by Tina Donahue
Rocco ran across the studio to his street clothes, yanked them on despite his full-body makeup, and fled. Cait woke Hilary with gentle kisses on her cheeks, eyebrows and mouth. With their arms wrapped around each other’s waists, they headed for the door.
Stretching like an oversexed cat, Krista padded toward Mac, her ample boobs leading the way. “I’m hungry. How about you?”
“Not really.”
“Oh come on. Let’s have dinner.” Hugging his arm, she pressed her boob to his biceps and his hand to her tummy’s gentle swell, his fingers right above her slit.
Mac made a fist, not wanting to touch her intimately. If Krista noticed the slight, she didn’t let on or wasn’t going to give up. For the last few months, she’d repeatedly asked him out. He’d never said yes. She wasn’t who he wanted.
His silence lingered and grew. Krista broke it with a whimper.
“I’ll buy you dinner. Wherever you want to go.”
The thought of crashing in his bed alone and sleeping for hours sounded beyond nice. Then he could wake up, come back here and see Jodi again.
Mac sighed. She’d really gotten under his skin, making him want as he hadn’t before. He wondered if part of her allure was her skittishness around him. He’d never had to work this fucking hard at having any woman. Most of them were more easily attracted. Take Krista, for example…
She kept kissing his neck and murmuring, “Please.”
Uncertain how to get his point across without hurting her feelings, Mac finally patted Krista’s hand. “We’ll see. Get dressed. I’ll walk you out.”
Once she was in her car, he’d make a mad dash for his.
Her arm tightened around his. “You’ll have to do better than that. I took a cab here. Drive me home after I buy you dinner.”
Aw god. Mac wanted to argue but was too damn tired. “Sure. I’ll drive you home.”
“After dinner,” she insisted, not moving or breathing as she waited for his answer.
He sighed again. “Sure.”
Krista bounced on her heels as though he’d asked her to marry him. “Hang tight, baby, while I take off my makeup and—“
“You look fine,” Mac interrupted. “I want to leave now.”
She stuck out her bottom lip. “If I don’t take this junk off, it’ll get on my clothes.”
“Here’s a thought. Buy new ones.”
Krista brightened immediately. “Sure. Whatever you want, babe.”
Mac didn’t like the sound of that. As if she was now going to pester him to take her shopping.
Quick as could be, Krista pulled on her black thong, glittery sandals, silver micro-mini and sparkly tank top. No bra. Her hair looked bed-and-sex mussed, her features dazzling with youth and beauty, natural from her bone structure, artificial from the makeup she wore.
Neither stirred anything within Mac, except agitation. If he couldn’t get out of sharing a meal with her, the next couple of hours were going to be god-awful. He simply didn’t have the energy to make small talk or force himself to listen to it.
Once he’d put on his sandals, Krista hugged his arm again as though she was afraid he’d bolt. Smart girl.
Welded together, they left the building through the back door that led to the parking lot. The night was balmy, today’s heat leeching away. A gentle breeze brought the sweet scent of flowers and newly mown grass. A few stars twinkled in the dusky sky, the rest hidden by smog or the glare of the city lights. Horns honked, tires whooshed on the surrounding streets.
Krista babbled about something. Not listening, Mac headed for his Mercedes. Just short of it, he halted abruptly and looked over.
“Hey.” Krista squeezed his arm. “Why’d you stop?”
Jodi?
She’d lifted the hood of her Honda that had more gray primer on it than paint. Bent at the waist, she studied something in the engine.
“Mac?” Krista said.
He’d extricated himself from her and headed for Jodi. “Hey.”
Despite his mild tone, she started at his greeting, her face turning quickly to his.
Even with her glasses on, he could see tears sparkling in her eyes. Jesus. Suddenly, Mac felt really bad for her. Worried. Protective. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Nothing.” She lifted her specs and swiped the back of her hand beneath her eyes. “Everything’s cool.”
“You’re sure?”
Jodi raised her chin and bared her teeth in an obviously fake smile. “Absolutely.”
Uh-huh. Hooking his thumbs in his front pockets, Mac murmured, “So you spend every night looking at your engine? That’s how you get your kicks?”
“What’s going on?” Krista asked, joining them.
“Nothing,” Jodi said to Krista. She slammed the hood of her car. “I was just leaving.”
Mac rocked on his heels, absurdly pleased that for the first time since Jodi had waltzed into his life, she couldn’t flee. At least not in her car. God bless the damn thing for finally conking out. “Great. I’d like to see that. Go on, start the motor.”
She clenched her teeth.
It was an effort, but Mac managed not to grin at how cute she looked. Jodi’s glasses had slipped down her nose, there was a smear of grease on her jaw and her boobs were wiggling nicely with her ragged breaths.
“Mind if I give it a try?”
Her shoulders slumped. “Unless you have the power to bring things back to life, you’ll be wasting your time.”
“Not a problem. I’ve got all the time you need.”
Krista stepped in his way before Mac could get to the door. “What about our dinner? You taking me home.”
“You could call a cab.”
Her mouth trembled.
Okay, that slight she got. “Or you could wait,” Mac said, as nicely as he could.
She struggled to smile. “Sure. Why not?”
Five minutes later, Mac had tried the ignition repeatedly and got zip. He looked at the engine and concluded that it had a major oil leak, the plugs were just about shot, the belts worn.
Jodi handed him a rag that she’d apparently used after poking around in the car’s guts. “Do you know what’s wrong with it?”
“It’s either the ignition, the battery, the plugs or any number of other things.”
Her eyes grew wet again.
“Hey, no biggie,” Mac said quickly. “I’ll call the garage, have it towed and possibly repaired.”
Jodi’s hand went to her throat. “Possibly?”
“She could take a cab,” Krista suggested.
Jodi looked as if Krista was from another planet. She grabbed Mac’s wrist before he could contact the auto club. “Don’t call anyone. I can’t afford to have my car repaired.”
He spoke as gently as he could. “You can’t leave it here. Building management will have it towed.”
Jodi’s eyes rounded. Her hand fell away from him. “I can’t afford to bail it out. Without it, I won’t have any way to get to work.”
“Not a problem. I’ll pick you up.”
“She could take a cab like I did,” Krista cut in.
Mac gave her a hard stare. On a pissy sigh, Krista backed off.
“Look,” he said to Jodi. “It’s settled. I call the garage, they pick it up, we get it repaired. I’ll pay for it. You can pay me back. I’ll pick you up for work and take you home until you have your car back.”
She blinked repeatedly and bit her lower lip as though struggling not to cry.
Not only did Mac’s protective nature kick in again, so did his desire. “What do you like to eat?”
“Huh?”
“Once the car’s gone, I’m taking you to dinner.”
Krista stopped pacing.
“You too,” Mac said to her, trying to be a good guy when he didn’t feel like it. “We’re all going to dinner. We’re going to enjoy it. It’s going to be a goddamn great time. Got it?”
Neither woman commented.
Didn’t matter. Whe
n it came to Jodi, Mac was determined to make tonight count. He’d cure her of whatever she found scary about him. He’d have her moving toward him rather than away.
By god, he’d have her doing every-fucking-thing they both wanted when it came to them being together intimately.
Chapter Three
Stopped at a red light, Mac turned in his seat. “How’s it going back there?”
Jodi wished he hadn’t asked. With him and Krista up front, she felt like their defective child hidden from prying eyes. Too plain, too big, too blah to be seen with either of them.
Krista practically glowed, given her blonde hair and shimmery outfit. A Victoria’s Secret’s angel or a film star working the red carpet couldn’t have looked better.
While Mac…
Hell, he had more testosterone pumping through him than the law should have allowed. Dark hairs hugged his forearms. His five-o’clock shadow had turned to serious stubble, stoking Jodi’s lust, moistening her pussy.
She held back a whimper and gave him a smile. The kind she reserved for her parents when they wanted to know if everything was going all right and she needed to lie to them. “Fine. Thanks.”
“Not too cold?” he asked, studying her. “I could adjust the air conditioner.”
“Then we’d be hot,” Krista pointed out.
Jodi doubted they’d suffer as much as she was. Her face continued to burn at Mac’s frank attention. His artistic eye was undoubtedly cataloguing her many flaws. “Don’t go to any trouble for me.”
Why he had so far was a mystery to Jodi, unless he wanted to piss Krista off. She’d rested her hand on his thigh. From Jodi’s vantage point, Krista’s fingers were dangerously close to his groin. Not that it mattered. He continued to ignore her.
Jodi wondered if they’d had a fight before they’d come out to the parking lot, and Mac was using Jodi as a buffer so he wouldn’t have to deal with Krista. At least until his hormones persuaded him to forget their tiff and he dragged her to bed.
Or she dragged him. Finished with molesting his thigh, Krista eased Mac’s hair behind his ear then leaned over and licked his lobe.
Jodi dug her nails into her palms.
“You like dogs?” Mac asked her, calm as could be despite Krista’s tongue snuggled in his ear.
The scene and his seeming indifference were so surreal, Jodi stammered, “Ah…yeah…I guess…who…?”
She didn’t finish. Krista had taken off her seat belt. Despite the center console, she scooted across her seat to get closer to him.
“No damn way,” Mac quickly barked at her. “Back on your side and buckle up.”
Krista froze at his harsh command then glared as hard as he did.
“You want to go through the windshield if I hit anything?” he asked. “You want to fuck up your face?”
Quick as could be, she slid back into her seat and yanked on her belt.
“You guess?” Mac asked Jodi, turning to her again, his tone gentler now. “You’re not sure?”
He’d lost her. “About what?”
“Dogs. You said you guessed you like them.”
Jodi pretended not to notice the rat-a-tat-tat of Krista’s nails drumming against the window since Mac didn’t seem bothered by the irritating noise or was choosing to ignore it.
Lifting her shoulders, Jodi said, “I’ve never had one. Too much trouble to take care of. My parents preferred cats.”
His eyebrows drew together as he continued to regard her. A horn blared. Jodi jerked at the sound, her pulse leaping. Mac coolly glanced over his shoulder to the green light then turned in his seat. Driving through the intersection, he said, “I meant hotdogs. Do you like them?”
Good god, he’d been talking about food? Jodi wanted to die. No…hell, she wanted to vaporize so nothing would be left of her for him to laugh at. He must have thought she was an idiot for saying what she had. Even clueless Krista was snickering at Jodi’s faux pas.
“Yeah they’re great,” she mumbled. “Eat them a lot.” When she could afford any kind of meat, even the mystery kind.
“Then that settles it.” He sounded pleased.
Krista turned to him. “We’re going to a hotdog stand for dinner?”
“Nope. Dilli’s.”
She made a face.
Ignoring it, Mac turned up the music, a sensual jazz piece long on horns with earthy bass.
Krista kept fuming, her expression exceedingly nasty.
Jodi sensed a fight coming on. She eyed her door, wondering if she could slip out at the next light, run to a bar or restaurant and beg to use one of the patrons’ cellphones, since she’d left her no-frills model at home. She’d discovered that blunder when her car had croaked and she couldn’t call anyone. Not even a cab.
A twenty-dollar ride to her apartment was still out of the question but she couldn’t take much more of this. Clearly, Dilli’s was a dive Krista didn’t want to park her pretty butt in.
Why was Mac being such a bastard to her?
He made a right and drove for minutes, catching all the green lights and a few that were yellow, giving Jodi no chance to escape.
Her palms started to sweat. Not wanting to wipe them on the tawny leather seat, she ran them down her jeans. Mac finally slowed his Mercedes to a crawl. Not at a red light but in front of the infamous Dilli’s.
Jodi’s lips parted in surprise and delight.
Rarely had she seen a restaurant as charming. The guts of the place was a converted railroad car painted bright red. Outside seating boasted wrought-iron patio furniture with black-and-white checkered tablecloths. Above each table was a large yellow umbrella, the sailcloth edges bobbing in the delicate breeze. Golden light spilled from electric torches that gently illuminated the diners, most of them young. Soft rock played. Palm trees, bushes and a jumble of other vegetation pressed close, giving the area a surprisingly secluded feel. As though the rest of the world didn’t exist.
Jodi inhaled deeply. The heavenly scents of hotdogs, chili, bacon and grilled onions made her moan.
Mac murmured, “Someone sounds hungry.”
She looked over. He parked the car and got out.
“Well this is just great,” Krista muttered. She turned in her seat. “Do I look dressed for a dump like this?”
Jodi sighed. “You’re gorgeous no matter what you do or don’t wear.”
“Oh yeah?” Krista looked past her headrest, her lovely features softened with a smile. “Thanks, sweetie. I—“
She stopped as Mac opened Jodi’s door first and took her hand.
His long fingers curled around hers. Holy crap, he was caressing her.
Jodi’s ears rang. She saw Krista’s mouth move but didn’t catch her words. Once Mac had helped Jodi out of his car, she had to lock her knees to keep standing. She and Mac were so close all Jodi had to do was turn slightly to brush against his solid body and indulge in his musky scent.
Since she wasn’t that brave or foolish, Jodi pulled her hand from his and stepped back.
A flash of uncertainty crossed Mac’s face before he pushed it away with a mischievous smile. “Hope you’re ready to eat.”
He had no idea. If not for the crowd and Krista, Jodi would have gladly dropped to her knees, tugged down his clothes and gorged on his thick, beefy cock, pressing her nose in his dark tangle of hair. Gawd. Desire like nothing she’d known kept drawing her attention to Mac’s groin. Fighting her indecent desire, she turned to the large menu bolted to the top of the railroad car.
The sound of her door closing then Mac opening Krista’s nailed Jodi to the spot. She waited to hear Krista’s apology to Mac for having doubted his choice of a restaurant then their moans and groans during an impassioned make-up kiss.
“Not getting out?” Mac asked.
Krista bitched. “This place is a dive. We were supposed to go someplace nice.”
“This is nice. I eat here all the time. I like it.”
Krista mumbled something Jodi didn’t catch.
&n
bsp; Mac sighed. “Look, if you want to stay in the car, that’s fine. Jodi and I will be back when we’re—“
“Oh hey, baby,” Krista quickly interrupted. “If this is your favorite place, then I like it too.”
Jodi rolled her eyes at how quickly Krista had caved then frowned at how easily Mac had said “Jodi and I”. As if there were such a thing.
Chancing a look at the battling lovebirds, she nearly groaned at Krista’s arm snuggled around Mac’s waist. Krista pushed to her toes, scanned the dining area and pointed frantically. “There’s a table over there we can use. Come on.”
She tugged Mac toward it.
Like a third wheel or their unwanted chaperone, Jodi reluctantly followed.
Through the years, Mac and his buddies had often discussed the wonders of a threesome. Having two women crawling all over them, slavishly seeing to their every need.
He’d indulged in that kind of play a few times, one lady taking care of his cock and boys, the other his mouth. Hadn’t been half bad. It certainly wasn’t anything like now.
Tonight was a challenge yet strangely magical.
Jodi sat on his right, Krista on his left. She’d stayed in her seat for a few minutes until she’d noticed most of the guys gawking at her. Obviously buoyed by their smiles and winks, Krista suddenly had to use the restroom. The last Mac had seen of her, she’d been wiggling her ass as she passed one guy who had an exceptionally perfect face and body that marked him as a model or an actor. This was Hollywood after all.
Pretty Boy had been so taken with Krista, he’d turned completely around to watch her. Once she’d disappeared past the corner of the building, he’d followed like a dog on the hunt.
With any luck, they’d be rendezvousing in the ladies’ room for the rest of the evening, breathlessly telling each other how gorgeous they were.
“Good?” Mac asked Jodi.
Her mouth paused around the end of her chili, cheese and bacon-blanketed dog, her soft pink lips hugging the food.
The picture she created suddenly pushed Mac’s mind into high gear, stuffing it with X-rated versions of her doing the same with his rod. Snuggling her mouth around his crown, loving it good and slow, her tongue licking his skin, relishing its flavor.