The Best Man (4 page)

Carefully, Kitty picked her way back
down the alley. Her high heels clicking against the concrete echoed like
gunfire. The next time she visited shed row she’d make a point of dressing more
appropriately.

Warily, Kitty approached the small
oblong box sitting on the spare office desk. A week had passed since the yellow
roses had arrived, with no additional word from Jacobs. She’d almost given up
on him, thinking the flowers might have only been a gesture of apology.

Maria had again called her to the
outer office and without uttering a word pointed at the empty desk. This time
Kitty knew better than to ask whether the package was a gift for her secretary.

She swallowed. Should she open it in
front of Maria, or take it back to her office? Her breathing shortened. She
didn’t like Maria to make more out of these gifts than she should, but she didn’t
have a clue what Jared might send her next. And she knew it was from him. To be
safe, she’d better retreat with it to her office.

Kitty ignored Maria’s groan of
protest as she carried the box back into her office and closed the door.

She set the nicely wrapped box down
on her coffee table and sat down on the couch. She eyed it carefully. “This is
stupid,” she muttered. The damn thing wasn’t a bomb.

Quickly she tore the wrapping paper
from the box and lifted the lid. She frowned and lifted out the yellow silk
fabric. Her mouth fell open as she unfolded it to its full length. She stood
and flung it around her neck. It was beautiful. It accentuated her hair
coloring very nicely.

She reached for the card.

To my vision in yellow. In my mind’s
eye it is easy to see you dressed in this Thai silk scarf. I find it difficult
not to wonder if you are as silky to the touch. May you think of me when you
wear it.

JJ

“Jesus,” Kitty murmured, running her
fingers over the silk. “This guy is good with words.”

This at least answered one question.
He was thinking about her. She smiled. He apparently had a rich imagination. Maybe
he visualized her wearing nothing more than the yellow scarf. And he thought he
might find her silky. Her loins warmed. Yes, that might be the case.

She twirled around lightly, sending
the fringed tails of the scarf flying wildly. She laughed softly. The scarf did
have lots of possibilities. Had he considered tying her wrists with it and
ravishing her? She smiled. That would be fine, as long as she could tie him up,
too. She was typically such a control freak, but she did enjoy occasionally
being out of control with a man who could satisfy her.

 Kitty shook her head and inhaled
sharply. She had work to do. Should she call him? She’d gotten his home phone. Maybe
tonight. Her throat tightened. No. Not yet, anyway. She didn’t have a name for the
game they were playing, but they did seem to be playing one. Some men had tried
to bribe her with gifts. This didn’t feel like the same thing. Instead, he
seemed to be enjoying playing a fantasy with her—or was it only with his vision
in yellow? She could see his dark eyes laughing as he dangled possibilities
before her.

When would he make his case for
giving her the gift dangling between his legs? She moved toward her desk on
shaky limbs. At the moment, he wouldn’t have to argue that case very long at
all. So how long would he shower gifts on his vision in yellow before one of
them blinked?

She laughed aloud as an idea popped
into her mind. She could play this game, too. Why should she wait around
wondering what he might send her next?

- o -

Two days later, Jared strolled into
the office complex he’d built between his ranch house and the stables to find a
small box resting on his office desk. Frowning, he hefted it. It hardly weighed
anything at all.

He opened it gingerly and lifted the
material between thumb and forefinger. He smiled broadly and then laughed hard.
So his Kitty was into playing fantasy games, too.

He set the yellow thong aside and
sifted through the paper until he found the note card.

To sunshine man with the thin
mustache. Hope you don’t mind that this is used. If you have a good nose, you’ll
likely discover my scent.

K.P.

Jared didn’t hesitate. He drew the
fabric to his nostrils. Yes, he could detect the unmistakable scent of a woman.
So she had worn it. He peered at the yellow fabric closely. He’d never been so
envious of an inanimate object. The large v-shaped panel had nestled against
her pussy. The single corded strand of fabric had ridden in the crease of her
ass.
Son of a bitch.

Short of having her, it was the
perfect gift.

Should he send her a third gift, or
should he wait? Now that he knew she was playing the same game, he fully
expected a second gift to arrive in the next day or two.

“Jared?”

He glanced quickly toward the
doorway to see his buxom administrative assistant arching an eyebrow at the
slightly used gift still sitting on his desk.

Serena Sampson’s face broke into a
wide grin. “I didn’t know you were into collecting women’s underwear. You haven’t
asked
me
for a contribution.”

Jared hated to think he might be
blushing in front of the redhead. She and her husband, who managed his ranch,
had worked for him more than six years. He’d been fucking her since before she’d
met Seth. He’d concurred with her choice for a husband, and Serena was right,
he never had asked her for an undergarment. But then he hadn’t asked Kitty,
either.

“Hadn’t occurred to me to start a
collection,” he drawled, regaining his composure, “until maybe now. So did you
come in to tell me something, or to admire another woman’s panties?”

Serena didn’t even blush. “Your ten
o’clock appointment has arrived.” She tilted her head and peered down her nose
over the top of her glasses. “I’ll give you a few minutes to collect yourself. Do
you need any help?”

“I’ll be okay. And I’ll come out and
get Maxwell when I’m ready.”

She nodded and retreated to the
outer office, closing the door behind her.

Jared brought Kitty’s thong to his
nose and took one last sniff before putting it away. His vision in yellow had a
flair for fun and games. He liked that—a lot. What would she come up with next?

Three days passed with Jared trying
not to appear too eager for the mail to arrive. He knew Serena was more than a
little curious why he was hanging around the office so much. On the third day he
entered the office after returning from a town lunch and his smile broadened as
he approached his desk. There sat a mysterious cigar shaped package.

He couldn’t believe the slight
tremble in his fingers and the catch in his throat as he tried to rip its
wrapping off.

He lifted the box lid and howled at
the simple yellow vibrator. He pulled it out and turned on its switch. It
hummed. She’d even put batteries in it. Hopefully, she didn’t think this would
suffice as a substitute.

He saw a note card under the paper
wrapping.

To the sunshine man with the thin
mustache. I have been told I’m quite silky. This, too, is slightly used. Feel
free to use it however you see fit.

KP

“Son of a bitch!” He dragged the
vibrator under his nose before dropping it back in its box. They couldn’t keep
on like this. He’d have a heart attack if he had to open many more boxes from
his vision in yellow.

He got up from the desk and looked
out across the nearby paddock at several young colts and fillies at play. It
didn’t take long to reach a decision. He didn’t care if it might look like he
was caving in. What matter did that make? Besides, he’d been the one to start
the game.

His trainer had shipped two horses
to Arlington Park earlier in the week just in case some sort of excuse was
needed. He picked up the yellow vibrator. Probably no excuses were needed or
would be believed, but the horses might provide a cover for a little while.

He stepped out of his office and
ignored Serena’s questioning stare. “Serena, get me a ticket to Chicago. First flight you can get me on tomorrow.”

“That’ll cost a bundle.”

“Doesn’t matter. I have to get to Chicago.”

“This Kitty woman has her hooks in
you, doesn’t she?” Serena didn’t look troubled, just curious. “She must be
something. I can’t remember you ever getting this excited about a woman.”

He tilted his head to the side and
waited for her to correct her own observation.

“Well, with the exception of me, of
course.”

“Good girl,” he said, leaning down
to kiss her briefly. “Glad to see you’re not losing your memory entirely. Wish
me luck,” he added, heading to the door. He needed to fill his lungs with the
heavy stable air.

“Oh, I do,” Serena quipped. “You
know both Seth and I do. When do you want to return?”

He stopped and stared at the package
he still clutched in his hand. “I hadn’t thought about that. Leave the return
open for now.”

“Okay, boss. I’ll get right on it.” Serena
blew him a kiss. “Have fun.”

- o -

Frowning at the unfamiliar number on
her caller I.D., Kitty nodded at the contractor she’d hired to do the rehab on
a nineteen-twenties four-square she planned on reselling within the next six
months. She’d been making the rounds of the four construction projects she had
underway. It was her experience that if she didn’t keep routine tabs on them,
the projects slowed. Contractors often responded to the squeaky wheel.

She smiled as she carefully made her
way across the sub-flooring, making sure her high heels resonated through the
empty house. She knew that sound translated into power with most construction
workers. As usual, she’d chosen her wardrobe with her day in mind. This was not
a day for refined, potentially high-paying buyers. This was a day for making
sure the men she hired didn’t forget they were working for her. In addition to
her blue high heels, she’d chosen a beaded pair of blue denim hip huggers and a
simple canary yellow cardigan that failed to reach her jeans.

She avoided eye contact with the
workers as she made her way to her car. She saw no need to embarrass them as
they fantasized about her ass. One of her goals was to be the squeakiest wheel
contractors ever heard. So far, she seemed to be meeting her goal.

She chuckled, leaned up against the
car and glanced back toward the four-square. Men working on its siding quickly
found something to do. Damn, she loved being a woman.

She punched a button on her cell,
retrieving and returning the most recent call. Brushing her hair aside, Kitty
brought the phone to her ear.

She startled when she heard the deep
drawl.

“Wondered when you’d get back to me.”

She stood taller and cleared her
throat. She’d recognize his voice anywhere. She’d been thinking about it far
too often. And now he’d called. What did he want? As if she didn’t know.

“Hello,” she said softly. “Fancy
hearing from you.”

“Thought maybe I should let you know
I don’t mind getting slightly used gifts.”

She smiled broadly and idly watched
a man climb a ladder and then move onto the roof of the four-square. “I’m glad.
I doubt I have anything to offer that hasn’t been used.”

His sexy chuckle immediately pebbled
her nipples. “That is appealing. I’m a man who prefers experience to naiveté.”

Kitty began to pace, imagining Jared
smoothing out his thin mustache. How long should she play with him? Should she
invite him to Chicago? Maybe she ought to fly to San Diego. It did seem like
they’d done enough dancing. She was ready to satisfy her curiosity about his
mustache. Certainly he wouldn’t have qualms about getting his precious mustache
wet with a woman’s juices?

“You busy this afternoon?”

The question and the soft chuckle
jarred her to a standstill. “What?”

“You heard me. I’ve got a horse
running in the seventh race. Should go off around four-twenty. If you could get
here by then, you might bring me some good luck.”

“Good luck?” She scowled. “Where the
hell are you?”

“Oh, did I forget to tell you?” His
voice crackled with mirth. “I’m sitting here at Arlington Park. So can you come
out here for me?”

“Jesus,” Kitty mumbled under her
breath. “You expect me to drop everything and hustle out to Arlington?” She
glanced at her watch. “There wouldn’t even be time to go home and change.”

“I wasn’t expecting anything.” He
paused. “I was hoping. You can’t be overdressed or underdressed at a track. Anything
goes here. Are you wearing yellow?”

She smiled. “Matter of fact, I am. I’m
wearing a yellow top.”