“Of course.”
Jayne glanced over her shoulder at her dark apartment. “You sure you don’t want to come in?”
He shook his head. “Not tonight. Wear something pretty on Saturday. A skirt. No panties.”
Jayne’s delicate pale complexion flushed pink. He’d never tire of her sweet blushes. “Second night?”
He nodded.
“Okay.”
Leaning forward, he kissed her. It was nothing more than a soft touch of their lips, but it filled Elias with overwhelming happiness and something he hadn’t felt in a very long time.
Anticipation.
Jayne looked up at the loud wolf whistle directed her way. Stephanie stood just inside the front door of the bar, studying her.
“Bit overdressed for a lousy Saturday night at work, aren’t you?” Stephanie asked.
Jayne tried to shrug off the obvious. She was way too dolled up for Books and Brew. Even so, she felt compelled to defend herself. “There’s nothing wrong with trying to look nice once in a while.” She pointed at Stephanie’s holey jeans and faded sweatshirt. “You might want to give it a try.”
“Hell no. Best part about owning our own business is that no one can tell me how to dress. I prefer comfort over fashion.” Stephanie walked behind the bar and stashed her purse in the cabinet beneath. “And you’re a shitty liar. There’s no way you dressed up for the hell of it, so spill. Who’s the guy?”
Sophie walked out from the back with a large package of bar napkins. “Guy? You have a date tonight, Jayne?”
Jayne tried to batten down her annoyance at Sophie’s obvious surprise. After all, her friends were right to be shocked. She hadn’t had a date in months. It wasn’t that she didn’t like going out. It was more like she had really shitty luck when it came to picking eligible men who weren’t annoying or boring.
“No. I don’t have a date.” At least she didn’t think she did. After all, Elias hadn’t said anything about them going anywhere. He’d simply told her to dress nice, to wear a skirt. Chances were he’d show up like he always did, claim his chair and sometime during the evening she’d casually join him for some quiet conversation.
Of course, there was a very big part of her hoping she could convince him to remain after closing for a repeat of Thursday. After all, they still had four more nights.
A small part of her was trying to figure out if it had all been a dream. Every second of that evening had been perfect and so far out of her realm of imagination, she’d chalked it up to the fantasies of a sex-starved, exhausted crazy woman. There was no way everything they’d done could be real. She’d replayed it over and over again until her body was in a constant state of painful need. Elias had touched places inside her she didn’t realize were there.
No. That wasn’t true. She’d always suspected her physical needs were a bit stronger, different from the norm. She just hadn’t recognized how deep her desires ran. Elias had exposed them, pulled them out into the light and forced her to face them. And the worst—and best—part was there was so much more she wanted him to introduce her to. They’d only grazed the surface of her fantasies.
Sophie started stocking the napkin holders while Stephanie hung clean glasses from the rack above the bar. Neither woman pressed her for more details. Probably because they didn’t realize there
were
more. She said she didn’t have a date. Since that was always true, Sophie and Stephanie accepted her at her word.
Stephanie hung the final glass and looked at her. “Why don’t you date more?”
Jayne shrugged. “Do you really have to ask? It’s not that easy meeting men in this town. Besides, we’re always working.”
Sophie tilted her head. “I used to think that too, but that explanation doesn’t wash anymore, does it? Stephanie met Jarod, Jordan found Gabriel and Casey, and now I have Marc. There’s not a doubt in my mind there’s a man out there for you too. I’m just worried you’re using work as an excuse not to try.”
Jayne didn’t take offense at Sophie’s comments. It was hard to deny something that was true. “I’m tired of jumping through the hoops, tripping and falling flat on my face.”
Stephanie leaned her hip against the bar. “Ritchie wasn’t so bad. Are you sure you gave him a decent shot? You only went out with him a handful of times.”
Jayne was sure. She’d met Ritchie at the gym where she worked out, and had endured five long, boring dates with him. While he was a very nice man, she’d felt no spark. After the fifth date and two bottles of wine, she’d decided it was time to piss or get off the pot. She’d invited him in for the evening and had the most lackluster sex of her life. Jayne had broken it off shortly after that, but she hadn’t told her friends why.
“He just wasn’t my type.”
Sophie frowned. “You always say that. What
is
your type?”
Jayne didn’t even have to think about her response. “Someone who’s intelligent and kind, who treats me as an equal and who doesn’t suck in bed.”
Stephanie laughed. “I knew it. You had sex with Ritchie, didn’t you?”
“You know I don’t like to discuss my sex life.”
While she’d spent years listening to her girlfriends share and analyze their sexual exploits, Jayne had never felt comfortable joining in. For her, sex was a very private thing.
“Maybe if you gave us some details, we could tell you where you’re going wrong,” Stephanie teased.
There was no way Jayne was going to explain to her friends that she dreamed of being bound in bed, that she masturbated while fantasizing about kneeling before a dominant man with a flogger in his hands. There were details and then there were
details
.
Her desires needed to remain in the fantasy realm. While Elias was offering to bring some of her racy dreams to life, she couldn’t let the kinks drift over into her real life—the safe, normal one she was determined to hold on to.
“What makes you think I’m the one who’s fucking things up? Maybe it’s the guys who are lame.”
Stephanie gave her a shit-eating grin. “So tell us about tonight’s guy. How does he rate between the sheets?”
The question caught her off guard, flustered her. “I told you, I don’t—”
“And I told
you
, lying is not your strong suit. You blush and look away. Which you’re doing right now, by the way.”
She hadn’t mentioned her encounter with Elias to her friends because she wasn’t sure what to say. Elias was their favorite customer and a good friend to all of them. She was taking a risk entering into a short-term sexual affair with him.
Jayne had been serious when she’d insisted that she and Elias limit the relationship. She was terrified of letting things go too far and potentially losing Elias as a friend. Apart from Sophie, Jordan and Stephanie, he’d become one of the most important people in her life. She couldn’t lose him, and she didn’t want to run him out of her friends’ lives either.
“Fine. There may or may not be a guy. And now I’m going back to work.”
She was saved from further questions when the bell above the door rang and several customers came in. Thursday’s brief snowstorm had come and gone quickly, most of the white stuff melting away by Friday afternoon. Today had brought sunshine, luring folks out of their houses again. The bar soon filled, keeping Jayne mercifully busy and too distracted to fret over Elias’ imminent arrival and her friends’ responses when they realized she’d dressed up for him.
In fact, she missed him showing up altogether. One minute she was ringing up a book for a lady and the next, he was there in his usual chair, Scotch in hand. However, rather than reading a book or the newspaper as he normally did, his gaze was focused solely on her.
She felt heat rise in her cheeks at his steady perusal. She’d taken great pains choosing her outfit, wanting to appear sexy without crossing over into the slutty domain. In the end she’d selected a short, tight-fitting black skirt and silky white blouse. She’d intentionally left two buttons free at the neckline, instead of her usual one, revealing a healthy amount skin and the occasional peek at her lacy bra.
From Elias’ hungry look, she decided she’d selected the right ensemble. She smiled at him, lifting her hand to wave. She expected him to merely offer his usual friendly nod. Instead he beckoned her over.
She went without a moment’s hesitation. No doubt if she’d told Sophie and Stephanie about her tête-à-tête with Elias, their first instruction would have been for her to be careful. They’d teased her about her crush on him, but for some reason, they’d never pressed her to pursue him. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe, like her, they’d sensed Elias’ darker edge, his strength and the undeniable power that seemed to emanate from him. It had overwhelmed her for years.
Could it be Stephanie, Sophie and Jordan had noticed the same thing and decided she wouldn’t be able to handle it and should therefore steer clear? That idea rubbed against the grain, so she shoved it away.
“Hi,” she said, silently cursing her sudden breathlessness.
“Jayne.” The way he spoke her name sent a shiver through her as she recalled standing before him, naked, totally exposed in this exact spot just two nights earlier. “Do you have time to join me for a moment?”
She nodded, sitting down. The bar was actually quite crowded and there were at least four people perusing the bookshelves. Time was one thing she didn’t have. Even so, she didn’t give a shit. He was here.
“You look lovely.”
She smiled, wishing she could find some clever conversation starter. Usually talking to Elias was simple, but tonight she was tongue-tied.
“Did you follow
all
my instructions?”
She knew exactly what he was asking about. She nodded.
His gaze drifted lower, taking in her primly crossed legs. “No panties.”
It wasn’t a question but she answered him anyway. “None,” she said, cursing the slight quiver in voice.
He leaned forward and took one of her hands in his. “Jayne. It’s just me. I’m the same Elias I’ve been for years.”
She laughed nervously. “I’m acting like an idiot, aren’t I?”
“No. Not at all. Thursday was a departure from the norm. Pretty intense.”
“It was amazing.”
He squeezed her hand. “It was definitely that. I know you’re busy and this isn’t an ideal time to talk.”
She glanced around the bar, sorry to see his observation was true. Sophie was rushing from table to table, taking orders, while Stephanie mixed several drinks at the same time. Even Jordan had come in when Stephanie called an hour earlier to say it was a full house. The holiday season was quickly approaching and everyone seemed determined to make merry.
“I was hoping that maybe…after we close…” She struggled to say what she wanted.
“You’re coming home with me tonight.”
She tilted her head, wondering if she’d heard him correctly. “I am?”
He nodded. “I’m claiming my second night. And I want you to tell the other girls you’ll be late tomorrow. If you make it at all.”
“Okay.” Her answer was too quick, too excited.
Elias chuckled. “I won’t keep you from your work. Get your customers drinks. Help them select their books.” He glanced at his watch. “Then meet me outside that storeroom near the restrooms in an hour. I have a present for you.”
She brightened. “Really? A gift for me?”
He released her hand. “One hour.”
The clock taunted her, each second lasting an eternity. Jayne hurried to make sure all the patrons had full glasses and rang up three purchases on the bookstore side. She wanted to buy herself as much time as she could.
Finally the sixty minutes were up.
She told Stephanie she was taking a break then walked down the hallway that led to the restrooms and a large storeroom.
Elias was waiting for her and she noticed a small bag in his hands.
“Hi,” she said as she approached.
He nodded once then gestured toward the ladies’ room. “Do you need to use the restroom?”
She shook her head. “No. Why?”
“Because you won’t have another opportunity for a little while.”
God.
Jayne felt the air whoosh from her lungs. Being with Elias was unpredictable and exciting as hell. “I’m fine.”
He took her hand and led her into the storeroom, closing the door behind them and throwing the lock. The room was cast in near darkness. She heard him place his bag on a shelf by her head.
“There’s a light switch over to the left.”
Elias caged her against the wall, his hot breath tickling her cheek. “I don’t need light.”
“Okay.” Her heart began racing. She’d thought of nothing but this moment since Elias had dropped her off at her front door two nights earlier.
He placed a soft, quick kiss on her lips. “I’ve missed you.”
“I know the feeling. I’ve been thinking about you nonstop.” God. She should probably at least attempt to shield her feelings, to play it cool. After all, she was the one insisting they keep things simple.
Elias didn’t seem to mind her undeniable enthusiasm. He placed another soft kiss on her forehead. “I’m glad. Open your legs.”