Velvet and Lace(15)

“Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?” Anna winked as they pulled up in front of her house. As her friend climbed out of the car, she replied.

“Now, Anna, I stopped eating cake a long time ago. I can’t weaken my resistance now.” Daphne smiled hoping she sounded sincere. Because she was. She was sure she was. Anna snorted once more.





Chapter 5



Daphne dreaded her meeting with Trent after their dance last night. She had woken up with a fine sheen of sweat dampening her skin and the evidence of a wet dream coating the insides her thighs. She had dreamed of Trent and his many extraordinary talents all night, and, go figure, she woke up with a hunger for cake.

Two hours later, she was driving to the store, torn between being anxious and nervous. When she pulled in next to his black truck, her attention shifted to the demolition of the store. The outside was the same, the red brick untouched by the construction inside.

There was now a large garbage dumpster outside for building materials and a thin coating of sawdust over most of the parking lot. She couldn’t wait to get inside and take a look at what they had accomplished.

Trent had told her they were making decent progress, she just hoped it would all turn out like she wanted. Today, she was reviewing the materials she picked out that had finally been delivered.

When she walked inside the building, she was surprised at how much had changed. The building had been gutted. The floor was ripped up to the concrete foundation. The walls were devoid of sheetrock so she could see the framework, electrical wires, and the pipes. It looked like everything that had been broken or damaged was getting fixed or had been already replaced.

There were four guys milling around the building, working on various projects. They all looked up and smiled at her entrance, but none of them were Trent. She continued to look around and after a moment Trent came out of the back office. He was looking at a piece of paper in his hand, oblivious to her presence.

This, however, gave Daphne plenty of time of time to look at him. Of course, because she needed to resist him, he was shirtless with a tool belt slung low on his hips. He had jeans encasing his legs and a pair of black, work boots on his feet.

It was spring time in Georgia, so it was relatively warm. Daphne had never been more grateful for the heat. Droplets of sweat were running down his muscular chest, lightly covered in chest hair, but not enough to distract from the very sculpted muscles. He had an incredible set of washboard abs and a light happy trail that disappeared into the waistband of his jeans.

She took a step toward him at the same time that one of the crew members cleared his throat. At the sounds Trent jerked his head up. He opened his mouth and closed it again. Then he smiled a shit-eating grin that spread across his face and made his eyes light up.

“Why Ms. Brooks, how are you today?” He placed his hands on his hips, which gave her a clear view of his chest.

Daphne glanced away, pretending to be interested in the new wiring in the wall closet to her. “I’d be better if you put a shirt on.”

“I seriously doubt that.” Trent started to step forward when the same crew member cleared his throat.

It was a younger gentleman with dark brown hair and a dark gaze. “Yo, boss, we’re gonna go to lunch. You going to go grab something later or should I bring you something back?” Unlike Trent, he had a black tank top on as well as similar jeans and boots. Daphne found him attractive but nothing compared to the shirtless man in front of her.

Trent turned to his crew member. “Yeah. Thanks Owen, if you could pick me up my usual Ruben sandwich and fries that would be great.” Trent handed Owen some cash and then waited for everyone to leave. Finally, it was just the two of them in the shop. Trent looked over at her and winked.

“Wanna dance?” He laughed and she wanted to punch him.

“No. I want to see the materials I ordered.” Daphne hoped that she could pass for calm, cool, and collected. She also hoped that her bra was thick enough that her hard nipples wouldn’t show through the thin material of her black vee neck t–shirt. She had dressed casually in a pair of Bermuda shorts that cut off right above her knee, her t-shirt, and a pair of black flip-flops.

Trent studied her for a moment and then gave a short nod. He led her into the back office where there were stacks of boxes lining the walls. He showed her the flooring, the paneling, the paint, and some of the display materials.

She approved everything easily, but was continually distracted by the smell radiating off of Trent. In the small office, he was continually standing closer to her. She noticed his arm brushed hers, and his front stayed close to her back as she inspected everything. By the time they were done, Daphne was sweating but not from the heat.