Tarzan & Janine (9 page)

He grinned. “No more car talk.”

“Don’t have the breath for it anyway.”

Tanner reached beneath her and cupped her sweet curvy ass, bringing her closer as he stroked deeper and deeper. Her channel heated around him, moisture easing his way. With sweat beginning to slick his chest and back, he found his rhythm, closed his eyes, and tried not to think about how pretty she was or how perfectly they fit together.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. They still needed to talk, but damn her fingers were scoring his shoulders, digging into his back, then his ass. He pumped faster, moving her and the bed, faster and faster.

When her breath hitched and her body bowed, tightening beneath him, he thrust harder until he felt the gentle convulsions rippling around his cock as she came. Only then did he let go, powering into her until he gave a husky shout. He rocked against her, the tension in his balls releasing in steady strokes.

When he opened his eyes again, she was staring upward. Her expression had him worried. “Did I hurt you?” He immediately withdrew and lay down beside her on the mattress, propped on one elbow.

“No. No.” She looked everywhere but at him. “This is not happening.”

“I would have stopped, if you had said to.” He smoothed a hand across her naked belly.

Janine shook her head, then turned her head and glared. “That’s just it. I didn’t. I can’t believe I let it go this far. I have dreams! This isn’t part of them.” She sat up, pulling up the sheet to cover her naked body. “I’m going to Hollywood, damn it.”

Back not quite to square one, Tanner lay propped on his side, a smile tugging at his lips. “Though I’d rather you stayed, I’m not stoppin’ you.”

“It’s not you, it’s me.” She cast him an accusing glance. “I couldn’t stop myself.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” He chuckled. “Felt pretty damn good to me.”

“Exactly.” She sighed and lay down beside him. “I should have gotten that part. I should be building my acting resume. Instead, I felt sorry for myself and fell into bed with you the first chance I got. It’s all your fault.” She rolled over and tapped a fist to his chest.

Tanner captured it and pressed his lips to her fingertips.  “I don’t know, I think you wanted it as badly as I did.”

She frowned, her pretty brows winging inward. “I’m talking about Hal Miller.”

Tanner grunted. “Who the hell is Hal Miller?”

“The director I auditioned for this morning.”

“For the part you didn’t get?”

“The director thought I was too flamboyant.”

“How’s that?” Tanner dragged his attention from her naked body, forcing his gaze around the room. Anywhere but at the naked woman, barely hidden beneath the sheet.

“Haven’t you seen the newspapers?”

“Well actually, I have. That’s one of the reasons why I’m here.” Forgetting all his well-rehearsed speeches and promises not to sound too eager, he plunged in. “Janine, I need you.”

Her eyes widened and her fists clenched. “That’s your problem, buddy. I don’t happen to need you. This is all a fantasy. I have plans and they don’t include you.”

Tanner shook his head and started over. “What I meant to say is that the dealership needs you.”

“Oh.” Her gaze dropped to his chest.

Had that been disappointment in her eyes? Tanner must have imagined it.

The next moment, Janine looked up, fire lighting her blue eyes. “So you came to ask me to come back to work for you?”

He didn’t like the tone of her voice. A little too tight and mean. “Yes.” He wanted to say so much more, but he was too afraid he’d louse things up even worse. And he wanted her to come back to work with him. Even more so after what had just happened.

“And what if I say no?”

His stomach churned. Failure wasn’t an option. If Janine didn’t come back to work for him, his father would fire him. On the other hand, if she did come back to work for him, he might lose more than his job. Somewhere between the mechanical bull and the sweet, hot sex he’d just enjoyed, his heart had veered onto a perilous path.

Tanner settled his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes, pouring every bit of his charm into his next words, fully aware of how much rode on her response. “Would you please come back to me, Janine?”

Heart be damned, he wanted this woman in his life. Not just for the dealership and his job, he wanted to spend more time in her company and this was the one way he could get it.

Janine hesitated, her gaze seeming to search his for something, then she shrugged. “I guess I’ll have to,
since I don’t have a part in Miller’s play
. I need money to pay the rent.”

“What about BS-squared?” As soon as the words left his mouth, Tanner could have kicked himself for reminding her of the other job offer.

Her chin lifted high. “Oh, I plan to take that one too. You’re not getting an exclusive, you know. I’ll do the next commercial, but I’m not guaranteeing anything after that. And this…” she waved a hand between their bodies, “won’t happen again.”

Tanner frowned. “How can you be so sure?”

“It won’t happen,” she said through tight lips. Her hand drifted halfway to his cheek before she jerked it back and tucked it beneath the sheet. She frowned mightily then captured his gaze with her own. “One more thing…”

“Anything.” He held up his hand as if making a vow.

“I get a speaking part.”

Tanner gave her a frown, thinking hard. He’d already seen how much she loved garbling up his last name. Not that it wasn’t damn cute. He eased away the frown, eager to take whatever he could get from Janine. Somehow, he’d convince her to do more than the one additional commercial she’d promised. Tanner wanted her around a lot longer than one more show.

He’d just have to turn up the Tanner Peschke charm a notch. He shoved out his hand and grabbed hers. “It’s a deal.”

They shook, but Janine’s brows drew together and her eyes narrowed in a thoughtful squint. “Oh, and Tanner...?”

“Yes, Janine?”

“No more monkeys.”

* * *

Janine stood behind the bathroom door at Peschke Motors, breathing into a paper bag, attempting to avoid hyperventilating. Her crash-and-burn audition must have affected her more than she’d originally thought. She was completely petrified about speaking on live television after butchering her lines in front of Hal Miller.

Perhaps she should relent and let Tanner do all the talking. He was much more comfortable in front of the camera and managed to speak without shuffling words into incomprehensible gibberish.

Janine almost jumped out of her skin when a voice announced, “Five minutes, Miss Davis,” from the other side of the door.

Another joined it. “Janine, it’s me, Tanner. Can I come in?”

“No, go away,” she answered.

“If you don’t let me in, I’ll go get the key and let myself in.” A pause. “What’s it going to be?”

Taking a deep breath with her face buried in the paper bag, Janine relented and opened the door, peering around the edge.

“What’s wrong, Janine?” Tanner reached up to smooth her hair out of her face.

“Nothing,” she said. A blatant lie. His look was so tender and concerned, she almost gave into her panic attack and launched herself into his arms. Almost, but a wave of fuzziness gripped her again and she leaned behind the door, breathing into the bag again.

“Are you afraid of the cameras today?”

“No,” she managed.

“If it’s the monkey, rest assured. Spunky’s debut on commercials has made him so popular, I can’t afford him any more. Did you know
America’s Funniest Animals
want him to work with their announcer?”

“Freaking great,” she grumbled. “I lose my clothes on television and the monkey’s career is launched.”

Tanner’s mouth pursed. “Now do you want to practice your lines with me?”

“Lines?” Janine’s eyes widened and she ducked behind the door again to breathe into the bag.

“Ahhhh. I see.” Tanner said. “You’re freaked because of your lines.”

“I am not,” she lied. “It’s just that sometimes my words don’t come out as planned.”

“We can practice them if it makes you feel more comfortable.” He pulled the script from his back pocket.

Janine took another deep inhale from the bag, then opened the door wider to look down at the script.

“I’ll start off and introduce you,” Tanner said, his deep voice a pleasant, soothing rumble. “Then when I say, ‘don’t take my word for it, ask Janine’, that’ll be your cue to begin with the lines you wrote. Want to try it?”

“Let’s do it.” Pushing aside her panic, Janine could felt a minuscule level of returning confidence. She was a professional. She shouldn’t let a little rejection shake her. Meryl Streep didn’t cower in a bathroom when she flubbed her lines.

Tanner launched into his part, reading it line for line. Janine silently read along until Tanner cued her in with, “...don’t take my word for it, ask Janine.”

Although she had the words memorized, she read them straight from the page, using the script as a crutch. “That’s right, folks. Don’t let the new car dealerships put the squeeze on you. Come to Pesky Motors—”

“Peschke,” Tanner corrected.

“—where we’ll take the pressure off. You’ll breathe a sigh of relief at the no-pressure sales staff and quality cars to choose from.” She glanced at Tanner, brows raised, waiting for him to jump in, but he was staring. “Tell them, Tarzan.”

“Tanner,” he murmured then glanced back down at the script. “That’s right, come on by and let us show you the finest selection in pre-owned vehicles during our ‘Squeeze Out Sale’ tomorrow. Visit with Janine and the no-pressure sales staff at Peschke Motors—here’s your next cue,” he said. “Where we’ll save you—” He nodded in her direction.

“Time and money. Join Tarzan and me, Janine, at Pesky Motors—”

“Tanner...Peschke.”

“—for the ‘Squeeze Out Sale’ on Saturday. Only at Pesky Motors.”

“Peschke.” Tanner pressed his lips together as though trying to ward off a smile. “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Returning his smile, Janine realized her head was clearer. “I guess I won’t need this anymore.” She wadded the paper bag into a ball and tossed it into a wastebasket. “Let’s do a commercial.” Shoulders squared, confidence returned in full force, she hesitated. “No monkeys, right?”

“No monkeys,” Tanner confirmed.

Together, they turned to walk down the hall toward the showroom.

“I got a boa constrictor for this one,” Tanner added.

Blood pounding in her ears, Janine stopped dead in her tracks. “A what did you say?”

“I got a boa constrictor for the commercial.” He faced her, his brows furrowing. “Breathe, Janine.”

She struggled to pull air into her constricted lungs. “A snake? As in huge and slimy?” A chill raced down her spine at the horror of touching a snake. “Is it alive?”

“Of course it’s a snake. And yes it’s alive. You’ll be fine.” He turned toward the showroom, moving swiftly down the hall. When he noticed she wasn’t following, he looked around for her. “Are you coming?”

Janine wasn’t going anywhere closer to the showroom. “Surely, you don’t expect me to hold this snake?”

Tanner lifted a brow. “ It’s part of the gimmick.”

“Gimmick, schmimmick.” She planted both fists on her hips. “I’m not holding a snake. You got that Tanner Pesky?”

“Janine, you have to.” He backtracked, tugging her fists from her hips so that he could hold her hands inside his. “I’ve already paid for the snake, and he really is a nice snake.”

“I’ve always believed that the only good snake is a dead snake.” She shook her head, the tips of her hair brushing her bare shoulders. “I won’t do it.”

Tanner’s head drew back and he gave her a disapproving look. “Would a great actress like Marilyn Monroe or Joan Crawford refuse to show up on a set over a silly little snake?”

“I want Spunky back,” Janine changed the subject. She flicked her hand toward the showroom. “Get Spunky.”

Tanner held his breath, and his lips moved like he was counting. “I told you, we couldn’t afford him anymore. Besides, you said you didn’t want to do any more commercials with monkeys.”

“I’ve changed my mind. A girl has a right to change her mind.” Panic was setting in again. Her chest hurt with each breath. A snake? She’d never gotten close enough to a snake to touch one ever in her life. “No way!”

A cameraman appeared around the corner of the hallway. “Are you two ready? We have only two minutes until we’re on.”

Holy crap
. Two minutes. Janine turned around and ran for the wastebasket. Grabbing the wrinkled paper bag, she opened the top and breathed into it. A snake? She breathed faster.
Think calm
.
You can do this. What would Marilyn do? The job, dammit.
Five more breaths into the bag and she straightened. “Okay, let’s go.”

“That’s my girl.” Tanner slipped an arm around her waist, firmly guiding her toward the showroom and the camera crew.