Элла Франк - Entice

Laughing, she replied in the most Southern accent she could dig up, “Oh, you naughty man, Joshu-ah Daniels. Well, I did always want to be ravished in my old bedroom. Think you could manage that, big boy?”

“You keep talking like that Man-Eater, and you can count on it.”

“What did you just call me?” she asked, still chuckling.

“Man-Eater. Damn, you’re sexy as hell. You know that, right?”

Choosing to ignore him, she asked, “Will your boss give you the time off?”

Josh was about to explain that he was the boss. Then, it occurred to him that she thought he was a construction crew worker.

Ha, imagine that.

In all fairness, he was a construction worker. He just happened to also own Creative Construction and Remolding Co., but he wasn’t going to let her in on that just yet.

It was nice actually—not to be looked at as though he was just a bank and would always foot the bill. Melissa had treated him like that, but he wanted Shelly to be with him just for him.

“Sure, he will. It’s this weekend, so that should be enough time for me to finish my work for the week.” He paused, and then asked, “How long does it take to get there?”

“Usually, I fly, but this year, I felt like a road trip. I looked it up, and it said eleven-and-a-half hours.”

Josh nodded, reaching down to pat Mutley on the head. “Okay, so you want to leave early Friday morning then?”

She let out a breathy sigh and answered quietly, “Uh, yes. I was thinking early—around 4:00 a.m.”

“Damn, Doc, that is early.”

“It’s a long trip.”

“It sure is.” He paused. “Are there any rules to this deal I should know about?”

There was silence, and then he heard a whisper so quiet he almost missed it.

“Don’t make me want to keep you.”

Josh felt a huge grin spread across his face. “Well then, don’t make me want to be kept.”

He was about to wish her a good night.

Then, she asked, “Josh?”

“Yeah, Shelly?”

“I’m breaking all my rules for you.”

“Are you? How’s that working so far?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know.”

He closed his eyes, imagining her beautiful blue ones. “Get some sleep, Man-Eater.”

He swore he could see her smile when she answered in a breathy voice.

“Will do, Delicious Daniels.”

Before he could comment on that nickname, she’d hung up.

March

Shelly saw her the minute she stepped into the cafeteria.

Lena was seated at their usual table in the far back to the left. Shelly went through the line, grabbing the usual bottle of water and a ham sandwich, and then made her way over to her friend.

Lena watched her approach with a smug smile on her face, and instantly, Shelly knew Mason had spilled the beans. Pulling out the empty chair, Shelly sat and raised a brow at her friend.

“Okay. Go ahead.”

Lena nodded. “So, I guess you used the plumber after all?”

Rolling her eyes, Shelly asked, “How long did it take you to come up with that?”

“Not long. Around ten minutes.”

“You’re so original. I can barely stand it,” Shelly told her with a smirk.

“Oh, don’t even try with the snarky attitude. That’s my department. Plus, you had to know Mason would tell me.”

Shelly twisted the lid off the bottle and asked, “And what exactly did your gossipy old man tell you?”

Lena grinned at her and took a bite of her sandwich. “That you and Josh had a deal.”

“Man! Did Josh tell him everything?”

“Well, they are best friends. You tell me everything.” She paused, and then tacked on, “Well, you used to.”

“Stop trying to make me feel guilty. It won’t work.”

Lena sat forward and whispered, “And why not? You made me tell you all the details. So, come on, tell me. How amazing does he look naked?”

Shelly felt her eyes widen as she stared at her friend, who was waiting patiently with her reading glasses perched on the end of her nose, her lab coat falling open. Laughing, Shelly shook her head.

“Mason’s right about one thing.”

“Oh, and what’s that?”

Opening her sandwich, Shelly pulled it out and took a bite. “You and I act like we’re in high school.”

Sitting back, Lena crossed her legs. “Well, if that’s true, then tell me about the boy you were kissing in the parking lot.” She ended that mature comment by poking out her tongue.

Shelly grinned, ready to play the game. “Well, he’s really cute.”

“Josh? Cute? I don’t think that’s the right adjective,” Lena interrupted.

“Yeah, you’re right. He’s really, really sexy. Oh boy!” Shelly sighed, fanning herself. “He took me to heaven in less than thirty minutes in that parking lot.”

Lena’s mouth fell open. “He did not!” Then, looking around them to make sure they weren’t overheard, she leaned in closer to Shelly. “You did not have sex with him in the parking lot.”

“Geez, Lena. What version of that game were you playing in high school?” Shelly asked, pretending to be scandalized.

Lena arched a brow, shaking her head. “You’re hilarious. Don’t try to distract me. Answer the question, Shelly.”

“What was the question again?”

Lena pouted. “I said,” she responded, sighing with frustration, “you did not have sex with him in the parking lot.”

“So, is that a statement or a question?” Shelly asked, raising a brow.

“It was a question. Answer it please.”

Finishing off one side of her sandwich, Shelly nodded. “No, I didn’t have sex in a parking lot, but he sure did make me happy. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that he gave me the best orgasm I’ve ever had—and it was in a parking lot.”

Lena blinked once, twice, and then let out a deep breath as she sat back in her chair. “You are so screwed,” Lena told her with an annoying grin.

“Why?”

“Because I’ve never seen that look on your face.”

Shelly thought about her conversation with Josh last night, and then nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Lena continued to smile like a cat that got into the cream. “I told you so.”

“Yeah? Well, you have either made me the happiest person in the world, or I may still kill you for it. I’ll let you know after this weekend,” Shelly told her with a small smile.

“Why? What’s this weekend? Is he taking you on a date?”

Shelly stood, picking up the other half of her sandwich and her bottle of water. She pushed her chair in and shook her head. “Nope, I’m taking him home to visit Mom and Dad. We’re going on a road trip.”

Lena looked up at her with a frown.

“What?” Shelly asked.

“I’m trying to keep up. It was only two weeks ago when you told me you would never date him. Why the sudden change?”

Shelly thought about it for a minute. Why am I suddenly having a change of heart? She was throwing all her rules out the window for this man. Maybe it was because he was a friend of Mason’s, so she figured he would be a good guy.

She had no idea. All she knew was that she was going to give Joshua a chance. What can it hurt? It’s just a weekend. Right?

Looking down at Lena, Shelly shrugged. “I’m not sure. I guess somewhere in between my orgasm in the parking lot and his orgasm in my office, he convinced me to give it a shot. Have a good afternoon, Dr. O’Donnell,” Shelly told her friend with a smug grin and a perky wave. Then, she turned and walked away, leaving a shocked but silent Lena staring after her.

Josh arrived at the worksite and let himself in when his phone rang. Pulling out the phone, he saw Cole’s name on the screen.

“Daniels here.”

“Hello, Joshua. How are you this morning?”

Stepping over a toolbox, he moved over to the makeshift table he’d put up.

“Good, man, good. What’s up?”

“Well, Harris called this morning. He said he’s going to come in and sign the papers on Friday. Will that work? Can you be here?”

Wincing, Josh stopped and ran a hand through his hair. Of course it had to be Friday.

“I can’t do Friday, Cole. I’m going out of town. Won’t be back until Monday morning.”

He heard some rustling around on the other end of the phone.

“Hang on, I’m checking my calendar,” Cole told him.

Josh waved to Vince as he walked in for the morning. Three other guys—Alex, Gary, and Chris—followed, looking at him and nodding. Acknowledging them, he smiled, and then turned his attention back to the phone.

“How about Tuesday then?” Cole asked.

“Yep, I can do that. Time?”

“Ten-thirty looks good. If it changes, I’ll let you know.” Cole paused, and then asked, “Where are you going this weekend?”

Josh smiled, thinking about the road trip ahead. “Savannah, Georgia.”

Cole chuckled. “Business or pleasure?”

Oh, definitely pleasure, Josh thought.

Then, he answered, “Pleasure. I’m going with that woman we were talking about the other night.”

“Really?” Cole asked. After a quiet moment, he continued, “So, you worked things out with her?”

Josh laughed, and then shook his head, even though Cole couldn’t see him.

“Not really. We kind of got caught before things got started. Then, she was going to nix the whole idea, but in the end, we decided to go on a road trip. That’s a good way to get to know each other, right? Eleven hours in a car with a dog?”