TooHottoTouch (2 page)

Zoë shrieked, her eyes popping wide, disbelief covering her
face. She smiled. A breathless chuckle passed her lips as she swiped her hand
down her front. The wet material clung to her curves. Her nipples hardened to
even finer points. “Naughty boy,” she chided in a tone more seduction than
admonishment. “I should fire you for that.”

“You won’t,” he replied, dropping the hose and stepping up
to her. His blood pounded in his veins, filling his cock. “You should get out
of that wet shirt.” He moved slowly so as to not spook her. He needn’t have
bothered, she stayed rooted to the spot, her eyes mirroring the heated desire
pulsing through him. He fisted the sides of her shirt and drew the wet material
up her body. Smooth pale skin greeted him, relieved by a lacy black bra
covering those ample breasts. The tops of the mounds spilled over the cups, enticing
him.

With Zoë’s shirt tucked under her arms, Sean leaned forward
and pressed his hungry lips against the spot where her dark nipples showed
through. His tongue lapped at the nubs, coaxing them out. Zoë moaned and thrust
her body closer to him. He answered with a growl and used his teeth to welcome
the arrival of that hard point. A hand came down on his head, clenched at his
hair, pushed his face closer to her chest.

“More,” came the breathless command.

Always a good soldier, he followed orders. Without letting
go of her breast, he tightened the grip on her body, turned her and hoisted her
onto the metal counter. Then he did let go, but only to send his tongue lapping
down her stomach. The soft flesh undulated as he made his way down, down to the
crisp curls between her legs. They were there waiting for him as was the plump
mons. Her pants were magically gone. He didn’t stop to ponder the wonder of his
fortune, he went straight to the place they both wanted him to be. His tongue
slid between her wet folds, seeking a new toy to play with.

Zoë gasped and bucked her cunt against his face. Her fingers
yanked harder at his hair. He heard her speak above him. “I think that plate’s
clean enough.”

Sean’s head snapped up. “Huh?”

“The hose is just to get the more obvious gunk off. Leave
something for the dishwasher, man.” Diego, one arm in a sling, leaned against
the counter, watching his protégé, making sure Sean did it right.

In truth, Sean had mastered the art of commercial
dishwashing pretty quickly. It wasn’t that hard. Still, the other guy needed to
feel needed, so he didn’t mind having him hang around. “Thanks,” he said with a
quick smile. “I appreciate the help.”

For sure the little lie was better than admitting what had
actually distracted him from his task. Christ, what kind of mental case was he
to daydream about going down on his boss, at work no less? He couldn’t even
give the anonymous version to his colleague. Diego wasn’t exactly a guy-talk
kind of guy. Not only was he prettier than most women Sean had ever dated, but
he was also pretty open about being gay. It was kind of weird, not the gay
part, but the fact that a Brazilian was so open about it. In Sean’s experience,
it was a very macho culture. He found it refreshing how comfortable this guy was
in his own skin.

“So, you were in the army, huh?” his companion asked.

Sean hesitated only a second before answering. “Yeah, it
turned out not to be the right fit for me.” Wasn’t that the understatement of
the year? “I went in to get training in mechanics. I was always good at
fiddling with cars and shit. Unfortunately, being at war, Uncle Sam put me in
infantry. Just my luck to be big and a really good shot. I never did get to
work in the motor pool.”

Instead he had been trained to fight, and kill, and kill…
No, he wasn’t going to go there, play the endless loop of that one night he
couldn’t take back. His shrink had worked hard with him to break the cycle of
obsessive thoughts that had only seemed to leave before with enough alcohol.
Now he tapped the forefinger of his right hand against his thumb in a
surreptitious move to distract his thoughts, one of the techniques he had
learned in therapy.

Diego took the bit of information as an invitation to keep
chatting. “My cousin joined the army as a fast track to citizenship. It was a
good deal for him. I thought about it, but,” he shrugged, “I didn’t want to
have to live a lie, you know?”

Sean nodded as he slammed the door shut on the dishwasher
and set it off. “Things have changed now. You could still join, although,” he
wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his arm, “to be honest, I don’t think it
would be something you’d like. Not that I know you well or anything.” He was
quick to tack on the qualifier because really who was he to give anyone life
advice?

Diego laughed. “Maybe not, but I think you’ve got me pegged
pretty well. Olive drab and standing guard are not my thing. I like to dress
sharp and dance the night away.” He did a quick twirl around, graceful and sexy
even for another guy.

Sean smiled back. “Is that how you broke your arm, trying
some fancy dance move?”

Diego’s smile dropped and for a second, there was sadness in
his eyes. Then his grin was back and he shrugged. “Nah, that was me being
clumsy with a set of stairs, not watching where I put my feet, you know?”

No, he didn’t. It seemed like a pretty lame story of what
had happened, but he didn’t push it. The guy was entitled to his secrets, as
was Sean. He finished tidying up the counter and tossed the dirty wash towel in
the hamper. “What now?”

Diego’s smile morphed into a megawatt smile. “Now we eat.
Things will be slow before the dinner crowd shows up.”

Sean tugged at his ear. “I, uh, didn’t plan on staying. I
didn’t bring anything to eat.”

The other guy laughed out loud. “Man, we work at a diner,
there’s food everywhere.”

“Is it cool with Mrs. Contos for us to eat what we want?”
It’s
Zoë. We don’t stand on ceremony here.
Yeah, she probably hadn’t meant he
should stand around daydreaming about making her wet, in all the meanings of
the word. No, he’d stick with formality, thank you very much.

“Yeah, it’s cool,” Diego said as he led the way out. “Zoë’s
great, kind of like a second mom, you know?”

No, actually once again he didn’t know. His thoughts about
the woman were hardly of the maternal type. They were more of the
make-him-hard-and-needy type, the kind that could get him fired fast if she
even suspected. Although, hadn’t she let it slip only a few hours ago that he
did similar things to her? Yeah, maybe. What difference did it make? So long as
he worked for her, there would be no acting on the desire. He would stop
thinking about her the way he stopped thinking about other things.

By the time this job was over, his finger and thumb would be
worn down to nubs.

“Pavlia Diner.”

“So?”

Zoë rolled her eyes as she wiped down the lunch counter, the
phone tucked between her shoulder and ear. “So what, Grace?”

There was a windy sound over the phone as the good doctor
blew out a strong breath. “So how’s Sean?”

Zoë tossed dirty dishes into the plastic container under the
counter. The diner was almost empty, the dinner crowd mostly gone. In another
hour or so, she’d lock up and call it a night. She moved closer to the front
door to put distance between her and the kitchen area so she wouldn’t be overheard.
“Sean’s fine, Grace. It’s only been a few days, but so far he comes in on time,
works hard and goes home. I’ve got no complaints.”

The blowing sound came through again. “As glad as I am to
hear it, that’s not what I meant. What do you think of him is what I’m fishing
for here.”

Ah. Zoë got it and was tempted to act as if she didn’t, as
if she didn’t think of Sean any more than any other employee. She was a
terrible liar, so she settled for low-key. “He’s a very nice guy. I like him.”

“He’s a great guy, although I didn’t appreciate it at first
because I met him at his worst. I should have known if Mark liked him, there
was something worth liking.” There was a pause. “He’s also gorgeous, don’t you
think?”

Suppressing a sigh, Zoë moved even farther away from where
anyone could hear her. “Yes, he is. Satisfied?”

Grace laughed. “Not yet. When you mentioned you needed
temporary help, I immediately thought of Sean not only because he needed the
work, but also because I realized he’d be perfect for you.”

Zoë groaned. “Grace, you evil woman. Why would you do this
to me?”

“What? What’s the problem?”

“He works for me, that’s the problem. I can’t ask him out.
Haven’t you ever heard of sexual harassment?”

“Oh please,” Grace scoffed. “He’s only going to work for you
for a few weeks. I think you can take the risk.”

Zoë shook her head even though the other woman couldn’t see
her. Just the thought of going out with Sean made her heart beat faster. Her
body felt hot even though she leaned next to the wall with the air-conditioning
vents. “I can’t, I really can’t. The last thing this guy needs is his first
boss since the United States government making him uncomfortable with an
unwelcome pass.”

“Hmm,” Grace replied. “I have it on good authority that Sean
thinks you are hot and wouldn’t mind doing a little fraternization with his
temporary boss.”

“Oh?” Zoë fanned herself with the dishcloth still clutched
in her hand.

“Yes. Mark’s in town and he and Sean went out last night.
They talked about you, and Mark got the distinct impression Sean wanted you to
know because he didn’t think it would be appropriate to hit on you.”

Zoë closed her eyes. “Oh my God, what is this, high school?
Are you supposed to pass me a note in homeroom?”

Grace laughed again. “I think that’s what I’m doing right
now, metaphorically speaking. Come on, Zoë, this is the perfect chance to
realize your fantasy. He’s young, hunky and interested. Where’s the downside?”

“The downside is we have a lousy time on our date and have
to face each other the next couple of months at work.”

“Okay, so you have an awkward few weeks and then he’s gone.
Big deal. Besides, I’m willing to bet you guys will be great together. I know
you both and I think you’re a good fit.”

Zoë moaned in frustration. She knew it was a positively terrible
idea to ask Sean out but her body signaled otherwise. Her nipples were already
hard at the thought and her jeans were damp between her legs.

“Look,” Grace prodded, “come out on a double date with me
and Mark this Friday. We’ll have dinner, that’s all. Mark and I will be the
buffer if it turns out you and Sean are a bust. We eat, we part ways, end of
story. What do you say?”

“I’ll say it again, you are an evil woman, Grace.” Zoë
pushed away from the wall and headed for the kitchen.

“But you’ll do it.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Good. Let me know how it goes.”

“Will do. Bye.” Zoë hung up the phone and put it down on the
counter. Picking up the container of dirty dishes, she girded her loins and
headed for the dishwashing room.

“Hey, let me get that.” Sean pushed away from the sink and
grabbed the heavy load of dishes Zoë had lugged in to him. “You should have
called me. I’d have gotten it for you.” He heard a sigh and turned to see his
boss lean against the counter and push damp tendrils of hair back behind her ear.
She looked beat. She always worked long, hard days. The woman never stopped. It
made him want to do his best for her.

She gave him a tired smile. “I figured you were busy and I’m
not so old I can’t carry a bunch of dirty dishes.”

Sean rolled his eyes. “You know I didn’t mean to imply
you’re too old or weak to do it. Jeez, Zoë, you do too much. Don’t you know how
to kick back and let someone else do the heavy lifting once in a while?” He
turned to unload the dishes into the sink. He’d known the woman less than a
week and he already felt comfortable around her. She had that effect on
everyone, as well as a more electrifying one, at least where he was concerned.
Good thing he wore a heavy apron around his waist so she couldn’t see how glad
her proximity made him. Man, did he have it bad for his new and temporary boss.
Her quiet presence enveloped his body, making him sweat more than the steam
pouring out of the dishwasher.

She cleared her throat delicately but not so softly that he
didn’t hear it over the sound of the water running in the sink. He looked over
his shoulder and saw her staring back at him. Turning the water off, he asked,
“Do you need something?”
Like me? Please, Zoë, need me.

She dropped her gaze a second before looking him in the eye.
“Um, actually, yes.” Her chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “I was talking
to Grace McKinnon earlier, and ah, she said Mark’s back in town.”

Sean shifted so that he faced her fully and, leaning against
the edge of the sink, feigned nonchalance. “Yeah, he’s back from deployment and
has a few weeks’ leave.” His heartbeat increased with the hope this topic was
headed in the direction he wanted. He’d felt like a freaking teenager the
previous night, dropping not so subtle hints to his old friend about his interest
in Zoë. He was dying to ask her out but circumstances dictated she do the
asking. At least, that was how he saw things. The question was did Zoë?
Please,
God.

Zoë cleared her throat again. “So we, Grace and I, thought
it might be fun to have dinner on Friday night. The four of us. Kind of a
double date, I guess, if, you know, you’re interested.”

Sean swallowed hard and grabbed the towel around his apron
strings to wipe his hands as if they were wet from the dishes. Of course it was
sweat because, holy crap, it had been a year since his last date, if picking a
woman up in a bar could be called a date. This particular woman asking him out
had starred in his nighttime and daytime fantasies for days now. She stared at
him wide-eyed, the question that had not quite been asked in her expression.
Apparently he hesitated a little too long because she was talking again before
he could respond.

“Of course, this might be a little too awkward given I’m
your boss. I’d understand completely if you beg off. No hard feelings, really.”

“Yes,” he blurted out before she could talk herself and him
out of the date. “I’d love to go out with you. Really,” he added because he
didn’t want to fuck this up. He figured it had been hard for her to ask him
under the circumstances, including the differences in their ages. God knew if
it had been up to him, he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to screw up the
courage to ask.

Her face lit up with a megawatt smile that zapped him right
in the balls. His cock throbbed with anticipation. “Great. I, um, have no idea
where we’re going.” She chuckled. “I guess I’ll let Grace decide.”

Sean grinned and nodded. “Cool. She’ll pick a place Mark
likes. I know what the guy’s been eating for the last year. He deserves the
meal of his choice.”

“I agree and it’s fun for me to eat at someone else’s place,
so I’ll be happy no matter what.”

“Me too.” They stood grinning awkwardly at each other before
Zoë had the good sense to call it a night.

“Okay then,” she said, backing up. “I’ll let you finish.
Good night and see you Friday.” She turned, paused and turned back. “Actually
I’ll see you tomorrow first, but you know what I mean.”

“Yes ma’am.”

She winced. “You’re not going to call me that Friday night,
are you?”

He grimaced. “No, no I am not.”

“Good.”

When she was out of sight, Sean let out a groan, bent over
and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. Fuck, he needed to get his act
together. He’d always been pretty smooth with women. Why was he such a dope
with this one, someone who had the potential to really matter to him? Probably
because she wasn’t some bar chick he’d picked up for a quick lay. She was a
class act and deserved to be treated well. He straightened up and went back to
work.

He could do this thing. He was going out on a date with Zoë
and they were going to have fun. If he was really lucky and she was very
generous, she’d agree to go out with him again. Maybe it would lead to more,
something meaningful. A year ago, he’d made fun of Mark’s efforts to form a
lasting relationship with any woman, let alone an older one. Now that he’d met
Zoë, Sean knew it was he who had been the idiot. He hoped he hadn’t learned the
lesson too late.

* * * * *

Mark grabbed Sean’s arm and pulled him aside before he could
open the door to the restaurant. “The women are here already. Hey, Zoë’s a
knockout.”

Sean raised his eyebrows at his friend. If possible, Mark
was even more nervous about the night than he was. “Yeah, she is, so how come
we’re standing out here?” Not that he minded a few more seconds to steady his
nerves.

“Ah, I realized we haven’t discussed the bill yet.”

“What about it?”

“Well, if I know Grace, and I do, she’ll want to go dutch.
Zoë will probably feel the same way. It’s how strong women roll.”

“But we’re not going to let them. You and I will split the
bill between us, right?”

“Right.”

“So, I repeat, why are we standing out here?”

Mark’s gaze shifted down and he fumbled with his pocket. “I
wasn’t sure if you had enough money. I know you’ve only been working a week.”

Sean chuckled and slapped his good friend on the back.
“Thanks, man, but money’s not a problem. I still have savings and now a paying
job. Besides, my parents won’t take any rent, so my expenses are pretty low.”

He inwardly rolled his eyes at his entire living situation.
His parents had insisted he move back home once he’d been discharged from the
hospital. He had acquiesced out of guilt because he knew his hospitalization
had been hard on them. He didn’t want them to worry any more than necessary.
Still, the idea of moving back into his childhood bedroom had rankled.
Occupying the empty apartment over their garage had seemed like a good
compromise solution. He couldn’t wait to move though, when classes started in a
few weeks.

Mark grinned. “Okay, fair enough. Ready?”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Let’s do this
thing.”

The butterflies cocooned within Zoë’s stomach took flight
the moment she spied Sean coming into the restaurant. He was dressed nicely
just as he had been for the interview, in khaki pants and a button-down shirt.
A conservative outfit by anyone’s estimation, yet she felt the sexual kick to
her gut as if he were standing there buck naked. The guy was truly too sexy for
his clothes. She grabbed her iced tea to offset the growing heat in her body.

Their gazes met immediately. He homed right in on her, which
meant he had scoped out the restaurant before coming in. He smiled at her and
again, tension rose within her. If he affected her this much within a few
seconds, she’d never survive dinner. She tamped her arousal down and schooled
her expression to one of pleasantness. No sense in scaring the guy away by
showing her growing hunger for him.

“Hi, Zoë. Hi, Grace,” Sean said as the guys arrived at the
table. He grinned at Zoë as they watched Mark greet his girlfriend with exuberance.
The lucky woman was half out of her chair and completely out of breath before
he let her go. Sean sat down across from Zoë. “Have you met Mark?”

Zoë shifted her attention to the gorgeous man sitting next
to Sean. She could easily see what had attracted Grace, but given the choice
Zoë would have picked Sean nevertheless. “No, although I’ve seen pictures, lots
of pictures,” she replied.

Mark rolled his eyes and Grace ducked her face with fake
embarrassment. “Nice to finally meet you, Zoë,” the soldier said. Picking up
one of the menus lying on the table, he asked, “Have you two ordered?”

“No, we waited for you,” Grace answered. As she said it, the
server came up to take drink orders from the men.

Sean went first. “I’ll have an iced tea.”

“Great choice,” Zoë confirmed. “It’s excellent.” And
non-alcoholic. That’s why she and Grace had ordered it.

“I’ll have a Sam Adams, please.” The server had already
turned away when Mark jumped and yelped. “What?” he demanded of Grace, who had
obviously kicked him under the table. “Sean got on my case when I tried to not
order beer the other night.”

“It’s true,” Sean agreed with a quick nod. His gaze met
Zoë’s. “Really, you don’t have to abstain just because I am. I’m fine.”

Taking a long swallow of her drink, Zoë leveled her gaze. “I
happen to love iced tea. The only alcohol I drink is retsina wine, Metaxa
brandy and ouzo. I doubt the restaurant carries any of those.”