by Carly Bloom
Maggie.
Ping!
Dropping his lunch back on the counter, he frantically dug his phone out of his pocket. Was Little Red Riding Hood ready for some early morning shenanigans?
Hey Big Guy. Hope you got some sleep last night.
Yep. The intelligent decision to never, ever sext Maggie again went straight out the window.
You know exactly how much sleep I got last night. I hope you learned your lesson.
He waited for her to text back, like a puppy panting for a treat.
My lesson about what?
She wanted to play dumb. Where was she right now? Sitting in her Jeep at the work site? Maybe she was in her office at Petal Pushers, with the door locked, the shades pulled, and a dirty little grin on her face as she egged him on.
Do you need another spanking? Who cared if he was late for work? Maggie was being a bad girl.
Who do you think you’re talking to?
He knew exactly who he was talking to. A very bad girl who needs another spanking. This time on her bare ass.
His mind hummed as he considered his options. Maybe he’d make her remove her panties and go commando. Nah. They’d already done that. Maybe he’d make her masturbate at work. He started to text, but she beat him to it.
I am a bad girl. It’s been a long time. I’m glad you remember.
His brow furrowed, and a sense of unease crawled up his spine. That didn’t make much sense. He squinted at the screen.
Holy shit. He was sexting Annabelle! He damn near dropped the phone. He had to think. The truth seemed to be the only option. I am so sorry. I thought you were somebody else.
He broke out in a delayed sweat as a wave of nausea washed over him. This was no game. What was he doing?
Too bad. If you ever need another ass to spank—or need a spanking yourself—you obviously have my number.
What should he say? No thanks. I’m full up on asses to spank. Seconds ticked by before he finally tucked the phone back into his pocket. Best to pretend it never happened. Maybe Annabelle would do the same.
* * *
Maggie poured coffee into her travel mug and grabbed her bag. She was late again! But the Big Bad Wolf hadn’t let her get any sleep.
She blasted through the door with Pop in pursuit. She needed to beat the dump truck. Otherwise, the driver would automatically dump the topsoil in the place farthest away from where it needed to go. Murphy’s Law ruled construction sites with an iron fist.
She’d call Travis. He was probably already there, and he could make sure the dirt was dumped in a convenient spot. She started the Jeep and her phone synced up with a pleasant chime. Time to give a shout out to her drunk girlfriend, Siri.
“Siri, please phone Travis.”
“Okay,” Siri said.
Maggie breathed a sigh of relief. Siri was being uncharacteristically cooperative.
“Calling Mavis now.”
Maggie slapped the steering wheel in frustration. “No. Not Mavis. Travis.” Mavis was her hairdresser. The last thing Maggie needed was a thirty-minute conversation during a fifteen-minute ride about why she wasn’t married.
“Who would you like me to call?”
“Siri, call Travis.”
“I am sorry. There is no one in your contacts by that name.”
Maggie frowned. Surely, she’d called Travis before, although now that she thought about it, she couldn’t remember ever having done so. “Are you sure?”
“I am one hundred percent certain there is no one by that name in your contacts.”
Well then, she’d call JD. He was usually on site early. “Siri, please call JD.”
“Jay-Z is an American rapper and music producer, and he is also not among your contacts.”
“Jesus Christ,” she murmured.
“Jesus Christ is not among your contacts either.”
“Siri, let’s start over. Please call JD Mayes.”
“Calling Jazzy Maids now.”
When Maggie finally pulled under the big oak tree and parked next to JD’s truck, her nerves were rattled, she was covered in dog hair, and someone was coming by to clean her house at three. She looked around for Travis’s truck and didn’t see it.
“Well, that figures,” she said to Pop. “Hard to find good help.”
She reached for the handle, but the door opened of its own accord.
JD Mayes, always the gentleman, stood in a golden ray of sunshine. “Good morning, pretty girl,” he said with a wink.
“Why do you do that?”
“Open the door for a lady? It’s how I was raised.”
“No. I mean the flirting.”
“I don’t flirt. I give genuine compliments.”
“Whatever.”
Pop flew over Maggie’s shoulder in a cloud of hair and landed in JD’s arms.
“There’s my pooch,” JD crooned.
“Oh, brother.” Maggie sighed, hopping out of the Jeep. JD even flirted with dogs. That should tell her something.
“How long are you going to be mad at me?”
JD stood there, earnestly staring at her, while giving Pop a groan-and-drool-inducing ear massage. Both looked totally clueless.
“Now’s not the time to get into it.”
JD shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I’ve got a few phone calls to make. I’m going to go sit in my truck for a while.”
“You do that.”
JD turned and headed toward his truck, pulling his phone out of the back pocket of his Wranglers.
Maybe it was time to get into it. “JD, wait.”
He stopped in his tracks and turned, removing his hat as if somebody had died, which Maggie knew was merely his I’m just a little boy—please don’t hurt me gig. He gazed at her through his lashes, and there it was. The glint. The hint of a grin.
“Stop flirting with me.”
The hint of a grin turned into a full smile. “Aw, Maggie—”
“No. I’m serious.”
The flirty pretense slipped as JD held his hands out. “Why are you acting so weird? And why don’t we ever hang out anymore?”
“Because you’re not interested in me, and yet you flirt with me constantly. It’s rude, JD. And quite frankly, it’s mean.”
JD’s mouth hung open as if she’d smacked him over the head with the plans she held in her hand. After a few seconds he replaced his hat, his signal that things were getting serious. “I’m sorry if you’ve misinterpreted my friendliness for flirting.”
“I haven’t. You’re a flirt. Everyone says so. You just flirted with Pop for crying out loud. And I don’t know why I didn’t see it all these years. I don’t know why I didn’t get it, that your flirtation with me was no more significant than your flirtation with Pop.”
“You know I care about you.”
“Do you want to make out? Or maybe even have sex? Because that’s what flirting insinuates.”
JD tilted the brim of his hat down—nervous gesture that had the added benefit of shielding his eyes. But it didn’t hide his cheeks, and they were flaming red. “I’m sorry. It’s a habit. I’ve been doing it my whole life.” He pulled the brim of his hat even lower and stared at the ground.
Maggie didn’t care if she was making JD uncomfortable. He’d done it to her for years. “Well, stop it.”
JD removed his hat again and held it in front of his belt buckle with both hands. He didn’t look up, though. She rolled her eyes. He was doing the Let us pray.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with the earnestness of a Boy Scout. “But Travis flirts with you, too.” His earnestness was replaced by a playful grin. “I bet he wants to make out with you.”
“He wouldn’t even look at me yesterday. Spent his time chatting with Anna.”
“You shouldn’t have hired labor. That’s his part of the job.”
“I was trying to help.”
“It wasn’t your place. It was unprofessional.”
That stung. “I won’t do it again.”
“
Good. Because he needs this job. Maybe that’s why he gave Anna a bit of attention. Had you thought about that?”
No. She hadn’t. Time to turn the topic back to JD. “His flirting doesn’t hold a candle to yours. And you should be ashamed. There are rumors going around about you.”
JD looked up sharply. “Rumors?”
“Bubba says you’re going to Austin an awful lot. You’re seeing someone, right?”
JD’s mouth opened and shut again, as if he were going to deny it but had then thought better of it. She’d struck a nerve.
“You should know you can’t keep secrets in Big Verde,” Maggie chided.
His pink cheeks faded, and he turned a little pale.
“That’s what I thought. Whoever she is, I doubt she’d appreciate all the flirting you do. So, knock it off.”
JD pulled his hat down as low as it would go. “Maggie, I need to tell you—”
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The topsoil was here, and sure enough, the truck was backing up to dump it in the worst possible spot. Maggie didn’t have any more time for JD. “If you’ve got something to tell me, you can do it tomorrow. Claire’s coming over for the game.”
“I’m invited? Does this mean we’re hanging out again?”
She acted like she didn’t hear him and ran off to catch a dump truck.
Chapter Twenty-One
Travis pulled up to the job site just in time to see Maggie and Pop attacking a dump truck. Or at least that’s what it looked like.
He grabbed a shovel out of the back of his truck. Today was going to be spent spreading dirt the old-fashioned way: with his two hands.
His nose picked up on something floral and spicy.
“Hey there, Big Bad Dom.”
His heart seized over the words big and bad as he turned to face Anna. Calm down. She doesn’t know. He’d talked to her at the gala, so she’d seen him in the dumb mask. That’s probably all she was referring to. She didn’t know he was sexting with Maggie.
“Uh, yeah, about that spanking thing,” he sputtered. “I was just messing around. Texting a friend. I’d prefer we not talk about it.”
Anna licked her lips. “I didn’t figure you for a spanker,” she said, boldly ignoring him. “Who’s the lucky bad girl? Anyone I know?”
Yaps cut through the air, coming closer and closer. Pop was heading their way, and his bad girl owner was right behind him. “Look who decided to show up,” Maggie said.
She was out of breath from chasing the dump truck, and it made her voice even sexier than usual. He didn’t have time to think about her sexy voice, though. Not with warning bells going off in his head—along with red alerts and whatever that sound is that submarines make right before they dive. He needed to get rid of Anna before she continued blabbing about spankings in front of Maggie.
He downed the rest of his coffee and held out his mug to Anna. “I sure could use another cup.” Anna took the bait immediately.
“I have a fresh pot in the house.”
“Great,” he said. But instead of taking his mug, Anna took his arm.
“Why don’t you come inside with me? You can fix your coffee however you like—”
“I just take it black,” he said, digging in his heels. “Thanks.”
Anna gave his arm a jerk. “Come on, silly. You haven’t even seen the new crown molding yet.”
And he didn’t want to. But Anna was about to rip his arm off. He’d follow her inside, get his coffee, and come back out. Hopefully without Anna. “Okay. Sure.”
Maggie narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t stare at molding for too long. You’ve got a crap-ton of dirt to spread.”
“Maggie sure is cracking the whip,” Anna said, pulling him to the house. Then she let go of his arm and slapped his ass. Hard.
“Jesus, Anna. Stop it.”
She laughed. “I don’t like being left out of the fun.”
The urge to turn around and see if Maggie was gawking—he could feel her eyes on his back—was overwhelming. But he kept walking to the patio and opened the French doors for Anna to pass through like a queen.
The great room smelled of sawdust and fresh paint. Their feet echoed across the tile as Anna led the way to the coffeepot, which was about the only thing on the pristine black counters. “Place looks great,” he said.
“Do you think so? I don’t like the countertops. I’m not sure this is the color I chose, and I’ve changed my mind about the texture on the walls. I already told JD about it.”
She must be driving Bubba and JD fucking crazy. He held out his mug as she filled it, standing way closer than she needed to. He took a small step back and brought his mug to his mouth.
“It’s going to be a warm day today,” she said.
Weather. Safe subject. “Yep. Another front’s coming in, though. Not as big as the last one, but they’re back to back—”
“Umm,” Anna said, licking her lips. “I like front to front better.” She closed the space between them and took his mug away, setting it on the counter.
“Wait a minute. I’m not done with—”
“Oh, you’re done.”
Her breasts pressed against his chest. She could probably feel his heart rattling his rib cage. He felt seventeen again as his body battled his brain. This is what it had been like all those years ago. Anna’s relentless pursuit. His resulting awkwardness. And to think women experienced this shit all the time—some on a daily basis. How did they stand it? He took another step backward. “Anna, I’ve got a lot of work to do—”
“Who’s your bad girl, Travis? I’m dying to know.”
“I told you. I was just messing around with a friend.”
Anna took another step, and Travis backed up against the counter. She had him cornered. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
Travis swallowed loudly. “Um—”
The door swung open, and Bubba strolled in. He looked around the room, took in the two of them, and kept a poker face.
“What do you want?” Anna asked.
“I heard rumors about you not liking the countertops,” Bubba said. “They’re what you ordered.” He pulled a wrinkled piece of paper out of his back pocket. “Got the order right here, with your signature. And the receipt.”
“Do we have to talk about that right now?” Anna asked, as if she didn’t really care about the countertops at all. “Travis and I are having a private conversation.”
This was his out. “I’d better start shoveling,” he said, scooting around Anna. Bubba gave a subtle wink as Travis passed, so subtle that Travis nearly missed it. As soon as he got outside, he inhaled deeply to clear his mind. He felt almost like he needed a shower and he hadn’t even started working yet.
He pulled his cap down and grabbed the shovel just as JD rounded the corner of the house. “I have some good news for you, partner.”
“I could use some. Shoot.”
“The truck that was coming out here to haul off my front-end loader can’t make it until Tuesday. Maggie says you might need it—”
“Maggie needs to mind her own business.”
JD laughed. “That might be true, but it’s not going to happen. Trust me. I know. But Maggie or no Maggie, the front-end loader is just going to be sitting here, taunting you while you shovel, unless you swallow your pride and use it.”
The shovel handle was already burning against the blisters the pickaxe and wheelbarrow had given him yesterday. It sure would be easier with a front-end loader. And faster—which was even more important.
“Okay. Thanks,” he said. “I appreciate it.”
Maggie was watching them, and JD gave her a nod. She headed their way, and Travis grinned. Goddammit, he couldn’t help it. The wind blew the hair out of her face, showing off the dark eyebrows that didn’t quite go with her light blond hair but nevertheless looked perfect on her face.
“You got plans tomorrow?” JD asked. “Claire and I are watching the game at Maggie’s. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you joi
ned us.”
Travis stuffed his hands in his work gloves. “Your matchmaker is showing, JD. It’s weird. Put it away.”
* * *
Travis and JD had been talking about her. That could mean any number of things, but hopefully it meant Travis was going to use JD’s front-end loader and get the dirt spread today.
“Do you mind if Travis comes over to watch the game tomorrow?” JD asked.
Instead of rolling out a welcome mat, she rolled her eyes. “Why, JD? Do you need a buffer?”
“No. Well, maybe. But I thought Travis and Henry might enjoy hanging out with us. It’s the weekend, you know. People do that on the weekends.”
Oh, sure. Drag poor little Henry into this. She looked at Travis, who stood there like a kid waiting to be picked for the softball team. Although maybe he’d rather spend the evening with Anna.
“You’re welcome to bring Henry,” she said. “I’ll need someone intelligent to talk to.”
“You might be all talked out by tomorrow evening,” JD said. “What’s that book you’re discussing at book club again? Down and Dirty?” He looked at Travis and stage-whispered, “They’re reading porn.”
She wanted to slap that silly expression right off JD’s face. “It’s called Bound and Determined and it’s not porn. It’s erotica.”
She gave JD a look that would thaw an iceberg.
“I’m not sure Henry and I will make it for the post-erotica book club festivities,” Travis said. “But we’ll try. It’ll depend on when I get back from Austin. I’m going to the farmer’s market. We’ll be selling Happy Trails beef at the Rancho Canada Verde stand.”
“Oh?” Maggie said. “That sounds awesome.”
“Claire is coming to help. Do you want to come along?”
A slight flutter started in her tummy. Butterflies! Maybe they were over the rock thing. “That sounds like fun. But I’ve got book club in the afternoon.”
“You could just come for the morning.”
“Y’all are cute. You know that?” JD said.
“Go away, JD. I came this close to not even inviting you over for the game. Maybe I’ll un-invite you.”
