Curvaceous (9 page)

So there was something to work out. I shook my head. Malik was a bigger fool than I thought he was if he let Jess slip away from him. "You want to talk now?"

"No. Now...I just need to...I have to get a move on. I'll talk to you in a few days."

"Okay, but if you need anything—"

"I know. Thanks, Jake." She made a kissing sound and hung up. 

B
ree

I was surprised and delighted when the beautiful bouquet arrived late Saturday morning. Eight months earlier, Darren, the regional sales manager I'd been dating for nearly a year, had accepted a promotion, which necessitated a cross-country move to California.

He'd made noises about our having a long distance relationship. Although tempted to agree, I knew he'd lose interest in me once he worked in L.A. with all those svelte, hard-bodied women with tanned skin and long, flowing hair. He'd offered to fly back to Philly for a long weekend a few times. I had reluctantly decided a clean break was best.

When he'd finally accepted our relationship was over, he'd sent me a goodbye bouquet four months earlier. The flowers brought back pleasant memories of the intimate relationship we'd shared. I smiled at his persistence. Maybe I needed to rethink my position on long distance relationships. 

If he still wanted me after eight months, his feelings must run deeply. It was flattering that those L.A. women hadn't changed his mind. My main reason for ending our relationship had been my fear that he wouldn't be able to remain faithful. I can forgive a lot when I'm in love, but I draw the line at infidelity. A renewed relationship with Darren would drive thoughts of the handsome, sexy Jake from my thoughts.

My pleasure turned to amazement as I read the card that accompanied the flowers.

May I call you?

Jake V.

Recovering from the faint disappointment that the flowers weren't from Darren, I sat staring at the card. Why had Jake sent them? Despite his denials, I'd seen his initial surprise when we met the previous night. He'd spent most of the evening staring at me with a bemused look on his face. His half-hearted attempt to get me into bed notwithstanding, I was certain he was relieved when the evening was over.

So why send flowers? Why pretend he wanted to see me again? Had Lea somehow conned him into it again? Lea and I had shared a couple of lunches and an occasional quick in-office dinner when we worked late. We were a little more than just cordial with each other, but far less than true friends who shared each other's innermost confidences. She knew I'd ended my relationship with Darren, but not why.

Sympathy had probably motivated her to set me up with Jake. We needed to talk. I put a load of clothes in the washer before I called her.

She listened in silence for several moments before she spoke. "He sent you flowers? Jake sent you flowers?"

"Yes."

"He's not a flower sending guy. He actually said he wanted to see you again?" 

The blatant surprise in her voice annoyed me. If she found his wanting to see me again such a surprise, why had she arranged a blind date for us in the first place? 

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

In the two years Lea and I had been accountants at the large car dealership where we both worked, I'd come to appreciate her quick wit.

"Surprised? I knew you two would hit it off. I just didn't realize the first date would go so well. When are you seeing him again?" 

Recalling how my heart raced when he'd attempted to kiss me, I sighed. I was lonely. I wanted a man in my life. However, I wanted one who wanted to be there because he found me attractive, not because Lea had somehow corralled him into it. If Darren was still interested, I was prepared to consider a long-distance relationship.

"I'm not."

"So when he calls and asks you out again, you're going to say no?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

Why did she sound so pleased? Why had she arranged our blind date? Even if she had felt sorry for me, Jake clearly didn't require help getting a date. She clearly hadn't expected him to want to see me again. Sometimes she was less than cordial. As my grandmother used to say, still waters ran deep. Taking Lea at face value was probably a mistake.

"Well, it's getting late and I still have tons of things to get done today. I'll see you on Monday, Lea."

"Great. Will you do me a favor?"

"Sure, if I can."

"Oh you can. Just let Jake down gently."

She definitely had something up her sleeve. But what? "Sure will. Bye."

I hung up and then jumped when the phone immediately rang. I glanced at the caller ID. I answered after a brief hesitation. "Hello?"

"Hi Bree? This is Jake Volmer."

I moistened my lips. "Hi. Ah...thanks for the flowers. They're lovely."

"You're welcome."

"They were a surprising as is this call."

"I'm not sure why the flowers or this call would come as a surprise to you," he said.

"Lea said you weren't the flower sending kind of guy."

There was a brief, almost palpable silence before he spoke in a terse voice. "You've discussed me with Lea?"

I frowned, not sure what to make of his tone or the implication of the question. I instinctively knew admitting we'd discussed' him would be unwise. "We didn't discuss you, but naturally she wanted to know how our date went."

"I'd like to know how it went as well."

"Not well."

"Why not?" He asked.

"I'm sure I'm not your type."

My grandmother used to warn me to be careful what I wished for in case I got it. That happened when he spoke again. "No, you're not."

His confirmation of what I already knew shouldn't hurt. Maybe hurt was too strong a word. It stung. I swallowed hard. "Well, at least you've decided to be honest. Now that we've cleared the air, I'll—"

"You didn't let me finish."

"I think you've said enough, Jake."

"No. I haven't."

He would not get another chance to sting me. "Then let me put it another way. You've said as much as I want to hear."

"Don't misunderstand me, Bree—"

"I haven't misunderstood a thing about you from the moment we met."

"What the hell's that's supposed to mean?"

"Figure it out."

"I'd rather finish my sentence."

"Then make it quick," I said.

"It's true you're not my type, but—"

I sucked in an angry breath. "There's no need to repeat yourself."

"Before you get angry—"

"I'm not angry."

"Yeah. Right. Before you get angry enough to hang up on me—"

"Hanging up on people is rude."

"So is slamming doors in their faces," he said, sounding annoyed.

"I didn't slam the door in your face. I said goodbye. It's not my fault if you don't understand English and can't take a damned hint."

There was a brief, tense silence. Then he laughed.

I was not amused. "What's so funny?"

"It's very early in our relationship to have this lover's quarrel."

"We're not quarreling. We're having a spirited discussion and we are
not
lovers."

"So I noticed when you slammed the door in my face."

I compressed my lips. "I'm a little busy at the moment so—"

"So if I'm not quick, you'll hang up on me?"

He sounded amused and that annoyed the hell out of me. "You were saying?"

"I was saying opposites attract."

That was another one of my grandmother's favorite sayings. "Not in our case."

When he replied his voice no longer held that annoying, amused tone that grated on my nerves. "Do you have any reason to doubt my word?"

"No, but—"

"Then please don't presume to know who or what I find attractive. Now, what are your plans for tonight?"

"I don't actually have any, but—"

"Great. I'll pick you up at six. Dress casually."

"Hey. Wait a minute."

"You sound frantic, Bree. Are you afraid I'm about to hang up on you?"

There was that damned amusement again. "Were you?"

"Yes, so make whatever you have to say quick. You're not the only one who has things to do today."

"What? Look...If you think you can..." I paused and took a deep, calming breath. "I haven't said I'm going out with you."

"But you will."

His looks probably accounted for the confidence I heard in his voice. "I—"

"I'll be there at six. Get ready because here it comes."

"What?"

"I'm hanging up now. Bye."

He hung up.

I discarded the idea of calling him back. I put down the phone. It was foolish to go out with Jake when I'd all but decided to renew my relationship with Darren—assuming he was still interested. That was a big assumption since I had not heard from him in four months.

For reasons of his own, the sexy Jake wanted to see me again. I closed my eyes, remembering the feel of his body against mine and the smell of his subtle cologne. His lips had felt nice against my cheek. What would they feel like against my mouth...moving over my parted lips? I swallowed slowly, feeling a rush of heat warming my cheeks. Maybe this time I'd let him kiss my lips. I opened my eyes. That assumed I was going out with him. Who was I kidding? I was going out with him and in all likelihood, when he attempted to kiss me I was going to kiss him back. I wasn't prepared to go any further than kissing on a second date. Still a kiss shared with the right partner could be so much more than a kiss.

* * *

J
ake

I felt restless after talking to Bree. I knew if I had any sense, I'd call her back, cancel the date she didn't seem to want anyway, and never look in her direction again. Hadn't she practically admitted she was in cahoots with Lea? Why the hell should I allow Lea to use Bree to continue to push my buttons? What kind of woman was Bree that she'd allow Lea to use her to get to me? What the hell had I ever done to Bree?

Despite the dictates of commonsense, I spent far too much time wondering if Bree kissed on the second date. Actually, I hoped she did a lot more than kiss. The sooner I got her into bed, the sooner I could move on. She was clearly bad news to me. I was damned determined to see her again rather she wanted to see me again or not. 

After admitting I wouldn't get anything accomplished that day, I went to the gym to work out. I returned home to shower and dress for my date with Bree. Bree. What the hell kind of name was that anyway? How stupid was I to see her again knowing she was out to get me?

I needed to talk to someone to help clear my head. If I called Chuck, as soon as he learned Bree wasn't a knockout, he'd look at me like I'd lost my mind and ask me why I was even interested. If I called Jess, I might be making things worse between her and Malik. Besides, she'd just give me a third degree questioning I wasn't in the mood for. If I called Mom, she'd start making wedding plans. 

Shaking my head, I opened my condo door and froze. Lea sat in a chair opposite the front door. Have I told you how absolutely gorgeous she is? She has the face of an angel and a petite, slender body made for sin. She has mounds of beautiful red-gold hair that cascades over her slender shoulders and sexy green eyes that hint she wants some lucky man to fuck her all night long.

I closed the door and stood staring at her. She smiled and slowly parted her legs, giving me an enticing view of her bare, shaved pussy. 

I swallowed hard—and willed myself not to rise to the bait. "How did you get in?" To my annoyance, the question sounded more needy than demanding.

She spread her legs wider and held up a set of keys. "Eddy keeps your spare keys in his nightstand drawer. As you know, he's out of town."

I forced myself to meet her gaze. "That doesn't explain what you're doing here."

"I know your date with Bree went badly so you must be horny as hell. So am I." 

As she rose, the loose-fitting white dress she wore opened.

She's lovely. She has small, pert breasts, a flat stomach, slender, but shapely legs, and that addictive bare pussy I so loved to fuck. I felt as if I had to struggle to drag air into my lungs. I shook my head, even as my cock tightened against my thigh.

She took off the dress and tossed it aside, which left her standing in front of me in nothing but a pair of stiletto heels and sheer black stockings that clung to her lower thighs.

Noting my reaction, she smiled and massaged her hot, tight pussy. "I need a big, hard cock shoved deep into my wet kitty."

I resisted the urge to rush across the room and ravish her. "Well you're not getting any of mine."

"We'll see about that." She crossed the room to stand inches from me, with her head tilted back so she could look up into my eyes. "You know you and Eddy look so much alike, you and I can fuck without a condom."

I stared down at her. We'd never had sex without protection. Now that the bitch belonged to Eddy she wanted unprotected sex?

She smiled up at me, licking her lips suggestively. "The best part is, when you get me pregnant, no one will know it's your baby instead of Eddy's. You can fuck me as long as you want, shoot a river of cum into my pussy and get me pregnant. Then I'll have nearly everything I want, which includes your baby."

"If you want a baby, you can damn well wait for him to knock you up."

She shook her head, rubbing her pussy. "Oh no. I want you to fuck me, Jake. Right now."

"It's not going to happen. Put your damned dress back on and get the hell out of here. I have a date."

Her pink lips curved upward. "With Bree?" She laughed. "Don't expect me to believe you'd rather be spending a platonic night with her than spending the night in my sweet kitty." She dipped several fingers between her legs, pumping them into her cunt. She got them wet before she pressed her fingers against my lips. "Taste my pussy juice and then tell me you don't want me." 

The taste and scent of her aroused cunt made me rock hard—as it always had. Despite myself, I greedily licked the sweet moisture from her fingers.

Smiling, she took one of my hands and pressed it between her legs. I couldn't stop myself from stroking my fingers into her hot, tight box. She moaned softly and started fucking herself on my fingers. "Oh yes. Yes."