by Jill Sanders
There were a few smaller hotels along the highway just on the other side of the tall bridge that led to Surf Breeze, but so far the town’s lack of space had kept the larger chains away. Most tourists coming into Surf Breeze loved the small feeling. The quaint boardwalk and its nightlife appeal had been a successful mix. That is, up until a few months ago.
Small blue shuttle vans used to run from Emerald Beach to Surf Breeze every hour, but the shuttles had recently been discontinued, and tourism had slowed down. There had been a large uproar from the local business owners, who had petitioned and attended several city hall meetings, but so far, they had not been successful in getting the shuttles running again. Shortly after the shuttles stopped running, the local businesses had been flooded with offers to sell their land or buildings. No one was interested in the businesses, just the property they sat on.
Some of the business owners sold right away. Others were starting to talk about selling. They had gathered and held a meeting at her place a few weeks back, but so far, everyone had been convinced to hold out just a little longer.
She was eating her breakfast—wheat toast and a sliced apple—out on the patio when she heard someone walking up the outside stairs. Turning, she watched Luke open the gate with a white bag and a cup of coffee balanced in his hands.
“What do you want?” she asked, turning back to the local newspaper she’d been scanning.
“Now, is that any way to greet an old friend?” he asked.
“Old friend?” She turned her head and watched him open the tall gate.
“Sure.” He smiled. “After all, I brought you donuts and coffee.” He set the bag and cup down and then took a seat next to her.
“I already have breakfast.” She nodded towards her half-finished toast and apple.
He frowned. “That’s not breakfast, that’s bird food.” He moved her plate aside and pushed the bag of donuts in front of her.
She leaned back and crossed her arms in front of her, noticing that his eyes went to her chest. She had yet to get dressed for work and was wearing shorts and a tank top since it had been surprisingly and wonderfully warm out that morning. She quickly uncrossed her arms when his gaze made her skin feel like it was on fire.
“I don’t know why you keep persisting.” She took a peek inside the bag and almost moaned when she saw the raspberry-filled delight. Reaching in, she decided that she might as well enjoy it.
The first bite was like heaven. Closing her eyes, she moaned at the richness of the dessert. When she reached for her coffee, he pushed the paper cup in front of her instead. She shrugged her shoulders and took a sip, then frowned.
“Who have you been talking to?” She set the cup down.
He smiled and leaned closer to her. “You have a bit of raspberry”—he used his finger to wipe away some of the jelly from the corner of her mouth— “here.” His voice dropped to a low murmur.
She had an image of him talking to her in that tone as he ran his hands all over her. He would coo to her as he told her exactly what he wanted to do to her, what he wanted her to do to him. Shaking her head, she leaned away.
“Well?” she asked again.
He smiled. “I don’t know what you mean.” He reached into the bag and took out a chocolate-covered donut and took a bite.
“Raspberry-filled donuts, double-chocolate-chip Frappuccino. Have you been talking to my brothers?”
“Brothers? I haven’t talked to your brothers.” He leaned back as he took a sip of his own coffee.
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him as his eyebrows shot up.
He shook his head. “I didn’t know you had brothers. Wendy mentioned you had a weakness for the donuts and Frappuccino.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Wendy!” She closed her eyes and swore she’d fire the woman if she weren’t such a great asset to her business and a very close friend.
“Don’t be too harsh on her. I pestered her enough last night that I’m surprised she didn’t give me more information about you.” He leaned in, taking another bite of his donut.
“Why are you doing this?” She was really beginning to feel annoyed and stalked.
He chuckled. “I’m attracted to you, Cassey. I thought I saw a spark of attraction in your eyes as well.” He shrugged his shoulders and took another sip of his coffee. “I thought we might explore it together.”
Honesty was something she hadn’t expected from him. Yes, she had been instantly attracted to him; she couldn’t deny it. She had noticed it in his eyes as well. But could she trust him? Since she knew she could trust herself to uphold her decision, maybe she could afford to explore a physical relationship. At least for a while.
“I’m not looking for a relationship right now.” She frowned as she sipped her coffee.
“Who said anything about a relationship?” He shrugged and looked a little distant.
She leaned back, trying to gauge him. “I suppose I could use a distraction.”
She saw his eyebrows shoot up momentarily, but his face and eyes masked his emotions. Then he nodded slowly. “When do you have a night off?”
“Monday.”
“Monday is good, but how about tonight?”
“Tonight?” She tilted her head, trying to figure him out.
“Sure, you know, the part of the day that comes just before sunset.” He smiled.
“I’ll be here tonight.”
“Great.” He took the last bite of his donut and stood. “I’ll see you tonight, then.” He reached down and took her hand, pulling her up from her chair, pulling her so close she could feel his heartbeat next to her breasts. He leaned towards her slowly.
She saw the kiss coming, but after his lips touched hers, she realized nothing could have prepared her for the desire that slammed into her. His hands stayed on her hips, holding her close to his body as his mouth explored her own. His rich taste on her tongue caused her to moan and pull him closer as she explored him more. Her hands went into his thick hair, holding him to her until she felt out of breath. Then he pulled back, and she swore she saw a flash of humor in his eyes as he smiled down at her.
“Well, I think we established there is definitely something here.”
She tried to smile, but her lips and mind refused to focus. How could a man do this so quickly to her? She felt like a mass of jelly. Gooey all over.
His hands dropped and he stepped away. She thought she saw them shake, but he pushed them deep into his jean pockets before she could be sure. “See you tonight, Cassey.” He turned and walked away as she stood there staring after him. When the gate closed, she melted into her chair with a huff, her mind racing.
Her lips still tasted of him. She could still feel his mouth on hers. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the chair and wondered just what she had gotten herself into.
Luke spent the next couple of hours in his hotel room. He was staying in a small place just outside of town. His laptop keys clicked as he answered emails, moved his schedule around, and sent a dreaded email to his father. He clicked the send button and less than five minutes later his cell rang. Knowing it would be his dad, he closed his eyes and sighed. He’d really hoped to put him off for a few hours.
“Hi, Dad,” he answered and held the phone away from his ear, waiting for the explosion he knew was coming.
An hour later, with his ear ringing and his head pounding, he showered and dressed to go to Cassey’s place. He knew his father wouldn’t like the update he’d sent, but he had no idea the old man would threaten to disinherit him if he didn’t make this deal happen. Why was Cassey’s property so important?
He had more questions now than when he’d been given the assignment, and he knew only one place to get some answers.
As he walked down the boardwalk towards The Boardwalk Bar & Grill, he looked at the other business along the way. There were souvenir shops, small food vendors, an ice cream parlor, even a tattoo shop. Each place had small-town charm. However, some of
the businesses sat empty, and their dark windows hung like a cloud over the otherwise happy boardwalk. Cassey’s was the largest building and lot along the mile-and-a-half-long strip and the best located. There were tables and chairs sitting outside surrounded by bright flowers in colored wood boxes, making the small patio area look secluded and romantic. Since the weather was turning colder, there weren’t any customers dining outside.
When he walked in, the place was almost packed again. If she was struggling with nights like this, he wondered how it used to be and where all her money was going. He knew she had a loan out on the place, but he’d checked the records, and the payments were low enough that she could easily covered them with the traffic she was having. Maybe she owed her family?
He walked up to the bar as Wendy smiled at him. Tonight her top was even lower than the night before and still he found her ample cleavage lacking.
“Back again.” She smiled as he nodded. “What’ll you have, sweetie.”
“Rum and Coke.” He turned to look at the place as she went to get his drink. The huge room was separated into two sides. In the back was a stage area with a large dance floor. The dance floor was separated from the dining area by a small half wall. There were two steps leading down to the area, and he had no doubt that the area packed out on nights they had live music.
The other side was the dining area with the bar to the side. There were tall booths that lined the wall and tables in the middle of the floor. The cream-colored tablecloths, along with the lighting and flowers on each table, gave the place an almost rich look. He had to admit, she’d done a great job making the two halves work side by side.
Half an hour and two drinks later, he watched Cassey walk down the stairs. Tonight she wore a silver skirt that hugged her in all the right places. Tall black boots went all the way up to her thighs, and she wore a long net shirt over a silver tank top that flowed just past her belly. She wore silver earrings and jewelry that sparkled in the light. Her long hair flowed down her back in tight curls that looked soft enough to bury his face in.
She walked up to him, and he felt like his tongue had grown three sizes.
“Evening.” She smiled and nodded to Wendy, who quickly produced a can of Coke. Cassey leaned on the bar next to him and took a sip.
“You look…amazing,” he finally said. Then he pulled her closer and she heard him sniff her neck and hair, no doubt smelling her rich perfume she enjoyed to indulge in. She tensed for a split second, and then relaxed into the embrace.
When she pulled back, she heard Wendy sigh. “You’ll excuse me; I have to make my rounds. Wendy…” She waited until her friend walked over. “Get Mr. Callaway anything he wants.” She turned and started her nightly ritual. It was still early and the band had yet to show up. She knew it would be an hour before the hectic scurry started. The large back doors opened to the alleyway so that equipment coming and going didn’t disturb the diners.
As she walked around the tables, she noticed that there were regular customers scattered around the room. That always made her happy, but new customers were the key to her business. Tourists made up at least seventy percent of the revenue. And in the last few months, she was seeing those numbers dwindle.
By the time she had made it around the room, her feet hurt from her new three-inch high-heeled boots. Oh, they were totally worth the slight pain, but she had to admit she couldn’t wait to slide them off and sink down into a nice hot bath.
Late nights had been part of her life since opening the place, and her body was used to the hours. She had more energy than most people did between the hours of seven and one. But it still took a full can of Coke to keep her going; her long-time addiction to the drink helped her mentally get through the later hours.
But tonight she had the extra weight of wondering what would happen after she locked those doors. Looking across the room, she saw Luke leaning against the bar, watching her. The heat that had come from his eyes earlier had seared her. She couldn’t remember ever having been looked at like that before. There had been no doubt what he wanted when he saw her walk across the room towards him. She thought that if he could have, he would have marched her up those stairs and back into her apartment. Images of him touching her, what he’d do to her, had flashed into her head ever since they had made their arrangement.
She’d had several relationships in the past, and most had ended amicably. The longest had been Bill, lasting all of five weeks. She knew she had commitment issues. Hell, who wouldn’t after living through the horror of her early childhood? She always pulled away before getting too close. She supposed it was because she didn’t trust herself to be…well…herself around men.
During any relationship, she would see subtle changes in herself and immediately call it off. They had never been major changes, just little things like using his type of toothpaste instead of hers. Most people would simply overlook things like this, but she couldn’t.
She watched Luke turn around and start talking to Wendy. She knew Wendy had gotten her hint about keeping her hands off. They’d been friends ever since she’d hired her that first week. Wendy was one of the only women outside of her family she actually trusted. When she’d heard that Wendy had a similar story to her own, the bond had grown fast and strong.
Luke laughed at something Wendy said, and the sound reverberated through the room. His rich voice was easy to pinpoint in the crowd.
Just then, she received a text saying the band was in the alley, waiting for her to let them in. Walking over to the back doors, she opened them and saw Mike. Mike was the epitome of 80s throwback. She was sure that there had been a time when he had been in many young girls’ dreams, but the years hadn’t been kind to his hairline or his waistline. But he was a legend for his voice along the whole coastline, and his band played all the right songs and knew how to pack in a crowd.
“How’s it going tonight, Cass?” He shifted the large speaker he was holding to hug her.
“Great. We’re all ready for you. Tyrone even tells me there’s a line growing outside.” She propped open the doors to let the rest of the band and all their equipment in.
Less than an hour later, the music started pumping and the crowd was packed in tight. Cassey leaned back against the bar and smiled over at Luke.
Chapter Four
Cassey’s smile could light up a room. Luke had the feeling that she didn’t do it very often. He had talked to Wendy, trying to gain as much knowledge as he could about her. Wendy wasn’t shy when it came to talking about her boss.
He’d found out that she had three brothers, who stopped by frequently. Marcus, the eldest, owned one of the biggest construction companies in town. Roman owned several business as well. Wendy didn’t know which ones, but she did mention he drove a new Lexus and always tipped her very well. But Cole was where it got interesting. Cole was one of the most well-known surfers out there. He was a legend, on the cover of every sports magazine and cereal box there was. Luke even thought he’d seen him in the running for man of the year on some magazine cover just last year. When Wendy talked about Cole, her voice grew soft and her eyes turned dreamy. He remembered meeting the man once, years ago, on some beach in Hawaii when Luke had been hiding from his father.
Wendy mentioned there was a sister, but none of the others talked about her. She didn’t even know what had happened to her.
He watched Cassey talk to the band and customers, yet he couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering over her body. He knew he was in for a long night, so he cut back to sipping a tall beer. He noticed she’d had her Coke in hand for most of the night and smiled.
When the music turned soft, he found her at a table, talking with two young couples. Walking up, he excused her and pulled her onto the dance floor. Just holding her close, smelling her sweet perfume, his mind thought of a million ways to get her upstairs. Just for a moment.
“Any chance I can convince you to take a break?” His hands were running up and down her back as they swayed to the music
.
She looked up at him, and her crystal eyes showed him she knew exactly what he meant and wanted the same. “Half an hour.”
“Not soon enough.” He smiled. “You smell so good.” He buried his face into her hair. “I bet you taste even better,” he whispered as he dipped and placed his lips on her soft mouth. The taste of her was something he knew he’d never forget, nor want to.
He felt her shake slightly and pulled her tight up against him, making sure that she would feel the desire he had for her. When she moved up against him, he started shaking.
He pulled back and looked into her eyes, noticing that they were out of focus. Her skin glowed and her lips looked darker and fuller than before.
“Luke,” she said, her voice soft and sexy, “you make it hard for me to concentrate.”
He chuckled. “Good.” As the music stopped, he found it hard to release his hold on her so he could step back. They stood in silence for a few seconds as the band announced that they would take a fifteen-minute break. Loud prerecorded music started pumping from the speakers and people around them started bumping to the sounds.
He reached over and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the narrow stairs. “Perfect timing,” he whispered into her ear as he followed her up the stairs, his eyes focusing on what the tight skirt did to her backside as she walked in front of him. When they made it to her office, he pulled her in and pushed her up against the door, his mouth fused to hers.
He felt her breath hitch as her hands grabbed his hair and held him to her mouth. Her tongue darted out, lapping at his own erotically. His hands moved quickly down from her shoulders, moving lower to rub over the soft mounds, passing her ribs until finally they rested on her hips. His fingers dug into the softness he found there until she moaned. He pushed her legs wide as he stood between those sexy boots. His fingers hoisted up the silver skirt until he found a small black patch of silk covering her. Hearing the material rip, he groaned as he found her silky skin under the soft curls that covered her sex.
