At Jenny’s recommendation, Lacy hurried to the restaurant. Really, she loved it here. It was a beautiful place to live and work. One side of the lobby was entirely glass and looked out on the lake and the golf course. A gracious Southern style patio with wide stairs going down to the green was decorated with huge pots of colorful flowers. Two fountains held darting gold fish and beds full of annuals completed the relaxing atmosphere. “Hey, Lacy!”
As she entered the restaurant, Lacy admired the fireplace, the beautiful white linen table cloths and the magnificent spread of the salad bar. “Hello, Richard,” Lacy greeted the resort’s sous chef. “I love everything you prepare, but I especially love when you make these wraps.”
“You know I held a couple back for you, of course. There was no way I was going to let you miss out.” Richard smiled. He was older and happily married. Lacy felt safe with him. She watched as he plated up one of the wraps and dished up a helping of coleslaw on the side.
“You are my absolute favorite chef,” Lacy confided as the other kitchen staff milled around.
“I bet you tell all the cooks that. I’ll try to talk the big bosses into putting them on the menu fulltime for you, Lacy,” Richard said with a wink.
“That would be great.”
“But only if you give me your chocolate ganache cake recipe.”
“That’s a family secret, Richard. But next time I call home, I’ll ask Mom if you can have it.”
Richard twirled a carving knife in the air. “Deal. Now I’d go eat in the main dining room if I were you, Lacy. Jake brought his crew in for lunch and the staff area is full of work boots getting our floors all muddy. Glenda isn’t going to be happy with the mess she’s gonna have to clean up once they’re gone. I’m sure Jake’s gonna hear about it.”
“I’m sure Jake can handle himself, Richard.” She doubted any woman could stay put-out with him for very long. For a microsecond she considered eating with the guests, but knowing Jake was nearby made the choice a simple one. The staff ate in a nice room off the main restaurant. When Lacy came out of the kitchen with a grilled chicken breast served over a bed of Caesar salad, all wrapped up in a fresh whole wheat pita, she saw the room was full. Richard was right. Jake had brought his crew in for lunch, something he’d never done before to her knowledge. And Richard was also right about the mess. Jake was going to have to lay some major charm on Glenda. With a grin, she realized she envied the head housekeeper. There was a trail of mud and clumps of dried dirt which led all the way from the kitchen and between the round tables.
Lacy wandered in, looking around. There were a few vacant spots at a table where the construction crew was sitting, but they were being a little rowdy and loud and she felt a bit intimidated. Jake wasn’t there anyway, she noted with a sigh.
“Looks like I’m eating at my desk today,” she said to herself and headed back toward the main part of the building. As she walked, she studied the pattern on the new carpet the hotel management had installed in the dining room. It was a rich shade of burgundy with a geometrical floral pattern woven throughout. Lacy thought it was classy although she preferred the marble tile used in the lobby.
“Not gonna join us?” Jake asked as he came walking through the door as she was about to go out. He was also holding a tray with a chicken Caesar wrap on it and a large orange juice. Lacy looked him up and down. His shirt was smudged with mud and so was his left cheek. It looked like he’d washed his hands, but there was still dirt under his fingernails. “Sometimes I enjoy getting my hands dirty,” Jake said as Lacy stared at them.
They looked so strong, so powerful, like he could use them and them alone to reshape the course instead of all his big equipment. “No, no. Don’t apologize to me,” she spoke quickly. “I like the way your hands look.” When she compared Jake’s manly hands to Stephen’s soft, weak ones, she wondered how she’d ever allowed him to touch her. How would Jake’s hands feel on her body? Just the thought of him rubbing his calloused fingers over her nipples made her shiver with delight.
“Lacy?” he asked. “Where did you go?”
“What?” Lacy jumped and blushed. If he only knew. “You got the wrap too, I see,” Lacy said in response, trying desperately to regain her composure.
Jake could sense the nervous energy in her voice as a beautiful blush rose up from her chest. She’d been thinking about something else entirely. The thought intrigued him. He made a practice to not get seriously involved with women, choosing instead to stay unencumbered, enjoying only the most casual of female companionship. But Jake was finding Lacy to be a temptation he hadn’t planned on. “How did the meeting with Doc Barnes go?”
“It could have been better,” Lacy admitted, sounding resigned. “He wanted me to use the same plan as my predecessor used in the past. Apparently my ideas aren’t worth considering.”
Jake felt bad. She sounded depressed. Who could blame her? He’d had the misfortune of dealing with Barnes in the past and he knew it could be an unnerving event. The old man was stubborn and looked at life with tunnel vision. He could still remember the run-ins his granddad would have with him on the streets of Natchitoches.
Hunting something to say that would get both his and her mind off their troubles, he latched onto food. It was a safe topic. For some reason, it was important he keep her near him just as long as possible. “I love when the customers don’t finish their leftovers. You know, at my last course, we had this group of lawyers who came in every other Wednesday morning. Never failed, they’d rent out one of the conference rooms and come in and just sit there and talk and eat.”
“Aren’t the lawyers usually the ones who are out golfing early in the mornings?”
Jake smiled. “Worked at a course before I see?” He couldn’t help but notice how pretty her eyes were. They were blue, a dark blue. And her lips were soft. Kissable.
“No,” Lacy responded with a laugh. “This is my first time, but I’m a quick study.” In some things, she admitted. Not erotic pursuits, apparently. Unless the problem was that she’d never had the right teacher. There was no mistaking it, the ache in her sex had returned. Lacy could feel her nipples tighten and her pussy start to moisten. Just talking to Jake for a few moments had already lightened her mood and gotten her mind off her disaster of a morning.
And most importantly, he’d turned her on.
“Before I came here, I worked at a tourist bureau in Omaha.”
“They have tourists in Omaha?” Jake joked dryly.
Lacy laughed. “Not many.”
“Were you going to eat in your office?” Jake questioned casually.
“Yeah, it’s kind of crowded in here.” Lacy shifted from one foot to another, trying to decide what he was getting at.
Jake looked over the noisy crowd of workers he’d brought in with him. It was no place for someone as feminine as Lacy. “I don’t know who it was, but some yahoo brought a bunch of roughnecks into the building. Why don’t you sit with me on the patio? I could use the company of the fairer sex after dealing with these guys all morning.” He didn’t let on, but her answer was important to him. Jake wanted to spend some time with Lacy.
A luncheon invitation? Her heart started pounding. Lacy thought it over for a few seconds. The smart thing would probably be to politely decline and go back to her office. Surely she must be grinning like a fool while this gorgeous man gave her a little bit of attention. He wasn’t offering to buy her lunch, just keep her company while she ate it. But no one since her fourth grade math teacher had ever accused her of being smart. Glancing down at her blouse, she saw her body was reacting to him. He could probably tell how he affected her. Lacy doubted she was doing a good job hiding the pleasure radiating out from every nerve cell in her body. But that reaction was the catalyst that finally drew out her answer. “Thank you. Yes, I’d like to join you,” she said with a smile, not wanting to let go of the amazing way he was making her feel.
“Follow me.” He led her out onto the wide patio, holding the
door as she stepped through. “No one’s out here today. I love the view. From here I can see the course and evaluate how things are going.” Jake placed his tray down on the marble topped wrought iron table and pulled out a chair for Lacy. “I’ll let you face the flowers.”
“Thank you, a gentleman. I’m impressed,” Lacy murmured with a shy smile. Tiny quivers of excitement made her voice shaky. If just sitting down to have lunch with him could shake her this way, what would having sex with him be like?
Dang, just the thought almost gave her an orgasm. Exhaling a little puff of air, she ruffled her own bangs. Calm down, Lacy, focus.
“My Mom raised me right. I’m a Southern gentleman.” Jake pushed her chair up under her. Now he was noticing how thick and silky her hair looked. Visions of her riding him, head thrown back, that dark hair trailing over his thighs made his cock twitch in his pants. Or wrapping those spiral curls around his fist as he controlled the movement of her head as she swirled that little pink tongue around his...
BAM! BOOM!
Suddenly there was a loud crash from the dining room. Someone had dropped their tray on the ground and the construction guys were howling with laughter. “Damn! Would you excuse me for a minute, Miss Allen?” Jake asked, looking sternly toward the room where his crew were dining.
“Of course.” Lacy let out a long breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding as she watched him leave her and stride confidently toward his men. Unabashedly, she let her eyes dwell on the way his firm ass moved back and forth under his worn jeans. A tingle between her legs made Lacy wiggle a bit in her chair. My god, she bet the man was good in bed. She could only imagine how powerful he’d be, how hard he was probably capable of giving it to her. Undressing him with her eyes, she pictured how his hips would thrust as he held her. Lord, she was hot! Grabbing a napkin, she began to fan herself as she watched through the window as Jake dressed down the crew. He leaned on a table, the muscles in his mud smeared forearms rippling as they flexed, holding up his weight. Even though he spoke in a low tone, there was no doubt he spoke with authority because the room went instantly silent. She tried not to watch, but he was well worth looking at. And it wasn’t only his looks that compelled her, there was something in his eyes—something lost and lonely. Jake had been hurt, like she had. Lacy would bet her bottom dollar on it. She wondered if they had a lot in common.
Lacy waited on him, stirring some sweetener into her iced tea. Before long, Jake was on his way back to join her. The way he’d handled his crew, the way they’d almost cowered under Jake’s words, must have had every other woman in the room vibrating in her skin. But it was Lacy he sat down next to and she had a feeling that every feminine eye was turned on her in absolute jealousy. There was no doubt she’d be having a tough time with some of her female co-workers in the not so distant future. They’d be asking her questions and they’d expect answers. “Impressive,” Lacy said as Jake slid into the seat across from her.
He waved off her compliment with a dismissive hand. “Most of them are just kids. You gotta be firm with them or they’ll never learn. We had a real problem with the staff at the last place I worked. The members didn’t respect them, which made it hard to get along. That can be an issue, because they’re out there side by side each and every day, so there needs to be a certain peace between the two groups. These guys have been working hard lately. We had an irrigation line rupture Saturday night, I had to call a few of them to come in early on Sunday and help me fix it before it flooded the whole course. I figured they could use some sort of reward to show them how much the club and I appreciate the hard work they’ve been putting in. So I talked to Richard and he said he’d make us all lunch today.”
As he talked, Lacy’s admiration for him grew. He really cared about his men. “That was nice of you, Jake.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Trinity, Marnie, and Cody file onto the patio. She halfway expected Jake to openly stare at the three beautiful women. But he didn’t, acting as if they didn’t even register on his radar.
Jake took a bite from his wrap. “I’d hoped so. But it makes us all look bad if we come in here and they act like fools, so I had to go get them in line.”
“It appears whatever you said seemed to do the trick,” Lacy said, almost coming out of her skin. What she wouldn’t give if he’d decide to keep her in line. She bet he had a dominant streak in him. Just the thought made her melt. Grabbing her tea, she took a big sip, trying to cool down.
Jake let her comment go. Like all tough guys, he was a bit embarrassed by his dominant side. But it did come in handy in the bedroom. Zap! Immediately he began to grow hard. Would Lacy be a wildcat in bed or would she have a sweet submissive side. Hell! Change the subject, quick! “So, anyway. About those lawyers.”
Lacy hadn’t even taken a bite of her lunch yet. Sitting up in her chair, back straight, her hands folded primly in her lap, she was pushing her breasts together with her arms. He knew it wasn’t on purpose, she probably didn’t even realize she was doing it because Jake had only noticed when he looked right at her cleavage and choked on his food.
Handing him a glass of water, she watched him take a big drink. Even the motion of his throat as he swallowed, the strong muscles moving next to his Adam’s apple turned her on. Was his reaction because of me? Lacy asked herself. No, surely not. There was no way she could have that effect on him. “Are you okay, Jake?”
Cough. “Yea, so the lawyers...” Jake said. He was a little embarrassed he’d been caught with his eyes in the cookie jar, but damn if Lacy’s tits didn’t look absolutely delicious pushed together like that. And the best part was that she hadn’t even known she was doing it. Her blouse was shear and thin. He could clearly see the outline of her nipples through the thin lace and all he could think about was getting his lips on them and sucking on those tender peaks like hard candy. Like a fool, he’d stared and now she was probably self-conscious. “Excuse me,” Jake apologized, taking a sip from his glass. “Must have gone down the wrong pipe.”
A tiny bit of confidence bolstered her fragile ego. Jake had gotten a bit flustered. Could it have been because of her? The possible effect she’d had on him made her want to push her arms together again just to see if she could make him cough some more.
“The lawyers,” Jake said with a final cough, trying to get a grip on himself. They weren’t exactly alone. If they were, he’d have an entirely different agenda. Now, all they could do was talk shop. “They’d come in and have steak and eggs for breakfast and they’d order enough for every member of their club, but not everyone from the club would show up to the meeting. And I mean they’d order steak, not cheap steak, but the most choice cut available. So every other Tuesday, I’d have to make a stop at the clubhouse before going home and drop a ten dollar bill in the pocket of the chef who was cooking lunch the next day.”
“You bribed the cook to get the steak?” Lacy said with a laugh.
“Of course I did, there’s nothing like a hot, premium cut of steak for lunch.”
Jake joined in the laughter and Lacy spoke without thinking, “I know I love a hot piece of meat.”
It was as if the world had gone silent with her words and Lacy’s heart dropped from her chest to her stomach, right out of her body and crashed onto the floor. The only comfort she had after saying those unfortunate words, was that there was no possible way she was turning as red as she imagined, they just didn’t make a red that bright.
Jake smirked at her, telling her he’d heard exactly what she’d said, but not acknowledging it out loud and embarrassing her further.
Lacy whipped a dollop of Caesar dressing from the corner of her mouth. Suddenly the food didn’t seem quiet as appetizing.
She scolded herself on the inside, Lacy, you moron. What the hell is wrong with you? What was wrong with her was that the man in front of her was sex incarnate. He probably had no idea the number of panties he dampened every day just by leaving the house. And the worst part was that they’d been getting alon
g so well, having so much fun talking and she’d just taken her right and left foot and inserted them both directly into her mouth.
Lacy stood up, frantic. Clumsily, she knocked her drink over onto the tray. The only thing keeping the amber liquid from running across the table and soaking Jake’s lap was the rim on the tray.
“God, sorry. I should get back to work,” she mumbled, mortified.
Jake stood beside her. “Nonsense, Lacy.” He looked her up and down. “You’re not even done eating your lunch yet.” They both looked down at her tray. “Stay. Finish lunch with me. Let me get you something else to drink.” He motioned for a waitress to bring another tea for Lacy.
Lacy considered it, but she was unconsciously pulling away from him.
Jake could see that she was about to leave and he placed a light hand on her forearm. “Stay. Please. We don’t have to talk about my hot meat anymore,” he said with a mischievous look on his face. “I’m sorry,” he said, stifling the laugh about to escape his lips.
Something about the way he chuckled made Lacy feel better. He wasn’t laughing at her, he was laughing with her.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” Jake apologized for his bawdy sense of humor.
Lacy considered her options. She could leave and spend the rest of the day avoiding Jake and the world alike, wallowing in her own embarrassment and chiding herself for her mistake. Or she could laugh it off, accept the assurance which had come with Jake’s little poke at her and his laugh over the incident and keep having a good time with him.
“I promise. Cross my heart.” Jake made an X over his heart with is finger. “I won’t say it again. Just stay.”
Looking at her, he realized she was sweet, almost innocent looking with pink cheeks. The sight made Jake’s heart warm. She was so beautiful. Sure, he’d seen her around. They worked at the same place. But how had he missed this gorgeous woman right under his nose?
Chapter Three
Red Hot and BOOM! A Sizzling Hot Collection of Stories from the Red Hot Authors Page 17
