Sex, Lies, and Beauty Aides (12 page)

“Come on.” He tugged her to her room. He placed each item carefully on the nightstand. “You lie down across the bed and hang your head over the edge. I’ll sit beside you and we’ll see if I can work it off a little at a time.”

“So this is what it takes to get a man to take me to bed. Go figure,” she said with a snicker.

“The lengths you’ll go through for a man,” he said, and while she positioned herself on the bed, he took in her boudoir. The walls were painted a delicate shade of ivory, with lots of girlie pink accents. Bed big enough for two covered in lacy pillows. Riotously feminine yet classically decorated. Once she settled in place her nightshirt rode dangerously high up her shapely thighs.

Sabrina immediately acted on his request. She never once questioned him but seemed to place every ounce of trust in him. Talk about intimidation. If he’d been in her situation, he’d feel like a prize fool. And yet, she’d called him. Well, not exactly him, but Travis. And that irked the hell out of him. Malfeasance washed over him like an avalanche roaring down the side of a mountain and he was rooted in its path.

“Where the heck did you get this idea anyway?” He reached for the oil and a Q-tip and debated on the best place to start. The strawberry fragrance of her shampoo mixed with the floral smell of her perfume filled his senses, it next to impossible to concentrate.

“On the internet. And before you say it, I know, I should have thought it through and asked questions. It was either this or a kitty litter mask I’d found. Frankly, nothing is going to compel me to put kitty litter on my face, out of the question.” Even in the midst of a chaos her mind was working nonstop. She danced in place, unable to keep still like some sort of crazy mental dance.

Curtail his chuckle? Not hardly. No doubt his laughter did nothing to make her feel a damn bit better about her choice. Even the with her face covered in glop, there was something absolutely remarkable about her. He felt protective of her. Wanted to help her.

Now he understood. How the guys she’d dated suddenly called off their plans. He felt the same damn way. That’s it. Time to end the charade before it was too late.

“Travis, this position is giving me a headache. Can I rest my head on the bed?”

“Sure, go for it.”

She didn’t waste a moment, scooting down until her head was flat on the bed. Her night shirt rode even higher

If his trousers got any tighter he’d need to go to the ER himself.

With his decision made, his plans shelved for the time, he struggled to concentrate on her current crisis. He shifted into a more comfortable position then dipped a Q-tip in the mineral oil and worked it under her bottom lashes first to release them. Once freed, he started to work around the edges of her face. When that didn’t work he tried the peroxide next, hoping the bubbles would do the trick and release the mask from her skin and maybe wipe some of the excess mess away.

“Any chance you have any alcohol?”

“I already gave it to you.” She tipped her head back and turned dazzling green eyes on him.

“No, I mean drinking alcohol.” His stomach flipped. He was mesmerized by the gold flecks in them.

“I’m sure Kat and Jill have something, but not sure what. I’m not much of a drinker, maybe some Peppermint Schnapps or Tequila Rose. No telling what’s in there. Why?” She fiddled with the edge of her nightshirt, the lacy edge of her red underwear peeked out.

He swallowed and almost choked. “You’re too tense. We need to loosen you up a bit. It might help me remove this mask easier.” Or at least make her sit still. He didn’t dare voice how her undulations on the bed drove him wild.

“Isn’t it a bit early in the day to drink?” she mumbled.

“Normally, I’d say yes, but under the circumstances I think we can make an exception.”

“I will not drink alone so you best plan to join me.” She shook a finger in his direction.

“I don’t usually drink this early, but what the hell. Where do you keep the booze?” What was he getting himself into? He was hot as hell imagining her thighs wrapped around him, the imagery drove him nuts. The nagging panic that filled him with desire turned him into an addlepated fool.

“Check in the cupboard above the fridge.”

Twenty minutes later his head was swimming. Judging from Sabrina’s constant laughter, she felt no pain. He didn’t feel any worse for wear either. In fact, they had developed a serious case of the giggles. Had he ever giggled before?

Not Likely. He wasn’t the type. He blinked and forced his focus back to the mask removal.

“Come on Sabrina, lay down and let’s get this thing off.”

“Go ahead, have your way with me.” Relaxed and pliant, she laughed softly, hiccupped, and flopped back down on the bed.

He let out a breath of air. Holy Jesus man, she didn’t mean that way. He sat on the bed and placed her head on his lap. Shit, this didn’t help him rein in his libido either. He needed to get the damn thing off and get the hell out of there. Fast.

“Close your eyes. This might hurt. I want to try to free the hairs of your eyebrows and around your forehead. I don’t want to yank them out. Please lie still.” His voice rose higher than he’d ever heard it before.

“Tell me a joke or something. Anything to keep my mind off of what you’re doing,” she asked, visibly anxious and unhappy.

“Clean or dirty? The joke I mean?”

“I don’t care, just hurry up. I don’t want the booze to wear off too soon.” She straightened her body out stiffly and wiggled her toes.

“In that case, let’s have another couple of shots and relieve the rest of your tension first.”

Two shots later the chuckles were back, an octave louder. Sabrina got back in to position as he continued to work, sing-songing his bawdy little ditty.

“There once was a man from Nantucket,

who didn’t have much more than a ducat.

He drank what he could,

which was more than he should.

And soon found his head in a bucket.”

“No fair.” She clutched her stomach. Her laughter gave a bouncing shake to the bed beneath her. “Oh no, I have to pee.” She jumped up, leaped off the bed, and ran to the bathroom.

Sabrina returned from the bathroom, her smile even bigger. She stepped onto the bed, her balance clumsy, she wobbled then toppled over and fell to her knees like a toddler leaning to walk. She stared at him and suddenly stopped laughing, lowered her gaze then turned away to settle flat on the bed. The expression in her eyes left him sad. He’d miss her. More than he cared to admit.

He inspected the mask and let out a whoop of satisfaction. “A-ha. The oil is working.”

He applied more oil against her skin with the swab. Bit-by-bit he worked around the edges. She continued to squirm until the hem of her nightgown was bunched around her belly button. The lacy bikini underwear barely covering her mound flashed him like a neon beacon making it damn near impossible to focus. Twice he almost put the swab in her ear. She wiggled and fidgeted as he tore his gaze away to concentrate on the job.

“Hold still, I almost have it off.” One last gentle tug later and Sabrina was free of the evil mask.

“There you go.” He sat back and grinned.

“You did it,” she squealed.

He stood and held out the hardened green mask. “What do you want to do with this?”

“Throw it away, burn it, set it under a steam roller. I don’t care.” She leapt straight in to his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist exactly the way he’d imagined earlier and kissed him.

This is what he wanted.

The action knocked the mask from of his hand and onto the bed where it bounced and landed on the floor.

It had started out as a simple thank you kiss, except the second her lips touched his, the soft sweet taste of her lips made him want to take it further, and turn it into much more.

He’d been dying to give her more than the virtuous little kisses he’d doled out. All the pent up passion he’d held back suddenly ran rampant, as if he’d been down to his last buck and won a jackpot in Vegas. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close against his body.

Her hardened nipples pressed against his chest. He wanted more. Her mouth opened and his tongue tangled with hers to do its own unique version of the Lambada. He rubbed against her, pressed closer, and lowered her down on the bed.

God, he wanted her. Was it fair to pretend to be his brother or should he confess now before they went too far?

Too late.

She’d already taken his heart hostage and there would be no ransom.

6

Sabrina hadn’t ever been kissed like this. Completely senseless. The second her lips touched his, she turned into a wanton she-cat. Hells bells, she didn’t even know she had it in her. Her heart pummeled her ribs in double-overtime. This is what she’d waited her entire life for. A man to make her feel special. Why did it have to happen now when she looked like crap? Should she allow him to go any further? Isn’t that what she wanted? He was her boss and everyone knew you don’t dip your nib in the company inkpot. She really liked him. Why not take a chance?

She doubted it meant more to him than another conquest. Travis never said he felt anything for her. In fact, he was the one to ask her to be a friend. No way did that equal relationship. Not in her book.

No.

She didn’t want to have sex with someone who viewed her as a pal. How depraved and cheap. It took every ounce of strength to stop the kiss and push him away. She had to.

“I’m sorry, Travis.” Her chest ached. As if pushing him away shattered her soul. “I love the feel of your lips on mine only I don’t see how this can go any further.” It hurt to swallow. She stifled a sob. “Y—you’re my boss and we both know it can’t work.”

“Shh.” Travis put a finger to her lips.

His eyes bore into hers melting her insides with a fire she hadn’t seen there before. Between the sobs and rapid breaths she was in serious jeopardy of passing out. She had to calm down. “I won’t let my first time be a one night stand. I want it to be as special for him as it is for me.”

“But–”

“Perhaps, it’s best if you leave now.” Sabrina rolled away from him and sat on the edge of the bed. Embarrassed and ashamed, she covered her face. Didn’t want to see disgust on his face after she’d kissed him like that.

The surprise on his face when she asked him to leave gave her pause. He looked a cross between stunned and hurt. He was probably stunned—she was willing to bet no woman ever asked him to leave…before now.

Oh God, what must he think of her?

* * * *

A chill squeezed Trent’s heart. He’d been totally unfair to both of them.

He had to find the right time to tell her the truth, beg her forgiveness, and hope to hell she didn’t quit her job. “I’m sorry too, but I do understand what you mean. I apologize if I overstepped the boundaries of a gentleman. You’re one hell of a woman. If you change your mind you have my number.”

She paced, her hands clasped in front of her. “Travis, if we didn’t work together it’d be a different story. I want nothing more than to find out what we might make of this. It seems wrong to treat such a monumental moment like an everyday matter. I’m not like that. I’m sorry.”

Well hell. It was bad enough he’d acted like a heel, but her comments made him feel unbelievably worse. Trent climbed off the bed and came around to face her. He drew her back into his arms. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Neither of us planned the kiss. It just happened. We’re drawn to one another. I’m not surprised a bit because we’re so much alike. Before today, I’d never planned to move from the east coast. But with a woman like you, yeah there’s a good possibility I’d change my mind.”

“I can’t ask you to do that. You have a job to do, your family needs you, and well—it’s simply not fair. I think it’s better if we don’t interact on a personal level anymore. It will be painful enough to have to work with you and know we might have had something special. I don’t want to make it any harder for either of us.”

He pushed a silky strand of hair out of her eyes. Her words drove a sword straight to the center of his heart, but she was right. “Fair enough.”

Tears streamed down her face.