Melting Point (2 page)

"I just got in the door,"
Faith replied. She cushioned the receiver between her shoulder and ear as she bent over and unlaced her left work boot.

"Well, be ready by eight, we're going to that new bar that just opened up."

Faith finished unlacing the left boot, kicked it off and began on the right.

"What new club?" She was not in the mood tonight to go out. All she wanted to do was grab a nice hot bath, put on some soft music and relax with a good book. But she never could say no
, especially to Sophia.

"Genesis, I believe they are calling it."

Faith sighed, "Fine, I'll be ready for nine."

"Nine? No, I said eight."

Faith began to unlace the second boot. "I know what you said, which is why I'll be expecting you for nine."

"Ouch, aren't we the pessimist today
?"

"If you
’d had my day, Sophia, then you would be too. Goodbye."

"K, bye. Remember
... eight." Sophia emphasized eight once again. Seconds later her end of the line went dead.

Perhaps I
do need a night out
, Faith thought as she placed the receiver back on the cradle. Pulling off the second boot, she tossed it carelessly to the floor. She'd deal with putting it away properly later on.

She removed her clothing as she made her way to the bathroom, tossing the garments to the floor as she walked.
As she passed through the living room she stopped briefly to switch on the stereo. She turned it up just loud enough that she would be able to hear the jazz music once she was in the bathroom.

I need to get laid
, she thought as she entered the bathroom. She leaned across the bathtub and turned on the faucets. What had it been? Three months? Four? She dared not think about it for fear of depressing herself.

Working with men and seeing them on their worst behaviour wasn’t making dating very appealing. It always baffled her how they acted one way when with a girlfriend, but became complete douches when showing off for buddies.

Shrugging off the remaining pieces of her clothing she proceeded to step delicately into the tub, testing it with her toe first to ensure it wasn't too hot. Satisfied with the temperature she stepped all the way in and sat down, allowing the bubbles to surround her. She submerged herself until the only thing visible of her was her head.

Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and rested her head against the inflated bath pillow
that was secured against the wall. Breathing in deeply she basked in the sweet aroma of roses and lavender; bubble bath, oils and jazz music, all relaxation must-haves.

He
r mind drifted back to her body’s unfilled need. She nodded to herself; she needed to get laid, and soon.

All work and no play
, her mind taunted.

"Isn't that the truth," she whispered into the air.

Humming along with the music, she let her mind wander and it brought her to images of Trent.

Trent. The new welder with the company.
Brother of the dickwad Brian, although he didn't
seem
to be like Brian. Maybe assholedom didn't run in the family?

He's just being nice to you because he wants to fuck you
, her mind warned.
Then he’ll gloat to all our co-workers about how he scored with the ice queen.

Perhaps, but
what if he didn’t? Besides, she wasn't sure if that would be such a bad thing at this moment. The warming between her legs agreed it wouldn't be.

Faith
thought back to her meeting with him a few hours earlier. He was sexy, she'd give him that. She loved large, powerful, well-built men, and he was indeed all those things.

She began to visualiz
e what he would look like naked and became aroused with what she saw in her mind's eye.

Her hand glided through the warm bath water and found the
aching spot between her legs. She spread her legs wide, allowing her hand access to her pussy. Her fingers separated the lips of her pussy, exposing her sensitive clit.

She imagined what it would be like to pull that red t-shirt up over h
is head and toss it to the floor. She would caress his smooth, muscular chest and shoulders, while trailing kisses along his collarbone and neck.

While
her thumb stroked her clit, her fingers plunged deep inside her. She moaned as her fingers hit, then began to stroke her G-spot. She'd become a self-proclaimed master of masturbation these past few months. With slow, fluid motions she teased her clit, while stroking her pussy wall.

Her free hand came up and began to play with one of her nipples, pinching and rolling it between her fingers
, turning it into a hardened peak. She continued to pleasure herself, fucking the hand that stroked her so masterfully, using Trent as her inspiration. As she stroked and teased she continued to imagine him positioned between her legs, his hand replacing hers in her mind.

Stroking her. Teasing her. She could almost feel his presence a
s her hand began to work faster, her pelvis thrusting against her hand, begging for more, begging for him to be there and relieve the tension that had been building in her for so many months!

She moaned once more, as waves of electricity began to shoot through her body, pulsating between her legs. She worked more frantically, the water splashing gently around her as she brought herself closer.

Harder. Faster. Coming closer and closer to the edge. She needed more, she needed to feel him fill her. Wanted to feel him fill her, but her hand would have to do for now.

She arched her back as a
final, massive wave of pleasure came crashing down on her and she exploded on her hand. She cried out as her orgasm overtook her, leaving her spent and somewhat satisfied.

Though
,
only
somewhat.

She
needed more. Wanted more. She thought once again of Trent as she held her breath and dunked her head under the warm water. At the present moment the thought of breaking her cardinal rule and pursuing a fellow worker didn't seem like such a bad idea after all. Seemed like a very fine idea, as a matter of fact.

****

"Wow, Sophia, this place is simply
swarming
with hot men tonight. How will we ever be able to choose from them all?" Faith commented ruefully as she surveyed the nonexistent crowd. She was quite certain if it weren't for the rock music being spewed from the speakers you would be able to hear a pin drop from across the room.

The bar was nice enough, one floor only with a small dance floor, nothing to get
excited about. No strobe lights. No craziness. Just a simple small-town type of bar in a big city. There was probably a maximum of forty people in the entire place, including the bar staff and the couple of bouncers, who stood looking bored by the entrance.

"Well it's still early yet," came the defensive reply.

"Uh-huh."

"How about I treat us to a drink and if you want to go after we finish our drinks I won't
make an issue of it. We'll go wherever you want." Sophia extended her newly manicured hand to Faith. "Deal?"

With a roll of her eyes
Faith nodded and shook her friend's hand half-heartedly.

"Come on
." Sophia led the way up to one of the two bars in the place.

Faith
took a moment to look over the patrons and potentials while she waited for Sophia to get their drinks. Her eyes jumped to a group of seven men who were just entering the bar. The first two she didn't recognize, but the next five she knew quite well.

It was Brian and his groupies.

She spun around to face the bar before they could see her. She had no idea why she cared if they noticed her or not, but she did know she wanted out of there. Urgently! Brian had ruined her day; she had no intention of letting him ruin her night as well.

"We need to leave now!" she whispered into Sophia's ear.

"What? Why? We agreed on one drink," Sophia protested, turning to face Faith. The bartender passed them each an opened bottle of beer.

"Fine
. Drink fast," Faith said, snatching up the beer bottle and taking a long swig. She wondered if a few beers would perhaps make him tolerable.

"Has anyone ever told you
, Faith, that you are one very odd person?" Sophia rolled her eyes at her friend before turning to survey the crowd for herself. She immediately spotted Faith's co-workers.

"Ohhhh. Look. L
ook. There is some prime pickin’s over there." She nudged Faith in the ribs, urging her to turn around and look.

"No, thanks."
Faith didn't need to look to know Sophia had spotted the welders.

"They are pretty fine. Looks like a group of construction boys."

Faith groaned, giving in. Might as well face the music now and get it over with.

"They're welders," she corrected as she turned around and followed Sophia's gaze.

"You work with them?"

"I do."

"Damn, I really should have become a welder," Sophia commented with a wink to Faith. She brought her beer up to her lips and took a drink. “Getting to look at them all day. Mmm-hmm. Lucky bitch.”

Faith
shook her head in response, her brown hair swaying with the motion.

"Why don't you introduce me to the tall one, with the goatee. Is he single?"

Pfft. Brian. Sophia sure knows how to pick them
, Faith thought though her mouth said, "I'd rather not, Brian isn't exactly the most noble of men."

"Well it's not like I'm planning on marrying him
, silly." Sophia nudged Faith once more while giving her a coy smile.

"I'd rather not,"
Faith repeated, taking another swig of her beer.

"What are we
not
wanting to do?" a familiar male voice asked from behind her.

Chapter 2

Turning her head toward the source of the voice, Faith's heart skipped a beat. Trent was grinning – that same sweet, sexy grin he’d given her earlier that day at work. He must have wandered in after she’d turned her back to the door.

"I
– um." Faith could feel her face begin to redden. The combination of a flashback of the afternoon's fantasy and being caught talking about his brother in a not-so-positive light was enough to make her want to sink through the floor.

Despite the guilty embarrassment,
Faith couldn't help but quickly scan him, taking in each detail as her eyes traveled. His red knit turtleneck clung to his broad chest, outlining the defined muscle underneath. He wore faded jeans, but unlike the pair he had on this morning these were devoid of dirt and soot.

Her body ignited, just having him so close.

Trent stepped closer to Faith, his shoulder brushing against hers. The mere contact made her breath catch in her throat. He was close enough now that she could smell the deeply sensual scent of his cologne. It beckoned to her, making her yearn to close the final inches between them and throw herself into his arms.

She resisted.

Reaching across Faith, his arm lightly grazing her breasts under the sheer material of the spaghetti-strap, zebra-print sundress she was wearing, Trent extended his hand to Sophia. "I'm Trent. I work with Faith."

Faith
watched as Sophia tossed her long blonde spiralled curls over her shoulder before accepting his hand. She groaned inwardly.
Do you really have to be so cliché, Sophia?
Though she had to admit Sophia did fit the cute, blonde bombshell image to the letter.

"Sophia
; it's a pleasure."

Rolling her eyes,
Faith looked back at the welders on the other side of the room. She noted Brian had taken notice of Sophia, eyeing her intently. But of course he noticed Sophia, men
always
did. She was torn. Brian was a pig of the worst kind, but at the same time Sophia was a big girl; if she wanted to ignore her warning then so be it.

Besides, as much as she hated to admit it, she really didn't want Sophia making a play for Trent.

For tonight Trent was hers. It wouldn’t hurt to at least get to know him, right? The chance at having a friend on the worksite would be a nice change.

Good friend you are, throwing her to the wolves
, the nagging voice in the back of her head chimed in.
Shush you
, the voice, her conscience, shushed back.

****

As soon as Trent entered the bar, he had spotted her straight away. Wearing a bold zebra-print sundress, with her shoulder-length brown hair falling loosely down her back, she was breathtaking.

T
his afternoon, he had watched her as he worked, sneaking a peek from time to time. This was the first time he had gotten to work with a female welder so he had been anxious to meet her. What type of woman took up such a dirty and gruelling trade? As far as he was concerned she had to be a tough little chickie to take it up – certainly a woman he was interested in getting to know.

His brother had complained about the woman he was forced to work with. Had complained from the time she began working there, a few months ago
, if Trent recalled correctly, that her work was substandard at best.

Admittedly,
Trent had snuck over to her station and stolen a glance at her welds when she’d left to have her lunch. What he’d seen had impressed him. She was an excellent welder, which made the pull to get to know her all the more powerful.

When he first entered the bar he was excited to see
that she was here. He watched her for a brief while, just within earshot, as she discussed with her blonde friend whether or not they were going to go over and talk to the others he’d come with. He couldn't blame her hesitancy – if truth be known he was certain he would be feeling the same way himself if he were in her shoes.

As he stood now leaning close to
Faith, as he extended his hand to the overly flirty friend of hers, he couldn't help but notice the alluring scent she was wearing. Or it might have been her shampoo, he wasn't certain, but what he did know was that he loved it. It reminded him of fresh strawberries.

While her scent attracted him, the sight of her round, plump breasts pushing against the sheer material of her low
-cut sundress made his cock tingle. He could faintly see her hardening nipples through the thin layer of clothing, and found himself longing to see them without it.

"Since your friend here hasn't answered your question yet
, the man you were pointing out is Brian, my brother. And he is single. But I feel I need to warn you, he’s a bit of a jackass." He stepped back and motioned dramatically toward the group of welders. "That being said, enjoy him as you will. I suspect he’ll welcome you with open arms."

Sophia looked over at
Faith, who shrugged in response. They took a moment to do that odd conversation without actually speaking thing women tend to do when a male is in their presence. Faith shrugged a second time and Sophia strutted off in Brian's direction, leaving him alone with Faith.

Yup. Sophia is just the type of woman Brian would fall over his own feet for,
he thought with a grin before he turned his attention back to Faith. Brian would have his hands full with that one.

"I was watching you," Trent commented
, leaning against the bar.

"I'm not sure if
I should take that as a compliment or find it a tad creepy," Faith responded as she turned to face him, her electric blue eyes locking onto his dark ones.

Trent winced. "A compliment."

Faith looked as if she were contemplating which it was for herself, before replying. "In that case, thank you."

"You know, I really think I need to apolo..."

Faith held her palm up to stop him.

"The last thing I want to talk about right now is Brian,"
Faith said, shaking her head. "It's not important. I get enough of your brother at work; thanks though."

Trent had to say,
at least to himself, he was slightly relieved that she’d stopped him from starting an awkward conversational topic. He just felt he needed to formally apologize for Brian. When he really thought about it, apologizing for Brian's behaviour had been something he had been doing for so long it came automatically to him now.

"Still... I'm sorry."

It was then that she did something that he never, in his wildest dreams, expected she'd do.

Setting her beer down on the bar she closed the remaining couple
of feet separating them, wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her lips up to meet his. The kiss she gave him was feather-light on his lips – so light that if his eyes had been closed, his lips might not have registered it happening at all.

He was surprised to realize it excited him more th
an a normal full-blown kiss would have. It was a tease, but at the same time a promise of more to come,
if
he played his cards right.

Trent
stood looking down into her blue eyes for a moment. They sparkled with mischief and desire. He took a couple more moments, taking a drink from his beer, to allow the shock of the bold and unexpected move to wear off.

While his mind m
ight have been somewhat shell-shocked by her brazen move on him, his cock wasn't in the least. It sprang to life, eager and ready for action, demanding more intimate contact.

"I can d
o better than that," he declared, his voice thick with desire.

Faith
's eyes narrowed, challenging him. "Prove it."

R
eaching out, Trent worked his hand into her thick mane of chocolate brown hair, cupping the back of her head with his hand. Exerting gentle pressure, he urged her mouth up to his. Dipping his head down, his lips claimed hers passionately.

He wrapped his free hand around her waist, pulling her tight against him.

****

Faith
had shocked even herself with her daring move on him, but as she stood held tightly against him, she was glad she had made it. His lips were firm, yet tender as they claimed hers. She happily surrendered to him, her lips opening to allow his tongue access.

Placin
g her palms against his sweater-clad chest, she gave in to the desire, to touch and to explore his broad chest and muscled shoulders. They were as pleasing to her touch as she had imagined. If only she could feel the bare skin underneath...

She moaned as she began to feel the pulsing of desire between her legs. She fel
t the hardness of his erection against her stomach when he pulled her tightly against him and longed to feel it more intimately. The world around them seemed to slip away as she lost herself in his mouth and the hardness of his body pressed tightly against hers.

When Trent finally pulled away, he left her
short of breath and fighting the urge to clutch onto his sweater and pull him back against her once more. "So what exactly was that all about?" he finally asked, referring to her motivation for instigating the kiss.

"Well
. It did stop you from continuing with that very awkward and unnecessary apology." She gave him a wink before adding, "Seemed like the right thing to do. So I went with it."

Trent
considered her answer for a moment then laughed. "Certainly my preferred way of handling things." He nodded his head toward the direction of a table, several feet from them. "We have some prying eyes; do you want to sit and at least make it a little harder for them to stare?"

Faith
didn't have to ask to whom he was referring. She chanced a glance over to see how Sophia was making out. Sophia had assimilated herself into the group of welders extremely well; they seemed to be hanging onto Sophia’s every word, from what she could tell. She had certainly gained Brian's attention.

Faith
also noticed that Trent was correct about the attention they were receiving from the group. Periodically one, sometimes two, would glance over at them.

Touching her elbow lightly he ushered her over to
the table, which was semi-secluded. The bar partially blocked their table from the welders' line of vision. The one thing that she really did enjoy about this bar was the fact that the music wasn't so loud that you couldn't hold a conversation.

Once seated
, Trent didn't hesitate to jump in with the questions that had been forming in his mind since that afternoon.

"Why did you become a welder?"
He braced his elbows on the table as he leaned forward.

Faith
raised an eyebrow at him. "Why did you?"

"You first."

Faith leaned back in her chair and took another drink of her beer before leaning forward in her chair, mimicking his position, then replied dryly with a straight face, "To meet lots of hot, sexy welders."

Trent cocked his head to the side, trying to decide if she was joking or if that
was indeed the reason. It certainly might be a draw for any woman inclined toward that type of work. He quickly decided on the former, replying: "Same here."

Faith
's smile widened as she sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. She eyed him suspiciously. "Really, now?" She wasn't about to let it go quite yet.

"Yes. I just can't get enough of those beefy men, covered in soot and reeking of smoke."
He paused for a moment, turning thoughtful. "Seriously though, why?"

Faith
laughed. "It was a stupid reason, and I get embarrassed talking about it."

"Try me."

"Well. I was eighteen, just out of high school. I had the marks for university, but just had no idea what I wanted to do."

"And..." he prom
pted.

"And. So
oo. I went down to the local college, it was late in the summer so all the courses were full, but there was a single spot in the welding course. Also, the college was offering a scholarship to women in male trades and it was up for grabs, all expenses paid. I had nothing to lose. It just so happened that not only did I enjoy it, but I was pretty damned good at it as well."

"But you had an uncle or relative that was a welder and so you knew it was for you
?" He shrugged, deciding that was reasonable.

Faith
laughed, slightly embarrassed. "Nope. Had no idea what a welding machine looked like or anything about welding. In truth, I hadn't even picked up a hacksaw or used a piece of shop equipment until I took that course."

"So you ended up enjoying it?"

"Well, I'm still doing it... so...." With a shy smile she spread her arms out as she shrugged at him. "So what's
your
story?"

"Brother is a welder
. Father was a welder. Uncle was a welder. It seems to run in the family."