Whetted Appetites (3 page)

     She gathered everything up neatly and arranged them on her love seat beside her bedroom window.

     She stopped and pondered for a second.  She noticed that she had always performed the same ritual.  Selecting her clothes, shoes and underwear and arranging them just so the day before an appointment, party or social gathering.

     She started to chuckle.  That was the only good trait she had gotten from her mother.  Sad to say, she had also gotten her impatient streak.  Though not nearly as horrible.  She certainly didn’t inherit her mother’s snobbery.  All the good things she had learned were from the maids and butlers.  Lessons on kindness and treating people with respect.

     She thanked God she wasn’t like her mother.  She wanted friends.  Not friends out of fear or because she had money.  She wanted friends that stuck by you through everything.

     She could count Melissa as one of her truest friends.  Melissa helped her with the bakery, the cooking, the designing and the accounts.

     Melissa didn’t give one snit about Victoria’s wealth.  She actually treated her like a human being.  Anyone could consider themselves lucky to have Melissa by their side.

     Melissa was also lucky in love.  Her boyfriend, Eric, was fortunate to have her.  He kissed the ground she walked on.  He adored her and treated her like a queen.

     Every day that Melissa came in to work, she had stars in her eyes and a blush on her cheeks.

     Very lucky, Victoria thought without a trace of bitterness or jealousy.  She was happy for Melissa and Eric.  She was glad they had found each other.

     Maybe one day, she’ll find that special bond, that instant connection.  She wasn’t in any kind of a hurry when it came to love.  She was twenty-seven, single, sexy and fun to be with.  She wasn’t looking for something in the way of a permanent situation right now.  She was happy just dating a variety of men.  That is if she could find a man worth more than a few days of her time.  If the man in her life couldn’t spark her interest beyond a week, she got bored and wanted to move on. 

     She enjoyed living life to the fullest and she wanted a man with the same attitude.  She loved to have fun and she wouldn’t mind taking a man along for the ride.  A man that could take her breath away with a mere glance.  Make her hot and wet with a single touch, a kiss or embrace.  A man that could make her knees turn to jelly at the sound of her name rolling off his sexy, pouty lips.  A man who would suck, nip, taste…….devour.  A man who could give it as good as he’s got.  And then some.

     She wasn’t really a vulgar person but she just wanted a man who would bend her over and turn her inside out; a man who wasn’t afraid of going into to the unknown.  She needed a man who was just fine with being a daredevil in the bedroom.  Or anywhere else in her house, for that matter.  Was that too much to ask? 

     All of this hot thinking was making her very antsy.  She could feel her clitoris pulsating with need.

     Victoria went to her private stash and took out a fresh pack of batteries.

     A girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do.

     “Melissa.”  Victoria called into the kitchen of her bakery.  “I’ve already taken out the sticky buns from the first over.  The other batch had twenty minutes left.  When they’re all done and cooled, I need them iced and boxed in the new gold boxes for the Weston’s party.”

     Melissa came to the front of the store where she found Victoria painstakingly placing petit fours into blue tins.  “Got it.”  She smiled as she finished helping Victoria pack the artfully decorated mini-cakes.  “How many dozens of sticky buns did the Weston’s order?”

     “Six.”  Victoria leaned over to Melissa as if intending to whisper a secret.  “There are two extra on the pan.”

     “Oh, you’re a saint,” Melissa started.  “You’re also the devil,” she admonished playfully.  “You know I can’t resist your sticky buns.  If I keep it up, I’ll be as big as the broad side of a barn,” she guffawed.

     “Please,” Victoria said in mock exasperation.  “You never gain an ounce.  I don’t see how you keep so fit.”

     “Must be all the sex,” Melissa said, feigning seriousness.

     Victoria’s eyes widened in astonishment until Melissa burst out into a fit of laughter.  Victoria joined in the playful camaraderie.

     “You’re too much, Melissa,” Victoria said when her laughter died down to an occasional giggle.

     Victoria and Melissa finished packing all the sweets when Victoria looked up at the clock.  Two.

     They both went into the office and sat down with cups of coffee and sticky buns.

     “Melissa, would you mind holding down the store for a couple of hours?” she inquired as she broke off a bite of her treat.  “I need to ride over to the Hughes’ Catering Supplies to have a little chat with the president.”

     Melissa gave her a knowing glance.  “Sure.  No problem.  I hope they will finally be able to get this delivery stuff in order.”

     “Me, too.”  Victoria polished off her snack and got her clothes out of the office closet and started changing out of her baker’s uniform and into the suit she had picked out the previous day.

     Finished, she reached for her purse and car keys and bid Melissa good-bye.

     Melissa gave her a thumbs-up before Victoria walked out the door, determination in her gait.

     “I’m sick and tired…..no, that won’t do at all,” Victoria shook her head.  She had only a few more minutes to practice what she was going to say to Mr. Dalton Hughes.  “I don’t appreciate being let down like this again.  Is this how you do business?  How do you stay in business with all of the mistakes you’ve been making?”

     Victoria smiled, pleased with the later part of her speech.

     She pulled into the parking lot of the supply company and got out.  She held her head up high and marched through the glass doors of the building.

     She walked up to the secretary, whose name was Beth.  She smiled as politely as she could.  “Hello.  I have an appointment with a Mr. Dalton Hughes at three.”

     Beth returned her smile.  “Can I have your name, please?”

     “Victoria Bradley.”

     Beth got up from her desk.  “Right this way.”

     “Thank you,” Victoria smiled urbanely, but inside she was ready to confront Mr. Hughes with somewhat mild indignation.

     The secretary pointed to Mr. Hughes’ office door.  “Through the door.”

     Victoria nodded and Beth left her to go back to her desk.

     Victoria took a few deep breaths, had her speech ready in her head and opened his door.

     And everything she had just rehearsed went straight out the window.

Chapter Two

     Oh. My. Word.  What a fine piece of…..

     “May I help you?”  Dalton inquired courteously to the woman standing just inside his door.

    
Can you ever,
Victoria’s dirty side thought as she observed Dalton appreciatively.  He had to be over six feet tall.  Nice, clean cut, dark black hair with a hint of a beard to match.  Light green eyes a woman could get lost in.  Shoulders broad enough to carry plenty of burdens for a lifetime.  Long, sinewy arms bulging from his shirt, begging to be fondled.  And those hard pecs showing through his dress shirt?  It was enough to make her mouth water.  That plus his evenly tanned skin made for one hot man.  Yummy.

     Oh, and when he smiled……..It could definitely melt her butter and make her heart jump into her throat and pound like crazy.

     He kind of reminded her of that British actor on her favorite horror series.  God knows how many times she’d fantasized about him in her bed, thinking about all the things she’d like to do to him.

     When she looked at Mr. Hughes, her mind conjured up quite a few naughty things she would just love to do to him.

     Victoria was yanked out of her reverie when he cleared his throat.

     Oh, wow.  I must have been staring at him like some kind of nincompoop.
  Not that she was embarrassed.  Not much could make her blush.  She wasn’t that childish.  She thought only insecure, sheltered virgins blushed.  She was neither of these things.

     It was evident that she was looking, because he smiled knowingly. 

     What a smile!  Straight, white teeth and full lips.

     Okay, Victoria,
she lectured herself. 
Breathe.  Just breathe.  Don’t lose sight about why you have come here today.

     She blinked a few times, lifted her chin a notch and introduced herself.

     “I’m Victoria Bradley.”  She walked closer to his desk until she was near enough to touch it.  That’s when she smelled his clean, woodsy scent.  It smelled heavenly.  It was almost sufficient to say, “The hell with my speech.  Give it to me.  Right here.  Right now.  On your desk”.

     Dalton stood up and reached out his hand to hers.  “Hello, Miss Bradley.”  His voice was smooth with just enough roughness around the edges to make her tingle in all the right places.

     Dalton watched as her slender hand grabbed his in a firm, business-like handshake.

    
Well, well,
Dalton thought as he let go of her hand. 
This is Miss Victoria Bradley.

     She was not at all like he pictured in his mind yesterday.  Standing before him was a beautiful, sexy woman.  Soft, wavy dark hair spilling just over her shoulder.  High, defined cheekbones setting off her big doe-brown eyes.  Satin, creamy skin just peeking out of her light blue blouse.

     The gray suit, though conservative, was still sexy as hell on her.  It hugged her curves just right, accentuating them instead of covering them and without being too tight or frumpy.  This was not some old lady with her gray hair in a tight bun.  Her skin was smooth and flawless without a trace of crow’s feet or a wrinkle.

     Spitfire.  He recalled Max’s word to depict her.  Yeah, he could see that in her eyes.

     As for her panties being in a twist?  Maybe, but he wouldn’t mind untwisting them for her.  Even if it meant he’d have to slip them down those long legs.  Legs he’d like wrapped around his----

     He stopped himself short of the thought.  He didn’t want to mortify himself in front of Miss Bradley by his cock straining to escape his fly.

     Not a good first impression.  He wouldn’t want to scare her.  But, somehow, he knew that was a preposterous assumption.  Victoria didn’t look like she scared very easily or at all.

     “Miss Bradley,” Dalton said a little too unsteadily.  “Won’t you please sit down?”  He hoped she didn’t notice the waver in his voice.

     Apparently she didn’t or either she didn’t care to comment.  She did, however, notice that he waited for her to sit down before he followed suit.

     A gentleman
, Victoria observed.  Impressive.

     Dalton laced his fingers on his desk.  “What can I do for you?”

     Do for me?
  Victoria thought about a few things he could do for her.  Or to her, is more like it.

     She studied him for a moment.  He didn’t look like a wild and crazy man.  He appeared a tad too stiff—uh, moderate.  Withdrawn.  Edgy.  But he also looked sexy, sophisticated and nice.

     Nice?  More like overly polite.  Too sweet; subtle.  He didn’t seem to have an untamed bone in his hard-muscled body.  She certainly wouldn’t mind stripping him down and finding it, though.

     Victoria crossed her legs slowly and noticed Dalton’s eyes glance down her body briefly.  She saw a quick flicker of fire.

     Backtrack.  There was more to him than she thought.  Maybe he
did
have a little ‘wild’ in him somewhere.  She smiled.  And she was the perfect person to bring it out of him.

     Shoot, from the first minute she’d seen him, she wanted him.  And by the looks he was giving her, it wouldn’t be too hard to get him into her bed.

     She quickly re-thought her speech.  New strategy:  Get hot hunk, Dalton Hughes.  She wanted him.  And she meant to have him.

     “Mr. Hughes,” she began as she laced her fingers over her knee.  A move she purposely intended, knowing it pushed her ample sized C breasts up.  A move Dalton did not take for granted.  His eyes briefly took in the sight of the creamy swell of her cleavage before he looked back up into her eyes.  He cleared his throat and nervously started to clench and unclench his hands.

     Victoria grinned inwardly.  Good.  She went on with her new speech.  “I’m the owner of the new bakery called ‘The SweetTooth’.  We specialize in confections, cakes and candies.  I’ve only been in business for about six months and it’s going really well.”  She licked her lips slowly.  “People really to love my goodies.”

     Dalton’s eyes widened in surprise.  Victoria pretended to be absorbed in her words to recognize his slight shock.  Oh, she noticed.  She loved keeping a man on his toes.