Pleasure for Pleasure (7 page)

“You're supposed to let the gentleman do that, you know.”

“We're not on a date. You don't have to be polite.”

He opened his mouth to speak but the words must have frozen in his throat, because just at that moment his gaze dropped to her chest. Even by the dim light of
a nearby street lamp, he must have been able to see exactly what she'd intended him to see.

She repressed a satisfied smile and pretended not to notice his staring.

“You shouldn't be out in public like that.”

“It's just you and me.”

He took a step closer and pinned her in place with his gaze. “You wouldn't be playing the tease with me, would you?”

“Me? Teasing you? After what you did to me last night?” She smiled and slid one hand up his chest. “You bet I am.”

J
OSIE WAS CLOSE ENOUGH
that Trent could see the tiny bumps on her skin from the chill in the night air—and the far more obvious bumps created by her hardened nipples. It took all his willpower not to reach out and touch her there, to trace the dark circles visible through the lace on her top, to pull her close and do things to her he knew would take the chill away.

“That cat had better be missing for real,” Trent muttered.

Her expression changed instantly from seductive to worried. “Of course he is. I wouldn't fake something like that. Unlock the building so I can look inside.”

Trent dug the key out of his pocket and went to the front door, noting the lack of a cat in the center's front window. Eros was almost always there, watching outside.

Josie called, “Eros? Here, Eros! Dinnertime, kitty-kitty-kitty!” Her footsteps closed in behind him. “I hope he's just lying low somewhere pouting because I bought him the wrong kind of food.”

The concern in her voice touched him. He'd never known she had a soft spot for animals. As a kid she'd always cowered away from Trent's childhood mutt. Granted, Amos had been a huge dog, but most of the neighborhood kids had run up to pet the harmless beast,
while Josie had acted as if at any moment he might decide she was dinner.

They entered the center and switched on some lights, calling for Eros as they moved toward the back.

“I'll get the Fancy Feast ready while you keep looking for him,” Josie called.

Trent went into Rafaela's office and switched on a light. “Here, kitty-kitty,” he said halfheartedly, sure the cat wasn't going to be found anywhere inside.

The photographs on the bookshelves behind the desk caught Trent's eye. He'd never noticed them before, so he slipped past the desk and studied the images framed in artsy sculpted metal. Rafaela, much younger, with a blond man that bore a striking resemblance to Josie, with his even features and deep brown eyes.

The next photo showed Rafaela, slightly older, her arm draped around the neck of a deeply tanned pretty-boy in a leather jacket. He skimmed the photos, which seemed to all be Rafaela with various boyfriends. The last one showed her with a tall, thin guy sporting a ponytail down his back. He was roughly half her age. This one must have been Peter, the latest male bimbo in her vast collection.

Trent shook his head and ducked back out of the office, switching off the light as he went. He'd always felt a little sorry for Josie, growing up with a mother so different from the norm. But, hey, this was San Francisco, where few people fit an all-American mold of normalcy. Still, that long line of men marching in and out of her life must have scarred her.

Josie had opened the back door of the building and was standing in the alley with a plate of cat food so rank Trent could smell it from where he stood. She was calling for Eros, with no success.

As Trent neared a closet, an odd feeling caused him to pause. He opened the closet door and there sat the missing cat, scowling at him as if Trent himself were responsible for his getting shut in there.

“Hey, little guy, you could have at least howled for us.”

In response, Eros flicked his tail and stalked out of the closet.

“Found him!” Trent called toward the back.

“Thank goodness.” Josie came running inside and dropped to her knees next to Eros, who sat licking one paw.

As Josie reached out to stroke his knobby black head, she expelled a string of dainty girl sneezes. Eros swatted at her hand, then bit her. Trent couldn't help laughing.

“Looks like he blames you for his confinement.”

“He blames me for everything. He must have slipped into the closet yesterday while Erika was vacuuming between afternoon and evening classes. He hates the vacuum cleaner.”

She rubbed the spot on her hand where he'd bit her.

“Eros is a perceptive cat. I think he knows you're not to be trusted with the opposite sex.”

Josie looked at Trent sideways, her tousled hair falling over one eye in a way that made him think of lazy Saturday-morning sex.

“Me? Not to be trusted?”

He twitched his eyebrows, crossed his arms over his chest. “That's right.”

“You're not still mad about Ocean Beach.”

This was the first time the subject of that ill-fated night had come up in the three years since it happened. Trent was almost surprised to hear her acknowledge it, finally.

“You are, aren't you? I owe you an apology.”

He had to admit, she looked sufficiently ashamed, but that didn't change the fact that she'd ditched him.

“I had to hitchhike home that night. Without my underwear,” he added.

“I didn't mean to keep them. They were under the passenger seat where I couldn't see them.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Really!” She blushed and there suddenly seemed nothing else to say about the matter.

They stood staring at each other, as the awkward silence grew longer and longer. Trent scrambled to think of all the things he'd envisioned himself saying to her when he finally got the chance. And now his memory was letting him down.

Josie finally said, “Listen, I just need to fill up Eros's dry food bowl and then we can go. I'm sorry to drag you out at this hour for a false alarm.”

“Don't think you're going to end this conversation that easily.”
Think. Think, man, think!

He followed Josie into the back room where she filled the cat's food and water bowls. Eros sat watching her every move, and when she finished he strolled over to the bowl, gave it a tentative sniff, and then attempted to bury it with one paw as if it was last week's kitty litter.

Trent positioned himself in the middle of the doorway, leaving her no escape route.

Josie held up her palms in surrender. “What can I do to make it up to you?”

He grinned. “I like this new submissive attitude.”

“Don't press your luck.”

What could she do, indeed? An image of the office
popped into his head. A large desk, an executive chair, an overstuffed couch… Hmm.

No, no, no, no, no. His body couldn't take another round of what he'd already endured with Josie so soon. He needed time to recover, to build up an iron will to fight her sexual charms.

But then his libido took over and he blurted, “I've got an office fantasy of my own, you know.”

“You do?”

Damn it! Why couldn't he have just kept his mouth shut?

The spark of interest in her eyes was all the encouragement his overtaxed libido needed.

“Come here.” He motioned her toward the office and she followed him.

He turned on a table lamp, his pulse racing as if he'd just gotten a girl alone for the first time. “Imagine this. You're the high-powered executive and I'm the nervous young intern.”

Her jaw sagged for a moment, and then she recovered. A look of pure mischief passed over her face. He'd hooked her.

His brain was still sending weak signals—
Run, run, run!
—but his dick had taken over all decision-making processes for the time being.

She repressed a smile. “That would hardly be appropriate, considering our professional arrangement.”

“Just last night you weren't so concerned with behaving appropriately.”

“And you were harping about how you didn't want to move too fast. What gives?”

Trent shrugged and tried to appear contrite. “Let's just say I haven't gotten much sleep since our first lesson.”

She beamed. “Sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, right. How about you consider this a bonus lesson?”

“How is acting out your favorite office fantasy a lesson?”

Trent did his best to look uncomfortable. He shifted his gaze to the floor, rubbed the back of his neck. “I've never been any good at role-playing in the bedroom. I've heard it can add, um, interest, or whatever.”

Josie took a deep breath. “Well, that's true. In a committed relationship, sometimes couples have to get creative in order to keep things fresh in the bedroom.”

Trent plastered on an earnest expression. “Then you'll be helping me out.”

He went to her, stood close enough that he could remove that scrap of a top she wore with one good tug.

For several moments she was silent, watching him, and then she began. “Have a seat, Mr…. O'Reilly, is it? Tell me what's brought you to my office.”

He sat, forcing himself not to think erotic thoughts. If he got too turned on by this game, he'd never be able to leave Josie hot and bothered again.

“I have a problem, Ms. Marcus,” he started tentatively. “I'm sorry to turn to you with it, but I didn't know where else to go.”

She shrugged off her denim jacket, giving him a prime view of her barely concealed breasts and creamy satin shoulders.

“I'm a busy woman, Mr. O'Reilly. I hope you can keep this short.”

“Oh, no, I'm sorry, ma'am. This could take a while.”

Her eyes dilated and she sat on the edge of the desk, looking a little unsteady on her feet. “How long?”

“Possibly all night.”

“Tell me what the problem is.”

“It's…you, Ms. Marcus. I just can't focus on work while you're walking around the office in that revealing top.”

She licked her lower lip. “Hmm. I think I know the solution to that.”

“Yes?”

“Come here, please.”

He stood and went to her, his erection already growing. His pulse raced the way a wild animal's must when it was trapped by a predator. The only difference was, Trent was the hunted and he didn't even have the sense to run.

She took his hand and pulled him to her. “It's time for your real internship to begin.”

Trent groaned as she slid one hand between them, cupped his cock in her palm, and squeezed gently through his jeans. When she began to work the zipper, he stepped back.

A warning bell had sounded in his head, but his ability to heed common sense was long gone.

“Ms. Marcus, if you don't mind, I'd like to show you what I've learned since coming here to your company.”

Josie smiled slyly. “I'm always interested in our up-and-coming talent.”

Trent winced at her pun, but not for long. His gaze caught on a glint of gold metal. He plucked a letter opener off the desk, then slipped it under one strap of Josie's camisole and tugged the bit of lace over her shoulder, baring her breast. Her nipple stood at attention, begging to be kissed, and it was an invitation he could no longer resist. He leaned over and tasted it, teasing with his tongue, sucking gently.

Oh, God, he was in trouble. Deep, deep trouble.

She arched her back, and her breath quickened as Trent traced her unexposed nipple with the side of the letter opener, and used his other hand to dip between her legs.

“May I show you what else I've learned, Ms. Marcus?”

“Please do,” she whispered.

He unfastened her jeans, pulled her up to a standing position, then tugged them down over her thighs. What was left in his way was a pair of black satin panties. Yeah, he was a goner. His whole damn revenge plan was out the window.

But when he turned her around to illustrate the many interesting uses of the common executive chair, Josie stiffened. His hands paused midstroke on her waist and he followed her line of vision to the display of Rafaela and her many boy bimbos.

“Oh, yuck,” Josie said. “Yuck, yuck, yuck.”

“How about I turn off the light?”

She shuddered, then turned to face him. Her complexion had paled. “I'm sorry, but… Ugh, seeing my mom there, and those guys… It just killed the mood.”

Trent started to protest, then caught himself. Common sense took hold and he realized how close he'd just come to ruining his chance at revenge.

“Completely understandable.” He trailed his fingers along her rib cage, then pulled her close. “This probably isn't the right time, anyway. I mean, I was letting my libido do the decision-making.”

Josie sank onto the edge of the desk, crossing her arms over her chest. “Why does my mother have to shack up with guys the same age as her own daughter?”

Trent shook his head and rubbed her arm. “Parents—
what do we do with them? You know, my dad dates women my age, too. Maybe he and your mother should get together and swap jailbait stories.”

Josie flashed a half smile. She stood up from the desk and retrieved her jacket from the floor, then shrugged it on. “Sorry to keep you out so late. We should get going.”

Trent nodded and followed her as she switched off lights and headed for the front door. Outside, he locked up the building and turned to find Josie staring up at the Lovers for Life Center sign above the door, looking wistful.

“I can't believe how long this place has been around,” she said.

“What's it been? Twenty years?”

“Twenty-two this fall. It just doesn't make any sense—all the work Mom put into this place, and then she just up and leaves it in near financial ruin, all for some bimbo guy.”

Trent frowned. “It does seem odd, even for Rafaela.”

Josie blinked, and if he wasn't mistaken, Trent could have sworn he saw some extra dampness in her eyes.

“I just don't want to see this place close. I used to hate it when I was a kid, but now—I know it sounds corny—it feels like a part of me would be lost if it shuts down.”

Guilt stabbed Trent in the gut. Josie had no idea how close she really was to the possibility of seeing the business close for good. The Lovers for Life Center's lease was up in two more months and before she'd left for Prague Rafaela had mentioned that she might not want to renew it. She'd also sworn Trent to secrecy on the subject.

The knowledge that one of his adjoining properties might soon become vacant, along with a tempting offer from the chain bookstore MegaBooks, presented Trent with a difficult decision to make. MegaBooks was willing to pay top dollar for the side-by-side properties where Lovers for Life and Extreme Sports were located, so that the bookstore chain could knock down the two buildings to build one of its monolithic stores right in the heart of an otherwise unique business district. Trent had to decide whether he was ready to close Extreme Sports and move to Tahoe, as he'd been halfheartedly planning.