The Sex Solution (8 page)

An image rushed at her, of two teenage girls sitting at this very kitchen table with its pink pig tablecloth, slathering muffins with cherry preserves and talking about everything from boys to big-city life.

Sharon had done most of the talking while Maddie had listened to her friend’s deep longing for skyscrapers and traffic lights and people. Lots of new, different, exciting people rather than the small, familiar, boring population of Cadillac.

Her chest tightened and she struggled for a nice, easy breath as she pushed away the memory and focused on the task at hand—seducing Austin Jericho.

A task she intended to approach the way she did every other project she undertook. Formulate a groundbreaking, foolproof, step-by-step plan and stick to it until she achieved the desired results.

Her gaze lingered on the box she’d carried in earlier from her trunk. It contained the base ingredients for the new lotion guaranteed to land her a promotion from senior chemist to chief of research and development.

A lotion that still needed an edge. Something to make it stand out on the shelves and reinforce V.A.M.P.’s already seductive image in the market.

Seductive.
As in
seduce.

The thought rooted in her mind and an idea sparked. She bolted to her feet and paced the length of the kitchen as her mind raced. She needed a lotion that could seduce the senses. But not merely one or two. All
five
of the senses. Something with all-around appeal.

Something completely and totally irresistible to the opposite sex.

Something no man, including Austin Jericho, would be able to resist.

“W
E’RE GOING TO MAKE
what?
” Duane asked the next morning when Madeline phoned him at the lab.

“An aphrodisiac body lotion. A lotion guaranteed to seduce the five senses.”

“The taste, touch and smell I get. But a body lotion you can hear and see?”

“I haven’t worked out the specifics, but I’m sure it’s possible.”

“If you say so.”

“It’s a great marketing edge. No one’s done it before.”

“I’m sure there’s a reason for that.”

“Can’t never could.”

“And here I thought you were a scientist when I’ve really been working next to a Plato wannabe.”

“Would you just get online and research aphrodisiacs. Everything from smells to foods to colors purported to have seductive qualities.”

At Duane’s negative grumble, Madeline added, “We can do this.”

“If you say so.”

“It would be nice to have a little positive feedback. I thought you wanted to move up the corporate ladder?”

“I do, and we can. I hope.”

“Look, I know it’s a little far-fetched, but if certain products can seduce one or two of the senses, why not one that can seduce all of them?” Before he had a chance to respond, she added, “If we pull this off, I can promise you a major promotion. A bigger salary. The key to the corporate lounge.”

“And a hot plate next to my workstation?”

“Since when is it necessary to heat up a peanut-butter sandwich?”

“I’ve traded the peanut butter for grilled-cheese sandwiches.”

“Which you’re making and eating in the lunchroom, right?”

“If you say so.”

She started to argue, but realized there wasn’t much she could do sitting over one hundred miles away. She would just have to trust Duane and hope for the best.

“E-mail me everything you can find by tomorrow morning,” she told him and hung up.

Madeline turned her attention to the kitchen, where she went about setting up a temporary place to work. Once she had an operable lab, she intended to sit down with her laptop and do some research of her own. Hearing would certainly be the most difficult sense to entice with a body lotion, but it
was
possible. It was just a matter of narrowing down certain audible elements that created a stimulating response and adapting those to her product.

In the meantime, for each sensory test, she needed a test subject. A certain stubborn, pigheaded, sexy-as-sin test subject, who wore faded jeans and scuffed boots and a cowboy hat, would do just fine.

She smiled as she headed out to the car to retrieve the last of her supplies from the trunk.

Austin Jericho didn’t stand a Popsicle’s chance in hell.

“R
ELAX
,
HONEY
,
and this whole thing will go nice and easy. I promise.”

Austin stroked the jittery female before he touched the ointment to the gash in the cow’s side. The animal bellowed but didn’t move beneath his steady hand.

“There, there. I told you it wouldn’t hurt.” Another bellow, but this one was softer as he stroked her a few more times and applied more medicine. “You like it, don’t you? I knew you would. It’s just a matter of loosening up, sugar.” He continued his careful application, until he’d completely covered the wound with the antibiotic cream he’d picked up at Skeeter’s.

Mabel was the fifth animal in two weeks who’d gotten caught in the barbed wire that circled his small spread. Most had been calves too naive to know better, but this one was full-grown. And hungry.

His own pastureland could no longer sustain his herd. Though he supplemented with feed, it simply wasn’t enough. And he had a new shipment of heifers to accommodate.

He wiped his hands, reached for a handful of oats and held the reward out to the cow. A few cautious sniffs and a large pink tongue lapped at his palm. When the goodies were all gone, she kept going, licking and searching.

“Now, now, sugar, don’t get riled up. There’s plenty more where that came from. Don’t ever let it be said that Austin Jericho deprived a hungry female.”

“That’s exactly what I would say.”

The soft, familiar drawl slid into his ears. Every nerve in his body jumped to awareness, along with a few strategic body parts.

He turned to find Maddie standing in the barn doorway. Wearing a tight white T-shirt—the words Party Princess printed in pink glitter letters across the front—and a denim miniskirt, she looked just as delectable as she had last night. The material stretched over her full breasts and rode up with each breath she took, giving him a tantalizing glimpse of her belly button just above the waistband of her skirt. A gold hoop glittered against her tanned skin.

First a tattoo, now a pierced navel. She’d definitely turned into a wild woman, and damned if the thought didn’t stir up lust rather than disappointment.

“What are you doing here?” he asked her.

“Watching you sweet-talk a cow. I knew you couldn’t have changed that much.” She smiled. “Still trying to get your way with the ladies.”

He grinned. “I stick to the four-legged kind now. They’re much easier to please.” He gave the cow another handful of oats before exiting the stall. “Low maintenance. An easy hand and a little food and they’re happy.”

“I like an easy hand myself.”

The words echoed through his head, confirming what he already knew to be true. Maddie had, indeed, changed.

After a near-sleepless night tossing and turning and replaying her words at the reception, he’d thought that maybe he’d dreamed the entire thing.

But standing here in the bright light of day, staring at the attractive woman, hearing her words, he knew it had been no dream.

Maddie was a one-night stand just waiting to happen. Dangerous to his peace of mind. And completely off-limits.

He frowned. “I really don’t have time to visit. I’ve got work to do.”

“So do I. I didn’t come to visit. I’m here in the name of science and high-priced cosmetics. I need an objective opinion on this new product I have in the works. I’m trying to decide between several different scents and I thought you could help.”

“Why me?”

“This product is for women.”

He grinned. “Last time I looked, I wasn’t even close.”

“It’s for women to wear to attract men. It’s pleasing to the opposite sex and since you’re a member of the opposite sex…”

“So is everyone down at the Elks Lodge.”

“I need someone under sixty-five.”

“That leaves over half the patrons of Cherry Blossom Junction.”

“Minus two-thirds who are either perverted, clueless or married. I need a normal, single red-blooded American male who knows women. A guy who’s been with women. A guy who’s experienced. If my lotion can entice an experienced man such as yourself, then it’s sure to work on the not-so-experienced man.”

“There’s the weekly football party down at the Pink Cadillac. Most of those guys are from the old jock set and at least three or four are single. Some four or five times over, but then you do want experienced.”

“And not a one of them owes me a favor.”

“And I do?” At her nod, he added, “How do you figure?”

“Tutoring lessons every day after school for our entire senior year. That’s over two hundred hours of my valuable time.”

“You volunteered.”

“I was coerced by Miss Marshalyn.”

“Well, so was I.”

“Then we’re even there. I gave my time, you gave yours, but you got something back. You aced algebra. What did I get?”

He grinned. “The pleasure of my company.”

“Contrary to what you and your massive ego might think, it wasn’t all that pleasurable for me.” She eyed him, her green eyes twinkling. “But it could be.”

“Don’t even think what you’re thinking. I’ve got my mind set on something permanent. I’m settling down.”

“Today?”

“Well, no.”

“Then you can stop by Cheryl’s place tonight and help me out.”

“I don’t think so.”

She gave him a pointed stare. “You wouldn’t have graduated if not for me and my tutoring. Look, I’m on a time limit. I don’t want to waste it looking for another test subject.”

“I’ve got cattle to tend. I don’t have a lot of free time.”

“I didn’t either back then, but I made time.”

She had a point. Silence stretched between them for several long moments. “If I did manage to drop by, not that I’m going to, what would I have to do?”

“I’ll be perfecting my product over the next two weeks while I’m dog-sitting. You’ll be my guinea pig. I’ll create different variations. You’ll sample them, be it by taste or smell or touch, and give me your opinion. It’s that simple.”

“Just sampling?”

“Just sampling.”

“No funny business?”

“No funny business.” At his pointed stare, she added, “Just what kind of a girl do you think I am?”

“The dangerous kind.”

She beamed. “Okay, so maybe I am. But I swear I won’t rip off your clothes and jump your bones.” She said the words, but he didn’t miss the look in her eyes. A look that told him to watch out because he would be the one ripping off her clothes and jumping her bones before all was said and done. “Girl Scout’s honor.”

“You were never a Girl Scout.” He eyed her. “Come to mention it, why weren’t you a Girl Scout? You would have made a perfect Girl Scout.”

She glared at him before shrugging. “They met on Saturdays and that was always one of the busiest days at the doughnut shop. My dad needed me.”

“But if they’d met on a different day, you would have been right there. The leader of the pack. Ugly outfit and all.”

“I would not have worn that ugly outfit.”

“You lived for outfits like that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That you were always wearing those big, roomy sacks for dresses. Come to think of it, why did you wear those?”

She looked ready to tell him to take a flying leap, but then her anger seemed to fade as she shrugged. “My mother made them. She thought I liked them.”

“Did you?”

“I appreciated them. She put a lot of effort into making my clothes. Sewing was her passion. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so I wore everything without complaint. She was still making things for me up until a few years back. I bought her a pottery wheel for Christmas and, just like that, the sewing stopped. It seemed she liked the new hobby more and I haven’t seen any more dresses since. Just plates. And bowls. And mugs. I have an entire handmade collection.”

“You should have bought her one a lot sooner and saved everyone at Cadillac High a lot of eyestrain.”

She glared at him again before a smile lifted the corner of her mouth. “They were pretty bad, weren’t they?”

“Not bad as in ugly. Bad as in too much. I always wondered what you looked like underneath all that fabric.”

Surprise flashed in her brilliant green gaze, followed by a warm light that revved his heart almost as much as the sight of her in her tiny white princess T-shirt.

“I never thought—” she started, but he jumped in, determined to steer them back onto a safer path.

“Would you look at the time?” He glanced at his watch and gathered up his supplies. “I’ve got an entire shipment of new heifers in the branding pen.” He exited the stall and did his damnedest to ignore the sweet scent of her that followed him toward the tack room.

“I’ll see you tonight.”

“Maybe. I’ve got a load of fence down on the west stretch and that’ll take a good couple of hours to mend after the branding’s done.”

“Just make sure you’re done by eight. I’ll have the first test sample ready then.”

He was
not
going to show up.

That’s what Austin told himself as he watched her walk away, her round bottom swaying to and fro beneath the faded denim.

The past was just that—the past. A long time ago. While she might have helped him out, he couldn’t return the favor. He was busy—busier than she’d ever been with her studying and baking way back when. This was his life. His land. His future.

One that didn’t include Madeline Hale.

He had cattle depending on him. Not to mention several ranch hands. And Miss Marshalyn. She expected him to make good on his promise and settle down with a serious marriage prospect in time for her party just a couple of weeks away.

Then again, he’d depended on Maddie and she’d been there for him when he’d needed her the most. She’d been right. He wouldn’t have graduated without acing algebra. And he wouldn’t have aced the class without Maddie.

Okay, so he
might
show up. If he finished with all of his work in time. But he wasn’t staying very long, and he certainly wasn’t going to have sex with her.

No matter how much he wanted to.

H
E’D STOOD HER UP
.

Madeline stared at the row of saucers, each adorned with a generous dollop of the various scented compounds she’d cooked up that afternoon.

The first scent was all about hot-blooded, full-bodied femininity. It portrayed power, passion, force and heat, or so she hoped. It was a sensual berry aroma warmed with a hint of lily and jasmine that hovered between a rich floral and an oriental.

Number two relied on the old saying the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. The scent was a concoction of sweet, sensual vanilla, candied apples and cinnamon that reminded her of a rich, succulent spice cake.

Number three was a walk on the dark side with a deep, rich musk as its base. Amber and myrrh had been added and the result was positively hypnotic, or so she hoped.

Scent four leaned toward a light, playful floral, while scent five was more a fruity sorbet. All of them were stirring, and guaranteed to heat a man hotter than Texas asphalt at high noon.

If said man ever showed up.

She walked back into the kitchen and chugged half a can of diet cola before eyeing the unopened bag of Oreos. Just one, she told herself as she reached over and grabbed the goodies. To help her calm down.

Hey, even a weight-conscious woman needed comfort food sometimes.

Five cookies later she forced her fingers to close the bag. Her heart still raced and her nerves still buzzed, the condition even worse, thanks to the chocolate. But at least her taste buds were sated. For the moment.

Her gaze went to the laptop sitting nearby, flanked by a stack of computer notes. Several laboratory burners were scattered on the ceramic-tile countertop. Petri dishes sat here and there. An expensive, state-of-the-art microscope stood tall and proud in the far corner near a pink pig cookie jar.

While she was every bit the serious, dedicated scientist now, with the way she felt at this moment she might well have been just a wannabe back in high school.

She found herself pulled back in time to a similar moment when she’d sat in the library, her algebra book in front of her, a muffin in her hand. Excited voices had carried from the hallway as kids headed to band practice and cheerleading practice and the myriad of other after-school activities. Meanwhile Maddie Hale had waited. And waited.

Austin had failed to show up at their first scheduled tutoring session. The meeting had slipped his mind, or so he’d later told her. He’d forgotten, after she’d tossed and turned all night, anticipating the day ahead. The one hour she would spend sitting across from Cadillac’s most notorious bad boy.

She’d picked out her best dress and taken extra pains with her hair, and all to sit alone in the library for an hour and a half before finally giving up.

Now she stared down at the red strapless dress she’d slipped on after a long, hot shower earlier this evening. The material clung to every inch of her ample body, revealing every curve, every bulge.

She forced aside the last thought. Twenty pounds lighter, she’d lost the bulges.
Curves
were the only thing left now, and she had plenty. The dress hugged her body, leaving little to the imagination, but then that was the point. She wanted to be a little bit outrageous.

That’s why, several weeks ago, she’d walked into Eye Candy, the upscale Houston boutique that specialized in clothing like you’d find at Frederick’s of Hollywood, and forked over an obscene amount of money for their top-of-the-line piece. She’d wanted to make sure that no man who pushed her lust-o-meter into the danger zone would overlook her ever again. As Austin Jericho had done twelve years ago.

The thing was, while she’d met many men, none of them had ever pushed her into the danger zone, and so she’d yet to put the dress to the test. Until tonight. But with a few strategically placed pieces of Velcro, not to mention some hidden zippers, she had no doubt the outfit would deliver on its promise.
Sexy and irresistible.

Add a pair of three-inch slut shoes, and she was good to go in the seduction department.