"My car is parked at the Daily Grind on Third Ave," Lacey said, darting a glance at Jack. His strong profile was barely illuminated by the truck's dashboard lights, and she couldn't tell if he was smiling or frowning. She really hoped he was smiling. It became brighter in the cab as they approached the city limits, but his expression seemed neutral to her.
They had spent an hour at the cottage, simply wandering around as Jack pointed out features that she'd missed on their whirlwind tour with Serena earlier. Then, they had spent another twenty minutes sanding the door Jack had been working on when they had arrived. He had simply handed her a sheet of sandpaper and demonstrated the proper technique as they stood companionably, side by side.
Lacey had half expected him to jump her bones the second Serena's car was out of sight, but he hadn't even touched her. She was totally disappointed. There had been something so intent about the way he had been watching her upto this point. She had felt a little like a particularly juicy rabbit being stalked by a famished wolf. And yet he had been a perfect gentleman, damn him and his mixed signals.
What did she have to do to get a little action from this guy? Maybe, like Barry, he thought she was boring. Well, she wasn't. She was a wild woman. She just needed to figure out how to go about being the aggressor without looking too desperate or slutty. Desperation was not sexy. Neither was clumsiness. And she was terribly afraid she was going to mess this up. Why couldn't he just lean over and kiss her? That would be so much easier.
"Do you mind if we take a little detour?" Jack asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"Not at all. I'm not in a huge hurry to get home." She hoped he might suggest going to dinner. She was famished and a meal would prolong their time together. She was about to casually mention a Thai place she frequented when she noticed where they were.
They had just driven past the row-houses where they'd met, and Jack slowed the truck as they approached a building site that was fenced off and had a large 'Kingston Bros.' sign hanging from the gate. The old-fashioned streetlights revealed the frame of a large, roofless house. It stood on a wide, corner lot facing a green space containing a lovely path through a wooded area.
Jack turned off the ignition and pointed through the windshield with his keys. "It's a construction zone right now, so we can't go in. But you see that corner? That just may be your new address in about six months. What do you think?"
Lacey didn't think anything. For perhaps the first time in her life, she just acted.
Instead of answering him or worrying about making a fool of herself, she slid across the bench seat and completely surprised him by turning his face toward her. Looking into his shocked eyes for a moment she leaned forward and kissed him soundly on the lips. It was really more of a peck to show her joy and gratitude than an attempt at seduction, but the result was the same.
Jack's response to Lacey's lips on him was immediate and enthusiastic. He threw his keys on the dashboard and lifted her onto his lap, angling her chin so he could deepen the kiss. His tongue licked at her lips sweetly and then thrust between them with gradually accelerating heat and force.
Suddenly they were making out in the cab of his truck like horny teenagers. The windows quickly fogged up, enclosing them in their own little sensual world and Jack took full advantage of the privacy. He slid his lips down her jaw to her throat where he nibbled at that sensitive skin until she gasped and tightened her grip on his hair. He shoved the shoulder of her blouse part-way down her arm and sucked at that spot where her neck meets the collarbone. She would probably have a bruise there the next day and the idea that she would be walking around with his mark on her pleased him.
Sliding his hand up her denim-clad leg, he made small circles on her inner thigh, and then slid his hand back up to her knee. He did this three times before momentarily cupping her between her thighs. He could feel her heat against his fingers and was overcome with lust when she reached down to capture his hand and keep it there between her legs.
He groaned against her neck as she shifted restlessly in his lap, and there was no hiding his state of arousal from her. He was painfully hard and impatient for relief, but no matter how much he wanted her, screwing in a truck on the side of the road was not good enough for their first time together. If he took her now, he probably wouldn't get another chance, and he could not let that happen. She'd almost slipped away from him once. So he took a deep breath and stopped moving his fingers against her mound. Removing his lips from her neck, he sat there with his face pressed against her sweet-smelling neck, trying to get his breathing under control.
"Jack? Is everything alright?" Lacey asked tentatively.
"Yeah. Everything is fine. My penis and my brain are just at war right now. It will be over in a second. Just don't move, okay?"
Lacey giggled and the motion made him groan. "Umm, is it okay if I don't want your brain to win?" She asked, delicately licking the shell of his ear.
He angled his head towards her for a moment, chills running up his neck from the the feeling of her warm breath against his ear. But then he came to his senses and jerked his ear away from her marauding tongue. "Probably not a good idea. Because if my brain loses, then you' re going to be spread-eagled, with your legs in the air and your jeans balled up on the floor faster than the speed of light. And 3 seconds after that, I'm going to be really embarrassed. So, Mr. Happy really needs to lose this battle today, but hopefully he will get a chance to fight another day. Alright?"
"Wow, what a tease your are, Jack. Don't I have any say at all in this?" She asked playfully, running a hand through the hair at the nape of his neck.
Easily, he lifted her off his lap and set her on the seat beside him. "Lacey, I'm seriously begging you to stop. I like you, and I don't want to take advantage of you like this." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew he'd said the wrong thing.
Lacey glared at him as she slid back to the passenger side of the truck. "Take advantage of me? What does that mean? I'm 32 years old, Jack. Not a silly teenage girl. If I want to boff your brains out in the front of your truck, then it's because I've been fantasizing about you for the past week, and I can't wait any longer. Not because I'm some poor lonely spinster who is too overcome with frustration to know what she's doing, okay?"
Oops. Damn it. He'd touched a nerve. But he really liked the part about her fantasizing about him for the past week. He needed to smooth this over, pronto. "What I meant was, I took you here to show you the lot of land we were talking about earlier because I knew you would be excited to see it, and I thought I would probably get a hug out of it. And since I've been trying to think of a way to touch you all afternoon, I brought you here with my own perverted agenda in mind. That's what I meant by taking advantage of you. The whole frustrated spinster thing 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."
Despite herself, Lacey chuckled and ran one of her hands along the muscled forearms across her stomach. "You know that can't happen, right? I'm a nurse, and I've never seen anyone suffering from massive cranial blood loss due to a prolonged erection. At least not a natural one."
"Hmmm…I love it when you talk all clinical like that. Say 'prolonged erection' again," Jack said, grinding himself playfully against her bottom.
"You have the strangest idea of dirty talk, Jack."
"Sadly, this is the closest I've come to dirty talk in a long time. I may be a little rusty. But I bet I could get better with practice," he said, biting down on her earlobe.
"Why has it been so long? I don't understand. How is a someone like you even single?"
"What do you mean, 'someone like me?'"
Lacey pinched his forearm. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you? Serena's right. Your ego doesn't need anymore stroking. But if you insist, what I meant was how can someone successful and funny and so damn hot be single?"
"I could say the same thing about you. But I assure you that my wife didn't think I was any of those things. But I'm glad you do. That means a lot to me. However, the story behind my single status is a very long and depressing one. So, let's figure out how we're going to work and play together instead, okay?"
Lacey turned in his arms to face him. "Jack, as much as I wish we could make that happen. You must know that it'd be a huge mistake to even try. There's a lot at stake here. Your business and your relationship with your family, for one. My emotional trauma if you reject me after we sleep together and I still have to work with you. We have to choose: definite fun now and no house, or house now and the possibility of fun later. I already told you what I want. Now you have to decide what you want." She poked him in the chest for emphasis.
What did he want? If he was smart he'd forget about the stupid house and take Lacey as fast and as hard as he could without appearing like a complete sex maniac. And Lacey wanted that too. So, why was he hesitating? She was offering him exactly what he wanted. No strings sex. A sure thing. And with a woman that made his dick hard and his mood light for a change. It was perfect. And yet he couldn't do it. At some point today, something had changed and he wanted more. He still couldn't see himself in a relationship, but coldly using someone for sex, especially someone like Lacey, seemed empty and a little sad. He didn't want to be that guy. His penis wanted him to be that guy, but Mr. Happy wasn't in charge, at least for now.
And wouldn't she come to regret her decision to sacrifice the cottage eventually? Maybe not tonight, when they were so ridiculously hot for each other. But if the sex ran its course, and they parted ways, what if she was still looking for a place six months from now? How would he feel then if he ran into her at some random Open House and she looked at him reproachfully? He would feel like complete shit.
Bottom line was, he wanted to make her happy. And that meant giving her both a place to live and mind-shattering orgasms. According to her, that was only going to happen if he could wait until her place was complete. But that could take six months. He could not wait that long to get her naked. It was a physical impossibility. Maybe there could be some kind of compromise?
"What, exactly did you have in mind? I mean, if we held off until after the house was complete? Are we talking no physical contact at all, or just not any full-on sex?" Jack asked, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes.
"Jack. No. You can't be serious! I can not wait that long to be with you. Let's just forget about the whole house thing." Lacey said, reaching up to slip her arms around his neck. "Let's just drive back to my place, light some candles, and take a bubble bath together instead. Okay?" She got up on her tip-toes and kissed the side of his neck. "Wouldn't that be fun? I've always wanted to do that. My tub is kind of tiny, and you're so big, but if we really squeezed, I'm sure we could make it work. Don't you think?" She said, nibbling her way upto his ear as she rubbed her breasts against his hard chest.
Jack felt his control slipping again as he imagined Lacey, naked, wet and covered in bubbles, her tits bobbing up and down as she rode him hard in her tiny little bath tub. He could have that tonight, probably within the hour, if he just ignored his stupid conscience.
Or better yet, the parking lot was deserted, and all the businesses nearby were closed for the night. If she was into it, he could have her on her hands and knees in the back of the truck in no time at all. That's what he wanted, he wanted it so bad his hands were actually shaking. But if even thinking of allowing her to sacrifice her home made him feel guilty, then how could he live with himself if he actually did become that shady version of himself? The one who who used women and then abandoned them once his needs were met?
"Lace? Seriously. What I want is to make the house happen for you, but I need to know how we can make this work. I don't really see how I can have any contact with you at all and not totally ravish you. So, you need to tell me the ground rules. If it was up to me, we would just screw like bunnies at every opportunity. But since that would probably compromise the project, I need to know what waiting means. If you say no kissing, no touching, nothing physical at all, then I don't think I can do it."
"Jack. I'm sorry, but I think this is an all or nothing proposition. Either we forget about the house or we forget about anything physical between us happening at all. I hate this, but it's just the way it has to be."
"At all? I thought we were just waiting until the cottage was done?"
"Jack, that's months from now. What if that nymphomaniac yoga instructor comes along? Or I meet someone else? Will I still have to have sex with you when the cottage is done?"
"Of course not," Jack growled at this idea.
"So what I'm saying is that we can't promise that we'll still even be interested in each other months from now. What if we work together and discover we can't stand the sight of one another? Or the chemistry fizzles? If I say I will definitely have sex with you when the house is done, doesn't that make me about the most expensive hooker ever? Instead of fifty dollars for a back alley hand-job, I'll get an entire house. But it's basically the same thing, isn't it?"
"It wouldn't be like that at all. We could change our minds at any time. I don't want you to feel obligated to have sex with me. It would totally be up to you."
"But what about you?"
"What about me? I have absolutely no problem with you using both my body and my building skills. In fact, I encourage it."
"No, I mean. Doesn't it make you feel a little dirty, knowing that I'm expecting you to put out when the cottage is complete?"
"Dirty in the best possible way."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Nope. I think we have to re-evaluate when this is over. If we still want each other then, we'll talk about it. Until then, strictly platonic. With no expectations."
Jack was appalled. "And how do you propose we manage that? Are we going to communicate strictly by email and phone? Use Serena to pass notes, like in junior high?Because I don't think I can handle that. I want to see you. A lot. You aren't proposing that we don't even see each other until this is over, are you?"
"No, I don't want that either. How about this? If your brothers agree and the project gets green-lighted, you and I are going to have to get together to go over plans, and choose materials, right?"
"Yeah. Probably a lot at first, after the property is rezoned anyway. I'll have some modified plans drawn up in the mean time."
"Okay, whenever we meet, we'll do it with a lot of people around, so we won't be tempted."
"You can not be serious. We're going to need chaperones? Did I just walk into a Victorian novel?"
"Jack, we don't have to do this. I would much rather get on with the threesome with Mr. Bubbles. You're the one that's insisting that we go ahead with the project. I'm just letting you know the only way that will work."
"But you kissed me. Back at the truck. Why did you do that, if you knew we couldn't couldn't get physical without jeopardizing the project? Maybe if I hadn't tasted you, I could have somehow managed to get through this, blue balls or not. But I can't go back now. Knowing what it's like to touch you, feel you. It will be fucking torture. Or rather, no fucking torture." He was being coarse, he knew it. But he was way beyond being polite.
"For me too. And I'm sorry I kissed you. Well, not really. I loved it. But it definitely will make this harder. Pun intended, by the way. But you looked so sweet, looking out at my possible new address. I was so excited and grateful, I just lost my head for a second. But the second I did it, I made my choice. I knew I couldn't have both, and I chose you. Without hesitation. So, now, for the last time, do we go back to my place and break out the bubbles, or do we build a house?"
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think we're building a house. Damn it." But he didn't let her go, instead he kissed her, with mind-numbing, nerve-tingling passion. He ate at her mouth, as if trying to imprint his taste and the feel of his lips on her memory.
When he was done, Lacey felt positively woozy, like she'd just drank a bottle of champagne on an empty stomach. She grabbed onto his waist for support and looked up at him. "That was our last kiss, wasn't it?"
"If I have anything to do with it, that kiss will be continued just as soon as the paint is dry on your new place. Be prepared. This project is going to be completed in record time."
"So. We're actually doing this, then? No sex until the cottage is done?"
"I feel like I'm making some kind of pact with an angel rather than a devil, but yeah. Nothing remotely physical until the project is complete." Jack held out his hand to Lacey, and she shook it reluctantly. This was going to be an incredibly long and frustrating six months. He just knew it. Many cold showers and nights spent working into the wee hours were in his future. He just hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake.