Whetted Appetites (4 page)

     “But I seem to have a huge problem,” she said as she widened her eyes in innocence.  “My order from your company has delayed my supplies. This is the third time this has happened.  Usually, it is three strikes and you’re out.”  She leaned forward.  She lowered her voice just slightly.  “I really don’t want to see that happen.  Now, what do you plan to do about my packages?  I’m sure we could work out something agreeable together.”

     Dalton didn’t miss the hidden meaning behind her words.  He could love to take her up on the desk-----No! ---her offer, but he wasn’t the kind to consider one-nighters.  And she looked like she could love’em hard but leave’em easy.  But the temptation sounded as sinful as her voice did.  He could imagine that sultry voice moaning and screaming in ecstasy.

     Imagining was the only thing he was going to do.  Particularly when he got home tonight.  A hot shower and a little self-pleasure wasn’t against the law.  He could sure break a few with Victoria.  How would her naked, wet body feel under his?  Over him?  Hell, just with him?

     He mentally shook his head.  Months of celibacy had him crazy.  One look at Victoria and he was ready to re-think the possibility of a little casual sex. 

     She had him feeling like a horny teenager ready to experiment for the first time.

     Where was his self control?  He then realized he didn’t have much where Victoria was concerned.  He could just imagine a single touch of her hands on his body would have him coming in his suit.  Just how humiliating would that be?

     He looked at Victoria to find her smiling at him.

     Oh, no.  He had to hurry up and fix her problem and get her out of his office before he did or said something stupid.  Why did women have the power to make a man forget he had a brain?  Just a little bit of sexy talk from Victoria and he would be grunting like a prehistoric caveman.

     Dalton started nervously rummaging through papers.  “Well, Miss Bradley,” his voice cracked.  He cleared it and tried again.  “Miss Bradley.  I will personally see that the shipping department starts paying extra attention to their customers’ demands.  Though I rarely hear of complaints from other restaurants and stores like your own, I know mix-ups will happen.  I will see that this problem is fixed promptly.  I know your bakery is new but that shouldn’t matter.  It will not happen again,” he vowed.  “I’ll see to that.  I like to see my customers happy and satisfied.”

    
Oops.  Wrong words, buddy.
  He noted a mischievous gleam in Victoria’s eyes.

     Victoria rose from her seat and stretched her hand.  He took it.

     “I’m sure that from now on you will see that I’m very satisfied, Mr. Hughes.”

     He let go of her hand and gulped.  She saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down.  It made her want to lick it.

     “If you plan on staying with our supply company, your next order will be discounted forty percent.”

     Victoria laughter was just a little flirty.  “Why, Mr. Hughes, are you trying to bribe me into staying one of your customers?”

     Dalton relaxed and chuckled.  “Well, not really.  But I value you as a respected customer.  Besides,” he shrugged, “it’s our way of apologizing for our mistake.”

     Victoria pretended to think it over.  She already knew she was going to stay when he promised that her delayed items wouldn’t happen again.  For some reason, she trusted him to keep his word.  Anyway, she wanted to see more of Dalton Hughes.

     She nodded in agreement.  “I will stay your valued customer then, Mr. Hughes.  I trust that my catering supplies will be on time from now on.”

     “They will be.”

     Victoria turned to go but changed her mind and faced him once again.  She never got tired of looking at his handsome face.

     “I was wondering if you would like to drop by my bakery and sample some of my treats.  You bring my supplies, so I would be pleased if you would taste my confections.  You know, see what I have to offer,” she suggested coyly.

     Dalton definitely decided he wanted to see her again.  He wouldn’t mind tasting more than just her sweet treats.  It was a safe bet that she tasted even sweeter.  “I would love to.  You have to watch out, I’m afraid,” he warned playfully.  “I do have an incredible sweet tooth.”

     Victoria laughed softly.  “Good one.”  She started for the door and looked over her shoulder.  “Come by sometime this week if you can.  I’ll be open from nine to six and ten to five on weekends.”

     “I’ll do that.  I think I can come by tomorrow after work.  I’ll see you then, Miss Bradley,” he said in parting.

     Before Victoria closed the door, she said, “I’ll look forward to it.”

    
More than you know
, she finished silently.

     After she departed, Dalton sat down heavily in his chair and groaned.

     He felt like he made a date with a sinful temptress, but he was powerless to stop it.  He didn’t even think he wanted to stop it.  He was on a train going ninety to nothing and all he could do was hang on for the wild ride. 

     Truth be told, he wanted to get to know Victoria better.  She was captivating, mysterious…..hot!

     He’d be a liar if he considered himself a saint.  He was just a normal guy with sexual desires, needs and wants like the next red blooded man.  Why not concentrate those feelings on Victoria?  It sure couldn’t hurt.  Some hot sex couldn’t hurt, either.

     He was lost in thought when a knock rapped at his door.

     “Come in.”

     Max strode in and sat down in the chair that Victoria not long ago vacated.

     “Wow,” Max whistled in appreciation.  “Who was that fine woman that just left your office?”

     “Spitfire.”  The name rolled off his tongue before he could stop it.  The nickname surprised him but it fit Victoria to a T.

     Max’s jaw dropped
.  “That
was Victoria Bradley?”

     Dalton hid his raging hormones in a mask of nonchalance.  He didn’t need Max goading him if he ever found out that he had the hots for the alluring Miss Bradley.

     “Yes.  That was Miss Bradley.”  Dalton couldn’t resist teasing Max.  “Quite nice looking for a little old lady, huh, Max?”

     “Nice? 
Nice?” 
Max eyed Dalton skeptically.  “She’s one hot babe.” 

     A sudden twinge ate at Dalton’s gut then realized just how idiotic that was.  He had no claims on Victoria whatsoever.

    “She’s also one of our customers,” Dalton reminded Max.

     Max shook his head.  “Man, if I wasn’t married I’d----“

     “You
are
married.  So it won’t do you any good to think about the ‘what-ifs’.”

     “Mm-mm,” Max quipped.  “Yeah, I know.  There’s no harm in looking.  I’m not low enough to do that to Katie.  Besides, if I did more than look, she’d have my balls.  And I mean that literally. 

     “It already sounds like you have your sights set on Miss Bradley,” he discerned.

     Dalton suddenly knew he’d been had.  Max deliberately said that to prove he was attracted to her.  That’s because he was.

     “Okay, okay,” Dalton stated, putting up his hands.  “So Miss Bradley is attractive,” he said, feigning indifference.

     “Don’t give me that, Dalton,” Max reprimanded.  “She got under your skin.  Admit it,” he pushed.

     Dalton grunted at Max and glared.  He couldn’t lie to him.  Even though Max worked at his company, they were still friends.  How could he lie when it was so obvious, even to Max, who saw him all of ten seconds and picked up on it?

     “Fine.  She got to me,” Dalton conceded reluctantly.

     “Ah-ha!  I knew it,” Max exclaimed jovially.  “I knew you had it bad when you already gave her the nickname, ‘Spitfire’.”

     Dalton elected not to say anything to Max’s assumption.  He didn’t need to dig himself in any deeper.

     Max went on anyway.  “So, are you going to go for it?”

     “’Go for it’?”  Dalton made a futile attempt at pretending not to understand what Max was talking about. It didn’t work.

     “Yeah.  Ask her out.  Get laid.  It certainly wouldn’t kill you,” Max told him.  “It might even take a little bit of that stress you’ve been carrying around.  Lift the world off your shoulders.  Put her legs there instead.”  Max laced his fingers behind his head and crossed his ankle over his knee.  He looked very confident at his little motivational speech.

     Dalton couldn’t hold back a smile when he said, “Was that your so-called philosophical bull crap, Max?  Because it sucks.”  He laughed.

     Max snorted, which turned into laughter.  “I know.  I’m good,” he stated vainly as he huffed on his nails and buffed them across his shirt.

     “You know, she did sort of come on to me,” Dalton confessed even though it was an understatement.

     “Great.  No all you need is for her to come with you.  Then, I’d say you’re pretty much set,” he suggested slyly.

     “Get out of here, Max.”  Dalton started putting some files together.  “Stop giving me ideas.”

     Max got up and before he left, he said, “I’m sure you have plenty of your own ideas, Dalton.”  He shut the door behind him.

     “Come on, Victoria.  Spill it,” Melissa urged with a glint in her eyes.  “Did he turn you on?  Make you all----“

     “Hot and bothered?” Victoria finished.  Melissa nodded.  Victoria couldn’t keep it in any longer.  “Yes.  He was absolutely gorgeous.”  Victoria started wiping down the mixers since it was close to closing time.  “You know the one series I can’t get enough of, right’?”

     Melissa nodded.  “Well, what does he look like?”

     “Patience, grasshopper.”  Victoria rinsed out the rag and placed it on a rack.  “Do you remember the screen saver I showed you on my computer?  That’s what Dalton looks like.”

     A huge smile broke out on Melissa’s face.  “Ooohhh, baby.  He’s one hot number.  That’s what Mr. Hughes looks like?”

     “Just about.  Mr. Hughes might be a little taller and broader, but the resemblance is uncanny.”

     “You lucky woman, you.”  Melissa cocked the corner of her mouth as she studied her best friend of five years.  “You want him, don’t you?”

     “Am I that easy to read?”

     Melissa locked up the back office.  “Well, I’ve seen you talk about a man before with a certain excitement but, with Dalton, it’s different.  Especially being this excited by one you have just met.”

     Victoria agreed.  Melissa had known her all throughout her journey of boring men, boring dates.  She didn’t like any of Victoria’s dates whatsoever.  To Melissa, they were the same as a dose of morphine.  They were enough to put both of them to sleep with stories of their ‘successes’ and wealth.

     Melissa even knew how Victoria’s mom acted towards those men.  She beamed with pride and joy.  None of them were unsightly to look at.  Oh, no.  Mrs. Bradley would only pick among the best looking and most wealthy.  She knew that Victoria was a beautiful woman and only wanted handsome men at her daughter’s side.

     Dolefully, Mrs. Bradley’s attempts were superficial ones.  Only caring about their looks, bank accounts and social standings, she didn’t look further down into their personalities, wit and charm.  Or lack thereof.

     Victoria could recall one man’s sloppy attempts at seduction.  To this day, his words still made her cringe.  Thinking of them now made the bile rise in her throat.

     “You’re such a pretty little thing,” he had tried to say seductively but failing miserably.  “Take off your clothes so we can get to it.” 

     Unfortunately, she had hurt his feelings when she burst out laughing. “You’ve got to be kidding me?” she had asked him incredulously.

     His cheeks had turned a deep crimson and hurriedly walked out the door before she could apologize.

     She’s truly hadn’t meant to laugh, but she simply could not help herself.

     Another man had thought that all he had to do was show her his enormous package to get her into bed.  She’d agreed that it was the biggest she’d ever seen, but where in the hell was she supposed to put it?  She liked a little S and M but not when he wanted to go into unforeseen territory.

     No way was he going through the back door with that monstrosity.  She had been thoroughly disgusted with him at that point.

     She had then quickly told him to leave and never come back.  She had gone to get a long shower to try and wash away all of the thoughts and nastiness from her body.

     In retrospect, she was always up for a little experimentation, but she had to be extremely turned on to let a guy go there.  And none of those supercilious men from her past had done it for her.

     But Dalton does, her mind recalled.

     Picturing Dalton naked in her bed, his muscled body hard and ready, she had to unequivocally agree.  Just the thought of him got her juiced flowing.  The throbbing between her legs was way too apparent.  It was getting pretty loud and demanding.