Bodywork (6 page)

“Do you know more than her first name?”

“I think her last name’s Wade
. Maybe Jessup? No, no, it’s Ward.
”

Shane
sighed. “You need help.”

“No,
you
do. T
hat ‘r’ word women love to throw in your face
is nothing but trouble. Look at you.
Eight
months after that witch left you, you’re still floundering. Pathetic. Seriously, dude.”
Mac
’
s ice-blue eyes glow
ed
with sincerit
y.
“
A
relationship is the last thing you
need right now.”

“
Much as it pains me to admit, I think you’re right.”

“Of course I am.”

“Not about all of it, just that I get too attached. I need a fling, but one that’s a little deeper than tits, ass, and an orgasm.”

“Not sure what your problem is with the
holy trinity,
but
okay.” Mac chuckled, and
Shane
couldn’t help laughing
with him.

“Hell, I don’t know. Maybe a good fuck will
relieve some stress
.”

“They say people who have sex regularly live longer.
I’ll live to a hundred and ten. At the rate you’re going, I give you maybe two more years.”

“Ha ha.”
Shane
drained his water bottle and tossed the empty back to Mac. “So Denise. I’m going to call her. I mean, there was nothing there at first. Totally professional. But then something changed.
I swear Mac, that woman’s hands were like honey all over me
.
”

Mac sat up.
“
Oh, so it’s
t
hat
kind of place, eh?
What’s the number?
”

“
No, no.
For God’s sake
,
my mother took George there
.
I’m just saying Denise and I had some sort of chemistry going on.
Or maybe I did since she didn’t
act
like she felt anything.
”

“
At least you’re going after this
one.
Okay,
but
remember what I said.
Sweeten her up then get the hell out of there before you find yourself joining
her at some
book reading. Next thing you know it’s nonfat lattes
or some crap like that
.
”

“I can’t wait to see the woman who knocks you
on your ass
. Y
ou’ll be wining and dining her with pleasure.
Mocha lattes, chick flicks, and the occasional karaoke, just to please the little woman.”

Mac groaned.

“R
emember
this conversation, Major Macho. A
nd when you need help
,
come to me.”

Mac
chuckled. “Yeah, right. But you know, you didn’t need to come all the way out here for advice. You should have asked your brother.
He’s a great kid.
Got a different girl every week and he’s smart enough not to get serious.”

“
Please. We’ll be lucky if he doesn’t get some girl pregnant before graduation. He
needs to grow up.
And whatever you do
,
don’t
tell him I asked you for advice.
He thinks he’s the next Casanova and he’d be hurt to thin
k I didn’t ask for his help.”

“Not to mention it’s a little embarrassing to have to ask for advice on
women at your age, eh?
”

“Kiss my ass,
Jameson.
” Shane swore
good-naturedly
a
nd
left Mac laughing in his office.

After arriving home,
Shane showered and ate a quick meal, then settled in for some mindless television.
But while he watched, he couldn’t stop thinking about his single status and worrying about it.
His mother still wanted grand
kids,
and most of the guys at the office were married.
He’d come off a year long relationship, and
though he’d been both hurt and somewhat surprised when it ended, a large part of him had also been relieved. Now, in retrospect, he should have seen he and Lisa wouldn’t suit.
But the breakup had been brutal. He didn’t
want to commit again
, not yet.
Though Mac’s
idea of
what could only loosely be called
dating
left little to be desire
d
, some fun wasn’t totally outside the ballpark.

His
friends
had
always told him he was too serious and picky about women.
So maybe a few casual flings could fulfill that need for the excitement he craved. A fe
w nights with the woman from this
morning would do him just fine, if his erection was anything to go by. Just the thought of her angry eyes and full lips got him full and aching in a heartbeat.

Knowing he had nothing but his hand for company, he
sighed and turned off the television
. With nothing better to do than jerk off or go to sleep, he chose the less pathetic of
h
is options and sought his bed.

He deliberately set his alarm clock on the dresser across
the room
so he’d have to get up to turn it off in the morning.
As he pulled back the sheets and settled on the bed
, he stared at the ceiling and thought of the sensual massage he’d received earlier.
An image of
the
amber-eyed Amazon came to mind, and without wanting to, he reached under his
boxers
and grabbed himself. Stroking up and down, with firm pressure and a heat that couldn’t come close to her mouth, he closed his eyes and pretended he’d run into her again. But this time,
she held
a glass of water that soaked her white shirt.

Her nipples would show through, and they’d be hard
, thick
.
Excitement spurred him to stroke faster, and he saw her in his mind’s eye, kneeling before him, apologizing for being so clumsy. She’d take the blame, and then she’d slip his cock free of his trousers and take him into her mouth. She’d suck him hard, play with his balls, and
finger herself while she readied to swallow him down
.

He
groaned a
s he
climaxed
over his hand, making a mess of hi
mself
. As he came down off his high, he reminded himself that Denise, not the Amazon, had engaged his interest. With every intent to call Denise in the morning, he mo
ved to the bathroom to clean up
then slipped back into bed
.
And if he dreamed of the Amazon, he’d consider it a form of therapy to rid his subconscious of her once and for all.

Chapter
Four

Tuesday afternoon,
Maggie sat at the table entertaining
Shelby’s
mother with tales of
Friday
morning’s run-in
. In hindsight, telling her friend she’d
met
the same guy
that
night for a massage wasn’t well thought out.

“So then she sees him face down on that table. Coincidence or fate, I ask you?” Maggie shrugged. Her perky factor had begun to wear on Shelby’s nerves.

“
W
as he a looker or what?” Mimi
Vanzant
, Shelby’s mother,
cut
straight
to the chase
.
Her fingers gleamed with turquoise,
silver and onyx bands. At fifty-one
,
she looked ten years younger, with
a thick head of dark red hair kept vibrant by a monthly visit to the hairdresser
.
Her blue eyes gleamed with merriment as she watched
Shelby
squirm.

Shelby
turned to glare at her best friend. Maggie smiled back, all innocence, her head haloed by the delicatessen sign behind her. Today especially, the small booth they occupied felt super tiny, the space taken up by Maggie’s big mouth and her mother’s loud personality.

She groaned.
“We’re wasting time talking about this. I only have a half hour until my next client. And besides, you’re missing the point.”

“Well, what
is
the point?” Mimi
threw up her hands in confusion
.
The bangles on her wrists clanged and shimmered, causing a few heads to turn in the direction of the noise and brightness sitting in the corner.
Her mother’s
turquoise and magenta
tie-dye
patterned
jumpsuit should have looked outdated.
Instead,
the
silk looked retro-60s and comple
mented her
toned arms and legs.
“You haven’t had a decent date in six months
.
Ron
told me
your sign is blocked.”

“Moth
er, please.” Shelby pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Would you keep your voice down
?
”

Her mother should have gone into acting instead of interior design
, because she sure as hell liked to be the center of attention. Shelby loved the woman, but just once she’d like to go out and
not
wish she blended into the walls to avoid the scrutiny of a crowd.

Sh
e’d specifically avoided any mention of Shane Collins
to her mother
for this reason. Trust Maggie to blab the whole ordeal. Her mother
had
no doubt
consulted her astrologer, channeler and God knew who else to see how Shelby’s
nonexistent
love life would pan out.
Oh man, and she didn’t want to think about Ron. Ron Aandeg was her mother’s
closest friend
, c
onfidant
, and business partner. Their successful design business catered to the eclectic and unusual. They
had similar tastes in everything, from clothes to designs to men.
If Shelby hadn’t known better, she’d have thought her mother and Ron were twins.
Ron had been a part of the family for over t
wenty
years
. Her surrogate father also had dreams that talked to him. With her luck he’d had a nightmare about her over this mess.

Mimi pushed back her sleeves and clanked her bracelets.
“Now Shelby, you’re a water sign.
You need to flow
. I
n order to do
that, y
ou have to let go of that anger and resentment over
Rick’s
betrayal
.
”

Again
with
Rick
.
“I’m over it, Mom
. Maggie.” She glared at her friend. “Just because I’m not into dating doesn’t meant I’m hurt over one asshole in a sea of swarming men.”

“I think that would be schooling men. Like fish. They school,” Maggie offered.

“Yes. I’d go with school too.” Mimi nodded, and Shelby thought they might finally talk about something else.
“But don’t you see?” Mimi said excitedly
, her voice
rising
.
“
Not only have you
run into this man once, but twice.
It’s fate throwing him into your arms.
I’m going to talk to Ron
again
and see what he thinks.”

Shelby
swore under her breath
and
lowered her forehead to the tabletop.

Maggie laughed
, the little witch
.

Her mother p
laced a kiss on
her hair
and stood to leave.
“I’ve got to get back to work.
We
’ve got a new client coming in today
, and Ron told me she promises to be
difficult.
An
aries
. Stubborn and set in her ways.
”

Shelby raised her head. “Tell Ron I
s
end my love
, but nothing else. Please don’t mention any of this to him.
”

Her mother waved her concern away, and Shelby knew she was doomed. Wh
en
Ron
and her mother
collaborated
—
and they loved nothing more than to dissect her love life
—
t
he shit always hit the fan. And
like always,
she’d be the one to clean up the mess.

“No worries. He and I will talk, we’ll laugh, and we’ll forget you by morning.”

I should only be so lucky.
Shelby watched her mother leave.

Maggie sipped at her water.
“
What a great lunch. Well, it’s time for
me to head back to the gallery.
”

Shelby
latched onto her sleeve. “Hold on, you little traitor.
Why
did you tell my mother about
rude guy
?
”

“I thought we were calling him
Buns of Steel
?”

Shelby groaned
, regretting she’d mentioned rude guy’s impressive physique
. “Do you realize what you’ve done? Now Mimi
Vanzant
and Ron
Aandeg
are on the case. It’s like the Hardy Boys on crack.”

“Wearing sixties digs. Where the hell does your mother get her clothes? Vintage. I mean, she looks terrific
, but wow
.”

“Focus, blondie,” Shelby snarled. “Because of you, my mother will spend the next month making my life miserable. She’ll be
sending me emails and texts full of
astrological readings, planet
alignments and spirit walks with Ron over the Ouija board.”

“And all to find your
soul mate
. Very romantic, if you think about it. Your mother loves you enough to go to the other side for help.” Maggie’s chipper reasoning did nothing but put Shelby into a blacker mood. Mostly because she wished her mother
had
the power to
actually
find her happiness. But she didn’t. And no amount of woo-woo would make
Shelby’s
lack of a significant other easier to bear.

Not that she had to be together with someone else, but damn it, lately she’d been so friggin’ lonely.

Maggie
shrugged and drew a circle in the wate
r on the table left by her
glass. “Come on. Even you have to admit it’s
pretty weird that the gorgeous guy you spilled coffee all over just happened to be naked in your room
Friday
night
.
”
She blinked. “When I say that out loud, it sounds dirty.”