A Little Bit Naughty (2 page)

She wondered if it was a tenet of the Home Owners Association that every household look outrageously happy and content when unfamiliar cars drove through the neighborhood. As if she needed yet another reminder of what she no longer had.

 Jada pulled up to a deep red, brick house with white shutters. It sat at an angle in a corner lot that butted against a wooded area at the very rear of the subdivision. This was her first time seeing the house Mason built last summer. Kiera had invited her to his housewarming, but Jada declined before her friend even got the words out.

Oil and water were bosom buddies compared to the way she and Mason got along.

Their mutual distaste for each other was no secret, though Jada had to admit to egging it on throughout the years. Going back to their high school days, she would say and do outrageous things just to get a rise out of him. It was her way of getting back at Mason for making her feel as if he was somehow better than her, which he’d managed to do from the very first day she met him.

Jada pulled into the driveway next to Kiera’s compact SUV and tried to suppress yet another twinge of envy that shot through her as she stared at the house. She missed living in a nice, big, comfortable home. And Mason had this one all to himself. It was so unfair.

Of course, he probably couldn’t pay a woman to live in this house with him. The man was the very definition of surly.

Taking out her phone, Jada called Kiera. “I’m here,” she said, as she grabbed her travel case from the back seat and rolled it up to the front door.

The door opened and Kiera enveloped her in a hug. “I’m sorry,” her friend said.

“For what?” Jada asked, returning the hug.

“For being bitchy on the phone. It’s been a crazy day. The part for my mixer is stuck in a warehouse in Paducah, and I have to make six hundred puffed pastries on Saturday.”

“Sounds like a problem.”

“A huge problem,” Kiera agreed, gesturing for her to come inside.

As she followed Kiera, Jada’s lingering envy brightened into a nice chartreuse color.

The house was gorgeous. It managed to be warm and inviting despite the museum quality décor. The living room and connected dining room were decorated in rich browns, tan, and a hint of blue, with large, masculine furniture and abstract paintings adorning the walls. It must have been done by a professional. She could not picture Mason taking the time to fuss over drapes and rugs and art work. Not Mr. Always Busy, High-Powered Attorney.

Jada suppressed a grunt. He’d had that self-important air about him way before he became an attorney. Back when they were in high school, Mason seemed more mature than some of their teachers. If one were to base their judgment solely on the way he acted, they would never guess he was only two years older than she and Kiera.

Jada could still remember that annoying way he would roll his eyes when they mentioned doing some of the normal things that normal teenagers did, as if it was a waste of time. Even though the family resemblance was unmistakable, Jada wasn’t entirely convinced that Mason wasn’t adopted. His stuffy demeanor was just too different from Kiera and her mother, who were both the biggest sweethearts on the planet.

“Why are you sleeping here again?” Jada asked. “You mentioned something about Chinese drywall?”

Kiera’s exceedingly irritated sigh spoke volumes. “It turns out the company that constructed my condo building may have used that drywall imported from China that was banned in the US for having harmful gases.”

“Yikes.”

“Tell me about it. The entire building has to be inspected. The management company is going to call sometime between tonight and tomorrow to let me know if my condo is affected.” She put her hands up. “I so do not need this right now. I’m so mad I don’t even want to
think
about this right now.” Kiera nodded toward the travel case. “So, what kind of kinky toys are we peddling next week?”

Jada rolled the bag into the dining room and started pulling out the products she’d ordered for the party.

Kiera had the same reaction to the triple-threat vibrator that she’d had. “I’ll have to graduate up to this one. I don’t think I can handle that much stimulation,” she said.

“I agree.” Jada laughed. She took out fuzzy pink handcuffs, feather nipple clamps, and matching eye masks. “These were included in the Valentine’s Day overstock sale, so I ordered a few just in case. Oh, and I still have to hit some of the drugstores for the Valentine’s Day markdowns. I’m waiting for it to get to at least fifty-percent off.”

“That sounds good,” Kiera murmured as she absently rubbed the furry handcuffs, her unfocused gaze directed at a spot on the wall.

“Okay, that’s enough of this.” Jada slapped a rubber crop on the table. “What’s up with you?”

Kiera looked over at her, blinking rapidly. “What?”

“I’ve known you too long. I know something is up.”

“I’ve been put out of my house and may not have the part for my mixer. Isn’t that enough?” she asked, tossing the handcuffs back into the travel case.

Jada slid her a skeptical look. She’d known Kiera since the day she and her best friend, Callie Webber, had caught Jada defacing the locker of the captain of the cheerleading squad. They’d taken her into their fold soon after and the three of them had been friends ever since.

Of the three of them, Kiera was the most optimistic. She rarely let anything get to her.

However, they all had their moments over the years, and Jada had known Kiera long enough to know that she wouldn’t be able to pry anything out of her that Kiera didn’t want her to know. She also knew that if she waited long enough, her friend would eventually open up.

***

Mason adjusted the intensity setting on the driver’s seat of his Mercedes CL550, groaning with pleasure as the rolling massage reached his lumbar region. He was actually happy to get stopped at the red traffic signal at the entrance of his subdivision. It gave him a few extra minutes to enjoy the seat’s ministrations.

The light turned green and Mason turned into the subdivision, flashing his keycard up to the electronic keypad to open the gate. A few minutes later, he frowned as he pulled up to his house and spotted a white Nissan next to his sister’s Mazda CX-5. It was blocking the entry to the side of the garage where he parked his car.

“Shit,” Mason cursed under his breath.

He pulled in behind Kiera’s SUV so that whoever was parked on the other side of the driveway could move out of his damn spot. Mason reached over to the passenger side and grabbed his briefcase and the mail he’d picked up from his post office box on the way home. He locked his car and walked up to the Nissan, peering inside. He noticed Hello Kitty seat covers and groaned.

“Oh, God, not her. Not today.” Releasing a heavy sigh, Mason strode up to the front door and entered the house. “Shit,” he said again when he confirmed that it was indeed Jada Dangerfield sitting in his living room.

“Nice to see you again, too, Mason,” Jada said in a voice that belied her words.

“You’re blocking the way into my garage,” he said, pitching his keys into the top drawer of the apothecary chest that sat just off the right of the entryway.

Kiera rolled her eyes while Jada’s narrowed with annoyance. Without another word Jada stood, pulled a set of car keys from the pocket of her tight jeans, and marched toward him, her gaze fiery enough to singe. Mason met her rage with a look of bored indifference, because he knew it would piss her off.

She stuck that pert nose in the air as she strode past him, leaving the door opened behind her. Seconds later, the rumble of a starting engine sounded from outside.

Mason advanced toward the sofa, thumbing through his mail.

“Why must you turn into an ass whenever you’re around Jada?” his sister asked.

He looked up from the parcel of bills, credit card offers, and other junk mail. “Asking her to get out of my parking space makes me an ass?”

“Never mind.” Kiera shook her head. “Anyway, thanks again for letting me stay here a couple of days. I could have gone to Mom’s, but you’re so much closer to my kitchen.”

“I told you it’s not a problem. It’s not as if I don’t have the room. Besides,” he said, loosening the knot in his tie. “Having a caterer bunk here for a few nights means I don’t have to worry about ordering takeout. The chicken pasta thing you make with the cream sauce will work.”

Again with the eye roll, Kiera said, “The chicken is already defrosting. You’re just that predictable.”

Mason heard the front door open and grimaced. He’d meant to head to the back before Jada returned. He’d had a hard enough day at the office; he wasn’t in the mood for engaging in combat in his own house.

“Happy?” she asked as she resumed her seat on the sofa.

“I don’t know. Will I find a mysterious scratch on my door?”

“If I wanted to vandalize your property, I wouldn’t do it behind your back, Mason. I’d make sure you had a front row seat.”

“The way you did when you poured nail polish all over the hood of my Caprice?”

She hopped up from the sofa and got in this face. “I did
not
spill that nail polish on your stupid Chevy. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“When I came home from tutoring, my car was fine. You walk through the door and, ten minutes later, the car is covered in bright pink nail polish. We don’t need a CSI team to figure that one out.”

“That ugly ass car needed a paint job, but I didn’t give it one.”

“Oh, my God, would you two please stop?” Kiera screeched. “What is it with the two of you? You’ve been this way since high school.”

“He’s the one who starts with me,” Jada accused, pointing her slim finger at his chest. Her own chest rose and fell with her labored breaths, pulling her fitted T-shirt taut across her breasts. As it had been way too often during their legendary arguments over the years, Mason had an overpowering urge to pull her against him and kiss the rest of the breath from her lungs.

Instead, as always, he took several steps back, giving himself some much-needed distance.

Kiera’s cell phone rang, creating a fissure in the thick tension hovering over the room.

“Oh, it’s my building’s management office. Let’s hope my place is okay.” She answered the phone, but seconds later said, “Can you wait just a minute. The service here is spotty.” Covering the mouthpiece, she hissed, “Why’d you have to build a house so far away from a dang cell phone tower?” as she headed for the front door.

Mason turned his attention from his sister’s retreating back to find Jada giving him the evil eye again.

“What?” he asked.

“Forget it. Not worth it,” she said before returning to her spot on the sofa.

Mason blew out a tired breath and headed for his room. He went straight to his walk-in closet, which was bigger than the combined bedroom and bathroom in the modest starter home he’d lived in for years before finally building this house.

He shrugged out of his suit jacket and hung it in the closet, then toed off his Tom Ford loafers, not bothering to put in the shoe trees. He’d probably wear these tomorrow.

There was a knock on the door to his master suite.

“Come in,” Mason called. Kiera entered the room, and Mason could tell by her dour expression that she didn’t come bearing good news. “Let me guess. Your entire condo was built using Chinese drywall.”

“Every single inch,” Kiera confirmed.

Mason shrugged. “It could be worse. You could also have termites.”

“If you’re trying to make me feel better, you’re failing,” his sister said. “Are you okay with me having an extended stay?”

“Yes, Kiera.” It was his turn to roll his eyes. “Ask me again and I’m putting you out on your ass.”

She laughed as she wrapped him up in a hug.

Mason would never admit it to her, but he’d pumped a triumphant fist in the air when Kiera had called this morning asking if she could stay at his place. It had been such a long time since she’d come right out and asked him for anything. He’d spent a fair portion of his adolescence and adulthood taking care of his sister; he missed her needing him.

“Oh, there’s one other thing,” Kiera said. “I was supposed to host a party at my place next weekend.” She put both hands up, as if expecting him to protest. “It’s nothing big. About ten or so women, and only for a few hours.”

“Fine,” Mason said.

“Great!” She gave him a peck on the cheek. “We were afraid we’d have to hold it at Jada’s. Her place is so tiny you can hardly move around in there.”

Mason almost added the caveat that Jada couldn’t attend, but he didn’t have the energy to be that petty. He just knew that he would have to stay the hell away if she was going to be there. Not that he had any desire to hang around with his baby sister and a group of her friends, but he sure as hell didn’t want to hang around
that
particular friend. The woman got off on rubbing him the wrong way.

Kiera’s cell phone rang again.

“Why are you so popular today?” Mason asked.

She looked at the screen and scrunched up her nose. “I need to take this.” She gave him another peck on the cheek, and said, “Thanks again,” before leaving the room.

Mason unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled the sleeves up on his shirt. After sliding his feet into his L.B. Evans slippers, he went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, smiling at the chopped peppers, onions and other ingredients for Kiera’s pasta, portioned in plastic baggies. Apparently, he
was
that predictable.

Sipping from his water bottle, Mason spotted the usually bare dining room table through the arched doorway that led from the kitchen. It was cluttered with boxes and packages. He went into the dining room and frowned as his eyes roamed over the collection of items strewn about the table.

He picked up a lavender box, his eyes widening in horrified surprise as he inspected the package.

“G-Swirl Vibrator?”

Mason marched into the living room and held the box up to Jada. “What in the hell is this?”

Jada looked up from the legal pad she was scribbling on—one of
his
legal pads—and peered at the box.