“Jane?”
“Yes, Walter,” she said.
“The underwear you’re not wearing right now is the only underwear I’m interested in,” Walter said. “I offer what we just did as proof of my argument.”
Jane cleared her throat. “Was what happened just now your way of making that point?”
“Did it work?” he asked, grinning nervously.
“Giving me a screaming orgasm at the end didn’t hurt your case,” she said back.
“Thank God,” Walter said, more relieved by her teasing than he could express. “Can I make a better argument tonight?”
“Better? I can barely walk now, Walter.” Jane laughed because he looked so happy with himself, finally giggling at the craziness of them attacking each other in such an inappropriate place. “What am I going to do with you?”
“How about the same thing we just did, except maybe in a more private location and for the rest of your life? I’m torn between wishing you’d worn a pair of your baggy pants and happy you didn’t because I had you naked in under a minute. You’ve got me twisted into knots over your damn clothes,” Walter said.
Shaking her head at Walter’s comment, Jane picked up her sunglasses and walked to the door, leaving him staring after her.
His proposal was still ringing in her ears when she got to her car. This time she knew that he hadn’t meant it as a joke. And it scared her to death.
Sydney tapped his knuckles on the door of Alexa’s office then entered without waiting for an invitation. Alexa was too busy French kissing a fully dressed Marine to notice his office etiquette breach, so he cleared his throat. He smiled as Casey and Alexa drew reluctantly apart.
“There’s a woman in the waiting area asking to see you. I don’t know who it is,” Sydney said.
“I thought our meeting was this afternoon. What are you doing here already?” Alexa demanded. “Did you do something awful to Allen?”
“No. Lord, you’re possessive of that man. Allen got a call from the school and had to pick up one of the kids. I told him to go on since I was waiting to see you anyway. I thought we were going to talk about our trip to Paris. Why did you make an appointment if you were planning to have a quickie with Casey in your office?” Sydney demanded, pretending to be upset.
Alexa sighed. “I didn’t make any appointments for today. You and I were. . .I mean
are
. . .going to have our discussion. Didn’t you even ask who she was?”
“No. I don’t work for you anymore,” Sydney said with grin. “But she’s obviously doing the walk of shame over someone this morning. She’s a medium height brunette in sunglasses with dirt smudges on the back of both her blouse and skirt. She’s a size 10 roughly, fairly trim for her age which I would estimate to be late thirties or early forties. Frankly, it looks like forbidden sex guilt to me. Is Regina sending you referrals now?”
Casey snorted and grinned. “Your powers of observation are totally wasted designing clothes for a living, Sydney. You should be working for intelligence in some organization. They spend years trying to train people to be like you.”
“We’ve had this discussion before. No thanks, big guy. I’m happy looking at hard male bodies and smiling model faces all day,” Sydney said easily.
Alexa rolled her eyes at the conversation, turning her attention back to Casey. “Now I don’t want any more arguments. Yes I’m busy, but I’m still coming to DC for the weekend. I’ll be there early Saturday.”
Casey leaned down and snatched one more kiss. “Okay. I’ll trade you favors and vet your visitor on my way out. Sydney can turn her away if necessary.”
“Thank you. You’re always my hero,” Alexa said, beaming at her husband.
Behind Casey’s back, Sydney stuck out his tongue at a frowning Alexa who held up her middle finger the moment Casey turned away from her.
“No fighting while I’m gone, you two,” Casey ordered. “I don’t want to miss anything good.”
“Ooooh. . .we’re in bossy Marine mode this morning. I’m loving it. Can Paul borrow your uniform sometime?” Sydney asked, hearing Alexa’s laugh as he and Casey trudged back down the long hallway.
“Hi,” Casey said, his face instantly lighting when he saw who it was. “
Jane
—right?”
“Yes. Wow, Casey—you look—like you’re doing something important today. It’s obvious to me now that I’m interrupting. Really I just came here on impulse. I never do anything on impulse. Well, sometimes I do, but it always leads to big trouble. And now I’m starting to babble because I’m embarrassed. I should probably just go now. Will one of you tell Alexa I’ll see her some other time?”
Jane stood and started to the door.
“Nonsense,” Casey said, sweeping off his white hat with a flourish while offering Jane a smile that had her stopping her exit. He knew Alexa would never turn away the newest and youngest club member. She had talked about Jane Fox for hours after she’d returned last Thursday.
“Sydney, tell Alexa that it’s just Jane. See if she can spare a few minutes. Maybe you can run out and get coffee for them while they’re having their chat.”
“Run out and get coffee? You can’t be serious.
I never did that when I worked here. That’s what interns are for,” Sydney said, feigning far more irritation than he felt over the suggestion, but he wasn’t letting Casey off the hook so easily. Truth was it was fun to be back amid the chaos.
“Stop whining, Sydney. You’re embarrassing Jane. Play nice and I’ll buy Paul his own uniform the next time I visit an Army-Navy surplus store. Text me his suit sizes,” Casey ordered.
Sydney laughed at the offer and looked at the woman. “What do you take in your coffee, Jane?”
Jane shook her head. “Nothing. I’m fine—but thank you.”
Sydney looked at a now grinning Casey. “Have I ever told you how glad I am you married Alexa?”
Casey nodded. “Yes, and that’s makes two of us. Now get on the squawk box—I mean intercom—and let Alexa know who’s waiting.”
He looked at Jane. “Go on back. It’s a hike down that long hallway, but you’ll find her at the end.”
Jane nodded and started walking.
It’s just Jane
, Casey had said, sounding so much like Walter that it had brought a lump to her throat. In business, she got things done and her bank account reflected it. But in her personal life she was always second guessing everything.
She hadn’t realized that she’d slipped on her sunglasses again until she couldn’t clearly see the glittering, older woman smiling through the open doorway. Guess that was her nervous habit for the morning, Jane decided. She pulled the sunglasses off again as she walked into the room.
“Hi Jane. Good to see you. Come in. Come in,” Alexa said, excited now.
“I’m sorry to interrupt. . .” Jane stopped her apology at the impatient wave of Alexa’s hand.
“Close the door behind you so we can talk in private,” Alexa said urgently.
Jane turned and did as ordered, wheeling back around at hearing Alexa’s pealing laughter.
“Oh honey, what did he do, drag you into the dirt this morning? I know that wasn’t your idea or he’d have been the one on the bottom,” Alexa said.
Jane looked over her shoulder but couldn’t see anything. She reached behind her, but couldn’t feel anything either. She stared into laughing blue eyes as the confession rolled out. “It was the pool house floor at North Winds. How bad is it?”
“Bad enough to merit sunglasses apparently,” Alexa said, arching an eyebrow.
Jane walked to a chair in front of Alexa’s beautiful desk and fell into it. “It wasn’t just this morning. It was all weekend. . .well, most of it anyway. He had to go to work late yesterday.”
“Once would have gotten your membership finalized. Why invest a whole weekend?” Alexa teased.
“Once didn’t work for either of us. I couldn’t keep my hands off him. Walter came to my house and I didn’t let him leave. I’m old enough to know better. What is the matter with me?” Jane demanded.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with any of it. I don’t do guilt. If you need help with that, you need to make an appointment with Regina,” Alexa said. “The real question is why do you feel so guilty about having some fun with Walter?”
“Guilty? Why do you say that?” Jane asked, sliding her sunglasses on again. “Damn it—I keep doing that today. I should have left them in my car.” She slid them off while Alexa laughed at her.
“Hiding behind dark glasses, slinking down as far you can into the chair, and all while you’re still wearing your dirty clothing. Part of that is a contradiction. I’m not sure the guilt is winning. Most women would have rushed home to change before coming to confess,” Alexa said, grinning as Jane pulled herself up in the chair. “What’s eating at you most? This is just one cougar talking to another. Go on now. I’m listening.”
Jane took a deep breath. “Okay. For starters, he’s
Mr. March
, and you and I both know that he deserves to be.”
“Yes, Walter is quite the looker with all those terrific muscles of his, but I think he probably needs them to carry people out of burning buildings too,” Alexa said. “I don’t think he keeps them in such fine condition to lure unsuspecting older women to his bed. He’s smart, but he seemed a little inexperienced too. Is that true?”
“It’s a little true, but. . .okay. Take this morning for instance. This morning there was lingerie hung on every surface of the main lodge at North Winds. His crazy women fans left him notes, Alexa. . .notes with all kinds of sexual offers. I mean I’m no slouch in the sack myself, but how can one normal woman compete with. . .
all that
?” Jane exclaimed, flicking her hand in agitation. She had no word to describe all the attention the calendar had brought Walter.
Alexa leaned back in her chair. “What was Walter’s reaction to. . .
all that
?” she asked, flicking her hand and using Jane’s term. It was something Regina did to people all the time. She mirrored back their words and actions.
Jane thought about it, but the answer didn’t take long. “Walter lured me to the pool house, and next thing I knew he was handing me back my underwear after giving me a screaming orgasm. That was about an hour ago. I’m still vibrating.”
“And what did he say to you about your underwear?” Alexa demanded, grinning at the guilt flashing through the other woman’s gaze. This was way more fun than even teasing the very proper Lauren.
Jane squirmed. “Walter said my underwear was the only underwear he was interested in.”
“Well, giving you a screaming orgasm seems like pretty damn good proof to me. Do you believe him?” Alexa asked, smiling at the confident businesswoman biting her lip in angst.
“No,” Jane said finally. “I don’t believe him. I was married to a man who looked like Walter at that age too. But after we were married for a few years, he cheated on me—repeatedly—until we actually divorced. Nathan is a handsome bastard still today, but I was never a raving beauty like you, Alexa. Even when I was young, at best I was only a second look woman. I was too brunette, too curvy, and too smart for men. I’m still all those things, only grayer and with more wrinkles. Plus, I’ve learned that curves go straight to fat if I skip even one gym visit a week. Now I’m not even in my twenties anymore, so smart is just about the only thing I still have going for me. I work hard to maintain my looks, but eventually I’m going to grow tired of that battle. Walter’s infatuation will abruptly end when he finally sees that I’m older. Everything in me says so.”
“So if that’s all as true as your logical mind thinks, how do you explain letting Walter drag you to the floor of a pool house and have his way? Don’t you think he likes your body enough to genuinely want you that much?” Alexa asked.
“I don’t know. Walter likes that I’m smart in business,” Jane said. “Maybe he’s the kind of guy who thinks all women are the same in the dark. Maybe he’s not sexually discerning.”
“You did it in the dark this morning?” Alexa asked.
Jane stopped to think, then shook her head. “No. Actually, Walter likes to look me in the eyes when we. . .I guess that’s TMI.”
Alexa laughed. “No, I’m fascinated. So he makes you look at him?”
Jane nodded. “Yes. . .usually. He seems to prefer keeping eye contact while we do the deed.”
“Sounds like a pretty straightforward approach from a fairly straightforward guy. I haven’t heard anything awful yet. Maybe you’re worried too much about the future,” Alexa said.
“What do you mean?” Jane asked.
Alexa leaned forward, folding her hands on her desk. “I recognized you the first moment I met you, Jane. You’re the kind of person who makes lists even for inane things like household chores and errands to run. You love to plan and execute. Over time, you have turned that innate skill into an art form, and it’s helped you build a career. But honey, sometimes important things happen that you didn’t plan. I certainly didn’t plan on falling in love with a younger man, much less a hard-headed, chauvinistic military one to boot. Let me tell you sister, to have Casey Carter in my life, I’ve done as much adapting and overcoming as any Marine ever has.”
“You sound almost mad about it,” Jane said, surprised but not sure why.
Alexa laughed. “Because I am mad about it. I was less than half my current age the last time I married. I had stars in my eyes and would have done anything my husband asked me to do. When the first man I loved left me for someone else, he did more than just break my heart, he taught me life doesn’t always work out no matter how well a person plans. Casey has driven that point home for me by being many things in a man I never thought about having to deal with in a husband. And now I’m old and set in my ways. Change is hard as hell.”
“So why did you agree to marry Casey then?” Jane asked.
Alexa relaxed, smiled, and laughed softly. “Because he kept coming back and kept compromising too. I’m damn sure I wasn’t what Casey was looking for in a wife either. He is never going to have a quiet, easy life with me. But the truth is, he’s too damn good in bed to let get away. I’m sometimes overwhelmed when I stop and remember how different we are, but God he makes me feel amazing. I’ve dated a lot of men, Jane. I can tell you honestly that real magic between two people doesn’t happen very often. It’s worth swallowing a little pride when you find it.”