by Becca Van
“What the hell do you two think you’re doing? I am not here for your recreation and I will thank you very much to never, ever do that to me again.” She folded her arms across her chest and gave them her killer look, the one that Tasha said could wound from half a mile away. “And another thing, customers are not allowed this side of the counter, so move your butts right now or I will…”
“Now, now, don’t go getting your knickers in a knot, sugar. We were not using you for our recreation, and I’m telling you now, we certainly will be doing that again, but you’re right about this being an inappropriate place. What time are you finishing up tonight? Come and have dinner with us, Toni,” Jack demanded.
“You are out of your ever-loving mind if you think I’m going to have dinner with you and your brother, after the stunt you just pulled. I can’t believe I let you do that.”
“Come on, baby, have dinner with us? We promise not to ravish you again, please?” Ben asked.
“No way. You two can take your coffee and sh…”
“Toni,” Jack’s firm voice shook her to the core, “don’t say something you may regret later. We’ll be back, sugar.” Jack picked up their coffee and the two men exited her shop without so much as looking back at her.
Oh, my God, Toni. What were you thinking, letting them ravish you like that? Yeah, I know, I wasn’t thinking at all. I was letting my hormones speak for me. Start using your brain, girl. Anyone could have seen that little display.
Sighing, Toni pushed the two Landon brothers to the back of her mind and got back to work stocking shelves, waiting for her next lot of customers.
Toni gave a sigh of relief when her sister Natasha walked through the door just in time for the lunchtime crowd wanting coffees and sandwiches. They worked steadily for the next two hours, not having much time to converse until finally the crowd began to thin.
“So how did it go with the new supplier you saw this morning, Tasha?” Toni asked as she made two coffees to go with the sandwiches Tasha was making for their own lunch.
“Yeah, okay, I think this supplier will be a lot more reliable than the one we are presently using. You should see the two men who own the place. My god they are sex personified. They’re even more handsome than the two Landon brothers and their stock is of a better quality and the same price we are currently paying,” Tasha answered.
“All right then, I trust you. So let’s change suppliers to the Gallagher’s Warehouse Catering and see how it goes. Do they deliver here and will they charge extra for delivery?”
“No. No charge for delivery and yes they will deliver and I’ve already placed an order which should arrive in a couple of days,” Tasha replied. “Hey, have you heard the rumor about a club that is going to be built on the outskirts of town?”
“No, I can’t say I have. What sort of club?”
“I don’t know. As I said, it’s a rumor so it’s probably a load of crap. What does this town need a club for anyway? We already have two hotels, one at each end of the main street and well as a couple of restaurants, and of course our little cafe. I don’t see any need for another establishment of the same caliber. Even though Passion grew to huge proportions when the media were crawling all over the place, the novelty is beginning to wear off and only a few people have actually set up residence here,” Tasha said.
“Hmm, I’ll keep my eyes and ears open, but I doubt anything will come of it.” Toni changed the subject and asked the question which had been plaguing her since this morning. “Did you see our neighbor watching us this morning?”
“No.” Tasha must have heard something in her voice because she stopped what she was doing and looked at her. “Why?”
“He’s beginning to give me the creeps. I can see him peeking through the bushes and he watches us leave every morning. He just stands there and stares.”
“That’s a bit weird.”
“You’re telling me. The only thing I know about him is that his name is Neville, but he’s been watching us for weeks now. I want you to be careful if you see him. Don’t go letting that slow burning temper and smart mouth of yours off the hook. We don’t know what he’d do if he got angry. Has he spoken to you?”
“No.” Tasha picked up their plated sandwiches. “If you’re worried maybe you should call the police.”
“We don’t have any law in this town. It would take too long for the police to get here if he did something. Plus, he hasn’t done anything wrong as such, it’s just that I don’t like the way he watches us.”
“Me neither. I’ll have to keep an eye out, too, but if he worries you that much you need to report him. If he does do something at least there’ll be a record.”
Toni shrugged and grabbed the coffee. She wasn’t sure if she was just being paranoid, but she couldn’t very well report a man who hadn’t done anything except act a little strange. She pushed him out of her mind, for now.
The two girls took their coffees and sandwiches to a table closest to the counter and relieved their aching feet while they replenished their bodies with some much-needed nutrients. They had just finished their lunch when Toni noticed a police car pull into an empty car space out the front of the shop and two burly men got out of the vehicle and headed for the entry.
“No, don’t get up, Tasha, you’ve been on your feet all morning, I’ll get this one.” Toni placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder to keep her seated as she stood. She thought about making a report of her neighbor to the two police officers but decided against it. She didn’t know them or even where they were from. For all she knew they could be from Melbourne and that was two hours away. Once again she pushed her creepy neighbor from her thoughts.
“What can I get you, gentlemen?” Toni asked as the two men halted at the counter.
She took their orders for coffee and salad sandwiches with chicken and then made quick work of placing their orders on plates and in cups.
“Ma’am, my name is Sergeant Zachary Beech and this is my partner Sergeant Noah D’Angelo. We are looking for the local Member of Parliament’s office, as we have a meeting with Mr. Tate soon. I was wondering if you could direct me to his office please.”
“Sure, Sergeant, it’s only down the street about a kilometer on this side of the road. Mr. Tate’s office has a large sign and billboard out the front advising he’s our local MP. You can’t miss it,” Toni replied.
“Thank you kindly, ma’am.”
“Toni.”
“Thank you, Toni,” the sergeant replied with a wide smile as he looked her up and down.
“Take a seat, gentlemen, and I’ll bring your order over.”
“Thanks again, Toni.” Sergeant Zachary grinned again and winked at her before he and his partner turned to a table close by.
Toni glanced at her sister as she walked around the end of the counter with the two policemen’s orders and gave her a grin as her sister surreptitiously fanned her hand in front of her face, letting her know she also found the two men pleasing to the eye. She placed their food on the table and turned back to the counter to retrieve their coffees.
“Toni, are there any good motels or bed and breakfast establishments you can recommend to us?” Noah asked.
“Well, I’d recommend the Passion Motel, as corny as it sounds it’s actually the best place to stay in town. Enjoy your meals, officers.”
“Please, call us Zach and Noah, Toni. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.” Zach smiled.
Toni didn’t reply, she just raised her eyebrow with a haughtiness she was far from feeling, then turned away to leave the men to their meal. She started taking the tubs of dirty dishes hidden under the counter into the back room and began loading the dishwasher. When that was complete and the dishwasher was running she went back out to the tables to help Tasha clean them down with disinfectant so they would be ready for the afternoon rush. The two handsome police officers had left by the time the two sisters had everything organized.
“Did you hear why the two poli
cemen were in town, Tasha?”
“Yeah, I heard. I was cleaning the table right next to them. It seems our illustrious Mr. Tate is looking for law enforcement to be permanently stationed in this town. Apparently he’s organized a property across the road from his office to be set up as a police station and he is interviewing the two men for the job today. If they’re hired they will be moving from Bendigo in a couple of days, and there are going to be rooms at the back of the station for the two men to live in. So, now we know why the extensions and renovations were being done on that old house.”
“Interesting.”
“Isn’t it though,” Tasha said with emotion as she slanted a look at Toni, probably thinking about what she’d told her about their weird neighbor.
Chapter Two
Jack couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. Antonia Cameron was full of fire, but she hid it from herself and everyone else. She was gorgeous with her long blonde hair and curvy little body. The moment he’d set eyes on her he’d wanted her but the more he got to know her the more his heart was engaged. She was feisty and didn’t take any crap, but she was also gentle and feminine. Toni was also a very nurturing woman. He could tell by the way she looked out for her younger sister.
God, he had it bad. Jack had never reacted that way to a woman before and was experienced enough to know that Toni was special. She was the woman he and his brother wanted by their sides for the rest of their lives.
Jack wanted the chance for him and Ben to make her happy, to put a permanent smile on her face. Even though she worked hard in the shop she and Tasha owned, she never really looked like she enjoyed what she did. He wondered why she continued to do it if she didn’t like what she was doing. She was a puzzle and he wanted to know how her mind worked. Hopefully soon he and Ben would get the chance to really talk to her. There was sadness in the depths of her eyes and he wanted to wipe that away permanently.
When he’d seen those cops go into her shop and the way they had been eying Toni up and down, Jack had wanted to go storming over there and make a claim. Luckily he had some brains though and didn’t let his pecker rule. If he’d gone over there, Toni would have been so pissed off she likely wouldn’t have served him and Ben anymore. Even though they got their coffee from Toni every morning, there wasn’t any need. He and Ben had a state-of-the-art coffee machine in the back room and could make coffee anytime they damn well pleased. But then they would be missing out on seeing Toni and talking to her and he wasn’t about to give up the only chance he had to spend time with her.
Lately, he’d noticed that she was more wary, like she was scared of something, but he didn’t think she was scared of him and Ben. Something was going on with her and he wanted to know what it was. But it wasn’t likely he’d find out anytime soon. Every time he and Ben walked into the shop her body would tighten up as if she was shoring up her defenses and he began to wonder if she’d been hurt in the past.
She tried to hide the attraction she felt for him and Ben but it was there in her eyes whenever she looked at them and he could have sworn he’d seen a flash of jealousy in her eyes every time he and Ben asked after Tasha. They weren’t even remotely attracted to her little sister but wanted to make sure she was well since she was Toni’s sister. He had every intention of wearing Toni down and when they did, if he and Ben played their cards right, then Tasha would end up being their sister-in-law and family always looked out for family in his book. Now all he and Ben had to do was get Toni to agree to go out with them, but he knew that wasn’t going to be as easy as it sounded. He and Ben needed to come up with a plan, but what plan, he had no idea.
* * * *
They wouldn’t leave her alone. Every day for the last month the two Landon men came into the store to order their coffee, but Toni made sure she was surrounded by customers or her sister was present so she couldn’t protest about them being there or the way they eyed her over. It would have been bad for business, but the suggestive comments they made, for her ears only, were enough to send molten lava pooling low in her stomach, making her clit and pussy ache with unsuppressed need. They changed the times they came in each day, not at the regular time they used to come for their daily fix of caffeine, and she wondered what they were up to.
Just the other night, before locking up and closing the door, they had come bursting into the shop. She’d spun around to face them since her back had been to the door and her legs had nearly buckled with relief when she’d seen who it was. They’d startled her by the way they had entered the shop. She’d thought that something was wrong.
“Hey, baby. You look good enough to eat,” Jack had said as he perused her body.
Toni had looked down at her jeans and shirt and wondered what he was talking about. She’d opened her mouth to ask just that but had snapped it closed again when he had continued to walk toward her with purpose. Toni had placed her hands in the air as if that action would stop his progress but it hadn’t seemed to deter him. He’d walked around the end of the counter and pulled her into his arms.
“God, I love the way you feel in my arms. When are you going to come out with us, Toni?”
“Uh…” That was all she managed to get out before his mouth had been on hers. He’d ravished her right there in her store and she’d been so caught up in the moment, in the passion, she’d been unable to do anything but go along with that hungry kiss. Not that she really wanted to stop him. She’d savored every lick of his tongue and glide of his lips. When he’d finally released her mouth she hadn’t uttered a word of protest when Jack had handed her off to Ben.
Ben had picked her up and slanted his mouth over hers. His tongue had danced and tangled with hers until she’d been so breathless she’d started to see stars. He’d kissed her again and again until she’d finally got her brain to work in tandem with her body and managed to push him away. Then when she’d expected them to leave they had surprised her and guided her over to a seat. They’d sat down on either side of her and begun peppering her with questions.
“What was your childhood like, Toni?” Ben asked.
Toni had shrugged and frowned at him but had finally been able to find her voice. “Normal.”
“How did you end up owning and working the coffee shop?” Jack asked.
“This was my mum’s shop and Tasha and I helped out after school, during the holidays and on the weekends.”
“Do you like working here? What are your dreams, honey?” Ben had asked
It had been really hard not to blurt out how she really felt but had ended up shrugging instead. She hadn’t wanted to answer that question so she’d turned the tables on them.
“Why did you decide to set up an adult store?”
Ben had leaned back in his chair and given her a lascivious smile and waggled his eyebrows. “We’ve always been fascinated by sex and women and just seemed to gravitate to the adult shop. We’ve been in a couple of relationships and found out that not all women can climax as easily as others. We wanted to be able to help those women out so we decided an adult shop was the best solution. Everyone benefits from our store, men and their women alike. We love to know that we may have sold a toy or a sexy outfit which will help spice up a relationship.”
Toni had opened her mouth to ask another question but when she’d glanced at Jack and seen his narrowed eyes she’d quickly closed it again.
“No.” Jack leaned forward and grabbed her hand. “We are not man whores, baby. Of course we’ve had sex for the sake of sex, especially when we were younger but those women wanted the same thing. We would never use a woman just for the sake of gratification unless they knew the score.”
“How do you know…”
“We picked them up in bars,” Ben said and took her other hand in his. “We always made sure those women knew we only wanted to scratch an itch the same as they did before we even considered leaving with them, and we always wore condoms. We’ve never had unprotected sex with any woman.”
“And I need to know this why?”
Toni had tugged on her hands but neither man had released her.
“Because we are very attracted to you.” Jack squeezed her hand. “Come on, Toni, please say you’ll go out with us?”
“No.” Toni had pulled away and then shoved to her feet. She’d hurried back to the counter and hadn’t turned to face them until she’d had that bench between them. Only when she knew they couldn’t touch her and make her forget her resolve had she looked into their eyes again. “Please leave, I have to close up and get home to my sister.”
Tasha had left early that afternoon when Toni had seen how much pain she was in. She knew her sister well and had seen the headache behind her eyes and the lines of pain in her forehead and then ordered her home.
Jack and Ben had looked at each other and then sighed as they rose to their feet. Toni was pleased they hadn’t put up a fuss and had begun moving toward the door. Ben had looked back at her over his shoulder and then without saying a word had left. Both men had looked kind of dejected but she figured she was imagining things. There was probably another reason why their shoulders had slumped and they had looked a little despondent. Toni hoped it had nothing to do with her refusal to go out with them. She really, really liked the Landon brothers, but wasn’t about to go out with them and end up getting hurt again. She’d been there and done that and had learned a valuable lesson. Men couldn’t be trusted. But after they had sat down and talked to her she felt more comfortable around them and more than a little attracted to them. In fact her body seemed to perk up and gravitate toward them and as much as she sometimes yearned to relent and be with them, go out with them, she wasn’t about to surrender.
She’d hoped they had given up after that encounter but it seemed that the Landon brothers had more gumption than she’d given them credit for. No matter where she went whenever she turned around either Jack or Ben were right behind her. No matter how hard she tried not to be attracted to them she couldn’t stop her body’s response to them. It was getting harder and harder to keep them at arm’s length and that was beginning to worry her.
