Tempted in the City

by Jo Leigh

  He shifted, and she watched as he adjusted his body so the jets were more to his liking. Soaking in the tub like this did feel wonderful. Everywhere—but especially where his feet came to rest on the bench, bracketing her hips. That was all it took, evidently. Proximity. Any form of touch.

  “How much of a pain in the ass would it be for me to have a spa tub on the roof?”

  “A moderately big pain. It would add a lot of weight, and we’re not even sure that you can get all your garden boxes and trees up there.”

  “And don’t forget the pergola.”

  “I haven’t. Or the windbreaks. But something like this? Maybe you could talk to Sal and see what it would take to put one in your new master bath.”

  “And risk him dropping dead on the spot?”

  “You have a limited window of opportunity. And if you like, I can do some preliminary sketches, see what kind of plumbing issues we’d have. It’s possible. That was good thinking, by the way, asking for an outside staircase that would require a key. Even if the rooftop community garden isn’t viable—”

  “Why wouldn’t it be viable?”

  He gave her an odd look. It reminded her of the day they’d first met. Damn, why couldn’t she read him better by now? “The weight? City codes? Permits?”

  “Ah, yes.” Relaxing again, she waved at him to continue.

  “Anyway, you’ll most likely still be able to have a garden, but remember, if we can swing a tub, someone will need to take care of it. Unless you want to do all the maintenance yourself.”

  “I wouldn’t mind that. I’m going to be up there, anyway, with the plants.”

  “In the dead of winter?”

  “Winter is when the tub would be best.”

  “What the hell, then. Let’s try to make it happen.”

  “If you weren’t all the way over on the other side of the tub, I’d kiss you for that.”

  Tony shook his head. “You know I’d cross an entire bathtub for you. All you have to do is ask.”

  Catherine grabbed his ankles. He didn’t even jump, but then he’d seen where her hands were headed. What he couldn’t know was why she’d made her move. While trying to keep herself steady from the waist up, she spread her thighs very wide, then put his feet between them.

  He nearly dropped his champagne. “Why, Ms. Fox, what an intriguing idea.”

  “One of us has to try out a foot job. Why not me?”

  “I give you very high marks for creativity, but, um...”

  “I realize it’s not going to be as elegant as a hand job, but you have very nice feet, and they’re very clean, so I don’t think anything can go too wrong.”

  He put his glass behind him on the raised edge of the tub. “I think we should start with one foot.”

  “Hmm.” She put his left foot back on the outside of her thigh. “Better?”

  “Better. You’ll let me know if I’m doing something you don’t like, right?”

  “So we’re back to hot and cold?”

  His grin got bigger as his pupils grew darker.

  “Wait,” she said, as she turned to the panel on the wall behind her back. She’d adjusted the jets already, and this time she went for the dimmer switch. Not a big change. She still wanted to see his eyes, his chest. But there was something sexy about the shadows.

  The flat of his forefoot landed gently on her labia. A shiver caught her unprepared, but it was a nice surprise. He wasn’t even touching anything that sensitive, so it was the idea as much as the act that had her pulse racing.

  She decided to let him explore unaided. At least for a while. There was very little chance that she would come from this game, but that was fine. She could wait until after dinner for the big fireworks.

  Keeping the pad of his foot pressed against her, he rubbed her in small circles until his heel hit the tub seat. “If I move forward,” she said, “you could reach lower, but you wouldn’t have a stable base for your heel.”

  Moving his foot up, just as slowly, he didn’t answer right away. “I think let’s leave it for now.”

  The lowering of his voice told her what she wasn’t able to see for herself. His erection had to be straining.

  “Luckily for me,” he said, “I know where the important bits are.”

  She giggled and smothered a hiccup. “Bits?”

  He nodded. “Very important ones. Now hush. I’m concentrating.”

  Catherine hid her grin by drinking more, but a moment later, he stopped moving.

  “Scratch that hush,” he said. “Sounds are good. All the sounds. Anything you’d like to share.”

  “Okay, then,” she said, although she hadn’t planned on keeping silent. As he carefully slipped his very dexterous toes between her lips, she didn’t hold back at all. It was a crazy, beautiful way to feel him. It made her like him even more, which hadn’t seemed possible.

  Her eyes closed as his big toe found her clit. He made his slow, somewhat jerky circles count, never coming close to making her uncomfortable. She felt as if the bubbles of the Dom Perignon had become the bubbles from the jets, filling her with light and magic as he took his sweet time giving her pleasure.

  It occurred to her in the middle of yet another shiver that she’d been wrong. Or at least hadn’t been completely honest with herself. She didn’t just like Tony. He wasn’t perfect, which was good, because perfection would lose its luster quickly. He was very human. And it wasn’t just his looks she was crazy about, although they certainly helped. It was far more than that.

  He treated her the way she’d always wanted to be treated. He made love to her the way she’d fantasized about for most of her adult life. He touched her heart, her mind, her sense of humor. Clearly, he admired her for who she was, just as she admired him. She wouldn’t change one thing about the man.

  Except to make him stay with her for keeps.

  God, she was in so much trouble.

  * * *

  TONY SIPPED HIS pinot noir as he watched Catherine talk to one of the staff at Diamond Hill Vineyards. It was just past 2:00 p.m., and they’d had an amazing day already. But that wasn’t what he was picturing when he heard Catherine laugh.

  Last night had been a revelation. After an excellent meal, they’d gone back to their room, where they stripped each other bare before they were two feet from the door. He’d carried her to the big four-poster bed, and then he’d taken his sweet time making her lose her mind.

  She’d done the same to him, effortlessly. Listening to her moan as he’d tasted her sea salt and Catherine juices, he’d almost come before she’d even touched him. And watching her come? He forgot to breathe until he had to take a life-saving gasp. Grateful to be alive, he’d followed up by entering her in time to feel the tail end of her aftershocks.

  The scratches on his back were worth the momentary pain. Trophies he wanted to feel for as long as possible. Then he figured he’d repeat the winning formula, perhaps with a few surprises thrown in, so she’d mark him again.

  God, she’d been something else. He’d seen stars when he’d finally come. They’d celebrated, once they’d gotten their breath back, by having another dip in the spa, finished the rest of the champagne and chocolates, and he’d actually made her come right there surrounded by bubbling water.

  By the time they were dried off, they’d collapsed in bed, and fallen asleep instantly. This morning, he’d woken to her clutching him, leg over his, arm over his chest, head tucked onto the dip of his shoulder. It felt great.

  A little too great, if he thought about it, but instead, he’d roused her in his own special way, then they’d showered together, gotten their bicycles and found a nice little café that made excellent French toast and coffee.

  They’d even taken a walk by the bay. It had been a great stroll. Nothing better than draping
his arm around her shoulders while she slipped her left hand into his back pocket.

  She’d found the winery on her cell phone, and they’d decided to stop at the gorgeous old place in Cumberland, Rhode Island. She’d discovered how much she liked their pinot noir, and before he knew it, he was putting a case in the trunk.

  Then it was time to hit the interstate again, heading toward one more stop before they returned to Little Italy. Another surprise. One he thought she’d like a lot.

  In fact, when he turned into the big ironworks in New Haven, Connecticut, Catherine gripped his arm so hard he thought she might leave bruises. “Iron Works?” she said, her voice starting the question in one pitch, but ending somewhere completely different. “This is the metalworker. Your friend who’s going to help with my house.”

  Tony nodded. “Dave has a few drawings he wants to show you before he comes down to do the measurements.”

  Her mouth opened but nothing came out for a minute. “This has been the best surprise trip ever.”

  “I don’t know about ever, but I think it worked out pretty well.”

  “You put so much thought into it. I don’t know that anyone’s ever tailored a getaway to my tastes so perfectly.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” he said, meaning every word.

  “Are we going to actually order things today, or is this just a fact-finding mission?”

  “Well, they’re not technically open today, although a few of his guys are working. But I suppose if you wanted to order some things, it would be fine. I told him about your place and sent him pictures. I know he’s drawn up a few things so you’ll see how we can best match your vision.”

  They parked near the entrance to the large building, and Catherine jumped out as soon as Tony turned off the engine.

  She was next to him quickly, grabbing his hand with both of hers, but she let go just as fast. “Wait. Am I supposed to be a client and nothing more?”

  “You be whatever feels comfortable,” he said, just as his friend, Dave, met them at the door. He was a big man, muscled from his work at the forge. As he shook Catherine’s hand, Tony said, “Dave’s taken over this business from his father.”

  “And grandfather,” Dave said, giving Tony a slap on the back. Thankfully, Tony was used to the greeting. First time he’d been at the receiving end, he’d nearly fallen flat on his face.

  “I like your house,” Dave said, turning to Catherine. “My office is upstairs. I’ll show you some of my drawings. You tell me what you like, what you’re not crazy about. Then I’ll take you through the gallery, so you can get a good look at some alternatives, and we’ll see what comes of that. You have a camera with you?”

  “My cell phone.”

  “It’ll do fine,” he said, leading them inside.

  The space was well ventilated, but it still smelled like fire and something very primal. Tony knew Dave and his crew worked in steel, iron, aluminum and probably other mediums, and it was that primal scent that made him take a deep breath. The clang of a hammer on metal resonated through the whole structure.

  She was all eyes and wonder as they climbed up to the office. In minutes they had settled in comfortable chairs around a table, coffee mugs in front of them, with Tony able to watch Catherine’s expressive face.

  “Look,” she said, beckoning him to lean in to see the drawings for the staircase. Dave had really listened about the art deco style she liked, and what he was showing her blew them both away.

  “They’re gorgeous. I want them all, but I think I like the idea of the wavy design with the walnut handrail best. God, the twisted balusters are stunning. Although, what you did with this other one with the painted mural...” She ended with a sigh.

  “I’ll make copies of the drawings, all of them, then when you go back home, you can decide.”

  Tony could tell she wanted to be teleported home right that moment. Although he could easily see any of the designs would work well. They went on to look at Dave’s designs for the fireplaces, the front stoop and a private exterior spiral staircase up to the roof.

  It took them almost two hours to finish with Dave and to load the standing lamp, the wall art and bookends Catherine had purchased into the trunk of the car. Dave seemed a little surprised by her hug at the end. Tony was, too. She wasn’t a hugger. But the man had brought the goods.

  She slid into the passenger seat, and halfway down the driveway, she made Tony stop the car so she could kiss him. It was all he could do not to tell himself to turn around and go back to the hotel, the hell with work.

  God, he liked this woman. Too much. Far too much.

  15

  TONY SLOWED HIS STEPS as he realized just how much he’d rushed since getting off the subway near Catherine’s. No need to bring more attention to himself than he was already getting from the neighborhood gossips. It was just that he’d seen her only once in the week since they’d gotten back from their getaway, and while they’d finished replacing the tiles on both fireplaces, they’d both been too exhausted to make love, and, well, he’d fallen asleep. She’d shaken him awake at about one in the morning and sent him home.

  Today was different. It was Saturday, and while they were going to work on the sconces, he planned on doing his best work once they got into bed. He’d missed her.

  Just as he arrived at her front stoop, his cell phone rang with her tone. Confused, he hit the button and said, “Catherine?”

  “Am I interrupting?” Her voice was like auditory sex, low with just the perfect amount of huskiness.

  “Not at all.”

  “I was wondering what you were doing for the next couple of hours.”

  The next... Ah. He recognized where this conversation was going. “Working on your house?”

  “Can I get you to change your mind?

  “Depends on the alternative.”

  She laughed. “Look up.”

  He saw her, standing at her second-floor window. Her grin lit him up inside.

  “I’d like to take you somewhere.”

  “You realize I’m in my work clothes.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You still look hot as hell.”

  Tony smiled. “Don’t know what to say to that.”

  “Oh, that’s fine. I’m perfectly okay with you just being arm candy.”

  He let out a laugh, catching the attention of two little girls playing hopscotch on the sidewalk.

  “Stay right there. I’ll be down in a second.”

  It was more than a second, but he didn’t mind. She looked happy and gorgeous in worn, tight-fitting jeans and a dusky pink blouse, and the only part he didn’t like was that he couldn’t kiss her. The whole block of busybodies would probably implode.

  “Let’s go,” she said, almost taking his hand before she caught herself, and all he got was an apologetic smile instead of that kiss he wanted.

  “Where to?”

  “Not far.”

  “You have me intrigued, Ms. Fox.”

  “Good. That’s right where I want you.”

  “Oh, I have someplace completely different in mind,” he said, lowering his voice and giving her a heated look that made her blush.

  “Stop it. There are kids playing around here.”

  Tony smiled and nodded at one of the neighborhood boys coming toward them on a skateboard. “Hey, Mickey, you get that for your birthday?”

  “Yeah, yesterday.”

  “Nice, but watch you don’t get too close to the street, huh?”

  “I won’t, Mr. Paladino,” he said, clearly not interested in the advice.

  Catherine gave Tony a particularly sweet smile.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. It’s just—it’s nice that you look out for the kids, that’s all.” she said, shrugging. “You know ever
yone, don’t you?”

  “I’m sure I’ve overlooked a few people.” He took in her flushed cheeks and shining blue eyes and wondered if he’d ever felt this damned happy just walking down the street. Not a clue as to where he was headed. And not giving a shit, either. “I wonder what would happen if I took your hand and held it all the way to...” He frowned. “Wherever the hell we’re going.”

  “Well, I’m guessing I’d get a lot of street cred. You, however, would get a call from your mom in, oh, about five minutes.”

  “Five?” Tony laughed. “You underestimate the grapevine.”

  As if to illustrate the point, three ladies, older women Catherine didn’t recognize, moved right in front of Tony before they made it to the corner. “Tony,” the taller one said. “You’re working today?”

  “Yes, Mrs. La Bianca. This is my friend and client, Ms. Fox.”

  The woman barely nodded. “I hear you moved next to Ida Masucci.”

  “You did?” Catherine gave her an innocent smile.

  “I hear things,” she said. “This is a very close neighborhood. We’ve all known each other since we were born. Our families have lived here for generations.”

  Before Catherine could respond, the woman with the white hair said, “I understand your Angie is still single. Working outside the neighborhood. Such a shame. You were such a happy couple. But then, she’s like us, a part of the community.”

  Tony wasn’t going to let this continue. He touched Catherine behind her elbow. “I don’t want to be late,” he said, stepping around the rude pettegole.

  Catherine didn’t say a word, and it took him the rest of the block to calm down. They got to Delancey and Orchard, managing to keep a polite distance from each other. But all he wanted to do was take her away again. As far as necessary.

  At this point he wasn’t worried about their business relationship. He was handling that part just fine. Not one client or job had suffered while he took a little time to have a life. It was subjecting Catherine to her nosy, judgmental neighbors that stopped him. He couldn’t think of a quicker way to send her packing, and he couldn’t bear the thought.