Hidden Pleasures (5 page)

He could just imagine spending a week behind closed doors with her. She would teach him manners and he would teach her how to let her hair down, live for the moment. He would love to see those caramel-colored eyes turn chocolate-brown from something other than anger. A full-blown orgasm would do the trick.

“Is there anything else? You’re just sitting here not saying anything.”

Eli’s words whipped Galen’s mind back on track and he quickly stood. “No, that’s about it. If possible I’d like
the papers sent today, so she’ll get them tomorrow. She might want to return to Phoenix and go through her mother’s belongings.”

A part of him was counting on her doing so and he intended to make it his business to be around when she did. Maybe all wasn’t lost after all.

“Excuse me, Galen, but I have work to do. Now you’re just standing there, staring into space and smiling.”

Galen shook his head. To know Eli was to love him. He could be such a pain in the ass. “You’re going to the folks’ for dinner tomorrow night?” he decided to ask before he left.

“Of course. Who could be brave enough to miss it? If we don’t show up for Mom’s Thursday-night family dinner hour, there’s no telling what will happen the next day. She might decide to come around snooping.”

Galen knew that to be true. Mercury hadn’t shown up one night last month and before he could wake up Friday morning, Eden Steele was on his doorstep. She’d told him that because son number five had missed such an important family activity, she was duty-bound to spend the whole day with him. Unfortunately, Mercury hadn’t been alone when their mother had shown up. By the end of the day, after driving their mother around town—to do some mother-and-son bonding as she’d called it—Mercury hadn’t been too happy.

“Then I will see you tomorrow night.” He turned to leave and then stopped and said, “And by the way, I like your new administrative assistant. She has nice legs.”

Eli grunted. “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t noticed.”

Liar, Galen thought. He happened to know Eli was a leg man. Chances were he’d not only noticed, but he’d already been between those same legs. If he hadn’t gotten that far already, there was no doubt in Galen’s mind that Eli was finalizing his plans to get there.

Galen couldn’t help chuckling as he walked out the door. He wasn’t mad at Eli. That was the Steeles’ way. And why did another part of him wish things had worked out differently between him and Brittany Thrasher? It would have been nice had she agreed to his proposal. Just as well that she hadn’t, though, because he had plenty of work to do back at his garage. He needed to get his mind back on track and finish working on his latest video game project.

But when it came to a woman who looked like Brittany Thrasher, he would trade in a bunch of electronic parts for her real body parts any day.

Brittany sat staring at her cell phone and the business card she had placed beside it. She had a decision to make and doing so wasn’t easy. She had enjoyed dinner with Nikki; it’d been like old times as they’d reminisced and caught up on each other’s lives. They had agreed to do lunch before Brittany returned home…if she didn’t take Galen Steele up on his offer.

Drawing in a deep breath, she reached for her phone and then quickly snatched her hand back. She was not ready to do anything just yet. She glanced over at the clock. Only sixteen hours had passed since Galen Steele had made his offer and he’d given her forty-eight.
That meant she had thirty-two hours to go. Because she hadn’t been sure what to expect with this trip to Phoenix, especially how long she would have to stay, she had purchased a one-way ticket. One of her employees was covering her etiquette training classes for the next couple of weeks, so she didn’t have to worry about work, either.

She stood and decided that no matter how much she wanted her mother’s home and the belongings inside it, she would not make any hasty decisions where Galen Steele was concerned. It was quite obvious the man wanted only one thing from her and it had nothing to do with teaching him manners like he claimed. Mind you, his manners could use some improving, but she wasn’t that gullible to believe he wanted her to stay under his roof for seven days to perfect his pleases and thank-yous.

She lay across the bed and grabbed the remote to flick on the television. She was not a television person, but for lack of anything else to do for now, she would see if there was anything on the tube worth watching. She had thought of driving back out to her mother’s house, but there would be no purpose served in doing that.

As she lay there looking at the television without actually seeing it, she couldn’t help wondering about the pros and cons of staying with Galen for a week. He didn’t come across as the type of man who would try and force a woman to do anything she didn’t want to do. But still…

Would she have a guest bedroom, or did he assume
she would be sharing his? And just what type of manners did he want to be taught? Most people knew the basic manners; they just didn’t use them. And then there was the issue of her little problem… If she spent an entire week with him, would Galen cure her of her sexual hang-ups? Her low libido had never bothered her. Now she was beginning to wonder if it should have.

She pulled the pillow from under her head and then smothered her face with it. It swallowed up her groan. This was all Galen’s fault. The man not only had her thinking, but he also had her feeling things she’d never felt before. Nikki would think that was a good sign.

She removed the pillow off her face, tossed it aside and stared up at the ceiling. She thought about the last serious relationship she’d been involved in with Gilford Turner. For an entire year he would arrive after church on Sunday like clockwork and stay until Tuesday. They never discussed marriage and that had been fine with her as much as it had been with him. His mother had been the only one bothered by their lack of motivation to get to the altar. For them, there had been no big rush.

She hadn’t fooled herself into thinking that she was in love with him or vice versa. They liked each other and that was as far as it went. That’s why when he’d dropped by one day during the week to announce he wouldn’t be coming back, with a smile on her face she’d gathered up all of his belongings, placed them in a box and walked him to the door and wished him well. In the days, weeks and months that followed, she hadn’t pined after him, nor had she missed his presence. She
had carried on with her life and her Sundays through Tuesdays had once again become her own.

And as for the sex…

She could honestly say she hadn’t missed any of it because there hadn’t been anything inspiring about it.

A year after Gilford, she’d tried getting back into the dating thing again and it took less than a month to decide she hadn’t wanted the hassles, the aggravation or the drama of getting to know another man. Most tried to be slick and only had one thing on their mind. Sex. At some point she realized she’d rather have a root canal than to contemplate having sex with a man.

Would Galen be different? She was attracted to him, that much was a given. And around him she’d felt a sexual interest that she hadn’t felt toward a man before, which could be considered a plus. And for the first time in her life she could admit to dreaming about hot, sweaty sex. Galen himself had crept into her dreams during those times.

Indulging her nervous habit, she bit her bottom lip. She had decisions to make and for now she needed her full concentration. She turned off the TV. She had to think. Boy, did she have to think.

H
is cell phone rang and Galen absently pressed the Bluetooth in his ear without taking his gaze off the sixty pieces of software components in front of him. It was the middle of the day and he was in his air-conditioned six-car garage working on what would be the brain of his next video game. He had worked on what he considered the senses last night.

“This is Galen.”

“Mr. Steele, this is Brittany Thrasher.”

He shifted his gaze to a copy of the FedEx receipt Eli had dropped off earlier. Because he’d been busy at the time, he had placed it on his desk. He wasn’t surprised she was calling. Evidently she’d gotten the overnight package and was calling to thank him.

“Yes, Ms. Thrasher?”

“I was wondering if we could meet somewhere and talk.”

He lifted a brow, surprised. “You’re still in Phoenix?”

“Yes.”

He put down the pliers he’d been holding. If she was still in Phoenix that meant she was unaware he’d signed the house over to her. “And what do you want to talk about?”

“Your proposal. I have some questions about it.”

He drew in a deep, steadying breath as he tried to get his heart rate under control, while at the same time ignore the throbbing in his groin. Was she seriously contemplating taking him up on his offer? He definitely hadn’t expected her to do so. The decent thing to do would be to come clean and tell her that he’d signed the house over to her, so there was no need for them to discuss the proposal. But he couldn’t help being curious about her questions.

“What kind of questions?” he heard himself asking.

“First of all, I want to know where I’ll be sleeping while I’m under your roof.”

Several visual images flashed through his mind. Maybe now was not a good time to tell her that if he had his way, she wouldn’t be doing much sleeping. “Where would you want to sleep?” he decided to ask her.

“In a guest bedroom.”

He smiled, not surprised. “That could be arranged for the first couple of days.” There was no reason to tell
her that if that’s where she slept, then that’s where he would also be sleeping.

“And I know granting this request might be a little difficult, especially for a man I’m teaching manners to, but I’d like you to promise to keep your hands to yourself.”

He couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh. “When?”

“Excuse me?”

Oh, he wouldn’t excuse her, not even a little bit. “I asked when am I supposed to keep my hands to myself?”

“At all times.”

His smile widened. He hadn’t done that since grade school when Cindy Miller had squealed to the teacher on him for kissing her neck. “Sorry, I can’t make you that promise because I
do
intend to touch you,” he said, deciding he might as well tell her the truth.

“Mr. Steele, this is only a coincidence but believe it or not, I teach manners for a living.”

He chuckled. “You don’t say.”

“I do say. I own Etiquette Matters and I take my work seriously. If I decided to accept your proposal—and that’s a big ‘if’—my sole purpose would be to teach you manners.”

“In that case, Ms. Thrasher, maybe the first thing on your list should be to teach me how to keep my hands off you.” He leaned back in his chair, clearly enjoying this. He could imagine she was pretty damn annoyed with him about now.

“Is there any way we can renegotiate your offer?”

She had to be kidding. “No. I have something you want and you have something I want. You either come to live with me for a week or the house and its contents go to charity.”

“You are being difficult, Mr. Steele.”

He smiled. Now that she had surprised the hell out of him by showing an interest, she hadn’t seen anything yet.

“There’s no reason for me to make it easy for you, Ms. Thrasher. I gave you my terms. You can either accept them or reject them. You have less than ten hours to decide.”

He wished they were talking face-to-face. He figured her bottom lip was quivering in anger about now, and he would love to see, even better, he’d love to taste that anger.

“I’d like to make a counteroffer.”

He shook his head. She didn’t know when to give up. She was definitely persistent and he liked that about her because he was the same way. He didn’t say anything for a while, deciding to let her statement hover between them for a minute. And then, “Because I consider myself a fair man, I’ll let you do that. But we need to meet in person,” he said. He rubbed his chin. “I can come to your hotel.”

“I prefer we meet someplace else.”

“If you insist. Let’s meet at Regis. It’s a coffee shop in downtown Phoenix, walking distance from your hotel.”

“I never told you the name of my hotel.”

He thought quick on his feet. “I didn’t say that you did. I assume you’re staying at one of the hotels downtown.”

Not wanting to give her time to think about his slipup, he asked, “Are you not staying at a hotel downtown?”

She hesitated a quick minute before saying, “Yes, I am.”

“Fine. I’ll meet you at Regis in an hour. Goodbye.” He then quickly ended the call before she could rethink it.

Brittany thought it was a beautiful day for walking. Besides, it gave her some extra time to think before actually meeting with Galen. Even though it was lunch time and the sidewalk was crowded with people, she couldn’t help being fascinated with downtown Phoenix.

Earlier that day she had gone on a tour of the state capitol and had checked out the Phoenix Art Museum. She had arrived in time to see a small play on the history of the state; however, she’d been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn’t really paid attention.

When she saw the sign for Regis up ahead, she began nibbling on her lips. Meeting with Galen Steele wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t so darn handsome. Her attraction to him had taken her by surprise, because no man ever captured her interest the way he had.

Annoyance seethed through her when she remembered that he was a man with only one thing on his agenda. It would be up to her to try and sway his mind about a few
things. If he didn’t go along with what she was going to suggest, what did she have to lose?

Her house, for starters.

That realization made her heart sink as she opened the door to the café. She only had to scan the place a few seconds before her gaze locked with his. In an instant she was drawn to the most captivating pair of green eyes anyone could possess. They would be her downfall if she wasn’t careful. But how could a woman be careful around the likes of Galen? Just seeing him issued an invitation to take every risk and then some.

He stood when he saw her and she was impressed that he could display some manners when he wanted to. Only thing was, now that he was standing, her gaze shifted from his eyes to encompass all of him. He was wearing a pullover shirt and a pair of khakis. His stance was sexy as sin.

The sunlight pouring through the windows struck him at an angle that projected brilliant rays on his skin, which was the color of mahogany. And if that wasn’t bad enough, his shoulders looked broader in that particular shirt.

She continued to hold his gaze as she released the door to step inside. This meeting was utterly ridiculous, really. His proposal had been absurd. And the thought that she was here to negotiate anything was absolutely crazy. What she should do was turn right around, open the door and leave. But she couldn’t do that. This man stood between her and the one thing she wanted more
than anything. A connection to her mother. He was the key. To be even more specific, he
had
the key.

She broke eye contact with him long enough to note that the café was packed but somehow he’d grabbed a table. Sighing deeply and with a tight smile plastered on her face, she moved toward him.

There would be nothing proper or graceful about the way he would take her the first time, Galen decided as he watched Brittany stroll in his direction. It didn’t have to be in a bed. Any spot in his house would suffice. And they didn’t have to be lying down. Taking her against a wall would be fine. He should be downright mortified with the direction of his thoughts. Definitely ashamed. But he wasn’t.

He kept his gaze trained on her. She walked with confidence, grace and style. And the look on her face was that of a woman on a mission. A mission not to change the world, just his mind.

His eyes scanned her. She was wearing a denim skirt that hit below the knee and a modest blouse. Who did modest and below the knee these days? he wondered. Still, he had to admit that both items of clothing looked rather nice on her. The skirt did an awesome job of showing her curves, and the blouse emphasized the firmness of the breasts pressing against it. And those legs he’d admired yesterday were still looking pretty damn good today. He could imagine those legs wrapped around him after he got between them.

Was that sweat he was beginning to feel on his brow?
No matter, the lustful thoughts running through his mind were exhilarating. Hot and potent at their best. But that was okay because at some point he intended to turn those thoughts into reality.

As she got closer he couldn’t help noticing that she had a prissy look, too prim and proper. For some reason he felt that a bout of hot, heavy and sweaty sex would suit her. He wanted to see her perfectly done hair get mussed up a bit. He wanted to be the one to nibble on that bottom lip, and he wanted to be the one to make love to her without an ounce of finesse.

When she reached his table, she held out her hand to him. “Mr. Steele.”

Such formality. She had to be kidding, he thought, just seconds before saying, “Ms. Thrasher.” And then he took a step closer and lowered his mouth to hers.

Before Brittany could move, his mouth was there, dead center on hers. And when she parted her lips in shock, it gave him the opening he needed to slide his tongue inside her mouth.

For a split second she forgot how to breathe, especially when she felt Galen’s tongue giving her mouth a quick sweep before he pulled back, ending the kiss. In less than a minute he had taken the term
short and sweet
to a whole other level.

A quick glance indicated a number of people had witnessed the kiss. She narrowed her gaze at him. “It is not good manners to kiss in a public place.”

He smiled, evidently amused. “It’s not?”

“No.”

“Do you want to go outside and continue, then?”

“Of course not!”

“A pity,” he said, pulling a chair out for her. He brushed his fingers on her arms while doing so and she shivered, wondering if the touch had been accidental or if he’d meant to do it. She glanced over at him and from the smile on his face she knew he’d meant to do it.

And this was the man who wanted her to stay under his roof for a week. If he was taking these kinds of liberties in public, she could just imagine what he’d do in private. There was something about him that made her unbalanced, shaky, and she had to wonder if she had completely lost her mind to even be here with him.

“People are staring at us,” she said in a low voice.

He shrugged. “Let them stare. They probably think we’re lovers who didn’t get enough of each other last night. They’re just jealous.”

She wondered if he was always this quick with a comeback and if his mind continuously revolved around sex. If nothing else, she was picking up on some heated vibes just sitting across the table from him. She wondered if he felt them or if her senses were the only ones under siege.

“You wanted to make a counteroffer.” His words had cut into her thoughts and she looked into his green eyes. Good Lord, the man was handsome. “Yes, that’s right,” she said, almost stumbling over the words.

“Would you care for something to eat and drink before we get started on the negotiations?”

“Coffee, please.” What she needed was something stronger, but coffee would have to do.

She watched him motion to the waitress who came over with the coffeepot in her hand and ready to pour. After the woman walked away, he gave Brittany a chance to add her sweetener and take a sip before asking, “So, what’s your counteroffer?”

Brittany breathed in deeply, shifted in her seat and said, “That I teach you manners for a week but I live in the house.”

Galen immediately knew what house she was referring to, but decided to ask anyway. “And which house is that?”

“The one you won at the auction two days ago.”

“Why? Once you carry out the terms of my offer it will be yours in a week to do whatever you want with it, so what’s the hurry?”

“If I told you I doubt you’d understand.”

“Try me.”

“I’d rather not.”

Galen knew that even if she had shared her reason, he would not have changed his plans. “I prefer that you stay at my place. In fact, I insist on it. However, I’d give you the key to go there whenever you want when you have some free time.”

Genuine surprise touched her eyes. “You would?”

“Yes.”

He thought her smile perfection and it almost made
him feel like a heel for playing her this way, when all he had to do was tell her that as of ten o’clock yesterday morning, the house had become hers anyway. But for some reason he couldn’t do that. He’d never expected her to consider such an outlandish offer and now that she had, he couldn’t back down.

She took another sip of her coffee and he took a sip of his, wishing it was a sip of her instead. That quick taste he’d gotten of her when they’d kissed wasn’t enough, especially because he knew there was more where that had come from. Locking lips again with her was not something he was willing to pass up. And then there was her perfume. The scent was as luscious as she looked.

“So, are you ready to give me your answer?” he asked, while trying not to sound overly eager.

She looked up at him. “No, not yet. I have to think this through to the end.”

He could only think of one reason why she was drawing this out and the thought of it annoyed him. “Why? Do you have a boyfriend back home?”

“Of course not! If I did, I wouldn’t be here contemplating your offer. Just what kind of woman do you think I am?”