Let Them Talk

by Susanna Carr

  “We can get away with this as long as we keep it a secret,” she said in a whisper.

  Her words stung. He understood this was a big leap of faith for Sydney, but he didn’t want to hide how he felt about her. He wanted the world to know that they were together.

  “What changed your mind?” he asked gruffly.

  “I was making decisions based on what happened to me last year with my ex,” she admitted with a frown. “But you are different. You’re not going to betray me. You won’t hurt me.”

  “I won’t,” he promised. How could he hurt her? He had no power over Sydney. She was the one who would destroy him if she walked away.

  “But I still have to protect my career. So this is just between you and me,” she said as the eagerness shone in her eyes. “We don’t go out together in public. Anything we do happens behind closed doors.”

  Closed doors. His office door was closed. He suddenly remembered reading this scenario in her notebook. In her fantasies, he had taken her against his office door. Matthew licked his bottom lip as anticipation pulsed hard and deep. He followed mindlessly as Sydney walked backward. She stopped when her spine bumped against the door.

  Matthew placed his palms on the polished wood and noticed how his hands trembled. He wanted to make this good for her but he was no match for her imagination. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try. He wanted to make every fantasy of hers come true.

  Sydney grabbed his head and slammed her mouth against his. There was no hesitation, no caution. One kiss and their appetite for each other was insatiable. When she thrust her tongue into his mouth, Matthew caught it and sucked hard. Sydney’s moan vibrated deep inside him.

  Matthew sank his hands on Sydney’s hips and his hardening dick pressed against her soft stomach. He wanted to be chest to breast, hip to hip, skin to skin. He bunched her skirt in his hands, his knuckles grazing her bare legs.

  He held her tight and turned until his back was against the door, cradling Sydney. It wasn’t part of her fantasy but he was improvising. Going with what felt right and hoping she felt the same.

  She leaned into him, her breasts pressed against his chest. When her fingers brushed his waist, Matthew’s stomach muscles clenched under her bold touch. The breath stuttered out of his throat when Sydney roughly unbuckled his belt.

  She unzipped his jeans in record time and shoved them down his legs along with his underwear. Sydney wrapped one hand around his dick and Matthew closed his eyes, praying for strength. He nearly crumpled to his knees when she began to pump her hand.

  Matthew speared his fingers through Sydney’s hair and held her still as he kissed her. He felt her tremble as she tried to hold back. This was happening too fast but he couldn’t slow down. Neither could Sydney.

  Later, he promised himself as he stabbed his tongue into Sydney’s mouth. They could go slow once they took the edge off.

  Sydney’s touch was a mix of pleasure and torment. She seemed to know exactly what he liked, how to make him weak in the knees, what would make him beg.

  Just when he was ready to pick her up and carry her to his desk, Sydney broke their kiss and knelt before him. This wasn’t in her fantasy, Matthew thought dazedly. Her lips surrounded the tip of his dick before he could say a word. Matthew braced his legs and groaned as she took him deep in her mouth. He tangled his hands into her hair as she pleasured him. She savored the taste of him, leisurely exploring with her tongue.

  As her head bobbed, Matthew slumped against the door, his legs shaking. He felt the urgency building and kicking inside him. He tried to pull away but Sydney didn’t want him to. Matthew surrendered and tilted his head back. He parted his mouth but no sound came out as his release pulsed from him.

  His heart was still racing, his mind in a fog, when Sydney stood up. Matthew turned and trapped her against the door.

  “We should stop,” she whispered as he collected her wrists above her head with one hand. “Tanya will be back any minute.”

  “Do you want to stop?” He cupped her sex with his other hand and smiled when he felt her wet heat. He watched Sydney’s chest rise and fall as he dipped his fingers inside her panties.

  “What I really want,” she said, “is for you to drive deep inside me.”

  Matthew rested his head on her shoulder and groaned. “Tonight, Sydney. I promise.” He’d fulfill every fantasy she had in the privacy of her bedroom, where they wouldn’t be interrupted.

  She bucked against his hand. “No, now,” she insisted.

  “I don’t have any condoms here.” He had promised to protect Sydney and that was about more than preventing them from getting caught. He speared his fingers through the damp curls and found her clitoris. It was slick and swollen. He stroked her, enjoying her uninhibited responses.

  She moaned as her hips twitched. “Faster,” she said between pants.

  “Trust me, Sydney.” He dipped his finger inside her. “We won’t get caught. I won’t let that happen.”

  She rocked her head side to side. “Matthew...”

  “I’ll give you what you want,” he whispered. “I always will.”

  She frowned. “Matthew?”

  He felt the need pulsating just under her skin and caressed her until she climaxed. Her moan dragged from her throat as her body shook. The door rattled underneath her. Matthew held her tight as she rode out the sensations. He watched the pleasure chase across her face and wanted to give her more. He wanted to give her everything.

  Sydney sagged against him and laid her head against his shoulder. When he heard her satisfied sigh, he wanted to gather her close to his chest and embrace her. Hold her for hours.

  But she wasn’t going to let that happen. She’d made it clear that this relationship was only going to continue behind closed doors.

  Matthew pulled his head back as a thought occurred to him. “Wait...why are you here? What’s the assignment?”

  Sydney chuckled. “I forgot. Give me a minute to remember.”

  * * *

  “SORRY, YOU GUYS,” Sydney said as she rushed into Dawson’s Diner and slid into the booth next to Laura. “I got here as fast as I could.”

  Isabel and Laura immediately stopped talking. With their heads together, it looked as if they’d been having an intense discussion. They were an unusual pair with Laura’s blinding yellow halter top and fire-engine red shorts and Isabel’s pink polka-dot dress.

  “Are you okay?” Laura asked as she studied Sydney closely. “You look a little flustered.”

  Sydney fought the urge to blush. She had taken the time to go home and change before getting back to work, but she didn’t think it was enough to hide the fact that she’d had mind-blowing sex in the mayor’s office earlier today.

  She was surprised Laura hadn’t spotted it instantly. Sex was always on the redhead’s mind. But if Laura didn’t catch it, Isabel’s attention to detail might cause Sydney some awkward moments.

  “I’m fine,” Sydney said. She smiled at the waitress who brought a glass of water for her. She grabbed it and took a healthy swallow. “I got your text and ran here as fast as I could. Since when does our book club have emergency meetings?”

  “You ran here? The newspaper office is only a block away,” Isabel said. “Where were you?”

  Sydney lowered her head. “City hall,” she muttered against the rim of her glass.

  Isabel frowned. “I thought you were temporarily excusing yourself from reporting on local government.”

  “It couldn’t be avoided,” Sydney said with a shrug. “Wendy had to take care of a family matter and I filled in. No big deal. I was mostly talking to the parks and recreation department.”

  “Did you see Matthew?” Laura asked.

  “As a matter of fact, I did.” She tried to sound casual but she felt the heat blooming beneath her s
kin. “I had to follow up with him on some questions.”

  Isabel leaned back. “What do you think of him?” she asked with a casual grace.

  Sydney smiled. She couldn’t help it. “I really admire how he takes care of the people around him. The community and his family. But it’s more than that. He’s funny and optimistic. He can be sweet and gentle. I—”

  “Uh-oh. You’ve fallen for him,” Isabel said.

  Sydney froze. That couldn’t be possible. She didn’t fall for a guy easily. She was careful in this area of her life. Sometimes too careful. “No, it’s too early for that.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Laura said. “You interact with him almost every day. You’ve seen him at his best and at his worst.”

  That was true. Matthew had revealed a little of himself every day, and she’d been fascinated by every aspect of his character. Whenever he had faced a challenge at work, Matthew never blamed others or small-town bureaucracy. If he believed in something, he never gave up. And when he achieved his goals, Matthew didn’t gloat or take all the credit. She’d been impressed by that, and she couldn’t help but admire him.

  “Notice anything different about him lately?”

  Different? Sydney pondered Isabel’s question. She’d seen his romantic nature. The erotic side of him. The naked side... Sydney took another gulp of water. “Like what?”

  “Wow, you are really blushing,” Laura said and gasped. “You two slept together, didn’t you?”

  Sydney pressed her lips together, refusing to respond. As much as she wanted to share her joy with her friends, she needed to keep her relationship private.

  Laura squealed with excitement and clapped her hands. “This would explain the smile on your face and the spring in your step. I don’t know why I didn’t catch it sooner. Good for you!”

  “No,” Isabel said forcefully. “This is not good. Not good at all.”

  Sydney didn’t like the sound of that. She clenched her water glass as she fought off the warning in the pit of her stomach. “What’s going on? I thought you liked Matthew. You’re the one who told me he was a great guy.”

  Isabel gestured back at Sydney. “And you’re the one who told me that you needed to stay away from Matthew to protect your professional reputation.”

  “I’m not going to advertise our relationship, but I don’t have to worry about Matthew using me for political gain. He’s not anything like my ex-boyfriend and he isn’t going to do anything to hurt me.”

  She knew Matthew was protective of her. He didn’t have it in him to betray someone. Maybe she had fallen for Matthew. But she wasn’t worried or afraid. This time she was going to enjoy every minute of the ride. As long as it stayed secret.

  Sydney almost missed the look of concern Isabel and Laura exchanged. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

  “We found the fake erotic diary,” Laura announced.

  Sydney leaned back in the booth and sighed with relief. “Oh, that’s great. Thank you so much. Where was it?”

  “Well,” Isabel said slowly, “Patsy Ubert had picked it up from the floor of Dawson’s.”

  “Sweet old Miss Patsy?” She hissed between her teeth as she imagined the octogenarian reading her erotic diary. “How did she take it?”

  “She liked it so much that she passed it around to some of her friends in the reading circle,” Isabel revealed.

  Sydney cringed. “Nooo.” She placed her head in her hands. The members of the Seedling Women’s Reading Circle were not only harsh critics, but they also wouldn’t tolerate any sensuality in their reading material.

  “Don’t worry.” Laura patted her back. “They didn’t know who wrote it.”

  Sydney lifted her head, not sure if she should be relieved or offended. “How could they not recognize my writing style? Don’t they read the local newspaper?”

  “I heard they enjoyed it,” Laura said in a whisper. “They liked it better than the heroine-dies-because-she-had-sex literary book they’re reading now.”

  “Did you get the diary back?” Sydney asked hopefully.

  “Not exactly,” Isabel replied. “But we tracked it down to Doris.”

  “Oh, no, no, no.” Sydney took a deep breath. If Miss Doris had gotten her hands on that diary, then the entire town knew about it. “Although, that would explain the ‘scorcher’ comment she made about her latest read the other day. Could it get any worse?”

  “Yes,” Isabel said. “Because she gave it to Matthew Stone.”

  Sydney’s heart gave an unpleasant jolt. “What?”

  “Apparently, she recognized his description in the diary and confronted him about it,” Isabel explained.

  Sydney glanced at Laura and then at Isabel. “She...showed him the diary?”

  “He has the diary,” Laura corrected. “According to Miss Doris, it’s been in his possession all week.”

  Sydney went completely still as the information seeped inside her. She felt strangely numb but she knew it was only a matter of time before the hurt and embarrassment exploded inside her.

  He’d had the diary all week... A few days ago they’d made love outdoors just like in her erotic diary. It could be a coincidence, Sydney decided as her heart thumped painfully. What they’d done afterward had nothing to do with her diary, but what they’d done in his office today...

  The blood drained from her face. It was no coincidence. He knew exactly what she liked and what she wanted because he had read her notebook.

  “That rat,” she said in a growl.

  “Now, now,” Laura said as she patted her back again. “We don’t have the whole story.”

  “I do,” she said coldly. “The guy who I thought was honorable and loving slept with me hours after he got a hold of my erotic diary.”

  “Fake erotic diary,” Laura added. “None of that happened.”

  “Oh, it did,” Sydney said. “Not before I wrote it down, though—it happened after he read the diary. We explored some of those fantasies this week.”

  Isabel’s eyes widened. “I’m sure there’s a good explanation.”

  “Really? Because I can’t think of any innocent reason why Matthew would have my diary and not return it. Read it and not tell me about it. Reenact it and—” She gritted her teeth and jumped up from her seat and marched to the exit.

  “Where are you going?” Isabel called after her.

  “To Matthew’s office. I’m getting my notebook back.”

  * * *

  IT WAS TOO QUIET in Matthew’s office. He preferred it when there was a hum of activity in the building, but most of the city employees had left for the day. Matthew was tempted to ignore his work and go visit Sydney, but he knew he had to get a few more hours of work in before he left the office for the day.

  As he read through his paperwork, he heard footsteps down the hall. Fast, angry steps getting closer. He lifted his head, wondering why he thought the footsteps belonged to Sydney. That was just wishful thinking on his part.

  He rose from his chair just as Sydney appeared. She had changed clothes since he’d last seen her. Her hair was scraped back in a messy ponytail and she wore a black sleeveless shirt and jeans.

  “Sydney,” he said with a smile. His pulse quickened at the sight of her. Sydney’s appearance always made his day brighter. He even looked forward to long official meetings if he knew she would be there.

  “You rat.” She bit out the words.

  His smile dipped and he belatedly noticed the unshed tears glittering in her eyes, the stiff posture and the red blotches of anger high in her cheeks.

  He drew his head back. “What’s wrong?”

  “Where is my notebook?” she asked in a low growl.

  Hell. Matthew closed his eyes as the dread and guilt slammed into him. He was screwed. “Sydney...”r />
  She raised her hand. “Don’t tell me that you don’t know anything about it. I have it on good authority that Doris Brown gave it to you and that it’s in your desk.”

  He glanced at the drawer that held the notebook. “I realize this looks bad, but I was going to give it back to you.”

  “When? After you tried out every fantasy I wrote down?” Sydney placed her fists on her hips. “You used that notebook as a shortcut to get into my bed.”

  “That’s not what happened. I was—”

  Sydney strode to the other side of his desk. “Give me the truth. Did you read my notebook?”

  “Yes. I know I shouldn’t have but I wanted to know what people were saying about me.” He paused and shook his head. “No, that’s not the whole truth. I wanted to know what you thought about me.”

  “You had plenty of opportunity to tell me that you had the notebook.”

  Matthew caught and held her gaze. “And you had plenty of chances to confess what you wrote about me.”

  Sydney’s mouth parted. “Excuse me?”

  “I mentioned that people were treating me as if I had done something scandalous,” Matthew reminded her. “I hoped you would admit that you wrote something about me that could damage my attempts to rehabilitate my image.” He took a deep breath. “Okay, that was a cop-out. I waited for you to mention it first because I was afraid. I wasn’t sure how you would react if you knew I had the notebook and I wanted to be with you too much to risk it.”

  She crossed her arms. “I didn’t name you.”

  “You didn’t have to. It was clear who you were talking about.”

  Sydney glared at him. “Don’t switch this around. You should have given me the notebook the minute it was in your hands.”

  “I agree. But you were already avoiding me. If you knew I had your notebook, you wouldn’t have given me another chance.”

  “I gave you a chance because I trusted you. I honestly thought you wouldn’t play games with me.”

  “You trusted me because you thought I was a farmer from a hick town. I wasn’t as smart and sophisticated as the men you dated in the past.”