by Tonya Brooks
"Just trying to make you feel at home," she admitted as she returned the hug. "I'd go with you, but I'm watching the babies while Pop takes Mom in for her six week check up. You'd think the man had never had children before. He insisted on going to every appointment and it's so freakin' cute."
It really was adorable the way Jed doted on his wife and newborn daughter. Cyn had noticed that all of the Baker men treated their women like they were their whole world. She couldn't help feeling a pang of envy because she would never know love like that. "Just tell me where to go," she requested.
"It's near the corner of Fourth Avenue and Main Street," Harley explained as the sound of the shower started in the Jack and Jill bathroom that connected the bedrooms. "You can't miss it. The salon's called, Been Nailed Lately?."
"Seriously?" Cyn asked with a laugh. Gotta love small town humor when it came to naming businesses. That wasn't the strangest one she had heard of since she had been in Lakeside.
"Yep. So get your butt in gear or you won't have time to eat before you leave," she warned. "Pop's keeping a plate warm for you."
"You guys are spoiling me rotten," she accused.
"Good. You deserve it," Harley smiled and headed down the hall. When John appeared in the kitchen ten minutes later, hair still damp from the shower and dressed in the same shirt she had just seen her niece wearing, she couldn't prevent teasing, "Nice shirt. Cyn has one just like it."
John flashed her that bad boy smile. His sister-in-law didn't miss much. He had quite a collection of vintage rock band T-shirts, but this one was his favorite. Cyn had tossed the shirt back at him when he stepped out of the shower, and he'd put the damn thing on because it smelled like her. Okay, it smelled like chocolate, but so did she.
"Everybody loves GNR," he said and neither confirmed nor denied her suspicions as he opened the warming drawer and pulled out one of the two plates inside. He had been shocked when the old man let Harley redo the kitchen, but the woman knew what the hell she was doing. They now had every high tech gadget known to man and his father loved it. John just liked having hot food waiting for him when he missed a meal.
"Hey, Sis, where can I get a belly button ring?" He asked impulsively as he sat down at the breakfast nook.
Having known him since he was thirteen, she was well used to his peculiar manner of cutting a sentence to the bare essentials, but this time Harley was at a complete loss as to what he could mean by that. John might wear an earring, but there was no way in hell he was getting his naval pierced. "Umm, what?"
"Cyn lost hers in the mud," he said around a bite of ham. "Thought I'd replace it."
Her lips curved upward in a smile of absolute delight. John wanted to buy Cyn a belly button ring. This was getting better and better. He'd never a bought a woman a gift in his life. "Sandy has some pretty ones at the jewelry store," she pointed out helpfully.
"They don't come in sizes and shit, do they?" John asked as that occurred to him. Hell, if they did he was in trouble.
She bit back a laugh since he looked so serious. "I don't think so," Harley denied. "I'm sure Sandy can help you find the right thing."
"Uh huh," he agreed and went back to eating, completely oblivious to the fact that his sister-in-law was gloating over this latest development.
~~~~~
Cyn found the nail salon without a problem and was immediately shown to a pedicure chair by the manicurist who introduced herself as JoBeth. "Daddy's name is Joe and mama's name is Beth so I wound up JoBeth," she explained and then asked with more curiosity than was decent, "How come you're called Sin?"
"C.Y.N," she spelled her name in clarification and noticed the other women seated around her were all blatantly eavesdropping on the conversation. Now she knew why Harley had warned her to be careful what she said or it would be all over town by morning. "It's short for Cynthia."
"Oh. Well, shoot," the younger woman sighed in disappointment as she began to fill the footbath with water. Everyone in town had heard that Harley's cousin had moved in with the Bakers and that she was working at John's new club. They'd also heard that there was some serious heat going on between her and the bad Baker boy, but no one knew anything about her. JoBeth had been hoping to get the scoop. "Thought you'd done something really scandalous to get a nickname like that."
"No, nothing like that," she denied in amusement and leaned back comfortably in the massaging chair. Such was small town life, she supposed. Complete strangers thought nothing of asking personal questions. Things like that did not happen in the city.
"Girl, you been diggin' in the garden barefoot?" JoBeth asked in surprise as she removed the polish from her toes and saw bits of dried mud beneath the nails.
"No," Cyn laughed. "John took me mud bogging yesterday and..."
"John Baker took you mud boggin'?" The woman practically screeched and every head in the salon turned their way.
"Yeah," she admitted, surprised at the reaction.
"You actually rode in his baby?" The woman seated in the pedicure chair to her right asked in disbelief as she stared at her with rounded eyes.
That should have been obvious. How the hell else would he take her mud bogging unless she rode in his truck? Her snarky self wanted to say, 'Duh', but Cyn managed a slightly less sarcastic, "Well, yeah."
"Spank my ass and call me Skippy," the woman seated to Cyn's left said in amazement.
"Girl, you're not messin' with us, are ya?" The manicurist next to JoBeth asked skeptically.
"No, I..."
"Cause, honey, let me tell you," the other woman kept right on going as if she didn't expect an answer. "There ain't a woman in this town that's ever been lucky enough to ride shotgun with that bad boy. And there's been plenty that have tried."
"Would ya'll forget about that cuss fired truck," came a voice from the back of the room. "Did I hear he actually took you on a date?"
Oh, mama. This was getting completely out of hand. John had told her that he'd never been on a date and it looked like these women knew that too. She had to get this mess sorted out quick. Every eye in the room was fixed on her and Cyn was more than a little flustered when she explained, "We just went mud bogging. It wasn't a..."
"Lawd, Jesus!" Someone, Cyn had lost track of who by this point, wailed. "Another one bites the dust."
No matter how much she tried to explain, it just wasn't getting through to them. The women were convinced that she and John were dating and she knew it would be all over town by morning. Cyn finally gave up and gratefully accepted the wine that JoBeth offered. God, just shoot me now, she pleaded in resignation and drained the glass.
~~~~~
"You need what?" Sandy Foster asked in disbelief as she stared at the towns most eligible bachelor. John Baker had never been inside her store before and she couldn't believe he was here now, much less asking for a...
"Belly button ring," he repeated. "Harley say's ya got 'em."
"Yeah. I do," she admitted in shock and led him to the display case that housed the piercings. She simply could not fathom what he wanted with a belly button ring. There was no way in hell the bad boy would wear one. Although the gossip grapevine claimed he did have piercings in some pretty wicked places and knew how to use them.
John stared at the variety of sparkling doo dads on display and one in particular caught his eye. "That one," he said and pointed to the silver loop with a treble clef charm dangling from it. Sandy removed it from the case and handed it to him. He held it up and looked it over carefully as he tried to imagine it attached to Cyn's cute little naval. "One size fits all, right?"
"Uh... yeah," she admitted, even more bewildered by the question. Holey Moley. Maybe he was planning to do something kinky with it. Sandy barely resisted the urge to fan herself. Yeah, she was happily married to the love of her life, but those bad Baker boys could make a nun drop her drawers.
"I'll take it," he decided.
"I've also got it in silver," she admitted and pulled another one from the case to s
how him. "That one is white gold."
"What's the difference?" John asked since they looked identical to him.
"About a hundred dollars."
Holy shit. Over a hundred bucks for something smaller than a guitar pick. That was almost as ridiculous as what Cyn paid for those damn shoes. That thought settled the issue. "She dropped a grand on a pair of shoes," he informed the other woman. "No way I'm gettin' her something cheap."
The revelation that he was buying jewelry for a woman was the biggest shock yet. It looked like Harley's matchmaking was gonna pay off after all.
~~~~~
When Cyn arrived at the club that night, John led her into his office and held out a small white jewelers box. "Got'cha something."
She stared at his outstretched hand as if it held a poisonous asp. No, no, no. Uh, uh. No way in hell did that box have a ring in it, she assured herself. This was just sex. Just mind blowing sex. John had not lost his damn mind. Taking a steadying breath, she asked, "What is it?"
"Open it," he urged and was beginning to feel a little nervous. What if she didn't like it? Hell, he should have asked Sandy if she could trade it in on something else.
Cyn reached out and gingerly lifted the lightweight box. She flipped it open and gasped at the contents. Raising incredulous blue eyes to meet his, she asked, "You bought me a belly button ring?"
"Uh huh," he admitted and felt completely foolish because she looked so shocked. "Thought I'd replace the other one."
Cyn looked back down at the box and ran her fingertip over the intricate curves of the charm. This was the sweetest thing that anyone had ever done for her, and her heart melted at his thoughtfulness. "It's beautiful. Thank you, John," she said and closed the distance between them to place a tender kiss on his lips.
Tenderness quickly turned to passion and before she knew how it happened, she was bent over his desk and he was buried balls deep inside her while she screamed his name in ecstasy. Thank God the room was soundproofed, she thought as she lay between him and the desk gasping for air.
"Damn, darlin," John breathed against her ear after he collapsed over her back. "If that's how you say thanks, I'll buy you one every fuckin' day."
She couldn't help laughing at that. "The kiss was for the gift," she pointed out lest he get the wrong idea. "The sex was inevitable once our lips touched."
She was right about that shit, John thought as he braced his forearms on the desk around her so he wouldn't crush her. One kiss was all it took to have them tearing at each other's clothes. He placed a kiss on her neck and felt her tremble beneath him. Cyn was ready for him again. Just that quick. That shit was awesome.
"You're welcome," he whispered in a soft, smoky voice and began to thrust slow and deep within her. Yeah, they were gonna be late for work. He just didn't give a damn.
~~~~~
John was pleased to see that he had a pretty good mix of clientele that night. A lot of the locals had shown up for Sports Night, and a large group of college kids had come in as well. There were a few women scattered about who came to hang out with their guys, but the majority of the patrons were male as expected. That most of them seemed to be more interested in Cyn than the game irritated the hell out of him.
So did Cathy. She didn't mind letting everyone know that she was royally pissed with all of the attention that his new waitress was receiving. Especially from him. John wasn't pleased with her bitchiness since the woman had no reason to be jealous. She had known they were a onetime only deal the night they hooked up. Cathy would either get over it or she'd have to go. If she started harassing Cyn, her ass was out the door.
The VIP section was only used on the weekends when the band was playing, so Cyn was working the main floor tonight. Since the club wasn't overly crowded, she had time to get to know the customers. The men were thrilled that the sexy waitress showed an interest in them, and it was more than obvious that they were interested in her.
By the end of the evening she had remembered all of their names as well as their drink preferences. She had also turned down more dates and propositions than she could count. The college guys were too young to take seriously, but a couple of the locals might have caught her eye if she hadn't already hooked up with a certain bad boy who could make her melt with a look.
Sweet lovin' Lord, could he ever. John was the most amazing lover. Cyn had never imagined that sex could be that extreme. The fire between them just seemed to burn hotter every time they were together. It was so intense that she could barely believe it was real. The man had turned her into a raging nymphomaniac. As John would say, that shit was awesome!
Chapter Six
Tuesday, May 27
"Nice belly button ring," Harley commented as she joined her niece by the pool.
Cyn lifted a hand to shade her eyes and stared up at her aunt. "You already know, don't you?" She asked in resignation and wasn't surprised. Gossip really did run rampant in this town.
"That John bought it? Yep," she admitted cheerfully as she lay down on the lounge chair beside Cyn. "He asked me where he could get one, so I sent him to Sandy."
"Didn't I meet her at the club?"
"Yeah, she owns a jewelry store." Harley reminded. "You'll never guess what he told her."
She almost dreaded finding out. "Probably not, but I know you're gonna tell me."
"Sandy asked if he wanted silver or white gold," she imparted. "John said, 'The woman dropped a grand on a pair of shoes, I'm not buying her something cheap'."
"Sweet lovin' Lord," Cyn moaned in dismay and glanced down to where the charm was shining brightly in the sunlight. "Tell me he didn't spend a fortune for this thing."
"Nah," she denied in amusement. "The gossip grapevine is having a field day though. Apparently, you two are dating and now he's bought you a ring."
She groaned in agony. Holy sweet baby Jesus, could this get any worse?
~~~~~
"The fuck, bro?" Alex demanded that afternoon when he arrived at the club. "You've known the chick a minute and you bought her a fuckin' ring?"
John didn't doubt the gossipmongers had gotten the tale twisted as usual. He just didn't give a shit. "A belly button ring," he corrected and kept on counting the stock. Daily inventory was a bitch, but it had to be done.
That did not relieve the other man a bit. John had bought a chick jewelry and that shit was serious. "And I have to hear from the girls down at the bank that you're dating her?" He complained. "Dude, what happened to bros before hos?"
His head came up and John fixed his best friend with a hard look. "You did not just call Cyn a ho," he growled in warning.
Fuck a duck. This shit was serious. "You know what I mean, B. Bad," he said in exasperation because John had gotten pissed at him over a woman. That shit did not happen. They had been best friends since their whole lives and they shared everything. Well, everything that dudes thought was worth sharing anyway. "Since when do you keep shit like that from me?"
"You need to stop listening to bullshit," John said seriously as he went back to counting. "And for the record, we're not dating."
"So you didn't take her mud boggin'," he said in relief.
"I did," he admitted with a wicked grin. It had been one of the best days of his life.
"Dude!" Alex exclaimed as if he had committed some cardinal sin.
"What? Mud wrestling with a smokin' hot woman is the shit," John confessed with his trademark grin.
Alex stared at his boy as if he had lost his mind. He knew John wasn't using, so it had to be the chick making him batshit crazy. "The fuck has she done to you?"
"Made me happy," he admitted and then realized it was true. He'd been happier with Cyn in the last few days than he'd been in... too damn long.
Okay, that took the wind out of his sails and Alex studied his friend carefully. "She makes you happy," he repeated.
"Uh huh," John said and started counting the same damn boxes for the third time.
"Good enough," Alex agreed. His bo
y hadn't been happy in a very long time. If this chick could do it, then he was all for it. But if that shit changed, her ass was grass.
~~~~~
Word got around campus about the sexy waitress, so the college crowd picked up quite a bit for Endless Happy Hour. Cyn greeted the guys that she had met the night before by name, but didn't have as much time to spend with them since their friends had decided to come meet her for themselves. That they were in a party mood was obvious, and by the end of the night her tip jar was nearly twice what the other waitresses had earned.
She had also made a point of displaying her new ring, and it had gotten quite a bit of attention. When anyone would comment on it, she informed them that it had been a gift from a friend to replace one she had lost. When the inevitable question, "Your boyfriend?" was asked, she merely replied, "It's hard to have a boyfriend when you're not dating anyone." Hopefully that would set the gossips straight.
John was thrilled to have this many people on a Tuesday and wound up behind the bar helping mix drinks all night. That didn't stop him from keeping his eyes on Cyn though. Tonight she had worn a pair of shorts with her t-shirt tied in a knot just above her midriff. The belly button ring was on prominent display as if she wanted to show it off.
Something primal inside of him liked everyone seeing the ring that he had personally attached to her body. It felt like he had marked her and he liked the feeling. He liked it a lot. The charm kept drawing his attention as if daring him to lick it. John recalled the times that she had been sprawled across his bed in nothing but her jewelry and those damn ridiculous heels. The thought had him as hard as a tire iron all night.
Holy shit, the place couldn't close soon enough to suit him. If they hadn't been so slammed, he would have hauled her into the office and been balls deep by now. The woman looked too good to be turned loose on her own and he kept a close eye on her to make sure no one got out of hand.