Stud Finders Incorporated

by Alexis Fleming

  Her heart pounded. Pinpoints of fire ignited all over her body, sensitizing nerve endings. For this moment in time, there was only the two of them.

  As Jake brushed the hair back from her face, she struggled to even out her breathing. It seemed to take forever. Her skin was dewed with perspiration. A faint breeze wafted in through the open window of the car and pebbled her heated flesh. Jake tilted her head back and she opened her eyes and stared at him.

  “Are you all right?” He ran his hand down over her cheek, circling her lips with the tip of his finger.

  It was all she could do to nod at him. She felt boneless, replete. As if she’d run a race. And won it. She should have been embarrassed, wearing nothing but a rumpled black dress twisted about her middle, but she wasn’t. She felt—it took a moment for her to find the right words amid the confusion of her brain—beautiful. Feminine. A desirable woman.

  “Talk to me, Madison.”

  She was unable to contain the grin that spread across her face. “Holy guacamole. Whoopty-do.”

  CHAPTER 11

  “You haven’t heard one word I’ve said, have you?”

  Madison jumped as Rosa reached across the breakfast bar and slapped her on the arm. Not hard, but enough to drag her away from the delicious thoughts filling her mind. “Sorry, Mom. What did you say?”

  With a shake of her head, she tried to focus. For the life of her, she couldn’t wipe the grin from her face. It had been a permanent fixture for the last two weeks. She couldn’t believe how much she’d enjoyed being with Jake. He’d taken her at her word and introduced her to the fun of dating. All the things she should have participated in at college, but didn’t because she was already hooked up with Clifton.

  So what if they were acting like teenagers? They had been the only adults on the ice at the local rink, but it didn’t matter. It had been cool to act like a kid for a while, even if they did spend more time on their asses instead of their skates.

  Among other things, Jake had taken her to the local café and they’d sat and slurped sodas through straws. They’d held hands and whispered nonsensical things to each other just like college sweethearts. The café had now become their favorite haunt.

  Between going out to dinner like sophisticated adults, and clowning around like a couple of juveniles, Madison had had a ball. And then there were the stolen kisses and all the necking in Jake’s car… Hoh boy, talk about upping the sexual tension. Madison felt like she was about to explode.

  “I knew you weren’t listening.” Rosa slammed her hand down on the counter top, making Madison jump. “I came over here to ask you to go shopping with me for a wedding outfit. Seems the only way I can get hold of you these days is to show up here before you’ve had a chance to get out of bed. What have you been doing with yourself?”

  Her grin widened. “I took your advice.”

  “My advice?” Rosa frowned, then a matching grin slid across her face. “No wonder I haven’t been able to contact you. You’ve been having hot rabbity sex with your mystery stud.”

  “Not quite.” Madison’s thoughts wandered off track again. Erotic pictures formed inside her head. She and Jake cuddled up inside the little red convertible. Amazing what the human body was capable of, even in a confined space.

  “Hey, baby girl, come back to me. You’ve disappeared again.” Rosa tapped at Madison’s arm with the tip of her red-painted fingernail, the profusion of bracelets on her wrist a musical jingle. “So have you?”

  “Have I what?” She grinned. She knew her mother was after all the juicy details, but she wasn’t about to spill the beans. Some things a mother didn’t need to know, no matter how broad-minded she was.

  Rosa released a frustrated sigh. “Have you fucked him yet?”

  “Motheerrr. What will Bart think when he knows he’s marrying a potty mouth?”

  “You let me deal with Bart. Haven’t you realized yet it turns men on when you talk dirty? They find it hot.” She licked the tip of one finger and held it up, hissing in an effort to imitate sizzling steam on a hotplate.

  “Anyway, enough of me. Have you got down and dirty with the resident stud?” She watched the blush spread over Madison’s face and burst into delighted laughter. “Hah, you have. I can see the answer on your face. Come on, baby girl, tell your dear old Mom all about it.”

  “We haven’t…you know, gone all the way.” She started to chuckle. “Good grief, what a juvenile saying, and me nearly thirty.” She held up her hand as her mother opened her mouth to comment. “I’m not going to give you all the details, but there is one thing I’ll say.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “This little chicken ain’t frigid.”

  “Told you so. It was all Clifton’s fault. So your stud has come through for you. Well, good for him.” A frown wrinkled the pancake makeup on her forehead. “So if it’s gone this far, how come you haven’t done it yet? What are you waiting for?”

  “He wanted to give me time, but you know something? My insides are turning to Jell-O while I wait. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy all the…foreplay, but the tension is driving me crazy. When I should be studying, all I can think of is rolling in the sack with my sexy stud.”

  “Smart man.” Rosa chuckled. “But why wait for him? There’s nothing wrong with a woman putting the hard word on a guy. Jump his bones, baby girl. Show him what the Paxton women are made of.”

  Madison had an immediate picture of Jake, sexy and naked, on scarlet satin sheets, the lights dimmed, soft music playing. She’d dipped into the book she’d purloined from Jake’s car. The scenario had been laid out in vivid detail. It had made her wet just reading it. As she remembered, her pulse rate increased and heat drove through her body, making her shift restlessly on the stool.

  Could she do it?

  Was she woman enough to vamp Jake?

  Darn right she was.

  She was tired of going through each day with the tension inside her at fever pitch. It was time Jake put his money where his mouth was. Or his mouth where she wanted it. And tonight was the night. She couldn’t wait any longer.

  “Strange,” Rosa said, “I haven’t had a bill yet.”

  “Sorry?” Madison shook her head in an effort to dislodge the lascivious images from her mind.

  “The bill. I’ll have to track down the advert and give the company a ring to find out what happened.”

  Madison sat up straighter on the barstool. “Ah, you don’t have to do that. There isn’t going to be a bill.”

  “What do you mean, no bill? No one hands out their services for free these days.”

  “The man likes me, Mom. I mean he really likes me. This is not a job. This is…there’s every likelihood this could end up a steady relationship.”

  “But he’s just a hired body. You can’t fall—”

  “Yep, I can.” Madison could see the worry etched on her mother’s face, and she understood where it was coming from, but Rosa didn’t know Jake.

  He was special. In the few short weeks she’d known him, he had broken through the barriers she’d erected about her heart when Clifton had betrayed her. Now she couldn’t imagine life without him.

  “You’ll like him.” She shivered as a surge of sexual excitement whizzed through her body. “He makes me laugh. He treats me like a princess. No, like a desirable woman, a woman he wants to be with. This is not a job to him, that’s why there’s no charge.”

  Rosa jumped down from the barstool and moved around to face her daughter. “Are you crazy, baby girl? How can you get emotionally involved with someone who screws for money? You need to think about this. I don’t want to see you hurt again. I thought this was all about you being pregnant before your birthday?”

  Madison bent down and dropped a kiss on her mother’s cheek. “Don’t worry so much. I’ve gone into this with my eyes wide open. Who knows? I might be lucky and end up with a ring on my finger before I get pregnant.” She shrugged. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

 
“Just don’t get your hopes up too high. I don’t want you unhappy again.” Rosa turned on her fierce mama look. “I’ll have to meet this guy and check him out.”

  “Soon, Mom.” But not yet. The relationship was too new to share. “Now what about you? How about we get your relationship sorted out first? What date have you set for the wedding?”

  “In three weeks time, the weekend of your birthday. Your birth was the most important event in my life so I thought we’d use the same day. I’ll have two special things to celebrate every October.”

  Rosa grinned. Then the grin quickly turned into a frown. “But if I don’t get you and Bart’s son together for that family dinner, the wedding will be here before you even meet. It’s not good enough, Madison. After all, you’re going to be brother and sister come October.”

  “Sorry.” She gave her mother a sheepish grin. “I know I’ve been busy, but you set the date and I’ll make certain I’m there for it.”

  “Saturday night. Eight o’clock. At the Golden Dragon Restaurant on Chifley Street.” She glared at her daughter. “And don’t cancel on me like you did last week.”

  “I promise.” She held up her hand to stop any further recriminations. She really did feel bad about opting out of last week’s dinner, but Jake had put their names down to go on a night charter on one of the tourist vessels that sailed up and down this part of the coast. Unfortunately, that was the only night they had two free bookings for the next month. And despite the guilt of disappointing her mother, Madison wouldn’t have passed up the chance to spend time with Jake for all the rice in China.

  “Now all I have to do is get Bart to make certain his son is free,” Rosa said. “The boy is supposed to be on holidays, but Bart tells me he’s never home. I’ve a good mind to go over there and stake the place out until I catch a glimpse of him. I’m beginning to wonder if he’s a figment of Bart’s imagination.”

  Madison laughed at the fierce look on her mother’s face. She might be small, but she could be all fire and brimstone when something annoyed her. “I wonder if Bart knows what he’ll be getting when he marries you.”

  Hands on hips, Rosa turned to face Madison. “I’ll have you know—”

  “Enough already, I’m teasing.” She stood up and enfolded her mother in her arms and hugged her tight, sorry she’d been so absorbed in her own life she’d ignored this special time in her mother’s. “Any man would be lucky to have you.” She dropped a kiss on Rosa’s head. “Give me five minutes to dress and we’ll go hit the shops to find you an outfit fit for a queen.”

  “You going out again, son? I’ve hardly seen you since you got home.” Bart leaned against the doorframe, his face crinkled in a frown.

  Jake bent down in front of the mirror to comb his hair. From this angle, his father’s image was reflected side by side with his, as if they stood shoulder to shoulder. As they always had, from the moment his mother had died. No matter that he normally lived in Sydney, Dad had always been there for him.

  Right about now, he felt like he had let his father down. God, he was a selfish bastard at times. This was an important time in his father’s life, something he wanted to share with his son and that same son hadn’t been there for him.

  He sat on the end of the bed to tie his shoelaces, casting a hurried glance at his watch. Madison would be waiting, but he needed to take this time to talk to his old man. “Don’t worry about Saturday, Dad. Eight O’clock at the Golden Dragon Restaurant. I’ll be there.”

  “And you’ll stand up for me at the wedding?” Bart pushed himself away from the door and wandered in to sit beside Jake on the end of the bed.

  “I’d be honored. Your Rosa sounds delightful. More importantly, she makes you happy. I’m looking forward to having her in the family.”

  Jake stood and paced over to the large windows framing the view of white-tipped waves crashing onto the deserted beach. The evening light dappled the scene with mystery. “Dad, can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure, go for it. Not certain I’ll have the answer though.”

  “With both Mom and Rosa, how soon did you know?”

  Bart raised his eyebrows. A slight smile tilted his lips. “You talking about love, son?”

  “Yeah, the big L word.”

  “With your mother, I knew the moment I met her. Rosa took a bit longer because I felt disloyal to your mom’s memory every time I had the hots for Rosa.” He paused a moment, waiting for Jake to speak. When he remained silent, he said, “I know men don’t normally talk about these things, but why don’t you tell me about her?”

  “Her?” Jake stared at his father. Boy, couldn’t put a thing over on the old man. As a child he’d been convinced his father had eyes in the back of his head, he’d never missed a trick. Always knew what he was up to. Right now, Jake felt about ten years old. Fancy being forced to ask his father for advice on his love life.

  “Come on, Jake, I might be old, but I’m not blind. There has to be a woman involved. You come home whipped, like a dog with his tail between his legs. You looked like someone had kicked you in the gut, that someone being Courtney. I don’t know what went on with you and Courtney, but whatever it was it turned you into a bitter, morose man. Now look at you, the total opposite. So tell me about her. How did you meet her?”

  Good grief, I can’t tell him that. Jake flicked a glance over at the bedside table where the little black stud finder sat. A grin spread across his face as memories flooded through his mind. He wiped it away. “Actually, we met on a lie. She thinks I’m someone else.”

  “Not a good way to start a relationship, Jake. Best you put things straight as soon as possible.”

  “I’d like to, but I’m worried she’ll toss me out on my ass when she discovers the truth.”

  “Is she that important to you? After all, you haven’t known her long.”

  “Oh, yeah, she’s important. I feel… Hell, I only feel half-alive when she’s not around. It’s got so I can’t imagine my life without her.” He tried for nonchalance as he said, “I thought maybe I’d sell my share of the business in Sydney and set up a small legal firm here on the Sunshine Coast that specializes in property deals.”

  Bart slapped an open palm on his knee. “Great to hear it. I would never have asked, but it would be nice to have you around a bit more. I take it this woman isn’t happy with moving to Sydney?”

  “I haven’t asked her, but her mother lives here on the coast and she seems very close to her. Plus the fact I seemed to have changed since I came home. I’ve realized I don’t like what I’m doing. All that digging into people’s lives with divorce cases and settlements and child custody. The families that get split up, the kids who get hurt. I just don’t want a part of it any more.”

  “You won’t make as much money.”

  “The money isn’t the issue. But this relationship…” He shook his head. “Well, it could be the most important thing in my life.”

  Bart levered himself upright and moved toward the bedroom door. “Tell her the truth. Before it goes any further. And don’t forget Saturday night,” he tossed over his shoulder as he disappeared up the hallway.

  His father’s words turned over and over in his mind as Jake grabbed his car keys and the long-stemmed creamy rose he’d bought for Madison. Dad was right. It was time he came clean with her. He just prayed she wouldn’t toss him out on his ear.

  CHAPTER 12

  Madison grabbed up the book she’d filched from Jake’s car and flicked over to the section on how to create a more sensual mood. Okay, so she’d done the bubble bath bit. Wonder if Jake was supposed to take the bubble bath, too? She pondered that for a moment. Nah. That had to be for the woman.

  She felt like an idiot getting her information from a book, but if it was good enough for a paid stud, it was good enough for her. So on to the next rule…

  Satin sheets. She glanced over at the bed, the covers turned down to show off the deep scarlet linen. Fat candles graced every possible surface, a box of
matches nearby to turn the bedroom into a scene for seduction. A bottle of champagne sat chilling in an ice bucket, her best crystal flutes on a silver tray beside the wine. Now, what else?

  Have some mood music playing softly in the background and above all fantasize, fantasize.

  Oh, that was easy. All she had to do was think of Jake in his tiny swim shorts, all those divine muscles, and her libido kicked into overdrive. And her imagination with it.

  Jake was expecting to come to dinner. And he would get fed…but after.

  She was tempted to check out the chapter on the female G spot again, but she resisted and shoved The How-To of Female Orgasm under the edge of the bed in case she needed to refer to it at a crucial moment.

  Wandering into the kitchen, she checked on the tray of finger food she’d prepared earlier. The book had said strawberries and chocolate were the right mood enhancers, but she figured a man would need something more substantial after all that exercise.

  Now, the final touch, something she hoped Jake wouldn’t be able to say no to. Her mother’s latest edition to her wardrobe. Black Magic. At least that’s what it said on the label. She just hoped it would work its magic on Jake.

  Excitement built up inside her as she headed back to the bedroom. She allowed her sarong to fall to the floor and slipped into the stretch lace and chiffon panties with garters attached and the matching soft-cup cami bra. Sitting on the side of the bed, she eased on the black-as-sin lace-top stockings and did them up.

  Shiny black high heels and she was almost done. She was just about to slide her arms into the georgette and lace, thigh-length jacket that went with the outfit when the phone rang.

  Please God, don’t let that be Jake canceling. She reached for the receiver with one hand and her perfume bottle with the other. “Hello,” she said as she misted the air around her with the heady scent of roses and musk.

  “Maddy, is that you?”

  The unexpected male voice washed over her, leaving in its wake a layer of shock that rippled up and down her spine. She tried to speak, but her mouth was so dry she had to swallow before she could get a word out. “Clifton?”