Suddenly Sexy(14)

It would never happen. Not in a million years.

But there were other ways to lose control. Like in bed. Like having an orgasm that could drive clear thinking right out the window. Maddie would look amazing having one of those orgasms. Her body would flush all over. Her hair would loosen from its knot and fall about her face. Would she scream? Would her body buck? Would she call out his name?

Oh Hell. Now he was thinking about Maddie having an orgasm when he was supposed to be thinking about...what were they talking about again? Jeez, it was hot in the restaurant.

"What happened?" she asked, eyes agog. "Did they fire you?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, no. And why does everyone keep asking me that?" Focus, Hennessy, don’t scare her off before the mind-blowing orgasm.

She shrugged. "It's just that you got into trouble a lot in high school, so I thought..."

"That I was still that high school kid?" He scoffed. "Give me a little credit. I've changed in the last fifteen years."

He should be annoyed but he liked honesty and it seemed Maddie had it in brutal proportions, just like her sister. He definitely wasn’t the only one to have changed in the last fifteen years.

At least she didn't tell him he was an idiot like Carla, his girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend. She'd decided she preferred dating a CEO to a nobody and had packed her bags after telling him how selfish he was for not thinking of her before quitting. It seemed she was under the impression that using his corporate credit card to take her friends out to dinner when he worked late was in his job description.

"Still want to go on a date with an unemployed bum?"

"Of course. But maybe we should go Dutch."

He grinned. "No way. I asked you out, so it's my treat. I think I can still manage a pizza."

"Are you sure?" She glanced over her shoulder at him as she walked back into her bedroom to retrieve her purse. "Because I can eat a lot of pizza."





CHAPTER 5




Joey's Pizza Parlor was full of families enjoying a Friday night out. Sam seemed to like the noise and activity of excited children high on Coke and junk food. Maddie wasn't so sure. She liked kids, but a volume control would be nice.

They sat in a corner and ordered a pizza each. Sam doubtfully asked her if she could manage on her own.

"I told you I liked pizza," she said. "And I've got a big appetite."

"I like that in a woman. And you don't show it."

"I hope not. I've worked hard enough on the treadmill to make sure it doesn't."

"You run on a treadmill?" He shook his head. "You should try the great outdoors. It's much more exhilarating running in the open air, the breeze on your skin, the smell of—"

"Dog doo-doo on your shoes? No thank you. Besides, I run kind of funny. People will laugh."

Sam laughed.

"See!"

He took her hand and rubbed his thumb across the fleshy part between her thumb and forefinger. She froze. Sam Hennessy was touching her again. Twice in one night! Wait till she told Cynthia Bolowski. Damn, but it felt good. Made her feel warm and gooey inside.

He let go, and Maddie missed the intimacy.

"I'm not laughing at you," he assured her, glancing around the restaurant. He looked a little flustered but she didn't know why. She was the one sitting opposite her high school idol. He was sitting opposite the high school nerd. Maybe he was embarrassed.

But he seemed to compose himself. "If you come jogging with me tomorrow around Albert Park I promise I won't laugh. Even if you run like a girl."

She rolled her eyes. "I think I'll pass."

"Why?" He studied her and she glared back at him but lost her nerve after only a few seconds because he had eyes like a deep lake, easy to drown in. She didn’t want to drown. She focused on the table instead.

"It'll be fun," he went on. "I like company when I go jogging."

"Well I don't." Maybe. She had no idea because she'd never run with anyone else before, and she wasn't going to start now. She had to be careful not to get too comfortable around Sam, or too close. This fling wasn't permanent and certainly wasn't going to last beyond the weekend. Probably he'd regret asking her to join him by Monday morning, after she stopped using Pheramour. No point starting something now that would only make them feel awkward later.

"So tell me, Sam," she said, hoping to distract him, "why did you leave National Paints? I thought you had a great job there."

"I did. I gained a lot of experience, but it was time to move on."

"So you've got another job to go to?"

"No."

"Oh. But you'll be looking of course."

He shook his head. "I think I'll start my own business. I've always wanted to renovate houses. I love restoring old places, peeling back the layers to discover their original glory then breathing new life into them."