So sex it was, and sex is all it would be.
Her tummy grumbled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since breakfast the previous day. She’d skipped lunch with the girls when her equipment had arrived, and she’d skipped dinner because she and Brad had been too busy playing sex games to stop for nourishment.
Lindsay pulled her clothes on and padded barefoot to her door. She quietly eased it open and peeked out, wondering what her friends would think if they knew she’d spent all of yesterday having sex with Brad. Hadn’t they all made a vow to swear off men? Lord, she’d only made it two months. Libidinous slut that she was. Then again, how could she possibly resist a man like Brad, one who was so caring, so considerate, one who touched her with such tender care and was so damn in tune with her needs and desires?
She tiptoed into the hall and listened for her friends. Candace’s door was shut, so was Anna’s. She wondered for a moment if they too had worked late into the night and stayed over, or if they had made their way home.
As she pondered it a minute longer, the delicious scent of apple muffins caught her attention. Yummy.
After freshening up in the bathroom, Lindsay made her way into the kitchen. There she found Pamina talking to her cat. What a strange lady she was. The woman was far too young and beautiful to be one of those crazy cat ladies. That future, undoubtedly, was reserved for Lindsay.
Pamina twisted around to greet her, a bright smile lighting up her gorgeous eyes. Her voice as cheerful as ever, she said, “Good morning, Lindsay.”
“Good morning, Pamina, Abra.”
Abra jumped from Pamina’s arms and curled around her legs. Pamina chuckled and shook her head. “It appears that Abra is enjoying your company, Lindsay. He seems to have an affinity for Candace and Anna too. I saw him saunter out of Candace’s room this morning as a matter of fact.” She tossed Abra a scolding look. “He might be an old Tom cat but he’s not supposed to be a peeping Tom cat.”
Lindsay thought the comment odd, but chose to ignore it. Instead she arched a questioning brow. “Candace spent the night?” Her mind raced, wondering if Candace had heard the commotion going on in her room. Then again, if she recalled correctly she did hear a lot of banging coming from down that end of the hall. She made a note to check in with both her girls later.
“Is Candace feeling okay? She looked a little flushed yesterday.”
Pamina grinned and made her way to the oven. “She’s perfectly fine.”
Lindsay opened her mouth to ask about Anna, but Pamina answered her unasked question. “Both girls are perfectly fine and their rooms are coming along splendidly.” Pamina stepped up to the table with a dozen muffins. She pushed her fruit bowl to the side, turned the tray upside down and plopped the muffins onto a plate.
Lindsay helped herself. She inhaled the delicious aroma and bit into the scrumptious treat. “What’s with you and apples anyway?”
Pamina waved her hand toward the backyard. “One should never waste nature’s gift.”
Lindsay followed her gaze until her eyes settled on a huge tree, its branches heavy with crisp red apples. “I don’t remember that being there.”
“That’s because you’ve not taken the time to explore the grounds. There is a beautiful pond out back as well. A great place for lovers to sit and chat, don’t you think?”
At the mere mention of lovers, Lindsay’s mind reeled. She wanted to ask Pamina about Brad, but she didn’t want to sound too obvious. Once again, as though Pamina could read her mind, she directed the conversation.
“Brad is doing a wonderful job.”
Her body warmed all over. Good Lord, just the mention of his name had her going all weird inside.
Lindsay tried for casual but suspected Pamina, being as perceptive as she was, could see right through her. “Yeah, he should be done by tonight.” Her stomach plummeted, knowing it would be the last she’d see of him.
“And then he will be gone and you’ll be able to finish up your room. You must be thrilled about that, Lindsay?”
Thrilled wasn’t the word she’d use. Lindsay nodded and bit into her breakfast, even though she no longer had an appetite.
“How do you know him?” she asked, deciding to come right out and pry.
Pamina grabbed her own muffin and placed it on a napkin. “I don’t.”
That surprised Lindsay. Somehow she’d thought they knew each other. “Oh, then why did you hire him?”
“I found his name in the phone book. I heard good things about his business. And I didn’t hire him, you did.”
Lindsay wiped crumbs from her mouth. “When he left yesterday he said he had responsibilities. I guess he must have had other jobs to take care of.”
“I suppose that’s possible. Brad has proven to be quite the hard worker.”
Lindsay agreed. “Yeah, different from the men I know.”
“But I do wonder why he agreed to take a job so far from home. Don’t you?”
Lindsay narrowed her brow and pursed her lips in thought. She’d been wondering that herself. Brad had said no job was too small, but she didn’t buy that for a minute. There was more going on with him than he let on.
“Why don’t you ask him?”
Lindsay’s head came up, her eyes narrowed. How did Pamina always know what she was thinking? “What?”
“Ask him what responsibilities took him away. I’m sure it must have been important. Otherwise why would he rush away, especially when things were going so good for him here?” Pamina winked at her and offered her a fresh, juicy peach from the fruit bowl.
Lindsay choked on her muffin. Good Lord, did the woman know all her secrets?
Suddenly, she
