For now, I needed to clear my mind by thinking about the woman from the café less and focusing on the problem at hand. But I couldn’t. It was like she had taken complete control over me. I felt an instant sexual spark the moment I turned to look at her. It was more than just that she was beautiful, her personality shone through her eyes. And neither did she seem like an easy catch. She was going to be difficult to pin down and just the thought of winning her over made my muscles stiffen. I was turned on.
This was no time to be fantasizing about a woman I didn’t know, who would probably see right through me if I tried to even talk to her. I walked over to my oak desk and gripped the edges with both hands. What was Massimo going to do? I should have just beaten him to a pulp at the café when I had the chance.
But I couldn’t, not when I saw her. Not when I saw the look in her eyes. I had to stop.
What was happening to me? Since when did I care what a woman thought of me? I always knew what women thought of me. They saw a successful businessman, a self-made man in his late twenties. I was charming and exactly what any woman would want and I knew it. I made no show of hiding it either. Then why was I so concerned about this particular woman? As in, what was it about her, other than being a pretty face that had suddenly affected me like this?
I gritted my teeth and growled a low, guttural growl. Massimo could completely ruin everything I had in my life, what I had built here and here I was, obsessing over a woman who probably despised me.
I’d just have to do something about it. Because if there was something I knew I was good at, besides charming my way into wet panties, it was being able to fix my own problems. Once I’d dealt with her, I would be free to deal with Massimo.
Chapter Three
Heidi
“See you tomorrow, Heidi,” Lucia waved to me as she left the café. I smiled and waved back. I then followed her to the door and locked it after she had stepped out.
I usually stayed back in the café, for at least half an hour or longer just to tidy up after everyone had left. Sometimes I used the equipment to practice new recipes for the next day’s specials and sometimes I just made myself dinner and ate it in the kitchen. I didn’t mind any of that. I’d gotten used to the little routines in my life now.
I grabbed a cloth from behind the counter and started dusting and wiping down the furniture. Sophie, who would be opening the café the next morning, would have to do it again but I liked to make sure that the place was always spotless and sparkling.
I sighed when I thought about the broken glasses and vase from that morning. I needed to be careful about my inventory as much as possible. Even though I was turning over a profit, my resources were still limited. I had to run a tight ship here daily, otherwise the money would soon turn into losses if I wasn’t careful. I was always watching what I was spending and operated on a strict budget. Besides all that, I was also hoping that I hadn’t lost any of my precious customers as a result of the scene that Rhett Larkin had caused.
Rhett Larkin…just the thought of him made my cheeks flush to a deep red. I was embarrassed just thinking about him, even in the safety of my own company, because I knew what the truth was. That I was attracted to him, even though I pretended to be mad at him and which I should have been. I was also secretly fantasizing about him and I had spent the whole day doing that, which was wrong and completely against my own personality. I was usually reserved and aloof. I had slept with a sum total of two people in my life even though I was nearly pushing thirty now. Both of those guys had been serious boyfriends. I never made a decision that was not calculated or well thought out.
One night stands with random, gorgeous strangers were completely out of the question. I was happy to be alone, happy to work towards professional success. A guy like Rhett Larkin therefore, never caught my attention because I was aware that men like him were aware of their good looks and used it to their advantage with women. I didn’t have time for that.
I realized that I had been wiping the same table repeatedly in concentric circles for several minutes now. I’d been deeply engrossed in my confusion about Rhett Larkin and why I was still thinking about him. I was about to look up when I was startled by a loud knock on the glass door of the café.
My hand flew to my heart and I nearly gasped as I looked up. I could see the shadow of someone standing at the door, probably peering in. The light outside was dim, and the café was dark because I liked to keep the lights switched off while I did my cleaning of the place.
Leaving the cloth on the table I was wiping, I walked towards the door. As I got closer, with my heart thumping, I realized it was Rhett Larkin on the other side. He was standing with his hands thrust deep into the pockets of his dark jeans. He wasn’t peering in at all, but even in the dim light, through the glass walls of the café, he was following my every movement with his eyes.
Just the sight of him sent chills down my spine and goosebumps prickled my skin. I stood on the other side of the door with my brows crossed and glaring at him.
“Do you want to open up? Ms. McNeil,” I heard him say in a muffled voice. How did he know my name? I don’t remember giving it to him. I licked my lips and taking in a deep breath, I turned the key in the lock and swung the door open.
“What are you doing here? I said you are not welcome back here again,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. This guy’s blue eyes were icy cold and dark, boring a hole into my forehead as he studied me. Just like before, he didn’t shy from gazing down at my breasts. I should have been offended, but there was something appreciative about his shameless staring. My cheeks flushed.
“I wanted to come back here and apologize to you again,” he said, snapping me out of my thoughts of him.
“You’ve apologized already and I didn’t call the cops. Isn’t that good enough for you?” I snapped at him. It was none of my concern that he was a billionaire like Lucia and Sophie said. He had behaved rowdily in my café and I wasn’t going to be afraid of telling him off.
“You’re new around here, aren’t you, Ms. McNeil?” he asked and I narrowed my eyes at him.
“What has that got to do with anything? Are you trying to threaten me?” I said, trying hard not to display just how flustered I was feeling inside. I was confused by this mix of emotions running through my veins.
“Why would I want to threaten you? It was just a question, an innocent question,” he said and without invitation, stepped inside my café. Our bodies brushed gently together when he did that and I felt my skin sizzling. He was hot as Hell and I couldn’t seem to separate my feelings of being offended from how absolutely devastatingly handsome he was.
“This is harassment, Mr. Larkin. You have to leave now!” I called out to him, from my position at the open door. Rhett Larkin was looking about him at the dark interior of the café and then he turned around to fix his blue gaze on me again.
“I’m not harassing you, Heidi, I’m offering you money,” he said.
Chapter Four
Rhett
“Offering me money? What are you talking about?” Heidi looked completely confused and a little offended as she remained standing by the door. I smiled at her, and her green eyes grew wider. She was still in the same simple, floral dress from the morning, and she had an apron tied at her waist with the logo of the café - Bread & Beans - embroidered on it. Her shoulders were slender and I noticed that she had voluptuous breasts under that dress.
“For the damage from this morning,” I told her and I fished out my wallet from the pocket of my leather jacket.
“I thought I made it very clear to you Mr. Larkin, I can’t accept your money,” Heidi said and took a few steps closer to me. I fixed my eyes on her and she held my gaze confidently.
“That vase looked expensive,” I said and she crossed her arms over her breasts.
“It was,” she said flatly and I opened my wallet.
“So please, let me pay for that,” I said and took out the check I had already filled in earl
ier.
“Mr. Larkin, I would appreciate it if you stopped insisting. I don’t need you to pay for anything, I would just like it if you didn’t return to my café,” Heidi said and I clenched my jaw as I looked at her. I had a sudden desperate urge to grab a fistful of her hair and pull her to me. I wanted to feel her skin.
“And I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me Mr. Larkin,” I said and Heidi rolled her eyes.
“Fine. Rhett. I would like you to leave now,” she said and with my eyes still on her, I put down the check on the small table beside me. Heidi’s brows crossed and I could see her nostrils flaring.
“Don’t you know how to take no for an answer?” she asked, in a harsh voice and I grinned at her.
“Not when I’m guilty about damage done,” I said and she took in a deep breath.
“Fine. Will you leave me alone now?” she asked and I stepped towards her. Heidi wasn’t a short woman, but it was just that I was much taller than her. She had to crane her neck to look up at me, and her green eyes narrowed again. Her lips were plump and pale pink from a faded lip gloss. She was trying to put up a front of remaining strong, but I had noticed a shift in her eyes. She was feeling the same insane spark of attraction that I was feeling as well. There was no denying that.
“I will leave you alone, Heidi, of course I will. I have no intention of worrying you,” I said, stepping even closer to her. She remained standing where she was with her arms crossed and her eyes focused on me.
“I’m not worried,” she said and I noticed how her voice faltered, just a little bit. I was winning.
“You look worried,” I said and when I was close enough to her, I reached for her face and felt the texture of one of her curls between my forefinger and thumb. It was soft to the touch. Heidi hadn’t stepped away, and neither did she seem upset with what I was doing. She just remained standing very still, almost like she was holding her breath.
“I’m not worried,” she repeated herself, like she was in a daze.
“Are you sure?” I said, taking my hand away from her hair.
She was looking at my lips now, staring into my eyes the next moment and when she stuck out her small bubblegum tongue to lick her lips, I couldn’t control myself. I lunged at her, and I was surprised to find that she had thrown herself at me at the same moment.
Our bodies collided and our lips met in one hot sizzle. She gasped and the sound of her voice was drowned out by my mouth. Her arms flew up to my shoulders; she was gripping them tightly as I pushed myself into her. I could feel her hips against my thighs and my hands were on her waist, holding her close to me.
Heidi tasted of coffee and sugar and I could smell the faint vanilla scent of her shampoo. My body was pumped, my tongue was parting her lips so that I could explore the inside of her mouth. Her grip on my shoulders tightened and she moved her head so that I could kiss her better. My hands rose up from her waist, up the sides of her torso till I had encircled her neck with both my hands.
She had a tender, long neck and I stroked the soft skin on her throat with my thumbs as I continued to kiss her. Heidi groaned again and I thrust my tongue into her open mouth. Her hands travelled down from my shoulders to my back. I knew she was going to be able to feel the raging erection in my pants. I was pushing against her, feeling her body tremble.
I groaned as I ran my tongue along the soft flesh inside her mouth. I was already imagining how soft and juicy she would be between her legs. I wanted more. I wanted more now. Having Heidi naked in my arms was going to be the only way I could move on from her and on to my next problem.
Her fingers were in my hair now, weaving through the strands and she was pushing herself against me, making her mouth more easily available to my tongue. The only thing I could think about was where else I wanted my tongue to be.
Chapter Five
Heidi
This was insane. I had never done something like this before in my life. I was making out with a complete stranger, a man who I was trying to throw out of my premises not minutes ago. His tongue was inside my mouth, his hands had been all over my body and I wanted more.
Our lips were fused together while Rhett kissed me wildly and then, when I didn’t want him to stop, he pulled away from me gently.
“You are delicious,” he breathed the words gruffly, before gently tipping my head back so that he could lick the sensitive skin of my neck. I was holding him tightly by his biceps and I could feel the strength in his muscles.
Rhett’s body was ripped. He was strong and athletic and kissed me like I had never been kissed before. Never had I felt this turned on with just a kiss.
Rhett’s mouth moved down from my neck to the top of my breasts, the portion that was revealed by the neck of my dress.
My eyes flew open when I felt his hands on my breasts, searching out my stiffened nipples through the fabric of my dress. What was I doing?!
I wriggled in his arms, as painful as it was to draw away from him. Rhett released me and I stumbled back.
“You have to leave, now!” I said in a loud, shrill voice and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand as if that was going to fix anything.
Even in the dim light of the café, I could tell that Rhett’s eyes looked drowsy, almost drunk. His lips were glistening and his face was darkened with desire. He didn’t respond to me and I ran a hand through my messy curls. I couldn’t believe I had done what I had just done! This went against all my personal rules.
“Heidi,” he said and took a step towards me. I stepped away from him and nervously tucked in some stray curls behind my ears.
“Mr. Larkin, Rhett…this was a mistake. A big mistake,” I said and looked away from him. I couldn’t look at him anymore, without reliving those moments of absolute mind numbing pleasure.
“Alright,” he said flatly and I jerked my head to look at him.
“I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but you should know that I don’t do things like this usually,” I said, fumbling with my words a little as I spoke.
“You don’t kiss people?” he asked with a laugh in his voice. I turned my nose up at him. How could he laugh at a time like this when I was ready to shrivel up from embarrassment!
“Not people I don’t know!” I snapped and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“Right. I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said and turned to walk back towards the door again. My heart was racing. I didn’t want him to take it as a compliment. I didn’t want him to assume that I was floored by him. Even though I was, I didn’t want him to know that.
“It’s never going to happen again!” I called after him, just as he was about to turn the knob on the door. Rhett turned to look at me, with a wide smile on his face and his blue eyes sparkling. All my strength and bravery was disappearing quickly again. I was melting.
“We’ll see about that, Heidi. Have a good evening,” he said, with complete calmness, then turned the doorknob and stepped back out in the darkness.
When the door swung shut again, I rushed to it to turn the key in the lock. I was breathing rapidly and I could feel beads of perspiration spring up on my forehead. I turned my back to the door and let out a huge sigh of relief now that he was gone. I was very well aware that the kiss could have very easily turned into more. I had completely forgotten myself and was ready to give myself completely to him.
What had gotten into me? Within a few minutes, Rhett Larkin had managed to completely turn me around.
That kiss was good…so good that my lips were still tingling from it. I shivered and rubbed my hands together and walked up to the table where his check was still lying.
I looked at it in silence, and my hands quivered when I reached for it. Rhett Larkin was bad news. He had played his charm on me and even though I thought I was immune to guys like him, I had completely and foolishly fallen for it.
I picked up the check and stared at it. It was made out to my company, in my name and for a sum of five hundred dollars!
It fell from my hand and swooped to the floor while I stepped away from it like it had burnt my fingers. Five hundred dollars! The damage he had caused would probably cost me a hundred to two hundred at the most, including the vase. Five hundred was too much and surely he knew that as well.
What reason did he have to be this generous? Was he just grateful that I hadn’t called the cops on him? If what Sophie and Lucia said were true, a successful billionaire like Rhett Larkin wouldn’t want to have a black mark on his record, no matter how small the charge.
Or did he think that he could just throw money my way and I’d sleep with him? What kind of a woman did he think I was? Did he actually believe that I would fall for his money?
I clenched my jaw as I bent down to pick up the check and then stared at his signature at the bottom. His handwriting was clear and confident, just like he was in person and I took in a deep breath and pressed my eyes close. What had he done to me? I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Chapter Six
Rhett
I was sitting at the desk in my office and my mind had wandered. Massimo’s threats were still in my thoughts.
There was a time, which now seemed very long ago, when he was somewhat of a mentor to me. He was older, seemed to know what he was doing and had taken me under his wing. I was relying on him to teach me the tricks of the trade.
I was fourteen years old, and had no skills of thieving when I got involved in Massimo’s gang. My father had left us several years ago, and my mother was struggling to make ends meet. We were going to lose the apartment; my younger brother and I were going to be out on the streets or in foster care if I didn’t do something about it.
I had no other choice but to drop out of school and try and make money on the streets. Initially, it seemed like a fair prospect. Massimo had promised me that he would train me into becoming a master thief.
I started small, with convenience stores and local gas stations by stealing chewing gum and juice cartons. By the end of the year, I was skilled enough to steal cigarette packs and bottles of beer.
Touch Me Page 2
