Notorious (Playing With Fire)

Finally, Stacy pushed away from the wall and approached him, her steps careful, her expression cautious. Her hard little nipples poked against the thin fabric of her shirt, and his chest tightened. Her legs wobbled a little bit as if she had a hard time walking, and a thread of satisfaction slid through him. He’d done that to her. He’d affected her.

And then she’d pushed him away. Made him stop.

It hurt.

She stopped just in front of him and reached out, took his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting it drop. “Thanks for the kiss,” she murmured, her soft voice swirling around him, vibrating within his body.

She turned and left him where he stood.

“I want a total change.” Stacy sat in the chair and stared into the mirror, meeting her friend and coworker Lisa’s gaze in the reflection. “Lots of highlights. I want to go blonder.”

Lisa ran her fingers through the ends of Stacy’s hair, her gaze trained on Stacy’s. “I thought you were giving up on being blonde. We’ve taken you a few shades darker every time.”

“I gave up on being blonde because Keith didn’t like it. Well, screw him.” Lisa’s mouth dropped open at Stacy’s words, and Stacy wanted to roll her eyes. Didn’t even bother mentioning what she’d done two nights ago in a darkened alley not far from a bar. It would’ve, quite frankly, shocked the shit out of Lisa.

How she had walked away from that moment, walked away from him, she didn’t have a clue.

“Okay. Let me go mix up some color, and I’ll be back.” Lisa patted her shoulder and headed toward the color mixing area.

They both worked at a hair salon, their booths were right next to each other and they did each other’s hair. They were also good friends. Keith got Lisa’s husband Todd a job and the two men worked together as well.

Which made for a bit of awkwardness between the two now, but Stacy knew they could overcome it.

That was the reason she couldn’t tell Lisa about her experience with Eric in the alley. She couldn’t take the risk that Keith might find out because damn it, it was none of his business.

Really, she couldn’t tell anyone. She had her work friends, but again, she didn’t want Lisa to know about it. And she couldn’t tell her best friend because well, her best friend used to go out with Eric. Had a sort of relationship with Eric and Eric’s boyfriend, which Stacy had found strange and twisted and sick and she’d felt so judgmental at the time when Alexa told her. Thinking Alexa was crazy for embarking on a relationship with not just one but two men.

Not that Stacy had any room to talk. Not with her panty-wearing, eventual cross-dressing boyfriend she was trying to push into marriage. She’d been so desperate to be married she would’ve done anything. Including convincing herself Keith would make the perfect husband for her.

He might make someone a perfect husband—or perhaps wife if he went through the sex change thing. But he certainly wasn’t going to make her a perfect anything.

Stacy grabbed a tabloid magazine and flipped through it but the bits of celebrity gossip didn’t distract her. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Eric. The way he slammed her against that wall and pinned her there with his big, sexy body. His mouth on hers, delicious and decadent and making her head spin as his tongue swept against hers. How he’d touched her breasts, caressed her thigh, said such wicked things. It would’ve been so easy to give in. To say yes and let him flip her skirt up, tear her panties off and take her right there against that rough brick wall, it would’ve been good. She knew that without a doubt.

But she’d stopped him because she didn’t want to be used. No matter how much she would’ve used him right back she couldn’t let it happen. She had too much respect for herself to give in. Yes, it would’ve been amazing but she’d rather feel good about herself than experiencing amazing, mind-blowing sex for one stolen night.

Stacy slapped the magazine shut and closed her eyes, hung her head. She was a damn fool. She totally should’ve jumped at the chance to have amazing, mind-blowing sex with a man she’d most likely never see again. Right there in an alley where anyone could walk up on them, where anyone could see them. Just to say that she did it.

She’d let him slip through her fingers, and now she regretted it. See what being a good girl got her?

Absolutely nothing but sweet, hot memories of fevered kisses and stolen touches. A few blissful moments that amounted to the hottest sexual experience of her life. And they hadn’t even had sex.

Crazy.

Lisa came back in minutes and began applying the color and the foils, chattering all the while. Stacy nodded and answered where she was supposed to, still too distracted to really pay attention to exactly what Lisa was saying. She loved her friend, really she did, but she knew Lisa was uncomfortable with the stuff that just happened between her and Keith. The fact that he’d declared himself a cross-dressing gay dude worried her.

Not that Stacy blamed her. His revelation had done something to her too. Like ruin her life for a few days until she realized it was better to find out now rather than a few years down the line. When they possibly could’ve been married and had children.

“Todd talked to Keith,” Lisa said once she was finished, as she cleaned up the small mess she’d made.

“Oh?” Stacy kept her voice deliberately nonchalant. She didn’t want to hear what Lisa had to say about Keith. Not at all.

“He feels really bad about what happened.” Lisa paused, her gaze meeting Stacy’s once again in the mirror. “He told Todd you wouldn’t take his calls.”

“I don’t want to talk to him. I don’t think there’s anything left to say.” Stacy shrugged her shoulders, heard the foil crinkle against her neck. She hated this part, sitting around with the color on her head, waiting while it set.

“You guys went out for almost two years. You really believe there’s nothing left to say?”

Stacy threw the umpteenth magazine she’d been flipping through onto the counter in front of her. “Lisa. We broke up. He’s not interested in me. I gave him back his ring, I cried a little bit, and now I’m done. End of story.”