Erotic Influence (9 page)

She laughed as they pulled up to the front of the store.
“I’ll probably have lunch around two.”

She unbuckled her seat belt and leaned toward him for a
kiss. He happily obliged. “I’ll be here by 1:45.”

“Okay.”

He kissed her again before letting go and she slipped from
the car. The sway of her slim hips held his attention until she disappeared
through the doors. The rest of his morning would be boring in comparison, but
he decided to try to get some computer work done. However, as soon as he pulled
into his driveway he found Tammy sitting on his porch steps. A glance proved
Henry’s truck was gone. He restrained the urge to roll his eyes as he got out
of the car.

“Hey, Rick,” she said. Though she shined her bright smile he
couldn’t help but notice her usual happy demeanor seemed forced.

“Hi, Tammy,” he said as he grabbed his car cover from the
porch. He unfurled it and began to spread it over the car when she joined him.
“What’s going on with you today?”

She shrugged and grabbed one side of the cover to help him.
“Not much. I promised to stay home today like a good little girl, but I’m
already bored out of my mind.”

“Why don’t you play online or something?”

“We don’t have internet. I have to use the one at the
library.”

He hadn’t known that. “Oh? Do you have a computer?”

“Yeah. Annie bought me one for Christmas last year but it’s
kinda slow. It was the best she could get but not exactly top-of-the-line, you
know?”

“Yeah. I’ll bet.”

They finished covering the car and she resumed sitting on
his porch. “What are you doing today?”

He sat beside her. “Probably working on my laptop until I
can go have lunch with your sister.”

She smiled and it was a lot more genuine. “I’m glad you pay
attention to her. No one else really does.”

“I don’t know why not, but I guess it’s worked in my favor.
I don’t like competition.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

He ran a hand over his face and watched her from the corner
of his eye. She wasn’t fidgeting like he’d grown used to. She just sat staring
across the street at her house and he wondered if she saw a prison. He suddenly
realized that though she talked almost nonstop most days and usually about
herself, it was all artificial. He knew her favorite color and actor. He knew
what she liked most about the boys in the neighborhood and the kind of music
she preferred. But he didn’t know a thing about her hopes and dreams. She was
graduating high school soon and he had no idea what she planned to do after.

“Tammy, what do you want to do for a living?”

The question seemed to startle her and she stared at him
wide-eyed for nearly a minute. Then she shrugged and looked away again. “Dad
thinks I should be a teacher, but I don’t really like kids. Annie says I should
be a lawyer ’cause I can argue with the best of ’em.”

He snorted a laugh at that and knew Annie had a point.
“Yeah? And what do you want to be?”

She glanced at him again before dropping her gaze to her
hands clasped in her lap. “An accountant?”

For a second he was too shocked to answer. He took a longer
look at her and realized she was blushing. “You gotta be kidding.”

She jumped to her feet and faced him with her hands on her
hips and anger on her face. “Look, I know you probably think I’m too stupid to
count but I’ve always done good in math and I like numbers.”

He lifted both hands in surrender. “Whoa, whoa. Tammy, I
do
not
think you’re stupid. I’m just surprised that’s all. I didn’t realize
you liked math.”

She seemed to deflate and dropped her hands to her sides.
“Oh.”

He grinned and patted the spot she’d vacated. “Sit your butt
back down and tell me more about being an accountant.”

After one last flash of defiance she finally did. He was
surprised then impressed with just how much she knew about accounting. She had
apparently been planning for years to attend the University of Houston and earn
an accounting degree. She had even gone so far as to research firms in Houston
where she could intern and hopefully be hired once she graduated. She had a
list but knew a lot of details about the top two. Her goal not only impressed
Rick, it gave him hope. If Tammy applied herself and became successful, Annie
wouldn’t have to worry about her anymore.

“So, you plan to go to U of H?” he finally asked.

“Yeah, well…that’s the plan.”

“But?”

She sighed and her shoulders sagged. “It costs a lot of
money. Annie said she’s working on a way to help pay for it and I got approved
for a few small scholarships. I even have a savings account where all my
paychecks go. But I still don’t know if it’ll be enough.”

He nodded his understanding and rubbed his chin as he
considered the dilemma. “Have you looked into whether those firms offer summer
internships and scholarships?”

She looked startled by the thought. “No. I hadn’t even
thought of that.”

He nodded. “They might. You should definitely look into it.
And what about working as an accountant for a different type of company? Every
big business has an accounting department.”

“Well yeah…but I want to work for the best.”

He grinned. “I don’t blame ya, kid. But everyone’s gotta
start somewhere.”

“Yeah…I know.”

They sat in companionable silence for a few more minutes
while he came to a decision. He stood slowly and walked up to his front door.
“I’ll be right back. Stay put.”

She just frowned at him as he unlocked his door and stepped
inside. It took about ten minutes for him to find what he was looking for, then
another fifteen to make sure it was clear and safe to give her. By the time he
walked back out he half expected her to be gone. She wasn’t.

“Took you long enough,” she grumbled.

He just smiled and sat beside her again. He handed over the
laptop he had replaced a few months ago for something a little faster. It was
still in great condition, which was why he hadn’t gotten rid of it. He liked
having a backup.

“Here. You can use this for a few days. It’s already logged
into my Wi-Fi.”

She took it with an expression of shocked delight. “Really?”

“Yup. Walk home with it so we can see if the signal is
strong enough. I think it is.”

She didn’t need to be told twice. With a giggle she jumped
up and all but ran to her porch. She plopped down on the step and opened the
laptop. He waited patiently while she booted it up.

“It’s good,” she called out with a thumbs-up.

“Cool. Go inside and see from your room,” he replied.

She nodded and did as he said. A minute later she reappeared
without the laptop and ran back to his house. “Yeah. The signal stays strong
even to the back door.”

“Good. Be careful with it, okay? And no surfing porn.”

She giggled and swatted his shoulder. “Ewww, gross. I
won’t.” Then she surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck and giving
him a quick hug. “Thanks, Rick.”

She was running back home before he could react. He watched
her disappear into the house and laughed at himself. Hopefully the use of the
internet would keep her out of trouble for at least a couple of days. It would
also mean more alone time with Annie. He could hardly wait.

That afternoon he picked Annie up for lunch and drove her
back to his house. Henry was still gone and as far as he knew Tammy remained in
the house on his laptop. He had checked on her just before leaving and she was
watching funny pet videos.

“I can’t believe you let her use your laptop,” Annie said,
as if reading his mind.

They got out of his car and he noticed her gaze stray across
the street. “You wanna run over and check on her?”

She smiled at him. “You don’t mind?”

“No, baby. Go ahead. I’ll make sure lunch is ready.”

With a quick nod she hurried across the street. He watched
her walk into her house before going into his. He’d considered cooking for her
but didn’t know what she liked besides Chinese. Finally he decided sandwiches
would be simplest. He took the plate of various kinds he’d assembled before
leaving to get Annie from work out of the refrigerator and set it on his table.
Then he grabbed a bag of chips and two sodas. By the time he had everything
ready she was walking through his door.

“Everything all right?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said with a laugh. “She got mad at me for
interrupting her.” He grinned and held a chair out for her. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad she’s enjoying herself. I’m even
gladder the Wi-Fi reaches your house.”

“I know. That’s crazy, huh?”

He shrugged. “It’s a pretty strong signal, I guess. Whenever
I log on I see others from the neighbors too.”

“Oh.”

He handed her an empty plate and she took a sandwich from
the five different kinds he’d prepared. He was relieved to see she didn’t seem
to mind the simple fare.

“I’m sorry it’s not something better. I wasn’t sure what
you’d like.”

“I love sandwiches. I’m not hard to please.”

“Good to know.”

He sat and took his own sandwich. Soon they were eating and
talking about her morning. In a town as small as New Caney it was no surprise
nearly every customer who walked in the door knew Annie. They were close enough
to Houston to almost be considered a suburb, but far enough away for the
small-town mentality. With everyone being so familiar it was rare for her to
have difficult customers, but it did happen from time to time.

“Mrs. Wilson swore she handed me her coupon but I knew for a
fact she didn’t. Still, I looked and looked until my line backed up. Then I
just did an override and gave her the damn discount anyway to get her going.
She wasn’t going to budge until I did.”

“Will you get in trouble for that?”

Annie shrugged and sipped her soda. “I shouldn’t. No one saw
me do it anyway and we all give discounts like that from time to time. It
should be fine.”

He nodded but was still a little worried. “Good.”

A knock on the door had her all but jumping from her chair.
He stopped her with a hand on her arm. “I got it.”

“It’s probably my sister.”

“Maybe. But I also invited Wes over to meet you.”

“Oh.”

She visibly paled and sank back down into her seat. He
placed a swift kiss on her mouth before heading for the door. To his relief it
was Wes, with Lynn in tow. He opened the door with a smile and prayed Annie
wouldn’t be upset about meeting Lynn. He never should’ve mentioned her seeing
him naked. But then again, lots of people had by now. That thought had never
bothered him before.

Annie swallowed the last of her soda and fought the urge to
sit on Rick’s lap. He probably would’ve let her but her motivation wasn’t
sexual. It was possessive and so unlike her she didn’t know what to think. Lynn
was beautiful, exotic, and obviously completely at ease with both men. Her husband
was handsome and very nice. They were the perfect couple. It was also obvious
they were in love, and Lynn really didn’t look at Rick as if she were picturing
him naked. But just knowing the woman had been with him for many of his photo
shoots bothered Annie. She kind of wished he’d taken his photo off the wall.

“So, you see, it won’t be a problem shooting here in Rick’s
house. Unless you would rather go to my studio. Either way we can work out a
schedule that fits your needs,” Wes said.

She nodded as she considered both possibilities. She looked
at Rick. “My only concern is my dad.”

One thick brow went up in question. “He doesn’t have to know
anything.”

“Well yeah, but if he knows I’m over here he could come
banging on the door at any time. Unless we shoot while he’s at work I can’t
guarantee that won’t happen.”

He nodded his agreement and looked at Wes. “I can work in
the evening to be available during the day. I’d rather shoot here since there’s
the possibility of other models showing up at the studio.”

Wes nodded. “I’ve got three other couples to shoot as well
so that’s more than a possibility. It’s a given others will be there but they
won’t be watching the shoot.”

“Still,” Rick said. “I’d rather her not have to see or be
seen by anyone else at all yet.”

She felt the same and was glad he had voiced that concern.
She didn’t want to come off as a picky prima donna.

“We can shoot here the first three days this week,” Lynn
said.

She held a tablet on her lap with their calendar opened for
review. Wes glanced at where she pointed before nodding. “Yeah, that’ll work.”

Rick turned to Annie. “Your dad always works weekday
mornings, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah. He’s on call on the weekends but usually
doesn’t get called in. Monday through Friday he has to report in even if there
aren’t any jobs. But lately he’s been busy.”

Her dad was a commercial plumber who worked for a locally
owned business doing contract work in government buildings. Every now and again
they’d have to do residential work too, but that was rare. At the moment he was
installing the plumbing in a new military facility in Houston. He left home
early and sometimes returned late.

“This week should be fine. I’m not scheduled to work until
four two of those days.”

Rick frowned and opened his mouth to say something, then
abruptly shut it and just shook his head. She wanted to ask what he was going
to say but then Wes spoke up. “Good. We’ll set everything up early and be ready
for you by eight. Is that all right?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Rick glanced at his watch and stood. “I have to get her back
to work. Y’all can hang out here until I get back if you want.”

Wes had just opened his second beer and Lynn was relaxed
against him on the sofa. They didn’t look as if they were in any hurry to
leave. “Sure,” Wes said.

Rick took Annie’s hand and pulled her out of her seat.
“Ready, baby?”

“Yeah.”

She smiled at Wes and Lynn, giving them a little wave as she
headed out of the house. Rick opened the passenger’s side door for her and
closed it once she was in. Then he slipped into the driver’s seat. “So, what do
you think?”

She waited until he had backed out of the driveway to
answer. “I’m still a little nervous but I think it’ll be okay.”

He nodded and headed out of the neighborhood. “Good. If we
start and you change your mind, that’s okay too. All you gotta do is tell us,
okay?”

“Okay. But I won’t…change my mind, I mean. I really want to
do this.”

They stopped at the stop sign leading out to the frontage
road and he turned to face her. “Annie, I don’t want you doing anything that
makes you uncomfortable. I’ll help you find the money for Tammy, but you don’t
have
to do this.”

Tears burned the back of her throat at his generosity. She
was completely overwhelmed. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He pulled out of the neighborhood and took her to work.

They arrived with only two minutes to spare so their goodbye
kiss was brief. He watched her enter the store before pulling away and heading
home. Images of her naked and writhing beneath him stayed on his mind the whole
way. He couldn’t wait to start posing with her. Would this hunger ever dampen?
Somehow he didn’t think so. It was different from how he’d felt about any other
woman. She was different and he couldn’t imagine ever tiring of her. Hopefully
she felt the same.

Wes and Lynn were flipping through photos on Wes’ laptop
when Rick returned. They didn’t even look up as he walked in.

“So, what do you think?” he asked.

Lynn smiled. “She’s beautiful. I can see why you like her so
much.”

Damn. Was he actually blushing? He cleared his throat and
dropped into his recliner. “She’s a lot more than a pretty face.”

“I’ll bet,” Wes said. “She also seems really young. I know
she’s legal but…are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

Rick was surprised by his friend’s question as well as his own
surge of anger. “Hell yeah, I do. She’s only two years younger than me.”

“I don’t just mean the numbers, Rick. I mean all of her. She
seems very innocent and…fragile.”

Though it pissed him off, Rick knew Wes had a point. Annie
was
innocent and fragile. She was also sexy and smart. Most importantly of all, she
was his. “Yeah. I know what I’m doing. I’m not going to hurt her.”

Wes nodded. “Not on purpose, of course. But what are your
plans? If you decided to break things off it’ll be really hard with her right
across the street. For both of you.”

Rick stood and all but ran into the kitchen. He grabbed a
beer and returned to the living room but didn’t sit. Instead, he walked over to
the window and peeked through the blinds. Henry was still gone and Tammy remained
in the house. “I don’t plan on letting her go easily, Wes.” He took a sip of
his beer and finally faced his friend again. “I’m going to propose.”

Lynn dropped her tablet but luckily it fell onto the sofa.
Wes simply stared. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. I’m in love with her. I don’t think she feels the
same yet and I know she isn’t ready. I’m going to have to wait until we get the
situation with her sister figured out. Then I’m going to ask her to move in
with me. If she says no to that, I’ll ask her to marry me.”

“Well, that’s wonderful, Rick,” Lynn said. She looked at
Wes. “Isn’t it?”

Rick almost laughed, except he also wanted to know Wes’
opinion. It was actually really important to him.

Wes glanced at his wife before looking at Rick again. “Yeah,
it is. Congratulations, man. I never would’ve guessed you’d fall for a girl
like her.”

Rick shrugged and took another sip of beer. “Yeah. Me
neither.”

Lynn just laughed. “I think she’ll be good for you. At least
she seems low-maintenance. You won’t have to worry about wining and dining her
in expensive places just to keep her interest.”

She was reminding him of his ex and all her needs. Annie was
polar opposite from her. Rick nodded his acknowledgment of that truth. “Yup.
And she’s honest to a fault. I won’t ever have to wonder where I stand with
her. If I piss her off she’ll just tell me rather than making me guess every
damn thing.”

“That’s definitely a plus,” Wes said.

“So, you really think she’ll be good for this shoot?”

Wes looked at his computer screen again with his chin in his
hand. Lynn watched him almost as intently as Rick. “Yeah,” he finally said. “I
think she’s just what we need.”

Rick sighed a breath of relief and finished his beer. He
threw the bottle away in the kitchen and returned to the living room to find
Lynn and Wes standing.

“It’s time we headed home,” Wes said. “We’ll be back in the
morning early to get everything set up by eight.”

“Okay good,” Rick replied. “I’ll remind her when I pick her
up.”

They gathered their things and he walked them to their car.
He shook Wes’ hand and gave Lynn a hug.

“She’s a very lucky lady,” she said.

Rick smiled. “I’m the lucky one.”

He kissed her cheek and she got in the car. Once their car
disappeared around the bend he went back inside.

By the time he left to pick Annie up from the store he’d
finished three days’ worth of work. It had taken every second of the time he’d
had but would be well worth it. Now the next three days were free and clear. He
could dedicate them completely to Annie. He pulled in front of the store and
wondered if he should park and go inside. She hadn’t said anything about her
coworkers, though he’d spent time in the store with her once already. He didn’t
even know if she considered any of them friends. For all he knew she hadn’t
told a soul about their relationship, and that bothered him a lot.

He was about to pull into a parking space when she walked
out the front door. She smiled as soon as she spotted him and quickly walked to
his car. She hopped into the passenger seat and leaned over for a kiss. He
didn’t make her wait. “Hey, beautiful.”

“Hi. I hope you weren’t waiting long.”

“Nope. Not even a minute.” He pulled out of the parking lot
as she was putting on her seat belt. “How was work?”

“Same old, same old. We’re always busiest on Sundays but
today wasn’t too bad. How was your afternoon?”

“Good. I got all my work done for the next few days. Wes and
Lynn will be at my house in the morning.”

“Oh. Uh…”

He glanced at her before returning his gaze to the road.
“What, baby? Did you change your mind?”

“No. I just thought… Lynn will be there too?”

He wanted to kick himself. “Damn, I forgot. I’ll call Wes
when I get home, okay?” He reached over and set his hand on her leg. “Don’t
worry. I’ll make sure he comes alone.”

He squeezed her thigh before rubbing it. She placed her hand
on top of his and stopped him. “Um…it’s okay. I mean, I don’t want to upset
her. She seems really nice.”

They pulled into the neighborhood and he slowly made his way
home. “She is, and she won’t get upset. She understands what it’s like to do a
shoot for the first time. She was a model too for a while.”

“She was?”

“Yup. She answered one of Wes’ ads and that’s how they met.”

“Oh. Wow.”

He pulled into his driveway and was happy to see Henry’s
truck still gone. “Hey, does your dad have a cell phone?”

“Yeah.”

“Wanna call him and see if it’s okay for me to take you and
Tammy out to dinner tonight? We can bring him something too.”

Her brows shot up and she took a moment to answer. She
glanced through the back window to her house before returning her gaze to him.
“Yeah. Okay.”

He got out of the car and she met him at the porch. He
pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Do you need mine, or
do you have one?”

“I have one but it’s at home. I almost never use it.”

“Let’s go inside and you can use mine.”

She just nodded and took his phone. He took her other hand
and led her into his house. While she called her dad he grabbed another beer.
It was the last and he vaguely wondered if he should buy more. Annie was old
enough to drink but she usually refused when he offered. He looked at the
bottle in his hand and set it back inside the refrigerator, just in case.

By the time he returned to the living room she was hanging
up the phone. He waited for her to look up at him from where she was perched on
the edge of his sofa. “What did he say?”

“Amazingly he said yes. He doesn’t even want us to bring him
anything. Said he’ll eat out.”

She seemed so surprised he wanted to laugh. “Well good.
Let’s go tell Tammy.”

“Okay.”

She handed him his phone and stood. He took her hand again
and they went to her house. Tammy had fallen asleep with the laptop still open
on top of her bed. He chuckled at the sight and went to wait in the living room
while Annie woke her.

He walked around the small room, taking in the minimal
decor. School pictures hung on one wall, showing both girls throughout their
elementary school years. After that, Tammy’s pictures were still displayed but
there were no more of Annie. He frowned at the omission and decided to ask her
about it later. There was also one family photo from the amusement park that
had been in Houston years ago. All four of them had huge smiles on their faces,
even Henry. It may have been because of the pretty woman at his side. She was
the spitting image of Annie, just with a different hairstyle. Rick had a
feeling he now knew why Henry was so harsh with her. Tammy had let it slip that
their mom had just left one day. How hard would it be to see the woman who left
you in the face of your daughter every day?

A noise brought his attention back to the hallway and Annie
standing there watching him. She had changed into jeans and a plain gray
t-shirt. It made him feel good to note she hadn’t worn her ugly hoodie since
the first time he’d kissed her. She was no longer trying to hide.

“Hey. Y’all ready to go?” he asked.

“I am. Tammy’s still putting on makeup.”

He grinned. “Uh-oh. That could take a while.”

She smiled and shook her head. “Be nice. She’s trying to
look good for her first public appearance with you.”

He walked to her and pulled her against his chest. “She
knows
you’re
my date, right?”

“Yeah. I’m just kidding.”

“Yeah, okay.”

He cupped one side of her face and kissed her slowly,
savoring her unique flavor. She released a soft sigh and melted against him,
making him feel like the strongest man in the world. Her surrender meant more
to him than he could express. He would’ve been perfectly happy to stand there
all night savoring her lips, but the sound of a throat clearing loudly caught
his attention. He pulled back and wiped her bottom lip with his thumb. She just
smiled before turning to face her sister.