Sexy Dare

by Phillips, Carly

  She made a note to go to a gas station and order a new tire for her old van and get the others checked before turning her attention to ordering supplies for her shop. Incoming orders were coming in surprisingly quickly, and she was thrilled with her slow but steady growth and return clientele.

  After she finished her paperwork, she showered and dressed in dark jeans and a sweater, pulling on her lightweight puffer jacket for the day, and loaded up her van again with her candy. She stopped to open the shop for Kelsey. While her intern handled sales, Faith would drop the baskets off at various local businesses. If she didn’t do it today, the candy would start to go stale, and she didn’t want anything to go to waste. She was operating in the black by being careful.

  She spent the day working, and though she wished she could say she’d put Jason Dare out of her mind, she couldn’t stop thinking about him, his tight ass, and the warmth in his eyes when he looked at her. But she reminded herself that he didn’t need trouble in his life and that’s what she was running from. Trouble in the form of her brother.

  * * *

  Jason had texted his partners, telling them he wanted to meet in the morning at the club, which was why he was walking upstairs inside the darkened venue at noon the next day. The guys had been up late, so Jason had pushed the time to a more reasonable one. If it had been up to him, he’d have been here by nine.

  He joined them in the large space they occupied as their shared office, when they weren’t holed up in their individual private rooms, to find the guys in jeans and tee shirts, both Landon and Tanner guzzling coffee and glaring at him.

  “This had better be worth dragging me out of bed,” Tanner muttered. “I’m fucking beat.”

  Landon yawned. “What he said.”

  Jason wasn’t surprised. Landon was a man of few words.

  Jason flipped on the overhead lights, guaranteeing his friends perked up. He waited for the cursing and groaning to end before he gestured through the window that overlooked the main staging area below.

  “Imagine an A-list artist performing on stage. Now picture the lines to get in. A Miami vibe in New York. A whole new TEN29.” He gave his pitch, short and sweet. “So much stronger than come on in and dance,” he added for good measure.

  When the two men looked at him over their coffee cups, he frowned and went on. “We started this club and built it into a respectable business. I want more. We’re capable of being more. In honor of Levi, this place should be more.”

  Their eyes narrowed at the mention of their friend, Landon’s brother, who’d died too young. In a stupid way, because they’d all been too afraid to walk away from a situation they’d committed to and didn’t know how to get out of. They all blamed themselves, yet none of them blamed each other.

  Was Jason challenging them to step up? Hell yes. “We don’t want to get complacent,” he said.

  “I’m in,” Landon immediately said, the mention of his twin clearly getting his juices flowing.

  Jason wondered if he could convince his talented friend to play the guitar on stage. Not something he’d bring up now. It was too early in the process, and Landon had avoided his instruments for years because he’d used to play with his twin.

  Right now, Jason just needed them on board for the change of direction in the club.

  Glancing at Tanner, Jason waited.

  “Yeah. You got my vote,” Tanner finally said. “We need to build and find our own niche. Get away from the other basic clubs and the best way is to outclass and outsmart them.”

  “Not play dirty the way some of them do,” Jason said, glancing at Tanner, whose temper was legendary, trying to remind him, by sheer force of will, he needed to continue his good behavior and stay out of trouble.

  Tanner got the message, lifting his hands in a gesture of peace. “No worries here.”

  They all hoped Tanner was finished using his fists to make his point. Ever since going into business, he’d thrown his energy into the club and channeled his anger into positive pursuits.

  “So we need a plan,” Jason said. “Money to bring in the acts. Landon, booking is your specialty, but I’d like to talk to my brother-in-law. See if Grey Kingston will perform for us or talk us up to other musicians.” He didn’t mention Charlotte yet.

  Bringing her into the mix was risky because she’d wanted more than Jason had been willing to give. If he asked her to come to New York now, she might take it as a sign he’d changed his mind about a relationship. He hadn’t.

  Not with her.

  Not with anyone but… He still couldn’t get a certain curvy blonde out of his mind.

  He glanced at his friends. “It’s that easy? You’re both in agreement that this is the direction we should go?”

  Landon shrugged. “I like the concept. What did Gabe say?”

  “To talk to the two of you, then bring him a viable plan.”

  Landon walked over to the window and stared out at the empty club. “I’ll bring in an expert on live-act PA systems. Get an estimate on upgrading not just the equipment but the acoustics. I’ll also make a list of possible acts.”

  Tanner nodded. “And I’ll put together an estimate to make sure our security systems are upgraded to the best ones available. If we’re having top talent, we need to take security seriously.”

  With their support, the worry inside Jason eased. He should have known better than to think his brothers wouldn’t agree with his ideas for making the club even better.

  His cell rang and he pulled it from his pocket. “Gabe?” he asked as he took the call.

  “No. It’s Izzy on Gabe’s phone. Where did you get that basket of candy you left? Oh my God, Jason, it’s delicious!”

  He wished he hadn’t brought them the candy and had kept it for himself. Hell, any reminder of Faith would have made him happy, but he was glad Izzy had enjoyed. “I met a woman who owns a shop called Sweet Treats. Her name is Faith Lancaster.”

  “I want them as part of the giveaways at Noah’s birthday party. Can you get me in touch with the owner?”

  An excuse to see Faith again? The ability to help her grow her business? He held back the fist pump, but his heart began a rapid beat inside his chest. Clearly he couldn’t get this woman out of his system by trying to forget about her, so he was going to have to find another way to cure his craving.

  Seeing her again would be a start. “I’ll talk to her and have her give you a call,” he said to Gabe’s wife.

  “I’d appreciate it. This woman has talent,” Izzy said. “My friends are going to be so jealous I found her first.” She laughed at the thought.

  He shook his head and grinned. He’d always liked Gabe’s woman. “I’ll get in touch with her for you.”

  “Thanks, Jase. You’re the best.” She disconnected the call and he hung up, sliding his phone back into his jeans pocket.

  “What’s with the shit-eating grin on your face?” Tanner asked.

  “And who’s the she who put it there?” Landon asked as a follow-up.

  Jason groaned. He’d never been able to keep anything from these guys. As far back as college, from the time they’d met, the four of them, Levi included, had been tight. And if Levi hadn’t insisted on them joining a damned fraternity… He shook his head, pushing those thoughts from his mind. That was the only way he could live with the pain. Shove it away hard.

  “I met a woman the other night when I left the club to see Gabe. She had a flat tire on an old beat-up delivery van she was using and I stopped to help.”

  “You changed a tire? In your Ferragamo shoes and Canali suit?”

  “Damned right I did and don’t look so surprised. I can get my hands dirty once in a while.” Especially for a gorgeous woman like Faith.

  With a renewed sense of purpose, Jason turned to his friends. “So everyone has their assignments? I’ve got somewhere to be.”

  “We’re on it. Go get laid,” Tanner said with a chuckle.

  He wished. “It’s not like that with this woman.
”

  “Oh, fuck. So it’s like that?” Landon shook his head. “If you aren’t interested in fucking her–”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t. Just that I’m staying away.” Because she didn’t think them dating was a good idea and he’d agreed. Jason started for the door, done with this conversation.

  But apparently his friends weren’t. “Not taking her home and fucking her means you’re worried you could get serious about her,” Tanner said, sounding almost gleeful. If he could get under someone’s skin, it made Tanner happy.

  “Shows what you know.” Jason threw the words over his shoulder as he walked out, but he was very much afraid they were right.

  Faith Lancaster was in his head and he was beginning to think the only way to get her out was to see what, if anything, could be between them. And now, luckily for him, he had an excuse to see her again.

  * * *

  Faith woke up and performed her usual routine, settling in for her cup of morning coffee and a look at her website, orders, and sales numbers. Right now it appeared that her online orders had picked up and in-store sales were strong. Her goal with the baskets had been to increase both of those as well as her foot traffic, and a click would tell her if she’d had initial gains.

  She clicked and … “Success!” There had been an exponential jump in the three short days since she’d left her baskets in stores downtown. It felt good to accomplish her goal, better to know her ideas had merit and were working for her.

  She wondered if whatever notion she’d given Jason Dare the other night had helped him the way he’d hoped it would. She’d picked up his business card a few times over the last couple of days, wishing her life was simple and that she could call him. At the very least to just be his friend. But it seemed like lying low was working for her.

  Things had been quiet since the tire slashing, leading her to believe it had been a freak incident. Maybe one of the neighborhood kids really had thought vandalism made for a fun night out. She couldn’t afford to bring anyone into her life that might bring attention to her or become a target her brother could use against her.

  If she was lonely, well, at least she was safe. It was a trade-off she was willing to make.

  After getting dressed, she headed out for the day, still on a high from the results of her experiment for her business. But when she pulled up to the front of the shop, her world fell apart. Graffiti covered the glass, ruining the beautiful painting she’d had done of her logo, and the glass on the door had been shattered.

  She parked and walked to the entrance, her stomach twisted in painful knots, and tears sprung to her eyes. She hadn’t been able to afford a burglar alarm and because she was surrounded by so many other stores, she’d naively thought she could get by without one.

  The shops surrounding her were clothing stores whose salespeople didn’t arrive for work until ten a.m. She came in early to prep and cook. Obviously no one had reported this yet or the police would be here.

  With her heart in her throat, she dialed 911 and stood outside before entering, only willing to do so with a police officer by her side. While she waited, she’d never felt so alone or experienced the solitude of her life more acutely. She’d left behind a life with friends, who she hadn’t contacted for fear Colton would pressure them for her whereabouts.

  And though she had Kelsey here, Kelsey was an intern, not a real friend. At twenty-five, Faith was four years older than the other girl, who had her own group of friends from school. New York City wasn’t conducive to meeting people if you didn’t make an effort, go to the gym or classes, and put yourself out there. And Faith had done everything but. She’d kept her head down, run her business, and gone home alone at night.

  Her thoughts went to Jason, a man she’d just met. She felt silly, but she’d put his business card in her jacket pocket, and she fingered the cool paper now, hoping it would make her feel better, but she had no intention of calling him.

  He didn’t need her problems and he wasn’t her friend. He’d just been a helpful stranger.

  She forced herself to think about the incident and who could have done it. If her brother had been the culprit, and how could it be anyone but him, how had he found her? She’d put all the paperwork in the business entity name, not her own, hadn’t put her picture on any of her social media, including the company website, and she’d taken a new last name to ensure she’d be protected. But if these two back-to-back episodes told her anything, there was no such thing as safe.

  Once the cops came, they checked out the business before declaring it clear for her to go inside, at which point she had to step over a brick that had been thrown through the glass. Thank God whoever it was hadn’t gotten inside. Her equipment and cases were all intact and she blew out a relieved breath.

  A forensic analyst arrived to dust for prints and bag the brick for evidence, while another officer took Faith’s statement. She debated telling them about Colton’s attack and threats, but that could only lead to them contacting the police department at home to question him, and she didn’t want to alert him to where she was on the very off chance this was a coincidence. If they found his prints, they’d have proof. He had a record, after all. But if they didn’t, they couldn’t accuse him anyway.

  Finally they left her alone with the mess of her shop. Luckily for her, the man who owned the clothing store on one side came by and called a few friends, who boarded up the door until she could get someone in to fix it during the week. And there was nothing she could do about the graffiti until the window washers could fit her in.

  She refused to let her brother frighten her out of her own shop, so despite the boarded window and mess outside, she prepared her candy for the day and opened for business.

  * * *

  Three days passed before Jason was able to give his undivided attention to Faith. He didn’t want to approach her with something heavy on his mind, and with his mother’s divorce going on in Florida, her sudden spate of phone calls to Jason, his brother Alex’s follow-ups, and Sienna’s added distress, combined with the business issues, Jason had had his hands full. When he saw Faith again, he wanted to be wholly focused on more than just asking her to contact Izzy about Noah’s birthday party favors.

  He wanted a game plan about them.

  Gabe’s comment about Jason’s actions when it came to Faith stayed with him. Letting her go easily doesn’t sound like the Dare way. Jason was well aware that Gabe had waited a long time for Izzy, and when he’d finally gotten his chance, he’d had to let her go find herself before she could truly become his. However, Gabe had kept a silent eye on her the entire time.

  With Faith’s face and sexy body in his dreams and firmly entrenched in his mind, Jason had been fighting his instinct not to get involved when everything inside him screamed out for him to check on her. See her again. Make sure the tire was a fluke and she was safe and okay. Now, he finally had a reason to seek her out, and he’d decided to push harder to see what could be between them.

  He might not want to add someone else to the list of people he had to worry about, but in one short night, she’d gotten under his skin, giving him no choice.

  He headed for his car and typed her store name into Waze, ready to put his plan into motion. Except when he approached the shop, located on the left, as his direction-voice told him, he saw graffiti covering the windows and the door to her store boarded up.

  “Fuck.” Stomach churning, protective instincts growing inside him, he drove around, searching for a parking spot, finally settling on a lot a few blocks away. He gave his car to an attendant and rushed down the street and over to Sweet Treats.

  He opened the door, which still worked, and stepped inside. The sweet smell immediately assaulted him, a delicious, welcoming scent that reminded him of his candy girl. Inside, there was no hint of vandalism, thank goodness, but he didn’t see Faith.

  “Hello?” he called out.

  She immediately popped up from where she must have been kneeling down by t
he counter. “Jason!” she said, obviously surprised to see him.

  “What the hell happened here?” he asked, knowing he sounded pissed because he was. Who would terrorize a woman this way?

  She sighed. “The store was vandalized on Sunday and nobody’s been willing to come out and fix it until sometime next week.”

  “Sunday? Why the hell didn’t you call me?” Guilt for ignoring his gut instinct immediately filled him.

  Hadn’t he worried about the slashed tire? Didn’t he know better than to disregard what his instinct told him was important? He tamped down on thoughts of Levi. Faith was here in front of him, safe at least right now, and he intended to make sure she stayed that way.

  “Seriously?” She strode out from behind the counter, hands settled on her hips, and glared at him. “I barely know you. Why would I bother you with my problems?”

  He stepped closer, placing his hand beneath her chin, their gazes locked in a war of wills. “Because there was a connection between us and you know it. And because I can help you and clearly” – he swept his arm toward the door – “you need that help and support. Where is Kelsey?” he asked more gently, stroking a hand over Faith’s cheek before stepping back and giving her space.

  Faith let out a breathy groan. “She’s out with the flu. I’ve been holding things down here alone, but like I said, people aren’t coming in. I think they’re avoiding me because of the graffiti and damage.” She frowned, appearing more angry than scared, for which he was grateful.

  He took her soft hand in his and looked her over, inspecting her body, from her feet in pink Chucks, up her legs, past her apron, over her abundant and tempting breasts, to her hair piled on top of her head. “You look fine,” he muttered to himself, relieved.

  She blinked in clear disbelief. “Now that’s a good way to turn a lady’s head. You look fine,” she said in a damned good imitation of him.

  He shook his head and grinned. “I meant, you appear unharmed and you look fucking fantastic.” And she did. The messy bun and hot pink tee shirt with her store logo hugging her curves suited her.