Next Song I Sing (NEXT TIME AROUND) (16 page)

“Honey, you have to buy those,” the older sales clerk manning the counter said. “Mostly I don’t say anything to customers about their choices, but you look great. If those jeans are comfortable on you, you have to have them. In Cali terms, they make you look like you’ve had a butt-lift.”

Chloe bent to test the stretch of the jeans and laughed hard as she caught sight of her butt in the mirror. The sales clerk looked to be older, but close to the same size as her, so it was easy to trust her comment as truth.

“Thanks. The jeans are stretch or I’d never fit into them. I guess a fourteen in California is a little smaller than a fourteen in Massachusetts.”

The woman laughed. “Sure. Well, that may be true actually. Of course, working out is a religion in Cali, but those are skinny jeans. You might need a little toning. Whatever you do though, do not go on one of those crazy diets and lose your rounded body. Men never get to see a well-built real size woman who looks as pretty as you. I bet you draw an instant fan club when you walk into a room.”

“Don’t I wish,” Chloe said, joking, but then remembered her recent collection of business cards. “Well, I have gotten a fair share of guy attention lately. That didn’t happen last time I lived here.”

“How old are you? Are you forty yet?” the clerk asked, going over to a rack and lifting out a top that fell in lots of scarves of various colors. “This will minimize your bust on those days you just get sick of seeing your own breasts. Plus the earth-toned colors would look great on you.”

“I turned forty this year.” Chloe smiled and held the top up to her. It looked great. She looked at the tag and didn’t wince too badly. “Okay. I’ll take this too.”

“Well, your age probably explains the renewed sex appeal. Women who turn forty go through some sort of internal change. They suddenly leave men that don’t appreciate them, become who they want to be, and their sex appeal cranks from a three to a ten. Yours is off the chart, and that smile of yours is a killer,” she told Chloe.

“Chloe Zanders,” Chloe said, reaching out her hand. “Do you own this store? If not, you need to ask your boss for a raise. You’re the best sales person I’ve ever met.”

“Betty Anderson. No, I don’t own the place, but my thirty-year-old daughter does,” she said, laughing softly, adding the top to the growing pile on the counter. “What do you do, Chloe?”

“I’m an accountant,” Chloe said, giving the rote answer she’d used since college. “Wait—that’s what I was. Now I’m—oh God help me—I’m a lounge singer.”

Betty laughed at the disbelief in Chloe’s tone. “Well, that explains the large amount of sparkles and sequins in the pile. Where are you singing?”

“Starting this week, I’m singing at the Blue Skies Spa and Resort in Laguna Niguel,” Chloe said, hands on hips. “I don’t know how I let my friends talk me into taking this job.”

“Is there a man there that you’re interested in?” Betty asked. “Or are you just using it as a hunting ground?”

Snickering, Chloe picked another top from the rack, saw it was a size fourteen, and held it to her as she considered it. “Yes. There’s a man. But I could still date him if I worked as an accountant. He’s not the reason I’m singing. I—I used to sing in college. My girlfriends and I spent the weekend there. We sang a bit for fun. Somehow I ended up agreeing to stay and work for the owner. I think I’ve officially lost my mind.”

“Yes, but is the hotel owner
the guy
?” Betty pressed with a laugh, looking over her reading glasses to meet flashing eyes.

“You got me,” Chloe admitted. “Pathetic, huh?”

Betty shrugged. “Depends. How hot is the guy?”

“Hot is not the word. More like challenging. He’s serious and talks so prim and proper. Then he gropes me like a sixteen-year-old who’s never felt breasts before. I lose my freaking mind every time,” Chloe confessed.

Betty laughed, the sound shaking her body. “Good for you. I just turned fifty. I haven’t found a guy that did anything for me in ages. Go for it when you find it, honey—it’s more rare than you think.”

“Even if I just got divorced last week?” Chloe asked, laughing as she heard herself confessing her fears to a stranger.

Betty looked at her. “I know a lot of divorced women. You don’t look like it matters to you. What did your husband do? Was he a cheater?”

“You know, you really should hang out a shingle and charge by the hour,” Chloe said, reaching behind her and pulling the tag off her shirt and jeans. “How did you know? Here. I want to wear these out if that’s okay.”

Betty smiled and took the tags. “My husband left me for a woman half my age. I climbed into bed with the first sweet-talking man who asked me after that. Unfortunately, the sweet talker wasn’t ever going to tempt me into more, but I remain seriously grateful to him for helping me feel like a sexy woman again. He and I still have dinner now and again. Though I have to say you already look like you know how to have a good time.”

“Well, I once did,” Chloe agreed, fishing her wallet from her purse. “Jasper reminds me of what I used to be like, what I once believed about myself. I just met him Friday, and I’m having a hard time staying out of his bed until some sensible amount of time has passed.”

“Sensible huh? How much time would that be?” Betty asked, her eyes full of mirth.

Chloe blinked, laughed, and finally shrugged. “Until I get in touch with my inner slut again I guess. I heard her voice in my head when I was buying all these clothes trying to look sexy for him.”

“See how in touch you are already? Come back and see me, Chloe,” Betty said, “and I will come hear you sing. Are you good?”

“I can put some feeling into a song now and again,” Chloe said. “What’s the damage?”

“Three hundred forty-two. I gave you twenty percent off all the slut wear—I mean, evening dresses,” Betty said, delighted to make Chloe Zanders laugh. You could hear the music in it.

“That’s what I called those clothes, and that price is a bargain for all I bought. Now if you can recommend a lingerie store close by, I’d be done for the day,” Chloe said.

“Two doors down from here and up the stairs. Don’t let the vibrator display put you off. She sells legitimate stuff as well as toys and novelty items. My friend Gladys runs the place. She’s sixty-four and a pill, but she will help you outfit your girls to model perfection.”

“Good. The new man in my life has a complete fascination with breasts,” Chloe told her. “Plus most of those dresses I bought require foundation garments that I don’t own.”

“Gladys can fix you up. I imagine she’ll want to come with me to hear you. Be sure to tell her about being a singer,” Betty said.

Chloe waved as she left the store.

***

When Chloe pulled up at the hotel entrance, she pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and climbed from the car, whipping her head around when someone whistled. She saw Sam walking from his very cool car again and smiled.

“Nice butt—I mean jeans,” Sam told her.

“Stop teasing. How about you help me carry my stuff inside? I bought California clothes today. I was tired of wearing the only two things I owned cool enough for this climate,” Chloe ordered.

Sam let her load him up with everything on a hanger. Then she grabbed all the bags and passed the car key to the valet.

When they came through the hotel lobby doors, Jasper was standing at the front desk. He gaze dropped to the spiky heels she wore, rose up her legs, and landed on her breasts. They were ten steps inside before his gaze hit her face. Sam laughed beside her. Chloe leaned and elbowed him.

Jasper straightened and walked to meet them. “Need some help?”

“I caught Sam coming in the door and made him help me,” she explained.

“Are these going to your room?” Jasper asked, holding her gaze.

“Yes, unless you want me to store my things somewhere else in the hotel,” Chloe said, her mouth twisted in a grin. No matter how hard she tried, she was never going to be able to match his way-too-proper tone.

“I’ll take those, Sam,” Jasper said, reaching out and glaring when his friend leaned away.

“Oh I don’t mind helping a new employee get acclimated,” Sam replied, trying not to laugh.

“You are never seeing the inside of Chloe’s room, so hand me the damn clothes,” Jasper ordered.

“Jasper, you’re making a scene in your lobby,” Sam told him, laughing at the laughter in his friend’s gaze.

“Kind of you to point that out. Now hand me the clothes and get lost,” Jasper said.

Sam handed them over finally, winked at Chloe, laughing as she blushed.

After Sam left, they headed to the elevator.

“Sam could have helped me. Don’t you trust him?” Chloe asked.

“No. I know him better than you do,” Jasper said. “Plus, I can’t stand the idea of you and another man being alone together in your room. Now head to the elevators so the front desk staff feels like they can make fun of me without me knowing. They’re struggling not to laugh right now.”

Chloe snickered. “There you go—being all charming again. Are you really that nice to people who work for you?”

“When things go the way I want, I’m fairly easygoing,” Jasper said enigmatically, stepping into the elevator with her.

Chloe released all her bags, stepped in front of Jasper, and leaned into him. “You smell like a man today. Can I kiss you hello?”

“If you do, I might drop your clothes,” he warned.

Chloe’s answer was a laugh and to put her lips on his. She leaned into him hard, pushing his hips with hers until Jasper’s hit the back of the elevator. Their bodies were a very nice fit together in her three inch heels, she thought, leaning into him with all her weight.

When she would have pulled away, Jasper caught her bottom lip with his teeth and wouldn’t let it go until the doors slid open on her floor.

“Well, that was quite a ride,” Chloe said, breathy and panting, bending to pick up her bags, knowing Jasper wasn’t missing the show.

Jasper snorted as he blocked the elevator door with armful of clothing to hold it open. “Get a move on, woman. I’m not a bell hop you know.”

“Too bad you aren’t. I’ve always had this fantasy about men in those uniforms,” she teased, walking ahead of him. She had to set the bags down again by the room to retrieve her key. When she opened the door finally, Jasper walked inside and went directly to the closet to hang up her things.

She was setting her bags on the chest of drawers when Jasper spun her, pushed her down on the bed, and crawled on top of her while she laughed. His mouth was all heat on hers, his body hard and determined. Chloe literally shook beneath him as he pressed down on her.

When Jasper lifted his mouth from Chloe’s, he studied her aroused face, wondering what action he could take that would have her tearing at his clothes. If he got any harder for her, he’d be tearing at hers shortly.

“Still wish Sam had carried up your things?” Jasper asked, kissing down her face, to her neck and tugging the low cut T-shirt from the top of her breasts with his teeth.

When Chloe didn’t stop him, he ran his tongue along the inside of her bra. His hands were busy exploring her, lifting her breasts to his eager mouth.

“If you want, I could give you an orgasm before I go.” Though he was teasing her when he said it, Chloe’s accelerated erratic breathing filled him with a longing to do just that.

“Jasper,” she choked, her voice betraying her arousal and just how far gone she was. “I don’t know. I’m not teasing. I want you. I seriously just don’t know.”

Jasper slid off Chloe reluctantly and slowly until his feet hit the floor once more. He buried his face in her lap briefly as he exited, moaning against her thighs before he straightened.

Chloe’s face turned the color of a sunset over the ocean. Feeling need claw at him as he looked down at her, Jasper could only imagine what he looked like.

“If you need to hear something from me, just ask and I will say it. If you need to know anything about me, I can provide references. Right now, I’m perilously close to taking the decision out of your hands because I want you so much more than I have ever wanted anyone,” Jasper told her. “Whatever you need to do to get ready for us, do it fast. Wanting you and not having you is torture.”

Only a lifetime of forcing himself to do the right thing allowed him to spin on his heel and leave. Chloe was panting on the bed, and Jasper slammed the door when he left to keep from going back.

When the echoes of him sliding off her died down, Chloe lay there a couple minutes more, reliving Jasper’s teeth pulling at her top and his face in her lap until insanity seemed a real possibility.

She had been hot for Aaron at the beginning of her relationship with him too, but even he had never made her feel so desperate. So why was she holding back with a man who completely thrilled her on every level, a man she could not deny that she wanted? She wasn’t a young girl playing hard to get, and she’d had plenty of temporary physical relationships in her life.

It was only how fast everything had flared between her and Jasper that scared her. Plus, every time the man made her laugh, she liked him more and more, which seemed more dangerous than just wanting him.

Pulling herself up, Chloe walked into the bathroom and looked at her face in the mirror. Her lips were blood red from Jasper kissing, sucking, and biting on them. She leaned on the sink and took a few deep breaths, staring at evidence of her own aroused state.