Girl Gear 4: Striptease (4 page)

She was an expert at dispensing advice, having done
so since grade school when she’d been eight, he’d been eleven and she’d told him to always have extra change for the ice-cream man in case Kelly Sims was broke. Renata, champion of the weak and wounded, crusader for a woman’s right to have her ice cream and eat it, too, would fit right in with the rest of the gIRL-gEAR women.

Even recognizing that female bonding potential, he wasn’t having an easy time figuring out the dynamics of the group. He was hoping today he’d pick up a few clues. Most of his video work didn’t require personal involvement with clients. But this assignment was different.

Documentary or not, if he made this show work, he could write his own career ticket. Any number of NYC-based production companies would wet their proverbial pants after seeing a show of this caliber on his résumé. The inheritance he’d received from his paternal grandmother had allowed him to outfit his own studio and perfect his craft on top-of-the-line equipment. And getting to know the women away from the office would go a long way to making sure the shoot turned out to be his best ever.

He pulled his Explorer Sport Trac in behind a line of two-seaters and sporty status cars parked at the curb. Adding that half dozen to the double row of vehicles running the length of the driveway, he figured this shindig wasn’t the quiet and cozy get-together Chloe had claimed.

Not that he was particularly surprised. He wouldn’t classify anything he’d learned about the seven female friends’ working relationship as cozy. Or as quiet. He had a feeling hair was pulled and mud-wrestling done on a regular basis. Or not. But hey, a guy could dream.

He hadn’t seen enough of their off-site playtime to know that game’s score. The only true playtime he’d witnessed, in fact, had been Melanie’s incendiary striptease. And even then he didn’t know if she’d been the one playing, or if she’d been playing him.

He groaned in defeat. How could a two-dimensional, gray shadow be sexier than a living color peekaboo peepshow? He’d lived in a state of unbearable arousal since watching the tape. What the hell had she been thinking? And why the hell had she turned off the recording like that, right in the middle of his left-handed fun?

Talk about
strokus interruptus.

No matter all the reasons he gave himself for showing up at Chloe’s today, the bottom line was that he was here to see how far he could get Melanie to go. He’d spent the morning watching the tape again. And watching it one more time. Not because he’d needed a refresher; Melanie’s shadowed image had imprinted itself on his brain the first time he’d popped the tape into the VCR and hit Play.

He’d watched because he knew he’d be seeing her today. And because he couldn’t reconcile her shadowy seduction with the woman who worked in a black-and-white office and wore work clothes that were dull and ugly and drove him nuts for wanting to strip them away. Especially after that yellow thing she’d been wearing at the wedding.

That outfit had been all he’d seen when she walked through the sanctuary doors and into his camera’s LCD view screen. He’d followed her progress down the aisle and watched the way her body moved, bouncing beneath the nearly sheer top that was as loose and flowing as her short skirt was tight.

The contrast was definitely the sort of which his professional eye took notice. But it was her body underneath that grabbed his more primal attention. That, and the way the heels she’d been wearing did what heels were supposed to do to a woman’s ass and long legs.

For weeks he hadn’t been able to get that image out of his mind, and now that he’d seen her take her clothes off…forget it. The shadowed striptease had turned him on even more than watching her walk down the aisle.

He hadn’t realized how much until he’d been putting together the outtakes in an effort to point out how far over the professional line she’d stepped that day. She’d encroached on his artistic territory, tried to run his show.

He’d wanted her to see that she’d been just plain wrong, that her issues with control weren’t doing her any favors. And he’d always been a hell of a lot better at showing than he’d ever been at telling.

Well, apparently, not this time.

He supposed he deserved the bump-and-grind gauntlet she’d thrown in his face. Melanie had been pissed off enough at his effort to come right back and turn the tables. And she’d done a damn fine job.

The three faces of Melanie Craine just didn’t click. She’d been a witch wearing yellow, a tease in severe office black, a vamp wearing nothing at all. And he was about to get hard again, dammit. So he pushed away thoughts of Melanie and pushed open the gate of the eight-foot cedar fence into Chloe and Eric’s backyard.

The crowd was huge, the pool inviting, the air humid and hot. He wanted a cold beer in a very bad way
and he wanted to see his sister, but he didn’t want anything half as bad as he wanted to get his hands on Melanie Craine.

P
USHING BACK LONG STRANDS
of curling chestnut hair from her face, Renata Faulkner handed Eric Haydon a plate of burgers ready for the grill.

He was a nice guy, but definitely not a guy she would’ve expected to find living with Chloe Zuniga. Though it seemed time had indeed healed all wounds, the Chloe whom Renata had known had always been too hard-core, bitterly sullen and punk. And here was Eric, amazingly all-American.

Then again, maybe there was more truth than Renata had ever wanted to believe to the theory of opposites attracting. It seemed to be working brilliantly for these two. Her reunion with Chloe might be but days old, yet Renata had seen enough to know her friend had found herself the real deal.

“Hey, thanks,” Eric said, trading her for a platter of burgers just short of well-done. “I see Chloe hijacked you into kitchen detail.”

Renata grinned. “She always was the bossy type. And definitely never one who took no for an answer when she wanted a big fat yes.”

“You’re not telling me a damn thing I haven’t spent a good year figuring out.” Eric dodged another blast of flame and smoke. “She’s a piece of work and then some.”

“C’mon now, sugar. Don’t be talking trash about your woman to her old friends.” Walking up and into the conversation, Chloe smacked Eric soundly on his denim-covered backside. “I’d rather Rennie remember me in my more precious incarnation.”

Renata laughed out loud. “Precious as a sliver of broken glass beneath the ball of a bare foot.”

Her arm snug around Eric’s waist, Chloe arched a brow sharply. “I can see leaving you two alone together is not going to be a good idea. A girl needs to know her secrets are safe rather than being shared for a laugh.”

Eric lowered the grill’s heavy lid, hooking an elbow around Chloe’s neck and gesturing with the barbecue tongs he held in the same hand. “C’mon now, princess. We’re not laughing at you. Only with you.”

“Right.” Chloe ducked out from beneath Eric’s arm and linked her fingers through Renata’s. “We’ll be leaving you now to your manly meat business.”

Eric sulked. “But I thought you liked my manly meat business.”

Chloe rolled her eyes as Renata laughed and let her old friend drag her away. “He’s such a doll. Wherever did you find him?”

“It was one of those six degrees of separation things. I knew Lauren, Lauren knew Anton, Anton knew Eric. Hmm. I guess that’s only three degrees,” Chloe amended, then shrugged and grimaced. “Five minutes. I need five minutes off my feet. I’ve been running like crazy for hours.”

Skirting the newly installed swimming pool, the women settled on opposite sides of the patio’s glass table beneath an umbrella of cream-and-green stripes. Propping her feet on the seat of a third chair, Chloe sighed in relief. “Anyway, Eric and I ended up paired for one of Macy’s gIRL gAMES. The rest, I suppose you can say, is history.”

Renata saw no need to hide her approval. “A period of history I wouldn’t mind studying in the least.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.” Renata looked toward Eric and smiled. She took a deep breath and shook her head appreciatively. “One of these days I am going to have to get myself one of those.”

“Shopping?” Chloe asked with a laugh.

“Definitely in the market. Though not in any sort of desperate, beat-the-sales-crowd rush.” Settling back into her chair, Renata turned her attention back to Chloe. “I’ve made it this long on my own, and don’t see any need to be stupid.”

“Hey, no one said you had to be stupid, though you’ve got to agree that we’re all entitled to a bit of questionable behavior between here and there. I’ve definitely been guilty of my fair share.” Chloe glanced in Eric’s direction again and Renata couldn’t help but wonder what thoughts were going through her girlfriend’s mind.

She followed the direction of Chloe’s gaze, skipping over Eric and frowning when she caught sight of a guest she couldn’t place from Chloe’s earlier introductions. A guest Renata had a hard time believing belonged.

He leaned against the trunk of the backyard’s massive oak tree, a Shiner longneck dangling from his fingers. His complexion brought to mind the Mediterranean, as did his dark hair, long and loose, hanging in twisted strands to skim his shoulders.

His attitude, however, made the biggest impression, his insolent expression that of the defiant boys Renata saw so often at school. Yet it was more. A sort of wary regard, as if he was protecting his back while keeping a distrustful eye on the enemy camp. She
found it hard to look away—a strange response, because she’d never been taken in by the renegade type.

“Who is that?” she asked, nodding in his direction when Chloe looked back to see who she meant.

“Oh. Patrick Coffey, Ray’s brother. You met Ray, right? Sydney’s Ray?” And that was all she said.

Renata wanted to know more. “Hmm. He looks like he’d rather be swimming in the comfort of shark-infested waters.”

“He’d definitely be more at home if he were.” Chloe frowned. “I’d say he’s harmless but I’m not sure that he is. And it’s really a long story.”

“Shortcut it for me.” Now Renata really wanted to know more.

Chloe pulled her feet close to her body and wrapped her arms around her bare knees. “I see you’ve still got that dog-with-a-bone thing going on.”

“A skill that comes in handy for divining deep dark secrets.”

“I’m keeping track here, you know. A month of gUIDANCE gIRL mentoring for every sordid detail.”

“We’ll talk contract issues later. Just tell me about Patrick.”

Chloe rolled her eyes and gave up. “Patrick’s been home about a year now, I guess, after being held by—get this—real-life Caribbean pirates. I kid you not. It was really a rough few years for Ray.”

“And for Patrick, too, I’d think.” Pirates? How out of this world was that?

Chloe shrugged. “I’m guessing so. But since he hasn’t said a word about it, no one really knows.”

“He hasn’t talked to anyone?” This couldn’t be a good thing. “It’s something he ought to consider do
ing, to an impartial professional if he doesn’t want to talk to his brother.”

“Well,” Chloe began, slowly tightening her persuasive noose, “since he shows up at the office with Ray from time to time, you could make him your first gUIDANCE gIRL subject.”

Renata laughed. “In case you haven’t noticed, Chloe, there’s nothing girlish about Patrick.”

Chloe waved her off. “Yeah, yeah. That’s beside the point.”

“You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”

“Not a chance. Not after being subjected to your all-night, Rennie-knows-best sessions in high school.” Chloe’s teasing expression grew serious, her wide violet eyes misty and warm. “You were there when I needed you, and I’ve never forgotten.”

Renata reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “I’m so glad you ran into Jacob. I can’t believe I haven’t been around for so much of what’s happened in your life. I’ve really missed you.”

Chloe squeezed back. “Me, too. And I didn’t even realize that you were probably a lot of what I felt was missing in my life before I found Eric. But now that I have the both of you…talk about the best of both worlds.”

Renata laughed. “Well, I hope you continue to think that way after you’ve worked with me. The kids I deal with? I know better than to involve myself too much in their problems. I have to be able to sleep at night. And that means I end up taking out my frustration on close friends.”

She said it with a quirk of her mouth, thinking back to friends who were now enemies, as well as those
who were no longer lovers for that very reason. Then she wondered if she’d learned her lesson, or if she was now putting Chloe into a direct line of not-so-friendly fire by agreeing to work with her.

Chloe only smiled, her lips frosted her trademark pink. “Isn’t that what friends are for? I know I’ve unloaded on Mel more than a few times. She usually smacks me around until my head’s on straight and then we move forward.”

“I guess I’m just giving you fair warning. If I claw your eyes out after a particularly rough day, don’t take it personally.”

“Oh, but clawing is on Chloe’s list of fetish favorites,” said a deep male voice from above her head.

T
HE MAN RUFFLED A HAND
over Chloe’s hair, lowering his body into the chair where she’d rested her feet only minutes before. Renata could do nothing but calmly look on and try to remember to breathe.

He stood a good head taller than the other men here, but it was neither his height nor his impressive build that rendered her speechless. Her tongue had been tied by no more than his presence, by that indefinable quality allowing powerful men to command attention with no effort at all.

She did seem to be the only one starstruck, however. Chloe wasn’t the least bit hesitant or shy; she barely let the man get seated before shoving him hard in the chest. He didn’t budge or flinch or even wobble in his seat.

So she shoved him a second time for good measure. “You scare me like that again and you won’t be able to walk for a week, buster.”

All the man did was grin. “You and your cotton candy threats.”

Chloe’s glare finally withered. She rolled her eyes, her mouth twisting into one of her genuinely rare smiles. “Cotton candy, my ass.” Shaking her head, she made introductions. “Rennie, this is my brother, Aiden Zuniga. Aiden, Rennie Faulkner.”

Again, Aiden ruffled Chloe’s hair. This time he
earned himself a punch to the shoulder before he turned his gaze and grin on Renata. He rubbed at the spot where Chloe’s fist had made contact. “Renata, right? You went to school with Chloe.”

“Did I know you then?” she asked, knowing full well she’d have remembered this one if he’d been around. That grin. Those eyes. Oh, my. Oh…my. The other Zuniga boys—Colin and Richard and Jay—had been in and out and around the house during those years, but Aiden? No, she’d have remembered him.

Aiden shook his head in answer. “I don’t think so. But then, I wasn’t home very often.”

“You weren’t home ever,” Chloe accused, propping her feet on her brother’s lap. He grabbed her ankle and teasingly threatened to toss her away. “I totally blame Aiden’s abandonment for all my psychological issues.”

One of Aiden’s brows went up. “And, knowing the way your little mind works, no doubt for the national debt, homelessness and Tom and Nicole’s divorce.”

Chloe huffed. “That last one you could’ve gotten to a little sooner, you know. Before I hooked up with Eric would’ve been nice.”

Renata couldn’t help but grin as she returned her gaze to Aiden, compelled to study him more closely while his sister held his attention.

His hair, she decided, had once been blond but had darkened with time to a rich golden-brown. Like buttered wheat toast, or a jug of tea steeping in the sun. His eyes were the dark blue Chloe’s would be if not for her penchant for violet-colored contact lenses. The blue of big sky country, Renata mused, her thoughts spurred by his Wild-West look.

He wore jeans that had been cut from a bolt of
denim, but had faded and softened to what she imagined would be the texture of an aged patchwork quilt. His round-toed boots were black, the heels flat, the leather superb. Turquoise snaps closed a short-sleeved white shirt across his broad chest. A silver belt buckle lay flat against his abs.

She had to stop with the cowboy fantasy because she was finding it difficult to breathe evenly. And because Aiden leaned forward, breaking the spell.

“Chloe’s exaggerating about the abandonment, you know.” He gave his sister a grin of pure sibling affection, one Renata recognized because she shared the same with Jacob.

One that gave an oomph to the already sizzling attraction humming beneath the surface of her skin. Oh, yeah. This one she was definitely going to like—a lot.

Aiden went on. “She enjoyed being spoiled and learned too damn early what a sucker I was for her little-girl pout.”

“I am not spoiled, and I do not pout.” Chloe sat back, stretched out her legs beneath the table, crossed her arms and pouted.

Aiden looked to Renata for support and she laughed.

“Uh-uh. I know better than to take sides. Besides,” she added, turning her gaze Chloe’s way, “there’s a lot to be said for the consistency of human nature. If you’ll remember, I spent more than a few years watching you at work. I know that pout well.”

“Oh, fine.” With a huff that was not quite believable, even less so because of her impish grin, Chloe got to her feet. “You’d think a girl could get a little respect at her own party. But no. It’s turned into dump-on-Chloe day.”

“That girl is some piece of work,” Aiden said as his sister stomped off, leaving him with a teasing wink.

Renata settled more comfortably into her chair, owing the other woman in a major way for offering up the one-on-one time with Aiden. “I’m sure she’ll be back once she gets that out of her system.”

“You know Chloe. All bark, very little bite.”

“You have to say that. You’re her brother,” she said, and brought her gaze back to Aiden’s face. She really did like the twinkle in his eyes.

“True,” he agreed, nodding. “And I figured I’d better be nice since she took the hint and left like a good sister.”

“Hint?” Renata asked as her heartbeat did a tumbling blip.

“Yeah. I gave her a nice swift kick beneath the table.” He said it without apology or the slightest hint that he was pulling Renata’s leg.

She didn’t know what to think other than admitting a burning curiosity to know if she’d truly captured Aiden’s interest or was only witnessing Chloe’s brother on the make. “Hmm. I don’t seem to remember her coming to school with bruised shins. This must be a communication method you’ve worked on over the years.”

He pressed his lips together in a wry smile. “That
was
pretty lame, wasn’t it?” he admitted.

She nodded. “It’s nice to see a man willing to own up to a failed attempt to impress.”

“Damn. And here I was hoping I’d succeeded.”

She wasn’t about to tell him exactly how well he had. She quite liked the idea of a man being smitten
to the point of playing the fool. “I’m game if you want to give it another try.”

Aiden sat forward in his chair and leaned toward her. He studied her face for a minute and then boldly took hold of her fingers where her hand rested on the tabletop. He rubbed his thumb from her knuckles to her nails. “Why don’t I get us a drink while we wait for Eric to figure out what he’s doing with that grill?”

Renata smiled, curling her hand into a fist in her lap when he released her. “Thanks. A beer would be great.”

“A beer I can handle. Not exactly impressive, but doable.”

The sight of him walking away was worth having had to let go of his hand. She’d never understood the appeal of a cowboy the way she did now. What was it about the fit of denim over lean hips and long legs, the strength in that long, rangy stride? Not to mention the perfect taper to his waist from his broad, muscled back.

From out of nowhere came the urge to skate her palms from his shoulders all the way to the tops of his thighs, where she’d linger. And play. And explore…taking pleasure in the secrets behind the copper buttons of his fly.

He was back in seconds with two ice-cold bottles. She sipped, enjoying the earthy chill, but not anywhere close to the way she’d enjoyed the movement of his body or her rather prurient fantasy. Or even the way she now enjoyed Aiden watching her tongue flick at the moisture on her lips.

Finally, he drank, his throat working hard as he swallowed. Her heartbeat thudded and awareness shimmered in the heavy afternoon heat.

“Tell me what I’ve forgotten about you,” he said, and she couldn’t help but grin.

“Tell me what you remember, since I have absolutely no idea what you know.”

He laughed. “I do know the boys said Chloe actually studied when you were around.”

“I guess that’s a good thing, though it makes me sound like I had nothing but school on my mind.” Renata tilted her head, tilted the longneck, thought back to the past. “I wasn’t any more of a bookworm than Chloe, to be honest. It was just a case of convincing her that without the grades, neither one of us would be going anywhere.”

He drank again, his eyes focused intently on hers as he raised, then slowly lowered his bottle. “Chloe told me you’re a school psychologist now. On the west side?” When she nodded, he went on. “Why a school district instead of private practice?”

“I like the kids. I like being there where they can find me, where they need me.
When
they need me.” She ran her fingertip around the beer bottle’s mouth. “It’s hard to believe it’s been less than a dozen years since I was there myself.”

Aiden was quiet for a minute, his thoughts hidden even while his eyes showed his mind hard at work. Renata didn’t try to hazard a guess as to what he was thinking. For a reason that had no basis but the churning of nerves in her stomach, she didn’t want to know.

But none of that mattered when she sensed he was looking into her past, seeing all the times she’d wished for someone to talk to. The times when she and Jacob had been left at home, had tried to be all the family the other needed but, more often than not, had failed.

A carefree grin lifted both corners of Aiden’s oh-
so-yummy mouth. “Your kids must be glad to have you on their side.”

Renata laughed. “I’m not always on their side. Trust me. The choices some of them make?” She shook her head. “I’m amazed they manage to get to campus, period, much less on time. And forget having finished their homework.”

Aiden laughed. “Sounds like you were looking over my shoulder while I dragged myself through high school.”

She gave a wry smile. “Actually, I was thinking about Jacob.”

“Jacob?”

“My brother. He’s the reason I hooked up with Chloe again. He’s a videographer, working on the gIRL-gEAR documentary. They ran into one another at the office.” She glanced around the large backyard, searching the noisy and milling crowd. “He’s supposed to be here, but I can’t say I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t show.”

Aiden leaned back in his chair, squaring an ankle over the opposite knee. He continued his concentrated study of her face. “You know your brother’s habits well, do you?”

“I should, considering all the years I spent exploiting his weaknesses so I could get my way.” Renata offered a hint of a grin in response to the intensity of his stare. The silence between them thickened as she waited for him to respond to her admission.

Finally, he did, wiping condensation from his bottle with his thumb before his gaze snagged hers and held. “Is this where I say I like a woman who goes after what she wants?” he asked.

She touched her tongue to the bow of her upper lip,
wondering if he’d just invited her to act on her recent fantasies. Wondering, too, if her eyes had given her away. “Jacob will be the first to tell you that I don’t always get it.”

“You two sound pretty close,” Aiden said with a curious interest.

She gave a slight shrug while rotating her bottle on the table. “We fought like crazy, but, yeah, we’re close. Growing up, we were all the other had a lot of the time.”

Aiden frowned. “Where were your parents?”

“Working. Traveling. In their case, one and the same.” Funny how he had her admitting things she’d worked half her life to put out of her mind. “It got old, trying to be a kid at the same time I was having to be an adult.”

“And now you help other kids deal with the same pressures.”

“Except that the kids I work with are a hell of a lot more grown-up than either Jacob or I had to be at that age.”

“You’re lucky to have him.”

“Yeah,” she admitted. “I am.”

“Listen, Renata.” Aiden leaned forward, his elbows braced on his knees. He gestured with one hand while his longneck dangled between his legs from the fingers of the other. “I don’t want to break up Chloe’s party, but I want to see you. Away from here. Where we can talk without sweating our asses off. Let me take you to dinner.”

“Tonight?” Her voice didn’t even squeak. Amazing. “Have you seen the amount of food we’re expected to eat this afternoon?”

“Coffee, then.” He smiled that full-dimple, seduc
tively unnerving smile. “I’ve yet to meet a woman able to turn down Starbucks.”

She laughed without spilling but a drop or two of giddiness. “We can do that. Or we can wait until tomorrow. I might actually have room for coffee by then.”

This time he grimaced. “I won’t be here tomorrow. I have a buyer coming to look at a quarter horse at noon. I’m heading home first thing.”

Heading home.
Heading home.
Renata wondered if the color she felt draining from her face was visible. “You don’t live in town?”

He shook his head. “I’m between San Antonio and Austin. Not a lot of room in Houston to raise horses.”

So the cowboy look wasn’t affected. No wonder he pulled it off so well. “I had no idea.”

“Good. That means my sister hasn’t given away all of my secrets.”

“No. She hasn’t.” But it sure would’ve been nice if Chloe had at least pointed out how far away Aiden lived. “Actually, she didn’t even mention that you’d be here today.”

“I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get away.” He reached again for Renata’s hand, cupping her fingers into his palm and stroking their length with his thumb. “But I’m damn glad I made the effort.”

“So am I.” And she was, even if his revelation had shifted the dynamics of where they’d been headed. Moments ago she’d been intrigued by the possibilities. Now she knew they’d never share more than this physical attraction.

And that was fine. Better to know where she stood than to fall head over heels for a man who wouldn’t be lying next to her in bed at the end of a long hard
day. After so many years alone with only Jacob on her side, she’d vowed never to suffer a long-distance relationship.

But she wouldn’t say no to having a little cowboy fun from time to time. “And, yes. Thank you. Coffee tonight would be perfect.”

“L
ISTEN
, M
EL
,” Chloe began, dragging Melanie away from the table of food to the far side of the backyard and shoving a beer bottle into her hand. “You and Jess are nothing but friends, right? So lose the long face already. He had to work. It can’t be helped.”