Whetted Appetites (8 page)

     Dalton chose a white petit four.  It looked liked a carrot intricately designed on top of the small cake.

     He chewed.  Carrot cake with a cream cheese center and frosting.  He nodded approvingly as he finished.

     “Would you like to try anything else?”

     Dalton mediated, wondering if it was wise to indulge in too many fattening sweets.  “Okay.  Just one more.  I’m sure these have more calories than a day’s worth of meals.  As great as they are, I would fatten up fairly quickly if I ate this every day.”  He pointed to a small brownie.

     She gave it to him.  “It’s true that they’re very decadent,” she acquiesced as she watched him bite down on the brownie.  It was filled with fudge and caramel.  “They are sinfully sweet.  And, you couldn’t eat them whenever you wanted to without paying for it later on the scales.” She moved closer to him.  “But it’s the temptation of them.  It’s like something you want so badly but you know you have to wait for it.  Just the smell or sight of them is enough to……whet your appetite.  When you finally sink your teeth into it, it hits all your senses,” she concluded in a sultry whisper.

     Dalton caught the double meaning.  He could see her every day for two weeks but he couldn’t have her until Friday no matter how much his hormones begged him to jump in and take her.  He’d have to wait to get something that he wants right now.  He would wait out the two weeks and then he’ll get what he’s been waiting for.  Victoria.  Naked.  In bed.

     Dalton looked at her and whispered back, “Oh, I
know
it will be worth the wait, don’t you?”

     Victoria gulped.  “Definitely.”

     Dalton glanced at his watch.  “I better get going.  I’ll see you when I get off of work.  I think I want the caramel-fudge brownies for my mother,” he told her.  “A dozen should do it.”

     Victoria nodded.  “I’ll have them ready for you when you get here.  See ya later.”

     Dalton waved and walked out of the bakery.

     “Melissa.  Do you know what?”  Victoria said as she started wiping down the counters.  It was thirty minutes till closing.

     “What?”

     “Business is picking up faster than I anticipated.  I think it’s about time to hire some permanent help.  I know we have the temps but they can only help when they’re not working at their other jobs.”  She looked at Melissa, waiting to hear what she had to say about it. 

     Melissa closed the ledger and considered Victoria’s words carefully.  “You know, at first, I really loved being extremely busy.  But, eventually, you begin to feel the wear and tear of awfully long work days.  If we keep this up, we’re going to die of exhaustion.  I say, yes.  We hire some help.  I can put an ad out in the paper tomorrow.”  She got a piece of paper and held her pen above it.  “What and how much experience are we looking for?  Do we need a résumé and recommendations?”

     Victoria nodded.  “I don’t think we need a résumé for anyone willing to work the cash register or serve the baked goods.  I know there are teenagers looking for work during the summer and I think the experience will be a good thing.  It’ll be easy to train them to run the register.  We’ll need an impressive résumé for the ones who want to do any baking and decorating.  They will need at least two years of culinary experience.  We’ll have them come in and audition by preparing something for us to taste. I think we need three people for the register and food service and two more bakers.”

     Melissa jotted down the notes, folded the paper and stuffed it in her purse.  “How many references do we need from these people?”

     “Two from the servers and three from the bakers.”  Victoria stacked the cookie sheets and put them on the top shelf.

     “Do you mind if I go ahead and go to the newspaper office before they close so we can get this submitted as soon as possible?”

     Victoria waved her hand.  “Sure. Go ahead.  I’ll finish up.”

     Victoria started boxing up Dalton’s mom’s gift box of brownies when the door opened.  She looked up from her packing and saw Dalton grinning at her.

     “Hey.”  He looked at his watch.  “I made it just in time.  You’re closing in less than two minutes,” he stated.

     Victoria strode purposefully to the door and locked it with a knowing click.  “No.  We’re closing right now.”  She gazed up in his green eyes, stepped closer and kissed him squarely and boldly on the lips.  It was something she’s wanted to do since she saw him in his office.  He wanted to kiss her, too, but didn’t make the first move. 

     This was the twenty-first century. She thought
the hell
with it.
  She had no problems laying one on him first.

     Dalton had no trouble going with the flow once she initiated the kiss.  He cupped her cheeks in his hands and crushed his mouth more firmly to hers.

     Sweet Heaven, she was delectable.  She was hot with passion and right there with him.

     She wrapped her arms around his neck as he grabbed her by her waist to fit her body to his.

     Victoria brazenly deepened the kiss, darting her tongue in and out of his mouth.  It drove him crazy.  He was crazy with wanting her.  He nipped at her lips; ran the tip of his tongue on the outline of her sweet mouth.

     Dalton only meant to taste.  He only meant to take a small sip.  But she was far too intoxicating that he had to imbibe more of her honeyed desire.  Once a man tasted that, he was pretty much lost in the haze of ecstasy.

     Victoria was more that just fiery.  She was like molten lust.  Palpable fervor.  It threatened to burn every inch of him.  He’d gladly go down in flames for more of her mouth.

     Victoria melted into Dalton.  Everything and everyone except the two of them didn’t exist.  They were in their own blazing rapture.  Nothing else mattered but this kiss.  This powerful union of man and woman.

     Victoria forgot herself.  Forgot where she was.  What was she doing?  Only Dalton’s kiss mattered.  If he could kiss with this much skill, she could only imagine how he would perform in bed.  The mere thought of it made her panties wet with want.  Friday seemed so far away.

     She reluctantly broke the kiss, breathing as fast as Dalton.

     “I didn’t expect that,” Dalton admitted, a little shocked and aroused beyond belief.

     Victoria licked her lips, tasting the remnants of Dalton there.  “Expect a lot more to come.”

     “Just enough to whet my appetite, huh?” he whispered.

     “For now,” she promised.
    

Chapter Six

     Dora smiled as she wrapped her arm around Jake’s chest.  She sighed contently as she looked upon him, sleeping soundly.

     She would never have believed she could ever feel this way about another man again.  She didn’t exactly think she would find that special love again, not after her husband, Jeff, was killed so tragically.  So unexpectedly.

     She couldn’t help but think back to when she received
that
phone call from the local police department telling her that her husband had been in an accident.  Though she begged and p leaded, they would not tell her anything more over the phone.  She was enraged at the time for their reluctance to inform her thoroughly.  Looking back, she understood why they didn’t.

     Sheriff Blakely knew her relationship with Jeff.  He knew the loved they had shared.  It positively glowed when they were together.

     Sheriff Blakely was certain that she would have fainted or gone into hysterics.  Since she was alone in the house—her children were at the playground—she could have fallen and hit her head and injured herself.

     But the damage wouldn’t have been nearly as gut-wrenching as walking into the hospital, surrounded by disinfectant and despair, and having to identify your husband’s body.

     No.  The damage to her head would have been nothing compared to the ruin in her heart.

     Oh and how hard the children took it.  She grieved for her children as well as for the loss of Jeff.  They were just as disquieted and depressed as she was.  If not more.

     They all looked up to their father.  Especially Dalton.  He wanted to be just like his dad.  Loving, hard working and honest.

     Her heart clenched proudly at the thought of him now.

     Dalton unquestionably did his father proud.  Dora’s smile was bittersweet as a tear slipped onto her cheek.

     Dalton had worked so very arduously to be in the position he was in today.  President of his own company.

     Despite the fact that she hated for Dalton to work jobs at a very young age, she believed it has made him into the self-respecting man he is today.  If she had to go back and do it over again, she would have still let Dalton work.  He was dead set on making it on his own.  She was proud of his responsibility and determination she saw on his young, but saddened face.  He reminded her of his father so much.

     She worked hard as well.  Food stamps and help from the government just wasn’t enough.  Dalton knew all of the jobs she’d held.  All but one.

     Being a maid.  It was one of the toughest jobs.  Hurrying around to their every whim; their every need.  She had to admit she was a great maid, but was still looked down upon.  Not by the husband or even the child.  But the wife?

     She looked at me as if I were trash
, Dora mused morosely. 
All of that money and she still couldn’t buy a heart.

     Dora struggled to recall her former boss’s name.

     Brandon.  Brinton.  Brantley.  Bradley.

     Dora shot up from the bed.  Bradley!  Yes.  She was sure of it.  Bradley.

     Dora furrowed her brows.  Didn’t Dalton mention going to a bakery owned a Victoria Bradley? 

     Yes.  He most certainly did.

     She leaned back, glad she didn’t rouse Jake.  How could she?  He could sleep through a hurricane.

     Victoria…..yes.  She remembered the sweet, shy little girl she had been a personal said to.  She felt almost like a second mother to her.  Her own mother was too busy ordering people around and spending money on her house or herself.  Mostly on herself. 

     The poor child had all the luxuries in the world but the one luxury she didn’t have was the one that couldn’t be bought or forced.

     A mother’s love.

     A child doesn’t care about the cost of her new doll.  A child doesn’t want to buy the most expensive toy in the store.  What a child wants and needs from her parents is their unconditional love and devotion.  Giving the child attention doesn’t cost a penny; just some time every day.

     Love should be given freely.  It doesn’t have a price tag.  It could be given anywhere, any time.  As well it should be.

     The one thing that cost nothing, yet Mrs. Bradley couldn’t seem to afford it. 

     What a shame.

     When Jeff died, it had left Dora with practically nothing financially but she had all the love from her children that she felt richer than the wealthiest kings and queens.

     She wondered how Victoria was doing.  Would she even remember her?  Would she even care?

     Victoria was a sweet girl, but growing up around snobby, rich, self-absorbed people could have changed her.  Money changed people.  Sometimes, not for the better.

     Dora remembered her mother telling her a quote from the bible:  “The love of money is the root of all evil”.

    
Amen to that one
.

     Dalton had money now and was financially secure but he wasn’t evil by any means.  He didn’t have a contemptuous bone in his body.  But Dalton wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth.  He worked his way to the top.  He didn’t throw around his name or his money to stay there either. He didn’t Lord his success over people or berate them to get his way.  He was fair but was no push-over.

     After her vacation, she would go visit Dalton for a day or two and introduce him to Jake.  If it was possible, she would like to see Victoria again.

     She hoped Victoria was the same charming girl she once had known.  If not, Dalton deserved a hell of a lot better.

     She hated being skeptical but when she’s seen firsthand what money did to a person, who wouldn’t help wonder.  Money weakened some people’s morals; made them do things they normally wouldn’t do.  All for the sake of the almighty dollar.

     She sat back on her pillow and smiled.  She was sure Victoria was a good person.  After all, Dalton seemed taken with her.

     “I hope that smile means you’re happy to be with me,” said a sleep-roughened voice.

     Dora leaned to kiss Jake’s forehead.  “It sure does.”

     Jake pulled her into an embrace.  “Good.  Because I’m happy with you, too.”

     Dalton cracked his eyes open to the sun shining brilliantly through the curtains in his bedroom.

     “Ah,” he said lazily as he stretched his arms over his head and cracked a jaw-splitting yawn.