Bet on a Mistletoe (5 page)

     
She
could almost feel the heat of his body along her backside, the urge to take a
step back to make contact with him overwhelmed her.

     
Turning,
she eyed the striking features of his face, the precious blue of his gaze drawing
her in.

     
“Aren’t
you boys a little too old to be placing bets?”

     
One
broad shoulder lifted and lowered. “Probably, but you know how it is with
Doogey. He’d bet on the time it took for a fingernail to grow if he could. Then
he has a way of getting everyone else all involved.”

     
Some
things in her small town would just never change. “What’s the bet?”

     
The
lopsided smile gracing his lips made the single dimple on his left cheek
deepen. “Let me just preface this by saying it was Doogey’s idea.”

     
Nodding,
her understanding that it would be something crazy because of the owner of the
bet she sipped her eggnog and waited. Doogey started his name in high school
and soon progressed to being known in town for his pranks and bets. Amazingly,
he’d turned out to be one of the town’s deputies, which wasn’t saying much.

     
Richard
peered over his shoulder at his co-conspirators across the room. The four men,
a term she thought of loosely, huddled around the same back table she and
Richard had occupied yesterday.

     
They
laughed and jabbed each other in expectation.

     
When
Richard faced her again, his blue eyes assessed her. Starting from the top of
her head and slowly lowering.

     
His
slow gaze was like a caress. Her body began to heat up underneath the short red
and white striped sweater dress she wore. It was the only thing in her closet
that was Christmassy, at least in color. Now under Richard’s perusal it felt as
if she were dressed indecently.

     
“I do
believe you’re the hottest thing here tonight, Lorna. Like a chocolate dipped
candy cane.” His eyes met hers and her heart leaped. In high school girls had
whispered at sleepovers about Richard ‘Dick’ Patterson saying such things to
them.

     
Her
mouth went dry. Licking her lips, she tried to stay focused. “The bet, Richard,”
she wasn’t going to allow herself for a moment to be flattered by his words. It
was hard enough not fantasizing about him just by seeing him, she didn’t want
to give herself false hopes.

     
“The
guys don’t believe that you’ll let me kiss you under one of the mistletoe
hanging around the room.”

     
Did
he say kiss?
 
Swallowing to remoisten
her mouth which instantly went dry, she asked, “I’m sorry what did you say?”

     
Crossing
his arms over what she could assume was a well muscled
chest,
he gave her a direct look as a smile played at the corners of his mouth. “They
said you wouldn’t let me kiss you under the mistletoe.”

     
“That
sounds like a silly bet. Matter of fact a little lame for Doogey. It’s
Christmas, people give out meaningless kisses all the time.” She attempted to
make light of the situation. Even though there was nothing light about the
pounding of her heart. Her mind was racing with the thought of what it would
feel like to have Richard’s lips on hers, again. This time he would know it was
her he kissed, instead of an easy no name woman in a darkened forest. She’d
never forgotten that experience in her sophomore year. It had been a mistake,
an earth shattering mistake. She knew if he’d known it was her he would’ve been
disgusted. Guys weren’t banging down her door to go out with her, then. So,
she’d made it a point to stay away from him.

     
“Possibly,”
his single word broke into her thoughts.

     
She
frowned at him. If this was the bet, it had to be part of a joke. “So what’s
the price?” Lifting the glass, she took another drink hoping the brandy laced
eggnog would calm her nerves.

     
Leaning
forward, Richard whispered, “Five hundred dollars.”

     
The
alcohol went down the wrong pipe, causing her to begin coughing violently.

     
Richard
moved quickly taking the glass from her, fiercely patting her on the back.

     
Seeing
all of the twenty people remaining at the Christmas gathering staring at her,
she held up her hand to halt the firm strikes letting him know she was okay.

     
Doogey
and his chums were laughing even harder. She knew they couldn’t hear them so
she wondered what they thought was so funny.

     
Clearing
her throat a few times before she spoke, her voice raspy, “Did you say five
hundred?”

     
His nod
confirmed.

     
“That’s
a lot of money for my lips.” She cleared her windpipe one more time. “If I’d
known they were worth so much, I’d put them on the Internet. I’d make a killing
on eBay. Lord, knows I need the cash,” she mumbled. She wanted to get her
parents something for Christmas and with her depleting funds it wasn’t a
possibility.

     
He
laughed.

     
She
enjoyed hearing the strong rumbling. “If your game I’m willing to make
two-fifty.” Glancing around the room for one of the various mistletoes dangling
from the ceiling to get the “deed” done, she didn’t see Richard step to her.

     
“I
don’t think you fully understand the extent of the bet rules.” He slipped one
large hand around her waist.

     
Fireflies
danced up and down her spine causing waves of flames to rocket her body.
“Believe it or not, Richard, I understand the workings of a kiss. I pucker, you
pucker, and
voilà
.”

     
Moving
closer, the heat of his body enclosed her own as he spoke into her ear as he
moved her body to the overhead music. His lips brushed the shell. “The wager is
on the lips below your navel.”

     
“Below
my nav--” The fog of confusion lifted and took her ability to speak with it.
Everything became clear.
Here was the catch
. She should have known there
was more to it with Doogey involved.

     
Staring
passed Richard’s
shoulder,
she could see the four men
now to the point of holding their side. Doogey was practically lying across the
table as he stared their way. Once again she was the town joke. The urge to
throw eggnog in the culprit’s face made her grit her teeth. In school the guys
had picked with her and called her
boogie.
 
Spreading rumors that she thought she was too
good to date any of them.

     
But
that wasn’t the
truth,
it was just that the only guy
she’d wanted to ask her out never did.

     
Shifting
her gaze she stared at Richard. The one she wanted was now before her asking to
kiss her sex for five hundred dollars.

     
“What
do Doogey and the boys want me to do? Walk under the mistletoe in the middle of
the room and raise the hem of my dress while you drop to your knees before me
in front of everyone?” Her town was small. Only seven hundred people and gossip
traveled fast. Her baring all of her glory to the people in the room was
definitely gossip fodder.

     
“They
didn’t say, but I have a plan how we could do it and no one would be the
wiser.”

     
Was he
serious?
 
Maybe he took her for some
behind the bleachers floozy. Deanna Carmichael was still in the room and she
would have done it and more without blinking. The girl was on her fourth
husband as of two weeks ago and fifth child three months ago. No one knew who
the father of the fifth child was, but Lorna had already heard the town
suspected the principal at the high school. Someone had seen Deanna and Mr.
Ford arguing behind the Piggly Wiggly. His wife had died a year ago.

     
With
all the older people gone home for the night, Deanna wouldn’t have hesitated.

     
“As
flattering and insulting as this offer is…I’m not the girl for the job. Go ask
Deanna.”

     
Tilting
her head up, Lorna started to walk away.

     
Curling
his arm all the way around her waist again, Richard halted her steps and pulled
her body flushed against his. Sweeping her around the dance floor as
Rockin
Around
the Christmas Tree
played, he met her gaze.

     
“Lorna,
I wouldn’t allow anyone to insult you.”

     
Was
there something in his voice, more behind his words? No, she was fooling
herself.
Wanting there to be more.

     
“The
bet is already insulting on its own.”

     
“Hear
me out, Lorna.” His hand squeezed hers.
“Two hundred and
fifty dollars.
You can’t afford to walk away from that.”

     
“That
was a low blow,
Dick
.”

     
He
growled at the name. “Listen. You see that mistletoe hanging over the bar?” he
twirled her.

     
Glancing
around, she saw the bushel.

     
Pulling
her back to him, he went on, “We go back there and I’ll pretend to be picking
up something or fixing the tap, who knows I’ll figure it ou--”

     
“While
I
what? Sit on the bar with my legs spread.” She wanted him
to hear every bit of sarcasm in her voice.

     
The
lift of his eyebrow told her he did and his fingers pressing her back seemed to
be saying something else. What she didn’t know.

     
“No,
you just stand behind the bar. When I kneel down, everybody else will think I’m
doing something respectable. But, we need to convince Doogey, Skip, Paul, and
Rocky that I’m doing my part to win the bet.”

     
Her
feet followed the steps he made around the floor. “What’s going to make them
think any different? They won’t be able to see what you’re doing.”

     
“But,
your Oscar winning performance will be the selling point.”

     
She
returned the single eyebrow lift.

     
“You were
in drama for a year in high school. All I need is for you to put a pleasured,
shocked look on your face.”

     
The
other eyebrow joined the first one she had raised.

     
“You
know. Part those full lips of yours, open those hazel eyes wide then look down
at your feet as if my head is between your legs.” The low sexy timber of his
voice was doing a number on her.

     
Lorna
could feel the slight tremor in her legs and the wetness saturating her
panties. She wanted to take a deep breath, but her chest felt constricted.
Richard’s words were turning her inside out. She couldn’t deny that part of her
desired the real act, not the fake one they were attempting to pull off.

     
The
thought of Richard truly placing his lips against the folds of her sex made her
clit throb. She was aching between her thighs as if something was really going
to happen between them tonight. It wasn’t, so her body needed to calm the hell
down and deal with it.

     
“What
do you say, Lorna? Do this and we both walk out of here with fatter pockets.”

     
Glancing
one more time at the men and seeing them shaking their heads with so much
confidence that she wouldn’t do it irked her. “When do you want to start?”

     
Richard’s
broad smile made her heart flutter. He looked so pleased at her agreement she
couldn’t help but return the expression. It was them against four cocky
bastards who needed to grow up and be taken down a peg or two.

     
“Lorna,
would you like something to drink?” He spoke loud as if to make sure she heard
him over the music.
Jingle Bell
Rock
 
was
now playing.

     
The
play was beginning and the actors were taking the stage.

     
“Yes,
how about,” she stared at the bar and thought quickly, “a pina colada?” She
spoke a little louder. “I’m a little tired of eggnog.”

     
Winking
at her, he stopped the dance. Taking her hand, he escorted her behind the bar.

     
He
pulled her right under the mistletoe before letting her hand go.