Sensual Secrets

by Jo Leigh

  She’d promised him a week. She didn’t want to spend that week worrying that it all might be a practical joke, or worse. She didn’t want her insecurities to ruin everything. It would all be over soon enough.

  So she made a decision. A vow. For the first time in her life, she was going to be the woman she tried to hide. Instead of writing her fantasies in secret, she’d live them. She’d let go of her fears, her shaky past, and dammit, she wouldn’t let her cursed shyness stop her. Not this time. Because if she failed, if she let the fear win, she might never try again.

  JAY SLAMMED HIS BOOK CLOSED and headed for the shower. He’d been trying to read for over an hour, and so far he’d read one sentence about fifty times. It wasn’t even a good sentence. It was Amelia, of course. Only this morning, he’d been so sure he had everything figured out. Right.

  The conversation at lunch had been confusing enough, but when he added the kiss—

  That kiss. It had taken him by surprise. Not her lips—he’d known they’d be soft and lush. Not her heat. Not her. He’d been blown away by his reaction. Yeah, he’d wanted to have sex with her the moment he read her first fantasy, but now he had to have her. Unequivocally. Failure was not an option.

  But he also couldn’t be a shit.

  How had she known about his IQ? No one knew that except for his family. He made a point of keeping the information to himself. All it did was make people uncomfortable. Even Karl had no idea. Yet, she’d picked up on it within the first half hour.

  He hadn’t lied to her. Not really. Now that they’d talked, now that he’d touched her, his altruism had taken a back seat to his lust. It wasn’t a noble emotion, but it was honest. The woman intrigued the hell out of him. He had to see what was under those clothes. He needed to see what she’d be like when she let down her guard.

  He turned on the shower and undressed, sighing as he released his semi-hard cock from the confines of his jeans. Rubbing it briefly, he climbed under the hot water and closed his eyes. Now he could pay proper attention. He fisted his erection, ready to come quickly, wash his hair and get to bed. Only, Amelia wasn’t going with the program.

  He kept thinking about how she’d studied him with those green eyes of hers. He wasn’t sure what she saw, but he knew yearning when he saw it. She wanted him, which was a damn good thing because he wanted her something wicked. When she’d nibbled her bottom lip, it was all he could do not to take her on the table—the hell with the rest of the customers.

  But there was an element of weirdness, too. On the one hand, she sparked something in him, a feeling of safety, as if he could tell her his secrets. On the other hand, she made him hard in the blink of an eye.

  He sighed, knowing he was trying to fathom the unfathomable. He might be a genius, but come on, he didn’t know squat about women. No one did. But he most especially didn’t know about this woman. Amelia in hiding. Walking around in that clever disguise of hers, trying to disappear from view. Which gave her an excellent place from which to watch. Right in the thick of things, but not there.

  Enough with the psychoanalysis. He pumped his hand, getting into a nice, easy rhythm. He had to be inside her. To feel her energy surround him. He’d wanted plenty of women in his life, for any number of reasons, most having to do with sex, but this was different. She was different. He wanted to unwrap her like a present, tear away the facade and see what lay beneath. And once he had her naked and open, he’d milk all that passion, all that slow, simmering sexual tension, and he’d take her to the moon. She’d scream for him before he was through.

  He thought about one of her fantasies. In it, she’d gone to a man’s house on an innocent errand. And while she waited for him, she happened to catch his reflection in a hallway mirror. The thing was, he was naked. Completely naked. And like Jay, he was using his hand to get some release. In Amelia’s fantasy, he caught her staring, then smiled. She’d walked slowly down the hall, and when she arrived in his room, looking at him in all his hard splendor, she’d silently sunk to her knees and taken his cock in her mouth.

  He closed his eyes, sharing her fantasy, but from a different point of view. About two seconds later, he shuddered as his climax hit. As he whispered her name.

  SHE NEEDED NEW UNDERWEAR. Not white, not sturdy, not practical. She needed silk and lace, soft pink and red hot. The problem was, sexy underwear cost money, which she didn’t have.

  Her gaze went over to the closet. Tabby’s clothes were gorgeous, including her underwear. Of course, Amelia couldn’t borrow those—but what about a pair of jeans? Tabby had offered to lend her clothes many times, and she’d always refused. She’d never even tried anything on.

  But she wasn’t the old Amelia today, was she? She was the new, improved, impossibly brave Amelia. She pulled the jeans from the hanger and slipped them on underneath her nightshirt. The pants were too long, and a little too big.

  Before she could change her mind, she marched straight over to the other bedroom and knocked on the door.

  “Come in.”

  Kathy was still in bed, and Donna was in the bathroom. “I have a favor to ask,” Amelia said.

  Kathy yawned. “Shoot.”

  “I need to borrow some clothes.”

  Kathy’s mouth closed with a click of teeth. “Somebody call the New York Post.” She threw back her comforter and climbed out of bed. “Girl, it’s about damn time.”

  “I was thinking jeans.”

  “Jeans? We got your jeans right here.” Kathy went to her closet and pulled out a pair of faded Levis. Then another pair, darker this time, and still a third pair that had flared legs. She tossed them at Amelia, who managed to clutch them before they fell to the floor.

  She put them on the bed, took off Tabby’s pants and tried on the Levis. A little snug, but then, jeans were supposed to be snug. Only, they were too short by a good couple of inches.

  “Nope,” Kathy said. “You look like you’re waiting for the flood.”

  Amelia laughed, but it was more about nerves than humor. She really was doing this. It felt like she was trying on costumes, but she didn’t care.

  Another pair of jeans hit her on the shoulder before pooling on the floor. She picked them up. They were Donna’s. “I don’t think so,” she said.

  “What?”

  “I don’t think Donna wants me wearing her things.”

  “Hold on.” Kathy walked to the bathroom door and banged on it.

  “What?” Donna’s muffled voice sounded irked.

  “Amelia’s going to borrow some clothes.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Which clothes?”

  “Who cares. As long as they don’t belong to her.”

  “Fine,” Donna said. Then the door opened a crack and she stuck her head out. “What’s the occasion?”

  Amelia shrugged. She didn’t want to tell them about Jay. Or about her resolution. “I just feel like it.”

  “All righty, then,” Donna said, and Amelia noticed she had one eye made up and the other bare. “Go for it. Just don’t ruin anything, okay?”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  Donna shut the door, and Amelia turned to Kathy. “Do you have class today?”

  “Not until two.”

  “Do you think you could help me with my hair and some makeup?”

  Kathy’s brows raised and she broke into a wide grin. “You got it, toots. But let’s get the wardrobe down first. This is so cool.”

  Amelia took off the ill-fitting jeans. She wasn’t sure about cool. Scary? Oh, yeah. But cool? She pulled on Donna’s jeans. They felt good. Snug, but she could still breath. And they were long enough. But still…

  She walked over to the full-length mirror, grabbed her sleep shirt and pulled it off. She tossed it to the bed beside her, then stared at her reflection. She had a figure. Of course, she’d always known she had a figure, but she hadn’t realized she had a good figure.

  “Holy shit, kiddo,” Kathy said. “You’re inc
redibly phat.”

  “I am?” She put her hands to her waist. “I’m your size.”

  “Phat. Not Fat. Spelled P-H-A-T. Or something like that. It means you look great.”

  Amelia turned to her roommate. “Really?”

  Kathy nodded. With a gentleness Amelia had never seen before, Kathy leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You’re gorgeous, Amelia. You’ll knock ’em dead.”

  “I hope so,” she whispered.

  Kathy, done with her little Kodak moment, went back to the closet and started pulling out tops.

  6

  JAY TAPPED HIS FINGERS on the counter as he waited for the credit card machine to spit out the receipt. It was a good sale, without financing, which would, under normal circumstances, make his day. But circumstances weren’t normal.

  He was obsessed with Amelia.

  Not to the stalker stage or anything that ominous. Just to the point that it drove him crazy.

  His plan of attack had to be carefully staged. He didn’t want to spook her. She was like a doe in the wild. Curious but skittish. He needed to make her feel safe enough to expose herself, and not just her body. She needed to be comfortable enough to turn her fantasies into realities. For a girl as shy as Amelia, that was going to take some time.

  He’d always been a patient man. At least, when it came to women. Hell, most of the time, the women did all the work. Not that he was God’s gift or anything, but the quieter he got, the more the ladies seemed to want him. He’d never understood that until now. The shoe was on the other foot, and he was the one in pursuit. He’d take what he’d learned and use it to win Amelia over.

  The credit card machine came to life. His customer, a plumber from the Lower East Side, signed the paper, and Jay walked him outside to his new bike. It was a beauty—a fully loaded Night Train in Jade Sunglo Pearl. They shook hands, and Jay watched him roar down the street. Business had been good lately. He’d been able to put aside some serious cash and make some solid investments. He would never have made this kind of dough if he’d done what his father had wanted.

  He went back inside. There were bills to be paid, orders to go over. Karl was there to take care of any customers, so Jay went straight to his office. Forcing himself to put thoughts of Amelia on the back burner, he bent to his tasks, and didn’t come up for air until he heard Karl say his name.

  “Jay, someone here to see you.”

  Jay nodded as he saved his file on the computer. A quick glance at his watch showed he’d been at it for about an hour, but it had been a productive hour. Only eleven, and he’d gotten through almost half of his In box.

  He ran a hand through his hair as he walked into the showroom. Whoever wanted to see him wasn’t at the counter. Wasn’t in the shop.

  “She went outside for a minute,” Karl said. “She’ll be right back.”

  “She?”

  His assistant nodded.

  Interesting. Jay hadn’t been going out much lately. It might be Giselle. They had a strictly physical relationship which they renewed every time she was between boyfriends. Or it could be Annie. The blonde from the Bronx. She’d worn him out on several memorable occasions.

  Of course, it could just be a customer. Whoever it was, she must not have wanted to see him that badly. The minutes ticked by, and then a call came in from a collector in Connecticut and Jay forgot about the mystery woman.

  A few minutes later, he had a manual out on the countertop and was searching for the engine specs on a 1934 VLD, when he noticed her legs. Sweet. Snug Levis hugged fine hips and a small waist. The sweater she had on, a deep purple, did what sweaters were meant to do: show off a gorgeous pair of breasts. His gaze moved up to the long, dark hair draped over her shoulders. He smiled. This wasn’t one of his women. And if he weren’t occupied with thoughts of Amelia, he would have done something about it. He looked up those last few inches.

  The phone slipped from his hand. He barely registered the clunk. He was too busy being totally blown out of the water.

  Amelia wasn’t hiding anymore.

  HER FACE BURNED with a blush, and she could only sneak peeks at his face. She’d been relatively calm on the way over to his bike shop, but now that she was here standing in front of him, Amelia felt positively naked.

  Her roommates had worked on her until late last night, experimenting with clothes, makeup and hair. She’d felt like a Barbie doll at a slumber party. She’d struggled hard not to run away, even though every instinct tried to propel her. And when she thought about who she was doing this for, it was doubly difficult.

  She dared another glance at Jay, but she couldn’t read him. His mouth hung slightly open, his eyes were wide and unblinking, and totally confused. “It’s me,” she whispered. “Amelia, from next door.”

  He exhaled, shook his head. “I thought I knew who you were,” he said, “but now I’m not so sure.”

  She had no clue what to say. Or what to do with her hands. He just kept staring at her like she had two heads or something. Surely a change of wardrobe couldn’t be that shocking. She was still Amelia, and still plagued by her awful shyness, and Jay wasn’t helping matters.

  “They’re not mine,” she blurted out. “I borrowed them. Because I thought… Well, you said about the ride. Maybe we could, you know… Today, I mean. But you’re busy, so never mind. Sorry to bother you.” She turned and headed for the door.

  “Amelia wait.”

  She wanted to, but her feet kept going. She made it all the way to the door before he captured her arm.

  “Wait.”

  Despite the fact that a heart attack was imminent, she didn’t try to break free.

  “Hold on, okay? I need a minute, here.”

  “I’m still just Amelia.”

  “Right. Like a Bengal tiger is still just a kitty.”

  “Is that a good thing?”

  After a moment of dodge-and-parry, he caught her gaze and held it. “I think you’re even more beautiful than yesterday. And yesterday, you knocked my socks off.”

  Warm pleasure filled Amelia from the inside out. “Oh.”

  “Yeah. Oh.”

  “Uh, boss?”

  Jay turned toward the counter and his assistant. “What?”

  Karl held up the phone. “You gonna call Jim back, or what?”

  “Oh. Yeah. Tell him I’m sorry. I’ll call him later. Probably tomorrow.”

  Karl nodded, gave Amelia a puzzled look, then went back to the phone. She’d seen him in the café a lot, although they’d never been introduced. He seemed very nice, if a bit peculiar. He reminded her of a Labrador retriever, kind of galumphing through life.

  Jay turned back, and thoughts of Karl vanished from her mind. Now that she knew the wide-eyed wonder on Jay’s face meant he liked what he saw, she felt giddy with relief. No man had ever told her she was beautiful. Not like this, at least. Kevin, the only boy she’d dated in college, had called her pretty, but his wandering gaze made her question him. It hadn’t mattered if they were deep in conversation or in the middle of an argument, if a really beautiful girl walked by, he’d watch the stranger with a hunger she never saw when he looked at her.

  Jay had that hungry look right now. And there was no one else in sight.

  “What were you saying before?” he asked.

  “Oh. About…well, you’d asked if I wanted to go for a ride, and I thought, maybe…”

  He smiled. “Let me get my jacket. You wait right there.”

  “Okay.”

  He cupped her face with both hands and kissed her on the lips.

  She gasped, caught off guard. It wasn’t a kiss like the one the day before—slow, sensuous, meant to stir things up. This was firm, quick, a dart of his tongue. A kind of exclamation point. A moment later, he was halfway to the back of the shop, chuckling as he walked—and she remembered how to breathe.

  “WHO IS THAT?”

  Jay looked up as Karl entered his office. “You’ve seen her before. She hangs out next door. She’s always at t
hat corner workstation.”

  His dark brows furrowed. “I don’t think so. The only person I ever see there is that baggy girl.”

  Jay smiled. “She is the baggy girl.”

  “Get outta here.”

  Jay locked his desk drawer, then looked around the office for anything he might need. “I don’t think I’m going to be back today.”

  “No, really?”

  “Get your mind out of the gutter. We’re going for a ride upstate, that’s all.”

  “Right.” Karl grinned. “A ride. I’ve heard that before.”

  “This is different.” Jay paused, realizing the truth of his words. It was different. He’d known she was beautiful, and that somewhere underneath those awful clothes there was a decent body. He hadn’t guessed that she’d be so…tasty-looking.

  She wasn’t model thin, and that was the whole key. She was a woman, with womanly curves, and he could imagine clearly how soft she’d be in his bed. Maybe that’s why she tried so hard to hide. With a figure like that, any guy past puberty would want her. Add to that her innocence mixed with that single-minded focus, and what you got was a woman straight out of every man’s fantasy.

  He chuckled at the irony.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing. You’re good, right?”

  Karl nodded. “I’ll be here.”

  “Cool. Sell some bikes, would you?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Jay walked around his desk, slipped on his jacket, and headed for what promised to be a very interesting day.

  Amelia had stayed where he left her. The light from the glass windows gleamed in her hair, and he lost several IQ points as he took her in. Mentally pushing Karl out of the gutter, he claimed the territory for himself. Damn, she was fine. And all her X-rated fantasies were about him. He felt unworthy. Not that he wasn’t going to take advantage of what he knew, of course, but he was humbled.

  However, he had a more pressing problem. Literally. His penis clearly had no concept of appropriate timing. As he walked toward her, snippets of her journal tormented him. How was he going to survive two hours on a bike, with those legs wrapped around him? With those breasts rubbing his back? Coming while they drove was not an option. They’d stop for coffee, that’s all. He’d take care of business in the bathroom. Yeah. They’d stop for coffee. Often.