KASEY DISCOVERED THAT strolling into Slightly Scandalous as a potential customer was very different from walking in as a PR professional looking for ways to upgrade the store’s image. As a buyer, she looked at the displays in a whole new way. Her tummy jumped with nervousness as she tried to decide if she was woman enough to do this or if she was too chicken.
That emphasized exactly why the store needed an image change. If more women could shop for sexy undies with a degree of comfort, the business would survive, maybe even prosper. If too many women came here feeling as she did right now, sales would continue to slide downhill.
“Hi, Kasey!” Monique, a young salesgirl the owner had hired a month ago, smiled. From her pink-and-blond spiked hair to her multiple piercings, Monique fit the old Slightly Scandalous stereotype. She was nineteen, only a year younger than Kasey, but she made Kasey feel ancient.
“Hey, Monique.” Kasey wondered if Monique would take kindly to a slight makeover herself, once the store changed its look. A California native, Monique was a free-thinker who didn’t mind the risqué nature of the shop, but no doubt she wanted to keep her job and understood that business wasn’t what it should be. She’d probably cooperate.
“I’ll bet you’re here to get some more ideas, huh?”
“Something like that,” Kasey said. No changes had been made to the displays or the merchandise pending Kasey’s presentation of the proposed makeover. Therefore mannequins still wore peekaboo bras and thongs with no crotch. She wondered if that’s what Sam envisioned on her tonight.
“I had an idea,” Monique said.
“What’s that?” Kasey had always thought Monique was creative, so she was more than willing to listen.
“Once the store has relocated with its new look, for some free publicity, you could do a fashion show for some of the businesswomen’s clubs in town.”
“With underwear?” Kasey wondered how that would go over at a downtown luncheon meeting.
“Sure. You could do it very tastefully, have the models wearing silk robes, and then they sort of flash the underwear. I mean, not like a flasher, but more sort of seductive. You know—sophisticatedly sexy.”
Kasey laughed as she imagined how fun and flirty that could be, exactly the image she was trying to create for the store. “I get it. And I think it would work, too, presented like that. Thanks, Monique. If we do that, I’ll make sure you get all the credit for the idea.”
“Thanks.” Monique flushed with pleasure. “And by the way, you’d make a great model.”
Kasey gulped. “Oh, I don’t think so.”
“You would. You have the body for it. You might not want to, seeing as how you’re with this big-deal PR company, but you’d be great. I’ve had some modeling classes. I could teach you how to walk.”
“You could?” Kasey couldn’t help thinking of a private runway in a secluded little garden with an audience of one. She wouldn’t mind some tips on how to model whatever she bought today, if she worked up the nerve to buy it.
“I could definitely teach you. Whenever you want. Anyway, I’ve bothered you enough. You probably came here to prowl around and make notes, like you did last time. Don’t let me stop you.”
“Um, okay.” If Monique hadn’t made assumptions about Kasey’s reason for being there this morning, she might have been able to confess the real reason. But now she felt obliged to look professional and busy. Taking her voice-activated recorder out of her briefcase, she started moving around the store.
“The leather thong and bra might be able to stay in the line,” she murmured into the recorder. “But the matching handcuffs need to be moved from the front of the store, perhaps to a special room in back. Ditto the riding crop.” She wondered if Sam was into any of that S and M stuff. She couldn’t picture him taking it seriously, but as long as it was all in fun, then maybe…
Shaking herself out of an erotic daydream, she walked to another display. “Silk teddies are one of the key items in a store of this kind, but the customer we’re hoping to attract will not want her nipples to show, or her…other parts.”
Or would she? Maybe under certain circumstances she would. For example, if she were carrying on a high-energy affair with a sexy landscaper, she might want to flaunt her nipples. The more Kasey saw of this underwear with gaps in strategic places, the more she believed that was precisely what Sam hoped she’d bring to his private party tonight.
If she recommended eliminating all such items from the store, they might lose customers who wanted a special thrill connected to their purchase. “Perhaps the answer is to make a private annex available to those who wish to shop for these items,” she dictated into the recorder. “Think video store, where the bulk of the offerings are for general consumption, and a special section in the back is dedicated to adult movies.”
No doubt about it, though, something had to be done about the store’s curb appeal. She’d been there nearly thirty minutes and not a single customer had arrived. That might change anytime, though, and if she planned to buy anything, she’d better make her move. But what should she get?
Monique would be glad to advise her. Kasey walked over to the counter where the salesclerk was flipping through the pages of a magazine. Kasey cleared her throat. “Monique, I could use some help.”
“Yeah?” Monique glanced up, her expression eager. “Great! I love coming up with ideas about how to promote stuff. I’ve been thinking I might like a career in PR. Maybe I’ll take some classes.”
“You’d be good at PR.” They were back to business and Kasey almost lost her nerve. Monique was setting her up as a role model, so how could she ask for advice on crotchless panties? “I encourage you to give it a try.”
“You know, I think I will. So what do you need help with?”
“Well, I… I, um, it’s sort of a…a personal matter.”
“Oh!”
“I need to buy some really sexy underwear.” Kasey rushed on before she changed her mind. “And I want you to help me pick it out, and…and teach me the runway walk.”
* * *
SAM DIDN’T HAVE TIME to make a meal for Kasey, so he picked up some Thai food on the way home. He’d decided to dismantle the hammock to make room for his latest purchase—a canvas gazebo with side panels that rolled down for privacy. He was struggling with the gazebo when Colin stuck his head over the alley gate.
“Hey, man!” Colin called. “I saw your truck out front but you didn’t answer your doorbell, so I thought you might be out here in your favorite spot. What the hell is that, anyway?”
“It’s supposed to be a gazebo, but right now it’s a pile of canvas and metal pieces that won’t cooperate.” He abandoned the mess on his patio and walked over to unlock the gate. “So what’s up?”
“Not your gazebo, apparently. Want some help?”
“Smart-ass. Sure.”
“Then I’m your guy. I played at a gig where they had one of these contraptions.” Colin fished a rubber band out of his pocket and put his long hair in a ponytail—his personal signal that he was getting down to work. “Got beer?”
“Yeah, but you’ll have to drink it quick. I have a date.”
“Cool. Is it that hot chick you brought to the Cactus Club?” Ignoring the directions sitting on the patio table, Colin started putting together braces.
“Aren’t you going to take a passing glance at those directions?” Sam knew the answer, but he wanted to divert Colin away from the subject of Kasey. He’d promised her they’d keep their affair secret.
Fortunately Colin was easy to distract. That was one of his problems. The only thing he’d stayed with consistently was his music, and that was why Sam wanted to give him all the support he could.
Sure enough, Colin took the bait and gave Sam a withering glance. “Have you ever known me to use directions?”
“Nope. But there’s always a first time.”
“No, there isn’t. Directions only confuse the issue.”
“If you say so. I’ll get the beer.”
When he returned a few minutes later with a bottle of his brother’s favorite imported brew, Colin had made good progress on the gazebo. The kid was so bright when he focused. Then something occurred to him. As a very bright person who seemed to have her act together, Kasey might be able to help guide him to stay focused. But Sam wasn’t supposed to be fostering a relationship between Kasey and his brother.
“Pick up that side of the canvas top and we’ll lift it over the frame,” Colin said.
“How do you know that’s it’s facing right?”
“I channeled the gazebo maker over in China, dude.”
Sam laughed, but sometimes he wondered if Colin was joking or not. The kid was amazing. Having Colin around had given him an appreciation for the workings of the right brain and had taught him to admire creative intelligence, not sneer at it.
Kasey might not find a lot of guys who could do that. He wondered how he could subtly point out to her that he, Sam Ashton, was the one for her. And he didn’t feel like waiting around tapping his foot while she had sex with a bunch of other guys, either.
Before long the gazebo was finished and Colin claimed his beer. “You’re not having one with me?”
“Nah.”
“Gotta stay sharp for your gazebo-mate, huh?” Colin grinned at him. “Are you going to put the patio table in there? That would be classy.”
“Uh, maybe.” Sam wasn’t keen on revealing his plans for the gazebo. They didn’t involve putting the patio table in it. “When’s the next gig for the Tin Tarantulas?”
Colin pointed the beer bottle at him. “Way to read my mind, bro! I swear you’re getting better at ESP every day.”
Not really. But he was getting better at changing the subject when he didn’t want Colin to continue along a certain line of questioning. “So you have something coming up?”
“We do, and it’s a big deal. We’re booked into that new place, the Yucca Lounge.”
Sam had heard of it, a trendy club in Scottsdale. “Isn’t that a much bigger venue?”
“Most definitely. Which is why I need your help, man. I want you to call in all your favors for Saturday night, talk to anybody you know. We have to pack that place to the rafters, and I’m nervous. It’s huge.”
“You’ll pull them in,” Sam said. “There was standing room only at the Cactus Club.”
“We’re talkin’ twice the number of seats. Please get the word out to everyone in your Rolodex, okay?”
“Okay.” Sam nodded and tried to think of helping his brother instead of mourning the loss of a big chunk of his Saturday night. He and Kasey would have to meet afterward, because he couldn’t take her, not if she really wanted to keep their affair quiet.
Colin still looked worried. “Like, can you put pressure on your guys at work?”
“Sure. I’ll do that. I’ll ask them to bring their friends. Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
“I can’t leave that to chance. This is the time to dredge up everybody you’ve ever known in Phoenix, man. Drag out your yearbook and start looking for dudes you knew in high school. Me, I can’t do that because we moved and I’ve lost track of everybody.”
“I’ll find out who’s still in town. I’ve been meaning to look in the phone book and find out if Jim Winston’s still here. If he is, maybe he can help me round up some of the other guys.”
“Thanks, bro.” Colin clapped him on the back. “And bring your girlfriend, and all her friends, too.”
“Uh, we’ll see.”
Colin peered at him. Then he waved his arm at the gazebo. “You just put up a frickin’ gazebo for this chick, and you can’t bring her on Saturday night?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Oh, I get it. It’s the same chick from the other night, and she secretly hated our music.”
“No, she loved your music. That’s not the problem.”
“Then it must be that she’s hot for me and you don’t want to take a chance that she’ll jump ship.”
Sam grinned. “You are such an egomaniac.”
“It’s true, huh?” Colin laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell her you’re a better deal. Chicks love the steady income.”
“Gee, that makes me feel like such a man. I may not be much, but by God, I have a steady income. How sexy can you get?”
Colin finished his beer and handed the bottle to Sam. Then he glanced at the gazebo. “You tell me, bro.” Chuckling, he headed for the back gate.
“Hey, thanks for the help.”
“Any time. Just round up all the strays you can find for Saturday, okay?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll charter a bus if I have to.”
“Sounds good.” With a wave, Colin left.
* * *
AFTER BUYING THE UNDERWEAR and getting a quick runway lesson from Monique in the back room of the store, Kasey made one more stop at a dress boutique and found a wraparound silk dress. The ivory material slid over her skin like cool water and was held together by two small ties. Kasey practiced in the dressing room to make sure she could pull the ties apart in seconds.
The dress exactly matched the underwear she’d bought at Slightly Scandalous. She would have to drive very carefully over to Sam’s house. If she got into an accident and was taken to the E.R. in this outfit, her mother would never forgive her.
She stowed her loot in the trunk of her Miata before returning to the office. Gretchen and the gang were already convinced she was keeping secrets about Sam. They didn’t need to find a shopping bag from Slightly Scandalous to make them even more suspicious.
She spent the rest of the morning on the lingerie store’s new image, and the afternoon dreaming up promo ideas for Ashton Landscaping. Sam’s enthusiasm for her ideas felt good. Everything about Sam felt good. If she were looking for the perfect guy, Sam would be it.
But she was only twenty years old. She wasn’t ready for the perfect guy. Life was so unfair. Now that she was ready to experience being a swinging single girl, she was supposed to find men who were fun, not perfect. She’d read the chick-lit books—nobody found Mr. Perfect right off the bat. Except her, apparently.
Maybe Sam wasn’t as right for her as he seemed. She wasn’t very experienced, so she might not recognize his imperfections. The fact that she considered him perfect should be a warning bell in itself. He was human—there had to be things wrong with him.
Maybe tonight she’d try to be more objective and figure out where Sam was lacking. It wouldn’t be in the area of sex, so she could simply enjoy that part and look for flaws in other parts of his life. And she would enjoy the sex. She could hardly wait to show off her Bad Girl duds.
At last the day crawled to an end. She hurried home, showered and changed into her outfit. As she headed out the door, she picked up the folder containing her plans for his promo campaign. Because they’d agreed he wouldn’t come into the office, she had to discuss business sometime during the night.
She was surprised at how natural that seemed, mixing their private and professional lives. Apparently he’d known what he was talking about when he’d insisted she could do his PR work even though they were having a hot and heavy affair.
The situation could change, though, if the affair ended before the promo campaign. They might not work together so easily if one of them decided to call off the fireworks. And someone would do that sooner or later.
But she refused to think about that now, while she was wearing underwear from Slightly Scandalous and contemplating Sam’s reaction. She smiled as she turned into the driveway of Sam’s cute little house. Tonight would be another outstanding night of sex. She should have brought champagne.