Nisha’s pussy clenched. Moisture dampened her panties—brand new and matching an equally new, lime-green satin bra. She’d taken Hunter’s warning to heart. No way would she risk wearing plain white lingerie like last year.
Reid rubbed a hand over his close-cropped blond hair while his intense look pinned her to the sidewalk. “It’s good to see you.” His baby-blues seemed to invade her soul, pull out her most intimate thoughts and bend them for his own pleasure. “You look great.”
Yeah, after I dumped your ass, I lost twenty pounds and somehow managed to keep most of them off despite food binging. She nodded. “Thanks.” It’d taken her six long months of ice cream eating and chocolate hoarding to let him go, and by that time, she had her clothing store to occupy her mind and the treadmill when it didn’t. The only thing she felt now was pure, unadulterated, bone-tingling, pussy-throbbing lust, except… Oh who am I kidding? Seeing him again left her feeling as if she’d jumped from an airplane not knowing if her parachute would work. Her stomach free-wheeled faster than she could keep up with the rush.
I’m in big trouble.
Before she could utter another word, Hunter in all his six-foot-five, barrel-chested glory stepped forward. He still resembled the football player he had been in college. Compared to Hunter, Reid looked puny. “Nice of you to join us, Nisha. I guess the ‘we start at eight’ must have seemed like a suggestion.” He gave her a round of applause. “I’ll never give up hoping you’ll be on time to these events just once.”
“Sorry.” She tossed a rolled-eye glance to Trina. “The older you guys get, the stricter you are about being on time.”
Hunter assumed a mock-fierce expression. “Stop whining. We all know the reason you’re late is because you hate getting naked.”
Or I’m trying to postpone seeing Reid, but I’ll never tell you that. “Which is why I play carefully. I don’t want you guys seeing any more skin than you have to. I don’t want a repeat of last year.”
Trina ran a hand through her long, blonde hair. “We’re playing dirty tonight. Should have left the modesty at home, girl. We know once you get a few drinks in you, you don’t mind flashing the skin.”
Good-natured laughter cycled through the group. Being in their company put her in mind of fun times and always made her wish she’d stayed in better touch. Their tendency for the kinky aside, she missed them during the year.
Hunter held up a hand. “You guys know the drill. Everyone grab a putter, girls draw a name, and then meet up with your partner. If you want a drink, get it yourselves. In order to qualify for the grand prize of an all-expense paid week-long trip to the Bahamas—that I’ve generously provided out of the goodness of my heart—you have to complete all nine holes. No quitters. We start in five.”
The group swarmed the attendant who oversaw the putters, balls and scorecards. Nisha waited until Reid had selected his and moved away before she picked out a hot pink ball and one of the shortest putters. Because she’d held back, she withdrew the last scrap of paper resting at the bottom of a glass fishbowl. After tucking the putter under her arm, she unfolded the paper, and then groaned.
Reid’s name was printed in bold, capital letters followed by the number four. Thanks a lot, universe. Out of all the people she could have been randomly paired with, he was the worst. Her peace of mind and sanity were threatened. Not to mention there was the potential for her to make a giant fool out of herself over the guy. Nisha, you dumped him for a reason. Remember it.
She pocketed the slip of paper. This changed the whole mood of the game. Now she had to worry about getting naked in front of Reid, or worse, having to go through punishments with him. Last year she’d been paired with Hunter. She’d had to kiss him once, let one of the other women feel her up—thanks to his stupid ‘random guest picks the punishment’ rule—as well as give him a hand job.
That had been embarrassing. The only saving grace was they’d been in the “shed of shame” and away from prying eyes. His dick was as massive as his body, and she’d had trouble handling him. Reid had been the only other guy she’d given a hand job to prior to that event. While she’d known getting Reid off would lead somewhere, doing the same to Hunter had felt like a never-ending chore. No matter she’d tried to stay out of the line of fire, she’d gotten hit with his cum anyway. That single event prompted her to always carry wet wipes in her purse. Always be prepared.
My parents must be so proud—not.
Movement to her left caught her attention. Reid stood off to one side with the putter resting across the back of his shoulders and his hands hooked over the ends. The pose highlighted his broad chest and when the shirt hem rose, gave her a peek of his flat abs.
Yup, I’m a goner. This night will not end well. Stupid fluttery stomach. Stupid hormones that can’t ignore the piece of eye candy. Ack!
He grinned as she approached. “Pretty funny, huh?”
“What?” She steeled herself for some of the chauvinistic crap he used to spout.
“That we’re a team tonight.” He relaxed his stance, put his putter head on the ground, and then leaned on the shaft as if it was a cane.
“Oh, yeah, just like old times.” Sarcasm oozed from the comment. Nisha bounced her golf ball. The hollow, rubberbandy twang each time it hit the concrete set off a host of memories: Reid making jokes that American sitcoms all had a token Indian in them now; Reid wondering aloud in front of the group why Indian children weren’t taught pointers from the Kama Sutra in school since she’d not been very skilled in the bedroom; Reid in a lip-lock with a busty blonde behind the snack shack—a kiss that had nothing to do with rules of striptease mini-golf.
God, he’d been such a prick, and his attitude had been just one of the reasons she’d dropped him like a bad habit, yet when she’d been with him, it had been thrilling and exciting, and given her a glimmer of hope that he might finally pay attention to her as more than an object.
God, what a spineless fool I was. She snorted. I guess love does that to a person—destroys the brain like a flesh-eating amoeba. At least by dumping him, she’d earned her parents’ approval for the first time in years. But it was the love part that had her worried now. Guys like Reid don’t deserve to be loved.
Nisha snuck a quick look at him and her heart trembled. Fuck. Just like old times for sure. I can’t wait to get a sneak peek of his cock. Her pulse accelerated. She couldn’t hide from her thoughts. Yes, she came to the event to see her friends, but she also wanted Reid. Apparently, where he was concerned, she hadn’t gone into remission. Stupid Reid and his sexy, hurry-and-get-naked good looks. Just kill me now.
Tingles played up and down her spine. What sort of punishment would he choose for her? What would she do if he made a sexual request of her? She forced down a swallow. New rule, girl—don’t give him anything unless he’ll give it back to you in spades. No exceptions.
The metallic thud of someone dropping their putter brought her back to the moment. Since her and Reid’s team were the last to tee off, they had to wait on the three other couples to go ahead. Her skin prickled with anticipatory heat. Finally, Nisha huffed and glanced at him. Shock shot through her to find him studying her with a thoughtful expression. Need trembled through her lower belly. “Why are you staring at me?”
“I owe you an apology. A bunch of them really.” He gestured toward the rest of the group with his chin, which now bore a two-inch silver-white scar. “I don’t want to go into the whole thing here, but I’m not the same guy you knew three years ago.”
How’d he get the scar? Had he finally gotten punched by someone he’d treated like crap? Nisha held his gaze for a few seconds and then shifted her focus to Hunter as he prepared to tee off. “Spare me, okay? I’ve heard it all before. I don’t need guys like you in my life.” What a freaking liar I am. As long as he doesn’t know the extent of my stupidity, I’ll be fine. As long as he doesn’t give me the puppy dog eyes… Crap.
“I’m serious.” He stepped around to come into her lin
e of vision again. Yup, there they were. Puppy dog “I’m so sorry” eyes. “I was a jerk. I admit it, but I’m not that guy anymore. I won’t ever be again.”
Nothing except sincerity shone from his expression. Even the way he held himself was different. He’d lost that cockiness he’d once had, that arrogance and entitlement. He seemed more confident with a quiet strength and maybe a dose of humility. It made him even more appealing. Nisha sighed. I’m a sucker for a guy who’s got the “aw shucks” thing down. “How do I know that?”
Reid shrugged. “You’ll have to trust me. If nothing else, I want you to know I’m sorry for how I treated you, your family and practically everyone else I’ve ever known. There was no excuse, and that sort of crappy behavior hasn’t happened in the three years we’ve been apart. I do my best to remind myself every damn day of what I lost because of it.”
She listened to the friendly joshing between the other couples with only half an ear. Apparently everyone was playing the first cup safe. Nothing big happened.
She narrowed her eyes and peered more closely at Reid. Laugh lines framed his mouth and wrinkles creased the corners of his eyes each time he smiled. It looked as if he did both a lot now. When she’d known him, he’d rarely done either. “Oh my God, it’s true.”
“Yeah. It’s a whole big story.”
“Do the others know?”
“Hunter knows the whole thing. The others might know bits and pieces.”
“Why didn’t they tell me?” Not even Trina had spilled the beans. It must be huge for her to keep the secret.
Reid shrugged. “I asked them not to. I wanted to tell you myself, to explain and hope it would make a difference with you—for us.”
A shiver racked her shoulders from his last words. Did he want to start over? “Oh.”
He stepped onto the green rubber plate then stooped to place his yellow golf ball on one of the divots. “You plan to stick around to hear it?”
Heck yeah! This would be better than a blockbuster movie. “I guess so.” She admired his backside as he lined up his putter and smacked the ball. The yellow orb sailed down the straight, green felt fairway, circled the cup and came to rest near the far wall. The last time she’d been with him, he would have cussed her out for that missed shot. Now, he only chuckled and shrugged. “Wow, did someone go back in time, step on a giant mosquito and change the whole course of human development?”
“Is the transformation that noticeable?” he asked and set off after his ball.
“Uh, yeah.” After dropping her ball onto the green, she moved it into place with the sole of her sandal. “I’d like to thank that guy, whoever he was.” With only half a mind on the game, Nisha hit the ball. It traveled smoothly down the fairway and landed with a faint plop into the cup. “Crap. An ace.”
A shrill whistle from Hunter pierced the lull in conversation. “Hole in one! Everyone takes off one item of clothing thanks to Nisha!”
While excited chatter ebbed through the group, Nisha yanked the baseball hat from her head. She chucked it into the white, plastic laundry basket waiting on the concrete beyond the green. “Fantastic.” Mentally she calculated how many more aces it would take to get her to the bra-and-panty stage: shirt, skirt, sandals. Three. Four if she counted the wooden bead necklace. Well, hell. I should have worn more clothes.
After dropping a pair of sunglasses into the basket, Trina poked her with the putter. “First hole out, huh? You keep that up and we’ll all be naked by number six.” She glided off to the second fairway.
Nisha had nothing to do except stare at Reid. He’d only removed his watch. She’d have to be careful around him. If he wasn’t a jerk anymore, she’d have no excuse to keep him at bay—or a reason not to attack him like a rabid hyena on safari. Maybe he’d need help off with that shirt… Stop it, Nisha. No man can make such a drastic change, not even one who’s looking at you like you’re the dessert he’s been denied for months.
A change in subject was needed, pronto. “So, how’s your job? You should be pretty high up the corporate ladder by now, huh? Got a nice corner office with your own secretary? Maybe made partner?” She tamped the reflex to gag. When did I become so lame?
“Nope.” He hooked a thumb in a belt loop. “I quit that job.”
What? His gig at one of the premier law firms in the city had been his crowning glory. He’d bragged about it for months, mentioned it to whomever would make eye contact. She glanced harder at him, but he didn’t appear bitter or annoyed, or even sad. “Uh, what do you do now?”
Reid shuffled toward the second hole. “I do pro-bono work for a few women’s shelters around the city four days a week. The rest of the time I teach government at one of the high schools.”
Her jaw dropped. I think I’ve just fallen into bizarre-o world. She didn’t know which fact shocked her more—that he was a teacher, he voluntarily spent time around teenagers, or that he gave out law advice for free. “Wow.” Shock left her cold. What the hell had happened to him? And why did she want to wrap her arms around him and tell him it would be okay? Not able to form any more words, she stood by while Reid set his ball in motion. The putt went wide to the right of the cup and came to rest on a fallen leaf.
“Your turn.” The smile he gave her was so gentle in nature it was if he’d borrowed it from Gandhi. It went straight to her heart and squeezed. As he walked down the fairway, past a skull-and-crossbones flag, he said, “Are you still a biologist?”
“No, I work in vintage clothing.” She set down her ball and frowned at it as if the pink orb would give her the answers she sought.
“Awesome! I remember how you used to dream about that. I’ll bet you’re great at it.”
He’d remembered something she’d talked about? Nisha smacked the ball harder than she’d intended with the putter. It careened down the fairway, hit the metal triangular divider in the middle, then ricocheted right off the course and rolled under a bush. “Oh, crap.”
Again, the shrill scream from Hunter’s coach’s whistle pierced the air. “Nisha’s ball went off the course. Reid gets to choose her punishment.”
Catcalls and laughter broke out among the group as all eyes turned toward her.
Her stomach bottomed out as she looked at Reid. He could choose just about anything and she’d have to do it unless she wanted to forfeit her game. But, she wanted a shot at that all-expenses-paid trip. Doing what she loved was great, except it didn’t leave much cash for vacations. And… she forced down a swallow. She really wanted to get busy with Reid for the sheer joy of seeing if he’d changed in that way too. “Well, get on with it. We don’t have all night.” She hated the bitchy tone to her voice but couldn’t help it.
Reid rubbed a hand along his jaw. “You have to moon the entire party.”
Hooting and a smattering of delighted laughter cycled through the golfers. “Come on, Nisha, show us your ass!” Trina’s partner Craig yelled.
As punishments went, it wasn’t that bad. A rush of relief mixed with disappointment cycled through her middle. “Fine, but you all have to get into one place. Once I drop my drawers, I won’t be turning a circle, so if you miss it, you miss it.” While they shoved together, Nisha turned her back on them. As knots twisted her stomach, she flipped up her skirt. A couple of the guys gave wolf-whistles and complimented her on her panties. She ignored them, gritted her teeth, shimmied her underwear down her legs and bent over.
“Damn, Nisha, love your ass.” That comment came from Hunter. “I hope I get a chance at fondling it tonight.”
If God is kind you won’t be the one getting the chance.
Trina chimed in, “Looking good, Nisha. Bet someone here would love to make a play at that back door.”
Nisha’s face heated. Good thing she’d kept off the weight, and all things considered, this punishment wasn’t nearly as bad as last year’s conquering of Hunter’s dick of doom. “Show’s over.” She tugged up her panties and smoothed down her skirt.
As she turned, her g
aze snagged Reid’s. A flash of desire lit his eyes, gone before she could wonder about it. Just knowing he might have been aroused sent another surge of hot lust through her, except it went beyond that. The warmth filling her was bigger than jonesing for a hook-up. Aw, man, why him, why now? “Let’s keep playing.” To buy some time and to calm herself, she went in search of her missing golf ball. Finally spotting it nestled in an evergreen shrub, she wrangled it out with her putter before wandering back to the group.
Once again, she found herself standing and waiting with Reid. For whatever reason, the other couples weren’t interested in shooting the breeze with either of them. That was okay with her. No conversation should start with, “So, nice ass. Do you work out?”
Reid cleared his throat. When she glanced his way, he tossed his ball in the air and caught it. It was dwarfed in his large palm and served to remind her what those hands had felt like on her body. “I suppose you’re dating someone?”
Before she could answer, Hunter’s whistle blasted. “I made a hole in one. Everyone lose a piece of clothing.”
“Fuck.” Nisha removed the necklace and dropped it into the laundry basket. Reid took off his sneakers and chucked them into the tub. Her mood tumbled farther downhill. He could have at least lost the shirt. The need to see his skin hit a critical point. Her pussy throbbed. Realizing he still waited on an answer, she sighed. “No. Not married and I don’t have kids either… in case you were wondering.” As nonchalantly as she could, she skimmed his left hand. No ring.
He caught her glance and winked. “Me neither. Actually, our break up sorta killed dating for me.”
“Oh.” Had she made him hate women? Why? She’d only been honest when she’d sent him on his way. He’d been the jerk, not her. She rubbed her thumb over the dimples on her golf ball. “Sorry.”
“Not your fault. It was what I needed at the time.”
“I see.” Even though she didn’t. “Um, I hope you have good luck in the dating department though.” He hadn’t dated or gotten married. Was he looking, and why did she care? Just because the dude had said he’d changed didn’t make it the truth—no matter how much she wished for it.
Hooked Up: The Game Plan Page 3
