Once Upon A Mattress
Vicki Lewis Thompson
Chapter One
HE SURE LOOKED GOOD on a mattress.
Amelia Townsend leaned in the doorway of the storeroom and gazed at her delivery driver sprawled on his stomach, fast asleep. She smiled. Smart man—he’d chosen the deluxe pil-lowtop for his little nap. Probably stayed up all night studying for an exam and decided shut-eye was more important than lunch.
She’d have to wake him—staff discipline would go to hell if she started allowing workers to sleep on the merchandise. But for a few precious seconds she could admire him without anyone catching her at it. He moved slightly, causing his snug university of California T-shirt to ride up and expose a strip of tanned skin above the waistband of his jeans. The idea of Will Murdoch shirtless under the California sun—now there was a tune she could dance to.
Will played a lot of tunes she could dance to, if she dared. Ever since she’d opened the store five years ago she hired college kids to make deliveries—strong young guys who loved telling their friends they worked for a place called Bedroom Fantasies. But Will was no kid. When he’d appeared last fall in response to the notice she’d put on the campus bulletin board, she’d stammered like an idiot when confronted by his rugged beauty, and hired him on the spot.
Now, six months later, she understood the problem she’d created for herself. His presence made her salivate. If she happened to be around when he muscled a mattress onto the truck, she nearly swooned. But she was the boss, and with sexual harassment suits thick on the ground these days, she couldn’t risk asking an employee for a date.
He would have to ask her. Yeah, that would happen. He was on the shy side, which was one of the things she liked about him. Amelia was also shy, although her business contacts would never guess it. When it came to promoting the interests of Bedroom Fantasies, she’d been compared to a female Bill Gates, but her personal life was a different story. Actually it was a blank book.
With a sigh, she pushed away from the door-jamb. Time to wake up Sleeping Handsome and send him up to La Jolla. The Donaldsons expected to spend tonight enjoying Medieval Magic, complete with red velvet swooping from an iron bed frame and a suit of armor standing in the corner of the bedroom. Amelia loved watching her business flourish, but sometimes in the midst of creating exotic boudoirs for her customers, she longed for a make-believe world of her own. And a man who would make her dreams come true.
———
WILL WAS ENGROSSED in a great dream featuring an unidentifiable woman and the Jungle Fever bedroom suite. He’d never made love on leopard skin before, and although this was a fake version, he anticipated a satisfyingly primitive experience with this lady, whose face was mysteriously unclear.
Just as he was ready to shuck his clothes and draw aside the mosquito netting to slide onto the leopard skin with the willing woman, the dream began to dissolve. He moaned in frustration. 1f he wasn’t getting any in real life, he ought to be allowed a little fun in his dreams. He shrugged away the hand shaking him awake and tried to bring his fantasy lover back into focus.
“Will,” murmured a soft female voice as someone gripped his shoulder again. “Will.”
A female voice. He hadn’t been awakened by a female voice in many moons. He could smell her perfume, too—a spicy, erotic scent that mingled nicely with his jungle fantasy. Grog-gily he turned his head to gaze at a pair of nylon-covered knees. The woman crouched beside him was wearing one of those slim little skirts that slipped right up to midthigh in no time. The view from his angle was outstanding. Maybe he was still dreaming. If so, he was willing to forgive the loss of the leopard skin.
“Will, you have to get up. The Donaldson delivery needs to be made within the next hour.”
He was at work. His military training kicked in, and he was on his feet before his brain was fully engaged. When the gears in his head meshed, he ran a hand over his eyes and groaned. Amelia would be within her rights to fire him, and he didn’t have time to look for another job with midterms coming up. He glanced down at her. “Hey, I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t mean to—”
“Don’t worry about it.” She stood up and smoothed her peacock-blue suit. “It’s not a huge problem. But I’ll have to ask you not to sleep on the mattresses. It sets a bad precedent.”
“Right.” He looked at a point over her shoulder and tried not to think about the fact he’d just been staring up his boss’s skirt and enjoying every minute of it. The warmth of arousal hadn’t completely left, either. “I understand,” he said. “And it won’t happen again. I only meant to rest my eyes, but I must have conked out.”
“Tough exam this morning?” She wasn’t going to fire him, he realized. The tension eased from his shoulders as her compassionate tone drew his gaze to hers. The material of her suit made her eyes look turquoise. He’d never noticed what a beautiful color they were, especially now when they were soft with understanding. He basked in that tender look, hungrier for a woman’s sympathy than he’d realized. “Yeah,” he said. “My seven o’clock anatomy class. I pulled an all-nighter to study.” She nodded. “That’s right. You’re premed. Have you decided what field you’re going into?”
He thought it was damned nice of her to make small talk to get them over the awkwardness he’d created by sleeping on the job. But he wasn’t surprised. She was a good boss. “Yeah, I have. Pediatrics.”
“Really? Little kids?”
“Yeah.” He smiled. “I happen to like kids. I remember this terrific doctor I used to have. He took most of the scariness out of being sick. While I was stationed up in Alaska I had lots of time to think about my future, and I decided that would be a decent way to make a living, helping kids get well without scaring them to death.”
“It’s a very decent way.” She glanced around the storeroom crowded with exotic furniture. “In contrast, you must think this is pretty frivolous.”
“Are you kidding? I think it’s a dynamite idea! People spend a third of their lives in bed. Thanks to you, they can fix things up so they’re excited about it. They’ll get a better night’s sleep, and they’ll probably enjoy sex more....” He swallowed. “I mean—”
“Don’t apologize. That’s part of what we sell, after all.” Her cheeks flushed a becoming shade of pink. “I named the store Bedroom Fantasies on purpose. As we all know, sex is a terrific marketing hook.”
“Yep.” For the first time since he’d started working for her he wondered how she’ d come up with this idea. Someone would have to have an erotic streak to think of it, wouldn’t they?
Yet she never acted as if she had those kinds of thoughts. She never told off-color jokes in staff meetings or made suggestive references. He knew nothing about her personal life, not even whether or not she had a boyfriend. Not that it mattered. She ran a highly successful company that was about to be franchised, while he was a very broke premed student. And she was also his boss. He needed to stop staring into her eyes and imagining scenes that would never take place.
She broke the contact first and cleared her throat. When she glanced back at him the softness had left her expression. “I’ll go round up Gabe from the lunchroom so you two can get on the road. It’ll probably take you the rest of the afternoon to set up the Medieval Magic grouping for the Donaldsons.”
He mimicked her businesslike attitude. “Right. I’ll check the order form and make sure we haven’t forgotten anything.”
“Thanks.” She turned to leave.
“I’m the one who should thank you. For not firing me.”
She turned back, astonishment making her look very young. “Fire you? It never occurred to me.”
“Well, it occurred to me, and I’m glad you didn
’t.”
“It would take a lot more than an unauthorized siesta to make me fire you, Will. Now get busy.”
“Yes, ma’am.” But as she walked briskly out of the storeroom he delayed checking the order and watched her go. Nice. Very nice. He could think of a couple of things he could do that would definitely get him fired, but they might almost be worth it. He wondered how he’d missed seeing what a great body lurked under those sensible suits of hers.
Of course she had a steady guy. With looks like hers and the creative talent to mastermind this business, she must have men lined up around the block. He located the Donaldson order and started checking off items, but his mind was only partly on the job. He kept returning to his original thought—that in order to conceive of a store dedicated to exotic and sexy bedrooms, a woman would have to have some personal leanings in that direction.
In spite of himself he started imagining Amelia Townsend lying on one of her fantasy beds, maybe the one in the showroom window decked out in white lace and red ribbons for Valentine’s Day. In his vivid mental picture she was definitely not wearing a business suit.
“Hey, baby doc!” Gabe sauntered into the storeroom. “Ready to outfit the castle for Lancelot and Guinevere?”
“You bet.” Will gestured with the clipboard. “You’re in charge of our tin-skinned buddy there.”
Gabe grunted and walked over to the rigid suit of armor. “Talk about heavy metal. It’s like one big chastity belt. By the time you shucked this outfit, the chick would be asleep from boredom.”
Will looked up from the clipboard and grinned. “Is that all you think about?” Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
“How can a guy help it in this job?” Gabe lifted the armor and started out to the loading dock where the delivery truck stood open and ready. “We spend all our time handling beds.”
Will picked up a carton labeled Velvet Draperies, Red. “Beds are for sleeping, too, you know.”
“Yeah, and someday in the far, far distant future, that’ll be the first thing I think of when I see a big, cushy mattress. But right now, when I’m in the prime of my studly manhood, when I’m known as the babe magnet of El Cajon, I think of something quite different, my friend.” He secured the suit of armor with a strap. “I’ll bet you a beer after work that you do, too.”
“You lose. Sleep’s number one on my list.” And most of the time that was the truth, Will thought as he stowed the drapery box.
“Poor boy. I think you froze your brains up there in Alaska. Or some other part of you.” Gabe winked and picked up one end of a carved wooden chest. “Use it or lose it, man.”
Will lifted the other end and they headed out toward the truck. “I don’t have time.” Yet he wondered if he should make time, considering the dream he’d had today, and his recent inappropriate thoughts about his boss.
“Nobody’s that busy,” Gabe said. “How long’s it been, anyway?”
“You don’t even want to know.”
“Sorry to hear it.” Gabe didn’t say anything else until they’d loaded the chest and were walking back into the storeroom. “Have you checked out Leanne recently?” he asked casually, glancing at Will. “I heard she broke up with her boyfriend. Needs a shoulder to cry on.”
A familiar anxiety tightened Will’s stomach. He could pretend that he was too busy to date, but that was only part of it. He’d never been very comfortable with the game, and after being stationed in a remote part of Alaska for two years, he was downright rusty. “How about your shoulder, Mr. Babe Magnet?”
Gabe shook his head and looked smug. “I’m pretty much booked up.” He clapped Will on the back. “Thought I’d pass this one on to you.”
“What a guy.” As they carried an iron bed frame out to the truck, Will thought about Leanne, the store’s top saleswoman, a high-energy blonde who always had a joke to tell, a smile to flash. He’d lay odds she’d been a cheerleader in high school. She was probably exactly what he needed, but the thought of asking her out intimidated the hell out of him.
“You can’t drag your heels on this,” Gabe warned. “Troy’s already sizing her up. He’s got a girlfriend, but I don’t think they’re getting along all that good, so he may be available any day now. In fact, knowing the Troyman, he might start testing the water now, so he’ll have a place to jump if he breaks up with his girl.” Will laughed. “You’re really up on everybody’s social life, aren’t you?”
“This is what I’m talking about. All these beds. Romance is in the air around this place. I just pick up on what’s happening.”
“Not me.”
Gabe strapped his end of the bed frame into place. “I noticed. That’s why I’m giving you a tip. I could tell you wouldn’t figure this out on your own.”
“That’s for sure.” Will concentrated on adjusting the other strap and tried to sound neutral. “So tell me, if you keep tabs on everybody, what’s up with the boss lady? Is she involved with anyone?” When Gabe didn’t answer, Will glanced up at him.
Gabe was shaking his head as if Will had lost his mind.
“Hey, she’s a good-looking woman, too, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Well, sure, if you go for the anal-retentive, career-driven type.”
“Are you sure that’s all there is to her? I mean, she thought all this up, with the fantasy bedrooms and everything, so I figure that under all that efficiency she might be pretty....”
“Hot?” Gabe shook his head. “Not necessarily. This could be just a great business idea, like assembly-line hamburgers were for Mr. McDonald. Maybe he really liked six-course gourmet dinners, but he knew a great concept when he came across one.”
“Maybe. But she wears this perfume that’s—”
“Whoa, buddy! You’re going around sniffing her perfume? Get a grip, man. She’s gonna be rich any day now, whereas you...” He grinned. “Let’s just say I’ve seen what you drive.”
“Okay, okay. I get the picture.”
“Leanne’s more your speed, baby doc. If you want to get back in the action, take my advice and start with her. She’s sweet and uncomplicated. And besides....” He winked and picked up his side of a king-sized mattress. “She told me she thinks you’re cute.”
Chapter Two
HER HEART STILL POUNDING from the close encounter with Will, Amelia sought the refuge of her office. She closed the door, something she never did, and sank into the swivel chair behind her desk. God, she was trembling like a teenager who’d just touched the hem of Leonardo DiCaprio’s sleeve.
Her office wasn’t much of a refuge, considering her state of mind. On the wall next to the door hung a framed publicity photo of her Hayloft Hanky-Panky collection. Oh, to tumble with Will into that nest of calico pillows. Swinging her chair around, she faced another publicity shot, this one of Harem Heat—a scarf-and jewel-draped bed to delight a sheik and his concubine. Amelia thought of Will’s dark eyes and gripped the arms of her chair.
On some level she’d known that the bedroom designs said something about her erotic nature, but she’d downplayed that aspect, working instead to project the image of a hardheaded businesswoman so that she and her project would be taken seriously. It had worked like a charm. Franchising was only a few steps away.
Through it all, the sexual pull of her designs had never seduced her before, despite knowing that she was playing with fire each time she dreamed up an exotic new bedroom setting. Now she needed nothing more exotic than a mattress thrown on the storeroom floor. If Will had taken her into his arms and pulled her down on that pillowtop....
She closed her eyes, leaned her head back and drew in several long, steadying breaths. He was just a guy, for heaven’s sake. Ah, but she hadn’t left much time in her life for guys while she poured all her energy into Bedroom Fantasies. Maybe she’d known this could happen— that given the right chemistry she could be enslaved by a consuming passion. Besides, she hadn’t had much in the way of temptation until now.
A neighbor in her
condo complex had tried several times to take her out for coffee before he’d given up, and the leasing agent for the store had suggested a dinner that wasn’t “strictly business.” She’d diplomatically refused, not wanting to take any chances on jeopardizing the deal she had for the property, which was ideally located for the urban professionals who were her customer base. And her neighbor simply hadn’t been her type.
Had those been her only offers recently? The only straightforward ones, probably. Once in a while she’d been aware of a bedding company rep or a fellow chamber of commerce member poised on the brink of asking for a date. She’d always turned the conversation in a different direction, and they’d taken the hint. The men had seemed unremarkable, and she hadn’t wanted to be sidetracked from her goal for some pointless dating exercise that could go nowhere.
But with Will, nothing seemed pointless. She wanted him so fiercely that her body throbbed with a sensation bordering on pain.
She’d been perilously close to telling him exactly that. His eyes, warm and dark as espresso, affected her as if she’d been drinking gallons of the stuff. How humiliating it would be to spill her guts and have him stumble through some explanation about a girlfriend, or worse, gently indicate he had no interest in her beyond their working relationship.
For a moment she’d imagined an answering spark in him. But she was burning so vigorously she could easily have mistaken reflected heat for interest on his part. No, she’d better cool it or risk the destruction of all she’d tried to build. What if she allowed her feelings to show and he told the other employees that the boss had come on to him?
Suddenly the designs she created, the groupings they were expected to sell and deliver, would take on a whole new meaning. They’d be viewed as the evidence of a thirtyish woman’s sexual frustration, not the brilliant ideas of a savvy MBA. She had to control this desire for Will.
Yet she wondered if she’d ever forget the warmth of his muscled forearm under her hand, the appeal of his hair tousled by sleep, the lure of his mouth curved in a sensuous smile. Intuition told her he’d been dreaming of a woman.
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