Candy Store (10 page)

Callie had been dumped before, but this time, she realized, everything was different. He had said he loved her. No one had ever said that before.

And by god, she was going to fight for him. Even if it killed them both.

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Callie walked the three blocks to Tobey’s loft in a driving rain. She didn’t care that she was getting soaked to the bone. She didn’t care that her teeth were shattering. Love like this only came once in a lifetime, and no matter what Callie had to do, she wasn’t going to let it go.

Her hand a tight, frozen fist, Callie banged on Tobey’s steel door with all of her might. When he didn’t answer immediately, she banged again, using the pain of the crashing of her bone and flesh against metal as a reminder of all that she was fighting for. Of what she was fighting against.

The rain poured down on Tobey’s front stoop in sheets and still Tobey didn’t answer the door. Intent on waiting for him for as long as it took, Callie slid down to the floor, shivering in her thin sheath dress and heels. She wrapped her arms tightly around her and rocked back and forth, finally letting the tears that she had been holding back merge with the streaks of rain across her face.

* * * * *

Tobey pushed his Ferrari as hard as it would go on the farm roads outside of Saratoga. On a night like this, where the hail was as big as his fist, everyone else had the sense to keep off the roads. Which suited Tobey just fine as he watched his speedometer inch past eighty, then ninety, then one hundred. He drove like a madman, heedless of his own safety, until finally he skidded to a stop, narrowly missing both a large deer and a deep ditch.

His heart was pounding in his chest. “No,” he cried in the car, the sound harsh and wild, like an animal that has lost its mate. Laughing bitterly at what a fool he had been, not once but twice, he gripped the wheel tightly and skidded back onto the road, 71

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heading for home. He was going to drown his sorrow in anything other than tequila—

Tobey was never going to drink tequila again, all it did was remind him of Callie’s taste, of Callie’s treachery—and then he was going to take care of something he had been putting off for too long.

He was going to shut down Sweet Returns.

What did he need with true love and a job he loved anyway, he asked himself.

All they’d ever done was cause him trouble.

Tobey came to a screeching halt in front of his loft and flew out of his car, unable to believe what he was seeing. Callie was curled up like a sick child on his front steps, her eyes clenched tightly shut to keep out the rain, her bare skin full of red welts from the hail.

His anger forgotten in his fear, Tobey ran to her and picked her up in his arms.

Murmuring sounds of comfort into her hair, trying desperately to warm her with his heat, he fumbled with the lock in the door. Finally managing to get it open he hurried inside and kicked the door shut.

“I’m so cold, Tobey. So cold,” Callie said through the loud clacking of her teeth.

Goosebumps covered her skin and Tobey hugged her tighter to him.

“I’m going to run a hot bath for you, sweetheart,” he said, flinching as the endearment slipped from his lips. Nonetheless he felt compelled to comfort her. “Once I take these wet clothes off of you, I promise you’ll feel better.”

Callie didn’t say anything, she just shivered and looked up into his eyes as if she was trying to tell him something important. But Tobey couldn’t let himself think about anything other than getting Callie warm. Otherwise he would have to face anger and pain and hurt so strong he thought he might never laugh or smile again.

Sitting on the wide rim of his large whirlpool tub, still cradling Callie in his lap, he leaned over and turned the knobs until steaming water was pouring into the tub.

Quickly he stripped her dress off and as he undid the clasp of her bra and slid it from her shoulders, he tried not to notice that her breasts were tight and her nipples were 72

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hard buds from the cold. He stripped her panties from her legs and forced himself to ignore the pull her mons had on him, to ignore how much he wanted to bury his face between her lips and taste her one more time to memorize her before he let her go forever.

Gently, Tobey lowered Callie into the tub. His hand brushed the soft mound of her breasts and he heard her gasp. Knowing it was wrong, hating himself for being so out of control, Tobey leaned into her and took one of her nipples in his mouth, suckling hard, wanting to punish and pleasure her in equal parts. Callie arched up into his mouth, and threaded her fingers behind his head.

With a groan that hid none of his anger at himself or at her, he pulled away from her and ripped off his own wet clothes. Callie reached her arms up to him and within seconds he was naked and between her legs and pumping into her.

“I love you, Tobey,” she cried as her wet, slick canal throbbed around his cock.

Tobey tried to block out her words. He tried to concentrate on the wet warmth that encased his penis, her huge, perfect breasts rubbing against his chest, her round ass in his hands as he pounded in and out of her. But even as he tried to use her for his pleasure, he couldn’t escape the truth.

Cupping her cheeks with his hands, Tobey stilled. “I love you,” he whispered. “I love you,” he said again and then thrust into her hard. In the space of one heartbeat, they both came apart. After the madness had subsided, the water sloshed around them in the tub and Tobey pulled away from Callie.

“Don’t leave me again,” she said. “We need to talk.”

Tobey stood up and water poured off of him into the tub. “Fine,” he said, trying to rouse his anger at Callie again. “Talk.” He grabbed a towel and roughly dried himself off.

Callie stood up too and grabbed a towel. “Why did you leave the restaurant like that?”

Tobey answered her question with a question. “Why did you lie to me?”

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Callie sat heavily on the rim off the tub. “I’ve never lied to you.”

“Bullshit,” Tobey said, his eyes flashing dangerously. “I saw the way you were fawning all over my brother.” His voice grew high pitched as he imitated her. “Your job sounds really exciting and important.” Tobey snarled then resumed his parody. “Wow, I didn’t know accountants made so much money.”

Callie gasped in outrage. “How dare you make me sound like, like…like such a money-grubbing bitch.”

Tobey grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to stand face to face with him.

“Isn’t that what you are? Haven’t you just been playing at being the nice little candy maker, pretending you wanted me to live my dreams, when all along you just wanted money. And power. Just like Gina.”

Callie’s fighting stance fell away. “Gina? Who’s Gina?”

Tobey let go of her shoulders, trying not to wince at the red marks his fingers had left on her smooth skin. “My ex.”

Callie’s voice was soft. “You’ve never mentioned any ex before.”

His voice low, Tobey said, “She left me at the altar. On the day of our wedding.”

Callie took a step closer to Tobey and put her hand on his arm asking, “Why?”

Tobey pushed her comfort away and stepped out of the tub with a harsh laugh.

“You should understand her motives perfectly. After all, who would want to be married to the Candy King?”

Callie licked her lips and swallowed once before saying, softly, “I would, Tobey.”

Tobey turned back to her, anguish etched in the lines of his face. “No, Callie, you don’t. You want me to be just like Jed, just like she did. Just like everyone does.”

Carefully stepping out of the tub, Callie came toe to toe with Tobey. “Your brother is jealous of you, Tobey. I was stroking his ego in the hopes that he would shut up so that I could get to know your parents better. I thought you knew me better than that,”

she said, her voice shaky. “I thought you knew how much I love you for being you.”

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The tears were rolling down her cheeks and she wiped at them angrily. Everything in her was telling her to run away, to leave Tobey, to give up on them. But Callie knew it was the coward’s way out. She had vowed to fight for their love and now she was being put to the ultimate test.

Tobey didn’t say anything, he just clenched his eyes shut, so Callie forced herself to keep talking, hoping that she could keep him from leaving again, hoping that something she said would break down the walls of hurt he had built up so long ago.

“I’m not the only one who’s proud of you, Tobey. Your parents are incredibly proud of you. Alice loves you like a son and it’s been killing her to watch you try and shut down something so beautiful that you created from love.”

Tobey’s eyes opened with surprise. “How do you know these things?”

Callie reached out a hand to his chin and was so glad when he didn’t push her away. “They all love you, Tobey. Just like I do. Even a blind man could see it.”

Suddenly, Tobey wrapped his arms around Callie, dragging her breasts against his chest. “What about a stupid man?” he said, his voice husky yet hopeful.

Tears fell down her cheeks. “Even a stupid man,” she said as their mouths found each other. “Especially if he’s the most amazing, intelligent, loving man I’ve ever met.

Now take me to that bed you always talk so much about and love me.”

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February 14th. Valentine’s Day.

Callie opened up her shop and tried not to feel sorry for herself. After all, now that everything was out in the open between her and Tobey, she had everything she’d ever dreamed of and more.

She had true love.

She had a man she could talk to about anything, a partner that she could depend on and who could depend on her.

The only thing she didn’t have was a date for Valentine’s Day.

Again.

Now that Tobey was committed to keeping Sweet Returns up and thriving as a candy consulting business, he had been setting meetings with all of the potential clients that he had put off for the past several months. It just so happened that he had to fly out for an overnight trip to Chicago on Valentine’s Day.

He had been incredibly apologetic and of course Callie had been understanding even though she wanted to beg him to rearrange his schedule. It was all for the best, she told herself. Valentine’s was one of her busiest days of the year and each year, by the time she flipped her sign from open to closed, she could barely do more than drag herself off to bed.

Settling into another “Holiday of Love” at her store, Callie did brisk sales all day.

With a smile on her face, she sold out of the expensive gift baskets that Tobey had helped her put together and in any spare time she had she filled last-minute orders for chocolate and candy that came in over the Internet.

By 5 p.m. it was completely dark outside and Callie was exhausted. The big rush was through—most people were at home sharing a romantic evening in front of the fire 76

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together by now. Callie had been hoping that Tobey would call and wish her a happy Valentine’s Day from Chicago, but every time she picked up her phone it was another customer making an order for a box of truffles or a gift basket.

She was on the phone with a long-distance customer when a delivery truck parked outside her store and a man walked in with a vase of roses. And then another. And then another.

Callie quickly wrapped up her call. “Excuse me,” she said to the delivery man. “I think you’re delivering these roses to the wrong place.”

The man looked at his clipboard. “This is Callie’s Candies, isn’t it?”

Callie nodded, her heart beginning to blossom with joy.

By the time the man drove away, Callie’s Candies was filled with vases of roses of every color—on the floor, on the counter, on every shelf. Callie headed for the phone to call Tobey’s cell phone to thank him for being the most wonderful boyfriend in the world, but before she could wind through the vases of flowers, four men in tuxedos walked through the door carrying musical instruments.

Hardly able to believe what was happening, the string quartet began to serenade her with her favorite symphony. Tears pooled in her eyes and she had to lean against her display counter to stay steady.

No doubt about it, Tobey was the most romantic, wonderful boyfriend in the whole world. Callie couldn’t believe she had doubted him for even one single second. Even from all the way in Chicago, he was giving her the best Valentine’s Day she had ever had.

And then her heart stopped as the man she loved walked through the door. She ran into Tobey’s arms and he swept her up against him and kissed her passionately.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart,” he said and she kissed him back with all of the love in her heart.

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Silently, the string quartet left them alone in Callie’s Candies while they gave each other soft kisses and murmured words of love.

“I think we’re alone now,” Tobey said in a voice laced with passion and love.

“Lock the door,” Callie said, wanting to drag Tobey into the back room to rip all of his clothes off and show him just how much his romantic deeds meant to her.

Tobey grinned. “I’m always locking the door when I’m with you.”

Callie planted another kiss on his succulent lips and whispered, “That’s because I’m always taking off my clothes whenever you’re around.”

“I knew there was a good reason,” Tobey said as he quickly locked the door and pulled down the blinds.

Callie reached for his big warm hands and pulled him into the back room with her.

Propping him up against the door, she dropped to her knees and began to undo his belt loop. Tobey laced his fingers through her hair and closed his eyes. In seconds, Callie had his hard, throbbing shaft in her greedy fingers.

“Just what I was looking for,” she said, as her hot breath wafted over Tobey’s pulsating head. “My big, tasty Valentine’s Day treat.”