* * *
Alex skipped up the steps and onto the wide front porch of the little house that belonged to Lila Johnstone. He rang the bell, humming to himself while he waited for her to answer.
He'd been distracted the last couple days with thoughts of the pleasingly plump caterer. After she'd left his office, he'd been useless at work, even cancelling a late afternoon meeting and heading home early. Once at home he'd spent the next hour swimming laps in his pool, hoping the water would cool the heat inside him. But although his muscles were fatigued from the swim, his mind was not, and all evening he'd imagined what Lila had been hiding under that ugly gray suit.
The next day had been even worse, since he was haunted by a dream in which he actually discovered what was hidden, and his erection upon waking had been near painful. Alex had thrown himself into his work, burying his head in projects and not coming up for air until his assistant had reminded him of his dinner date with Alana.
The date would have been comical if it hadn't put his fiancée in such a foul mood. He'd been distracted, and Alana had noticed. She'd wanted him to make it up to her by taking her out dancing at a new club an associate of his had recently opened downtown. Alex had begged off and Alana had nearly thrown a fit until he promised that his driver would chauffer her to the club, that he'd call his associate and get her a VIP room, and that he'd put the entire evening on his account.
That had cheered her up, and she'd been busy calling her girlfriends to let them know the new plan when he planted a chaste good-night kiss on her cool cheek. Then he'd taken a cab home, spent another hour swimming laps, and another night fantasizing about the caterer's curves.
And now he was on her porch, whistling while he waited for the woman he couldn't get out of his mind to open her door.
Then she did, and the wind went out of him.
No ugly polyester suit tonight. She was dressed casually in a flirty top and a pair of jeans that seemed molded to her. He felt the crotch of his own slacks tighten and prayed it wasn't noticeable.
He followed her in, mesmerized by the swing of her long ponytail. Then his gaze went lower and his mouth dried up. Alex almost resorted to pinching himself to fight off his erection. Her ass, round and delectable, looked tastier than any of the delicious dishes he could smell.
"Right this way," she said, turning around. His eyes shot back to her face and he hoped he wasn't caught peeping. Or drooling.
Alex headed into the kitchen and took a seat at the square table in the right corner of the wide space. Lila made for the large island in the center, picking up a wine glass and a bottle and bringing them to the table.
"I wasn't sure which wine you might want to serve at your event, so I settled for an inexpensive white that should complement just about anything for the test run. I'm sure you'll require a more refined selection for the actual party, but for the purposes of this--"
He held out his hand for the glass. "It's fine."
She went silent, uncorking the bottle and then filling his glass. When she turned away, Alex started berating himself. He was going about this all wrong, treating her to his brisk workday persona. He had to stop cutting her off. This wasn't....
Business. That's what he'd been about to think. But it was business. And he was a man planning his engagement party while lusting over the caterer. He expected his conscience to make an appearance, but his inner Jiminy Cricket was eerily silent.
He took a sip of the wine. "It's quite good."
Lila returned, setting a plate before him. On the plate were several eggs, their edges purple. "Beet pickled deviled eggs," she said, standing beside him as he picked one up and tasted it.
"Good," he murmured around the mouthful. It was. Certainly better than Aunt Kathy's deviled eggs. His aunt had trotted out those mayo-heavy monstrosities at every family gathering. These were light, flavorful. Mouth-watering, like the woman standing next to him.
He wanted to gorge himself on them, but she was already bringing over another dish. This one was filled with seared scallops in a butter sauce, garnished with greens. The scallop melted in his mouth and he moaned. Another appetizer, this one tuna, followed, then another, each as delectable as the last.
And beside him, he could see the blush creeping up Lila's shapely arm, a little red showing through the black lace that covered her neckline. For a moment Alex wondered what had her so flushed, before the taste of her crudités drove all other thoughts from his mind.