“Karyn? I don’t understand.”
“Let’s just say that after you disappeared, she and I got caught up in a lot of name calling and finger pointing before we finally found ourselves becoming friends. Karyn let me know in no uncertain terms what she thought about me.” He laughed again and punched a fist against his hand. “Whew, that girl packs a helluva wallop with her words. But they eventually sank in and I finally realized how shallow and self-centered I’d become. Karyn told me about how despondent you became after I left you for Becky. Christ, it’s no wonder you resorted to such drastic measures after the way I’d treated you all those years. And then the way I capped off your fortieth birthday by suggesting that we have an open marriage. Jeez, Karyn practically beat me to death when I told her about that.”
“You actually told her?” Meredith was amazed.
“Yup. And here’s a tip—never confess anything to Karyn while she has a large economy-size tube of liverwurst in her hand.” Jack rubbed the back of his head and winced. “Who would have thought that lunchmeat could be a deadly weapon?”
Meredith covered her hand with her mouth and laughed. She could just picture Karyn on a righteous liverwurst rampage after hearing that. “Oh poor Jack.”
“Nah. Poor Jack nothing.” He shook his head. “After the way I treated you, sweetheart, it would have served me right if those damn photos had been published.”
“Oh no. Don’t say that, Jack. That would have been terrible.” Meredith reached for his hand and clasped it. “When I think of the humiliation and degradation you would have gone through it kills me inside.” Those horrid images of Jack and Karyn in the alternate future whizzed past her mind again and she shuddered.
Jack nodded and squeezed her hand. “I thank God every day that the pictures and story didn’t get out to the media. I feel like I’ve won a reprieve, like I’d been given a second chance to right some of the wrongs I’d committed along the way to fame and fortune. And that’s why I decided to turn my attention to Abundant Finds instead of the TV show.”
By the grin on Jack’s face Meredith figured the look she slanted him must have been more than a bit cockeyed. “My resale shop?”
“Uh-huh.”
“What do you mean?”
Jack’s mouth kicked up into a devilish, all-out smile as he poured them each another glass of wine, holding it to the light and studying it while he tilted the glass this way and that. “Good cab, isn’t it? Rich, deep and earthy.” He sipped from it, wickedly prolonging the suspense and obviously enjoying the fact that he’d so cleverly captured Meredith’s undivided attention.
Well, two could play at that game.
“Mmm, yes it is.” Raising her glass, she slowly tongued the rim as she eyed Jack. Then she dipped two fingers in the ruby liquid and brought the wet digits to her mouth, licking and sucking as she closed her eyes and emitted a sultry moan. “It’s been so long since I’ve enjoyed a good glass of red wine. Makes me feel all warm inside. Hot. And, ooh, so damned horny I can hardly stand it.” After sipping from her glass she trailed the same two fingers down her shirt and beneath it, watching Jack’s gaze follow, riveted on what her fingers might be doing under the T-shirt.
“Ah, Jesus!” In a flash he’d set down his glass and, just as he was about to pounce on her, Meredith slapped a hand against his chest, eliciting a whoosh of air from his lungs as she stalled his approach.
With a low throaty laugh she said, “Uh-uh-uh. Not so fast, sweetie pie. You don’t get any until after I get all the details.” She winked.
“That’s cheating,” Jack said, feigning annoyance. “Just plain wicked.”
Meredith picked up the remote control and shrugged. “Okay, maybe we’ll just watch TV instead.” It had been ages since they’d engaged in sassy, playful banter and she was relishing every minute of it.
“Sure, go ahead.” Jack sat back and folded his arms across his chest as Meredith called his bluff and clicked the on button. “Maybe we can watch some nice old-fashioned chick flick together, you know, the ones that make you cry? It’s a shame though…”
Heaving a sigh as music from some game show blared from the television, she took the bait. “What?”
“That I won’t get a chance to lick you into a screaming orgasm. Or have the pleasure of keeping you gasping and quaking all night.” Meredith shivered and he closed the distance between them. “Pity, because I’ve been dying to slide my tongue across that slick little clit of yours. Remember how I can make you tremble with just one swipe of my magic tongue, baby? And how you squirm when I close my teeth over—”
“Whoa!” Meredith fanned herself with both hands. “Okay, now you’re cheating.”
“Truce?”
“Truce,” she agreed.
“I’ll tell you everything you want to know,” Jack offered, “and then we’ll make ourselves nice and comfy on your bed and commence to screwing each other’s brains out.”
“Deal.” Meredith nodded and clicked the off button on the remote. She hiked her wineglass and they clinked. “But you better talk fast because thinking about screaming orgasms tends to make it rather difficult for me to concentrate.”
“Tell me about it.” Jack’s eyes dropped to the sizeable bulge in his jeans and Meredith’s followed. Mmm, yes, they were in for a fun night of hot and heavy make-up sex all right.
“So…about your involvement with Abundant Finds?”
“Karyn was having a tough time holding everything together after you were gone. Between her constant worrying about you and having your full-timer quit—”
Meredith gasped. “Tanya quit?”
“Her husband got transferred to New Jersey unexpectedly.” Jack nodded. “Karyn had to fire Tanya’s replacement for stealing and had a difficult time finding someone else.” Meredith cringed. “Anyway, Karyn was running herself ragged with all the extra hours she was putting in and if she didn’t get help she was afraid she’d have to close the store. I know how much Abundant Finds means to both of you, so I offered to help out for awhile. It was easy to see all the love and hard work you and Karyn put into the place. The store’s well laid out, inviting, offers a great selection of high-end clothing and has a strong customer base. But without the staff to man the place, it was losing business. Women just didn’t want to stand in line waiting that long to purchase a few items of clothing.”
“That was wonderful of you, Jack.” Meredith had a difficult time picturing Jack catering to, much less relating to, the plus-size clientele, but she was surprised and delighted he’d stepped in to help. “So when are you there, on the weekends?”
“Full time.”
“Full—” Her eyebrows shot up in astonishment. “How did you ever manage that with your heavy schedule?”
“That’s where all that prioritizing and setting new goals came in,” Jack explained, rubbing his hands together. Meredith smiled when she saw the excited twinkle in his eye. “I asked myself how you would feel if you came back and discovered that the shop you’d worked so hard to build and turn into a thriving venue was rapidly failing or that it had closed. I couldn’t let that happen. So Karyn and I put our heads together and came up with a few strategies that would not only keep Abundant Finds prosperous but, hopefully, help it to flourish. And it seems to be working.”
“Fascinating.” Folding her arms across her chest, Meredith sat back against the sofa cushions and nodded. Truly the last thing she’d ever expected was for Jack to show a sincere interest in her shop. “So tell me about it.”
“Well,” Jack shrugged, “I figured that I could be of the most help by employing my strengths and talents—the very skills that you helped me to attain when you worked to put me through school.”
Meredith wanted to say, will wonders never cease? but thought better of it. Instead, she nodded again and said, “I see.” Evidently Jack wasn’t kidding when he’d said that he was a changed man.
“I knew what a struggle you’d had due to weight-related concerns over the year
s,” Jack continued. “Including low self-esteem and, worse yet, having to deal with thoughtless comments from jerks like me who couldn’t understand why overweight people couldn’t just push themselves away from the table and lose the weight.” He rolled his eyes. “I am so sorry about all of that, Meredith. I didn’t understand the depth of the emotional issues involved.”
“Thanks, Jack. That really means a lot to me.” Meredith smoothed her hand over his thigh. She was flummoxed…just as disoriented as if he’d clunked her over the head with a frying pan. All this compassion and understanding was coming from Jack? Her Jack?
“That’s a little too close for comfort, baby.” Jack eased her hand closer to his knee, patting it. “I’ll never be able to focus on what I’m saying with your hand that close to my cock. If it gets any harder I won’t be able to hold up my end of the deal.”
“We wouldn’t want that to happen,” Meredith purred, gently patting the erection nestled inside his jeans with her other hand before she looped her arm through his.
“You are such a bad girl.”
“Thanks. I do my best.”
He huffed a laugh and tweaked her nipple, getting the little gasp of surprise his action had obviously intended. “So anyway, I listened to the customers at the shop talking about the problems they were having. All sorts of stuff from diets to exercise to motivation to finding stylish clothes that fit, etcetera. And I started asking them questions about what they were looking for in the way of help. That’s when I decided to make good use of my semi-celebrity status and offer reasonably priced motivational classes for plus-sized women—given by Dr. Jack.” He grinned just like a little boy who’d brought home a report card with straight As.
At that moment Meredith had never loved him more. “Brilliant,” she said. “And very generous.”
“No big deal.” Jack shrugged off the praise. “But the good news is that your customers love the classes so much that I’ve had to add more—and they’re filled to capacity with a waiting list. From among your happy customers, Karyn’s hired two full-time sales clerks and two part time. And she’s very pleased with them. In addition, Karyn and I co-authored a self-help book with all the proceeds to be donated to the Meredith McKenna Foundation.”
She turned in her seat and gaped at him. “The what?”
“We set up a nonprofit organization to help educate the public about weight-related issues. You’ve always said you hated the way the media uses its power to make females feel bad about themselves if they’re not a size three or less. And Karyn said you’re very concerned about young girls and their obsession with weight loss so they look like all the skinny celebrities. The foundation will address those issues and strive to change the public’s perception and attitude about size. I’ll be one of the spokespeople and we’ll also employ…” he laughed, “well, as Karyn calls them, beefy young hunks who’ll be paired with big beautiful women for print and TV ads. We’ll focus on showing plus-sized women in a positive and desirable light. We have lots of other ideas, but that’s enough for now. So what do you think?”
Stunned beyond belief, Meredith couldn’t speak at first. “Are you kidding?” she finally managed to say. And she felt the slow smile spread across her features until it became so wide her cheeks ached. “I think that you are the most incredible, wonderful, compassionate, giving, romantic, sexy man I have ever known.” She planted a series of exuberant kisses across his face and chest.
“Wait a minute… Sexy only comes in at number six?” Jack teased.
“Listen you gorgeous, sexy stud,” Meredith scribbled invisible patterns across his pecs with her finger, “I have never wanted to feel your cock inside of me as much as I do at this very moment. Ever. Does that answer your question?” Batting her eyelashes for effect, her fingers traveled down his torso, coming to rest at his crotch where she squeezed the promising bulge.
“That’s it.” His eyes blazing with desire, Jack grabbed Meredith’s hand and yanked her off the couch. “We’re done talking. Come on.” He gazed down at her with an intense scrutiny so sultry that her pussy throbbed with slick, pulsing need. Oh God how she needed to feel him against her, over her, inside her. Skin to skin, ensnared in a lusty haze of hot sweaty passion.
Just a few steps before they reached the bedroom the doorbell rang, followed by a flurry of knocking.
“Goddamned sonuvabitch.” Whipping his head toward the door, Jack belted out another string of obscenities before turning back to Meredith. “Do not even think about answering that,” he warned, tugging her toward the bedroom. “I mean it.”
“I won’t,” Meredith assured him. “It can’t be anything important. Nobody even knows I’m back yet aside from Karyn and she’d never interrupt—”
“Hey, open up.” More ringing and banging against the door.
Jack and Meredith looked at each other. “Karyn,” they said, shoulders slumping simultaneously.
“I know you guys are in there,” Karyn persisted. “Let me in for a minute. It’s important!”
“No,” Jack said to Meredith, pressing his fingers into the soft flesh of her upper arms as he pinned her with his gaze. “No way. I love Karyn like a sister but you know what a blabbermouth she is. If we open that door now we’ll never get her to leave. And my cock is stretched so damned taut that I’m in danger of losing control if it doesn’t get appeased almost immediately.”
Meredith nodded. “I know…but she said it’s important.” She shrugged. “What if it’s an emergency?”
“I can hear you guys whispering in there.”
Grumbling something fierce, Jack tramped to the door and Meredith scrambled into her jeans, tripping several times before she managed to hike them up all the way. “This damn well better be important,” Jack barked as he swung open the door, “or you are so dead, Karyn.”
Karyn poked her head in, finger-waving at Meredith. “Hi. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Her question being met by stony silence, Karyn cleared her throat and continued. “Silly question I guess.” She chuckled. “Honest, I never would have bothered you except that I’m just on my way out and I needed to check with both of you first.”
Jack slanted her a skewed, impatient look. “About what?”
Meredith stepped closer and grasped Karyn’s elbow, pulling her into the apartment. “What is it, honey?”
“I know it’s short notice, but I just wanted to know if you two could manage without me for a couple of days at the shop.”
“Yeah. Sure. Okay. Goodbye,” Jack urged, pushing Karyn back toward the door.
“Jack, stop it.” Meredith tried not to laugh. “Is something wrong, Karyn? Family emergency?”
Karyn shook her head and giggled like a schoolgirl. “Nope. Everything is peachy. Perfect. Astounding,” she gushed. “Cristoval won a two-night stay at a hotel on the coast and he wants me to come with him to celebrate my birthday. Isn’t that fabulous?”
“Oh, honey, that’s wonderful!” Meredith grabbed her friend into a hug and squeezed hard.
“I feel bad leaving right after you just got back, Meredith, but, well…”
“Are you insane?” Meredith nearly screeched. “For heaven’s sake, sweetie, give yourself a fortieth birthday present you’ll never forget. I promise that I’ll still be here when you get back and then we can catch up on everything, okay?” Meredith winked.
“Thanks,” Karyn said, squeezing Meredith’s hand. “Cristoval’s waiting downstairs in the lobby for me, so I have to hurry.”
“Good,” Jack said. “Well, don’t let us keep you.”
“All right already,” Karyn said, throwing her hands into the air. “I get the hint. I’m gone. I’m outta here.”
Meredith stilled Karyn, placing her hand on her arm. “Now see what you’ve done, Jack? You’ve hurt Karyn’s feelings.”
Karyn waved her hand in dismissal. “Aw, not really. Actually I’m just as anxious to get back to Cristoval as you two are to get back to…” her gaze alighted on the coffee
table. “Ahem…to eating your pizza.” She grinned.
Jack clearly couldn’t help laughing. “A rendezvous with your boy-toy exterminator, huh?” He nodded, tongue in cheek. “You naughty girl, you.” Karyn blushed and then he shot her a serious expression as he folded his arms across his chest. “But you could have just called, you know.” Karyn looked stricken and Jack sighed. “Aw, come here.” He pulled her into a hug. “Go on, have a good time. Stay as long as you like. You deserve it.” He gave her a peck on the cheek. “Just do me one favor, okay?”
“Anything,” Karyn said, nodding with enthusiasm. “Name it.”
“Do not, under any circumstances call me or Meredith unless you and Cesario—”
“Cristoval,” Karyn corrected.
“Whatever.” Jack waved his hand. “Unless you two are rendered helpless and encased in full body casts in the hospital. Got it?”
“Oh, Jack,” Meredith chastised, “that’s terrible.”
Karyn laughed. “Don’t worry. I won’t call, I promise—at least not until I get back so I can fill you in on all the juicy details.” She directed the last part to Meredith with a waggle of her eyebrows.
Jack’s face fell. “Come on, you guys are kidding, right? You don’t really get together and go over all the particulars after…after…” he twirled his finger in some sort of explanatory gesture. “You know.”
Meredith and Karyn exchanged glances. “Never,” they chorused with far too innocent smiles. Jack just shook his head.
“Thanks again for setting things up with Cristoval,” Karyn said, clasping Meredith’s hands. “We just really hit it off, Meredith. And,” her voice fell to a surreptitious whisper, “he says he loves my full, womanly curves.”
“And why wouldn’t he?” Jack asked. “You’re a big beautiful woman, Karyn, and this young man obviously knows a good thing when he sees it.”
Obviously taken aback, Karyn’s eyes suddenly misted and she grabbed Jack into a firm hug. “That means a lot to me, Jack. Thank you.” She planted a kiss on his jaw.
Wicked Payback Page 21
