“Trevor. The man who owns this shop. He’s here, isn’t he?”
The teen displayed a brightened set of teeth as she smiled. “Oh sure. He’s here. I’ll get him. He’s in the back making candy.”
Dana walked around the counter and headed toward the kitchen. “That won’t be necessary. We’re old friends.”
“Ma’am, he doesn’t like to be disturbed,” the young clerk cried.
Dana turned around and glowered at the girl. “You won’t get in trouble, I promise. But stay out of this, for your own good.”
The girl backed away and hovered in front of the cash register. Dana didn’t mean to be so harsh on the young cashier, but she preferred to be alone while she had a heart-to-heart talk with the girl’s boss.
She burst through the swinging door to find Trevor pouring liquid caramel over pecans and walnuts. He looked up, surprised to see her, and his hand automatically jerked away from what he was doing. Caramel poured from the machine’s spout onto an empty surface and overflowed the end of the worktable.
“What the…” He looked down to see what had happened. Immediately, he stopped the machine pouring caramel. A scowl crossed his features. “Oh damn!”
Dana’s hands flew to her cheeks. “Careful! It’s dripping all over the place. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you to make a mess. Finish what you’re doing. I’ll wait.”
Trevor regarded the disaster in front of him and shook his head. “Never mind. I have to start all over again.” He took off his gloves, tossed them aside and headed toward her.
Despite the frustrated look on his face, he looked absolutely yummy in his apron.
“I’m sorry. I guess I should have called first.” Dana bit her lip.
He shook his head and put his hands on his hips. “That’s all right. The guys will help me clean. So what’s up?”
“I wanted to see you.”
Trevor’s face brightened with a wide smile. “I like the sound of that. I need a break anyway.” He pulled her into his arms and she stiffened against him.
A frown replaced his smile. “Is there a problem? You look like you have something on your mind.”
Dana noticed that his three workers had stopped production and were listening to their conversation. She shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to discuss their personal business in front of an audience.
“Could we go somewhere private and get a cup of coffee?”
Trevor put his arm around her shoulder and smiled at her. “Absolutely. I know the perfect place. Come with me, young lady.”
She sighed. “Thanks.”
He took off his apron and tossed it on the table. Turning to his coworkers, he said, “Get back to work, guys. The show’s over. I’ll be back in a little while.” To Dana, he said, “Come. Let me introduce you to my favorite coffee shop.”
Karen’s Coffee Shop made the best coffee in town, according to the sign hanging in the window. The moment Trevor opened the door, a scrumptious aroma wafted around them. Dana recognized the wonderful fragrance as the one that clung to Trevor’s suit the first day she met him. He led her to the counter where she could read the menu on the wall. Not only did Karen’s Coffee Shop sell a wide variety of coffees, hot cocoas and teas, they also made exquisite breakfast pastries with fruits and creams and sixteen types of bagels.
An older woman greeted them. “Good morning, Trevor. I see you brought a friend. Welcome, ma’am. What can I get you?”
Dana reviewed her choices. “I’ll have a piece of marble pound cake and decaf coffee with cream and sugar, please.”
“And do you want your regular order, Trevor?” the woman asked.
“Yes, that will be fine. By the way, Karen, I’d like to introduce you to Dana from Decadent Delights.”
“Well, hello, Dana. It’s nice to meet you. Hope you’ll drop by often for a visit.” She smiled warmly.
“Thank you, I will.”
After picking up their breakfast orders at the counter, Trevor led Dana to a seat at the back of the store. The place was more than half empty as the morning rush hour had passed.
“Okay. You’ve got my full attention and no one is close enough to hear us. So, tell me, what’s going on?” Trevor said, picking up his coffee cup. His brow furled. “Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong the other night?” He studied her as he blew on the steaming coffee and took a sip.
“No, what you did the other night was amazing.” She smiled briefly, then took a deep breath. “I want to tell you about the dream I had about you.”
Relief spread across his features. He smiled and set down his coffee cup.
“Good. I’m glad to hear that you think of me even when you’re sleeping because I haven’t been able to get you off my mind, either. What kind of dream?” He leaned over and grabbed her hand. “Was it naughty?” He laughed. “Oh, what a ridiculous question. Of course it was!”
His thumb rubbed across the top of her hand, sending slivers of delight racing through her nerve endings.
Dana was amazed at how he always seemed to read her mind. “I’m glad you find this amusing.” She squirmed in her seat.
He chuckled. “It was that good, huh? You don’t have to say a thing. The look on your face says it all.”
She shook her head. “No, I want to share it with you.”
He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Be my guest. But remember, I’m not responsible for what I’ll want to do to your body after you tell me about it.”
Dana cleared her throat. She wrapped both hands around her coffee cup and looked directly at him. “Do you remember offering to sit for me to do a sculpture?”
His brows rose in unison. “Yes. The offer is redeemable at any time.”
She looked around the room to make sure no one was listening. “Well, you did more than just pose in my dream.”
He nodded and flashed a big smile showing off his perfect teeth. “Yep, sounds like me. Was I any good?”
She blew out a ragged breath. “Let’s just say you were very…inspirational. And so was your brother.”
A scowl replaced the happiness on his face. “My brother! What the hell was he doing there?”
“Posing with you.”
“No. That wouldn’t happen. I’m not working with him anymore.” He shook his head furiously.
Dana touched his hand. “Why not? What happened between the two of you?”
Trevor blew out a heavy breath and stirred his coffee again. “It’s a private matter. We had a falling-out, that’s all. Just leave it at that.”
Dana knew he was being evasive. Though he didn’t seem to want to open up about their problem, she hoped she could somehow help them to get past it. If she could only get them to spend time together posing for her, they might actually talk it out and perhaps forgive and forget. That would be a good thing. She didn’t like the fact that they weren’t getting along. After all, they were siblings, something she always wished she had, but didn’t.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Trace was in my store yesterday helping me, and he mentioned that he doesn’t understand why you hate him so much. I think he’d like to make up.”
A deep scowl creased his face. “Trace came to your store? Son of a …! You need to stay away from him. He’s trouble.”
She placed her hand on top of his. “I know what you mean about Trace. But the two of you were getting along just fine in my dream. You both posed naked for me.”
“Naked?” He rolled his eyes. “Of course we did. I’m not sure which one of you is the bigger pervert—you or my brother.”
Dana pulled back, hurt. “A pervert! Is that what you think of me?” she yelled and other customers turned their way to see who caused the disturbance.
Trevor grabbed her hand and looked around to see who overheard her comment. “Please don’t make a scene. I come here all the time.”
“So that’s what you’re worried about? What other people will think of you? What about me? Don’t you care about my feeli
ngs?”
“Of course I do. I’m not saying that in a negative way. Your being a pervert is a good thing. Think about it, Dana. You own an erotic candy store. Obviously, you like sex.”
“So? It’s a way of getting my customers’ attention.”
He shook his head. “Yes, it is. And you do a lot more than that. You get them hot and horny for your candy. Admit it.”
She smiled. “That’s the objective.”
“Point made.” He nodded.
Dana sighed. There was no disputing it. “All right. So maybe I am a little perverted. But you like sex too. You should have seen what we were doing in that dream. You convinced me that we needed to make a sandwich—the full-bodied kind.”
Trevor’s eyebrows shot up. “You little vixen! It’s amazing what a bit of suggestion does to your imagination. I like that. Besides my brother, was there anyone else involved? I’ve always had a fantasy of me and two women.”
Dana shook her head. “No, it was only you and your brother. Sorry to burst your fantasy bubble.”
Trevor scowled. “My brother again. It would have been better if we were alone. I still have so many things I want to explore with you. After all, you make some wonderful toys.”
He couldn’t stop smiling. She was glad he was getting a kick out of it because she didn’t think it was so funny. The dream had awakened desires that had been neatly tucked away in a corner for some time. All of a sudden, she was walking around like a cat in heat and it was his fault.
“Speaking of your brother…” She needed to get back to her reason for wanting to talk to him.
He squeezed her hand. “Must we? I’d rather talk about the way your mind works.”
“I’m sure you’ll appreciate and understand what I thought of after having that dream. It involves my sculpture.”
“Uh huh. I’m listening.”
Dana cradled her chin in her palm while stirring the creamer into her coffee, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. She inhaled a deep breath and blew it out.
“Trevor, I need to do this sculpture of the two of you. I can’t get it out of my mind and it is interfering with my work. This morning, I tried to draw a figure to sculpt for a new candy mold and I couldn’t come up with any ideas that didn’t involve you and your brother.”
Trevor pulled back and looked at her with a mixture of concern and disbelief written across his features. “You’re serious! Are you saying that unless my brother is involved, you can’t do a sculpture of me?”
She sighed and nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“That’s ridiculous and makes no sense at all. In fact, I was expecting you to say that thinking about sculpting me had you so horny that you were ready to jump my bones. Instead you want me to agree to pose with my brother. I turned down a lucrative offer with him the other night just so I wouldn’t have to do that.” He ran his hand raggedly through his hair.
“I understand your frustration, Trevor. But just think of it this way. If you agree to this, after we’re done, we can have a lot of fun with those toys I make. I promise you, it’ll be worth your effort.” She pursed her lips and ran her fingernail across the top of his hand.
He slammed his fist on the table so hard the coffee cups shook. “Dammit, woman! You make it impossible to say no! You’re beautiful and desirable and you’re using your wiles to get your way with me. It’s not fair because it’s working! How can I turn you down when all I want is to get my hands all over that gorgeous body of yours again?”
She hadn’t expected him to agree so quickly to her request. She reached across the table to hold his hand, but he pulled it back. “Trevor…”
“Don’t ‘Trevor’ me. I’ll do this for you, but only this once. I’m not going to agree to do anything more with my brother, so this had better be the last time you have the urge to sculpt us together. I’m doing this because I’ve wanted you from the moment we met. I’m sure my desire was evident in my kisses. I haven’t felt this way in a long time. I’m not going to lie to you. I have every intention of bedding you often and making sure you are totally satisfied.”
She opened her mouth to thank him, but he stood and tossed several coins onto the table. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to take this out on you. I need some fresh air.”
He downed his cup of coffee in one gulp and set the cup on the table. The scowl on his face warned her not to provoke him further by making any more comments. He stormed out of the store without a backward glance.
Dana stared at the coins in front of her, shaking her head. She had won the battle, but had she just started a war?
Trevor couldn’t wait to get away from the coffee shop so he could blow off steam. The woman was impossible! He had never heard of such a crazy thing in his life. She couldn’t do the sculpture without Trace. Why? Why did his brother always interfere? She had no idea what problems she was stirring up.
Trace was no fool. He’d use this opportunity to try to convince him that they needed to work together. The bad thing about being identical twins was that Trace and he thought alike, did things alike, they even liked the same women. Trevor gritted his teeth. If Trace dares to touch my woman, I’ll take him down. He stopped short. When had he begun to think of Dana as “his woman”? But there it was and it shocked him.
He had hoped that being away from the business for three years had put enough time and space between them to break the dependency cord. But Trace had his own agenda and reasons for bringing his brother back into the life of fast cars and faster women. If there was one thing he could count on, it was that his brother wouldn’t give up until he got his way. He’d have to somehow make sure it didn’t happen this time.
Chapter Seven
Trevor stood at the back of the store, watching Dana assist her last customer for the day. He smiled. She radiated happiness as she talked to the woman purchasing one of her chocolate penises. No matter how crazy she made him with talk about his brother, the moment he saw her, he went all mushy inside. The woman was simply irresistible, just like the music that was playing.
She looked up and saw him. A slow smile spread across her lips. He raised a single yellow rose tipped in red to her and smiled.
After she locked the door and put up the “closed” sign, she walked over to him.
“This is for you,” he said, handing her the rose. He watched her inhale its fragrance and all he could think about was kissing her.
“You do love giving me flowers, don’t you?” With a wave of her hand, she indicated the bouquets still thriving in her store.
“It seems to be my way of apologizing. So here I go again. I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to get upset and leave like I did. You mean a great deal to me and I hope I didn’t offend you.”
He watched myriad emotions cross her features. “There’s no need to apologize. In fact, it is I who owe you an apology. I felt bad after you left. I shouldn’t be pushing you so hard to get along with your brother. You obviously have an issue with him and I have no right to interfere.”
Trevor pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “Perhaps we’re both a little too sensitive. You were right. I need to get over my irritation with Trace. What happened is in the past and that’s where it needs to stay. He’s my brother and I do love him in spite of the fact that he can be a real pain at times.” He chuckled.
She leaned back to regard him. “So does that mean we can still do the sculpture?”
He nodded. As long as I can keep my brother in check.
“Yes!” She covered his face with quick little pecks before pressing her lips to his for a kiss that lingered for moments on end. When she broke to tell him, “Thank you so much,” he longed to resume the passionate encounter.
“Of course, you owe me big-time!” He picked up a nearby sucker paddle and spanked her butt.
“Oh!” She giggled. “Now who’s a pervert?”
“Guilty. I guess you’re rubbing off on me.” He pressed his hips into hers to sho
w her how aroused he had just gotten thinking about spanking her. The hard length of his cock rubbed against her mound.
She giggled as she rotated her hips against him. “Oh my!”
“I think it likes you.”
“I think you’re right.” She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. Ah, she was thinking something wicked, he could tell. “So do you have plans for dinner tonight?”
“No. Why? What do you have in mind?”
“I’d like to show you how I unwind after a hard day at work. Are you interested?” She ran her fingernail across his chest and his heart skipped a beat. His eyebrows rose in appreciation.
“Definitely. Anything that involves you and me sounds exciting. Mind if I take this along? I’ll pay for it.”
She smiled as he displayed the candy paddle. “Of course, you may have it, and no, you don’t have to pay for the sucker. It’s on the house.”
He followed her to the back of the store where she locked up and turned on the security alarm. “Okay, let’s head to my place. The address is…”
“I’ve got my car. I’ll just follow you.”
“All right.” She wiggled her hips and flashed him a brilliant smile over her shoulder. If she kept that up, he would follow her to the ends of the earth.
Dana’s two-story white-sided house sat upon a slight incline in a nearby subdivision. He parked behind her in the driveway and walked up the four stairs to the front door. She unlocked the door and stepped aside so he could walk in.
“Welcome to my parents’ house. They left it to me in a trust.”
He looked around and shook his head. “It’s a lot of space for a single woman.”
“I know. However, I do make good use of it. Let me show you around.” She grabbed his hand and led him to the back of the house. Opening a door to a room that was filled with art supplies, molds and several works in process, she beamed at him. “This is where I do all of my creative work. In fact, when you come for the sitting, this is where I’ll sculpt you.”
He walked over to her drawing board and saw a sketch of two men.
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