by Fiona Roarke
They both saw the note stuck beneath the windshield wiper on the driver’s side. JD unfolded the note as she watched. Inside was simply a phone number, scrawled boldly in blocked, heavy script as if penned with a Sharpie.
Samantha glanced at the number, eyes narrowing. “I recognize it. That’s Trey’s cell number.”
Once they were ensconced inside his car, JD pulled out his cell phone and punched in the number.
“You’re calling him?”
JD nodded. When the other man answered, he said curtly, “This is JD. You left a note on my car. What do you want?”
Without missing a beat, Trey said, “I want you to leave Sam alone.”
“Her name is Samantha. She doesn’t like that nickname, by the way. You’d know that if you gave a shit. Obviously you don’t.”
“Fine. I want you to leave Samantha alone. Give me a number.”
“What are you talking about? Why would I do that?”
“Then I can write you a check for that amount and you can go on with your life, leaving her to me. No harm, no foul regarding last night.” Trey sounded magnanimous. What a dick.
JD laughed. “No. Not going to happen. Thanks for the laugh though.”
“Why not? I’m certain a man like you could use a few extra dollars in his pocket.”
“A man like me, huh? That sounds vaguely insulting.”
Trey quoted something in the low six-figures. “Is that number insulting?”
“Yes. It is. You’re embarrassing yourself. Maybe it’s time you left her alone.” Infinity is not a high enough number for me to ditch Samantha, you prick. “Thing is, you can’t count high enough to sway me. Give this up now.”
“I don’t know. I can count pretty high.”
“No. You really can’t.”
Trey doubled his six-figure offer. “And all you have to do is walk away from her. That’s it.”
“Not going to happen,” JD repeated himself, except this time he wasn’t laughing.
“I will warn you that this generous offer has an expiration date. In fact, it’s null and void the moment we hang up.”
“Good to know,” JD said, and hung up.
“What did he want?” Samantha asked.
JD shook his head and started the car. “Nothing worth repeating. I will say that your boss’s son is a real prick.”
Samantha laughed. “Now there is something we agree on.”
* * * *
Monday morning – Wakeman’s
Samantha marched to Trey’s office first thing on Monday morning ready to clearly explain her displeasure over his weekend visit to her apartment. But when she got to his office, his receptionist was not at her desk. Glancing over one shoulder, she didn’t see anyone close by.
Trey’s office door was ajar, so she moved in that direction, stopping only when she heard two distinct voices coming from inside.
Listening in for only a few seconds, she realized Mr. Wakeman was already inside dressing Trey down for his unkempt appearance at a colleague’s wedding. Had to be Robin’s ceremony, right?
Apparently his rumpled suit and overall messy look had been captured in a photograph forwarded by an unnamed attendee at both the wedding and the reception.
Samantha backed away, not wanting to get caught eavesdropping on Mr. Wakeman’s lecture regarding expectations of conduct becoming a Wakeman. She returned to her office to prep for her Monday morning meeting. But Trey, who’d insisted he had an important question for her, didn’t even bother to show up.
In fact, she didn’t see him again until a couple of days later when she walked into a conference room. Trey had apparently seen her enter where she was about to have a meeting. He followed her inside, much to her displeasure, hating to have to talk to him at all, thinking she was rid of him after his no show on Monday.
Before he said a word, she spoke first. “Please don’t ever come to my home uninvited again.”
He looked like he’d started to roll his eyes, but then stopped himself in mid-movement, straightening his posture and frowning. “You’re right. That was out of line. Won’t happen again.” He gave her a sincere look for maybe the first time ever. Maybe his father’s lecture was soaking in. Samantha decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Thank you.” She turned, not wanting to continue the conversation further. Please go away.
“I do have another question for you.” Remembering that he hadn’t even shown up to the Monday meeting, she wondered what inane question he’d ask.
“What is it?” She looked away placing her folder for her meeting on the surface of the table.
“Who was that guy?”
Samantha straightened up, turning to Trey again. “I beg your pardon.” She figured he was talking about JD, but intended to make him ask specifically.
“From the wedding reception. The guy you sat next to at that shindig and then went home with. Do you know who he is?”
“Yes. I do.” She didn’t elaborate, which seemed to annoy him. Trey’s unpracticed good manners only lasted so long apparently. She hadn’t missed the dig about going home with him like she was some trollop in a dime novel.
Trey asked, “You know what he does for a living, right?”
He owns a successful transportation business in town. “Yes,” she said, curtly. “I know all about him. I don’t understand how it is any of your business though.”
His hands came up defensively. “Hey, I was just looking out for your welfare.”
Two members of the meeting about to start in the conference room entered at that pivotal moment or she would have screamed, “Stop it! I don’t need you to interfere in my life, you prick!”
“Thank you, Mr. Wakeman,” she said quietly. “However, you truly don’t need to concern yourself about this issue.”
“Fine. Suit yourself,” he said in a tone suggesting he was poised to shout, “I told you so,” one day. He exited without further commentary, and Samantha vowed to ignore any foolish suspicions Trey had about JD.
She’d been out with JD several nights in a row now. He was perfect. Nothing Trey wanted to tell her would ever change her mind about the man she was already falling for. Hard.
Chapter Six
Friday night – the first “official” date
Samantha tried on and discarded five outfits before JD arrived to pick her up for their first “official” date. They’d seen each other every day since Robin’s wedding. JD called those outings unofficial get-to-know-you meetings in preparation for their first big date tonight.
Even when they weren’t kissing like crazy, she enjoyed spending time with him. He was funny. He was interesting. He was intelligent. Not to mention that when he kissed her, she lost all sense of time, any manner of control, and he had to be the one to keep them in line, every single time.
If it had been up to her, they would have gotten completely naked four hours after meeting at the reception.
She could barely keep her hands off of him in public and if they didn’t have sex tonight, she might explode into a million lust-saturated pieces.
Every time she tried to coax him into going all the way, JD would smile and whisper a single word: “Anticipation.”
She knew he was right. When they finally came together, it would be amazing. He’d kiss her thoroughly like he always did. He’d touch her once and she’d scream the rafters down onto their heads. A fanciful dream if there ever was one. But one she expected would be true.
The buzzer sounded. She calmly walked over to the intercom.
“JD?”
“Samantha,” he said. “Are you ready for our big date?”
She looked down at her outfit. It was an off the shoulder, bias-cut cream and peach patterned dress with a ruffled neckline and matching hem. It was very feminine and flattering, coming to below her knees on one side, ruffles along the edge parting to her thigh on the other.
Basically, she was wearing a slinky, clingy dress with very tall heels and no underwear.
She hoped JD thought it was sexy and that he discovered what she wasn’t wearing before they got home. When he did, she’d whisper, “Anticipation.”
“I think so. Oh, wait. Do I need to have clothes on?”
He laughed. “Only your shoes and a shirt so we can get into the restaurant.”
“Done. I’ll be right down.”
“Buzz me up. I’d like to collect you at your door, if that’s okay.”
She smiled. Chivalry wasn’t dead. “Sure.” She pushed the button and waited for him to arrive.
When she heard the elevator stop at her floor, Samantha opened her door to a beautiful bouquet of flowers. “Wow. Thanks.” She kissed his mouth quickly and gestured him inside.
“You’re welcome.” Two-dozen roses in different colors amid lush greens were stuffed into a very pretty frosted lavender square vase. She set them on her kitchen counter, burying her face in the large spray of flowers. She sniffed the blooms and grinned at him.
He appraised her from head to toe twice and said, “You look amazing.”
“So do you.” JD wore dark gray slacks and a collared light shirt open at his throat with a tailored gray jacket. He looked delectable.
“Thanks. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes. Unless you want to start this date off with a bang.” Her eyebrows went up.
JD smiled his appreciation at the innuendo and her attempt to lure him one last time. He shook his head and said, “We have reservations for dinner. Let’s go.”
“Okay. But if I didn’t offer to strip you naked and do you before we left, you wouldn’t think it was me.”
“Your offer is very tempting, I’ll give you that. But let’s get a bite to eat first for our big date.”
They exited her loft and headed down to his car. Once inside, she asked, “What do you have in store for me tonight?”
“Dinner out and then a special dessert later on at my place.”
“You made dessert for me?”
“I did.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“A surprise, huh? Is this like your secret name?”
“No. The dessert is just a surprise. My name is still a secret.”
“Okay. Well, about your name. I have a few more guesses.”
He grinned. “Okay. Go for it.”
She narrowed her eyes, crossed her arms and tapped one finger on her lips as if giving careful consideration to this particular guess. “James Dean?”
“Nope. Is that all you’ve got?”
“I have more.” She leaned forward and said the next three guesses quickly. “Junk Drawer? Justice Denied? Julien Date?”
He laughed. “All good guesses, but unfortunately, not correct. I will, however, give you points for creativity.”
“Okay.” She sighed loudly. “I’ll keep thinking.”
“Good. I can’t wait to hear what you come up with.”
They had a lovely dinner at a fancy restaurant atop a nice hotel in the city with a great view. She could hardly wait to get to his house, not only to see it but also to discover what he’d made for dessert. Maybe he wanted to seduce her at his house instead of her loft. She didn’t care where he did it, as long as it happened.
He seemed a little nervous as they approached his home, which made her fall for him just a little bit more. He drove up to a very large brick place and parked in the circular driveway. The house was stunning. It was all brick and looked huge from the outside. His home was bigger than she would have expected, but he did own his own business.
JD brought her through his front door into the grandeur of the two-story entryway. A long, circular staircase wound upward to the second floor. She hoped she’d end up there tonight.
“It’s lovely,” she said duly impressed. “I didn’t expect you to live in a mansion.”
He laughed. “Not a mansion, simply a great house in a good location. It’s probably too big for a bachelor, but hopefully that will change one day.”
Was he hinting that he wanted a family? Oh my. He really was perfect.
“What’s for dessert?” she asked, anxious to discover his surprise.
“Come with me.” He took her hand and led her into the kitchen. It was filled with lovely granite countertops, warm wood cabinets and was homey without being old-fashioned. She loved it.
On the counter next to the sink was what looked like a chocolate layer cake on a ceramic pedestal beneath a glass cover, like in a diner. He’d already put out two plates and silverware.
“Have a seat,” he said, pointing to the bar stools on the opposite side of the sink. “Want some coffee?”
“Yes. Perfect.”
He turned on his coffeemaker and as it brewed, he proceeded to cut two large pieces of cake from the elegant display.
“Did you really make this cake or did some poor, hapless employee’s wife take pity on you?”
He put the glass dome back over the remaining cake and said with a smile, “I really made it myself, with my own two hands, and then cleaned up the epic mess I made.”
“I’m so impressed.”
“Take a bite before you make your final decision. And I’ll also say that it’s pretty much the only dessert I know how to bake.”
She took a bite as he served their coffee. Moist chocolate cake with a sweet chocolate-orange frosting flavor hit the center of her tongue. She moaned in appreciation. “Wow. This is amazing. Not to mention you remembered that I like chocolate and orange together.”
“Just like I do.” He handed her a cup of coffee made the way she liked it, with a splash of cream. He joined her at the bar. “It was one of the first things I learned that we had in common.” He took a bite of his own piece and nodded as if it had turned out the way he wanted.
“You know what else we should have in common?” she asked after swallowing a big bite of cake.
“What’s that?”
“Great sex.”
He dropped his fork, which clattered on his plate loudly.
“Tonight,” she added.
* * * *
JD had been nervous all evening. For her to like the flowers he’d brought her. For her to like his home and for her to like the special cake he’d made expressly for her.
He hadn’t lied. It was absolutely the only dessert he knew how to bake, but his grandma had taught him as a teenager. Among other things, she believed all kids needed to know how to make one dessert really well and also one nice dinner before going out into the world. Under Grandma Macalister’s tutelage, he’d learned to roast a whole chicken with lemon and rosemary that wasn’t half bad.
When Samantha said the word “sex” he was so surprised and so instantly turned on it was a wonder he hadn’t tackled her off the barstool and taken her on the kitchen floor. He’d tried mightily all week to conceal from her how hard—pun intended—it was resisting her, but he was pretty much at the end of his tether. Thank God the waiting was almost over.
Picking up the fork he’d dropped and righting it on his plate, JD turned his full attention to his lovely date.
The sultry look she gave him suggested she wouldn’t put up a fight if he decided to go for the tackle her and take her on the kitchen floor move that circled around in his head very clearly. Her dress was soft and clingy and extremely slinky. He’d wanted to smooth his hands over her whole body all night long.
“So you really must like the cake, then?”
“I like everything about you.”
He grinned. “What a coincidence. I like everything about you, too.”
“This week with you has been perfect. I appreciate that you have been a gentleman through it all, keeping us from moving too fast when the truth is I’ve been ready to jump your bones every moment we’ve been together.”
“I’ve wanted to let you jump my bones, maybe even more than you did. But above all else, I also wanted you to be sure.”
“I am sure. This cake is exceptional, but I think it’s time
for a tour of your bedroom.” She swiveled in her seat and stepped off the bar stool, putting her very close to his still seated position.
Samantha turned his barstool around until she could step between his open legs. Wrapping her arms around his middle and nuzzling her face against his neck put his head straight into seduce her mode. Actually, he’d been in that mode since he’d picked her up at her apartment earlier and handed her the flowers, but had been suppressing his substantial lust this evening. He didn’t want to come across like an aggressive beast.
She told him she wanted them to sleep together since that first night. He’d put her off, wanting to ensure they truly liked one another before plunging into a sexual relationship and all the complications that came with it.
Oh, but he’d wanted her since the moment he saw her walking down the aisle in the chapel, waiting for Robin’s wedding to begin. Now that his opportunity was at hand, he was also a little anxious about it.
His arms went around her back as she teased his throat with soft kisses. Soon she pressed kisses to his jaw and then to his lips. The memory of their first kiss made him think of something he’d meant to ask her since that night.
“Tell me the truth,” he asked. “At Robin’s wedding reception when we accidentally kissed for the first time. You did that on purpose, right?”
She giggled. “You’re just now figuring that out?”
“No. It’s the first time I remembered to bring it up.” JD skimmed his fingertips along her spine, watching her intently.
“I did do that on purpose. Regrets?”
“Nope. Did you see me at the church?”
“Oh yeah. I noticed you on my way in, but I got my best look exiting the chapel after Robin was married. Did you see me?” she asked coyly.
“I did. On your way in and especially on your way out. That jade dress is very eye-catching.”
Her gaze narrowed mischievously. “JD…Jade Dress?” One eyebrow lifted in question.
“No,” he said. “Not that either.”