never occurred to me, I swear.'
'So, you brought me here to cop a feel?'
'Well, I wouldn't put it quite that crudely, but yeah.'
Her smile was radiant as she slid back across the seat towards him again. 'That is just about the sweetest thing I've ever heard,' she said, and reached up to kiss him gently on the lips.
Jack returned the kiss for a moment and then pulled back to look at her beautiful face in the moonlight. He traced one finely arched eyebrow with his thumb, and drew in an unsteady breath. 'Let's get you back to your car, and then we can talk about what's going to happen next, okay?'
Ten minutes later, Jack slid the truck into the slot next to Lacey's car in The Daily Grind parking lot. He had been trying to distract himself from his prominent erection by talking about plans for Lacey's place, but she seemed to have lost her enthusiasm for the idea. He sincerely hoped she was just thinking about getting naked with him as soon as possible, and couldn't concentrate on anything else. But he doubted that was the problem. She was still smiling and joking with him but otherwise seemed a bit subdued for someone who had just committed to her dream house and been kissed senseless, all within the last two hours.
He turned off the ignition, got out of the truck and quickly moved around the vehicle in time to help her down from the passenger side. The truck seat was too high off the ground for her to manage gracefully, so she scrambled down with a laugh at her clumsiness. Jack took her hand and pulled her against him as he leaned against her little car.
'Now what?' He asked, kissing her on the forehead. Was it just his imagination or had she pulled away from him a bit?
'Well, now we decide what's going to happen next.'
'I was thinking that we head over to your place…to talk,' Jack said, reaching down to cup her bottom with one hand.
'But Jack, you were just making plans for the cottage.' She said, looking at him incredulously.
'Yeah. I think it'll be really amazing if we can get the property re-zoned so your place faces the north side. Don't you think? Then you can be looking at that little green space instead of your neighbor's jungle gym.'
'But the cottage isn't going to happen. At least not with me.'
He pulled back to look at her. 'What the hell are you talking about, Lacey. I thought you wanted to do this. Didn't you tell Serena that you wanted to go for it?'
'But that was before.'
'Before we kissed? Was it that bad? You don't want to have anything to do with me because of what happened in the truck?' Jack felt coldness starting to creep into his expression and fought valiantly against giving into it. He looked at the ground, so he couldn't see him shutting down.
'No, Jack. I want a lot to do with you because of what happened in the truck. And as soon as possible.'
'I'm confused. What do you want, Lacey?'
'Jack. I want you.' She reached up and put her hands on each of his cheeks and forced him to look down at her. 'For a night or a week or a month. I want to be with you. For as long as you want me. That's what I want. There'll be other houses, but there won't be another chance with someone like you.'
'Are you serious? Please don't be kidding, okay? I really couldn't take that.' Was he dreaming or was she actually offering him exactly what he wanted? He felt the coldness ebbing away and being replaced by something relief and warmth. She wasn't rejecting him. She was just being overly cautious. He could work with that.
'Jack, why would I joke about that? I'm telling you exactly how I feel.'
'I just find it hard to believe that you would want something casual. I mean, girls usually want a commitment right away, don't they?'
'Not me.' Lacey shook her head and held up her hands in supplication. 'Oops, that sounded bad. Like I do this on a regular basis. That's not what I meant. I've never done anything like this before, but I swear, I'm not looking for anything long term or serious. This isn't some kind of trap. We barely know each other. All I know is that I've never wanted anyone like this before, and if I don't act on it today, I know I'm going to regret it. You may meet a yoga instructor nymphomaniac with nipple piercings tomorrow and then I'll be kicking myself because I missed my opportunity. I'm sick of being boring and predictable. So, I say, screw the house. I want to be be impulsive for once in my life. And I want to be impulsive with you. What do you want, Jack?'
'Well, right now I'm a little stuck on the whole nymphomaniac thing, but other than that I feel the same way. I've been alone for a long time, granted, but I can't remember ever being so clearly obsessed with a woman before. I swear, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you for the last week either. I really, really want you too. But why can't we go ahead with Serena's plan too?'
'Jack, we'd be working together. As much as I'd like to reduce this to just mind-bending hot sex between us, I know I'll become emotionally involved and that will complicate things. What if things go sour between us while the house is being built? Imagine how awful it would be if you get bored of me, and we're still forced to work together on this project? Talk about awkward.'
'Lacey, I can't imagine getting bored of you. Everything about you excites me and makes me smile. But I don't want to watch you give up on your dream house either. I think we can do both.'
'Jack, I wish I could believe that, but I can't see it working. Things change between people when things don't work out. And even if we do manage to stay on good terms, I'm still going to feel like a total prostitute if I'm having sex with my builder. What's next? Blow-jobs for a really steep discount on bathroom tile?'
'Well, now that you bring that up…' He reached down to squeeze her ass again.
Lacey rolled her eyes and swatted his hand away from her bottom. 'See, I knew this was going to happen. It's just not a good idea.'
'Lacey, sweetheart, I would never trade building materials for sex.' He grinned. 'Unless you wanted some Italian marble. Then I might require some special compensation. I'm thinking Princess Leia bikini, and maybe a video camera.'
'How about some trashy lingerie and a polaroid snapshot? Taken from the neck down.'
He whistled. 'Done deal. Italian marble it is. Do I have to wear the lingerie?'
'If you do, I definitely want a picture of that.'
'Nope. If that got out, my brothers would crucify me. I'd have to leave town.'
'You're probably right. Speaking of them, what would they think if they knew the risky project you're trying to steamroll them into just happens to benefit the woman you're sleeping with?' She asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jack stopped smiling. Lacey had a point. His brothers would not be impressed with that at all. They'd be thrilled if he was dating someone, especially someone like Lacey, but mixing work with any kind of sexual conquest was strictly forbidden. He personally had enforced this rule over the years when any of his randy brothers had become too flirtatious with buyers. It hadn't been easy, but he felt like it was his duty to prevent any kind of scandal from tainting the business. The last thing he wanted in this city's ruthless real estate community was for people to be talking about how the Kingston brothers couldn't keep their dicks in their pants. They wouldn't be taken seriously if that was their reputation, and their success was directly linked to how buyers perceived them.
Besides, he owed it to Jack Senior. His dad had always emphasized the necessity of being a professional, and maintaining respectability. And that did not include using their work to procure women. So, no, any kind of emotional entanglement, even if it was just sex, would not be looked upon favorably by his family. In fact, it would be downright hypocritical.
'They wouldn't have to know,' Jack said, placing his hands on her shoulders, and stooping down to get a better look at her expression.
Lacey moved out from under his hands, took a step away from him and turned towards the street. 'Okay, I wanted to have some really dirty sex with you, Jack. But now you want me to be your dirty little secret? How did this become so complicated? I totally suck at this whole seduction thing.'
Jack couldn't help it. He laughed. Her profile looked so forlorn. It was not a look that suited her at all. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her from behind. 'I happen to think you are incredibly talented at this whole seduction thing,' he whispered against her neck. 'In fact, if you were any better at it, I'd probably be on my way to the hospital right now because of the lack of blood to my brain.'
