Born to Be Wilde

Chapter Three

"'MORNING, Syd," Lora called out cheerfully, announcing her presence as she walked into her best friend's two-bedroom apartment, which was located right down the hall from her own place. "I brought doughnuts, so come and get 'em while they're good and fresh."

Lora headed into the kitchen, but no one was there. Figuring Sydney and her fifteen-year-old daughter, Cassie, were still in their bedrooms getting ready for the day, Lora went ahead and poured herself a cup of coffee and rummaged through the refrigerator for the cream. She and Sydney had an open-door policy for the most part, and keys to each other's apartments. Most mornings they met for breakfast before Sydney had to take Cassie to school and Lora had to head off to the St. Claire Hotel for work.

"I heard your chipper greeting all the way into my bathroom," Sydney grumbled as she entered the kitchen, wearing a pair of form-fitting jeans and an equally form-fitting blue sweater top. Her naturally wavy auburn hair, which reached the middle of her back, was still damp from her morning shower.

After letting out a loud, obnoxious yawn, she narrowed her gaze at Lora and asked, "Why are you in such a good mood this morning?"

Sydney was so not a morning person and couldn't understand how Lora could wake up so early bright-eyed, rested, and ready to face the day. Sydney would sleep in until noon, given the chance, but she had a daughter in high school, and that kept her from enjoying that particular luxury.

Carrying her cup of coffee to the table, Lora sat down and selected an apple fritter from the pink pastry box. "Well, maybe I'm in a good mood because you let me off early last night."

"Yeah, to go out and get yourself laid." Sydney turned from the counter, a mug of steaming coffee in hand and a sly grin curving her lips. "Dare I hope?"

Lora picked off a crispy edge of her fritter and popped it into her mouth. "Sorry to disappoint you, my dear friend, but my virtue is still intact." However, Lora had to wonder if the vividly erotic dream she'd had last night qualified as getting laid. It was as close to getting laid as she'd gotten in the past two years.

She'd been deep asleep, but the image of Joel's hands and mouth pleasuring her in such steamy, breathtaking detail had seemed so real. Intensely so. She'd felt the heat and strength of his big body stroking in and out of hers, and each hard, fierce thrust had sent her spiraling into the sweetest kind of ecstasy.

She'd woken up panting and moaning as her body clenched deep inside and the last ripples of an orgasm coursed through her. She'd been shocked, and realized that she'd had the female equivalent of a wet dream, proof that her body truly was sexually deprived.

Her face warmed at the memory, and she ducked her head to hide the flush on her cheeks before Sydney noticed and called her on it.

Sydney plopped herself down across the table from Lora and picked out a maple glazed doughnut, which was her favorite kind. "So, tell me all about your platonic date with the hunk."

"It really wasn't a date." Lora shrugged, and took a sip of her coffee.

"What do you mean it wasn't a date?" her friend replied in that affectionately sarcastic way of hers. "You went out with him, didn't you?"

"I had a cup of coffee with him. It wasn't any big deal." Or so Lora tried to convince herself, as well as Sydney.

Sydney made a grunting sound to the contrary. "Did he kiss you?" she asked hopefully.

She recalled all the playful banter and innuendo about Joel's motorcycle at the end of the evening, could still feel the way he'd strummed his fingers down to the base of her throat and how his touch had ignited such a powerful sexual awareness between them. At that moment, she'd wanted to kiss him-the kind of slow, deep kiss that was infused with a heady rush of sensation. She could have sworn by the heat and desire in his eyes that he was thinking the same thing.

She was certain a kiss would have been so good between them… until he'd stepped away, dispelling any notion she might have had about making out with Joel Wilde. Which was probably for the best, she thought with a sigh.

In addition to the fact that he had "bad boy" written all over him, she really wasn't in the market for any kind of relationship right now. She just didn't have the time. Between her day job at the hotel, her evenings at The Electric Blue, and saving every spare dollar she earned so she could open up her own spa within the next year, Joel and his sexy smile and built-like-a-god body were a distraction she couldn't afford.

"Helloooo," Sydney singsonged as she waved a hand in front of Lora's face to get her attention again. "Considering how long you're taking to answer my question, I'm guessing you're wishing he had kissed you."

"Score one for you," Lora admitted, and finished off her apple fritter. "But it didn't happen."

"Damn." Sydney shook her head and licked the sticky remnants of maple cream from her fingers. "Why didn't you just plant one on him? Or better yet, just tear his clothes off and have your way with him out in the back alley? Trust me, judging by the way he was watching you in the bar last night, he wouldn't have refused."

Lora laughed at her friend's outrageous suggestion. "Maybe because I'm not that kind of girl?"

Sydney rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't already know."

"Well, here's something you don't already know," Lora said, and folded her arms on the table. "Would you believe that Joel knows Zach? They were in the service together. The same unit, actually."

"No kidding?" Sydney asked, surprised. "Talk about a small world."

Lora told Sydney about her conversation with Joel, about Zach and how long it had been since Lora had been in contact with him. She really needed to call her brother again, just to let him know she was thinking about him and missed him. Her brother had become a wanderer since leaving the Marines, a man who just couldn't settle down in any one place, and she just wanted to know that he was okay.

Sydney cast a quick look at the clock on the wall, then turned to yell down the hall toward the bedrooms, "Twenty more minutes before we need to hit the road for school, Cass! You need to eat breakfast, so hurry it up already!"

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Cass hollered back, her voice vibrating with teenage impatience.

Hiding a grin at Cass's bit of attitude, Lora stood up, retrieved the coffeepot, and refilled her mug, then Sydney's, figuring her friend could use another boost of caffeine. "Hey, have you decided on a costume for the Halloween bash you're having at The Electric Blue?" The bar was hosting its second annual Halloween party, and Sydney had made it mandatory that everyone dress up-from the employees, to the customers, and even the bouncers. No one entered the place without wearing a costume.

"I'm thinking of being a lady pirate. Arrr," she said in a deep, swaggering tone, then grinned. "What about you?"

Lora set the coffeepot back on the burner and returned to the table. "I'm not sure yet. Any good suggestions?"

"Well, there's always a nun habit and gown to go with your celibate life these days," Sydney teased, and batted her lashes at Lora. "Or how about Little Bo Peep? She's pretty innocent, too."

Lora shot her friend an indulgent glance. "Ha ha, very funny. I'm sorry I asked. I'll figure out something on my own."

Sydney finished off her maple doughnut and grew silent, subdued even, and Lora wondered what had brought on the change. Her friend was normally so outgoing and bubbly, and even used her vivacious and sometimes sarcastic personality to keep other people from getting too close emotionally. It was a defense mechanism for Sydney, and one that had served her well over the years, but Lora was the one person with whom she let down her guard. The one and only person she trusted to let see the vulnerable, insecure woman beneath all that seductive, and brash, bravado.

"You're awfully quiet all of a sudden, Syd," Lora said softly, knowing her friend needed to talk about something. "What's on your mind?"

Inhaling a deep breath, Sydney lifted her gaze to Lora's, giving her a glimpse of maternal worry and deep-seated fears. "Cassie asked me if she could go to a Halloween party at a friend's that Saturday night."

Lora certainly didn't see anything wrong with a young girl enjoying a party with friends, but Sydney obviously did. "And?"

Sydney traced her finger along the rim of her cup. "I told her I had to think about it, but that didn't go over well at all, as you can imagine."

"Why?" Lora asked curiously.

An incredulous burst of laughter escaped Sydney. "Because she's a moody, temperamental fifteen-year-old?"

Realizing that Sydney had misunderstood her question, Lora shook her head. "No, I mean, why do you need to think about letting her go to the party?"

"Because she's fifteen," Sydney said meaningfully. "And she already has a centerfold body to match mine and every guy from the age of ten to eighty can only think of one thing when they look at her." Sydney put her head in her hands and groaned. "Why couldn't she have been skinny and flat-chested?"

Lora would have laughed at Sydney's motherly complaint, but knew her friend wasn't joking. Sydney was thinking of her own troubling and unstable childhood, and how her deep yearning for love and security had led to her getting pregnant with Cassie at the tender young age of fourteen. Her very mature and voluptuous body, along with a boy's promise of forever, had prompted Sydney to ultimately give her heart and body to him. But she'd learned the hard way that he'd only wanted one thing from her, and in the end, when she'd needed him the most, he'd betrayed her in the worst possible way.

And now, Sydney's biggest fear was that some young guy would take advantage of her own daughter in the same way.

As Sydney's best friend, Lora was also the voice of reason in their relationship when it came to Cass, especially since she'd had her share of raising a teenager-her own brother. She didn't hesitate to set Sydney straight now, to give her the words she needed to hear.

"I know it's hard to watch her grow up, Syd," Lora said gently. "But it's going to happen. You've loved her and you've done a great job raising her. Don't hold those reins too tight, or you might find her doing just the opposite of what you want."

"I know, I know," Sydney agreed with a sigh, and dragged her fingers through her drying curls. "I just want her to make smart choices."

"Then give her the chance, and a bit of space." The advice was logical, but not to Sydney, who'd spent years being an overly protective mother. "We've all made mistakes, and she'll make her share. But you need to have a bit of faith in Cass, and she needs to know you trust her. Let her go to the party and have a bit of fun, Syd."

Her friend didn't look convinced, or swayed. "Well, I'll see what her math teacher has to say today before I say yes or no to the Halloween party."

Lora arched a brow mockingly. "You have to ask her math teacher's permission for her to go to the party?"

"No, smart-ass." Sydney stood and carried her mug to the sink and dumped the last of her coffee. "I got a call from him requesting a parent-teacher conference. Remember Daniel Barnett, Cassie's math teacher from last year?"

Lora nodded. Oh, yeah, she definitely recalled the good-looking high school math teacher very well. She'd attended Cassie's Open House Night with Sydney last year, and that's when Lora had also noticed the subtle attraction between the two. But Daniel Barnett, with his clean-cut appearance and genuine nice guy personality, was the kind of man Sydney avoided as a rule-she preferred bad boys, rebels, and guys who were out for a good time, and nothing more. She didn't do long-term commitment or emotional entanglements, and never, ever allowed her heart to get involved in any relationship. According to Sydney, she had her daughter, The Electric Blue, and Lora as a best friend, and there was nothing else she needed in her life.

"Anyway," Sydney continued as she rinsed out her cup and put it into the dishwasher, then dried her hand on a terry towel. "He's teaching Algebra Two this year, so Cassie has him again. He wants to talk to me about how she's doing in class, which is surprising, since she's always done very well in math. She even got an A in Algebra One last year."

Lora joined Sydney at the counter and grinned. "Maybe Daniel Barnett is just looking for a good excuse to see you again."

"Ummm, he's pretty straihtlaced, Lora. Kinda like you are." Sydney flicked the collar of Lora's practical work smock and wrinkled her nose playfully. "Besides, he's not the type of guy to call me in for a parent-teacher conference just to flirt with me. Something's definitely up with Cassie."

Worry filled Sydney's gaze, but before Lora could address her friend's concerns, the object of their discussion walked into the kitchen, her normally curly auburn hair now straightened into the latest shoulder-length style most teenage girls were wearing these days. The silky strands framed her face in wispy layers and brought out the golden flecks in her hazel eyes.

Growing up, Cassie had always been a no-frills kind of girl, more of a rough-and-tumble tomboy. But in the past few weeks Lora had begun to notice that Cassie was starting to pay more attention to her appearance, and taking more time with her hair, makeup, and picking out the clothes she wore to school. She still favored jeans over skirts or dresses, though, and today she had on a pair of dark denim jeans, a pale pink T-shirt, and a matching denim jacket.

Truly, Cassie did nothing to flaunt her body, but there was no way for her to hide her mature curves, either. And that was one of Sydney's biggest concerns, since her daughter was around hormonal teenage boys all day long.

" 'Morning, Aunt Lora," Cassie said as she slung the straps of her backpack over one shoulder. "I'm ready to go, Mom."

As Cassie passed her mother on the way to the front door, Sydney grabbed one of the straps on her daughter's backpack, effectively bringing her to a stop. "You need to eat something before I take you to school."

Cassie rolled her eyes and exhaled dramatically as she trudged back toward the refrigerator. "Fine. I'll drink a bottle of orange juice on the way."

Knowing that wouldn't be enough to appease Sydney, Lora grabbed a napkin and picked out a buttermilk bar from the pastry box for Cassie. "And take a doughnut with you, sweetie, so you don't have to listen to your mother lecture you about the importance of breakfast all the way to school."

Behind Cassie's back, Sydney stuck her tongue out at Lora, silently telling her what she thought about Lora taking her daughter's side in things. Lora barely held back the humorous laugh threatening to surface.

"Thanks, Aunt Lora," Cassie took the doughnut, gave Lora a bright, grateful smile, and headed out of the kitchen before Sydney could stop her again. "I'll be waiting in the car, Mom!"

"You are such a troublemaker," Sydney said to Lora once the apartment door slammed shut behind Cassie. "You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do, but someone has to keep things balanced around here and between you two." Sydney was way too strict and protective of her daughter, though her friend didn't see things that way.

"She never wants to leave for school early." Frowning, Sydney picked up her purse and car keys. "Something's up."

"Oh, for God's sake, Syd," Lora said, her tone reflecting her exasperation. "Quit being so suspicious. She probably wants to spend some time with her friends before the first period bell rings." Grabbing her own pocket-book, she followed her friend to the front door.

"Or spend time with a boy," Sydney added, and didn't sound happy about the possibility.

"Which is a perfectly normal thing for a fifteen-year-old girl to do." Even as she tried to reassure Sydney, Lora knew that her friend's experiences at the age of fifteen had been vastly different from her own-which was a huge part of why Sydney was struggling with her daughter's transition from little girl to young woman now. "You need to face the fact that she's not your little Tinker Bell any more."

Sydney smiled at the nickname she'd given Cassie shortly after she'd been born. "Does she really have to grow up so fast, and so soon?"

Lora hooked her arm through Sydney's as they walked down the corridor together. "Yeah, she really does."

"That's what I'm most afraid of," Sydney said, and sighed.

FINISHED with her third client of the morning, Lora headed to the receptionist's desk to check on her next appointment and what spa treatment she needed to prepare for. She'd already completed a facial, a seaweed body peel, and a mini refresher massage. After reviewing the session log on the computer, it looked like she had a body polish scheduled in the next half hour.

She turned to head toward the treatment rooms to get one of them ready for her next client, but was stopped by the spa's receptionist as the younger girl returned to the front desk.

"I'm glad I caught you," Brittany said as she brought up a list of the spa's daily appointments on the computer. "There's been a change in your schedule this morning."

"According to the log, I have a client coming in for a body polish at eleven."

"Not any longer." The receptionist cleared Lora's next two appointments and rescheduled them with other technicians. "You now have a hot stone massage waiting for you in treatment room five. He just came out of the steam room, so he's all set up, draped, and ready to go." Brittany glanced back up at Lora and grinned. "He must be someone important, considering Ashley St. Claire called up here herself to schedule him an appointment specifically with you today."

That was a bit of a shock. Ashley St. Claire was the hotel owner's daughter, and while she indulged in a spa treatment every once in a while, she'd never pulled strings to make special arrangements for a guest, as she had today. And Lora was equally surprised that it was her services that Ashley had requested for the client.

But, important or not, the man was just another client to Lora, and she gave every customer the best treatment possible. "What's his name?" she asked Brittany, so she could at least address him in a professional manner.

"John Smith."

A nice, nondescript name, she thought, finding the whole scenario a bit strange. "Is he a guest at the hotel?"

"Not according to our records. I already checked. So, he must be a personal friend of the St. Claires'." Grinning, Brittany leaned closer and lowered her voice so other nearby guests couldn't overhear her. "By the way, I'm thinking you're going to want to give him lots of special attention."

Lora caught Brittany's not-so-subtle wink and smiled. "Oh, really?"

"Mmmm. A few of us saw him when he first arrived, and let me tell you, the other technicians were begging me to give him to one of them. He is super-fine and hotter than most of the preppy executives that come up here." The receptionist fanned herself with her hand for effect. "We want details when your appointment with him is over."

"Details?" Lora asked, not sure what kind of inside information they were all after.

The younger woman nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, we all want to know if his body is as rock hard as it looks. Everywhere."

Lora couldn't help but be amused, and was curious as all heck to see this John Smith for herself. "Sorry, but I never gossip about my clients. Or their attributes," she added with a grin.

"Yeah, I know," Brittany said on a disappointed sigh. "But I thought it was at least worth a shot to ask."

The spa's phone rang, forcing the receptionist back to work. She answered the call with a courteous greeting, and after a brief moment began describing what a Spa Signature Sampler entailed to the caller on the other end of the line.

Not wanting to keep her client waiting any longer than necessary, Lora made her way to his room. She quietly slipped inside, grateful to find the room already set up for her. A few aromatherapy candles had been lit, and the pleasant, woodsy-floral fragrance of rosewood filled the air. Soft music played in the background, adding to the soothing, relaxing atmosphere. But it was the gorgeous, well-built specimen of a man laying facedown on the massage table that made everything feminine within her sit up and take notice.

She'd seen a whole lot of nude male bodies during her years of being a massage therapist, and for the most part it was easy to remain indifferent and unaffected, but like Brittany had indicated, this man was unlike the normal executives and businessmen that frequented the hotel's spa.

This man was big and broad and well-defined in all the right places. Unable to resist, she took a moment to appreciate and enjoy the sculpted contours of his naked, muscular body. Starting at his bare feet, her gaze traveled over well-defined calves and up his long, strong legs. From mid-thigh to the base of his spine, he was covered with a towel, but there was no mistaking that he had an ass that was just as rock hard as the rest of him. The slope of his lean, sun-bronzed back led to wide shoulders and sinewy arms that spoke of the kind of power and strength no one would dare mess with.

He was facing the opposite direction, and she took in his thick, roguish long and shaggy hair. Those textured, unruly strands, coupled with that amazing body, stirred an undeniable awareness and familiarity inside her. She walked around the table and confirmed her suspicions when she was met with vivid blue eyes and a positively sinful grin that gave her a thrilling rush of pleasure.

The tempting, fully naked body laying on her massage table was none other than Joel Wilde.