Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
After leaving the Simple Pharmacy soda fountain, Jolene was nothing but a jumble of nerves. At the bank, she tried to concentrate on work, but her mind kept wandering.
What did one wear for a sexual encounter?
Something sexy. But she didn’t own anything sexy.
Most of her clothes were conservative and drab.
The closest she had to sexy was the maid of honor dress she’d worn to Emma’s wedding, and she would look ridiculous showing up in a formal that matched the house.
She had just decided to leave work early—even if her father thought it set a bad example for their employees—and drive into Abilene to look for a dress when Cal texted with their meeting time.
There was no way she could get to Abilene, shop, drive back, and get ready by six.
So she stayed until closing, which was three o’clock on Saturdays, then she locked up her office and stopped by her father’s office to tell him she would be going over to Emma’s tonight.
She planned to head straight home to get ready. But she had a change of plans when she drove past the Simple Hair Salon and saw they were running a holiday special on haircuts.
Jolene stopped for a trim and a blow out.
But while she was waiting for her turn, she picked up a magazine and got intrigued by a perfume ad.
The model was dressed in a sexy backless dress and extremely high heels and was dragging a fur coat behind her up a long staircase.
She had red hair a shade lighter than Jolene’s, but the same length.
It fell in a smooth, silky curtain halfway down her back and draped across one eye as she looked over her shoulder.
When it was Jolene’s turn, she carried the magazine with her.
Once she got home and could examine the new highlights and hairstyle in the mirror, she wondered if she had made a big mistake. She didn’t look like the model. Nor did she look like herself. But it was a little too late to do anything about it now.
So as not to ruin the new style, she carefully placed her hair in a shower cap and took a bath instead of a shower.
Still, she worried the entire time she bathed and shaved.
But when she got out of the tub and took the shower cap off, her hair fell right back into place.
She carefully applied makeup, using a heavier hand than she had that morning, before she moved to her closet.
As she’d thought, she couldn’t find anything sexy.
She was about to settle for a black pair of pants and her gray tunic and cardigan when she remembered that Charlotte kept some of her clothes here for the rare times she visited.
Jolene didn’t find any sexy dresses, but she did find a pair of skinny jeans and a white sweater that crisscrossed in front and tied at the side.
Since her sister wore a larger shoe size, Jolene couldn’t wear her shoes.
So after getting dressed, she slipped on her pink maid-of-honor heels before moving to the full-length mirror.
She might not look sexy, but at least she didn’t look conservative and drab.
And Hanna seemed to like it when Jolene walked into the kitchen a few moments later.
“Well, my goodness, don’t you look snazzy.”
Jolene touched her hair self-consciously. “I got a new haircut. Does it look awful?”
Hanna smiled. “It looks beautiful. I’d say it was about time that you got a new hairstyle and started dressing a little more your age. Where are you off too?”
“I’m going over to Emma’s.” She wasn’t exactly lying. Emma did still own the pink house.
“Well, you have fun. You want to eat something before you go? The salmon’s almost ready.”
“No, thank you.” There was no way Jolene could eat anything. Her stomach was too jittery.
It grew even worse as she drove to the pink house. When she parked her car the next block over, her logical brain finally kicked in.
What was she doing? She had convinced herself that no one in town would believe she and Cal would have an affair, but what if she was wrong?
If anyone found out she was meeting the town mechanic for sex, it could ruin Jolene’s reputation.
Not just personally, but professionally.
People in a small town could be very judgmental.
If they found out she was sneaking around, they might not trust her to do their banking.
Which wouldn’t just affect her. It would affect her family.
As much as she wanted this for herself, she couldn’t hurt her family.
The bank wasn’t just her inheritance. It was Charlotte’s too.
While her sister didn’t want to be a banker, maybe her children would.
The bank had to be preserved for other Applegate generations.
And then there was Cal. Bad gossip could hurt his business too. Not to mention the bad example it would set for Cheyenne. She was going through a lot all ready with her mother getting married. She certainly didn’t need to find out her father was having a secret affair.
Jolene opened her purse to get her cell phone so she could text Cal and tell him she wouldn’t be coming. But in her nervous state, she’d left her cell phone on the dresser in her room. It was probably for the best. She needed to tell Cal face to face.
After making sure no one was around, she got out of her car and quickly cut through the side yard of Mrs. Wrigley’s rental house. Luckily, Mrs. Wrigley hadn’t been able to find renters for it yet. Jolene hurried across the backyard, then through the hole in the hedges.
Emma’s pink house was completely dark. She had to wonder if Cal had had second thoughts too. Still, she tapped softly on the back door just to make sure. Before she’d even lowered her hand, the door swung open and she was pulled inside and pushed up against a wall by a hard muscled body.
All the reasons for why this was a bad idea fled beneath the on slant of Cal’s hot lips. He kissed her like she was a glass of water and he was a man dying of thirst. He kissed her like he’d missed her.
She knew how he felt. She felt like it had been years, not just a few days, since she’d tasted the heat of his mouth and felt the wicked strokes of his tongue. And his hands . . . she loved the way his hands greedily ran over her body. Her waist. Her hips. Her butt. Then back up the way they came.
He tugged at the tie of her sweater, and when it fell open, he slid a hand inside the opening and covered her breast. Her breath caught as she enjoyed the gentle squeeze of Cal’s strong fingers.
He released her breast and his hand slipped behind her back to flick open the hooks of her bra.
When it returned, Jolene lost all her breath as he shaped her breast to his calloused workingman’s hand.
While her knees went weak and her heart thundered, he kissed his way down her neck. His breath fell against her ear in a ragged exhale as he brushed over her hard nipple with his thumb.
“You are so damned hot.”
She didn’t know if it was his praise or his thumb that had tingly warmth spreading through her body and pooling between her legs.
Getting caught was no longer a concern. If the entire town showed up on the doorstep, she wouldn’t care.
All she cared about was staying in Cal’s arms. For the first time in her life, she felt like a desirable woman.
He scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the living room. She had thought the house was completely dark, but she’d been wrong. A fire blazed in the fireplace and lit candles lined the mantel. In front of the fire was a mattress covered in pretty flowered sheets.
Cal had made them a cozy lover’s nest.
She would’ve exclaimed over his efforts if he hadn’t set her on her feet and kissed her again.
Her sweater slipped to the floor, followed by her bra.
Then his hands skated over every inch of her bare skin as if it was the most precious thing he’d ever touched.
Beneath his rough calloused hands, she felt precious and special.
He pulled from their kiss and dipped his head to her breast. The heat of his open mouth on her nipple had her knees giving out.
He held her firm as he worked his magic with tongue and teeth.
When she was nothing but limp bones and a puddle of lust, he lowered her down to the mattress and finished removing her clothes.
Once she was naked, he stepped back and looked at her.
She should feel shy and embarrassed. And her cheeks did flame with heat.
But it wasn’t from embarrassment. It was from the exoticness of being completely naked while an extremely attractive man stood above her getting ready to do wicked, wicked things.
She had never felt sexy in her life, but she felt sexy now with the firelight dancing over her body.
The obvious erection bulging out the front of Cal’s jeans said she was.
His breath rushed out on a groan. “Damn. If the men of this town knew what you were hiding beneath those prim and proper business suits, Miss Applegate, they’d be busting down your door.”
She looked straight into his pretty hazel eyes and bit her bottom lip. “You don’t need to bust anything, Mr. Daily. All you have to do is knock.”
His eyelids grew as heavy as his breath. “I’m one lucky man.” He unsnapped his western shirt with one jerk and slipped it off his broad shoulders. Her breath hitched.