Smolder (St. Martin Family Saga)

SMOLDER

St. Martin Family Saga

Gina Watson

Copyright © 2013 by Gina Watson

Smolder

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

1

C
amp pushed against
his fiancée, her stiff body preventing easy passage of his cock. Her desperate words cut through the air.

“Camp, you’re hurting me.”

“Kim, if you’d let me lift your damn legs, it would go in easier.”

She began to cry.
Fuck
! Camp thought. It was like this every time. She was simply inhibited in the sack. He thought he’d be able to bring out her sexual desire, but it had been over a year and she was still so reserved. He felt like an ass when she cried.

“I’m sorry, Kimberly.” He kissed the tears from her eyes.

She inhaled audibly and said, “You know I don’t like to put my legs like that.”

He knew that all too well. She didn’t like anything but standard missionary. It was hard to even talk her into letting him massage her to climax, but he wanted her to feel good. He set the pad of his thumb on her clit and lightly massaged.

“Camp!”

“Hush. Let me. Your moisture will make taking me easier.”

He worked her into a slow lather, but she was strung so tight. She wouldn’t give herself over to him, and he hated that. He massaged deeper. He could feel the knot at her core and hear her increased wetness. If she knew, she’d probably make him stop. He could feel her holding back and the little trembles that were trying to break free. He worked her for ten minutes; she should have come by now.

“Kim, let yourself go.”

Using his middle finger he traced her seam and entered her slowly. Her knees tightened, pulling her legs closer together and causing her to tighten around his finger.

“Camp, it hurts.”

Camp let out an exasperated sigh and pushed himself to a sitting position in the bed. Kim pulled the sheet over her nakedness. Camp didn’t understand her at all. She was a beautiful woman. With her assets she could be a firecracker. Instead she was a two by four, wooden and straight. He thought something might have happened to her in the past but when he’d asked her about it, she’d said she just didn’t like sex. At the time he thought she’d just not had proper sex.

So he didn’t rush her. They dated for six months before they’d had intercourse. To say the first time didn’t go well would be an understatement. Kim cried the entire time, but he’d been more than sexually frustrated at that point. He’d been reduced to beating off in the shower and so when he finally got her where he wanted her, he pushed through her in spite of her tears—rutted into her like an animal seeking release. He’d tried to discuss it with her later, but she’d acted like nothing had happened. He didn’t know what to think. He naturally thought sex with her would become easier after that, but it never happened. If anything, she became more distant with him.

≈

Camp was in Lake Charles, away from home and from Kim, though he couldn’t escape her in his thoughts.

He didn’t know what to do for or with her. Or what to do for himself. They were engaged, but maybe…

No, he couldn’t admit defeat again. Not yet.

He turned back to his computer, to some specs from an upcoming project, but they didn’t hold his attention and right away he was again thinking of Kim.

The entire town of Whiskey Cove knew his story. He was a family man, a small-town guy. He’d been born and bred in Whiskey Cove, and he’d never left. He’d even commuted for college.

He’d met Mandy his senior year, a nursing student who’d been the lead singer in an all-girl rock band. Camp had thought that was hot. She embodied all of his sexual boyhood fantasies with her huge round breasts and lush hips, and she was an incredible fuck. It was the best sex he’d ever had. He’d married her and not six months later had walked in on her taking it doggy style in the very bed they shared.

They’d divorced. Marriage with Mandy had been the only time he hadn’t thought with his head, not with the right one anyway. Mandy disappeared afterward. He’d managed to keep the reasons for their separation a secret, citing irreconcilable differences.

The townsfolk and church members had supported him, but of course they’d given their thoughts on the matter. They’d driven him to the brink with all their gossip. They’d said he needed a like-minded woman, a woman with small-town family values. Camp didn’t disagree. He wanted a stable and loyal woman to build a family with. Passion would be nice but in the end, loyalty and stability were the most important qualities in a potential wife.

Kim had those qualities. She had family money and knew the importance of community and the family’s role within the community, especially families like theirs, those with money, power, and impact. She’d been raised to keep up appearances. She was discreet and proper. She was socially active, and everybody knew her name. After they’d dated a few months, Camp’s father and all her church elders wanted a union. Camp had wanted it too and so he’d tolerated church long enough to get hooked up with Kim. To his mind, the only reasons people attended church were to socialize and catch up on gossip.

Since he butchered it on his first try, Camp thought marriage to Kim, a woman much different from Mandy, made a lot of sense, and he always did what made sense. His brothers called him Mr. Play It Safe, but he didn’t care. He thought with his head, not his heart. The last time he didn’t abide by that philosophy, things blew up in his face. He wouldn’t lose control again. He wouldn’t put heart before head, emotions before rationalizations.

At a sound from down the hall, he looked up from his computer, but it was just one of the workmen. He was in Lake Charles through the end of the week. Right now he was supposed to be meeting a Jennifer Roberts, but she was already fifteen minutes late. Her inconsideration irritated him; she could have called.

She probably wouldn’t even care that his company was paying for her to stay in a suite, just as he was. The rooms needed to be large enough to serve as temporary offices. St. Martin Commercial Construction had been hired to oversee the revamping of the casino hotel’s west wing. It was to be aimed at high rollers. The developer wanted the wing to drip opulence, and this
Jennifer
had been hired to meet that design requirement. Camp wasn’t impressed. He never worked well with designers, and it seemed that trend would continue.

Pleasant feminine tones hit his ears. Who was singing? He didn’t mind at all, the sound was lovely and hypnotic, easing his cantankerous mood. He punched a few keys on his computer, the beautiful voice was getting closer.

Heels clacked down the hall. Not work boots this time. Camp lifted his head and that was when he first saw her, striding into his suite, humming of all things, late as she was. He took in her long wavy and windblown nut-brown hair streaked with copper highlights. Her slender neck accentuated her prominent jawline, a jawline made for nibbling. Thick dark lashes framed her chocolate eyes. Her teeth peeked through pillowy lips, and the slender bridge of her nose culminated in a button. She held her phone in one hand and clutched three portfolio folders to her chest with the other. She wore black dress slacks and heels. Her blouse was a cream color and made of a silky material. She hadn’t used all the buttons, leaving the skin of her upper chest exposed.

The woman set her folders on the table in the suite, turned to Camp, and extended her hand.

“Hi, I’m Jennifer Roberts. You can call me Jenny.”

Her voice suited her. It was a bit edgy, but low and smooth, and breathiness made it sensual. He wanted to hear it again. Hell, he wanted to record it so he could listen to it forever. Camp took her small, soft hand into his.

“Campbell St. Martin.”

She nodded at him. “Campbell, how about I call you Camp?”

His hand sizzled against hers. Their eyes locked, and her lips parted as she inhaled sharply. He let her hand go quickly. He would do well to remember Kim. Always think of Kim and get this chick out of your head.

“How ’bout you call me Campbell or Mr. St. Martin.”

“Huh.” Jenny shrugged and under her breath said, “Suit yourself, old man.”

Did she just call him
old man
? “Have something to say?”

She smiled tightly at him. “Nope, I’m good. Shall I show you the room sketches I’ve been working on?”

“Seeing as you have already wasted fifteen minutes of my time, I should think so.”

The phone in her hand beeped, and she looked down at it. She silenced it and set it on the table next to her folders.

She leaned forward and jerkily slammed opened the folders. Her blouse gaped when she moved. The top barely contained her tits. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and Camp could see the shadow of one nipple. He swallowed hard. Here was a woman not inhibited by her sexuality. He felt himself growing hard. He shook off his thoughts and tuned in to her words. She was talking about balustrades and damask linens. Camp didn’t care about the details, just the overall look and above all, the cost.

“How much is the cost per room?”

Her phone beeped again, and she picked it up to check the screen. Her lips thinned and her forehead creased. She straightened herself up and looked Camp square in the eye. “I don’t have that information completed in detail just yet.”

Camp cut her off with a raised hand. “I don’t have time to meet with you until you have all of the details in order. You come highly recommended, but maybe you should tend to whatever it is that’s distracting you so you can focus on what I’m paying you for.”

She started to speak, but he cut her off. “You may go.”

Her phone continued to beep. Camp loathed cellphones and especially people who couldn’t live without being attached to one. She stepped into the hallway, ignoring his directive to go. With a worry-tinged voice, she answered her phone.

Camp sat on the couch near the windows. He couldn’t believe the nerve of this woman. Did she really conduct herself like this at all her gigs? He couldn’t see how she would have created such a following if she did. He listened to her say, “It’s in his backpack—did you check there?”

He assumed she had a child, but he didn’t see a ring. Not caring about her privacy, since she didn’t seem to care, he listened to the one-sided conversation.

“Did he drink it already?” Her voice was full of concern. “Put him on the phone, please.” Her voice calmer, she said, “Hey, Andrew. What’s going on?” When she caught Camp’s eye, she pivoted, turning her back to him. “Well, I can’t do that; I’m in Lake Charles until Sunday. Remember I wrote it for you on the calendar?” She sighed. “So will you please just drink the grape?” She inhaled slow and deep. “Thank you. I love you.”

She slipped the phone into her pocket and returned to stand in front of Camp. “Mr. St. Martin”—she overenunciated every vowel of his name—“have you ever had a bad day?”

She was tapping her foot, waiting for a reply. The audacity of the woman. He’d give her an answer. He stood and said, “Everyone has bad days, but one mustn’t let personal life interfere with business. It’s all about balance.”

Her eyes grew wide, and her mouth opened on an arrested exhale. “Balance. Really?” She cocked her head. Her voice was louder and clear when she said, “Funny you should say such a thing because I heard when you found your wife in bed with another man, you botched a crucial element in the Dunbar development that ended up costing them thousands of dollars.” She started to walk toward the table but whirled around and jabbed a finger toward him. “Haven’t you ever heard those who live in glass houses
mustn’t
throw stones? Honestly, who even talks like that?”

Camp was seething mad and jumped up, advancing on her with an anger-fueled pace. What she said was true, but he thought no one knew about the fuck-up since his father had diligently worked to cover it up. He wanted to wring her smooth ivory neck for mentioning the flaming fiasco.

“Who the hell do you think you are? You can’t speak to me like that.” Camp’s voice was a shout.

Her voice was raspy when she said, “You can’t tell me what I can and cannot do.” She gathered her things and hurried to the door.

He grabbed her upper arm, jerking her back. “Hey, we’re not done.”

She yanked her arm out of his grasp. “Oh yes, we are. I’ll send you a bill for my initial sketches and quotes.”

Camp narrowed his eyes at her. Still yelling, he said, “You didn’t give me any fucking quotes.”

She turned and stomped up to him. “You want a fucking quote? Here’s one!”

She slapped his face. Hard.

Camp couldn’t believe what had just happened. He held his palm to his warm cheek. The crazy bitch had slapped him. Her eyes were large and luminous, her breathing agitated. Camp instinctively moved his hand down to his crotch to adjust his painful erection. This was far from over.

≈

In her own room, Jenny packed her things. She couldn’t work with
Mr.
St. Martin, so she might as well get back to her brother. He needed her.

One mustn’t let personal life interfere… It’s all about balance
.

That man was the hugest dick on the planet. Her anger simmered just below the surface. She wouldn’t stay here and take his condescension. She didn’t need this job that badly. Besides, she was sure to be fired.