All Worked Up: Pleasure Inn, Book 2

by Cathryn Fox

  Candace picked what looked like a chunk of brick mortar from his fur. “I think he needs a bath.”

  When Abra hissed at her, Pamina tapped his nose. “I definitely think a bath is in order and I don’t care how much you dislike it.”

  As Pamina walked to the kitchen, Candace followed. “Pamina, I wanted to ask you about Marc.”

  With a squirming Abra tucked under her arm, Pamina grabbed two apples from the bowl and handed one to Candace. Candace polished it on her shirt then took a big bite.

  “What about him?” Pamina asked, her mystical green eyes glistening.

  “He’s new in town and hasn’t set up shop yet, so I was just wondering how you found him.”

  Pamina got quiet for a moment, thoughtful. “Well, he was walking toward the house the other day, and I assumed he was the paint stripper I’d hired. When I questioned him, he said he was the right man for the job.” She gave a light chuckle, bit into her own apple. “Who knows? Maybe I accidentally hired the wrong guy. The wrong guy who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Just like he was in the right place at the right time when you needed a woodworker.”

  Candace swallowed hard as an uneasy feeling moved through her.

  Pamina gave an easy shrug. “But what does it matter really? He’s proven himself to be the perfect man for the job, don’t you think?”

  Yeah, in more ways than one.

  “So who he is and where he’s come from shouldn’t matter, Candace. What matters is what he’s done since he’s been here.”

  Before she could comment, her cell phone rang and she excused herself.

  Five minutes later, she hung up with her father. As she considered his tone, a knot settled into her stomach. There had been something in her father’s voice that upset her. Although he’d assured her everything was fine, she sensed he was hiding something from her.

  Deciding then and there that she needed to see him, she hopped into her car, drove to the station and boarded a train to Grand Central Station.

  Marc paced outside Krane’s office, catching glimpses of him talking to his secretary through his glass door. Jesus, what the hell was he supposed to say to him? Oh yeah, everything is going just fine, sir. Sure I’ve been keeping an eye on your daughter.

  And a hand on her.

  A tongue on her.

  A cock in her.

  Oh fuck!

  He knew he was going to be out of a job, but none of that mattered to him. All that mattered was that he wanted to come clean with Candace so they could begin this relationship on the right foot and take it to the next level. If it wasn’t too late for that. And the last thing he wanted was to be paid to take care of her. It was a job he’d happily do for free.

  He just hoped Candace would understand and forgive him for his deceit.

  A moment later Krane’s door opened, and his secretary ushered him inside.

  With Krane seated at his desk, Marc faced him straight on and said, “We need to talk.”

  Candace stepped off the elevator and moved through the marble foyer as she made her way to her father’s office. Stepping up to Olive’s desk, Candace greeted her with a smile.

  Excited to see her, Olive rose from her chair and gave Candace a hug. “Candace, how are you?”

  Candace hugged her back. “I’m great. I was just in the area and I thought I’d stop in to see my father.”

  “He’s with one of his security guards right now, but go on through. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”

  Candace slipped past Olive’s desk and walked down the hall. As she neared her father’s office, she took in the very familiar outline of the man with him, his legs wide, his back to the glass door. Candace’s heart began to pound against her chest, and her knees went weak beneath her.

  Oh good God, no.

  She took a measured step closer, praying she was wrong but suspecting she wasn’t. There was only one man she knew of who had that short military-cut hairstyle, broad shoulders that tapered to a trim waist and long powerful legs that she’d felt wrapped around her body. Intimately.

  Her father looked past the man’s shoulder and his eyes widened, surprised. But wait. Was that surprise that had registered on his face, or was it something else entirely?

  The man with his back to the door—the security guard as Olive had identified him—angled his head and met her glance, confirming what she already knew. It was none other than Marc Collins.

  As intense dark eyes met hers, she understood the look on her father’s face because Marc was wearing the exact same expression. Guilt.

  Candace felt her blood drain to her feet as understanding dawned. Her father had hired Marc to guard her without her knowledge. They’d both been deceiving her. She suddenly remembered an old conversation with her father after he’d been attacked on set, and how he’d hired and trained the set designer to be his guard. That had to have been Marc, seeing as how he could so easily talk shop with her.

  Every emotion from confusion to mortification to anger whipped through her blood as she spun around and rushed down the hall. Tears poured down her cheeks, blurring her vision. She could hear Marc chasing after her as she wiped the moisture from her eyes and hurried toward the waiting elevator.

  Candace pressed the button and watched the metal ping shut, drowning out the noise and closing both the door and her heart to him. Numbly she tracked back to the train station, wanting to be as far away from Marc as possible. Sure, what her father had done was wrong, but at least he did it because he cared. What about Marc? He took the job to guard her because he was getting paid, and he jumped at the chance to be her woodworker simply to keep an eye on her. Was sleeping with her a fringe benefit, or was he getting paid for that too?

  Her mind raced, trying to sort through the godawful turn of events as she boarded the train to Connecticut. Marc might not have been using her to get to her father, but he had been deceiving her, pretending to be someone he wasn’t. Which made him no different from the other men who’d used her. She should have known he was too good to be true. The signs were there—the haircut, the way he moved, the way he continually scanned the area. But she had been too damn smitten to pay attention. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

  A long while later Candace made her way to the inn, both physically and mentally drained. With her emotions in a tangled mess, she needed to be alone, to come to terms with everything that had happened. As she entered the front door and made her way to the staircase, she wondered why the hell she’d broken the pact she’d made with her best friends—to stay away from all men. Hadn’t lessons learned long ago taught her anything?

  She put her foot on the first stair, but the sound of Marc’s voice behind her stilled her movement.

  “Candace, wait.”

  Her whole body tightened, and she wrapped her arms around herself, not wanting to hear any more lies from him. “I think you should go.”

  “I think you need to hear what I have to say.” The emotions in his voice made her heart clench.

  She spun to face him and bit out, “Why do I need to hear what you have to say? I don’t even know who you are.”

  “Yes, you do, Candace. Everything between us is real.”

  The pained look on his face touched her deeply, and the soft tone of his voice spoke of sadness and distress, and made it so damn difficult to keep hold of her anger. “How can I believe that?”

  “I never meant to hurt you,” he admitted. She was astonished by the sincerity and tenderness in his tone. “I wanted to tell you who I was, and I tried to keep my distance from you, but I couldn’t. I wanted you so much I just couldn’t fight it anymore.” His hands clenched at his sides and she could see the way his breathing had changed, become harder, more erratic.

  She suddenly remembered the conflict in his eyes. The hesitation. Had he been trying to pull back, to fend off her advances? Honestly, what chance did he have? There was no denying the attraction between them was palpable, and with the way she’d been teasing and tor
menting him, she’d made it impossible for him to fight the attraction. Perhaps she too carried some of the blame.

  “I went to your father’s office to quit, Candace.”

  That caught her by surprise. “You quit?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t want money to protect you. That’s a job I’d gladly do for free.”

  She gulped air. “You can’t just quit. What are you going to do? Where will you work?”

  “I don’t know. Working here with you has reminded me how much I love to use my hands. How much I miss set design and woodworking. Maybe I will set up that shop after all.”

  “What about all your training as a security guard? You’re going to let that go to waste?”

  “Not a chance, because if you’ll let me, I’d like to spend the rest of my life protecting you.”

  Her heart leapt, aware of what he was asking of her. She planted her hands on her hips, not ready to let him off the hook just yet, but deep in her heart knowing she would. Because he was warm and kind and loving and gentle. A fiercely protective man who gave without taking, and to her that spoke volumes. He was a man who’d made a mistake and was now suffering every bit as much as she was. “Who says I need protection?”

  “I do.” He stepped closer and brushed his thumb over her cheek. “Your father has enemies, Candace, and I plan on making sure none of them ever finds or touches you.”

  As she leaned into him, absorbing the heat from his hand, she knew he truly was sorry and hadn’t intentionally hurt her. In that instant she felt her anger melt and thought more about what Pamina had to say. Pamina might have mistaken him for someone else, but there was no doubt that he was right guy at the right time. And forget about too good to be true. This guy was good. Great, in fact. And he was true, honest and giving. Not to mention the best thing that had ever happened to her. It also occurred to her that she didn’t feel smothered by him or his protective nature. She felt loved and cherished.

  He must have sensed the shift in her because he pulled her tight. “But the only question is, who’s going to protect you from me?”

  She pressed against him and chuckled. “Uh, do you have something in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

  He laughed. “I picked something up for you while I was in the city today.” Sadness crossed his eyes. “Then I was worried you’d never speak to me again, and I’d never get the chance to give it to you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a new iPod. “After all, I was responsible for damaging yours in the first place.”

  Warmth moved through her as she recalled their seductive encounter at the lake. “You really are one of a kind, aren’t you?”

  He turned serious. “Candace, I really am sorry I never told you who I was. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us.”

  “We can put that behind us, Marc.” Once again she recalled the mystical Pamina’s words. “What matters is what you’ve done since you’ve been here. And what you’ve done is opened my eyes and shown me what love really is.” With that she grinned and held her hand out. “I’m Candace Steele and I’m an interior designer. I’m also the daughter of Jason Krane, famous New York movie director. Oh, and I’ve recently discovered I’m a regular old exhibitionist.”

  Marc covered her hand with his and visibly relaxed. “I’m Marc Collins, set designer turned security guard for Jason Krane, famous New York movie director. And I’m totally in love with his daughter. Oh, and I’m a regular old voyeur.”

  Candace laughed out loud, the love she felt for him filling her darkest corners. “Then that makes us quite the team.”

  “That’s right Candace, we do make a good team, and always know this, that I love you for who you are.”

  Her heart soared. He loved her. “I love you too.”

  “Come with me.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To the bedroom.”

  Desire moved through her. “Oh, yeah.”

  “There are some other things we need to square up.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, like this.” He pulled her tight and pressed his cock against her. “And since you had your wicked way with me this morning…”

  Candace smiled and wet her mouth, knowing full well it was Marc who’d had his wicked way with her that morning. “So what exactly are you suggesting. A little tit for tat?”

  “I believe I might be, Candace. I believe I just might be.”

  About the Author

  A former government financial officer, Cathryn Fox graduated from university with a bachelor of business degree. Shortly into her career, Cathryn quickly figured out that corporate life wasn’t for her. Needing an outlet for her creative energy, she turned in her briefcase and calculator and began writing erotic romance full-time. Cathryn enjoys writing dark paranormals and humorous contemporaries. She lives in eastern Canada with her husband, two kids and chocolate Labrador retriever.

  To learn more about Cathryn Fox, please visit www.cathrynfox.com Send an email to Cathryn@Cathrynfox.com or join her chat group, http:/groups.yahoo.com/group/wicked_writers/.

  Look for these titles by Cathryn Fox

  Now Available:

  Blood Ties

  One on One

  All Tied Up

  Dance of the Dragon

  All Worked Up

  Need the job done right? Get a handyman with the right…tools.

  All Tied Up

  © 2009 Cathryn Fox

  Pleasure Inn, Book 1

  Interior decorator Lindsay Bell jumped at the chance to help restore the old inn at Mason Creek. What could be more fun than letting her imagination run wild on an unlimited budget? Eagerly she plans to turn her assigned room into a fantasy BDSM playground.

  All she expected from her newly hired handyman was to help her tear down a support wall. She certainly didn’t expect Brad Caldwell to be so drop-dead gorgeous in a tool belt. When he proves to be a steady, hardworking, stand-up guy—unlike the men she’s dated—Lindsay has a new and wicked idea.

  To take her new creation on a test drive down the road of their deepest, darkest, most delicious desires—and seduce her way into his heart.

  Warning: Smokin’ hot sex with creative use of toys, and a dash of magic.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for All Tied Up:

  He shut the door. Lindsay’s eyes widened at the sound of the lock clicking in place. He could almost see her body stir to life. Almost hear her mind reeling with possibilities.

  “What—”

  In two long strides he closed the distance between them and pressed his fingers to her lips. “Shh.”

  He watched her throat work as she swallowed and knew, by the heated look in her eyes, her untamed passion and desires matched his. She wanted this as much as he did. No questions about it.

  He gripped her slim waist and packaged her soft body against his. Christ, she felt so incredible in his arms, he could only imagine how wonderful she’d feel trapped between his legs. Nudging her feet with his, he backed her up until the rear of her knees hit the padded table. Eyes wide, questioning, her chest rose and fell with her erratic breathing.

  He tugged her T-shirt out from her tight jeans. When his fingers connected with her soft skin, his brain nearly shut down. “I’m going to give you what you want, Lindsay.”

  Her voice hitched, color bloomed high on her cheeks. “How do you know what I want?” He heard the intrigue in her voice and felt her hips push against him. It was a slight movement but hadn’t gone unnoticed.

  He offered her a slow smile. “You’re going to have to trust me on that one.”

  “I can’t possibly see—”

  He pitched his voice low and demanded in a deep tone. “Take off your clothes. Nice and slow.” He touched her arm and felt her body shake with excitement.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me?” Her voice betrayed her emotions. He could see the passion, the invitation building in her eyes.


  He shook his head. “Not even for a minute.”

  “Brad—”

  “Take them off, Lindsay. Now. Nice and slow like I told you. If you don’t follow the rules, I’m afraid you’ll be punished.”

  He slid his hand between her legs and cupped her sex, just to prove just how serious he was.

  An edgy laugh morphed into a heated moan. He noted the way her legs wobbled. “Sweet mother of God,” she whispered under her breath. Then she starched her spine and met his glace. “What if I don’t want to?” Her voice lacked conviction. They both knew it.

  He trailed his finger over her arm and felt the goose bumps on her flesh. “You do. Now take them off. Then I want you sprawled out on that bench. I want you naked, hot and wet, and begging me to fuck you.”

  “Ohmigod,” he heard her gasp as his lips closed over hers for a deep, intense, mind-numbing kiss. He slipped his tongue inside her delicious mouth and spent a long moment just tasting her lush sweetness. Jesus, he wanted to devour her. All of her. Right now.

  Lindsay inched back, her eyes clouded with emotion, her voice breathless. “This can only be about sex, Brad. Just to help ease the tension between us. Nothing more.”

  “Naturally,” he agreed, lightheartedly, feeling anything but. He might have readily agreed with her, the truth was, he wanted to see where this led them. With that he gave her a gentle push.

  Lindsay landed on the bench, her legs spread. Brad let out an agonized groan as his groin tightened and throbbed in heated anticipation. Jesus, he’d never felt such intense desire before. It took all his strength and willpower not to act on his natural urges and answer the demands of his body. At the moment he’d like nothing more than to strip her clothes off, spread her legs wide open and sink his cock into her damp heat. Honestly, it practically killed him not to ravish her caveman style, to push inside her pussy and fuck her until sundown. But, right now, this was about Lindsay, so he needed to control those urges for the time being.

  He growled low in his throat as she sat there, eyes glazed with lust as she awaited his instructions. God dammit he wanted her. So much so that he ached to the point of pain. He took a moment to get himself under control before he fucked her with wild abandon.