by Lane, Aubree
Tanner worked her hungry bud with his thumb and massaged her breast while he gently rolled and teased her tight nipple. “Look at me, Cara,” he demanded.
Cara bit her lip and looked into Tanner’s smoldering eyes.
That was all it took. Cara was propelled over the edge of the highest peak she had ever climbed. Her face froze in the delicious delight of release.
When he felt her tightening, Tanner closed his eyes and exploded inside her. He grabbed her hips and guided her through the last few rhythmic thrusts of their frenzied copulation.
Gasping for air, Tanner pulled her onto his chest. His arms wrapped around her, and he held her tight as they both descended from the top of Mount Everest.
She felt his breath upon her cheek and he kissed the nape of her neck.
Cara could not speak. She wrapped her arms around Tanner and hugged him tight. Every inch of her skin was alive, and every molecule continued to tingle.
A few minutes later she heard the soft rumblings of Tanner snoring.
Snuggling in just a little bit deeper, Cara glowed with satisfaction. A few minutes later she followed Tanner into a deep, relaxed slumber.
Chapter Four
Monday morning came without any hot water. Cara picked up her phone to call Mr. Fix-it, Mr. Tool-man, Mr. Suave and Debonair, Mr. Rock-her-world Reed.
Sadly, he didn’t answer, so she left him a short message, “Hey, Tanner. My hot water heater is on the fritz, and I was wondering if you could take a look at it. I’ll be gone for most of the day, so you’ll be able to work without any distractions. Personally, I think that sounds wonderful, but since I really enjoy having hot water, I promise not to be here. Let me know if you can’t make it. Otherwise, I’ll look forward to taking a long hot bath tonight. Thanks.”
She grabbed her shower things and headed over to Mrs. Grimes, who graciously offered Cara the use of her bathroom.
Cara didn’t mind the inconvenience for a day or two. Mrs. Grimes would likely have a fresh pot of coffee and something warm and gooey fresh out of the oven by the time she walked out of the bath. It would mean sitting down and chatting for a while, but it was a price Cara would gladly pay. Even if Mrs. Grimes didn’t ply her with caffeine and muffins, she would have hung around. The woman was great company, and Cara couldn’t ask for a better neighbor.
Passing by the eyeball door, Cara poked it directly in its iris. “Take that you snoop.”
The eyeball door just stared.
Two steps onto her walkway and Cara caught sight of a professionally dressed, middle-aged, woman walking up to Tanner’s managerial apartment, and knock on his door. Cara had never been the jealous type, having the little green monster roaming around your head while being married to Duncan Alexander didn’t bode well for your sanity.
She knew she had no right to feel jealous where Tanner was concerned. After all, they had only been out on one date, but a twinge twisted inside her belly anyway. Then an inkling of suspicion crept into her brain. Tanner hadn’t answered when she called a moment ago, but he had just opened the door to his visitor. Obviously he was home and had ignored her call.
Cara brushed off her concern. He was probably too busy to talk, and she would hear from him shortly.
An hour later, after a hot shower and a nice visit with Mrs. Grimes, Cara walked out and saw a young girl, dressed in a pair of capris and a t-shirt come bounding out of Tanner’s place. The girl was a child and probably hadn’t even graduated high school yet!
Two women in an hour coming and going in a short period of time, at this rate Tanner should install a revolving door.
Cara stuffed the jealousy she felt into a tight ball and kicked it away. There had to be a reasonable explanation why women were traipsing in and out of his apartment at such regular intervals. If there wasn’t, there would be no second date. There was absolutely no way she was ever going to wonder about a man’s faithfulness again.
Cara drew in a deep breath and told herself to take this one step at a time. She stuffed her growing outrage into an even tighter ball and dropped kicked it clear across the lake. Then, knowing it was probably a horrible idea, she stuffed her car keys back into her purse and decided to put off running her errands in lieu of keeping vigil on Tanner’s front door.
Every half hour for the next three hours women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and ethnicities paraded in and out of his place. Cara could not figure out what was going on. She knew what was not happening, though. Her hot water heater was not being fixed, and her anger grew exponentially.
A baby blue VW Bug pulled up and Cara waited to see who would be getting out this time. It was a lovely redhead. The woman wore a pair of black stiletto heeled pumps on her feet, black tailored trousers, and she was topped off in a white tuxedo shirt. It was the same attire worn by the gaming personnel down at the Cascade Bay Casino.
Cara squinted. The woman looked vaguely familiar. She turned and Cara got a good look at her face.
It was Blackjack Barbie!
The ball of jealousy and anger Cara tried so hard to vanquish came flying back across the lake and smashed deep within her chest. Her face flamed red hot and the bottom dropped out of her world.
Having a whole twenty minutes to work herself into a frenzy before Barbie and her blue bug left, Cara stormed around her apartment. That woman was invading her territory again, and Tanner was letting her. She was not going to stand for this slap in the face. Tanner had played her for a fool, but now it was her turn, and she was determined to play Tanner James Reed like he had never been played before.
The moment the bug pulled away from the curb, Cara stormed over to Tanner’s. She didn’t even bother knocking. She just barged right in.
Tanner was seated at his dining room table, with a stack of papers in front of him. He looked up and smiled. “Cara Lee, I was just about to come over and look at your―”
Cara pulled him out of his chair, and dragged him into his bedroom.
His eyes went wide with surprise, his smile even wider, “What’s going on?”
Cara shook her head. “Don’t say a word,” she commanded.
She pushed him onto the bed. Climbing between his legs, she undid the button of his jeans. The old, comfortable denim had a tear at the knee. Her heart soften as she ran her hands down his hips and up his inner thighs. Since this was the last time she was ever going to touch her tool-man, she luxuriated in the feel of his defined quadriceps beneath the material.
Tanner groaned in approval.
Cara seductively looked at him and licked her lips. Right now she had all the power and control.
Through his pants, she teased and rubbed his growing cock. She massaged his balls. Then at an excruciatingly slow pace, she picked up the pull tab, and tooth by tooth, slid the slider down the chain of his zipper.
Hooking her hands on his waistband, Cara tugged until his pants and boxers were pooled around his ankles. His cock jump to attention, and she slowly began to play his instrument.
She plucked him pizzicato, kissing the inside of his thighs. Moving up his legs in a leisurely largo Cara hovered above her prize. Gently, she stroked him and circled her thumb teasingly around his engorged head. She opened her mouth and brushed the tip with her tongue.
She loved the taste of him and the smell of his woodsy scent, even more, she loved his response to her overture. She licked his length, and nibbled him lightly. When she encased his head within her mouth, she swirled her tongue around his highly sensitive crown.
Tanner sighed.
Up and down, her hands moved firmly along his shaft. As her sonata rose so did Tanner’s breath. She drummed his bass and strummed his length. His hips rose and fell to the beat.
He struggled beneath her, wanting her to bring the opus to a climax, begging for it. Cara plunged her mouth down on him as far as she could and sucked hard, her tongue swirling faster and faster. Heat pulsated through her fingers. She felt the pressure of Tanner’s hands on her head and the twist of his fingers
in her hair, and she let out a little moan. He gasped feeling the vibrato deep in her throat. His fingers gripped her head, and Cara knew he was lost in a rhapsody of pleasure.
Over and over she repeated the refrain. He was the reed to her clarinet, latched together, functioning as one.
His body tightened, and he released his appreciation of her oral operetta.
When his body crumpled in a mass of manly mush, Cara crawled up his chest. The lids of his eyes were heavy. He brushed her cheek with the back of his knuckles.
She looked into his magnetic eyes and almost changed her mind. She wanted to stay and cuddle, but she couldn’t trust him. Barbie had intruded in her life again, and all Cara wanted was to squash Barbie Blue Bug on the windshield of her outrage.
Closing her eyes, Cara steeled her resolve. She kissed him a long sweet kiss goodbye. Ending something, that never had a chance to begin.
Abruptly, Cara shoved a pillow into his chest, and flung herself away from him, his bed, and his life. “We’re finished!” she hollered over her shoulder before slamming the door behind her.
Tanner laid back in his sheets unable to fathom what just happened. He ran his fingers through his coal black hair, his sapphire-blue eyes wrought with confusion. “What the fuck was that?”
“Go away, Tanner.” Cara yelled when she heard him pounding on her door.
“I brought a new hot water heater to install,” he bribed.
Cara sat back and weighed her options. Not having any hot water wasn’t one of them, so she relented and opened the door.
Tanner stormed in and turned on her, “What the hell was that all about?”
She ignored his outrage. “Where is my hot water heater?”
“It’s in the truck, now answer my question.”
Tanner was riled up and ready for an argument. Well, so was she. Cara stuck her nose in his face. “How dare you ask me that after you had Barbie Blue Bug in your home! That is the worst kind of betrayal.”
Tanner threw his arms in the air. “Who the hell is Barbie Blue Bug?”
Cara was livid. “I saw her and her little Volkswagen. She was inside your place for at least twenty minutes.”
He shook his head. “Are you talking about the redhead? Her name is Lisa Hill. She came for a job interview.” He jabbed an angry finger in her direction, “She was the best qualified applicant I saw today, and I offered her a position.” He stormed back to the door. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have work to do.” He turned back one last time before leaving and asked sharply, “Is the offer to meet your daughter still on the table?”
Wide-eyed, Cara humbly nodded. She felt horrible. All those women had come for a job interview, and Cara had let her imagination run wild. Tanner was not Duncan. She had to stop letting her past mess up her future.
Cara closed her eyes. He was angry, but he hadn’t given up on her, even after she let her freak loose on him. All the fury she felt drifted away. Tanner hadn’t known her history with Lisa. He hadn’t betrayed her.
The door slammed behind him, and Cara was left with nothing but crow to eat.
Cara held the door open as Tanner wrestled the hot water heater through the doorway. It was a new tank-less on-demand type and much smaller than her old model. Wordlessly, her tool-man went to work grappling to get the old, busted, broken down heater out of the closet.
“Tanner, can we talk?” she asked tentatively.
Tanner hoisted the old tank onto a dolly and rolled it to the door. “I’m a little busy right now.”
Cara scurried after him. “How about I talk and you listen?” She took his non-response as consent and proceeded to accept responsibility for their misunderstanding. “I may owe you an apology. I saw that woman and I saw red. She was Duncan’s mistress, and the breaking point of our marriage.”
“Stop!” Tanner commanded. “She told me the whole story. Although, I didn’t realize she was talking about you and Duncan.” He rested the tank on the ground and turned to face her. His eyes locked onto her and his whole being softened. “She quit her job because she needed to make a new start for herself. The poor woman actually broke down and cried when she told me the reason why she left her last job.”
Cara squared her shoulders defensively, not buying that for a moment. “Oh please, that is the oldest trick in the book. That woman knew exactly what she was doing when she got involved with Duncan. She’s just trying to make you feel sorry for her so you’d hire her.”
Tanner sucked in a deep breath. He unclenched his angry fist and reached out a comforting hand. His voice was warm with sympathy. “She looked pretty sincere to me.”
Cara knew Barbie Blue Bug couldn’t ever be trusted, but Tanner was another story. Mrs. Grimes and Leah both expressed he was a one woman man. She even believed Leah was more concerned Cara was going to hurt her old high school buddy rather than the other way around.
Cara took her cue from Tanner and let go of her anger. She asked as un-accusingly as possible, “Are you sure she doesn’t know I live here and that she’s not trying to get to me?”
Tanner hand slid down and gently caressed her arm. The words that came out of his mouth were soft and understanding. “Nope, not a bit.”
She stepped forward and Tanner wrapped her up in an embrace. Cara happily accepted the comfort he offered and rested her head on his chest. “Will you promise that as long as we are seeing each other that you won’t mess around with her?”
Tanner chuckled lightly. “That’s one thing you don’t have to worry about. She’s not my type. I’ll even take that a step further. I’ll make it clear that she is to stay away from you, and if I so much as suspect that she has lied to me, I will fire her.”
It had been a long time since a man had taken her feelings into consideration, and Cara felt a catch in her throat. Unable to contain her tears, she let them fall on his shirt. “If I freak out again because of her, will you forgive me?”
Tanner rubbed her back. “Sweetie, if you promise to take your freak out on my cock like you did earlier, there will never be anything to forgive.”
Pushing away from his chest, Cara happily smirked, “That was probably a one-time courtesy. Next time, it’s more likely a baseball bat will be involved.”
Tanner ducked and raised his arms protectively in front of his head. “As long as you keep it pointed in Lisa Hill’s direction, I won’t have a problem with that either.”
Cara rolled her eyes. “Okay, tool-man.” She pointed at the hot water heater. “Back to work!”
~~~**~~~
Lisa drove down Southwood Boulevard. The windows of her blue bug were down and a crisp Tahoe breeze blew through her thick red hair. She pressed the media button on her steering wheel and gave the phone command. When the robotic female voice asked for her next instruction, she replied, “Call, Duncan.”
“Hey, babe,” Duncan’s voice purred seductively when he answered.
Lisa took a deep breath. “I’m calling to make sure you received my notice of resignation.”
Duncan let out a deep satisfied chuckle. “So you got the job?”
Lisa nodded in the affirmative. “I got the job.”
~~~**~~~
The Tahoe City Marina didn’t look anything like Tanner remembered. How could he not be aware that the entire Marina had been rebuilt? Was he that far out of touch with his community? Composite decking was everywhere, and the small junky Marina he remembered was nowhere in sight. The structure which stretched out before him was modern, bright, and large.
He and Cara agreed to meet under the gateway to the marina, but the lovely Cara Lee and her daughter had not yet arrived.
Cara stayed with him again last night and left his place while it was still dark. She whispered in his ear to be here at eight and in his after-sex stupor he wondered if he misunderstood. He couldn’t believe he was about to meet her kid after only one official date. Why had he agreed to such a thing? This was a big deal. More importantly, why had Cara initiated the meeting? It was t
oo soon. Now that she was no longer married, was she looking for husband number two?
The more Tanner mulled the situation over, the more panicked he became. He stuck his hands in his pockets, but couldn’t stand still. He nervously rubbed his neck and could feel the tension begin to cord in his muscles. He was not ready for this!
He paced nervously. Part of him hoped he wasn’t about to be stood up while the other part prayed that he would. Just as he was about to pull out his cell phone and give her a call, he saw Cara walking up from Beach Park. It made sense, any little girl would love to play there.
He wondered how a child spawned from the loins of Duncan Alexander would behave. Would she be stuck-up, spoiled, and snooty? Tanner drew in a deep breath and tried to reassure himself that any child of Cara’s would be adorable and charming.
Everything was going to be fine, he didn’t have to worry.
He took a closer look. Cara was alone. He scanned the park, searching for her daughter, but none played in the area. Cara’s plans must have changed. To his surprise, Tanner felt a little hurt that Cara changed her mind about introducing him to her child.
When she saw him, Cara picked up her pace. She had a backpack slung over her shoulder, and she flashed him a brilliant smile when she neared. “Hi there, cowboy. Want to grab a cup of coffee over at Rosie’s Café before we get started?”
Tanner scratched his chin and scowled. “Sure, but aren’t we missing someone?”
Cara pursed her lips together. “You mean LOLA? She’s already here. Don’t worry, she won’t mind waiting a few minutes.”
A patient child? Tanner hadn’t been around very many children, but he doubted there were many of those. Cara’s daughter must be one remarkable kid. He searched Cara’s face. There was a mischievous glint in her eye, and the corners of her mouth curled up at the ends.
Tanner eyed her suspiciously and ran the conversation with the under-aged student in the bar back through his mind. The kid had asked how Lola was, and Cara had replied, ‘almost ready for her first day of summer school.’ They were meeting at the marina. Boats were typically referred to in the feminine. Something didn’t add up, and he realized there had been some important questions he had failed to ask.
