She finally replaced the phone on the hook. "I can't either."

"I guess this means you're going ahead with the plan."

"I reckon it does." There was no turning back now.

Sebastian pulled into the drugstore on the way to Chast.i.ty's. His hands shook. s.h.i.t! He hadn't been this nervous about s.e.x since his first time with Mindy Peterson, a cute redhead he'd pursued his entire soph.o.m.ore year in high school. Unfortunately, the actual event didn't live up the hype, and it wasn't until his senior year that he had s.e.x again. Something told him though, that he wouldn't be disappointed with Chast.i.ty.

What had happened during lunch still had his body reeling. The scent, taste and feel of her sent his hormones in a tailspin. She'd left his c.o.c.k so d.a.m.n hard he could barely walk afterwards. Her lush body pressed enticingly against his was enough to make his b.a.l.l.s throb with need.

He perused the condom section, wondering what kind he should purchase. Would she prefer the kind that heated up or ribbed for her pleasure? Or would his usual brand do? Jesus H. Christ. Get a hold of yourself. You've made love to dozens of beautiful women. This was Chast.i.ty Bryant for Pete's sake.

The woman had him twisted in knots.

"d.a.m.n," he muttered to himself, finally deciding to get the usual brand.

"Very nice," a husky feminine voice said next to him.

He turned his head to see an attractive brunette with big green eyes smiling at him. Wearing a tube top and a micro-mini that barely covered her crotch, she was just a little too obvious for his taste. Sebastian gave the lady a brief smile, He made a move to walk by her, but she ran a finger down the side of his arm.

"Can I help you?" he asked, stealing a quick glance at his watch. He really needed to get back on the road if he wanted to get to Chast.i.ty's on time. He wanted to give her as little opportunity as possible to change her mind.

"You're not going to use all those tonight, are you?"

He lifted a brow. Was this broad kidding? Something definitely wasn't on the up and up. "If things go as planned, I will." Sebastian tried to pa.s.s her again, but she blocked his way.

"That's too bad, because I can show you things that your date tonight couldn't imagine."

This woman was obviously a prost.i.tute. Why him? Disgust washed through him. "No thank you. I'm fine."

"You don't know what you're missing, baby."

"I said I was fine, thank you," he said more firmly.

"I can take you to heaven, baby," she persisted, boldly reaching out to trail her finger down the front of his pants.

Sebastian backed up. "Hookers are not my thing. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get by, please."

"A girl's gotta earn a living, but no one turns down Lola. Are you gay or something?"

He could have very well said something mean, but decided that if pretending he was gay would get this pariah off his back, then he'd do it. "Uh, yeah, that's it. I'm gay."

To his astonishment, instead of walking away, she grinned, revealing a slight overbite. "Why didn't you say so, baby. I got what you need." Lifting her skirt, the brunette showed off a large bulge in her panties.

Sebastian wanted to hurl. Great. Out of all the drugstores he could have stopped at along the way, he had to choose the one with a transvest.i.te trolling the aisles, looking for action. He pushed past the she-male, dropping the box of condoms. To h.e.l.l with them, he'd go somewhere else.

Sebastian only hoped that with all he'd been through on this weird day, that Chast.i.ty would make it all better.

Chapter Eight.

Chast.i.ty paced her living room floor, creating a trail in her plush cream carpet. Monty's head followed her movements across the room as if he were watching a tennis match. She still couldn't believe she'd issued an invitation for Sebastian to come over. Did she have the guts to go through with this?

Wrapping her arms around her body to still the shivers, she wondered if wearing this ridiculously see-through nightgown was a good idea. Nick and Kevin had talked her into buying a couple of s.e.xy night things. The lilac gossamer nightgown she currently sported had looked s.e.xy in the store, but on her body, it seemed indecent. She felt downright naked.

Dallas had bullied her into wearing it for Sebastian's arrival. Chast.i.ty looked over at the standing full-length mirror on her living room floor, allowing her arms to fall to her sides. She twisted and turned, examining her body. Hanging by two spaghetti straps, the gown nearly touched the floor and hugged her voluptuous curves. The slits on the sides allowed her to move freely.

Her hair rested in a dark cloud around her shoulders and her make-up was freshly repaired. She had to admit that she did feel pretty, but what would Sebastian think? Self-consciously, she touched her rounded belly knowing she'd never be model slim, but right now it didn't seem to matter.

The insistent buzz of the doorbell announced Sebastian's arrival.

"Come on, girl, you can do this," she whispered. Taking a quick look through her peephole before answering, she opened the door with a smile on her face. "Sebastian, you're right on time." Her heart banged against her breast nearly making it impossible to breathe, when he entered her house.

She was so used to seeing him in suits and ties, that his casual appearance almost made her swoon. He wore a black crew-neck shirt that looked great against his olive skin and showed off his sinewy arms to perfection. Tufts of black hair peeked out of his shirt, enhancing his masculinity.

His blue jeans were so indecently tight that she could see the outline of his c.o.c.k. Sparks of merriment danced in his green eyes. "Have you had your fill, or would you like for me to turn around so you can check out my a.s.s too?"

Chast.i.ty's face grew hot. How long had she been staring at the bulge in his pants? She gulped, remembering how thick his c.o.c.k had felt when she'd wrapped her fingers around it. Embarra.s.sed at being caught out, she tried to channel the confidence she'd felt earlier. "You don't have to turn around. I've seen that a.s.s walk by my desk on several occasions."

"And did you like what you saw?"

"Oh, yeah"

Sebastian grinned. "Good. Because I like what I'm seeing now. You look very s.e.xy."

"Thanks. You don't look too shabby yourself. Those jeans should be outlawed."

He chuckled, handing her a bottle of wine. "This is for you."

She took it with nerveless fingers. "I appreciate this, but you didn't have to bring me anything."

"I know I didn't have to, but I was raised to bring a gift to the hostess whenever I'm invited to someone's house for the first time."

"That's awful sweet of you, Sebastian, but we both know what you came here for," she said with bravado.

"Maybe so, but that wouldn't excuse a lack of manners. Now, just say thank you."

"Thank you."

"Actually, my motive wasn't completely altruistic. I'm hoping you'll share a gla.s.s with me."

By now his gaze was slowly devouring her body, sliding up and down her curves. She grew warm under his perusal. Biting her lower lip, Chast.i.ty pressed her thighs tightly together to temper the surging heat within.

"Don't do that, Chast.i.ty, unless you want me to throw you on the ground right here and now. It drives me crazy when you nibble on your lip like that, because I want to be the one doing the nibbling. Go pour us a couple gla.s.ses of wine, and I'll put on some music. Where do you keep your CDs?"

Soundlessly she pointed in the direction of her CD rack before scurrying out of the living room to the kitchen, her pulse racing. This was supposed to be her seduction scene, so why did Sebastian have to be so calm when her knees felt like they'd give out any second?

Steadying her shaking hands, Chast.i.ty poured two gla.s.ses of wine and took a sip from one to soothe her nerves. Just as she stepped into the living room, the phone rang. Who in the world could that be calling at this time of night?

Sebastian looked slightly annoyed. "Ignore it."

"I can't. It might be an emergency." She very well could have ignored it, but she needed to buy some time to build up her courage again. "h.e.l.lo?" she answered, a little more breathlessly than she intended.

"Chas, it's Kevin."

"Kevin, you're calling at a bad time. I have company now."

"I know. Dallas called and told us what's going on and we saw Mr. Stud m.u.f.fin pull up in your driveway. He's hot."

"Okay. If you know it's a bad time, then why are you calling?" she whispered, taking a peek over her shoulder. Sebastian's face was screwed up in a scowl. His displeasure was obvious.

"I called to give the appearance that he's not the only one you might be seeing."

"Lord have mercy. You've been hanging around Dallas way too much. Look, I really have to go, but I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay. Are we still on for shopping this weekend? There's a killer sale at Macy's."

"Yes, we're still on. I'll see you then." Clicking the phone off, she replaced it on the receiver. If Sebastian was upset before, he looked positively dangerous now; his normally pale eyes a murky, dark green and his lips a thin, angry line. "I'm sorry about that."

She slid next to him on the couch, figuring that not mentioning the phone conversation would be the best way to handle things. Sebastian, on the other hand, wasn't willing to let it go so easily. "Who...was...that?" he asked as though struggling to get each word out.

She shrugged, trying to project an air of nonchalance she didn't feel. "Just a friend."

"What kind of friend?" he demanded.

When Sebastian's eyes bored into her, he reminded Chast.i.ty of Oth.e.l.lo, right before he strangled Desdemona. Thanks a lot, Kevin. She could have dragged this out and make it seem like Kevin and her were more to each other than what they were, but judging by the look on his face, Chast.i.ty realized that wasn't a good idea. There was only so far a man like Sebastian could be pushed.

"The platonic kind. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were jealous."

"Maybe I am."

His admission took Chast.i.ty by surprise. Not quite knowing how to respond, she changed topics. "So, what do you think about my nightgown. You didn't say anything about it when you walked in."

"I said you looked s.e.xy. Isn't that the same thing?" He laughed, visibly relaxing, which in turn, relaxed her.

I can do this, she silently chanted. "Not quite the same thing, but I guess I'll let you slide this time."

Sebastian scooted closer. Her body ignited when his hip touched hers. Chast.i.ty's breath caught in her throat. G.o.d, he was gorgeous. It just didn't seem fair for one man to be so d.a.m.n hot.

He ran a finger down her chest to where her nightgown dipped. "I like what you're wearing very much, but I bet I'll enjoy it even more when I'm taking it off. Of course, you know, I'm the only one you're allowed to wear this for now."

Chast.i.ty trembled. Was it her or did the temperature in her house just go up? "I'll keep that in mind," she said unsteadily.

"You'd better," he growled. "You have no idea what I went through before I got here."

She raised an eyebrow. "And what was it that you went through that was so grueling."

"Well, I nearly got a ticket racing over here, but the poor officer took pity on me when I told her that I had to go see a friend in need."

Chast.i.ty pursed her lips. "She? You charmed your way out of a ticket, you mean? What a hardship."

"And, I had to fend off a transvest.i.te prost.i.tute when I stopped to purchase condoms on the way here."

"You're making that up."

"I swear, I'm telling you the truth. From my mouth to G.o.d's ears."

This made her laugh. "That's what you get for being so darn irresistible. I bet everything comes easy to you. You always do what you like, don't you?"

"If I had done what I really wanted to when I walked in here, you would have thought I was an animal."

She saw her opportunity to flip the script on him and took it. Leaning over, Chast.i.ty brushed his lips with hers. "It's okay. I like animals." The tips of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s grazed his arm. She pressed another kiss against his jaw, her hand slowly inching up his thigh.

Sebastian suddenly pulled back. "We're really going to do this, right? No turning back this time?"

"Of course. Isn't this what you wanted?"

"More than you know, but..."

"But what?"

"You're a totally different person. I never know what to expect. With the old Chast.i.ty, I could read you like a book, but now you go hot and the next minute cold. I don't want to get all worked up again, just to be left high and dry."

"I plan to see this through. I want you as much as you want me."

"What happened to you, anyway?"

Was he serious? Sebastian was the one who'd made her realize what a hopeless mouse she'd been. He almost sounded like he missed the mouse. Well that was just too d.a.m.n bad. The reminder of her former self gave Chast.i.ty the strength to make her next move. "I finally opened my eyes...thanks to you." She reached over and cupped his face in her hands. "I don't know about you, but I want to f.u.c.k." And with that she crushed his lips beneath hers.

Chast.i.ty's sweet mouth covered his in an aggressive, hungry kiss. Sebastian's initial reaction was to push her away and find out what she'd meant by that last comment, but her soft lips roaming so urgently against his shattered all intentions to smithereens.

He wrapped his arms around her warm, voluptuous body. When Chast.i.ty had opened the door, he'd nearly dropped the bottle of wine in his hand, almost losing the control he's fought so hard to maintain when he saw Chast.i.ty in her pitiful excuse for a nightgown.