The Sextet - Entanglements [The Sextet Anthology, Volume 4] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) (6 page)

A DELICATE PROCEDURE

Cheryl Brooks

DEDICATION

For anyone who likes their lover to display a little
restraint
in the bedroom…

Chapter 1

A shadow fell over the marigold Trish Davis was planting.

“Hey, Trish. Need some help?”

Glancing sideways, Trish spotted a pair of sandaled feet. Letting her eyes slide up well-muscled legs generously dusted with curly black hair, she came to a pair of cargo shorts, followed by a plain black T-shirt that was filled out nicely by a broad chest and arms that were also a bit furry. Full lips curved into a mischievous smile, big brown eyes, a prominent nose, and some serious five-o’clock shadow completed the picture.
“Aidan!”

His smile broadened. “Long time no see.”

Stripping off her gloves, Trish jumped to her feet and was immediately enveloped in a big bear hug, complete with the fur. Planting a kiss on his cheek as she inhaled the clean, fresh aroma that was peculiarly Aidan’s own, she wondered again what soap or aftershave was responsible for it. No other scent had ever filled her with the same feeling, and she’d never been able to figure out what made it so special. “Boy, you’ve got that right!” she said as he released her. “I haven’t seen you in forever! Sorry I couldn’t make it to your graduation, but you know how hospital schedules are.”

 
His nod sent dark, unruly curls tumbling down over his forehead. “No big deal. I understand completely.”

Trish caught herself before combing the hair back from his face with her fingers. Aidan wasn’t a kid anymore, and she wasn’t his babysitter—not that she’d seen herself in that light for some time—but there were some things you simply didn’t do to a young man, whether you’d known him all his life or not. “Your mom said you’d be home soon. She is
so
proud of that master’s in engineering.”

Aidan grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Yeah, she’s already got a frame for it.”

“I’d be proud of you, too, if you were my son.” She
was
proud of him, in fact. Having helped him with his math homework quite a few times, she even felt as though she had contributed to his success in some small way.

“Hey, now. I know you used to babysit for me, but you aren’t
that
old.”

“True.” The six-year difference in their ages might have seemed like less since he’d grown up, but the way Trish had felt lately, it should have been more.
When did I start feeling so old?
“Brenda said you had some job offers. Made any decisions yet?”

Aidan scratched his head, again drawing her gaze to his hair. The itch to touch it intensified. “No. One of them is here in town and the other is in Detroit.”

Trish shrugged, doing her best to appear nonchalant. His mother, Brenda, was worried sick that he’d take the one in Detroit. Trish wasn’t terribly happy about it, either. She didn’t get to see him very much as it was, especially since he’d gone away to college, but at least he was home for the holidays. If he moved to Detroit, he might not make it home even that often. Being friends on Facebook wasn’t quite the same as being face-to-face, and certainly nothing like getting a hug from him now and then. She really missed those hugs. “Depends on where you want to live, I guess.”

“Yeah. I’m not that crazy about Detroit. It’s a better job, though. More money, good benefits…that sort of thing.”

“What about your girlfriend…what was her name? Danielle? Does she have a preference?”

His nonchalant shrug didn’t match the pain in his eyes. “Maybe. Not that it matters anymore. She dumped me.” Since he hadn’t posted anything about the breakup, it was either very recent or wasn’t a topic he cared to discuss.

“Sorry to hear that. Believe me, I know the feeling.” Trish had stopped counting the number of times she’d been dumped. Granted, the number wasn’t astronomical, but she still didn’t like to dwell on it.

Aidan knelt down and picked up her spade. “I’ll dig the holes. You can plant.” Digging a fresh hole through the mulch, he moved onto the next. “How’re your folks?”

That made two times he’d changed the subject since she’d brought it up. No, his love life wasn’t open for discussion. Trish let it drop. “Happily cruising across America in their RV.” She pulled another marigold from the tray and set it in the freshly dug hole. “Did you know they sold me the house?”

He nodded. “Mom told me. Said I ought to help out with the yard work like I did when your parents lived here.”

Trish chuckled, giving him a sidelong glance. “That’s very nice of Brenda, but I’m not
that
decrepit. I think I can handle it—and I’m sure you’ve got better things to do.”

Scowling, he returned her glance. “You’re not decrepit at all, but you
do
work full-time. Besides, I’m not doing anything much. At least, not right now.”

“You ought to be out looking for a new girlfriend,” Trish suggested. “Then maybe you could decide which job to take.”

He shook his head. “I’ll decide soon enough. I’ve got at least a month before I have to choose.” He frowned again. “Having a girlfriend to help me decide probably wouldn’t make any difference at this point. They always dump me anyway.”

Trish pressed the dirt in around the plant as she took another good, long look at him. Aidan had been a cute kid, though a bit gawky as a teen. But now, at roughly twenty-five, geek or not, he was flat-out gorgeous. Not that Trish would ever hold geekdom against him. Geeks were handy guys to have around, especially when your computer crashed. “Yeah, well, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. Guys always dump me, too. It’s an epidemic.”

His full lips formed a thin line. “I just don’t get that. You were always very sweet to me, and it’s not like you’re a dog, either—I had a serious crush on you when I was a kid. Besides, nurses make good money. You’ve got your own house and everything.” He stabbed at the ground with more force than necessary. “I’ve got a pretty good future ahead of me, too. But I get dumped for stupid shit like—”

Trish gave it a good twenty seconds before she prompted him. “Like what? Or would you rather not talk about it?”

He let out a long sigh. “It’s…embarrassing.”

“I hear embarrassing stuff all the time,” Trish said. “People find out you’re a nurse and they’ve got to tell you about every weird little thing that happens to them—from clogged sinuses to a boil on their butt.”

This drew a small chuckle. “I won’t bother you with my problem then. I’d rather not talk about it anyway. Like I said, it’s embarrassing.”

“Well, you’ve definitely got my full attention now, whether you want it or not,” Trish said, laughing. “Don’t leave me hanging. Is it something you can show me?”

A mischievous smile touched his sensuous mouth as he gazed at her with his big, brown eyes. “Yes, but I’d have to take off my pants.”

Trish felt a tug somewhere deep inside—like her heart had done a back flip and dragged her uterus along for the ride. She swallowed hard. “Ah, so it
is
a boil on your butt.”

“Not exactly. It’s just that every girl I’ve tried…” He paused, biting his lip. “They all say I’m too hairy.”

“What? They don’t like your furry little buns?” Trish’s attempt to lighten the tone of the conversation backfired on her. This time her uterus gave her vagina a yank. A rush of heat followed.

He shook his head. “Nope, that’s not it.”

Which could only mean that either his balls or his dick were too hairy. Maybe both. Trish closed her eyes, trying to picture this, but the mere idea of looking at Aidan’s cock—hairy or otherwise—caused a violent contraction of her lower abdominals, forcing out a shaky breath. “I…I see.”

“No, you don’t,” he said grimly. “I warn them all the time—and they say they’re okay with it—until…”

Trish nodded. “The moment of truth.”

“Yeah. They either die laughing or are totally creeped out. It’s gotten to the point that I avoid the whole sex thing entirely.” He raked a hand through his hair. “And it’s driving me crazy.”

Trish spoke hesitantly. “Is it just the way it looks, or how it…feels?”

“Both—well, not that anyone has ever done anything but
look
at it. Though you’d think a condom would help with the feeling part.”

If he thought a condom should help, that could only mean one thing… Trish swallowed hard. “So…it isn’t just the pubic hair?”

“No. It’s actually on my penis. The first inch or so from the base is pretty hairy. A condom doesn’t cover it.”

Which meant that the condom was too short or that his dick was too…long. She wasn’t about to ask him if he was using the right size. Her next question came out as a breathless whisper. “Really?”

“Really.” A blush crept up his cheeks.

Trish cleared her throat with difficulty. “Tried waxing?”

Aidan grimaced. “If you were a guy, would
you
want to put hot wax on your dick and rip the hair off it?”

Trish balked at the idea of waxing her eyebrows. “I see your point. What about using a depilatory?”

“I’m allergic.”

Trish nodded. A rash on your dick certainly wouldn’t be worth it. By the time the rash went away, the hair would have grown back. “Tweezers?”

“Tried that, too. One yank was enough for me.”

“Shaving?”

His shudder said it all.

“Yeah, you’re right. Scary. And you’d have to do it every day or the stubble would cause even more problems.” Sighing, she moved over to the next planting spot. “Well, I’m out of suggestions. Guess you just need to find a girl who likes hairy guys.”

Aidan dug two more holes before he spoke again. “Don’t suppose I could talk you into doing it, could I?”

Trish’s mouth dropped open. “What? Me? You mean sex, or—?”

His blush deepened. “The tweezers.”

Trish had never had any erotic fantasies involving Aidan, but the thought of getting that close to his naked cock sucked all the moisture from her mouth, whether sex was involved or not. “I dunno. If you couldn’t do it to yourself, you’d probably wind up taking a swing at me.”

Aidan stared at her with wide-eyed incredulity. “I’d
never
do that!” He grimaced. “But I might have a hard time holding still.”

“I’ll just bet you would.” Trish let out a short laugh. “You’d need a general anesthetic—or four-point leathers.”

Aidan chuckled. “Sounds kinky.”

“Yes, it does.” An ache began nagging at her from between her thighs. If he didn’t knock it off, Trish was going to have to run back to the house for some quality time. Alone.

“Do you have any?”

“Any what?”

He licked his lips nervously. “Leather restraints.”

Her jaw dropped, and it was a moment or two before she could form a reply. “No, I don’t,” she finally said. “I’ve never been into bondage. Even in the ER we only use them on combative drunks and druggies. It’s not like I’ve got a set stashed in my closet.”

“We could…improvise.”

Trish shook her head, doing her best to ignore the way her body was screaming at her. “No. Someone would hear you hollering, and I’d get arrested for assault and criminal confinement.”

“Not unless I pressed charges—and I wouldn’t do that.”

Trish snickered. “I certainly hope not, but your mother would kill me—and I wouldn’t blame her if she did. That is, if she ever found out about it.” Brenda Vidal was a good friend and neighbor, but everyone had their limits.

“I doubt she would ever be
that
upset with you. I mean, she likes you a lot.” He dug yet another hole. “Maybe you could put a gag on me so I wouldn’t make any noise.”

Trish squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to erase the mental picture of Aidan gagged and spread-eagled on her bed—naked—and completely at her mercy. A thought like that had never occurred to her, but she now understood the meaning of the word lust.
Oh, my God…
“Absolutely not.”

“Okay, then. What if I promise not to yell?”

Trish rolled her eyes. “Do you really think you could do that?”

“I’m sure I’d make
some
noise, but yeah, I could keep quiet enough that nobody would hear me—outside your house, anyway.”

“No,” she said firmly. “I’m sorry, Aidan. But…no.”
I’m not going there. No matter how…titillating the idea might be.

Aidan dug three more holes in silence. When Trish finally stole a glance at him, he was biting his lip, shaking his head. Her heart went out to him.