Bliss (6 page)

“I'm sure,” Sera murmured, eyeing what looked like a nubbly pink jellyfish attached to a series of elastic straps.
Where do you put tha… oh.

“I can personally vouch for that one, dear,” said Pauline, following Serafina's scandalized gaze.

Now Sera did retreat a step or two, but the heat from her next-door neighbor brought her up short. As she peeked over her shoulder, she saw he was braced casually with one arm on either side of the door frame in a posture that showed off his physique to mouthwatering advantage. She could feel his warm, minty breath on the sensitive juncture of her neck and shoulder.

Sex toys ahead of me, boy toys behind.
It was certainly not how Sera had envisioned her afternoon unfolding. She wasn't sure whether to laugh, pray for a teleport to whisk her away, or pass out from sheer sensory overload. Having spent the past year burying all thoughts of a sensual nature, devoting herself to work, recovery, and little else, Sera was unprepared for the effect the back room, and Asher's presence in it, was having on her.

With an effort, Sera turned around. Her head was barely level with Asher's neck, he was so tall. But that was fine—it meant she didn't have to look him in the eye. “Excuse me, please,” she muttered, gesturing politely for him to stand aside. “I think I've got the gist of the place now. Quite a dichotomy between what you see in the main room and what's in stock in the back, that's for sure!”
God, I
must
be nervous,
she thought.
I couldn't sound more like a Victorian schoolmarm if I strapped on a bustle and started rocking the granny boot look.

Asher was more colloquial, though perhaps his command of English was a tad questionable.

“That's Pauline's House of Passion for you. Prim and proper up front, orgasms in the rear,” he commented innocently.

A voice channeling
Beavis and Butthead
giggled sophomorically in Sera's mind.
Heh-heh. He said “orgasms in the rear.”
Her face flamed.
Get a grip, Serafina,
she admonished herself.
Grown women don't freak out at the sight of a few vibrators.

Since Asher seemed to be taking his time moving out of her way, Sera ducked under his arm and squeezed by, taking a welcome breath of nonsexualized air when she reached the main space. Pauline trotted up behind her, hands on hips and a hopeful expression on her face.

“So what do you think, kid?”

“Think?” Sera was finding it rather hard to think at the moment, actually. “Well, the space is amazing,” she said when she'd gathered her wits. “What we can make of it—well, I have some ideas, but I want to hear what
you
think first. I don't want to railroad you out of something you love, Aunt Paulie. I can see how much this place has meant to you, and I want to honor that. As far as I'm concerned, you should make the final decision on what happens with the shop.”

Pauline's sharp brown eyes softened and her face glowed. “I raised a wonderful niece,” she trilled. “Didn't I, Ash?”

Asher hopped up to sit on the mahogany counter and grinned, arms bracing his weight behind him in a way that emphasized his broad shoulders and corded arms. “Indubitably,” he affirmed.

Sera shot him a suspicious glance, but there was no trace of a leer on his face, and he seemed quite sincere—even detached. Inexplicably, disappointment flared within her. Though she had no intention of becoming distracted from her dream by another charismatic male, she found herself wishing that this one
was
flirting with her. But if there was any trace of chemistry in the air, it was apparently one-sided. He was being charming—engaging even—but definitely not suggestive.

“Well, kiddo,” Pauline continued, “the sad fact is, since Hortencia, I've lost a bit of my customary mojo. And I ain't getting any younger. I haven't got the energy—and let's face it, I
never
had the business savvy—to keep P-HOP going the way it should, but I'd be sorry to see my dream die out
entirely.
” A hint of deliberate mystery colored her voice, telling Sera she had something on her mind.

Her aunt might look like a Grateful Dead camp follower, but Sera was beginning to suspect the old gal hadn't lost her edge.

“Spill it, Pauline,” she commanded.

“We-lllll,” Pauline drawled, enjoying the moment, “your specialty is giving people pleasure, right?” She waited expectantly, like the retired professor she was.

Sera was willing to bite, despite her awareness of the interested audience observing their exchange. “I guess that's one way of putting it. My desserts are definitely made to invoke all the senses and delight the palate.” She hoped she didn't sound like too much of a prima donna. Still, her confections did deserve a certain gravity. They were
that
good. Modest Serafina might be about her own attributes, but her baked goods were out of this world.

Pauline wasn't put off by Sera's hesitance. She beamed at Sera and Asher alike. “The way I see it, I've been doing the same thing, just working in a different medium. So I thought, what if your new shop included both sinful desserts
and
earthly delights?”

“You mean… cupcakes in the front, climaxes in the back?” Sera asked incredulously.

“Chocolate produces the same endorphins as sex, I've heard,” Asher put in helpfully from his perch on the counter.

“Oh, is that what you've heard?” Sera shot back, a smile quirking her lips when Asher mugged an innocent expression. But only half her mind was on her new neighbor, for a wonder.

She was beginning to see the possibilities…

Considering her “shortcomings,” Serafina had never had the slightest inclination to frequent a pleasure palace, let alone become the proprietor of one, be it ever so genteel. But now… Ever since her aunt's distress call, Sera had sensed she was facing another crossroads in her life—not as dramatic as her decision to get sober, certainly, but perhaps even more profound. Her life in New York was unsatisfying, to say the least. She had gotten her one-year chip just a couple months ago, and was only just beginning to see the “promises” spoken of among the recovery community come true in her own life. She'd stabilized, sure—but in a lot of ways she was still the same scared, insecure girl she'd been before she'd picked up the bottle and lost so many years to it. One of the things she had learned, watching others who had the sorts of lives she wanted for herself, was that those who were happiest were the ones who were open to life's possibilities, and who challenged themselves to accept new things, however scary they might be.

Maybe it was time to live up to her surname and do something wild. Something totally out of character. Never mind that she was hardly one to speak on the subject of orgasm aids—Pauline could take care of that aspect. Sera had absolutely no intention of letting Pauline retire, gracefully or otherwise, and she suspected Pauline herself wouldn't have it any other way. They'd be the dynamic duo of sensual gratification! And Sera would be someone who proudly owned a streak of mischief, instead of someone who buried her
joie de vivre
beneath a stifling blanket of timidity.

Yes. This is what I want.

Sera's inner certainty, absent for the last several years—hell, since she'd met Blake Austin—returned. It didn't sneak back a bit at a time; it flung open the door, tossed its hat and coat on the sofa, and announced itself “home!” in a loud, Ricky Ricardo voice. She could do this. And she could have the time of her life in the process.

“Two great tastes that taste great together, huh?” she said with a grin spreading across her face.

“Exactly, kiddo.”

“But what would we call it?”

“How about Climactic Cupcakes?” Pauline offered.

“Little Death by Chocolate?” Sera countered.

They both smiled.

“Bliss,” said Asher.

“Yes? You want to weigh in, Mr. Wolf?”

“I thought I just did,” he corrected with a smile. “And please, no need to be so formal. Call me Asher, or Ash—I won't bite.”

Said the wolf,
thought Serafina.

“What I meant was, I think you should name the store after what it offers,
and
who's offering it. Call it Bliss.”

There was a moment of silence.

“It's perfect!” Pauline cried. She clapped her hands with girlish glee. “Leave it to the stud to call it like it is. Good job, Gorgeous.”

Asher just grinned that stupendously engaging grin, tipping his hat once more.

Sera had to admit, the name
was
perfect. But she didn't want to give Asher a big ego—his looked healthy enough as it was. “I'll think about it, you guys. We still have a lot to consider before we can be sure this will work out. Permits, zoning, financial stuff—I've got a lot of research and number crunching to do.”

Sera dusted off her hands and took a last look around. She didn't want to admit it aloud just yet, but her heart was soaring. For the first time in as long as she could remember, the future looked exciting. Challenging, sure. But so,
so
promising. Eyes sparkling, she gestured for the others to precede her out of the shop and then shut off the lights after them. As the door closed behind them, she felt a sense of rightness—of certainty. She'd be back soon to honor the gift—and opportunity—Pauline was providing her with.

“I would be happy to help with the store in any way I can. Please, be welcome to visit me at any time, Bliss,” Asher said as he locked up after them. “I'm always just next door.”

“I'll do that,” Sera promised. As she watched him retreat—no hardship there—she had a feeling she'd be making an excuse to do so at the earliest opportunity—just to be neighborly, of course. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to fly so close to the flame with a guy that hot, but hell, a girl could look, couldn't she?
No harm pursuing a friendly acquaintance,
Sera told herself staunchly. She'd just have to keep her… limitations… in mind, and she'd be fine.

“Wow,” she said to Pauline, “what's the deal with that dude?”

“What do you mean?” Pauline asked innocently.

“Well, for starters, why does he have a key to your place?”

“Oh, that.” Pauline waved a hand dismissively. “Why wouldn't he have a key to his own building?”

At Sera's uncomprehending look, she continued, “Oh, didn't I mention that? Asher owns the place. If you decide to reopen the shop, he'll be your landlord, kiddo. And he's single, too, you know.” She leered in that signature Pauline Wilde way—almost too cute to be obscene. “Maybe if you two start
schtupping,
he'll give us a break on the rent.”

I
t wasn't the next day, or even the next, before Sera got back to
Placita de Suerte y Sueños.
A full week passed in a haze of logistics and alarmingly grown-up concerns before she was able to visit her dream shop again.

Armed with advice from accountants, recovering from cauliflower ear after several marathon phone sessions with local officials, and newly expert in the bylaws of Santa Fe's small business association and community boards, she finally felt prepared to say with reasonable certainty that, yes, opening Bliss
might
work out. But first, she'd have to talk to her landlord.

And Sera was feeling a wee bit woozy at the prospect.

The jungle around both Pauline's shop and its neighbor had been pruned back a bit, she noticed as she arrived. But from under the slightly more manicured curtain of foliage draping Lyric Jewelry, a series of alarmingly animalistic yips, snorts, and whines was emerging.

Too bad I couldn't get my pepper spray through airport security,
Sera thought with a twinge of unease. But whatever it was doing the Animal Planet impression under there, she'd have to get past it to see Asher Wolf. And she hadn't come all this way to get fainthearted now.

Leaving the package she'd brought with her balanced on the porch railing, she stepped up on the dusty boards, ducked under the canopy of leafy growth, and discovered that the source of the sounds appeared to be a…
hm, is that a doghouse?
Yes, definitely a handmade wooden doghouse, more old-school Snoopy-style than prefab pooch palace, tucked in a corner of the storefront beside a series of potted plants that were exuberantly climbing the walls and door lintel of the jewelry store.

A white, distinctly wolfish muzzle peeked out from the doghouse.

Oh, man, my landlord isn't seriously a wolf wrangler, too, is he?
she wondered. She had enough mental nicknames for Indiana Jones as it was; Dances with Wolves was just one too many.

Sera was uneasy with dogs. Cats were okay by her—the more aloof, the better—but if truth be told, she'd always been more of a turtle or sea monkey person than a fuzzy animal advocate. Sera preferred a pet that could be contained in a tidy display case, look decorative, and require little to no maintenance. Taking her neighbor's wheezy pug out for its nightly walk had been about as much commitment as she'd ever wanted to offer a canine. With her baking schedule—up before dawn most days; elbow-deep in flour, butter, and sugar for most of her waking hours; and catering events all over the city—pet ownership had pretty much always been out of the question. Dogs, with their constant needs and shameless attention seeking—not to mention their droolly, treat-begging ways—had just never been her bag.

Until perhaps, just now. As Sera watched, four more muzzles joined the first in the darkened arch of the doghouse door. Four tiny, mewling, tongue-lolling, ridiculously lovable puppy muzzles.

Before she knew it, Serafina's ankle-length circle skirt (one of Pauline's, as she was getting to the end of her travel wardrobe and she'd yet to do laundry) had acquired a fringe of Siberian husky–shaped pom-poms.

Their impossibly adorable little faces were scrunched up as they did battle with her hem, growling and barking excitedly while their mother, a regal-looking purebred husky with piercing blue eyes, lounged half in, half out of her doggy domain and watched her offspring indulgently.

Was it possible to die of puppy love? Her heart was melting faster than Valrhona chocolate in a hot double boiler.

“C'mon, little doggies,” Sera crooned, trying to gently free the denim edge of Pauline's skirt from the puppies' mouths while simultaneously endeavoring to keep the tired elastic at the waist from giving its last gasp. Pauline was a bit more generous around the middle than her niece, and her well-worn clothing fit Sera rather more than comfortably. As playful growls and excited yips erupted, she realized she'd just inadvertently invented a new game for the pups—“denude Serafina in public.”

“C'mon… let the nice lady go,” she wheedled, hoping to reason with the puppies. They looked intelligent enough for a bunch of puffballs. No dice. So she tried distraction, crouching down and pointing excitedly with one hand while clutching her waistband for dear life with the other. “Look, boys! A bird! Um, puppy chow!” But nothing could possibly be as thrilling as anchoring her hippy skirt, making sure it gave no resistance to their mini-ferocious fangs.

Serafina got stern on their asses. “Drop the denim, you Lilliputian menaces,” she threatened, “and nobody'll get hurt.” In response, the littlest one crawled right under her hem and began having it out with her socks, just where they met her favorite pair of slouchy ankle boots. “Ha, ha… no, stop, you little punk… ah, that tickles! Shit! No, you goobers, I'm not wearing my nice undies today, quit with the peekaboo—”

“Can I help you with something?” inquired an amused voice.

Serafina gave a yip fit to outshine her canine carbuncles. She spun on her heels, puppies swinging from her skirts like a carnival carousel, coming to a stop face-to-face with a grinning Asher Wolf.

He framed the doorway of his shop with aplomb; she had to give him that.
Sans
hat today, but sporting another clingy, beat-up pullover and cargo pants with what looked to be a full complement of jeweler's tools poking from their many pockets.

Hello, Studly.

“Oh, hi, Mr. Wolf. Ah, do these limpets belong to you, by any chance?”

“Asher, please,” he reminded her, “or I'll be forced to call you Miss Wilde, and Santa Fe is far too casual a town for such formalities.”`

“Right.” Serafina colored. Calling him by his given name felt too intimate somehow, but refusing to do so would make her look like a weirdo—or more of a prude than Pauline had already painted her to be. “Asher. Sorry. Um, I seem to have Velcroed up some puppies—are they yours?”

“Temporarily,” he allowed. “Sascha over there”—he gestured to the full-grown husky—“is mine, as I am hers.” At the sound of her name, Sascha got to her feet and wound her way through her gamboling offspring to Asher's side, sitting on one of his motorcycle boots and looking up at him adoringly until the jeweler gave her a fond rub across her noble forehead. Man and beast exchanged identical wolfish grins. “The pups, however, are merely passing through. Three of them have homes waiting for them, but the runt of the litter hasn't been spoken for yet—that's the little rascal who seems to have developed a fondness for your sock. In a couple of weeks, when they're fully weaned, I'll have to find a place for him, too, though I'm growing perilously fond of the fellow myself.” Asher leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb and crossed one foot over the other, the picture of relaxed, self-confident male. Sascha mimicked him, flumping over on her side, crossing her paws in front of her, and cocking her head as if to say,
“Isn't my master awesome?”

You said it, bitch,
Sera thought. She could stare at that kind of goodness all day long.

To cover the sudden heat that was short-circuiting her thoughts, Sera leaned down and let her fingers have the luxury of sinking into the runt's exquisitely soft fur. He gave a funny little chirrup and began lapping at her hand with a dedication that was almost embarrassing. “May I?” she inquired, indicating that she'd like to pick up the pup. Asher nodded, and suddenly, her arms were full of squirming, barking joyousness. Face, neck, hands—every part of Sera within the pup's reach was subjected to his sloppy kisses.

“He seems to have taken quite a liking to you, Bliss,” Asher remarked.

Sera started, still unaccustomed to the moniker and how frankly naughty it sounded on his lips. Her face flamed—
again
—but she hoped the husky's ministrations would hide her blushes. “I'm sure at this age, they probably greet everybody this way,” she demurred.

“The other pups, yes. They'll roll over and beg for belly rubs for any passing tourist—not bad for business either, I might add.” He grinned frankly. “This little fellow, however, has been very shy up to now—I've never seen him take to anyone so freely.” Asher folded his arms, scrutinizing Serafina. “Dogs have excellent instincts,” he said. “You must be a good… what is it Pauline says? A good egg. Yes, egg.” He looked pleased with his ability to whip out an English idiom.

“Well, I, ah… that is, I try to be… um, thanks,” she babbled, absurdly tickled. The puppy gave a bark of agreement, seconding the sentiment. She scratched behind the little fella's gray-tipped ear, loving the distinctive charcoal-colored face mask markings that set off his snowy coat. The pup leaned into her fingers, whining with joy. “What's his name?” she asked Asher shyly.

“He hasn't got one yet. If you'd like, you may have that honor.”

And just like that, standing on a rustic, sun-dappled porch, giddy with high altitude and sage-scented desert air, Serafina had a moment of gratitude so strong that tears sprang to her eyes.

A year ago, nobody had been asking her to name their puppies. She'd been lucky if she could get through a day without having an angry sous chef lobbing a saucepan at her head. Now she was trading pleasantries on a brisk September Santa Fe day with a fascinating gentleman who had entrusted her with a piece of his dog's future. Maybe to him, this was no more than the friendly gesture it seemed. But to Sera, it meant she was finally on her way to becoming the woman she'd always hoped she'd be.

“I'd like that,” she murmured when the lump in her throat finally dissipated. She buried her face in the pooch's snowy fur, laughing a little when he started chewing on her hair. “I might need some time to think of the right name, though.”

“He's in no rush,” Asher said, reaching out to fondle the pup's ears. Sera took note of his hands: big knuckles, long, sensitive fingers—and lots of scars and calluses. She'd seen their like on chefs before—cooks collected burns and cuts like they were auditioning for a slasher movie. She guessed jewelers faced some of the same occupational hazards. Hot metal, sharp tools.

Speaking of hot stuff…

“I came bearing gifts,” she blurted out. “I hope you're not allergic to chocolate or anything.”

“A fate worse than death,” Asher said with real horror. “Not at all. I consider chocolate one of the major food groups.”

Could he be a more perfect human being?
Sera wondered.
Just, please, don't let him be one of those people who believes in alien abduction or listens to Rush Limbaugh, 'cause this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

“Then you're going to love this,” she promised, letting her dimples show as she held up the Tupperware container she'd placed on the porch rail before the puppies glommed on to her.

Asher gallantly accepted the battered plastic tub. “What is it?” he asked, already busy peeling off the lid. “I think I smell…”

“Chocolate babka,” she affirmed. “I thought, since Pauline told me you're Israeli, you might like a taste of home.”

Asher inhaled appreciatively. “Actually,” he said, his fingers already busy tearing off a hunk, “it's not really common back where I come from, in Tel Aviv. I'd never tasted babka until I visited my cousins in New York a few years back. But once I did”—he flashed that signature grin—“I considered moving there permanently.”

She blushed, embarrassed at her cultural ignorance. But Asher didn't seem the slightest bit offended. Sera watched as he freed a fluffy, chocolate-marbled wad of the sweet bread and crammed it in his mouth. His eyes slid shut with an almost carnal bliss.

So did Sera's.

There was just about nothing that compared to watching someone enjoy the foods you made with your own two hands. Watching a gorgeous, lanky, Siberian husky–owning artisan who just happened to be your landlord enjoy your food… well, it was singularly rewarding. A heat that owed nothing to the sun-washed day suffused Serafina.

A wet, warm tongue began laving her neck.

Her eyes snapped open, and were met with the curious, mischievous tundra blue eyes of her nameless puppy friend, whose tongue lolled from his doggie grin without the slightest shame. Sera, on the other hand, ought to spend at least a week doing penance for her lascivious thoughts. Thoughts, she reminded herself, that should be nipped in the bud before she started falling under her landlord's spell…

Asher swallowed, the strong column of his neck working. Sera's gaze was drawn to the hollow at the base of his throat, olive skin just barely sprinkled with golden hair at the vee formed by his open shirt collar. “Delicious.” He sighed, opening his own eyes at length.

Yeah, that was one way to put it.

Suddenly, Sera became aware of the fact that they were still standing on the porch outside Asher's store, and that she'd been monopolizing his attention for quite a while.

“You must have customers. I don't want to keep you… I just wanted to check in with you about Pauline's store, if you have a few moments. If you don't, I can come back,” she rambled.

“Not at all,” he said with a reassuring smile. “It's early, and the tourists don't really start bombarding us full force until lunchtime, as a rule. I find the ladies are generally in a better mood for buying jewelry after they've checked a few of our town's fine museums off their list and had a bite to eat. And it goes similarly with their gentlemen companions. So business is quiet just now. Would you like to look around my shop?” he offered, licking his thumb clean of babka crumbs and shoving away from the door.

A peek inside the wolf's den. Why not? She put the puppy down, watching as Sascha gently chivvied him and the rest of the litter back to their little doggie hideout.

Asher beckoned Sera inside after him, and she followed.