Addison stood back, sizing up the erect form before her. The length, the thickness, the subtle curve. A fine specimen, but still, she frowned at it. It didn’t look quite right.
“Maybe I should give it a few more strokes,” she said to Melody.
Her assistant hovered next to her for a closer look. “Do you think that will make it look bigger?”
“If I rough it up a bit, maybe.” Addison shrugged. “It might make it look thicker. Every inch counts.”
She dove in, teasing, stroking, tugging furiously until its owner began to wriggle and squirm under her skilled touch. When her wrist began to ache from the effort, she stood back to examine the results.
“I think that’s the best I can do,” she said.
“We’re not quite done yet. Let me finish him off.” Melody drew a length of ribbon out of her supplies and wrapped it snug around the shaft, arranging it into an artful bow. When she was finished, it began to wag back and forth in front of their faces.
Addison nodded in approval. As long as her customers were happy, she thought. And boy, was this one happy.
He jumped up, planting a wet kiss on her cheek in appreciation.
Now if only I could get that kind of affection from a man and not Julia Edwards’s cocker spaniel, Precious, she thought.
Ever since her visit to Judge Boyd’s sauna the night before, she’d been craving the affections of one man in particular: Felix Vaughn. She just couldn’t seem to get him off her mind. Everything had suddenly become an innuendo to her sex-deprived mind.
But a few good days spent with Felix couldn’t erase years of bad choices with men, men just like Felix. Her brain was still telling her that Phillip was the right choice. So then why hadn’t she texted him yet?
“Idiot,” she told herself.
Precious grumbled in offense. “Not you, Precious. Don’t worry.”
Addison gave the dog a treat as an apology. She couldn’t afford to offend Precious. It seemed he was her last remaining loyal customer. At least Julia hadn’t been persuaded by all the gossip and conjecture.
She hoped all the bonus treatments she gave him that day would be an added incentive to keep them coming back. She’d scraped, polished, buffed, combed, shined, and moisturized every square inch of the pooch, and he was wagging his tail like he was a new dog. He was going to be a major contender in the show the next weekend.
“Well, I think that’s it for today,” Addison said to Melody. “We don’t have any bookings for the rest of the day, so why don’t you take off early?”
“Are you sure? I could tidy up the back.”
Addison sighed. “The back has been tidied and retidied a dozen times in the last week. I’ve had nothing else to do. I’m sure it’s okay.”
“Okay. Well if you’re sure.” Melody hung her apron in the cupboard and grabbed her purse. “I’ll see you later?”
“You bet. Enjoy your afternoon.”
Addison watched her leave, happy to have her company back. After the cocktail mixer, she’d given Melody a few days off to recuperate emotionally. However, since she’d been playing spies with Felix, her shop had to be closed with no one to watch it. With the evidence they found at the Regency Center, she’d felt confident enough in Melody’s innocence to let her come back. However, there still wasn’t enough business to keep them both busy, even with the odd walk-in.
Addison finished cleaning up and took Precious into the back where he could relax in the lounge. Being the only customer, he had free rein of the various play areas: the toy box, the puppy palace, the lapdog lounge, the pillow pit.
Once she’d settled him in the back, bribing his patronage with another treat, she was left with nothing to do but think, and wonder, and worry, and pace.
Princess’s curious brown eyes roved back and forth across the spa from her miniature velvet settee, following Addison’s anxious path. Addison was wearing a trail into the black-and-white checkered flooring with her ballet flats. She gnawed on a sunset pink gel nail while eyeing up her phone on the counter.
“It’s already been like twenty minutes. I can look again, right?” she asked Princess.
The doxie made a throaty, exasperated growl and laid her head back down on her paws.
“Okay maybe only twelve.” She glared at her phone, her annoyingly silent phone, like it had personally insulted her.
The date of her fashion show was drawing near, and the RSVP list still amounted to a big fat zero. Not to mention, there’d been no calls, no emails, no texts, or tweets, or chimes of any sort. Not from customers, not from Phillip, not even from Felix. Not that she cared about the last. At least, that’s what she was trying to convince herself. But he said he was following up on a couple of leads that afternoon. Shouldn’t he be giving her moment-by-moment updates? They were supposed to be in this together, whatever that meant.
Her phone rang. Finally.
Addison practically sprinted across the spa and flung herself over the hot pink shabby chic desk.
She hit the accept button. “Hello? Hello?” she panted into the phone.
“Congratulations,” a recorded voice said. “You’ve been selected to—”
Groaning, she hung up. But she clung to the bedazzled phone like it was a discounted angora sweater.
“It couldn’t hurt to check,” she told Princess. “Someone might have RSVP’d by now. It is the weekend. People are off work, catching up on emails,” she reasoned.
She opened an app to view the reservations for her fashion show. Determined that this time there would be good news, that by the sheer strength of her positivity she could change the numbers on the screen, she held her breath and hit the icon.
And frowned.
There must have been something wrong with her positive mojo. The RSVP list hadn’t changed. It was still that big, lonely, empty-looking zero. Slumping across the desk, she tossed her phone aside just as another chime rang out. This time from the front door.
She looked up at the newcomer walking through the front door. “It’s you,” she said. “Thank God.”
Felix beamed down at her. “Couldn’t stand being without me. I totally understand.”
She felt herself blush a little at the comment, unable to meet his eyes. “You wish.”
Ever since the night before, she’d found herself imagining Felix in different ways. Not as the single-minded, womanizing bartender she first thought he was, but a guy who maybe she’d misjudged. A guy who could actually be pretty sweet once you got to know him.
“Why haven’t you called?” she asked. “What did you find out today? Have you got a lead? Do we need another stakeout?”
“Eager for a repeat of last night?”
“I’m eager to end it.”
He leaned on the desk, batting his eyelashes at her. “Not all of it, I hope.”
She gave him a coy smile, trying not to give anything away. “I’m talking about solving the crime.”
“You know what’s a crime? That we’re all alone and you’re still fully dressed.” His hair was messier than usual, windblown like he’d walked all the way there from the pub. She found her fingers itching to reach up and pat it down.
“I’m serious.” She pushed him away playfully. “What did you discover from your leads?”
“Nothing.”
She pouted. “Nothing?”
“Zilch, nada, zero. I checked in on Jayden, our new hire at the pub. He really did have food poisoning. No way was he busy stealing a bunch of dogs while he was making sweet love to a toilet bowl.” He pulled a face.
“Well, we still have to look into Julia Edwards. Her dog is here right now, actually.” Addison nodded her head toward the general area of the back room. “She told me earlier that she’s going to be leaving for the rest of the weekend. We could always case her house tonight.”
He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Sorry. I’ve actually got plans tonight.”
“Okay.” His reaction seemed strangely apologetic.
She was tempted to ask what those plans entailed, but she told herself it was none of her business.
He held up a finger, interrupting her jealous train of thought. “But I have a problem you can help me solve.”
“Like I need any more problems.”
“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Felix ducked out of the spa, and when the door chimed again, Addison turned to see a mangy furball on four legs. The dog was so mixed breed, she couldn’t begin to guess its family heritage. His gray wiry fur stuck up in tangled tufts, his ears pressed back against his head as if ashamed of his appearance.
Big brown eyes turned to look up at her, as though asking her, Help me.
“This is Oliver,” Felix said. “He’s not exactly at his best today. I tried a few DIY tricks at home to groom him, but they didn’t work.”
Princess padded over from her settee, the little bells on her ballerina dress tinkling. She gave Oliver the once-over, sniffing in distaste at his mangy state.
“I didn’t know you had a dog,” Addison said. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me. All you have to do is ask.” Felix hopped onto one of the bright pink Queen Anne chairs, kicking his feet up on the coffee table.
Addison rounded her desk and knelt down in front of the dog. “Well hello, Oliver. It’s nice to meet you.” She held out a hand, and he automatically raised his paw for her to shake.
“He’s quite the gentleman,” she said.
“So am I.” Felix locked his hands behind his head like it was a relaxing Saturday afternoon on the beach. “When I want to be.”
“So, that would be never?” She gave him her brightest smile and he returned it.
“So what seems to be the problem?” Addison reached out to pet Oliver, assessing him at the same time with her practiced eye, looking for matted hair or dry skin patches. She quickly discovered the problem on his wagging tail. The long fur had been painfully matted with what could only be described as pink goo.
“What happened here?”
“There was a bubble-gum incident,” Felix said.
“How did it get so matted in there?”
“Oh, that was my attempt to fix it.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
She stood up and headed over to her cabinet full of various oils, tinctures, potions, and lotions. The bottles clinked as she rummaged through them to find the right antidote.
“I wouldn’t have taken you for a bubble-gum guy,” she called back.
“What kind of guy do you take me for?” She heard him come up behind her.
Now there was a loaded question. “Spearmint, maybe. Spicy cinnamon?”
He ran a slow finger down her back where her floral dress dipped low. “Sounds hot.”
Addison shivered, but slapped his hand away and continued to search the cupboard for the cure. “I’m going to have to use the big guns.”
“Big guns?”
“Peanut butter. Works like a charm,” she said. “And makes a great snack.”
“Mmmm.” He brought his lips down to her exposed neck, and moaned against it. “I know I could use a bite.” His teeth grazed her as he playfully began nibbling her skin.
“Hey!” She laughed. “I’m a professional here. I have a job to do. Maybe we should take care of your little problem first.”
“Seems you’ve created a whole new problem.” His eyes dropped down as a hint. She followed his gaze to his jeans, which had a curious bulge she didn’t think belonged to his phone.
“You can go take care of that,” she said. “In the meantime, I’ll be taking a look at this tail.” She bent down to assess Oliver’s mess again.
Felix bit his lip and ran his eyes down her body. “And in the meantime, I’ll be checking out yours.”
“I have ways of dealing with bad dogs like you,” she warned with a hint of a smile. “Sit,” she ordered.
Felix returned to his position in the waiting area with a smirk.
“Good boy.”
Addison could feel his eyes on her as she began, first meticulously working out the cherry pink bubble-gum, one glob at a time.
“So how long have you been in business?” Felix asked her.
“About two years now,” she said. “Princess was actually my inspiration for finally taking the chance.”
“How so? She loan you the money?”
Addison snorted. “Because show dog or not, I believe every dog deserves the same care and attention. They’re all beautiful in their own way. I just like to help them look as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside. And Princess is just as beautiful as any other show dog.”
“Did Princess ever compete?”
“She was bred to be a show dog, but it just wasn’t in the cards for her. She was born with one leg shorter than the others.”
Felix was quiet for a moment, and when she looked over at him, his mouth was pursed thoughtfully, different from his usual sly smirk. “She hides the defect well. You’d hardly know unless you looked closely.”
His scrutiny made her uncomfortable. She got that feeling again, like he could see through her makeup, past the perfectly liquid-lined eyes, through the sun-kissed bronzer, and under the pouty pink lips to the real her.
Addison ducked her head, focusing intently on Oliver’s tail. “Just because a dog has a so-called defect, doesn’t mean they’re any less perfect or lovable than the next one. Everyone deserves to be happy.”
“Dog,” he said.
“What?”
“Every dog. You said everyone.” The serious expression remained on his face.
“Oh.” She laughed it off. “Whatever. You understood what I meant.”
His lips pursed again and he nodded. “I think I do. For the first time, I think I finally understand you.”
Addison doubled her vigorous scrubbing, ready to finish the conversation. When she’d combed the last glob of it out, she patted the side of her leg and called Oliver over to the shower stalls.
He lopped after her, toenails clicking on the tiles. She made a mental note to cut them after a quick hair trim.
Once Oliver was in the pink mosaic shower stall, Addison turned on the rain shower. Water drizzled down from above like a warm tropical storm. For a minute, the dog tensed and danced skittishly. Once she began to work the seaweed and jasmine cleanser into his matted fur, he relaxed under her massaging hands. His leg began vibrating with pleasure at each scratch of her nails under his chin, a little to the left, in that “Oh yeah, right there” spot.
The last of the suds finally washed down the drain. Addison reached over to turn off the water. When she straightened up, she felt something press against her from behind.
She yelped in surprise and spun around. Out of instinct she clenched her fist, realizing too late that the spray nozzle was still in her hand.
The trigger activated. Water shot out. Felix yelped, jumping back, but not before his plaid shirt was soaked through.
Addison dropped the nozzle and held a hand to her mouth, mostly to hide her giggles. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even hear you sneak up.”
Felix gave her a sour look. He spread his arms out helplessly. To add salt to the wound, Oliver hopped out of the shower and shook his coat, spraying Felix from head to toe before going to curl up next to Princess.
Pressing her lips together to hide her smile, Addison shrugged innocently. “At least I didn’t ruin a nice shirt.”
Now his expression darkened. That predatory look was back. Addison was already shuffling back as he took his first step toward her.
“Now look,” she said, in a totally calm and reasonable manner, “it was just an accident.”
He took another step, forcing her back. Reaching into his pocket, he drew out his phone and laid it on the table outside of the shower stalls. She didn’t know what that meant, but it couldn’t be good.
“Let me get you a towel,” she offered, trying to go around him.
But Felix cut her off. His lowered gaze was fixed on hers. His fan of thick black lashes made his eyes look darker as he glowered menacingly. There was the smallest hint of a smile, but it had a devilish tinge to it.
His shoes squelched on the wet tiles until he’d backed her all the way to the shower at the end of the row.
Addison hesitated at the edge of the stall. “I just reacted. I didn’t mean to spray you.”
He was nose to nose with her, or rather forehead to chin, since he was that much taller. Without a word, he took a final step and forced her back into the stall. Reaching out, he grasped the shower handle.
Addison gasped. “Don’t you d—”
She squealed as water shot down from above, feeling not so much like a soothing tropical rainforest sprinkle as it did a chilly Dublin mist.
Gasping and grunting between short breaths, she scrambled to push past him and out of the stall. But Felix planted a hand on either side of her, his thick arms caging her in.
“Not so fast,” he said.
Felix was in the shower with her now, water drenching his hair, plastering the dark curls to his face and neck. His T-shirt molded to his body like Superman’s spandex, revealing the contours and swells of a figure not unlike the Man of Steel’s.
As though her hands had a mind of their own, they reached up, crawling their way over his six-pack that she’d gotten a sneak preview of the night before.
He ducked his head, bringing his face closer to hers. Water ran in a stream down the bridge of his nose and hit her cheek, connecting their bodies. She imagined she could feel the connection. Could sense the heat from his body warming the water before it ran across her own skin, down her neck, her chest, past her neckline to caress her breasts. It was like an extension of his own body exploring hers, a finger running lightly down her stomach, soaking into the lace of her underwear.
Addison closed the space between them. She pressed her lips against his, water sprinkling into her mouth. It mixed with the taste of his kiss as she sucked the water from his lips, as though she could drink him in.
The shower rained down on her bare arms and shoulders, tickling, energizing. Her skin felt electrically charged, sensitive to every touch.
While his tongue played with hers in a teasing game, rivulets of water ran from the hem of her drenched dress, down the curves of her legs, snaking along her thighs. Her nipples hardened under the cool water, skin tightened, breath hitched.
Felix backed her up to the tiles and pressed himself against her. His hot hands moved like refreshing fire over the swells of her breasts and up her neck. His lips moved faster against her own, harder and harder, his tongue filling her mouth with his hungry desire.
Addison felt the drizzle of water rushing over them as though it were the salty spray of seawater on a pirate ship in the Caribbean. She closed her eyes. Yes, they were on the Black Pearl. Felix was her Jack Sparrow and she was his naughty wench. Even caught in a raging storm, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, their lust keeping them warm.
Through her thin dress she felt the heat of his hands. His grip tightened over the swell of her ample hips and pulled them closer to his, grinding them against his own until it was no longer just water soaking her underwear.
Eager hands searched her body, gripped her butt, assessing the size, the weight, the feel of it through the fabric. Fingers explored the hemline of her dress, pushing it up her thigh until those exploring fingers traced the edge of her panties. They tugged at them but went no further, as though knocking at her door, waiting for an invitation.
She answered the gentle knock by reaching down to his belt and with a flick of leather, a jingle of metal, there came the satisfying zip as she pulled out Jack Sparrow’s mighty cutlass sword.
Then there was a ding, like someone had forgotten to turn off their cell phone during a movie.
The sound snapped Addison back to reality like a cold shower—aided by the fact that they were actually in a cold shower. It was the front door. Someone had entered the spa.
Breaking away from Felix, Addison pushed against his chest. Why did this keep happening? Why did she keep letting it? Not letting it, encouraging it. Jack Sparrow was the bad boy. Bad, she repeated in her head.
Felix was like a scary movie that she knew she should shut off, but she kept watching through her fingers despite herself. Yet, as he leaned against the tiled wall across from her catching his breath, his fly splayed open, dripping wet, the only thing scary was just how bad she wanted him.
And maybe that wasn’t the worst thing. Maybe for once her instincts were right, her heart’s as well as her primal instincts. Maybe she’d made so many mistakes that she was lumping him in with all the rest. When in reality, she’d found her prince beneath those pauper’s clothes. She’d found her Aladdin.
Addison turned off the shower, and that’s when she heard the high-pitched “Hello-o-o?”
“Oh no,” Addison hissed. “It’s Julia. I wasn’t expecting her for another couple of hours.” She glanced down at her sopping dress. How was she going to explain this? Some professional she was.
“Coming!” she called, wringing out some of the water dripping from her sodden outfit. But it was futile. Unsure of how she was going to explain her appearance, she sighed and reluctantly headed up front.
When Julia spotted Addison, she pushed her Prada sunglasses on top of her head. Her eyes bulged as she took Addison in from her tangled hair to the puddle forming under her.
“What on Earth happened to you?”
“I, umm…” Addison heard shuffling feet behind her and cringed. She should have told Felix to stay put. The situation was bad enough already. Gritting her teeth, she turned to glare at him.
Felix was holding the wrench she usually kept under the sink. “A line burst,” he told Julia, waving the wrench like it was cold hard evidence. “Water everywhere. It’s best you stay clear.”
Julia looked as surprised as Addison felt. “Oh dear. Your poor dress, Addison.”
Addison’s expression froze in what she hoped was angelic innocence. Cheeks burning, she clapped her hands and changed the subject. “You must be missing Precious.”
“Yes.” Julia set down her Coach purse. “How is my boy?”
“He’s just hanging out in the lounge. Right this way, please.”
Addison did her best to block the woman’s view of the shower stalls and the pooling water on the floor.
As she passed Felix, she crossed her eyes in relief and mouthed “Thank you.”
He responded with a silent salute with the wrench.
Julia followed Addison past Princess and a damp Oliver to the playroom. “Where’s my Precious?” she called out as they walked down the hall. “Where’s my special little boy?”
“He’s waiting for you right back here.…” Addison tapered off as she opened the door.
With a shaking hand, she turned the dimmer switch up until every light in the room was blazing. Her body was suddenly crippled with fear. She’d been wrong before: this was the horror movie.
Addison leaned against the wall, her breaths coming in gulps, like she was drowning. Her frantic eyes scanned the space, from the toy box to the puppy palace to the lapdog lounge to the pillow pit.
But Precious was gone.