Exposed (13 page)

“Wish we could take a vacation and do this for a couple weeks,” she said.

“Like to take you somewhere to do honor to that bikini you have on,” he replied to her sexy return smile. Under the water her hips nudged him.

“Well, I don’t have a job so I could go,” she teased.

He grabbed the small of her back, keeping her close, as he got a little serious. “It bothers you not having a job, doesn’t it?”

Shadows passed across her face. “Yes, I feel as if anything we had ahead is lost now and we have to start all over. I just can’t live off the money the lawyer got freed for me. It will never last.”

Jack moved them around in the water slowly. “I feel as if years of building equity are being stripped away. I will lose the house by trying to keep my business.”

She nuzzled his chin with her nose. “Business is more important. I bet Fabric Barn won’t give me a good reference.”

“You know, baby,” he said slowly, “I could use some help at Rent-All if you’re interested. Even just part-time would help me out.”

Nia looked surprised. “Oh, I couldn’t ... you don’t have to.”

He silenced her protests with a long, hot kiss. Luckily, they were the only ones in the pool, as it got a bit hot and heavy under the water. Then, when he had her thoroughly pliant, he broke their making-out session and said, “I want you to come to Rent-All and help me, and”—he kissed her lightly again—“I want you to think about making a small business out of your custom purse designs.”

***

T
he next morning Nia drove her car to Rent-All at nine. Jack had left the hotel at seven thirty and she thought he’d done it to give her some time to think.

Sell your purses. Start a small business.

“Wow,” Nia murmured, for perhaps the twentieth time that morning, after Jack had left and she’d begun to think over all that he’d said the night before.

After swimming he’d made sweet and slow love to her—on their hotel bed this time. Once she’d unraveled for him and he’d groaned the sounds of release she was coming to adore, they’d lain cuddled together in the dark. Jack had told her again that he thought she could sell her purse creations if she wanted to, and he would help her get started.

“Wow,” Nia murmured again, while waiting in line at the Coffee Shoppe drive-through, about a block from Jack’s business.

She couldn’t ignore the excitement strumming through her. Much of it was about a brand-new smoking-hot affair with a very attractive man that was amazing in bed. But the other part was a tight thrill in her chest about possibilities.

Could she start her own business?

“Really?” she asked herself under her breath. She’d never once thought about the possibility before.

Ten minutes later, she felt kind of shy walking into Jack’s business. There was a man behind the counter in his mid-thirties that looked up as she walked toward the counter, carrying the two coffees she’d bought.

“I was looking for Jack,” she said.

“Nia?” the man asked.

For some stupid reason, she blushed. “Yes.”

“Oh, hey, I’m Jim, and Jack said you were coming in.”

Jim proceeded to tell her that Jack was out back with the mechanic and a stubborn backhoe that didn’t want to lift its bucket right. But Jack had told Jim to start training her. Nia felt a little bad, but she gave Jim Jack’s coffee.

She didn’t see Jack for at least an hour and a half; nevertheless, she picked up the front counter quickly enough that she gave Jim his break, then he wandered back to where the guys were working on the backhoe while she watched the front. She was looking through the brochures to get an idea what there was to rent when her cell rang.

It was a weird number that read “Toll” when she picked it up. As soon as she flipped her phone open to take the call, a computer-generated voice told her it was a collect call from the county jail, and would she accept the charges from Dan Cooper?

“Damn,” Nia muttered, holding the phone closer and looking around before she said, “Yes.”

Fifteen seconds later, Dan’s voice was in her ear. “Nia, don’t hang up on me, please.”

“What do you want?” she whispered into the phone.

“I know I don’t deserve your help, Nia. But you’re all I have.”

“What do you mean, Dan?”

“I
need
bail. I can’t get out of here without bail and I can’t get bail in here.”

“Bail?” Nia questioned. “Dan, you threatened me! Why would I help you with bail?”

“Nia, I swear I’ll be better. I’ll ... Well, I’ll never do that again. But you can’t leave me in here!”

“I don’t see how this is
me
leaving you in there, Dan,” she exclaimed, exasperated.

“Is that your husband?” Jack’s voice demanded behind her.

Nia whirled around to face Jack, feeling oddly guilty as she looked at the deep frown on his face. “Dan, I don’t know if I can,” she blurted into her cell, then she cut the call.

“Don’t know if you can?” Jack repeated slowly. “As in, you are even
considering
bailing him out?”

Nia tried hard to remember the amazing love sessions she’d had with Jack. But it didn’t help to quell her instant anger. “This stuff is not simple,” she replied, and then she added, “The front counter of your business is not the place to discuss it, either.”

Jack looked over his shoulder, and called, “Jim! Come watch the counter.” Then to her, he said, “Nia, would you come to my office? There is some paperwork for you to look at and sign.”

Once the office door was closed to his office, she said, “Your employees are going to think something is going on in here.”

Jack put his arm over her head with his fist to the door, and he leaned close to her, while her back hugged the door. “There
is
something going on in here, baby.”

She blew out a breath into his face, because it was tilted up to him. “Remember our agreement to keep it private?”

“There’s not going to be much private when I take you over my knee and spank your bottom for even thinking of giving that bastard bail.”

Nia shivered at the image, even though she knew it was an empty threat. “So you want to spank me?” she whispered back at him, daring him with her mouth really close to his.

“Later. Hotel room. You got it.”

She was startled, but then she recovered and straightened. “No, really, I was just kidding.”

Jack chuckled, then moved in closer and kissed her. She loved Jack’s kisses, and even though she knew she should protest doing it at work, she still melted into him until they were French kissing deeply. Finally, Jack pulled his mouth from her greedy lips.

“I’ll have you on the desktop soon,” he warned.

Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily as she licked her lips slowly, savoring.

“Christ, baby, don’t do that.” His hand lowered and cupped her between her thighs. Her eyes popped open and a moan left her lips as she humped against his hand, lifting her hips.

“Nooner,” Jack ordered huskily. “You, me, naked.”

She rolled against his hand. “God, Jack. Okay.”

He squeezed her, making her moan, then he pushed himself back. He looked like stone, but he moved farther behind his desk while running a hand through his hair. “Okay, I’m going to will this raging hard-on to go away while you go back to work.”

She peeked sideways at him, not at all repentant that he had an erection because of her, then she innocently said, “I’m going to the restroom to slip off my panties, so we have only my jeans to get through at noon.”

She glided out of Jack’s office to the sound of his groan that didn’t sound mad, but very interested. Then she realized ten minutes later that they’d forgotten all their arguing about Dan and that big problem. Noon came too quick for her to think about Dan again ... besides, she didn’t want to.

She was too excited and aroused about Jack and their promised nooner. Jack looked excited too, in a tense way that locked his features and made arousal blaze out of his eyes. He looked as if he was controlling his response, but he couldn’t control his eyes. The heat and intensity from his gaze thrilled her as she took his hand out back of Rent-All and he pulled her to his truck.

The bucket seats in the truck didn’t let them get close enough, but as soon as Jack pulled into a secluded spot by the lake a few minutes away, they were lip-locked across the divide. Then Jack got out and came around to her side.

“You really took off your panties?” he asked with a growl in his voice that made her quiver as he pulled her out of the truck in front of him.

She nodded, lifting up on her toes to kiss him as he unsnapped her jeans. He kept kissing her as he pulled them down and she stepped out of them. On the rise upward, he cupped between her thighs and she moaned around his tongue. They jumped back in the truck, him sitting on the passenger side and her straddling his thighs. His pants were around his feet and her hands were working to put a condom on his hot, hard erection. But at the same time, he was pressing and circling her clit, making her brain blank out with each pleasure spike, so getting the condom on his thick, unbending shaft was difficult.

The second she managed it, he lifted her upward and thrust into her. She cried out, clutching him tightly, feeling him fill her. The thing about Jack—no matter how excitedly turned on he was, he was even more determined she was going to climax.

“Rub that hot clit, Nia.” She moaned, rubbing. “You like my cock fucking you?” Her head fell back as her body bounced rapidly over Jack. “God, your pussy feels so tight, baby,” he growled.

When Jack talked dirty, she came unwound, and it worked straight into her arousal, spiraling it out of control. As she climaxed, Jack pounded into her, lifting her with sharp bounces, until he groaned long and hard.

She fell against him, trembling in the aftermath. How could she have believed that her staid, housewifely image would be shattered in mere weeks, and a sexual tigress would be let loose?

“This is amazing, baby.
This
is what I want,” Jack said, pulling her head back to kiss her deeply.

“And it’s what I need,” she said breathlessly against his lips.

“I need it too, baby,” he murmured, kissing her through his words, then he leaned back. “It’s not all about this, Nia. This is very important, but there’s more to us.”

Her eyes got a little damp as she looked at him. “Every day, I want to make you happy,” she whispered.

“Oh, baby, me too. We’ll do that.”

T
hey had to get dressed and hurry back ... late, to give Jim his lunch. But they laughed, then while she watched the counter Jack went out and got them some food to sustain them. It seemed hot affairs were a very good diets. She wasn’t supposed to work that afternoon, but Jack suggested she use his laptop and the internet in his office to research small businesses. She was finding out some exciting information when she heard the woman’s voice outside of Jack’s office.

“Can we be more private, Jack?”

Nia instantly recognized Sadie’s voice and she sat straighter, expecting Jack and his wife to come through the open doorway any second.

But then Jack’s voice sounded. “This is private enough, Sadie. You’re breaking the restraining order and could go to jail.”

Jack sounded tight and angry.

“Jack, please, just listen. I promise no trouble. I’m not even drunk.”

“Five minutes,” Jack returned with a frustrated voice.

Nia wondered about her overhearing, but she only had two choices. One was to stay and hide, the other to probably cause a scene if she left his office and passed their private meeting. Jack must know she could hear, she reasoned.

“I r-realized,” Sadie stuttered, “in jail the lady officer talked to me a-about my drinking. Asking if it was a problem.”

“And your answer?” Jack demanded, his voice not showing any sympathy.

“I’ve
got
a drinking problem,” Sadie blurted in a rush.

Nia’s eyes widened. That was a huge step, her admitting it to Jack like that. Jack must be feeling many intense things.

“I can’t say it’s not good to hear you say it, Sadie. But what’s it got to do with me now?”

“I need rehab, Jack.”

It was a whisper and Nia had to lean forward to hear it, which lifted her to her feet as she clutched her chest. Sadie was begging.

“So go,” Jack replied coolly.

“Jack, I ...” Sadie’s voice stalled, then she whispered fiercely, “I don’t have the money.”

“Oh my,” Nia whispered under her breath.

Nia braved a peek out into the hallway and saw Sadie’s back was to her. Jack’s gaze caught hers over Sadie’s shoulder. He looked fierce, and Nia knew immediately what he felt and was thinking. She nodded to him just as fiercely. He sighed with a look of gratitude toward her before his face grew sterner.

“Only once, Sadie. I will give you one chance and we somehow take the cost of it out of the house sale, because I’m not losing my business.”

“Oh, Jack!” Sadie exclaimed, and she grabbed him into a hug. As she thanked him over and over, Jack was looking over her shoulder and he mouthed the words, “I love you.”

Nia gasped, but held it back with her fingers, nodding to him as she slipped back into the office before Sadie could see her. Ten minutes later, Jack entered the office.

“Okay, you can give your husband bail. I get it,” he muttered, trying to sound exasperated. “But I didn’t quite hear that last thing you whispered out in the hall."

Nia came from around the desk, walking with a slow swing in her hips and, she knew sparkles in her eyes. “Hmm,” she pondered aloud, reaching him and trailing her fingers up his chest. “Not sure I remember ... unless maybe it was that 'I love you back' thing.”

Jack snatched her around the waist, pulling her against him. “That’s the part,” he assured her as he kissed her long and deeply.

I
t cost a lot to try and straighten out their ex-spouses, but that didn’t stop she and Jack from moving into an apartment together. They couldn’t afford a house. But they did save Jack’s business with a hefty second mortgage and she was able to start her small business selling the purses she made, which was going very well.