Pleasuring Anne (3 page)

“Which is why this situation is so wonderfully romantic and a complete no brainer. You want him, he wants you. Go get your freak on with the detective.”

“Doing just that is all I’ve been able to think about since he walked into my living room. However, the term trollop keeps running through my mind.”

“Oh my God, who uses that word anymore?”

“It’s actually tamer than some of the others I’ve thought of.” Anne took a sip of her stone-cold coffee.

“Well, stop it,” Ellen said firmly. “Let’s stay in the twenty-first century, shall we?”

“This whole thing is so far out of my wheelhouse, Ell, you know that.”

“Yep, I sure do.” Ellen collected their bowls and took them to the sink. “You called me over here. Get ready ‘cause I’m about to drop some serious pearls of wisdom.” She returned to the table.

“Lay ‘em on me.”

“It’s because throwing caution to the wind where men are concerned isn’t your normal way that makes this situation so special. Something about this guy caused you to let down your guard a hot second after meeting him. Trust your initial reaction, Anne. Don’t over think this. Have
fun
. If engaging in activities of the naked, dirty kind is what you want to do, you damn well better go for it, because if you don’t, you’ll always wonder what might have been.”

“You’re the best.” Anne hopped up out of her chair. “My confidence is increasing already.”

“Then my work here is done.”

“No, not yet. I’m suddenly feeling the need to hit the mall to purchase alluring undergarments and a new pair of jeans.”

* * * *

“How’d you get yours to stay up there?” Anne asked, watching her purple ball roll back down the steep incline for the second time.

“It’s all about control,” Garth answered as he moved to stand behind her. “You have to give it enough power to get up the hill, but not so much that it hits the back wall.” He pressed against her, slowly sliding his hands down her arms until they covered hers on the handle of the club. “Like this.”

Anne was grateful Garth guided her movements because all she wanted to concentrate on was his strong, hard body wrapped around hers and the subtle, spicy scent of his cologne. She almost missed seeing the ball go straight into the hole; almost.

“Go us!” Anne announced gleefully, turning in his embrace. Garth kept hold on the club with one hand and her hip with the other. Her heart fluttered.

“Oh, good, I get credit for it, too?” he asked with a devilish smirk.

“No way, mister, I’m already down two shots, and I don’t like to lose.”

“Then tighten up your swing, sweetheart.”

Garth gave her a little pinch then headed up the incline. Anne took her time following him. He looked damn fine in his black T-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. She was a great appreciator of the male ass, and his was to die for.

Being that it was a Wednesday morning in September, they were the only ones on the course and able to play at their own pace, which was turning out be an extremely leisurely one. There was as much chatting and flirting going on as there was golfing. She’d been a jittery mess when Garth had picked her up, but he’d put her at ease instantly, and now Anne was having more fun than she’d had in ages.

“How long have you been a detective?” She retrieved her ball from the hole and stood aside.

“Thirteen years, but I’ve been a cop for almost twenty-five.” He sank his putt.

“So you went into it right out of high school?”

“Nope, I did six years in the Marines first.” He casually took her hand in his as they went to the next green. “I’m forty-nine.”

“Thanks, trying to do the calculations in my head was giving me a tick.”

“Ask me anything you want, Anne. One of the reasons I decided this was a good choice for our first time out together is because it gives us the chance to talk and get to know each other.”

“Okay, you’re not married or anything, right?”

Garth stopped dead in his tracks. “I wouldn’t be on a date with you if I were,” he stated firmly.

She hadn’t meant to insult him, but his somber expression and tone made it clear she had. “Oops, sorry, my relationship baggage is showing. Charlie wasn’t my first dating disaster.”

“You can always count on honesty from me, and I’ll never do anything intentionally to hurt you.” He gently squeezed her fingers. “I’ve been married twice. My first wife and I split when our son Greg was eight; he’s now a senior in college. My second marriage was a mistake from the start and short in duration, two facts I’m not at all proud of. We’ve been divorced for six years.” He let go of her hand and motioned her to begin play on the next hole.

Garth’s openness was incredibly refreshing, extremely appealing and put her more at ease to talk about her own life. “At the ripe old age of twenty, I had a two-year-old daughter and an ex who was more interested in finding himself than working to pay child support.”

“Damn, I can’t even fathom how difficult that must have been for you.”

“It certainly wasn’t a walk in the park, but my parents helped a lot and so did friends. Bethany’s on her own now and one hell of a young woman.” Anne hit her ball with purpose.

“I bet she is. Look at her mom.”

Anne flushed at his praise. “Thanks,” she replied softly. “So what do you like doing when you’re not ridding our fine city of crime?”

“Fishing and building things are tops on my list of enjoyable activities.”

She was grateful when he rolled with the flow instead of commenting on her abrupt subject change.

“When the housing market tanked, I was able to buy an incredible, five-acre parcel on a small lake north of Lapeer. The house is structurally sound despite being over a hundred years old, and I’m restoring the interior one room at a time.”

“That sounds more like work to me.”

“Naw, tearing down shit so I can fix and build new shit makes me very happy, and a big part of the fun is in sourcing the materials. I’m doing my best to use recycled or repurposed supplies whenever possible. I’m planning to retire from the force next year and can’t wait to have time to concentrate on my hobbies.”

“Can I offer a piece of unsolicited advice?” she asked while sending her ball deftly around a water hazard.

“Please do and nice shot,” he added.

“I was the office manager for a crazy-busy pediatric practice until nine months ago. Even though I have my writing and all sorts of other things to do, I still sometimes miss the structure and stimulation of interacting daily with other people. I can’t imagine what it will be like for you when you leave the stress of having your life on the line.” Anne started her next swing.

“Perhaps I can provide you with a different kind of structure and stimulation.”

If they’d been playing on real grass, Anne would have dug a giant divot. Instead, she stumbled forward due to the force in which the head of her club hit the solid ground many inches away from her ball. Mercifully, Garth rushed forward, catching her before she face-planted.

“That stroke counts,” he said, pulling her flush against him with one arm.

“Yah, on
your
card, cheater,” she replied, slapping him on the shoulder with her free hand.

“Cheater? What rule did I break?”

“The one that says a player can’t shock another when they’re in the process of taking a shot.” She tried to frown but couldn’t hold it as his lips twitched up.

“I’m unfamiliar with that one. Do you have the rulebook on you, by any chance?”

Anne heard his club hit the ground before he rubbed his palms along the front pockets of her jeans.

“Nope, not here,” he said quietly.

His hands moved scandalously lower on her abdomen. Anne let her club slip from her grasp and grabbed onto his upper arms. Garth reached behind her to the pockets on her butt, slipping his fingers inside. She wrapped her arms around his neck and met him halfway when he leaned in to kiss her. As with the first time, his mastery of her mouth had her wet and wanting instantly.

“Uh, sorry, what was I looking for?” he whispered against her ear after ending their kiss with a sexy groan.

“It’s going to be really embarrassing if we get escorted off the premises for lewd behavior,” Anne answered, breathing heavily.

“Killjoy.” Garth kissed the top of her head and took a step back. “Fine, I’ll do my best to control myself out in the open, but all bets are off when we get to number eighteen, the hole with the cave.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Hey, you told me you’d never been here before.”

“I haven’t. There’s a layout of the course on their website. That particular feature was why I chose this one. Did you know there are eight miniature golf courses in the general vicinity between your house and mine?”

Anne wondered how she was supposed to continue on with the game. Garth’s expert ability to switch back and forth between casual conversation and decadent flirting had butterflies dancing in her stomach and moisture dampening her panties. His devilish expression as she completely blew the next hole left no doubt that he knew exactly what effect he had on her. The fact that he had to prompt her to continue telling a story was further proof of how he scrambled her brain.

“So you manage the doctor’s office from home? How does that work?”

“No, now I do payroll, audit invoicing and patient billing and make myself available to help and support the new part-time manager. I put in twenty hours online a week max and attend the monthly staff meeting. It’s a great setup for all concerned. The practice is saving money, I’m not putting in sixty hours a week anymore, but I get to stay on their benefits.”

Anne held her breath as she watched Garth’s ball roll around the rim of the next hole, dangle dramatically for a split second then drop in, taking him up yet another shot. “You’re quite a lucky guy this morning.”

“Actually, my luck turned two days ago when an amazing woman opened her front door.”

“I can’t believe you delivered that line with a straight face,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“It’s the truth.” He stepped off the green and leaned against one of the fake trees decorating the course. “Tell me about Victoria DeMallen.”

“Believe it or not, she’s the product of my intense, and I might add early, midlife crisis. In a very short period of time, Bethany got married, I had a couple of health issues, Bethany got pregnant and things were changing at my offices. My nest was empty, I was about to be a grandmother and I had no fucking idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life; especially, if I lost the only job I’d had since college.”

“So you just whipped off critically acclaimed books?”

“Why Detective Slaiter, I think you checked out my website.” Anne walked passed him, adding a little spring to her step. “My daughter designed my logo and maintains the site. Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful, but I’m dying to hear
why
you chose to write in the genre you do.”

She didn’t miss his emphasis; she made a choice to avoid it. How could she adequately explain the deeply personal nature of her stories to a man she was just getting to know?

“I’ve always been an avid reader. In one week, I picked four books that, in my opinion, were utter crap. I complained
ad nauseam
to my best friend, and she dared me to try write something better. How was I supposed to turn that down? I subbed my first manuscript three months later. It was accepted, and I was blessed with an editor who had the patience of a saint. She saw raw talent and took the time to teach me so much. I then threw myself into learning the craft and writing more stories. The rest, as they say, is history.”

“Obviously you’re extremely driven and focused, two qualities I greatly admire. I can’t figure out why, though, you’re blatantly avoiding answering my question?” Surprise filled his voice. “I’ve read three of your short stories and
Connie’s Cops
. They’re fantastic, Anne. I can’t wait to read the rest.”

“Wow, thanks, I, um, well, hell,” she stammered, gaping at him as shock and monumental pride rendered her momentarily speechless.

“The characters and settings are well developed, the dialogue is natural, and I love your humor.” Garth led off the next hole. “I’ve learned a great deal about you.”

“I write fiction, Garth, nothing more,” Anne replied, smiling brightly as she played her ball.

“Bullshit.”

He’d read all of the excerpts on her website. Her books ranged in length from twenty-some pages to around one hundred. They all had very different plots, settings and number of characters. He sure as shit hadn’t expected the stories to share a key similarity. Each of Anne’s strong, successful, independent heroines had suppressed or unrealized sexual submissive yearnings and a history of choosing men who didn’t fulfill them. He was no expert in romance novels, but he never doubted his gut instincts. She was writing her fantasies and her history. Her books were about as personal as they could get. Why else would she revisit the same core issues?

“I guarantee you, Garth, that I’ve never left the planet, and to the best of my knowledge, I’ve not met a vampire or were-anything.” Anne graced him with a drop dead gorgeous grin when she gained a stroke. “And I’m not now, nor have I ever been, limber enough to do the nasty with multiple partners.”

“You do write damn fine, and may I add impressively inventive sex scenes, but we both know the main component of your stories goes far deeper than that,” Garth said, walking to her. He trailed the tip of his index finger from beneath her chin to the base of her throat. His dick hardened when goose flesh rose along her skin. “Tell me you’re not writing your own desires, Anne.” He watched her pupils dilate as she stared at him.

“I can’t,” she admitted quietly.

The honesty mixed with the vulnerability reflecting in her eyes, her voice and her stance as she leaned slightly forward rocked him to his core. He gently caressed the side of her neck. “Then allow yourself to experience what you’re longing for. You don’t have to hide or hold back with me.”

“I’ve been hiding and holding for a long time,” she replied playfully.

“I promise I’ll make it worth your wait.” Garth gave her a quick, hard kiss. “But we must get back to our game. There are two holes left before the cave.” He pointed ahead to the right. “Let’s build the suspense a bit, shall we? From now on, we alternate shots. I’ll go first.”