A Touch of Confidence (10 page)

She let her finger slide past his balls to the fragile skin behind, to draw tiny, erotic circles there, and was rewarded by his thrusting into her mouth.

For a second she thought she might choke on his ample size. As it was, her jaw was stretched to the max. But she forced herself to breathe through her nose and relax her throat muscles, allowing him to slide a little deeper inside.

Still, he was a large man, and there was no way she could fit all of him in. So she once again wrapped her fist tight around his cock
—
this time at the base
—
and pumped him in time with his thrusts.

Between her fist, her mouth and her finger, she figured she had all bases covered.

Jack must have figured it as well, judging from the groans that he emitted.

“Jesus, Claire, fuck…”

His thighs turned to rock above her chest. Every muscle in his body tensed.

“Don’t stop. Please, God, don’t ever stop.”

She didn’t. Didn’t drop her pace, not for a second. Not until he stiffened above her, for just the shortest of seconds. And then she took as much of him into her mouth as possible, held his cock in her tightest grip, and continued to tickle him behind his balls.

Jack came with a fierce growl. Spurt after spurt of come pulsed from his cock, filling her mouth and sliding down her throat. She waited as long as she could, until the pulses slowed and dried, and then swallowed it all.

He groaned long and loud above her. A last shudder trembled through him, before his muscles relaxed and she let him slide from her mouth. He shifted to his side, collapsing beside her on the floor.

For long moments, the only sound that filled the room was their uneven breathing.

Then he shuffled down until his head was in line with hers, leaned in, and sealed his mouth over hers. It wasn’t a long kiss. Not like their previous ones. But it was fierce, it was hot, and it tasted like sex.

And when it ended, Claire knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that a blow job would never, ever be enough for her.

She wasn’t sure how it had happened, or when, since she’d only known him two days and most of that time had been spent arguing. But when it came to Jack, she wanted a whole lot more than a magnificent orgasm on a shop floor.

Chapter Six

“I don’t know,” Julia said, her face thoughtful. “It might not be a bad option.”

She, Claire and Maddie sat eating breakfast in a trendy coffee shop in Glebe
—
meters away from the property Jack had shown her yesterday.

“It’s not
too
far away,” Maddie offered.

“It’s the other side of the city.” Claire looked at them as though they were both nuts. “There’s no short cut from Clovelly to Glebe.”

“It’s the other side of the city centre,” Julia said calmly. “Not the other side of Sydney. It’s not as if we’d have to travel to Parramatta. Besides, I like Glebe. It has some of my favorite restaurants. And a real funky vibe. There’s something incredibly appealing about it.”

Claire gestured towards the people sitting around them. “It’s full of students. No wonder you like it.”

Julia pulled a tongue at her. “Yeah, yeah, mock my age. Just because I finished Uni two years ago, doesn’t mean I’m too young to make decisions.”

“I’m not mocking your age
—
for once. I’m just pointing out a basic demographic of Glebe. It’s full of Uni students. And Uni students are not our target market. New parents are. Different stage of life. Glebe is the wrong area.”

Maddie looked up from her iPad. “I’m not convinced about that, Clairey. There’s a primary school right around the corner for starters, and I’ve just Googled daycare centers in Glebe. There are at least a dozen in this area alone
—
and that figure doesn’t take into account the neighboring suburbs.”

“Besides, a shop here opens up business to the Inner West,” Jules said. “Maybe Jack Wilson has a point.”

“We spoke about the Inner West. And the Inner City and decided against both of them,” Claire reminded her.

“Because we preferred the idea of Rose Bay. Glebe was still on the list of top ten suburbs that would suit our needs,” Maddie reminded her. “Look, had we gotten the shop without a problem, we would have taken it. But we didn’t, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like going to court over this. Yes, I’m pissed off. But, I don’t feel like spending the money on a lawsuit. Not if we have a decent alternative. I’d rather pump the money into the two shops or into buying new stock.”

“And if we’re talking money, you can’t ignore the rental price. It’s good. Too good to ignore,” Julia added.

Maddie nodded. “Agreed. You said the shop was nice, Clairey?”

“The shop is perfect,” she grudgingly admitted. “If we could pick it up and plop it down in Rose Bay, we’d be set for life.”

“But we can’t, so let’s not think about that.” Maddie took a sip of coffee. “I think we should take the shop if for no other reason than this is the best damn cappuccino in Sydney. I could get used to working next door to this café.”

“Oh, great reason,” Claire muttered, surprised her sisters were giving the shop such serious consideration. They continued debating the pros and cons of Glebe until their breakfast was done and it was time to meet Jack.

Yesterday, she’d agreed to keep an open mind and bring her sisters through to see the property before work today. Just bringing them here was a massive step for Claire, who still stubbornly held on to her beliefs they should have the Rose Bay shop. But frankly? She would have agreed to anything Jack had suggested. Her head had been so full of the delights he’d rained down on her, she’d found she couldn’t refuse him a damn thing.

Feeling suddenly shy about seeing him again, Claire took care of the bill while Julia and Maddie went ahead to the shop. Yesterday they’d been caught up in the heat of passion. What if today Jack showed no interest? What if he’d woken up this morning to find the chemistry had fizzled away on his side?

It hadn’t on her side. She’d fallen asleep thinking about him and woken up the same way. Save the distractions her sisters provided, he’d pretty much been on her mind since she left him at his offices yesterday.

She had another problem. What if in her excitement to see him today, she jumped him
—
in broad daylight, while her sisters watched? Claire almost laughed at their imagined shock. She hadn’t told them anything about the personal aspect of her and Jack’s relationship. Hadn’t been ready to share the delicious details.

She dragged her heels paying, then took a slow stroll to the store. The door was open, and her G.G. stood inside, talking to her sisters.

Claire’s heart slammed into her ribs, and her knees turned to jelly.

Her little sister, the smallest out of the three Jones girls, flirted with Jack as Maddie walked around the front room, checking out the shelving and paint work.

A wave of jealousy surged through Claire, shocking her.

Jealous? Of her own sister? Or of her sister’s ability to flirt so easily, while Claire just got all inhibited around the men she desired? She cleared her throat. “Mr. Wilson.”

He looked up, and a broad smile split his cheeks, showing his beautiful dimple. “Miss Jones.”

His gaze swept over her body, from her face, down to her feet and back up again. Desire shone from his eyes, telling her his reaction to her yesterday hadn’t been a crazy fluke. Nor had the chemistry ebbed.

“You’ve met my sisters, I see.”

“They introduced themselves a few minutes ago.”

“I love the shop, Jack,” Julia announced. “Love it.”

Maddie was more restrained. “I’d like to see the other rooms before making a decision.”

Jack held out his hand towards the inter-leading door. “Please, go ahead. Take a look, and make sure you check out the storage section as well.”

Maddie and Julia disappeared into the back room as Jack walked over to Claire. “Good morning, beautiful.” His potent gaze made her breath catch.

She meant to be polite. Honestly. But the second she caught a whiff of his aftershave, of that gorgeous, woodsy scent, her manners scattered, her words vanished and instinct took over. She grabbed his tie, yanked him forward, and stole his lips in a blistering kiss.

Fortunately, Jack was quicker to respond to her advances than she’d been to his. He kissed her back with as much enthusiasm as she kissed him. The instant their lips touched, the chemistry between them sparked and heat tore through her, a scorching reminder of the passion they’d shared in the very room her sisters now explored.

Also fortunate for her, was Jack’s excellent hearing, because Claire lost herself to their smoldering passion. She’d have kissed him for the rest of the day had he not pulled away with a harsh moan
—
an instant before Maddie walked back into the front of the shop.

“Clairey,” she said, raising an eyebrow when her gaze landed on Claire. “Can you come through to the back room for a minute?”

“Sure.” Claire smiled, but knew why Maddie gave her that searching look. Her cheeks burned and her lips felt swollen and thoroughly kissed. “Excuse us?” she asked Jack.

“Go ahead.” He stepped out of her way.

Fortunately Maddie asked no questions, even though she flashed Claire an I-know-what-you-just-did grin.

It took less than a minute to gauge what her sisters wanted, and Claire knew it wouldn‘t matter how stubborn she was, this particular fight was one she was going to have to give in to.

“We have to take the shop,” Julia insisted.

“It’s perfect,” Maddie agreed. “Absolutely perfect. We could open for business next week. All we need to do is move in, set up shop and put up a sign.”

“Sign the lease,” Julia urged. “Ask if we can add a clause based on profitability. If, as you feared, the store does not break even after the first year, then we can have an option of terminating the lease. Just so we don’t tie ourselves into a contract we may not want in twelve months, but I don’t think that will happen. Just sign the damn papers.”

“And give up the Rose Bay shop?” This for Claire was the crux. Admitting there was an alternative scenario she hadn’t considered. A viable alternative.

“The Rose Bay shop has nothing on this,” Maddie said. “Apart from location, this store is better in every way.”

Claire looked from one sister to the other and didn’t bother arguing. They were right. About everything. She’d just been so inflamed by the other shop being signed out from under her nose, she hadn’t been prepared to let it go.

Jack had done the impossible. He’d convinced her
—
and her sisters
—
that they didn’t have to have the Rose Bay store. Glebe
was
a good area to open their shop. Maybe not the best, but she suspected they’d do well here.

Which was fantastic for business, but it opened up a whole new problem for her.

If she signed the lease, she’d have no reason to meet with Jack again after he handed over the keys. His grandfather would return to work, and Claire would deal with the old man from then on.

That meant either she and Jack went their separate ways
—
an idea she hated
—
or they tried to get to know each other on a personal level, independently of leases and property viewings
—
an idea that scared the bejeepers out of her.

Great choice.

At Maddie’s insistence, Claire drove with Jack back to his offices. Because there was an amendment to the lease
—
an option to break the agreement after a year, which he’d agreed to even though he suspected it wasn’t standard practice
—
the papers needed to be reprinted, and everyone decided it would be best to get it done and signed as soon as possible.

Maddie and Julia shot off to open
Li’l Books and Bits
, with Jack’s promise that he’d deliver Claire there as soon as business was taken care of.

If he was going to keep his promise, he’d have to deal with the personal stuff first. And he did. The second they walked into the office, Jack closed the door behind him, thanking the powers that be that Big Jack worked alone.

Without giving her a chance to look around, he tossed his briefcase to the floor, backed Claire up against the wall and kissed her like he’d wanted to kiss her since they’d said goodbye the previous day. He fucked her mouth with his tongue, in a hungry, almost savage kiss that had blood gushing to his cock and Claire gasping erotically.

The small talk in the car hadn’t dampened his passion one jot. If anything, listening to her speak in her just-woke-up voice while trapped in a confined space only fed his desire.

Her sincere thank you had warmed his heart, and her confession that he’d been right about the Glebe shop had done wonders for his confidence.

Perhaps he could make it successfully in this business. Perhaps, if he did consider it a long-term option, he could help the business thrive and grow. Knowing he’d found a good property for the Jones sisters felt fantastic. One day, Jack might even be able to get used to this kind of work.

He’d never love it as much as he loved teaching, never feel a passion for it. But he’d be able to afford a whole lot more. Like settling down and starting a family…an idea that curiously held endless appeal now that he’d met Claire.