“You’re very wet.” He smiled. “You want me.”
Okay. His words held definite masculine pride and satisfaction. No cloaking it. She anxiously waited for his next move.
His finger dipped into the mouth of her pussy. Another squelch. When he removed his finger, she wanted to groan. Just when things were getting interesting.
Without warning, he slipped both hands beneath her butt and lifted her hips. Her legs gravitated to his shoulders. Startled, she wondered what her bad boy would do next. Her heart pounded with excitement then shock as he lowered his mouth. He licked the length of her cleft, following the same path his finger had. Alice shivered, shocked rigid but honest enough to admit it felt really good. Oh, she knew about oral sex. In theory. Theory was light years away from practical.
The return journey of his tongue and lips shot spasms of pleasure through her body. Oh yeah. She tensed, ready for more. There had to be more, right? Then his tongue teased a particularly achy spot. He lingered. Teased a little more. Her clitoris. Yep, she was positive when pleasure surged, a soft wave pulsed deep inside. But instead of ending, James continued to tease her swollen flesh. With considerable skill too. Oh yes. Please. Right there. Don’t move. Continue. Please.
To her relief, he followed her silent directions exactly. The sensation built even higher. A few more pulses then suddenly the pleasure swelled and she soared, feeling as though she flew. One more swipe of his tongue and she split apart, the wonderful sensation fracturing into a series of rapid waves.
“Ooh,” she murmured when she finally floated back into her body—because this had definitely been a wonderful out-of-body experience—and relaxed liked a cooked spaghetti noodle.
“Was it good for you?” James asked.
Alice belatedly remembered that she had and he hadn’t come. Tactful answer required. Guys, she’d heard from various gossipy sources, became a little tetchy when it came to sex and not getting any. Alice stared at his erect penis. It looked large and red and bad-tempered. It gave an angry twitch while she gawked.
“Um…” Alice glanced up to scan James’ face. “I…yes…” She stared. The man’s face screwed up as if he suffered great pain or else he—
The wretch was laughing at her. She tapped him sharply on one bulging biceps. “Yes, it was good for me,” she snapped. “Why are you laughing?”
A tentative knock sounded on the door and his laughter cut off abruptly. They glanced at each other in silent communication mode, Alice scrunching her brows together in answer to his raised brow.
“Alice? Are you awake? Breakfast is ready.”
She stared at the wooden door in horror. Had she made a lot of noise? Her gaze darted to James and he pantomimed for her to answer.
“I’m up. Won’t be long,” Alice called out. She strove for a woman-of-the-world tone, but her reply fell in the feeble, scared zone. It must have reassured Lindy because she heard receding footsteps before silence fell. She turned to stare at James.
He shook his head, a rueful grin on his lips. “Well, Ms. Beasley. You’re not the only one who’s up. A fine mess you’ve got us in this time.”
“Why is it my fault? I’ve heard you’re a playboy and a cad.” The minute she said the words she wanted to take them back.
“Ah, you’ve read Ms. Knowall’s column. You’re quite right. I am a playboy and a cad.” He stood and picked up his clothes, dressing with an elegance that she admired. “You should remember that and stay well away from me.”
“I’m sorry.” Obviously she’d said the wrong thing.
“No problem. I’ll see you at work.” He strode over to the door, opened it and stepped into the passage. A soft click sounded when he closed it.
Alice heard footsteps and then the murmur of voices. Color swept to her cheeks when she imagined what Lindy would think. If inheriting a condom company hadn’t already ruined her reputation, then she’d probably done the job now by letting James Bates, sexy bad boy, spend the night in her bedroom.
Chapter Five
Alice climbed from the bed, self-conscious of her nakedness now. Avoiding her reflection in the mirror, she scuttled through to the small en suite and jumped under the shower, letting the water pour over her hair and face. Five minutes later, dressed in a gray trouser suit, she made her way into the kitchen for breakfast. The wooden table was set for three with floral placemats and coordinated napkins. A posy of spring flowers in the center of the table added to the Victorian theme. The rich scent of coffee floated in the air. Lindy Redcliff stood at the stove, spatula in hand, humming along to a top-forty hit. Jake, her husband, sat at the table and had already started on his breakfast.
“Morning,” she mumbled. “Sorry I’m late.”
Jake glanced up from his scrambled eggs with a smirk. “We know why you overslept. Been doing the wild thing with Sloan’s playboy.”
“Jake!” Lindy put a world of remonstration into her husband’s name but it didn’t dampen his smirk.
“No,” Alice said. “We were discussing work.” The first thing that came into her mind.
Jake’s lips twitched. “Condoms. Care for some eggs and toast. Muesli?”
Alice met his gaze with difficulty. “I’m not hungry.” The truth. She’d lost her appetite. “And yes, we discussed condoms as part of our business meeting. Appropriate since Fancy Free sells condoms.”
Jake set his knife and fork across the center of his plate. He lifted his wrist to check his watch. “Hmm, I hope your company pays overtime for such a long meeting.”
“Leave the poor girl alone or we’ll lose our guest.” Lindy propelled Alice to an empty chair and pushed her gently down. “Coffee? There’s a small package that arrived for you and a card.”
Alice nodded, afraid to speak for fear of blurting out something to cause even more embarrassment. Her face felt scarlet. Only to be expected given her sudden leap to femme fatale status. If only her brain would get with the program and give her the nous to act cool as a cucumber as a good femme fatale should. She snorted inwardly. Yeah, like that would happen. Her friend Jennifer was the cool one not her.
She picked up the package and studied the writing. That wasn’t Jennifer’s. Mystified, she unfastened the string and unwrapped the plain brown paper to reveal a perfectly square white box inside. Alice peeled back the sticky tape that held the box closed and lifted the lid. Something jumped from the box straight into her face. Alice let out a shriek of surprise and shot backward, her chair toppling over in her haste.
“Alice? Are you all right?” Lindy asked.
Alice stared at the box and the brightly colored clown face that leered at her. It still moved, jiggling from side to side on a shiny silver spring. Her heart fluttered in an erratic manner and her legs shook so much she had to sit down. She righted her wooden chair and the seat cushion that had fallen to the floor and sat, studying the box with distaste. “I’m sorry. It gave me a fright.”
“It’s a jack-in-a-box.” Jake’s lips curled in a delighted grin. “Who’s it from?”
“I don’t know.” She stared at the red envelope that sat beside the clown box before reaching for it. Slowly, she ripped open the flap and pulled out a card. The front depicted the same dog picture she’d noticed on the business card handed to her after the reading of her godmother’s will. Inside the card was one word. Surprise.
Trepidation hit Alice. She’d received a surprise all right, but what did it mean? She reached for the cup of coffee Lindy had poured for her and noticed her hand trembled. Fancy Free. That had to be the only connection surely. The women who had handed her the business cards both belonged to the cult. This had to be something to do with condoms.
The shrill of the phone broke into her reflection. The noise shut off when Jake leaned back in his chair to snag the phone off the marble counter. “Hello. Sure. She’s still here.” Jake handed her the portable, his dark eyes twinkling. “It’s for you. The playboy.” His smirk said more but after a brief glance at his wife, he returned
to his breakfast.
“Hello?”
“Alice, we have a problem. How soon can you get here? I’ve called an emergency board meeting.” Not a hint of the lover shaded his voice. This was the businessman and he sounded worried.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Alice said crisply. She could do businesslike and professional too.
* * * * *
James waited impatiently in the boardroom for everyone to arrive. How the hell had this happened? He glanced down at the brochure spread out on his desk. It belonged to their main competitor. Their new condom, a replica of the X-100, went on sale to the public today. The X-100 wouldn’t ship from Fancy Free for another two weeks since they hadn’t finished tests and the final design of the boxes still required the odd tweak. He cursed under his breath. Someone, somehow had managed to steal their design.
Loud shouts attracted his attention and he strode over to the window. A group of cult members loitered outside the premises, placards held aloft. Their white robes flapped in the stiff breeze but the cool start to the day hadn’t deterred their enthusiasm for the protest. With turban-covered heads held high, they marched in a tight circle, chants loud and strident.
“Condoms are evil.”
“Make love and babies!”
“Down with Fancy Free!”
James frowned. The cult had moved into town about three months ago, around about the same time small, niggling problems had started at Fancy Free. They staunchly opposed contraception and judging by the number of kids around the property they’d purchased, they practiced what they preached. James’ frown intensified. Was it possible that one of the cult had infiltrated the company? No, too far-fetched. He swung away from the window, knowing there was nothing the company could do about the protest in front of their building. Richard and Luke said the cult weren’t breaking any laws. They had a right to protest.
Richard Morgan and Sam Glengarry wandered into the boardroom first. One look at him wiped the grins from their faces. They dropped into chairs.
“What’s up?” Richard asked. “Has Ms. Knowall attacked Fancy Free in her gossip column again?”
Ms. Knowall—yet another person who wouldn’t shed any tears if the company failed. “Worse,” James muttered. “I’ll wait for the others so I don’t have to repeat everything.”
Alice hurried into the boardroom, delightfully flushed but with her luscious body hid beneath another of her shapeless suits. This time it was gray. She wore a white blouse underneath but a large maroon scarf hid her best assets. A short ponytail emphasized the cuteness aspect. James now knew that the freckles only covered her nose and the rest of her skin was pale and petal soft. And she tasted delicious. The rest of the board followed not long after, redirecting his thoughts from Alice to the X-100.
His gut tightened while the board members ambled to their chairs, as if they had all the time in the world.
“Where’s the coffee?” Richard asked. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Ben smirked and it hit sly with bells on. “I bet it wasn’t work. I saw you with that woman last night and you looked mighty cozy. Yes sir, mighty cozy. Mark my words, we’ll see a mention of you in the Sloan Gazette any day now.”
James cut in before the oldies went off on a tangent and started in on the local gossip. “We have a problem.”
“I’m missing my bowls tournament,” Harriet said. “I have a good chance of winning today since Mildred Walker is sick. You’re the manager. I can’t see why you don’t manage it.”
The board members nodded and all started talking at once.
James bit back an uncomplimentary curse, trying to remind himself he must tread warily. He inhaled and then exhaled slowly before attempting to get his point across. “T.J. and Co have a new condom out on the market today.” James spoke above the chorus of complaints. The noise abated instantly. He lowered his voice. “It’s a replica of the X-100.”
“The same?” Alice asked, grasping the implications immediately.
James sighed. “Yeah. Our edge is shot to hell. The company will lose its shirt on the X-100 because after all the problems we’ve had, it’s still not ready to go out on the market. It will be another two weeks before we start to ship.”
Ben opened his mouth, hesitating before he finally spoke. “No dividends for the shareholders this year?”
James closed his eyes briefly and wished heartily for Alicia’s calm presence. She had a way of cutting through the crap. He missed the way she managed the board in times of crisis. “Not after this.”
“What are our options? And how did it happen?” Alice asked. She hadn’t joined in the general outcry. Her eyes were huge and the freckles stood out against her pale skin. Suddenly he didn’t feel so alone at the top. He shoved aside a sudden niggle of concern as his suspicions took another turn. He hoped Alice wasn’t doing this for the money. Contrary to his parents’ beliefs, there were more important things in the world than accumulating masses of money. He scanned her face again. It was full of quiet determination. Instinct told him she would do whatever it took to help the company succeed. Just as he would. Neither of them could afford failure.
“Our development team has another possibility they could develop.”
“But that’s more money down the drain,” Katarina stated. “It’s a risk we can’t afford.”
“But if we don’t take a risk, we’ll end up with nothing,” Alice said quietly. “Let’s give James an opportunity to tell us his plans so we can make an informed decision.”
James had the urge to grab Alice and kiss her, especially when the rest of the board nodded in grudging agreement. Perhaps there was more of Alicia in her than he’d realized.
“I’ll admit this will hit our cash reserves hard. I’ll work with Rita to redo our budgets and arrange for extended overdrafts at the bank. There shouldn’t be any problems there. Meanwhile, we need a plan to minimize our losses. I’ve asked Rodney to come up to discuss his ideas for a new product. Richard, can you review security and find out how the hell our innovative idea ended up in the hands of the opposition? We want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Richard nodded. “No problem. I might need a helper since I’ve got a few other things on my plate. Joseph? Ben?”
“We can both help,” Joseph said.
A tap sounded on the boardroom door. James strode across to answer, ushering Rodney, their chief product inventor, into the room.
He dropped into a seat next to Ben and ran his hand through his curly brown hair. The unruly tufts of hair indicated he did this on a regular basis. Next, he took off his glasses and polished the lenses.
Harriet pulled out her knitting, seeming to accept she wouldn’t get to bowls today. “Tell us about your new idea, young man.”
“I c–c–all it G–Good Vibrations!”
The board let out a collective sigh of relief. James hid his grin. It always took Rodney a while to warm up, as if his enthusiasm oiled his voice and helped with his tentative disposition.
“Good Vibrations. Weird name for a condom.” Richard stood, checked the coffee filter and then switched on the machine. The drip-drip started and the scent of coffee soon permeated the boardroom.
“This is a-a deluxe model. It has a duel purpose to function as a condom and a vibrator.” Rodney glanced around the table with a proud grin. “Good, uh?”
Doubt seemed the major reaction. Exactly his response when Rodney had first told him about the new idea.
“Have you done any trials yet?”
Rodney’s grin faded. “No, not yet. We decided to wait for the X-100 to launch, doing final tests on that first.”
“How soon can the trials start? How much will they cost?” Joseph asked.
Alice listened to the whole conversation with a sense of dread. Thankfully, she hadn’t swallowed more than coffee this morning. The knowledge that her inheritance was in dire danger wasn’t doing much for her security levels. The shiny picture she held inside her head of
a three-bedroom house with a husband and family was slowly slipping away. Alice swallowed the lump of terror in her throat and decided to face the problem head-on instead of acting the ostrich. She needed to take action now. Fight. “Can we be sure that the same thing won’t happen with the new product? That the idea won’t be copied by an opposition company?”
“Good point.” Sam Glengarry shook his mane of grizzled hair. “No point throwing good money after bad.”
Richard tilted back on his chair until two feet left the carpet. “Did we use the group of final testers we normally use?”
The image of naked couples in a lab, lying on a sterile white bed with discarded X-100s surrounding it popped into Alice’s mind. She suppressed a snort of humor and attempted to concentrate on the current discussions.
Joseph straightened from his slouch, looking more like an ex-property tycoon than a retiree. “Do you think that’s where the confidential leak is? The people who test our products?”
“It’s one possibility. They’ve all signed confidentiality clauses, but maybe someone isn’t sticking to the terms.” James rose to pluck the full carafe of coffee off the coffeemaker. He filled several cups and passed them round.
“We need to do everything differently this time,” Alice said.
James nodded, his gaze caught hers and held. Heat seared between them. It was like putting her fingers in an electrical socket, or at least how she imagined it felt. The heat traveled from her face, down her throat and lingered in her breasts. The tips reacted, pulling tight. Just how she remembered feeling after James had sucked them into his mouth. The exquisite sensation shot from her breasts to her pussy, tingling with possibilities and bringing a rush of moist arousal. Oh boy.
“Well, who will test the condoms?” Rodney asked, drumming ink-stained fingers on the highly polished tabletop. “They can’t go out on the market without trials. I need human guinea pigs to run tests in conjunction with the machine tests, especially since I’m experimenting with different latex processes. I’d offer to test, but the truth is, I’m so busy with design work I don’t have a life. I can test them on myself but that’s not enough. We need male and female testing.”
Fancy Free Page 6
