Pure Indulgence

Chapter 6

"Mr. Tremaine, there's a delivery out front for you. The courier said you need to accept the package personally."

Jack glanced up from the inventory spreadsheet on his computer to the hostess working the lunch shift at Tremaine's Downtown. "Thanks, Tracey. I'll be right there."

He saved the file and closed the computer program, then made his way from his upstairs office down to the hostess stand, curious as to what awaited him, since he hadn't been expecting a personal delivery of any sort.

A young man dressed in a navy-blue courier uniform handed him a small gold box secured with a matching ribbon, and asked him to sign a delivery form. There was no information on the outside of the parcel to indicate who it was from, or what Jack might find inside. Not wanting to open the box with too many employees and lunch patrons watching when he had no idea what to expect, he took the package back up to his office. Sitting in his leather chair, he removed the ribbon and lifted the lid.

The arousing scent of chocolate filled his next breath, and he found a small envelope lying on top of a waxed paper liner with his name written in a feminine script. He smiled, an undeniable rush of anticipation making itself known as he opened the card and read the note inside.

I thought you might like to sample my latest creation. A Chocolate Orgasm. Enjoy. Kayla.

He smiled at the risqué name Kayla had chosen for her newest candy, especially since it inspired sinful thoughts of how much pleasure he'd derived from her multiple climaxes a few nights ago. He was bound to enjoy this edible orgasm, too, he was sure.

He removed the paper liner, revealing six chocolates, and his brows rose in what he would have sworn was a figment of his imagination. He picked up one of the treats, and upon closer inspection realized that from one angle the candies looked like the petals of a flower, and from another viewpoint they did, indeed, resemble the curve of a woman's… well, her genitalia.

He chuckled and shook his head, amused by Kayla's new line of candies, and damn curious to find out what this Chocolate Orgasm would taste like.

He took a bite, and out oozed a gooey, white cream center that took him by surprise, but shouldn't have considering the name of the candy and all it implied. He quickly popped the rest of it into his mouth before the thick, sticky filling dribbled down his fingers and made a mess, as always seemed to happen when he sampled Kayla's desserts. He chewed, and moaned at the sweet mixture that combined rich vanilla cream flavored with a hint of almond. It was a simple recipe, but the decadent taste and texture was like ambrosia, and managed to spur all kinds of carnal fantasies in his mind-mainly, of tasting Kayla's orgasm on his tongue.

The image of pleasuring her in such an intensely erotic way caused his heart rate to increase and a throbbing pressure to take up residence in his groin. He ate another candy while reliving the other night with Kayla in his mind, and wishing she was here with him now.

It had been two days since he'd seen her, and though they'd talked on the phone, it just didn't compare to being with her in person. He missed seeing her smile and that sparkle in her green eyes. Missed the easy way they teased one another. Missed kissing her and immersing himself in everything honest and pure that made Kayla Thomas such an extraordinarily giving woman.

Absently, he ate another Chocolate Orgasm. Kayla was like an obsession he couldn't shake, an addiction that gave his life new meaning. He wanted more than just her body… good Lord, he was beginning to want inside her heart, too. And if the only way to get there was through hot, hungry sex, then he'd just have to sacrifice himself in the process.

Oh, yeah, like that would be a real hardship. Well, he was hard as steel right now, his entire body hot, his skin too tight-just from thinking about her.

He definitely had it bad, and it felt so, so good.

He shifted in his seat and glanced at his watch. He, had an appointment with the City of San Diego to obtain building permits for Tremaine's Uptown in an hour and a half-which left him plenty of time to stop and see Kayla on the way. And if he was lucky, she'd be willing to help him do something about this excruciating condition of his.

Kayla picked up the office phone on the second ring.

"Good afternoon, Pure Indulgence," she recited automatically.

"I'd like to speak to Kayla Thomas, please," came a soft female voice she didn't recognize.

Disappointment dissolved the glimmer of hope Kayla had harbored that it was Jack on the other end of the line. She'd checked with the courier service a half hour ago to verify that her package had been signed and delivered to Jack, but she'd yet to hear from him. Either he hadn't eaten her candies, or her being out of his sight meant out of his mind. And was it really fair of her to send him the aphrodisiac chocolates with such great expectations? No, it really wasn't, she thought on a sigh.

If he'd eaten her candies, the man was probably walking around with a hard-on to end all hard-ons, wondering what in the hell was wrong with him that he couldn't control his libido.

The thought made a giggle tickle her throat, which she promptly swallowed in favor of greeting the woman on the phone in a professional manner. "This is Kayla. How can I help you?"

"This is Audrey Mann with the Seaside Gallery. We met at the Chamber of Commerce dinner last week."

"Oh, yes, I remember." The woman had raved about the desserts and had taken one of Kayla's business cards. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm hosting an art show for an up-and-coming artist next Friday evening, and I'm expecting at least a hundred guests," Audrey explained. "I wanted to do a dessert table, and I'd like your bakery to cater the job."

"We'd be happy to," Kayla replied enthusiastically, seeing this opportunity as yet another way to gain exposure for her shop. "Would you like to make an appointment to come in and discuss what you'd like, or would you prefer to do it over the phone?"

"Over the phone is fine."

"Great." Kayla pulled out an order form from her desk drawer and grabbed a pen, her mind firmly in business mode. "Tell me what you have in mind and we'll go from there."

Audrey asked for Kayla's opinion on what to serve and the best way to accommodate two hundred people, and Kayla gave the other woman numerous options in different price ranges, depending on Audrey's budget. It seemed the gallery owner wasn't concerned about money, because by the time they'd settled on a menu Audrey had picked the most expensive items and racked up quite a bill.

They'd agreed on a dozen of Kayla's most popular cakes, along with a large assortment of pet its fours and éclairs filled with a variety of different custards, and a variety of other finger pastries. The cut-up fruit and fondue sauces were added to the order, as well. Audrey had her own employee to serve her guests, which meant all Kayla had to do was supply and deliver the desserts.

"By the way," Audrey said after they'd wrapped up the last of the order. "You're welcome to attend the art show yourself and bring a guest if you'd like."

"Thank you." The woman's invitation made her smile. "That sounds like fun, and I might just do that."

Kayla hung up the phone with an exuberant "Yes," just as her office door abruptly opened and Jack walked in, bold as he pleased. It occurred to her that since her employees knew she was working for Jack and he'd been here before, they'd most likely assumed he had an appointment and told him to come on back to her office.

She jumped up from her seat and rounded her desk, glad to see him, yet surprised that he hadn't called first. Unless he'd wanted to catch her off guard-which was a distinct possibility, judging by the determined set of his features and the blue heat in his eyes.

"Jack! What are you doing here?"

He closed and locked the door, then leaned back against it, looking primitively male, and very sure of himself. "I'm here to extract a bit of revenge for you sending me those candies. You're very naughty, you know that?"

She shivered at the low, rumbling timbre of his voice, her body humming with acute awareness. "You sent me flowers and I sent you candy." She shrugged, striving for nonchalance. "I just thought you might enjoy trying my latest creation."

He lifted a dark brow, obviously questioning her motives. Pushing away from the door, he slowly strolled toward her, an undeniable sexual energy radiating off him. For every step he took forward, she took one back, her pulse accelerating as he neared.

"I'm thinking you sent those Chocolate Orgasms on purpose," he murmured, a soft accusation in his tone.

She didn't confirm or deny his suspicion. Meanwhile, he moved closer and closer, until he had her backed up against the wall next to her metal filing cabinet.

"You wanted me to eat them, and think of you, think of us together like we were the other night." Bracing his hands on either side of her shoulders so she couldn't escape him, he lowered his mouth to her ear "With me deep inside you and you so tight and warm around my shaft."

A strangled sound caught in her throat, rendering her speechless.

"Well, it worked, sweetheart." His damp lips touched her neck, followed by a warm lap of his tongue that made her tremble all over. "I'm horny as hell, and getting homier with every passing minute."

His admission thrilled her, and gave even more credence to the idea that her candies truly were an aphrodisiac. He'd eaten them, and hadn't been able to stay away from her.

His hands lowered to her waist, and he ground his hips tight against hers, fitting his erection right at the crux of her thighs. He was long and thick beneath the fly of his khaki pants. Aggressive and demanding.

"You did this to me, Kayla," he rasped against her cheek as his palms slid over her jean-clad bottom and lifted her higher, closer. "You made me hard and aching for relief."

Her head fell back against the wall as her body instinctively arched into his. No, her candies had done that to him. She was just fortunate enough to be the beneficiary of all his pent-up lust.

He increased the pressure against her sex, and the friction of her jeans and the damp silk of her panties against her sensitive flesh touched off a series of spasms deep inside. "What do you plan to do about this problem of mine, Kayla?"

She closed her eyes, caught up in the pleasure simmering just below the surface, beckoning her to let go. "I… um…" She couldn't talk, couldn't think. She just wanted to feel. And Jack made her feel exceptionally well.

He lifted a hand, curled his fingers around the nape of her neck, and skimmed his lips along her jaw to the corner of her mouth. "Since this is all your fault, I'm thinking you should put me out of my misery."

He kissed her, a hot, eager melding of lips and tongues that quickly flared into a blazing inferno of need. She wrapped her arms around his neck and his hands found their way beneath her T-shirt to the waistband of her pants. His fingers grazed her stomach before unsnapping the top closure and tugging down her zipper, and there was no doubt in her mind where this embrace was going to lead if she didn't bring him to a halt.

She pulled her mouth from his. "Jack…" She gulped much-needed air into her lungs. "We can't do this. Not here." No matter how much she wanted to.

"Why not?" He was breathing hard, his body vibrating with barely controlled restraint. "The door is locked and I can guarantee that it won't take me long to come once I'm inside you, that's how turned on I am."

If the entire situation wasn't so serious, she would have laughed. But she was forced to admit that she was responsible for his current condition-or at least her candies were-and she reasoned that it wasn't fair of her to leave him in such a painful state of arousal.

His gaze, dark and heavy-lidded with purpose, held hers as he glided his flattened hand past the opening of her jeans and into her panties. "You're wet," he said as his long fingers slid between her cleft and stroked her slowly, languidly, making her body beg for more. "You want me just as much as I want you."

A statement of fact she couldn't argue. "This is insanity," she whispered at the same time that her hips moved of their own volition against his hand, seeking a more illicit caress.

He held her orgasm just out of her reach. "You feel it, too?"

Problem was, she was beginning to feel too much for this man. "Yes." Oh, God, yes.

"Then let me in, Kayla," he said, his tone low and desperate.

It was a heartfelt plea she couldn't resist or refuse. She reached for his belt at the same time he sealed his mouth over hers again. She worked his slacks open, took him in her hand, and reveled in the way his big body shuddered just from her touch.

He reached into his pants pocket, withdrew a condom, and hastily sheathed himself. "Turn around and put your hands on the wall to brace yourself," he ordered gruffly.

Caught up in the forbidden excitement of the moment, she did as he asked, and bent forward. He stood behind her, and his hands went to the waistband of her jeans. He tugged them down over her bottom and shoved them to her knees.

She sucked in a stunned breath of air. Too late she realized how vulnerable and exposed this position made her. But before she could bring a halt to this wild tryst, he was smoothing his hands over her bare bottom, opening her for him. She felt the thick head of his penis against her slick heat, and then he was pushing inside of her with a low, unraveling groan. With a driving thrust, he sank to the hilt and her body welcomed him, clutching greedily at his shaft.

He wrapped one hand around her waist, and slipped the other between her legs to bring her to a quick, fever pitch of need that matched his own. The tangle of denim around her knees restricted her, and all she could do was roll her hips sinuously against his as he pumped harder, faster, deeper, in a frenzied rhythm.

She moaned as her climax crested. Threading his fingers in her hair, he turned her head to the side and slanted his mouth across hers. The kiss was erotic and wet-and awkward, but served its purpose to smother her cries, and his own, as they came at the same time.

When the aftershocks finally ebbed, he slumped against her, and they both struggled for breath. Jack nuzzled her cheek, her neck, then finally withdrew from her body at the same time he shimmied her jeans and underwear back up her thighs and hips so she wasn't left buck-naked.

She murmured a self-conscious, "Thank you," considering what she'd just done with him, in the light of day and in her office no less. But, regardless, she appreciated the thoughtful gesture.

He kissed her lips, this time tenderly. "Be right back," he said, and disappeared into the rest room at the rear of her office.

She straightened her clothes, and he returned minutes later looking composed and relaxed. Meanwhile she still felt out of sorts after such a wild sexual encounter. As he approached, she was struck with a sudden surge of modesty that made her face warm to the tips of her ears.

Stopping in front of her, he caressed a finger along her cheek, an amused smile on his lips. "Hey, you're blushing."

A light gust of laughter escaped her. "Well, I have to admit, that was a first for me."

A dark brow arched inquisitively. "Up against the wall sex, or an afternoon quickie?"

"Umm, both, actually."

"It was great. You were great." His low, husky voice assured her, as did the honest look in his eyes. "Your Chocolate Orgasms are delicious, but nothing compares to the real thing. I needed that, and you, badly."

His sweet words curled around her heart, and for the moment she let herself believe she could provoke such intense passion in this gorgeous, incredible man, and that her candies had nothing to do with it.

"I won't be able to see you tonight because I need to stand in for Rich at the restaurant," he said, his regret palpable. "But how about tomorrow evening?"

Saturday. The weekend. "That's perfect. I'll have another dessert for you to sample, and since the shop closes at six-"

He pressed his warm fingers over her lips, cutting her off. "I want to take you to dinner. Someplace you've never been before."

She liked the sound of that, and she wasn't about to refuse such an offer, not when she enjoyed being with him so much. "Okay."

"Consider it a date then," he said with a concise nod. "I'll pick you up at your place at six-thirty. Bring the dessert, and we'll have it after dinner."

After Jack left her office, she sank back into her chair with a smile, her mind already conjuring up a new aphrodisiac recipe to bring along on their date.