“I like number three—the one with the golden tattoo pattern. It’s easy to put on, fits firmly. Vera liked it,” Ben said.
Joseph nodded vehemently. “That’s the one Maggie liked best. I like the striped one as well. Number four, I think. It vibrates a bit faster.”
“I found that distracting.” Inwardly, she marveled at the discussion, the use and features of a condom, with scarcely a blush on her part. “I liked number three best as well.”
A tap sounded on the door. After a brief pause it opened and Rodney stuck his head inside. “How are the latest tests?” He entered the office and shut the door behind him.
“We’re discussing some of the tests now.”
“Which one is the favorite?” Rodney’s gaze landed on the tin of cookies. “Can I have one of those?”
Alice shunted the tin toward him. “Grab a coffee. Number three is a clear favorite.”
“Ah, yes. I like that one. The latex is fairly thin so it feels natural but it’s still strong enough to cope with just about anything.”
“What about that anal sex?” Ben demanded. “Is the condom all right for that?”
As one, all the men turned to her. Bother, she’d thought she’d become blasé about sex, but it appeared there were still things that threw her. It irked her when heat gathered in her cheeks. “Don’t ask me,” she huffed. “I’m strictly a vanilla girl.”
Ben turned his attention to their inventor. “Rodney?”
“That particular version is very good for anal sex. The vibrations work well in both alternative and traditional positions.” The man didn’t even crack a grin. When it came to his work, their inventor was very serious.
“How do you know? Have you tested it?” Ben asked.
“Yes,” Rodney confirmed.
Alice would have liked to ask questions. And it looked as if Ben wanted more information too.
“When can we start marketing?” Joseph glanced at Alice. “It’s not your fault, but when your prospective inheritance was taken out of the coffers and slapped in that investment, it ran us short.”
“I know.” Alice bit her bottom lip, distracted from thoughts of anal sex. She tried not to think about that stipulation in the will and her discussion with the bank manager. If the company failed… Every time she thought about it, unease slithered through her mind. Fancy Free was so vulnerable at the moment and the fault belonged to her.
“I’ve already done the majority of the machine tests. The human trials are the last step in the process. Shouldn’t be much longer before we can finalize packaging and start our advertising campaign.”
Ben nodded. “Good. Good.” He eyed the tin of cookies with such blatant desire that Alice shunted it toward him.
Alice sighed, glad the tests were almost completed, but it meant she didn’t need to spend much more time with James. Their sexual relationship would turn into a business one again. No fringe benefits. Alice swallowed and stopped that thought right there. She didn’t want to think about being alone again.
* * * * *
James whistled as he strode into the offices of Fancy Free with a package under his arm. His visits had gone well—very well—and he’d scored several more orders, which he’d already dropped off for dispatch. Alice’s door was closed but he tapped on it and entered when he saw she sat behind her desk. She had papers strewn all over her desk and a laptop computer in front of her. Glasses gave her a serious air while the pucker on her brow made him want to kiss her worry away.
“Hi.” His gaze drifted across her face before moving lower. She still insisted on the bulky clothes even though they were ill-fitting and did nothing for her. He’d had a private word with Luke before coming back to the office. From what his friend said, the intruders had hacked up most of Alice’s clothes, although he knew she kept some at his house. Luke didn’t like the situation, especially since the escapades had increased in frequency again. Between them they’d agreed to keep an eye on her at all times. “I bought you something.” And he couldn’t wait to see her reaction.
A shy smile curled her lips, making him want to lean over the desk and kiss her until desire brought a sparkle to her eyes and color to her cheeks. “What?”
“Open it and see.” He handed over the parcel and attempted to clear a space so he could perch on the corner of her desk. After sliding several pages aside, his mouth tightened when he identified them. Budgets. Alice was working on the damned budgets again. Irritation swelled up in a crashing wave. Didn’t she ever stop thinking about money, profit and the bottom line? There were more important things in life than money.
Alice opened the parcel carefully, peeling away tape and lifting aside the tissue paper. Her hands hovered over the lingerie he’d purchased for her. She stared before she raised her head to look at him. “You shouldn’t have. They’re too expensive.”
“I said I’d replace the ones lost in the river,” he gritted out, his anger growing.
Her eyes widened when she looked at him. “But these are expensive. You didn’t need to pay so much. I would—”
James gave an irritable shrug, pretending unconcern when fury gripped him hard. Why the fuck did people get so hung up on money? It didn’t make them any happier. “They’re a present. Take them or throw them away. It’s all the same to me.”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that.” Shock colored her voice. “That would be a terrible waste of money.”
“Is that all you think of?” he demanded, springing off the desk to put distance between them. Hell, he sure knew how to pick them. He should have learned by now that most women put money and material possessions in front of the things that really mattered. Yeah, he’d watch over her and keep her safe, but at the end of the six months, he’d walk away without regrets.
“What?” Confusion marred her smooth brow.
Hell, she really didn’t get it. “There are more important things than money,” James snapped.
She straightened abruptly, her chair creaking with the force of her weight, and they glared at each other. “Money is pretty important.”
“No. It’s not.”
Alice’s eyes narrowed, her chin lifting in a stubborn manner he hadn’t noticed in her before. “Money gives security. It might not matter to you, but I need the security that comes with having money. I can’t do it again. I just can’t.”
The hint of panic in her voice made him pause. He studied her carefully and noticed the sheen of tears in her eyes. “Can’t do what, Alice?”
“When I was twelve my father declared bankruptcy. It ch-changed everything. We had to move from our home.” She sniffed and a tear spilled over and ran down her cheek. “I had to sell my pony Holly and we…we couldn’t afford to keep our dog any more. We had to adopt him out.” She rubbed away another tear with the back of her hand. “All I want is the security a little money brings. What’s wrong with that?”
Aw, damn. Her confession explained so much. The anger in him seeped away suddenly as if a plug had been pulled. James stepped around the corner of the desk and tugged Alice to her feet. He pressed her to his chest and smoothed his hand down her back. Her entire body was stiff, making him feel awful. Hell, he’d practically accused her of being a gold digger, desperate for money. “I’m sorry.”
“You weren’t to know,” Alice whispered.
Yeah, but he’d judged her without the facts. “What happened?”
Alice swallowed and avoided his gaze. James gripped her chin firmly but gently and tilted her head so their gazes met. “Everything changed after my father…” She winced and appeared to marshal her emotions. “We had to move to a new house and change schools. The other kids laughed and teased my brothers and sisters and me because of our clothes and where we lived. I hated school. I made a promise to myself that I would never be in that position again. I worked an after-school job, went to university and studied hard. I wanted to be in a position where I’d never be dependent on anyone else again.”
Which was why she took such care
with her money and remained set on obtaining her inheritance. It wasn’t greed. Alice wanted security. Now that he knew, it all made sense.
Hell, he could understand that. But he could also see that Alice was taking things to the extreme to compensate for her need. He cupped her face with his hands, smoothing her hair out of her eyes. “Are you ready to leave?”
“I wanted to finish my run through the budgets. There’s something wrong with them, and I wanted to go through all the figures again.”
James brushed a kiss across her pink lips, keeping it light and platonic when what he really wanted was to distract her from everything except the idea of making love. “It can wait until tomorrow. Come home and model the lingerie for me. Please.” He’d imagined her in the silky lace and satin panties and bra, imagined the way the fabric would enhance her luscious curves. Unable to make his mind up about which color, he’d purchased several sets and styles in different shades. Kellie Anne had helped him out with sizes and color choices. “Do we have more condoms to test?”
Alice’s eyes closed for an instant and he cursed inwardly. Damn, he shouldn’t have mentioned the condoms. That brought them right back to money and the necessity of finishing the tests.
“Yes, I have them packed away in my handbag. It’s the last lot according to Rodney.”
“Good. Alice, would you like to go out to dinner with me?”
She inhaled rapidly, drawing his attention to her breasts. “Dinner?”
“Yeah.” A date. Shit, what the hell was he doing? Even though he knew now she wasn’t the money-hungry woman he’d assumed, he still intended to leave Sloan. They had no future together. They were too different and had diverse goals and takes on life.
Alice cast him a shy glance. “That would be nice.”
Without giving her a chance to change her mind, James ushered Alice from her office, and after scooping up her handbag and the lingerie, locked the door. They drove to the Red Fox Tavern, a bar and restaurant on the far side of town.
“I haven’t been here before,” Alice said when they walked into the entrance of the English-themed bar. “It’s very nice.”
James gave the dark wood panels and hunting prints a cursory glance. Already Alice had relaxed, her face no longer set in lines of tension. He knew then he’d made a wise decision bringing her to neutral territory. Just inside, they paused at a desk to speak to the hostess.
“Hi, James. A table for two?” It was Katarina’s granddaughter. James remembered Katarina had said she wanted to save money so she could purchase a car.
“Hi, Tina. Have you met Alice Beasley?”
“No, but Nana talks about the two of you all the time.” Tina lowered her voice. “My father doesn’t approve of Nana spending time at Fancy Free, but I think it’s wonderful. My grandparents seem young again. They go out more and have lots of fun together.”
“Katarina and gang keep us on our toes.” Alice’s wry tone and the cute wrinkle of her nose brought a smile to James. Alice fit in with them perfectly, handling the oldies with tact and good humor. Even though the two of them were often the butt of the oldies’ sly humor, Alice never raised her voice, treating them all with indulgence and listened carefully to their opinions. He could see why Alicia had insisted on leaving most of the company to her goddaughter. Even though they hadn’t known each other well, Alicia had monitored her goddaughter’s progress once she’d left school. James wondered why she hadn’t helped the family out when they’d obviously needed the money. He guessed he’d never know since Alice hadn’t seen her godmother very often. She hadn’t even known Alicia ran a condom company.
Tina showed them to a private table that overlooked the cottage garden out the back of the building. Still relatively early, the restaurant was quiet with only two of the tables occupied.
James turned to Alice. “Would you like a drink first?”
“A glass of white wine sounds lovely.”
“House Chardonnay?” Tina asked.
Alice nodded.
“I’ll have a Speights dark,” James said.
Tina hurried off, leaving a slightly uncomfortable silence between them. James felt it was his fault and badly wanted to fix the tension between them. He snorted inwardly, amused at himself. Women always flocked to him—he didn’t usually need to put himself out, but with Alice, he found he wanted to make the effort. And that scared him. In order to divert his thoughts, he picked up one of the menus Tina had left with them. “The roast beef is my favorite and anything on the specials board is usually a good choice.”
“I thought I might order the hot lamb salad. James, I’m sorry about the lingerie. No one has given me a present like that before. It threw me.”
“What about the boyfriend?” James liked to buy small gifts for the women in his life. “Surely he’s bought you flowers?”
“Steven isn’t my boyfriend,” Alice said. “I wouldn’t make…er…sleep with you if we were still together.” She glanced away from him, pretending interest in the menu even though she’d made her choice.
Make love. James just knew she’d been going to say make love. “I wasn’t sure,” he said. “I knew he’d rung you a few times. Rita told me.”
“No, Steven isn’t big on romance.”
James made a promise that he would give Alice the romance she’d missed out on in the past. Although he still intended to leave, there was no reason he couldn’t depart leaving her feeling good about herself.
“He…Steven is very ambitious and that didn’t leave much room for anything else.”
“Ambition doesn’t keep a person warm at night.” Not like Alice curled up beside him. James loved her pillowy curves pressed up against him. A perk of the job.
Alice smiled and a delightful blush stole across her face. “Do you think things will come right at Fancy Free?”
“Yes. By the time your inheritance comes due, you’ll be an expert in company affairs. It will be smooth sailing after that. Alicia would have been proud of you.”
“What about you? You talk as if you intend to leave Sloan permanently.”
“I’m heading overseas. I’m not sure where yet or if I’ll come back here. Haven’t decided.”
Alice’s mouth dropped open, her eyes widening in surprise. “Don’t you have a plan? What about money? How will you live?”
“I’ll pick up work here and there. I’ve done it before.” The look of horror on her face made him smile. He reached across the table to claim her hand. “Honestly, it’s fun. Haven’t you ever wanted to travel, to see the world?”
“I’ve dreamed about it, but that’s all. I’ve never had enough money to travel, especially since I still have my student loans to pay off.”
“But you’ve been working for a while.”
“I want to buy my own house.”
Ah, Alice wanted a sanctuary along with the security. James forced a smile while he thought about her almost-virgin status and her boyfriend. Alice Beasley wanted happy ever after. What the hell had he done?
Chapter Thirteen
Alice enjoyed every single mouthful of the lamb, but the time spent with James in a date situation was even better. Chatting. Just being together. It was so different from when she’d gone out with Steven. With Steven, work dominated most of their outings and that became boring and tedious after a while. All that good behavior.
The locals stopped by to chat and they included her in their discussions. All the time James held her hand or touched her in some way. And he didn’t seem to mind that his friends and neighbors noticed, just tightening his grasp when she tried to extract her hand. Finally she gave up and enjoyed the sense of closeness, her pulse jumping every time he grinned or winked at her. She learned that James mowed elderly Mrs. McGregor’s lawn every fortnight and helped one of his neighbors with their garden while with each unsteady inhalation she breathed in the citrus tang of his aftershave. The rich timbre of his voice sent shudders of awareness through her body when they talked about music and movies, favori
te foods and hobbies. Alice was intensely aware of the fabric of her clothes, of the teasing, sensual rub of his thumb over the back of her hand. Work or condoms didn’t enter the conversation.
“Are you ready to go?” He squeezed her hand while beneath the table his foot ran up and down her calf.
Oh yes. So ready. Arousal soaked her panties and she throbbed deep in her core. She nodded, excitement pulsing through her when she imagined where the night might lead. Lots more touching but of a more intimate nature, she hoped. “Yes,” she whispered.
James signaled Tina and handed her his credit card when she arrived with the bill.
“Let me pay my share,” Alice said, even though she needed to take care with her money. There was really none to spare for luxuries, but in this case, she wanted to make the offer.
“Not this time,” he answered. “This one is on me.” His stare held challenge as if he expected an argument.
“Thank you. I really enjoyed tonight.” She gave in gracefully.
James leaned close and kissed her, holding her head still with his large hands. Not that she wanted to move away from his skilful lips. When he finally pulled away, her heart pounded, her breathing ragged.
“My pleasure.” His grin held a huge dollop of sin and set off a reaction inside her. Sweet anticipation.
He took care of the bill and they walked from the restaurant hand in hand. The minute they walked outside, he tugged her to a stop and kissed her again.
This kiss was different.
One full of sexual intent and promise. A brush of lips. A nibble of her bottom lip, the nip soothed with a swipe of his tongue. Their lips sipped and tasted, tormenting and gently biting. When her fingers entwined in his hair, James drew her close and slipped his hands low to cup her butt. He squeezed gently, pulling her tight against his erection and gradually deepening the kiss. The moist, erotic duel of tongues brought a flutter to her womb. She moaned at the back of her throat, feeling the thunder of his heart and his obvious desire. When they finally pulled apart, her legs shook and she teetered unsteadily.
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