Page 45 of A Little Harmless Pleasure

Two weeks after arriving in Hawaii, the need to work was getting under Cynthia’s skin. As she sipped at her Lava Flow, she looked out over the beach and watched the sun set. Chris was running late, mainly because Lee was late for her shift again. Not wanting to wait, she’d grabbed one of theTropicswaiters and ordered her preferred drink since arriving on the island. Now, she was staring out over one of her favorite locations thinking that she had been waiting too long to begin the rest of her life.

Her relationship with Chris seemed to be moving along, but the restlessness that had started a week ago was now taking over most of her thoughts. It surprised her how much she missed working at Anna’s restaurant. Of course, a lot of it was the companionship of the customers and her coworkers there, but a part of her missed the regular duties that had filled her day.

If someone had told her six months earlier that she’d miss getting out of bed at four in the morning, she’d have called them insane. Who would’ve thought she’d yearn to spend her mornings up to her elbows in dough? She’d lived a life of privilege. In high school, she’d put out feelers with her parents about working. Both of them denied her the right. She hated feeling useless and had for so many years. That all stopped when Anna had hired her. That job had given her a purpose in life, something she could be proud of. It proved that she was worth more than a marriage to further the family’s interests.

“Sorry I’m late,” Chris said, interrupting her thoughts. In a gesture she had come to expect and love, he leaned down and gave her a quick, hard kiss before taking the seat opposite her. “Lauren called to complain about Mamma, and I had to wait for Lee. I have a feeling that woman isn’t going to be late again for a while.”

She smiled at him and had to fight the urge to pinch herself to prove that she was really there with him. He was dressed casually, as usual, but was just as delectable in the loose white cotton shirt and jeans as he had been the first time she had seen him dressed in a suit. Of course, she preferred him wearing nothing at all.

“Did you lay into her finally?”

Before he could answer her, the waiter stopped to ask for Chris’s drink order. Once they were alone, he smiled at her. “No but May did. That girl can be ruthless when it comes to showing up on time.” He shook his head. “So many people underestimate her because of her age and because she has a soft heart.”

“Not you.”

He reached across the table and took her hand in his. This was another gesture she’d gotten used to. Well, almost. She’d never thought of herself as overly demonstrative. Her family shunned displays of affection…even in private. The simple act of handholding was more than she ever got from her parents. Even now, surrounded by a rowdy crowd of tourists on a Friday night, heat scorched her blood. The familiar tide of lust slowly wound its way through her. Tenderness from Chris had the ability to make her want to jump his bones right there in the middle of the restaurant.

“No. Not me. I knew from the time I hired her when she was still in high school that she would make a fantastic manager. She’s been spending enough time herding that group of men she lives with, little catty waitresses are child’s play to her.”

May lived with her grandfather, father, and her two brothers. Cynthia had yet to learn the whole story, but Chris had told her that May’s mother died when May was a teenager.

“Hmm, so Lee still has a job?”

He nodded and then thanked the waiter for his drink. “Yeah, but probably not for long. May doesn’t have much patience for her. And then there’s the problem with Evan.”

“Evan?”

“Apparently he’s dating Lee and I tend to lose my staff when he does that.”

Cynthia frowned, thinking of Chris’ friend. She liked him well enough but something about Evan made her uncomfortable. It wasn’t uncommon for her to act reserved when she first met someone. With Evan it was different. He wore charm as a shield, using it to keep people from looking too closely at the man beneath. It was that man who worried her. “Why are you friends with him?”

Chris didn’t answer right away, as if carefully choosing his response. “When I was heavy into the BDSM scene, I wasn’t always accepted. Many see a switch as unacceptable, not a true player. Evan always accepted who I was and what I was. Even being a true Dom like he is, he had no problem with me.”

“Still, I just don’t see you two as friends. Well, I do, but it is odd. Max seems more like you.”

“No, you think that because you’re comfortable with Max. Our view about life is very different.” He took a sip of his drink. “I’d like for you to get to know Evan better.”

She frowned. “Why? I mean, I don’t mind talking to him, but—”

His burst of laughter stopped her. “Lord, you’re sexy when you put on that lady-of-the-manor attitude.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“That tone.” His tongue darted out over his bottom lip. Anticipation hummed between them. “It turns me on.”

“It does?”

“Yeah, ’cause I know exactly how hot you can get. I know what you sound like when you moan.”

His voice dipped into that New Orleans accent she loved. It slithered down her spine, brushed over her nerve endings. But she wouldn’t be deterred.

“Stop that.”

The grin he offered told her he knew exactly what he was doing to her.

She wasn’t going to let him change the subject. “I just wondered how you two became friends since you’re so different.”

“Opposites attract?” He shrugged. “Odd, but true, especially friends. You may think Max and I are alike, but we aren’t, not in our personal tastes. Same with Evan. But all three of us are accepting of other people, of their choices in life. For Evan, I think it comes from his childhood. There are things, things from his past, that explain his behavior.”

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