DevilishDelights Read online

  Man, he’d been too long without a woman.

  When she leaned over the ice cream case, he’d been too busy staring at her ass to notice the kid skating out of control. The kid broadsided him and knocked him off balance. He slammed full force against the beauty’s backside. She tumbled into the freezer. In his uncoordinated efforts to help her, he tripped over her shopping basket and landed half-on, half-off her, facedown in the ice cream. Any other time, he would have found this funny. But from the look on her face, he immediately realized she saw no humor in the situation.

  That didn’t stop him from the visual perusal of her attributes. Restraint was never his strong suit when it came to a hot woman. And this pixie-faced beauty with the long blonde ringlets was the most sensual woman he’d seen in a long time. Not to mention the voluptuous curves packed on her short frame ignited his lust.

  Get a grip, Jack, he quipped internally. He’d let her walk away without so much as a hello. That wasn’t like him. Man, was he off his game. It had to be the stress of this latest case that had thrown him off course. Jack thrashed a hand through his hair, tamping the loose wavy locks back into place. A face-down business card lay sticking out half-under the freezer. He picked it up from under the edge and two shiny objects rolled out as well.

  Damn. He hadn’t noticed those before and apparently she hadn’t either or else he felt certain she would have shoved them into her purse. Before anyone else noticed, he scooped them up.

  A thin layer of moisture coated the silver balls. Oh man, had these been inside her and knocked out by the blow of him falling into her? Were these the reason she’d been walking a little off balance? Nah, he shook his head. That couldn’t be it. He couldn’t get that lucky. His eyebrow cocked at the memory of something solid hitting the top of his foot when he fell into her. The faint sensation of a round shape on the sensitive skin of his foot had him believing they were hers. He lifted them to his nose. A delightful essence tickled his senses and ignited his imagination. If these balls were hers, he’d found the perfect woman for him. He stuck them into his pants pocket as he stood.

  The card he flipped over and read.

  Devilish Delights

  Your Adult Toy Store

  On the corner of Third and Vine

  Open from Noon to Ten p.m.

  Toys, DVDs, Lotions, BDSM

  Special orders not a problem

  Emma Jean Dupree, Proprietor

  She didn’t look like an Emma Jean to him. The name seemed too plain for that blonde-headed pixie. He tucked the card in his shirt pocket. It was a place to start if he wanted to meet her. And he wouldn’t be a decent cop if he didn’t return her lost possessions. The sexy blonde’s silver sex toys clicked as he walked. The grin that split his face couldn’t be stopped at the thought of tracking her down. As soon as this case and trial was over, she’d be his top priority. The idea of returning those shiny vibrating balls to their proper place inside their owner made his cock twitch.

  Jack leaned over the ice cream case and grabbed a carton. Decadent triple chocolate, his favorite.

  * * * * *

  Shelley didn’t catch a full breath until she was locked inside her apartment. She dropped the satchel on the counter as she rounded it and walked to the refrigerator. After she placed the ice cream in the freezer, she put the cookies and the chocolate syrup squirt bottle on the counter. Wonderful, she snorted. What a real nutritious dinner. She would have gotten a single-serve meal from the hot buffet counter if she hadn’t been blindsided and dumped in a freezer.

  She took two steps toward the sink, then froze. The balls…she didn’t feel the balls.

  Ohmygod! The balls, she’d forgotten about the balls. They must have fallen out. She grabbed her satchel, flipped it upside down and shook it until the last item dumped out. Not caring if anything landed on the floor, she sifted through the conglomeration of stuff. Her wallet, change purse, brush, makeup bag, large vibrator, nipple clamps, cherry flavored massage oil, butterfly-shaped clit stimulator, bills, lint, checkbook, date book, vibrating balls case and the remote control for the silver balls.

  But no balls. She turned the purse inside out. No balls. They had to be here. She searched the floor and the area around the counter, under everything on the counter and shook the satchel upside down again.

  No balls.

  This was the worst day of her life. She’d never be able to walk into that grocery store again. What if that guy was there? Bad enough he’d seen the contents of her purse. What if he found the balls? Would he know what they were? From the memory of the look on his face, she had the sinking feeling he knew about sex toys even though he was young.

  Shelley scrubbed a hand down her face. The man was sexy hot and what did she do? She made a fool of herself. She fell into a freezer—granted she got knocked into the freezer—spilled sex toys everywhere and shot shiny silver balls out of her pussy. No, that didn’t make her a fool. She rolled her eyes. That probably made her a sex-starved idiot or pervert in his eyes.

  The guy probably thought she was some sort of sexual deviant. The first man in a long time that she thought was hot and handsome and she blew it. This was all her cousin’s fault. If Emma Jean hadn’t childishly goaded her into trying those damn balls out in public, none of this would have happened. She wouldn’t have inserted anything into her vagina to live out some sort of secret fantasy. Heat of a different kind sizzled in her veins as she grabbed the phone and punched in the number for Devilish Delights.

  Emma Jean’s Southern twang eased through the line as she answered. “Devilish Delights, if you’ve got the desire, we’ve got the toy. How can I help you?”

  “You can start by firing me as your toy tester.”

  “Shelley, I’d never fire you.” Emma Jean’s voice sounded cheerful.

  “Then I quit,” Shelley stated in a matter-of-fact way.

  “Oh, honey. What happened?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Shelley said as she held the phone with one hand and slipped her shoes off one at a time with the other.

  “This sounds too good to miss. Hang on a minute.”

  Shelley heard Emma Jean shout to someone in the store. “Hey, Earl, mind watching the front for a few? I want to take this call in the office.”

  Earl. Shelley snorted. He could probably run the whole place if she’d let him. There wasn’t a day went by that he didn’t stop in. And now he had started creating new and improved models of old classics. In her opinion, he was hot for Emma Jean, but she seemed not to notice.

  Within a few minutes, Emma Jean was back on the line. “Okay, cousin. Spill it. What happened? How’d you like the balls?”

  “I lost them.”

  “You what? How?”

  Shelley heard the humor in Emma Jean’s tone. This phone call may have been a mistake. But there was no backing out now. She took a deep breath and tried to swallow her anger. In her mind, this was still Emma Jean’s fault.

  “Let’s just say, I went to the store, got bumped into by a good-looking guy, ended up face first in the ice cream freezer, balls shot out of my pussy, spilled my purse, sex toys scattered everywhere, end of story.”

  After several minutes of uncontrollable laughter from Emma Jean, she finally was able to ask in between gasps for breath, “Did you get an orgasm from the balls or at least a date with the guy?”

  “Neither,” she replied on a huff, not willing to admit the balls had given her a thrill. She had no intention of giving her cousin the satisfaction that she may have been right about Shelley’s secret desire for public sex. She planned to let Earl know they worked just fine so he could apply for his patent. But Emma Jean didn’t need any more ammunition in her opinion. “Guess it just wasn’t my day.”

  “Oh, honey,” Emma Jean said. Her tone relayed a calmer version of her former self. “Don’t let this get you down. You know how I feel about karma. Maybe you were meant to meet this man today.”

  “By shooting pussy balls at him,” Shel
ley quipped and heard Emma Jean snicker on the other end. “I don’t think that’s a great way to start off. It kind of puts a damper on things. Besides, I’d be too embarrassed to speak to him if I ever saw him again. And if it gets out at work that I’m into sex toys, I doubt I’ll keep my job for very long.”

  “You’ve been with the courthouse for longer than anyone there. I seriously doubt they’d have a leg to stand on by firing you over a personal preference. And if they did, I’ve got the name of a really good lawyer.” Shelley heard Emma Jean clear her throat before she continued and switched directions without missing a beat. “Let’s discuss something more fun. What if the sex toys turned him on? Did he look disgusted or intrigued by the items on the floor?”

  Shelley stared at the wall as she tried to recall his face. It definitely wasn’t a look of disgust. What it was, she couldn’t be sure. Did he like what he saw scattered around at his feet or did he just find the whole situation comical? What did it matter anyway? “I’m not sure if he was or wasn’t interested. I was too busy trying to gather everything and get the hell out of there to care what he thought.”

  “Too bad. He might have been interested in playing with your toys and you didn’t notice.”

  “Emma Jean,” Shelley snapped. “This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t cornered me into it. This is your fault. You know I didn’t believe for a moment that you’d tell Momma where the money for her medications came from. She still thinks I was able to add her to my insurance. We both know if she knew I worked part-time for you to pay for her meds, she’d stop taking them and that wouldn’t do her condition any good.”

  “You’re right. I wouldn’t tell her a thing and I know that you know it. I love Aunt Nadine too much. Blame me if you like for bringing to light your desire for a sexual adventure in public. We both know you wanted to do it in public or else you wouldn’t have.”

  “Damn that bottle of wine.” Shelley growled at the memory of her and Emma Jean, a bottle of wine and a discussion about sexual fantasies she wished she’d kept to herself.

  Emma Jean’s laugh filtered through the line right before she stated, “Please don’t quit. I know you like the sexual perks of the toys you get with this job. Don’t even try to lie. Besides, who would I get to replace you? Earl?”

  The thought of shy, timid Earl product-testing for Emma Jean made her laugh. He may have visited the store every day, but it wasn’t the toys that piqued his interest. His latest invention had thrown her for a loop. She’d never expected such a thing from him. Maybe he was trying a new direction to gain Emma Jean’s attention.

  “You never know,” Shelley said, trying to prod her cousin into noticing him. “He might actually get a kick out of some of the stuff as long as you guide his actions.”

  “I’m not blind, Shelley. I know he likes me. I’m just waiting until he grows the balls to ask me out instead of playing with them. But this isn’t about me. I know you liked the idea of enjoying a little sexual stimulation in public. Admit it. You were aroused by the possibility of getting caught. Unfortunately, you got caught in a weird but funny way.”

  Emma Jean had a point. She hated to admit she liked it. Before she did a face plant in the freezer, the balls stimulated and aroused her. Her nipples tingled, her pussy dripped moisture and the sexual tension in her system had been set on an all-time high. But was it from the balls or the fact that she was being naughty in public?

  Man, she wished she knew.

  Chapter Two

  Jack couldn’t believe his luck. When he walked into the courtroom, he never imagined he’d see the sex goddess who’d tormented his dreams for the past week sitting in the court stenographer’s seat. Or was it her? He couldn’t be certain from the angle at which he sat.

  Those cute ringlets of hair were tied up taut in a knot at the nape of her neck. Black-rimmed glasses were perched upon her nose hiding what he knew were a set of smoldering green eyes. At least that’s what he hoped to see if she ever looked his way. The straitlaced gray pants suit she wore did nothing to hide those voluptuous curves he’d dreamed about since toppling into the freezer with her.

  Tidying up the loose ends of this case had left him no time to search for this intriguing mystery woman. And now, here she sat to the left of the judge’s bench and he couldn’t do anything at the moment but wonder if it were truly her or not.

  “All rise.”

  The bailiff’s command snapped him out of his thoughts as he automatically stood. His gaze never left the woman. When she stood and glanced his way, recognition flooded his system. It was her. Jack slipped his hand in his pants pocket and fingered the balls. Not sure why he did it, he’d kept them with him since he’d found them. They’d given him something to aim for once this never-ending case finally ceased.

  The moment the judge took his place, everyone returned to his or her seats. Jack had no choice but to force his focus on the trial. He and his partner, David Delaney, spent months gathering enough evidence to put locally renowned moonshiner, Bubba Baldwin, behind bars. Though it took great effort, he managed to keep his eyes on the proceedings with the occasional glance her way.

  The Baldwin bunch was known for their fine line of moonshine products and their ability to traffic their products across county lines without getting caught, until now. Bubba made a fatal error. In a drunken stupor, he took a swing at an off-duty detective, Jack. They carted him off to jail, impounded his souped-up cargo van complete with a load of fresh product and a black book with a list of clientele. The case should have been open and shut, but several complications interfered, which dragged it out longer than necessary.

  Many of the locals supported the Baldwins and protested the trial.

  Jack sat beside David and half-heartedly listened to the proceedings. His mind wasn’t on Bubba or justice at the moment. Visions of a straitlaced beauty with an intriguing secret kept his imagination geared on high. Every time his gaze strayed her way, he thought he noticed her stiffen in her seat and return her eyes to her work and away from him. Was he imagining it?

  Did she recognize him? Or better yet, had she replaced her little vibrating balls with something else? Instinctively he touched his pocket and fought the urge to smile. The prospect that she wore a certain clit stimulator he swore he saw among the contents on the floor had him semi-hard. Damn. He closed his eyes and tried to think of the worst scenario possible to shut down his rampant lust. Images of dead bodies didn’t do it. Jack breathed in deep. He had to stop thinking of her and focus on the trial.

  But he couldn’t. The moment he opened his eyes, his gaze zeroed in on her. She stared directly at him for a split second before returning to her job of court reporting. No matter how hard he tried, his gaze kept straying back to her. Every slight movement she made spiked his curiosity as to what sexual device she had hidden beneath her clothing today. His palms itched to stroke her hair and remove the pins, setting it free to fall about her shoulders. The sight of the tip of her tongue wetting her lips in an innocent gesture fired his libido up six notches. He could only imagine the feel of her mouth on his cock. Warm, moist and sensitive to his needs.

  Damn, he groaned inwardly. Never had a woman affected him so badly. He shifted in his seat, trying to get his erection comfortable in his pants and tugged his suit jacket closed to help hide his condition. If he didn’t gain some measure of control over his imagination soon, this was going to be a long, hard day in court.

  * * * * *

  The second the judge stated “court adjourned”, Shelley scooted out the back entrance of the courtroom. For almost twenty years, she’d been the main courtroom stenographer for Cumberland County, Tennessee. She couldn’t remember ever having so much trouble keeping her focus on a trial. But the moment the hot young man from the store walked into the courtroom, her brain turned to mush. Several quick glances and she felt certain it was him.

  He had the same dark chestnut hair, autumn brown eyes, broad shoulders and a sexy cleft in his chin as the guy at the
store. Ooh, the sight of that sexy cleft made her want to trace it with a nipple, right before plopping it in his delectable mouth for him to suckle and tease. Oh God, she sighed. She was in trouble. Did he recognize her? She doubted it. Then again, it seemed that every time she looked his way, he stared at her. Dread settled in the pit of her stomach.

  Of all the bad luck, the guy she’d been having hot, sexy dreams of turned out to be a cop. A detective…those were even worse than just being a street cop in her book. She’d dated her share of the hotshots—made the mistake of marrying one—and vowed never to do either again. She hurried down the back hallway and took a shortcut through the building that led her to the main entrance. With luck, he’d be caught up in the onslaught of people leaving the courtroom and wouldn’t see her.

  The fact he was law enforcement didn’t worry her the most. She breathed in deep. What made her stomach churn with unease…would he tell anyone her secret? The thought of her colleagues finding out about her extracurricular activities caused a bubble of indigestion to rise.

  Fresh air soothed her angst as she descended the front steps and turned toward the employee parking lot. Not much farther and she’d make it to her car. Why, oh why, did he have to be a cop? The question tumbled over and over inside her head while she searched her oversized leather satchel for her keys. Not just a cop, but also a young hotshot detective at that. New to the area and probably fresh out of the academy, she bet.

  Shelley blew a loose curl from her eyes. A couple of feet from her light blue Volkswagen Beetle, she found her keys, tugged them from the bottom of her satchel and fumbled, dropping them. Making matters worse, the toe of her high heel connected with the set and managed to send them spiraling underneath the car. Her shoulders sagged as she grumbled under her breath. “That’s what I get for hurrying.”