An Equal Measure Page 5

  Chapter Four

  Jackson Carlisle was even more handsome up close. For a moment, his superior good looks robbed me of good sense. He probably affected all women like that. Moreover, he’d probably grown accustomed to the response.

  I regained my composure and feigned indifference to his broad shoulders, slim waist and slender fingers. I closed my eyes to the black curl dangling tantalizingly across his forehead, otherwise I would not have been able to resist brushing the hair away from his smoky blue eyes. I could understand how Amy fell in love with this man. He wouldn’t affect me the same way. If not for the cause, I might react differently, though. Or not. I guess I would never know. Once I disposed of him like he did Amy, I wouldn’t have any further contact with him.

  Trish took over after the introductions. She performed her duties well, and I particularly appreciated that she’d forgotten my mispronunciation of the doll. No one liked being made a fool. Amy hadn’t, and neither would Carlisle.

  “You’re absolutely sure there isn’t any record of Ms. Fox’s order?” Carlisle asked.

  Wordlessly, I stood to the side, letting Carlisle and Trish sort out the business matter.

  Trish looked at me, then at her boss. “Absolutely. I triple-checked.”

  “I’m sorry for the mix-up, Ms. Fox,” Carlisle said, turning to me. “Perhaps I can interest you in something else.” He gazed into my eyes and added, “At a generous discount, of course, to make up for your inconvenience.”

  The shop grew warm suddenly, an intense heat that caused my armpits to dampen. I didn’t know what instigated the panic attack – my guilty conscience, or the fear my agenda might be found out. Nonetheless, I clasped his outstretched arm and let him lead me to his office. “I should warn you. I’m not easy to please.”

  Carlisle threw back his head and laughed. “What I have in mind for you will put a smile on your pretty face. I guarantee it.”

  I realized I was no longer the predator but the prey. Carlisle’s prey. I was way out of my element. What had made me think I could pull off a seduction?

  My first inclination was to run from the store, forget about this crazy idea of making him pay for what he’d done to Amy and never look back. I thought then of other young women who Carlisle would take advantage of, whose hearts he would crush. He needed to know what it was like to be led on, then dumped. It wasn’t too late. I could still carry out my plan. Judging from the gleam in his eyes, Carlisle was interested in me and not in a customer kind of way. Strangely enough, yesterday, the Jackson Carlisles of the world wouldn’t have looked at me. On the walk here today, I’d turned heads of both men and women. Surely, I could carry out a simple seduction.

  Yes, I could.

  I would.

  I caught Carlisle looking at me and smiled the same sweet smile I gave to puppies and kittens. He grinned, then turned his attention back to his files, obviously searching the whereabouts of what he had guaranteed would replace the McGuffey Ana and put a smile on my pretty face.

  “Ah, here it is,” he said, hitting the page with his index finger. “Excuse me a moment while I retrieve it from inventory.”

  “Of course.” I waited until he closed the door leading, I presumed, to where he kept his stock, before I whipped off my bolero jacket. Quickly, I mopped my armpits with tissue from the box on Carlisle’s desk. The last time I’d perspired like this was when I ran the one-hundred yard sprint in middle school in ninety degree weather. Back then, I hadn’t yet been introduced to an antiperspirant. Now I know it wouldn’t have made a difference. Nothing could restrain a waterfall.

  Carlisle returned before I could put my jacket back on. Beneath my bustier, I could feel the traitorous ladies peaking at his presence.

  He glanced at me, then lowered his gaze, taking a long look at my bosom.

  I gave him a half-smile, not that he noticed.

  He hesitated a moment, then strode to his desk and laid the box he carried on the surface.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  As though opening a box of explosives, he lifted the cover and beckoned me over.

  On shaky legs, I walked to him. He seemed not to notice my wobbly stride. If he did, he was too much of a gentleman to say. At his side, I peeked into the box. The doll was exquisite, I had to admit. Before I knew it, I was gushing over her fat rosy cheeks, her dress and lace-trimmed underwear, which appeared original.

  “She’s absolutely gorgeous and in almost pristine condition,” I exclaimed. Like revenge on Carlisle, I had to have the china doll for Amy. “How much?” I asked around a catch in my throat.

  He pulled the invoice tucked against the side of the box and opened it for me to see.

  “And my price is?” Whatever the cost, Amy would have it.

  “What I paid. You saw the invoice.”

  I sputtered and coughed. “I couldn’t.”

  “Yes, you can.” He smiled. “It’s the least I can do.”

  His generosity almost shamed me into admitting the truth. Almost. Until I remembered he’d put my sister in a hospital bed, comatose, and without a will to live.

  “It’s a deal,” I said. While I bent over the desk to write the check for the purchase, I observed Carlisle admiring my cleavage. I recognized the look in his eyes – lust. He wanted me. God forgive me, but I intended to take full advantage of his desire. I mentally thanked Amy for the black leather bustier, for without the garment Carlisle might not feel the way he did about me. Obviously, he was a boob man.

  This was all new territory for me. I’d never captured a man’s attention before, let alone lusted for. Of course, that was the before Josie. The after Josie was hot. Dressed like I was, men would flirt with me. Men would want me.

  Working toward my goal, I edged closer to him, all the while I gazed into his eyes like a woman suffering sex deprivation. I knew how seduction worked. It was the mechanics of the process I was shaky on.

  But I shouldn’t have worried I’d need to do the preliminary work myself.

  The gentlemanly Carlisle turned aggressor.

  He swept his arm around me and yanked me against him.

  “Oooof,” rushed from my mouth, my neck almost whip lashing.

  “Surprised?” he asked.

  “A little,” I said, placing my hands against his chest. I could feel the ridges of his muscles beneath my fingers. My first instinct was to pull back, but I not only kept my hands in place, I wiggled closer.

  “Why? Surely, you know your affect on men.” He brushed his lips against mine. “I’ve been wanting to kiss you from the moment we met.”

  The scoundrel. “You seemed oblivious to my charms,” I said, leaning my head back and staring deeply into his eyes.

  In response, he captured my lips within his.

  I leaned into him, pressing my breasts against him.

  He deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring and probing.

  Thank goodness for my one-track mind where situations concerned a cause as this one did. Carlisle’s kiss had no affect on me at all.

  His ardor, however, pushed against my mid-section. I imagined Carlisle ripping off my clothes and positioning my legs on his hips. My fingers shook at the thought. I had no intention of letting the seduction go that far.

  I broke off the kiss and patted his chest. “Trish,” I said, hooking a thumb over my shoulder.

  “Huh?”

  If there was a word to describe the weird look on his face, I didn’t know it. Apparently, Carlisle was a one-woman-at-a-time guy. Before he changed his mind and decided having Trish participate might be fun, I said, “Should she be out there while we...um.... you know.” I turned my eyes downward and played with the buttons on his shirt.

  “She’s gone for the day, and the store is locked up.”

  “Oh?” Well, it seemed there were two of us in this room who had agendas. Now that there were no witnesses, I’d bring this seduction to a quick conclusion. “The ladies room?” I recognized his look this
time. He thought I’d gone mad.

  “Huh?”

  “Is fatherhood a dream of yours?” I asked, not believing how flirtatious I sounded.

  Within seconds and from nowhere it seemed, a condom materialized at the tips of his fingers.

  “Great.” I thought quickly. “We can’t be too cautious, though. The ladies room?”

  Looking like a spoilt child, he pointed to the door on the opposite wall from the stock room.

  I threw off my stilettos and stood on tiptoes to reach his lips. “Remember where we were,” I said, running my tongue across his lips. “Make yourself comfortable while I’m gone.” I winked, hoping he’d take the suggestion literally. Feeling the blood rush to my face – I’d never been so bold – I turned and pranced to the washroom.

  I left the door ajar and, as I’d hoped, watched Carlisle strip.

  God, the man was an Adonis. An Adonis, I reminded myself, who had professed to love my sister, promised her marriage, then reneged on that promise, throwing her aside like a day-old newspaper.

  When Carlisle had stripped down to his skin and made himself comfortable on the pleather sofa, I waited for him to close his eyes and relax, which only took a moment. I bolstered my confidence with a deep breath before re-entering his office. Quietly, I removed the cord from the telephone. On the way to the door, I swiped his clothes and my borrowed heels from the floor and the doll from his desk. He didn’t notice my presence until I yanked the skeleton key from the old-fashioned keyhole.

  “Hey,” he said, his voice raising to a shout. “What in hell do you think you’re doing?”

  I could hear his feet hit the floor, then his rapid footsteps. I opened the door, darted through the doorway then slammed the door closed. I shoved the key in the lock and turned it.

  “Now you know what it feels like to be used!” I banged my fist against the door. “You deserve worse for what you did to my sister.”

  At the exit, I threw the telephone cord and key into a miniature marble fountain and sped from the shop. On the stoop, I spotted a refuse container chained to a lamplight and jammed Carlisle’s shoes and clothes past the swinging door on top.

  Pleased with myself, I put on the bolero and strolled down Queen Street, barefoot and hugging Amy’s stilettos and the doll tightly against my bosom. A few people stared, but I didn’t care. What I set out to do, I’d done and felt good about it.

  At the corner, I turned right and walked a few steps before a car pulled to the curb on my left. Whoever was behind the wheel tooted the horn.

  No one who knew me would recognize me in my ensemble, make-up or hair-do. My first thought was that the ladies had finally found relief from their tight enclosure and bared themselves to the world, and the driver was trying to get my attention to tell me. Quickly, I glanced at my breasts. No, everything was in place for the most part. Then I thought my ass had busted loose from their confinement. I didn’t feel a draft, but ran my hand over my buttocks anyway and found nothing unusual there, either.

  The horn tooted again.

  Peripherally, I peeked at the driver.

  Oh crap.

  Of all the luck.

  Didn’t I just know it.

  I walked over to the car and smiled at Trish.

  She put down the passenger window.

  “Fancy this,” I said, attempting to determine from her expression whether she knew what I’d done to her boss.

  “Hop in,” she said. “I’ll drive you to where you’re going.”

  I leaned into the car a ways. “I couldn’t impose on you,” I said, hating I’d used Trish to get at Carlisle. She was too good and nice a person. No one should take advantage of her sweet nature.

  “I’ve nothing better to do,” she said.

  The loneliness in her voice tugged at my heart. I couldn’t disappoint her. “Put that way,” I said, opening the car door and plunking down on the seat, not caring what happened to the leather pants, “I’d appreciate the lift.”

  “Where to, Ma’am?” she asked, flicking on the blinker and turning into the traffic.

  “John Howard’s,” I said, putting on the stilettos.

  She looked at me. “You’re not sick, are you?”

  I shook my head. “My sister is recovering from a car accident.” I still could not admit the truth – that she would not recover.

  “She’ll be all right, won’t she?”

  I smiled. “She will, indeed.”