

  First Scarlet Rose Edition, January 2013

  Digital ISBN 978-1-62830-216-5

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedication

  Thank you to KyAnn Waters

  who critiques my stories before I submit them.

  Thank you to Kemberlee Shortland for always being a “click away” through the good times and the bad! I am thankful the Internet brought you into my life. Thank you for being a good friend from halfway around the world!!!!

  A special thank you to Lisa Alves, my beta reader,

  who reads endlessly without complaint!

  Maggie Johnson, the coolest editor ever! It is always a blast working with you. I’m honored you’ve chosen POOLSIDE PLEASURE as your first erotic story to break into the genre!

  And a special thank you to Diana

  whose expertise made this story possible.

  PRAISE FOR AUTHOR

  Renee Ashley Williams

  AND HER BOOKS

  “POOLSIDE PLEASURE is an exciting, sensual romp. Dakota & Cody share sizzling sexual charisma, leaving the reader craving more."

  ~Melissa Snark, Author of LEARNING TO FLY

  “I love a story where there's confusion, missed chances, and white hot beginnings. This story fits the bill. Renee Ashley Williams has a sweet story in UP ALL NIGHT.

  I loved the tentative feel of this short. The boys want to touch and yet there's the hesitation. It's sweet and got me involved. I wanted to shove them together. That's one of the great things about this short story. I got involved with the characters. I thought about Seth and Ryan after the book closed.

  If you're looking for a change of pace story, where there's love and romance and something hot, then this might be the book for you!”

  ~LAS Reviewer, 3 stars

  "UP ALL NIGHT is the story of two young men falling in love for the first time. Although short, the story really nails the uncertainty of first love—the doubt, the desire, the discovery. Both Ryan and Seth are lovely characters and their attraction is so painful, it becomes poignant. The sex scene is sizzling and I'd have loved for this story to have been longer because I wanted to read more.”

  ~Melissa Snark, 4 stars

  Poolside Pleasure

  “Hello?” Dakota Frances placed her cell phone against her ear as she exited from her air-conditioned sedan into the ninety-degree Texas heat.

  “Dakota, it’s Jill.”

  Shit. She should have checked the caller ID before answering. Her ex-friend’s voice brought back painful memories of betrayal.

  “What the fuck do you want?” It couldn’t be Steve since Jill already had him. She’d been screwing him for the past eleven months.

  “Dakota.” The woman sniffed. “I’m sorry. Can we please talk?”

  Dakota swiped the moisture off her lashes. She’d promised herself not to shed another tear over this situation, to put it behind her and move on. She thought she had.

  It’d been three months since she had finally taken the wool off her eyes and confirmed that her best friend was having an affair with her fiancé. The gossip and sympathy in the small New England town had been overwhelming. The smartest decision she’d made in her twenty-eight years had been moving to Deerfield, Texas, with its wide-open pastures, warm and sultry nights, and friendly people.

  She had sealed the deal on her choice to rent an apartment and temporarily became a waitress at Ben’s Diner until a local computer-programming position became available. Life was starting to feel normal.

  “I trusted you, Jill.” Never again would she be so open in sharing the status of her sexual relationship with a single woman. The sex games and threesomes Steve had always wanted in the bedroom, Jill and her sleazy friends had happily fulfilled behind Dakota’s back. “You screwed me over.”

  “It just happened. We didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “Oh, well that makes it okay, then. Why are you calling me? I’ve nothing to say to you.”

  “Then I’ll talk, you listen.”

  As much as Dakota wanted to disconnect her call, curiosity got the best of her. She gripped the phone. “Make it quick.”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  “What?” The news sat on her chest like an eight-ton elephant. The atmosphere thickened and her world crashed around her. Subconsciously, she had thought that one day Steve would realize he’d lost the best thing that had ever happened to him and come looking for his high school sweetheart, but the reality was she could never return to the arms of a man who had lied to her.

  For the past ten years, Steve had warned her that he would never want children. She had agreed to forego motherhood to spend the rest of her life making their computer company a success. Had he changed his mind now, or was she not good enough to birth his offspring? Oh shit. He thinks Jill makes for a better mother.

  Dakota placed her hand on her chest to keep the shattered pieces of her heart from spilling out onto the pavement. “Did you guys plan this?”

  “Not exactly. You know he didn’t want kids. It was an accident.” Jill sniffed. “Now that I am pregnant, he wants to get married before the baby’s born.”

  “You’re kidding me, right?”

  After taking a full breath, Dakota puffed out a sigh. Somehow knowing she hadn’t been his reason for not being a father made her feel a bit better. It had taken nine years for him to propose to her. They had never actually set a date, but now that a child was in the picture he was running to the altar. Well, she had to give him credit for doing the right thing by his child.

  “So, let me get this straight, Jill…not only are you living the life I should be, but now you’re calling to rub it in my face? You’re a piece of work. Over the years people tried to warn me about your backstabbing and jealousy. This really is a new low, even for you. I was your best friend since the third grade. It never occurred to me I’d be one of your victims. “

  “It’s not like that, Dakota.”

  “Oh no? Then what is the purpose of this call?”

  “To tell you I’m sorry. I miss you, and I hate myself for everything that’s happened. I need you to forgive me because I’d like for you—”

  “What else could you possibly want from me, Jill?” Forgiveness for coming between her and the only man she’d ever been with was out of the question. “Steve wasn’t enough?”

  “I want you to be my maid of honor.”

  Dakota collapsed against the side of her car, unsure if it was the Texas heat or the extreme effrontery o
f this woman making her feel faint. “You can’t be serious?”

  “Of course I am. We’ve been planning each other’s weddings since we were kids. I wouldn’t want anyone else beside me on that day. I can’t do this without you.”

  “Looks like you’ll have to. You might have thought about my feelings instead of your own while you were screwing Steve, but your callousness now is unbelievable. I was nothing but a good friend to you all those years. You really fucked up this time. I’m done. Lose this number.”

  Hoping Steve might now be regretting his decision to cheat on her put butterflies in her belly and blew away the dark cloud that had hovered since learning of his and Jill’s betrayal.

  Jill had not only screwed her over, but was now managing to dupe Steve into living the family life he never wanted. What a bitch. To think she had been friends with that kind of a woman. At least she no longer had to deal with her. Steve, on the other hand, was stuck with her. Poetic justice.

  Dakota tossed her phone into her purse as she walked up Addison Rose’s brick walk and rang the bell. Addison might be a recent friend from being a loyal customer at the diner, but she trusted her more than Jill, whom she’d known for many years.

  After Dakota had shared the short version of why she moved from the east coast, Addison had opened up and admitted to her wild matchmaking parties. Dakota instantly felt at ease with Addison’s honesty and bluntness. It was then she knew her new friend would never stab her in the back the way Jill had.

  Cody was right after all. Her leaving New England and breaking off her engagement had been Steve’s loss, not hers.

  Cody Miles. She had to wait two long days before Monday arrived, when she’d be able to share this mind-boggling news with him.

  Each weekday morning, she looked forward to serving him his black coffee and blueberry muffin before he headed off to his family’s ranch. For the past three months she’d been sharing her story. Not once had he belittled her judgment for dating such an ass. Instead, he had helped turn her anger into humor. He was easy to talk to—the exact opposite of the man she had wanted to marry.

  If her low-cut blouses had previously distracted Cody from noticing the color of her eyes, she knew the green in them was branded into his ice blue gaze after this morning’s encounter. He’d held his hug longer than usual before he said goodbye. Their gazes had locked as their bodies parted ways.

  She wondered if he, too, loathed the two days before their next café rendezvous. Lately, she’d been wishing for more than their morning flirtations.

  She’d considered the warning from the locals about how cowboys kept their hearts to themselves while giving their cocks to any woman who asked them. But Cody seemed different.

  He didn’t discuss the women he dated or whether the weekend would be a lucky one, as some of the men who came into the diner did. He’d said that, at the moment, he was enjoying the single life with no rush to be involved in a relationship.

  Gorgeous, kind, and loyal Cody was a man Dakota could fall in love with. She loved his humor and his carefree ways. If their social chemistry was an indicator as to what their sex life might be like, she knew they could set her bed sheets on fire.

  But being the heir to one of Texas’ wealthiest families, she was crazy to think he’d be interested in an easygoing northern girl with so much baggage. Maybe their sticking to being friends was for the best. The last thing she needed was another heartbreak while trying to mend this one.

  Addison’s front door swung open. “Honey, you’re late.”

  “Um…” She’d forgotten where she was. Her mind was still wandering beneath the covers with Cody touching her in the most erotic ways.

  “Dakota?”

  “Yes?” She blinked and focused on her friend’s long blonde hair and slim figure. Erasing the image of a certain sexy cowboy from her mind wasn’t going to be easy, but she had to…for now.

  “Come inside. Where’ve you been?”

  “I went home after work to shower.” She stepped over the threshold. If Jill had called while she was still at her apartment, she would have cancelled helping Addison fix her computer problem and indulged in a self-pity party. That was the last thing she needed.

  Right now she had a future to look forward to and a past she needed to put behind her. Closing the book on the life she’d known made a way for her to move on—starting tonight.

  “Is everything okay?”

  Dakota nodded. “Yep. So, how’s that honky-tonk in town for picking up a decent guy?” After three months of living in seclusion, now would be a good time to venture out to the local bars and meet new people—without her apron and her hair up in a bun.

  “No need.” Addison escorted her toward an oblong wooden table. She handed Dakota a glass of red wine from several that sat on a tray. “You’ve come to the right place.”

  “Your monthly party’s tonight?” It figured. The one time she might want to accept an invitation to one of Addison’s matchmaking parties, and she hadn’t been invited. How much fun would it be with Cody being at his regular Friday night poker game anyway? “You should have told me when I asked about coming tonight. Do you want me to come back tomorrow?”

  Dakota froze while admiring the tall, naked male strolling across the hardwood floor in the next room. Cody? She stepped behind Addison but continued to stare at the view from over her friend’s shoulder.

  Her hands itched to rake her fingers through his dark curls and align his square jaw and full lips between her thighs. Her eyes traveled south to where her fingernails would, if given the chance, ride a roller coaster over each defined muscle of his steely abs. She glimpsed his semi-rigid cock, then admired his tight ass as his long strides carried his stunning physique outside. He was so much sexier without his fitted jeans and chaps. But what the hell is he doing here?

  Her imagination had not led to him walking around bare-assed at his best friend’s poker party tonight. Had he meant “poke her” game and not playing cards as she’d thought?

  Good thing she hadn’t expressed to Addison her fondness for the thirty-year-old who had been invading her dreams and causing her to wake in the middle of the night with a need to pleasure herself.

  Could this day become any more depressing? The two men she’d ever had an interest in turned out not to be what she’d expected. Would this be her method of operation from now on, being attracted to the wrong guys?

  Addison faced her. “Honey, would you like to talk about why you’re upset?”

  Dakota forced a smile and shook her head. “Not now.”

  One day she could see herself and Addison bonding and becoming best friends. Currently, she wasn’t ready to trust her intimate feelings with another woman.

  She had wanted to share the phone call she’d received with Cody, but now more than that she wanted to find out why he had just walked through the living room wearing only a sexy smile.

  “Good enough.” Addison placed their drinks on the table then locked her arm with Dakota’s. “You’re more than welcome to stay. Not everyone who comes here walks around naked or hooks up. But truth be told, after a few glasses of wine, clothes do start flying.”

  “Are you serious?” Dakota had never been to such a party. She couldn’t imagine walking around naked in front of a bunch of strangers.

  Addison laughed and pulled Dakota closer. “Your routine since moving here has been all work and no play. You need to relax and enjoy a night of pampering. Let me introduce you around. If you’re not comfortable, we’ll come back inside and work on the computer as planned. Afterwards I’ll escort you to the local bar and we’ll see what kind of men are on the prowl this evening.”

  Oh no. Dakota’s heart sank into the pit of her stomach. What if Cody’s outside with another woman? Her hands shook. Could she be mature enough to accept that he was a single man who could have any woman on the face of the earth? She was about to find out, whether she wanted to or not.

  Addison slid the patio door open. The warm air
wrapped Dakota’s body like a heated blanket. Addison’s husband, Lou, stood beside the smoking grill. Relief washed over her as she glanced around and realized she and Addison were the only females on the premises.

  “Where are all the guests?”

  “The party doesn’t really get rolling until about nine.” Addison smiled. “I do need my computer fixed, but there is another reason I asked you here. I was hoping you’d entertain a certain gentleman best friend of mine. And if you’re into it, there are a few other men who could use a little entertainment as well.” She nudged Dakota and laughed. “You really do need to get out of that diner and start enjoying yourself.”

  “You’re right.” After receiving that ridiculous call from Jill, she planned on doing more than getting out of the diner for fun. Tomorrow she would stop feeling sorry for herself and focus more on finding a computer job that paid well. Tonight she would indulge in whatever Cody had to offer. He was Addison and Lou’s best friend and her loyalty toward friends wouldn’t falter because of one New England bad apple.

  She followed her friend and squatted beside the in-ground pool where a game of volleyball came to a quick halt. Cody and two other topless men turned in their direction.

  Addison waved them over. “Come here, guys.”

  The trio trudged through the water and stood below them. All three glanced beneath Dakota’s skirt.

  After feeling like shit for months, the attention boosted Dakota’s confidence. As flattering as it was to have the awareness of these gorgeous guys, there was only one who interested her.

  Closing her legs might be the sophisticated thing to do, but Cody had the best view and she enjoyed watching him trying to be a gentleman and meet her gaze. She spread her thighs further apart.

  If he had any intentions of being with her tonight, he had some explaining to do first, aside from the meaning of his poker game. She also wanted to know why he was at a matchmaking party seeing as he’d declared he wasn’t interested in dating.

  “This brunette beauty is my good friend Dakota. I want you guys to be very, very nice to her.” Addison pointed to the first guy, brown-eyed with a cleft in his chin. “This sexy stud is Phil Lewis.” Her hand moved to the right. “This is Trent Rogers.” Trent, flaunting twin dimples and long lashes, couldn’t have been older than twenty. “And you know Cody.”