Give in to Me

by Sidda Lee Tate

  “This sucks,” he mumbled to himself, getting to his feet to head for the bathroom. He hated how beer ran through him. If he drank much more, he’d be pissing all night. If he didn’t drink another drop, he’d be way too conscious of his misery. A true lose-lose situation. He did a sarcastic fist pump in his mind and went inside the house.

  He couldn’t stand another minute of the self-imposed dress code either. When he got to the bathroom, he took the cap off and tossed his hair with his hands, trying to fix the flatness the hat had caused. It didn’t work, making it look as though he’d held a large cereal bowl on his head while letting some five year old go at it with a pair of dull scissors. Annoyed, he put the cap back on and pushed his shirt sleeves up to his elbows, knowing the day would be a long one. Maybe Gannon Knight, the man who owned Night, would show. He seemed to be one of the few people in town who didn’t question or judge anyone.

  Leaving the bathroom, the fiery red hair of Melissa was the first thing he saw. Giggling low, she brushed by him. In a split second’s time her hand slid up his shirt, and she raked her fingernails across his stomach. He flinched, not because the contact hurt but because she was there. Staying home last night with the intention to avoid her after the freak out moment she’d had yesterday morning wasn’t enough to evade her. But why wouldn’t she be at his sister’s party? Hell, everyone else showed.

  Almost everyone.

  The doorbell rang a couple of times and when no one paid attention—most were out back by the pool anyway—Scott opened the door. Ah, someone to talk to besides his sister or boss or one of the people he’d been friends with five years ago. The woman from the flower shop, Jennica, stood on the other side of the door looking like an angel—sun-kissed skin, round blue eyes, and hair the color of honey. It seemed to glow, just the way he remembered it.

  “Hi,” he said, opening the door all the way and motioning for her to come inside.

  Jennica stared at his hat for a second, and he would swear he saw her smirk before her lips went to a thin line. “I’m here to deliver these to Sharon Blake.” She held up the basket of red, yellow, and orange flowers she’d helped him pick out yesterday. “But I guess you know that since you ordered them.”

  “They’re for my sister. Would you have come to her party if I had asked?” He held in a laugh at the confusion on her face.

  Frowning, she handed him the arrangement. “No. Thanks for the business though.” Jennica turned and started toward the driveway. Something he hadn’t planned on. A lump of panic formed in his throat. The moment her small hand fell in perfect place with his yesterday, he had to summon the power to let go. Never in his life had he met someone who took his breath away with a single touch. The situation had him baffled, but he wanted…no, needed to know her.

  “Wait!” Scott sat the flowers on the floor and ran to catch up, stopping a few feet in front of her. “Why are you leaving?”

  She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, staring him down, launching daggers with those crystal clear baby blues. He fought the urge to smile. As angry as she appeared to be, she was still adorable. Damn, he wanted to kiss her…wanted to taste her pouting pink lips.

  “Did you expect me to stay?” she asked.

  “I hoped you would.” He noticed a black, braided strand on the right side of her hair he didn’t remember seeing yesterday. “Is this new?”

  She held her pissed off stance though her tone had changed and her eyes were softening toward him. Some. “Is what new?”

  “This.” On instinct, as if it were natural to touch her, he reached out and ran the braid between his fingers and thumb. He caught her gaze, and for a brief moment, he thought she might stay.

  “There you are.”

  Son of a bitch! At the sound of Missy’s voice, Scott closed his eyes, knowing the slight chance Jennica might change her mind had gone.

  * * * *

  Even if the flowers were for his sister and not some woman he’d been involved with, the knock-out gorgeous redhead who ran up behind him and slipped her arms through his was enough for Jennica to decide to leave. Besides, she didn’t have time to stay for a stranger’s birthday party, no matter how drool worthy the guy in front of her had been. Not when she had work to do.

  One by one, Jennica pulled the contents from last week’s stock delivery and placed them on the empty table in the back room of her store. She stepped back, examining them. Not a large order, ten pieces, but she didn’t know how well the idea would be received and spending more money than she already had would be too big of a risk. She glanced toward the front of the shop, cursing the computer, knowing there had to be an easier way to set up the website.

  She shrugged, deciding to practice a few arrangements before embarking on the task of building an online store. She placed an earbud in each ear and cranked up the sound on her phone to Led Zeppelin, her favorite band for allowing her mind to create. Dancing around the workspace, she gathered silver and black spray paint, and a roll of one inch wide, black leather trim she’d found at a fabric store and placed them all on the table. Jennica grabbed two rectangle vases about five inches tall and eight inches wide. One black, one silver.

  After setting them down, she sashayed to the walk-in cooler, choosing six white roses and six red. Stepping out, she froze in her tracks. Scott stood over her table of treasures with his hands in his pockets.

  “How did you get in here?” she asked, pulling the earbuds from her ears and wishing she’d locked the front door behind her.

  Why was he there? And why was her stomach flipping at the sight of him? The redhead had to be his girlfriend, right? Jennica didn’t waste time with men who were “taken”. She’d done that before by accident…the lying asshole!

  Smiling, appearing intrigued and looking sexy as ever, Scott said, “The door was unlocked, and I saw the back light on so I let myself in. Hope you don’t mind.”

  His voice…ah, the sound of it warmed her core, constricted her walls. She cleared her throat in an attempt to cool off, and the thought crossed her mind to step back inside the walk-in fridge.

  “Well, I do. And you should go.” She set the roses on the work table, keeping her distance. Distance was good, more now than ever, because the urge to rip his shirt off and lick every inch of him had taken over her thoughts. “Isn’t there a party you should be attending?”

  Scott glanced down to the table again and back to her. “Nope. I told my sister I had something important to take care of…she understood.”

  Jennica crossed her arms over her chest and glanced at the ball cap covering his head. It looked out of place on him. “I guess you better get to it then. Whatever it is you find important.”

  “This is it.” He sat on an old stool Jennica used when in her creative zone and reached over to pick up one of the white roses. He gave it a sniff, lifting his eyebrows.

  “Breaking into a flower shop on a Sunday afternoon is essential for you to complete your weekend? Wow, you’re as rebellious as you look in your Jocks-R-Us catalogue attire.”

  “You’re funny, but I planned for more of The Gap look. Guess I failed.” He laughed, taking off the cap and raking his fingers through his hair. It fell back flat, looking as if a kid with scissors and a bowl had gotten a hold of him. “I’ve been miserable for hours.”

  Jennica stifled a giggle, amused at how his eyes drifted from her to the contents on the table—four black, leather strapped wrist cuffs with chains, three blindfolds, two small floggers, one spanking paddle, a dozen roses, two vases, and a roll of leather strap. Oh, what he must be thinking. “Having me deliver flowers on a Sunday gave me the incentive to work, so as you can see…I’m busy.”

  “I can’t say I’m not interested in what you’re doing.” He picked up a set of leather cuffs. The golden light in his eyes flashed at her under his lashes as he fastened one of the links around his wrist. “I wouldn’t have guessed by looking at you that you’re in to this sort of thing. Is this why you need a website?”

/>   She narrowed her sight to the black leather wrapping his skin, picturing how delicious he might look pinned to a bed, naked and restrained while she teased him with her tongue. Her pulse quickened, and her mouth went dry. She reached over and plucked the band from his arm. “Yes, they are exactly why I need a website. It’s a new line I’m working on. And what business is it of yours what I’m in to?”

  “Don’t act as if the mere suggestion were unwarranted. You’re the one who has cuffs and blindfolds displayed for the world to see.” He caught her eyes with his amber ones and held her gaze with obvious amusement. Smirking.

  Her blood boiled. Her mind swirled in confusion. She wanted to slap him. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to rip his shirt off and trace her fingers along the outlines of his black tattoo all the way up to his neck. Jennica let out a quick burst of air, hoping he couldn’t see her heart pounding under her shirt.

  “This is my work space. No one…and I mean no one is ever back here.” She scooped up the floggers and threw them in the box from which they’d came. Her face heated with a combination of anger and embarrassment. “Please go!”

  She reached for the blindfolds to toss them in the box, but his firm hands took her shoulders and spun her around. “I’m not judging you.” His expression softened as he searched her face. “I’m surprised.” Scott took the braided strand of dyed black hair in his hand as he’d done before. And like earlier when he’d stopped her outside his sister’s house, her legs became weak.

  Jennica swallowed hard at his closeness, gripping the edge of the table behind her. His heat radiated against her. His mouth inching closer sent an explosion of need to jolt through her limbs. He stopped centimeters away, smiling, seizing her gaze with his.

  “Very few people surprise me.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, backing away and taking his warmth with him. Jennica fought the urge to follow and close the space between them. What a tease!

  She opened her mouth, managing to form the word, “Why?”

  He shrugged and perched back on the stool. “I’ve never evaluated the issue. It’s how I am, I guess.”

  She cleared her thoughts, which were clouded by what his nearness had caused. “Well, I hate to break-up your obvious amusement, but how can anything I do surprise you when you don’t know me?”

  He raised his eyebrows and half-grinned. “Something I have every intention of changing. We can start with dinner.” Scott looked at the clock hanging on the wall. “I’ll pick you up at eight.”

  Jennica shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. He couldn’t break in to her place of business and expect a date. Especially since she’d seen how the redhead had fawned over him earlier. “I’m not having dinner with you. I’ll be busy the rest of the evening.”

  “Then I’ll help. Like I told you before, I used to build websites. I can work on the computer while you design back here.” He sauntered toward the front of the store. “Do you have an email and domain name?”

  * * * *

  An hour and a half later, Jennica left the back room to check on Scott. Despite her protests, he insisted on helping and now sat in front of the computer, appearing in deep concentration.

  “How’s it coming along?” She leaned over his shoulder, noticing the scent of body wash lingering on his skin.

  “All I need now are product photos and prices. Do you have anything ready?” He turned when he spoke and the warmth of his breath sent shivers down her spine. She reminded herself for what seemed like the hundredth time since she’d seen him at the party that he was involved with the redhead.

  “I do. I’m nervous about you…anyone seeing them though.” She straightened her back, observing the work he’d done. The website boasted a black background with deep red swirls, white text, and roses. “This is nice. You did an amazing job.”

  “Thanks, it’s been awhile but I managed.” Standing, he shot her a grin and placed a hand on her waist. Her heart skipped at the contact. “Now, let’s go see what you’ve done with the handcuffs,” he said with a nervous laugh.

  She led him to the work table and clasped her hands together, bringing them to her mouth, wondering what he would think. For a second, he stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. Then he leaned forward and moved a finger along where two sets of leather cuffs bound the stems of six roses. There were four red and two white. Jennica had painted the tips of each one black and the chain from the cuffs draped over the onyx vase. Thin leather straps were tied at the base of four buds, the weight pulling them down.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said, turning to her.

  “Do you think they’re okay? I’m worried not many people will get it.” For years, the images had been clear in her thoughts, but this was the first time she’d ever attempted to pull them from her mind and create them.

  “They’re great. You’ll have no problem selling them.” He pushed the sleeves of his shirt up and slipped his hands in his front pockets, glancing back over the arrangements.

  “I’ve never done anything like this…the bondage,” she said, the thought occurring to her he might think she was into that kind of thing when in fact the wildest thing she’d ever done during sex was get on all fours while her boyfriend at the time struggled to last more than five thrusts. She rolled her eyes at the thought then blushed at the boldness of her statement.

  Thank God he pretended not to hear, but she knew he had. He stood too close not to.

  “I think we’ve worked long enough to justify stopping for food. What about you?” Scott took her hand, directing her through the front door without giving her a chance to answer. Not that she wanted to speak anyway, certain she would confess something else mortifying, though announcing to an almost stranger she’d never taken part in bondage style sex while he looked at her erotic bouquet art was about as humiliating as it could get.

  * * * *

  The café, four doors down from the flower shop, smelled of baked goods and coffee. Scott’s stomach rumbled, and he realized he was hungrier than he’d thought. They’d taken a small booth next to the front window and ordered turkey and cheese sandwiches on wheat.

  Waiting on their food, he watched from across the table as Jennica gathered her honey tinted hair and draped it over her right shoulder, her gaze fixed on the world outside the glass. The fullness of her light pink lips relaxed to a natural pout, and he couldn’t help but wonder what they would feel like against his. He also wondered, thanks to the image created by the handcuffed flowers and box full of floggers at her store, how she might look naked and restrained while he pleasured her. The image sent blood rushing to his cock, and he’d never been so glad to be sitting in a booth since his rock hard boner threatened to bust the zipper of his jeans.

  She didn’t turn to face him until the waitress sat their plates of food on the table. “So, I hear you’re a pretty big deal in this town.” A polite smile crossed her mouth, though it didn’t reach her eyes.

  Damn gossip. He snorted. “Far from it. There’s no telling what you’ve heard though.” He wasn’t surprised the rumors had reached her. Since he’d been back, the mixed emotions from almost everyone he knew were apparent and not many people were afraid to share their newest epiphany with anyone who would listen. He studied her for signs of suspicion, but he found none. She appeared unfazed by whatever she’d been told before meeting him. Maybe the pedestal he’d been placed on five years ago had been all she’d heard about. But that wasn’t him either…never was. “Everyone thinks they have the truth.”

  “It has to be difficult, knowing…or not knowing what’s being said. Have you tried to set the record straight?” She took a bite of food and prodded at the ice cubes in her drink with the straw.

  “No. It doesn’t matter to me what people think.”

  “You definitely don’t seem the way you look.”

  “Hmm. Explain.” He sat back in the booth, teasing her with narrowed eyes, and she fidgeted in her seat. This should be good. He couldn�
�t wait to hear her perception of him.

  A broad smile lit up her face and she looked more beautiful than he’d ever seen her. “You’re not the average, stereotypical computer geek.”

  He busted out laughing. Again, she had surprised him. “Computer geek? I expected something along the lines of ‘brooding, failed athlete gone rogue.’”

  “I think maybe computer geek suits you more.” She snickered, then covered her mouth in an apparent attempt to stifle her laughter—one of the most glorious sounds he’d heard in years, maybe ever.

  He wanted to know everything about her. “Jennica…that’s an interesting name.”

  “Yeah, the decision to name me either Jennifer or Erica was a hard one. So, my parents made a play on the names.”

  “I like it.” Scott sat up and leaned toward the center of the table, pushing his plate of food away. He’d rather learn more about her than eat a dry turkey sandwich, no matter how hungry his stomach claimed to be. “I know you’re not from Pineville. Where did you grow up?”

  She mirrored his movement, leaving her lips just that much closer to his. “Hays. Two hours south of here.”

  “Did you always want to be a florist?”

  “As long as I can remember.”

  “What’s your favorite color?”

  Pausing, she stared at him…right in his eyes. She had to be picking up on the connection between them. Hell, anyone in the restaurant must’ve felt the tension. He waited on her answer, but she broke their stare and asked him a question in return. “What is this, twenty questions?”

  “Maybe.”

  “What if I don’t want to play?”

  “I think you do.”

  “What if I said I think you’re presumptuous and over confident?”

  “I would say you’re wrong. There’s a difference in being an arrogant asshole and going after something you want.” As soon as the words left his mouth, her expression went hard and she sat back in her seat, puffing up and crossing her arms over her chest. What the hell did he say?