Framed and Hung (5 page)

With one eye open, she peered down at her friend. ‘Enough backchat from the peanut gallery, thank you very much,’ she snapped. She frowned at Rachel for a moment before bursting into laughter. ‘You’re right, my own silly fault. Just let me finish this last bracket and I’ll be down.’

Making certain the brush wasn’t overloaded this time, she skilfully painted the timber bracket until it shone snowy-white like its neighbours. She unhooked the can of paint from the top of the ladder and shimmied down to join Rachel.

After stamping the lid back on the can and throwing the brush into a bucket of water until she could clean it, she stood back and checked out the front of the inn. With the trim all sparkling white and the red bricks newly washed, the old place looked fresh and inviting. She’d even climbed up on the roof and water-blasted all the soot off the chimneys. Now only the window sills to do.

‘What do you think?’

Hands propped on her hips, Rachel stood beside Zoe and stared at the building. ‘It looks great. I can’t believe how much you’ve done. What time did you start work, for crying out loud?’

‘I was so darn pissed off with Jake, I couldn’t sleep. So I was out here at five o’clock sanding things down and getting everything ready.’ She gave a slight chuckle. ‘Good thing it’s the middle of summer or I’d have been working in the dark.’

Rachel smirked. ‘I take it things didn’t go well with Mr Naked-and-Dangerous?’

Zoe gave a little grin and raised her eyebrows before snatching up the paint can and the bucket of water. Nose tucked in the air, she headed down to the end of the building and made her way to the old stables. Once there, she stowed the paint and washed out her brush, hanging it on a hook to dry.

Turning on her heels, she sashayed towards her room, Rachel trailing her. She unlocked the door, but before she could step inside under her own steam, her friend pushed her from behind and slammed the door shut after them.

‘Come on, woman. Don’t keep me in suspense. What happened?’

Zoe burst out laughing. ‘Hah, knew you wouldn’t be able to contain yourself.’

Rachel stepped closer and grasped her by the shoulders. ‘Share, girlfriend, before I shake it out of you. What happened?’

Zoe threw her hands up in submission. ‘Okay, okay, don’t get bent out of shape.’

Rachel continued to screw her face up in a mock scowl.

With a chuckle, Zoe shrugged out of Rachel’s hold and headed for the bathroom. Grabbing a washcloth, she dampened it and scrubbed the paint from her face. That done, she sauntered back into the bedroom, grabbing a can of soft drink from the bar fridge hidden behind a polished door in the sideboard. She perched herself on the edge of the antique brocade chair that sat beside a small timber dining table and opened her drink.

‘Zoe.’

‘Well…actually…nothing happened.’
Worst luck
.

She gulped a mouthful of her soft drink and waited, knowing she wouldn’t have to wait long.

Rachel flounced over and sat in the chair on the other side of the table. ‘What do you mean nothing happened? When I left, the man was standing there naked as…’

She let her words trail off, drew in a deep breath and started again, her gaze transfixed on Zoe’s face. ‘Are you telling me nothing at all happened? You expect me to believe that?’

Zoe shrugged.

‘Come on, you’ve lusted after that guy for years. I know you’re not looking for a permanent relationship, but I also know you haven’t been with anyone in a long while. Why not Jake Lord?’

Zoe held up her hand. ‘Hey, stop making me sound like a sex-starved twit. It’s not like I’m growing cobwebs down there. Okay, maybe a few moths, but definitely no cobwebs.’

‘Are you telling me you let him get away from you? Girl, you’re about to blast open my illusion that you’re the one woman who would always get her man if she set her mind to it.’

No, I’m not. I couldn’t even keep one husband
.

She’d married too young, mistaking infatuation for love. But because she’d believed in the holy state of matrimony back then, she’d hung on in there, trying to make it work.

There was only one problem. Des, her ex, had turned out to be a controlling bastard. Suddenly, she’d been cut off from her friends. Told who she could talk to and when. Had her clothing chosen for her. And heaven help her if she so much as cast her gaze towards another male, even if it was totally innocent.

She’d been nothing but a doormat, there to cook his meals and warm his bed. And even in bed, she’d been lacking, according to him. If she showed enthusiasm, she was a slut. If she just lay there and took it, she was a frigid bitch. There’d been no pleasing him.

After he’d slapped her around a time or two
to teach her a lesson on being subservient to the man
, she’d finally had enough. He’d threatened if she left him, he’d come after her and drag her back. So she’d left in the middle of the night, when Des had been sleeping off a drinking binge, taking nothing more than her vehicle and the clothes she stood in. Thank God Rachel’s family had been willing to take her in.

Shaking off the disturbing thoughts of her failure at marriage, she grimaced and let out a deep sigh. ‘If you want to know, I acted like a bitch in heat.’ She stood and prowled around the room. ‘Yeah, I fancied him when I was at school, but that’s all it was, a schoolgirl crush. Then I run into him again and all my hormones go on a little rampage.’

‘So?’ Rachel frowned at her as if she couldn’t understand what the problem was.

‘One minute he makes me mad as hell because of his arrogance. Then he smiles and I go all gooey inside. I want to jump his bones and screw the daylights out of him.’

‘So why didn’t you?’

‘Because he rejected me,’ she snapped and dropped down into the chair again. She braced her elbows on the table and cupped her face in her hands. ‘Rach, tell me honestly, do I come on too strong with men? Does it put them off?’

Rachel shook her head. ‘No, I’d say it’s more a case of knowing what you want. You don’t play games so you make certain the man knows the score.’ She held her hand up as Zoe opened her mouth to speak. ‘Hang on, let me finish. You know I love you, Zoe. You’re like my sister.’

‘But?’
Uh-oh, sounds like I’m about to get a lecture
.

‘Yes, you can be aggressive at times, but that’s not what I worry about. I know Des was an asshole and I know how badly he hurt you. And not just physically either. I just don’t want you to close your eyes to the fact that there are some great guys out there.’

Zoe burst out laughing. ‘Oh yeah? Name one.’

Rachel raised her eyebrows. ‘How about Jake Lord?’

‘You’re kidding, right?’ She snorted. ‘Look, the man is sexy as hell, and yes, he pushes my buttons. But on a long-term basis? I don’t think so. He’s probably not even the marrying type.’

‘Why the heck not? He’s running for local council. The way I understand it, the constituents prefer their politicians, be they at a local, state or federal level, to be married. Something about them being much more stable. Jake’s going to have to think about it soon. The elections aren’t that far away.’

Zoe wandered across the room to hover beside the queen-sized bed, keeping her face turned away from Rachel. ‘There’s one important fact you’re missing. Jake might be great for a little bit of slap and tickle, but he’s as controlling as my ex-husband. Well, maybe not that bad and I can’t ever see him beating a woman, but he still likes to have his own way.’

‘No way is he like Des.’ Rachel jumped to her feet and stared at her friend. ‘Sweetie, this is what I was talking about. Every man you meet is weighed against your ex and you immediately find them flawed. We’ve all got faults and all relationships are about compromise.’

‘So?’

‘Just promise me you’ll give Jake a chance. He’s not all about control. Look how Jessie manipulates him. He knows she’s doing it and lets her get away with it. A son who loves his mum like that can’t be all bad.’

Zoe threw her hands in the air. ‘Okay, okay, I’ll keep that in mind. Now, come over here and tell me what you think.’

With a frown on her face, Rachel joined her beside the bed. ‘What am I supposed to be looking at?’

‘The bed. Does that look like someone has been sleeping on my bed?’ Zoe stared down at the brocade cover. She’d made the bed and tidied the room before she’d started working on the inn with the idea she’d take photos of it, not only to add to her portfolio but also to send to the heritage committee. It had been her experience that often the committee would be satisfied with photos and would delay their visit until the restoration was complete.

Rachel burst out laughing. ‘What is this? Has Goldilocks come to visit?’

Zoe slapped her on the arm. ‘I’m serious. That quilt was straight, not a wrinkle in sight, when I left this morning. Now look at it.’

‘Hah, maybe Jake came in to wait for you.’

‘Well, he could have asked.’ Zoe gave a frustrated sigh. ‘I wanted to take photos of the room. Now I have to make the bed again. Hop around to the other side and give me a hand.’ She stripped the cover off and pulled the blanket and top sheet from the side of the bed. ‘As tight as you can, Rachel.’

Zoe bent and pulled first the sheet and then the blanket tight, tucking them under the mattress. Rachel did the same on her side. Then Zoe flicked the cover over the bed and folded it over the pillows, running her hand across the fabric to smooth out any wrinkles.

When she was satisfied, she stood back and checked out the rest of the room. ‘That’ll do it. I’ll take some photos later on.’

She grabbed the empty can and tossed it in the rubbish bin. Then a thought suddenly hit her. ‘Damn, he’s playing games with me.’

‘Um, who are you talking about?’

‘Jake.’ She blew out a frustrated breath. ‘He’s screwing with my mind.’

‘Ah, how do you make that out?’ Rachel shot her an amused glance.

‘You think about it.’ She held her hand up and started ticking off her observations one by one. ‘First, he damn well rejected me last night. And let me tell you, he was definitely interested.’

‘Why are you so sure?’

‘That ruddy great boner that was cradled between my thighs? Yeah, that was a dead giveaway. And second — ’

‘Hey, hang on a tic,’ Rachel interrupted. ‘You never told me this bit. Want to enlighten me as to how he had his cock between your legs? Come on, girlfriend, don’t keep me in suspense.’

Zoe frowned at her. ‘None of your business, my nosy friend. Suffice it to say I can tell when a man is interested or not. Now, where was I?’ She held her hand up again. ‘And second…’ She flicked at another finger. ‘Second, he told me we’d get to the sex part, but in
his
time. He felt we needed to slow things down a bit, get to know each other better.’

Before she could go on, Rachel convulsed. Arms wrapped about her stomach, she bent from the waist and roared with laughter. Her balance shot, she dropped down onto the side of the bed, the chuckles still bubbling out.

Zoe tried to ignore her, still enumerating her very valid suppositions. At least,
she
thought they were valid. ‘And thirdly, Jake, after rejecting me yesterday, comes in here and makes himself at home on my bed. What’s with that? Only one reason I can see. He’s messing with my head. He’s deciding when and where we’ll have sex.’

Rachel wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes and grinned at Zoe. ‘You know what this is all about, don’t you?’

When Zoe said nothing, she continued. ‘You both have issues with control. He wants to do it his way. You want it your way.’

Zoe snorted. ‘Yeah, right. Well, I don’t have a problem if he wants to be on top.’

Rachel chuckled, shaking her head at Zoe’s comment. ‘It’s got nothing to do with who’s on top. Some men like to be the ones who call the shots. I get the feeling Jake’s one of those and by coming in here today, he was giving you a message. He’ll make the moves and it’s up to you to do the running.’

A gurgle of laughter erupted from Zoe. She suddenly saw the funny side of the whole situation. Damn it, it
was
funny when she thought about it. First, she catches Jake naked out at the spa. And then when she let herself into room 22, she catches him in another embarrassing position. That was enough to make any guy run for the hills.

Jake was just trying to assert his dominance. She would have done the same in his situation. Didn’t change things though. She took care of her own sexual needs, either by her own hand, or choosing who — and when — she indulged. She’d fought too hard to gain control of her life. She wasn’t about to give it up for Jake Lord. She was willing to compromise a bit, but was Jake?

Maybe she could convince him it was worth his while.

‘What are you thinking, girl? You have the most mischievous look on your face.’ Rachel’s voice cut through Zoe’s introspection.

She grinned, grabbing Rachel by the arm and hauling her up off the bed. ‘I think Jake Lord is about to learn I can be quite determined when I want to be. I am going to tie that man in so many knots, he’ll need a Girl Scout to get him out. And hey, I just happen to be pretty good at knots.’

‘What are you planning, girlfriend?’ Rachel straightened the bed again and smoothed the cover.

‘Oh, nothing much. I’m just going to show Jake what he’ll be missing out on if he rejects me again.’

Zoe sashayed over to the chest of drawers on the far side of the room and pulled the top drawer open. Shedding her T-shirt and bra, she donned a skimpy halter top that cupped her breasts and left most of her stomach bare. Then she dropped her shorts and grabbed another pair. Stepping into them, she zipped them up and turned in front of the full-length mirror affixed to the wall beside the chest of drawers.

‘Ho, baby, those shorts don’t leave much to the imagination,’ Rachel said.

Zoe checked out her butt in the mirror. The shorts cut high enough that the lower curves of her ass cheeks were visible. They were tight enough to show off the swell of her hips and outline her mons. ‘Eat your heart out, Jake Lord. You’re about to learn what sexual frustration is all about.’

Rachel high-fived Zoe. ‘Girl, you are baaad.’