“I thought you weren’t going to try to seduce me.”
“I think I’ve changed my mind.”
“And what does your ankle have to say about that?”
Walker moved toward her until he had her pinned against the counter with his body, his hands out to each side on the counter.
“This is pleasantly familiar,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. CiCi pulled him closer, trying not to upset his balance, considering his injured ankle. She felt his incipient erection against her leg and began to realize he was going to find a way that night to make love to her, his stupid ankle be damned.
He kissed her gently and slowly, cradling her face in his hands, his thumbs stroking her cheeks.
“Master Distiller of the Year,” she said admiringly after they broke the long kiss. “I’m so happy for you. So proud of you.”
“I’m really surprised,” Walker said. “I never thought I’d get such an honor, and especially after being with Old Garnet only a short period of time.”
“So much has changed for Bo and Hannah lately—and you, too,” CiCi mused and saddened. “It’s too bad Emma Davenport didn’t get to see this.”
“That’s the one bittersweet thing for Bo and Hannah,” Walker said. “Not having their parents here to see this happen.”
She had the perfect opening to ask about his dad, but at that moment the doorbell rang.
CiCi went to the door to retrieve the pizza while Walker cleared away newspapers and trash from the kitchen table where items had been unpacked. While CiCi put the pizza on the table, Walker poured the bourbon.
“Can I make it strong?” he asked. She turned to see he’d put ice in those two glasses he’d taken to their picnic by the creek, the ones with the KEEP CALM AND DRINK BOURBON logos. “It’s not like you have to drive home.”
“True, but I do have to walk, and that takes some degree of sobriety.”
“Don’t worry. You can always sleep it off here.”
“Maybe I’d better pour.”
“Stay put and I’ll pour you a reasonable amount. I’ll behave.”
“Yeah, I know how you behave sometimes, Mr. Cain.”
CiCi took the bottle of Old Garnet from Walker and poured herself a bit of bourbon over ice, the same as Walker was drinking, but then went to the fridge dispenser and added a splash of water. Bringing the glass to her nose, she closed her eyes, opened her mouth, and inhaled. With her eyes still closed, she took a sip and savored the sensations as the sweetness hit the front of her tongue and tingled all the way down her throat. Her chest warmed, and she smiled and opened her eyes.
“There’s my Kentucky Hug,” she cooed, referring to the bloom of warmth that spread throughout one’s chest like captured sunshine after drinking Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey.
Walker nodded, raised his glass to her, and sipped. CiCi licked her lips in appreciation and wondered whether Walker had any of that center cut around. If he was going to get her tipsy on whiskey for his own frisky purposes, she might as well demand the really good stuff.
“Hey, that banquet,” she said, distracted by a sudden brainstorm, “Hannah said it was July 1?” Walker confirmed the date. “That’s your birthday.”
“How’d you know that? Did I tell you?” he asked as he leaned against the counter and took a sip of his drink.
“No,” she said with a guilty smile. “I saw it on your juror information sheet. And as I recall, it’s kind of a big birthday.”
“Yeah, I’ll be forty.” He took another drink.
“I’ll have to throw a party for you.”
“The banquet and the honor will be more than enough celebration for me, thanks.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of a private party.” CiCi moved to him, put her drink down on the counter, and smiled. If he wanted to have some fun tonight, she was more than willing to cooperate, provided he could get his ankle to do the same. She was feeling warm and happy; the bourbon had tasted quite nice and on a nearly empty stomach it was working its effects on her mind and body rather quickly.
“I think I can arrange a venue,” he said. “How does the best room at the hotel sound?”
He put his hand on her hip and pulled her closer so that their thighs and groin areas were finally touching.
“I’m not sure I actually heard you invite me to that banquet, Walker.” She bit her lip, trying not to laugh. She knew where this banter was going to lead them. Right out of the kitchen and into the bedroom. So much for that hot pizza.
“The kiss didn’t get my message across?”
“It got a message across, but not sure it was an invitation to that banquet. Maybe I need some more persuading.”
Walker took CiCi’s face in his hands again, but this time his touch was more forceful. He searched her face, smiling, eager, and—she was surprised to feel—trembling.
“Then let me make myself perfectly clear, Catherine,” he said as he continued to cradle her head. “I want to take the woman I love to that banquet, and that woman happens to be you. I love you. So, my love, will you be my date on July 1?”
She felt dizzy and unsupported, as though she might fall to the floor. But CiCi’s eyes remained fixed on Walker’s face.
It was the thing she had longed to hear and had wanted to say to him. And now that time had come.
“I love you, Walker,” she said softly.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Walker’s mouth came down hard on hers, his kiss a message, a promise, that he loved her and there was no one else for him. CiCi accepted and surrendered, finally assured of what she’d been feeling—safe, loved, and at home. They pulled apart slowly, each looking at the other longingly before CiCi snuggled into the nook between his chin and chest. She was perfectly content and happy and couldn’t remember the last time—if at all—she had felt this wonderful. All thoughts of Jana or Walker’s father or anything else that could possibly nip, scratch, or tear at the fabric of the bond they had built were rendered harmless in that moment.
She took him by the hand and began to lead him from the kitchen and toward his bedroom. He managed to get a few steps away before he stopped and turned back, limping.
He grabbed their drinks.
“The pizza can get cold, but we’ll not let this go to waste.” He handed CiCi her glass before they headed to bed.
26
A week before the banquet, Hannah announced it was time for the shopping trip to Lexington. First stop: Booty-Teke, the lingerie shop Hannah had raved about and about which, given the chance, Kyle would presumably do the same—not that CiCi was ever gonna bring up the subject with him at a cocktail party.
“If we need something else after we find dresses, we can always come back,” Hannah said to CiCi and Lila as they entered the store.
Booty-Teke was a mash-up of a nineteenth-century bordello, a disco, and a set from Star Trek, with a dash of Southern trash thrown in. It was fantastically tacky and over-the-top ornate, with repurposed furniture and garishly painted surfaces. On the walls alongside Velvet Elvises were Derby posters, and in a locked shelf behind the counter were a myriad of bourbons and a large collection of shot glasses. The cabinet was well lighted inside, so the bourbon bottles sparkled prominently. There were at least three bottles of Old Garnet, one of which looked quite old.
“Did you happen to give that Garnet to the store?” CiCi asked. She pointed to the bottles as she and Hannah perused a rack of bras in a rainbow of colors.
Hannah turned and surveyed the impressive collection of bourbons. “Yes, but on the condition they display it in the middle of their cabinet. Good marketing for the brand. And they give me a nice discount here,” she said with a wink.
As much as Hannah probably bought at the store, CiCi thought any discount came in handy. Her friend had a large purple mesh shopping bag on her arm and was gleefully dropping dark red, pink, and teal bras into her bag as she plucked them from the racks.
“Might as well ge
t the set,” Hannah said. She bent to grab the matching lacy thongs from the rack underneath. “C’mon, CiCi, get something,” she pressed.
CiCi held out the black and red bras. “I could go for these.”
“So could someone else,” Hannah retorted, leaving CiCi with a deep flush as Hannah headed toward the back of the shop where, according to her, the super-racy items were kept. CiCi stayed put and found a red bra in her size along with a few matching thongs. That was about her limit as far as racy went.
She looked around for Lila, thinking that she’d be in the more staid area of the boutique, if such a place existed. Not spotting her, CiCi ambled deeper into the store and stopped in a doorway between two areas. The room she entered was painted in deep blue with a carpet to match, and the ceiling was awash in silver. Hanging above were several ornate ceiling fans and a disco ball which was slowly turning and casting reflections around the room.
And there was Lila, alone, holding something she’d just taken off a rack and appearing as though she was about to steal it because she looked so nervous.
When CiCi saw what Lila held, she understood the germ of her friend’s embarrassment and hesitation.
It was a close call if the thing Lila clutched actually existed in this dimension because it was so insanely flimsy. CiCi had to wonder whether it wasn’t made of angels’ wings and might dissolve at a touch or glance.
CiCi saw Lila check the price tag and smile to herself. “Is it in your budget?” CiCi asked.
“Oh!” Lila cried and actually jumped. “You scared me.”
CiCi looked down at the item. “So what is that? Something for your honeymoon?”
“Oh… um… well…,” Lila stammered as she clutched the wispy garment to her chest.
“Why so jumpy?”
“Haven’t bought stuff like this in a really long time,” Lila admitted. “Since, like, I got married the first time,” she babbled as though she had to justify her presence in the shop. “I mean, I have a push-up bra and a garter belt, but that’s about as wild as I’ve gotten in years in the lingerie department. So all this is a little brand new again, I guess.”
“I can relate.” CiCi tried and failed to remember the last time she’d bought lingerie for herself that didn’t involve a support bra or sensible cotton panties. Her thongs had been gag gifts from her deputy clerks for a birthday a few years earlier. She never thought she’d wear them, but had discovered they were comfortable in hot weather. And she’d also discovered their advantages now that she and Walker were together. “And that being the case, it’s high time we got some new stuff. Can I see that?” She pointed to the negligee or camisole—or whatever the hell the thing was.
Lila reluctantly surrendered her item, and upon examining the tag, CiCi learned she was holding something called an angel’s breath flyaway tulle & lace baby-doll. It was white or cream—it was impossible to tell in the odd glowing and sparkling lighting of the room. The garment was really nothing more than a satin and lace push-up bra with a cascade of shimmering tulle attached to the bottom of the bra. Upon further inspection, CiCi discovered an attached tiny scrap of impossibly delicate fabric which appeared to be a pair of lacy panties. Or it could’ve been a handkerchief completely made of lace and tulle. It was a toss-up.
“This is sweet,” CiCi said. She handed the negligee back to Lila, who was biting her lower lip in an apparent attempt not to smile. Lila took it and to CiCi’s amusement wordlessly put the thing into her shopping bag.
“And what do you have in there?” Lila leaned over to see what goodies CiCi had chosen.
“Nothing nearly as exciting.” She pointed to her small but sexy collection of bras and thongs in her bag. “I’ve got granny garb compared to your thingy there.”
Lila peered into the bag and grinned. “I’m sure Walker will appreciate all of those, CiCi. You’ll have to go home and model them for him.”
“And you can do the same for Bo with that,” she retorted.
Lila held up her bag. “He’s gonna have to wait for this one.”
“So that really is for your honeymoon?” CiCi asked excitedly.
Lila nodded, reached into the bag, and briefly examined the tag. “Something told me to get it.”
CiCi and Lila moved around the room slowly, looking at other items and generally acting like two teenagers who had snuck into the place and expected to be kicked out at any second. CiCi fell in love with a long ivory satin gown with a plunging neckline and spaghetti straps. It looked every bit like the kind of thing a starlet from the Forties would wear: elegant, shimmering, and lush. She checked the price, but it was way out of her range.
“Too bad,” said Lila.
“Yeah, I’d love to take that home,” CiCi lamented as she put the gown back on the rack.
Lila giggled. “No, I meant it was too bad for Walker.”
They went in search of Hannah, whom they suspected was even farther in the depths of the shop, and walked until they were outside several large dressing rooms. Upon encountering a snooty clerk who asked whether they needed assistance, CiCi felt like they were intruders on a secure military base from the chilly reception the clerk gave them.
“We’re looking for our friend, blond hair and—”
“Oh, Ms. Davenport,” the clerk said with reverential familiarity. “She’s in here.” She turned to a closed door and knocked before opening.
Hannah was inside sitting at a table with another woman opposite her. She turned and greeted her friends upon their appearance.
“Come on in and help me decide!” she said, waving them into the room. CiCi understood they were in some kind of private shopper area where Hannah was reviewing pieces a clerk had pulled for her. “Please hold up that blue one,” Hannah requested. The clerk complied by picking up a knee-length lacy negligee by its delicate straps. Rather tame considering the items CiCi and Lila had just been picking through.
“Nice, but what else you got?” asked CiCi.
The clerk put down the blue nightie and held up a red satin gown. The hue was so rich and the fabric so supple and shiny that it cast a red glow on the table in front of the clerk. It was the same gown that CiCi had desired, except a different color.
“That one,” CiCi and Lila said in unison, with Lila pointing at the garment.
“Really? But it’s so long.” Hannah looked again at the blue nightie.
“But that,” Lila said and pointed again to the red piece, “is so classy. And it’s red! It’s garnet! You gotta get it!”
CiCi sighed in agreement. “I’d love to have that in garnet! But, alas, not in the budget.”
“Your hair would look gorgeous against that red, Hannah,” said Lila.
Hannah considered her friends’ opinions, turned to the clerk and said she’d take the satin garnet gown. She then asked to see what CiCi and Lila had in their bags, and Hannah smiled appreciatively when her companions revealed their choices.
After leaving Booty-Teke, where both Lila and CiCi were allowed to use Hannah’s discount, the ladies hit the mall to go dress shopping. After taking so much time in the lingerie store, the dress shopping went comparatively quickly, and soon all three women had a dress for the Distiller’s Gala banquet. Hannah had chosen deep red, of course: a short-sleeved silk empire dress that hit just below the knee. Lila had picked a light pink linen sheath with a matching jacket.
CiCi had to be inveigled by Hannah and Lila into her dress purchase. She had originally chosen a nice and sexy-enough little black dress, but her cohorts nixed it as insufficiently hot. CiCi relented and tried on more pieces.
“Are you sure about this?” CiCi had asked as she modeled another dress for her companions. “It seems a little too sexy for the occasion.”
“No, it’s not,” Hannah declared. “I’ve been to this event before and that is perfect. It’s black and you’ve got a garnet-colored faux sash, plus you show your rack a bit with that scoop neck. Walker will love it, and everyone will notice you—in the good kind o
f way.”
After spending so much on lingerie and dresses, the trio eschewed new shoes. They loved to shop, but they weren’t profligate idiots, either.
For lunch, they escaped the mall and headed to a restaurant out in the country in a large old house. The mammoth two-story former residence must have once watched over what had to have been quite a large farm; now it was nearly surrounded by sprawling Lexington subdivisions. The women were seated on a patio on the side of the building, which was beneath a pergola strung with fairy lights. It was busy, and the group had snagged the last available table.
Hannah excused herself to go to the restroom, leaving Lila and CiCi alone at the table to sip their iced teas and peruse the catalog-length menu.
“I have a confession to make,” Lila said, holding her iced tea in front of her on the table. “I’m ridiculously excited about the Gala. What’s up with me?”
“You’re a part of Old Garnet now, Lila. That’s why this is making you so happy. You’re happy for Bo, for Hannah, for Walker. They’re family now.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Lila acknowledged. “And speaking of happy—how’s Walker? He seems pretty damn happy every time I see him around the distillery.”
“He’s pretty damn wonderful,” CiCi gushed, surprising herself with her girly giddiness.
“Been a long time since that Christmas distillery tour, hasn’t it?”
CiCi nodded. “It’s funny; I barely remember Walker from that trip, although I certainly remember our conversation afterward.”
“I still can’t believe you were that thick not to see it,” Lila said. “And for that matter, I can’t believe how long it finally took for you two to get together. I’m so happy for you, CiCi,” Lila said, taking CiCi’s hand. “It’s such a wonderful shock, isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“Feeling like you’ve got family again, feeling like you belong,” Lila said. “Feeling loved,” she added in a whisper that bespoke her grateful amazement at her circumstances.
“Yes,” CiCi said, and tears were brimming in both women’s eyes.
Bourbon Springs Box Set: Volume II, Books 4-6 (Bourbon Springs Box Sets Book 2) Page 24