Jezebel (33 page)

“
I’ll make our
favorite for lunch.”

Confused, she frowned. “Our
favorite?”

“
Peanut butter and
jelly sandwiches with milk.”

She leaned into him and he
closed his eyes. Her scent intoxicated him.

“
Sounds good, but
you’re going to have to make it dinner.”

Shane felt the bitter edge
of disappointment. “You’re going to make me wait all
day?”

“
No
help for it. I have morning rehearsals then I’m signing the
deed over to my father’s place this afternoon.”

Shane stiffened. “You’re
giving the place up? Your father worked years building that place
from the ground up.”

“
The store was my
father’s dream, not mine.” Were those tears her in eyes?
In an effort to soothe her, he kissed her shoulder. He was sure she
had not come to her decision lightly. “There’s someone
who really wants it, practically hounding my lawyer every day since
the funeral.”

“
Who’s the
buyer?” he asked, even though he had a tingling suspicion.

She
sighed into him and he welcomed her, enveloping her in his arms. If
she stayed, he would keep her in this bed until she could barely
walk.

“
I
don’t know. Why?”

“
Just
wondering,” he shrugged, trying to act indifferent. He didn’t
want to alert her suspicions.

“
I’ll
see you later then” she said to his relief. His secret would
remain intact.

***

After rehearsals, Celeste
took the A train back to Brooklyn to meet with her father’s
solicitor.

“
I believe Mr. Percy
is expecting me,” Celeste said upon entering Mr. Percy’s
offices.

Mr. Percy’s
receptionist smiled warmly. “Go on in.”

Her father’s solicitor
sat on the other side of his desk. One of two chairs was already
occupied. To Celeste’s surprise, it was a white man.

Mr. Percy and the man who
she assumed was the buyer stood.

“
You look lovely as
always.”

“
Thank you, Mr.
Percy,” Celeste said, shaking his hand.

Feeling the buyer’s
eyes on her, Celeste turned.

“
Abraham Gould.”
He stepped forward, offering his hand as well. Pale and of average
height, Gould albeit nicely dressed was rather unremarkable.
However, Celeste couldn’t shake the fact she’d seen him
somewhere before.

“
Now that we’re
all here, let’s begin,” Mr. Percy said, rubbing his palms
together.

When all parties were
properly seated, Percy handed Celeste a legal missive. “Here
is the contract. Read over it. If you agree to the terms, then I’ll
have you both sign. Do you have the keys?”

Nodding, Celeste took the
legal document, and then settled back to read. She took longer than
warranted. She couldn’t concentrate on the task at hand with
Shane’s objections running though her head.

Celeste
turned to Gould. “Why do you want my father’s place?”
Her gaze raked over him, taking in his fine suit and gold insignia
ring. “You don’t seem like the type to keep shop.”

Gould smiled a slight
quirking of the lips. “Looks can be deceiving.”

Undeterred,
Celeste pressed. “You do know the store enjoys a
mixed
clientele.”

“
Well aware.”
Gould glanced down at his fingernails, seemingly detached from their
conversation.

“
My
father was a religious man. He would turn over in his grave if he
knew his life’s dream was dismantled and fell into something of
ill-repute.”

There she said it. Put it
out there like a pink elephant in the room.

Gould gaze lifted. “Don’t
worry your pretty little head.” He rested his hand on the arm
of her chair. “Nothing will change. The shop is a gift for a
lady friend with dreams of becoming a proprietress.”

Was she doing the right
thing? Or was she throwing away everything her father worked so hard
for? In truth, there was no purpose in keeping it, only to be an
obstacle to someone else’s dream. She didn’t have her
father’s acumen for business and commerce. Her life was on
stage surrounded by flood lights and buffeted by applause.

Her course charted, Celeste
asked for a pen. With a flourish she didn’t quite feel she
signed the contract and then handed it to Gould who did the same.

“
Well,
that was simple enough,” Percy remarked, collecting the binding
document from Gould. He placed the contract in a folder and then set
it aside.

“
Anything
else?” Celeste asked, handing over the keys. In turn, Percy
deposited them in Gould’s hand.

“
You signature is all
we needed, Miss Newsome.” Percy looked to Gould. “If
you will wire the funds, then the deal should be sealed.”

Gould
smiled and Celeste quelled a shutter. His teeth were worse than the
orphans down at St. Jude’s on 86
^th
.

“
I’ve already
given my accountant my order.”

Percy stood and extended his
hand to Gould. “I wish you and your lady friend the best of
luck in your new endeavor.”

Celeste turned to leave.

“
Mind if I walk out
with you?” Gould asked.

Celeste hesitated. He was
just being a gentleman, right? No cause for alarm despite the goose
bumps running down her arms. “It’s a free world. You can
do whatever you want.”

Once outside and eager to
part ways, Celeste extended her hand to him. “Good luck.”

His hand enveloped hers and
she couldn’t help noticing how limp and clammy it was like a
dead fish. “Thank you, Miss Newsome.”

Ready to part ways, Celeste
headed toward the bus stop. Unfortunately, Gould wasn’t of the
same mind set. He caught up with her half way up the block. “Miss
Newsome, are you in a hurry?”

“
Why,” she asked
somewhat startled.

Gould took off his hat and
his gaze dropped. “I was wondering if you wanted to grab a cup
of coffee and maybe some pie.”

“
What
about your lady friend?” Suddenly feeling duped the hackles on
her neck rose.

“
One can’t have
too many lady friends.” He grinned and Celeste resisted the
urge to bop him in his lip.

“
Thanks, but no thanks
Mr. Gould. I’m seeing someone.”

Gould stepped closer,
breeching the boundaries of intimacy. “Is he giving you what
you want…everything you need?” He was so close his sour
breath fanned across her cheek, making her shiver with revulsion.

“
Everything.”
And she meant it. This pale shadow of a man couldn’t hold a
candle to Shane Brennan.

So why was she keeping the
brute at arm’s length? Why all the precautions and writing her
feelings off as simple attraction? A woman could do worse, much
worse, Celeste mused, meeting Gould’s gaze.

“
Good day, Mr. Gould.”
Celeste stepped around him confident in her choice and eager to see
it through to its conclusion.

“
Call me if your
fortunes turn,” he called after her.

Even if they did, she would
never stoop as low as to accept anything, but a hand shake from
Abraham Gould. She deserved better. Thankfully, this time the
realization finally sunk home.

***

“
Just like a woman.”
Celeste removed her overcoat and flung it over one of the club chairs
as she passed. The moment she laid eyes on him, her body seemed to
quake with heat. “I slave in this kitchen all day,” he
swept his arm toward the bus’s small galley kitchen, “and
you don’t have the common decency to be here on time for
dinner.”

“
I’m here and
I’m ravenous.” Celeste ignored her place setting and the
bowls filled with food, opting for him instead. Attired in a navy
sweater and jeans, his hair was still damp more than likely from a
recent shower.

Oblivious to her innuendo,
he stood up and pulled her chair out. “I hope you like
meatloaf. I used my mother’s—”

Celeste wrapped her hand
around his neck and kissed him. It was a slow, closed mouthed kiss,
but the message was as direct if she’d used her tongue.

“
Missed me?” he
said against her lips.

“
Just appreciate you
being you.”

Shane used that moment to
slip his tongue between her lips. The moment their tongues collided,
his taste filled her mouth, rocking her. Thankfully, he’d
wrapped his arms around her or she would’ve slipped to his feet
like the witch from the Wizard of Oz.

Melting, lost in desire, she
felt the spark between her legs. The sensation intensified as he
sucked on her tongue, drawing on her. And when he took her bottom lip
between his teeth, she came damn close to finishing before things
even started.

Desperate and filled with a
hunger, Celeste arched into him. Her heart had never pounded this
hard. Her blood was racing. Their chemistry was damn near perfect,
off the charts. It was one of the reasons he always tied her in
knots.

Shane had rushed through
conditioning so he could cook dinner for her. To say he was mildly
disappointed by her tardiness was an understatement, but she more
than made up for it with her welcome.

Rocked off balance, Shane
closed his eyes and enfolded her in his arms. He walked them
backward, and then ever so gently placed her on the bed. He was
thick and ready as he settled on top of her, yet careful not to crush
her.

Shane kissed her slowly, his
blood burning hotly through his veins. Needing the coolness her skin
offered, he set hands to undressing her. First, he removed her
long-sleeved blouse and matching cardigan followed by a pair of
high-waist slacks.

Before now, Shane never saw
the appeal of women in pants—too boyish in his opinion. And
yet, his woman’s pegs in a pair of britches made him harden.

Sliding his body downward,
Shane trailed hot kisses across her shoulders and collarbone. His
kisses fell in the valley between her breasts and his tongue licked
out and lavished each one lovingly. He circled her areola with his
tongue worked his way inward toward her nipple. He drew the puckered
bud in his mouth. He gently pulled and sucked until she moaned and
moved beneath him. Her thighs fell open, beckoning him. Unable to
resist, he palmed them, his fingers gliding over her soft brown skin.

Shane took her fully in his
mouth, while seeking her heat. Inch by inch, he pressed into her.
Moist and tight, she fit him perfectly and he responded at the most
primal level. His muscles bunched and his penis filled with blood,
stretching toward her center.

Her moans turned into short
gasps for air. Her fingers tangled in his hair as he moved against
her.

“
Don’t stop,”
she whispered, arching her hips.

Stopping was the furthest
thing from Shane’s mind. He needed her the same way she needed
him.

Growling, Shane slid his
hands under her bottom, gripping her to him. She locked her legs
behind him and he shuddered at the delicious imprint of her body
against his.

“
Celeste?” Shane
closed his eyes. With each stroke he was sinking deeper and deeper
until he finally bottomed out. He tried to pace himself, go slow,
but all he wanted to do was drive her into the mattress and wipe out
the memory of every single man before him.

In and out he moved, her
honey walls holding him tight. He began to sweat. Beads of moisture
dotted his shoulders, ran down his spine. Goddam! He was burning up.
Expelling a deep breath, he tried to remain focused.

First her pleasure and then
his.

“
So warm and tight,”
he growled, the head of his cock bottoming out at her womb. His
testicles slapped her ass. She arched her hips forward again and
again, sliding over his erection. Sensations tore through him. He
squeezed his eyes shut.

“
Hold on tight.”
His hands slid along her hips to grip her waist. She obeyed him. Her
arms wrapped around his neck, pressing herself into him. The
combination of sensations buffeted him. He increased his tempo,
pumping his hips working her.

“
ShaneShaneShaneShane,”she
panted over and over. She writhed beneath him.

She was close, so close he
could taste it, feel it.

They remained skin to skin
as he looped her legs over his arms. In this position, she was so
completely open and exposed, she immediately spasmed around him, a
climax gripping her. She shuddered under him. She held him tight,
her fingers digging into his shoulders.