Mr. Naughty And Mrs. Nice

Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Jemma

“ A re you shopping for someone special?” I ask the very awkward man glancing at the display of lacy underwear in front of me.

He’s a big, burly guy, but his cheeks go bright red as he glances at me and then quickly drops his eyes to the ground. “I’m… gonna… get her a blender.”

I try not to chuckle as the married man practically runs away to the appliance section of the giant store.

It’s been like this all day. The husbands are out, shopping in droves for their wives, armed with wads of cash and unlimited credit cards. I’m trying to hit my sales quota so I can get my very meager bonus, but they’re all so shy and awkward as soon as they take a look at the lingerie and silky lace underwear I’m trying to sell them.

A creepy-looking man with long, greasy hair and a dirty trench coat walks over with all the confidence in the world. He picks up a pair of lacy red underwear and stretches the waist like he’s testing it out.

“Are you shopping for your wife?” I ask as I step behind the counter, keeping it between us.

“No, it’s for my sex doll, Miranda,” he says as he looks at the price. He glances at me, but then his creepy eyes linger. I get a cold chill as he stares me down. “Are you married?”

“ Yes! ” I shout so fast and loud that he jerks his head back in surprise.

He leans in with a lewd grin. “I can keep a secret if you can.”

“Gross,” I say, unable to bite my tongue.

He looks at the tag on the underwear and then looks me up and down. “What size are you?”

“Get out or I’ll call security.”

He frowns as he tosses the underwear onto the pile. “Whatever. Miranda already has these in blue.”

He leaves and I keep my eye on him until I see him exit the store. I breathe a little easier now that he’s gone.

I smile at a middle-aged man walking by, but he takes a look at what I’m selling and quickens his pace, not making eye contact.

Geez, are men really this weirded out around female underwear? I guess they’re afraid of coming off like a pervert or something. With guys like the last one wandering around, I can see why.

I sigh as I glance at my watch. It’s ten forty-five. About two hours left if I’m lucky. The store is always such a mess when it closes, so even though we shut the doors at midnight, we rarely get out of here before one or two.

My stomach keeps grumbling. I haven’t eaten in hours. I look around for my uptight boss Elena, but she’s nowhere to be seen. I quickly duck down behind the counter to stuff half of a hidden chocolate bar into my mouth.

“No eating on the floor,” Elena snaps from behind me. Fuck . She came out of nowhere!

I’m trying to swallow it down, but my cheeks are as full as a chipmunk in a peanut factory. I give her a thumbs up and she rolls her eyes before marching away.

I’d care more if this was my real job. I’m only working here over the Holidays to pick up some extra cash. When all of these crowds disappear in January, they won’t need me anymore and I’ll be tossed onto the sidewalk with all of the broken Christmas decorations. I only have two shifts left after this one.

After I choke the rest of the Snickers down, I run my tongue over my teeth and stand up with a smile.

A man in the distance catches my eye. Hello…

He’s wandering around the womens’ pajama department, looking a little lost. My eyes roam up and down his tall fit body, which is looking smoking hot in that dark gray suit. He’s wearing a crisp white shirt underneath with a black tie, and I get a little fluttering feeling as I imagine fixing it for him in the morning. I would step up on my toes, gazing into those gorgeous eyes as I straighten his tie before his long day at work. He’d wrap his arms around me and pull me in for a toe-curling kiss that would lead to?—

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I whisper, stopping myself when I feel a little wetness between my legs. That’s someone’s husband you’re fantasizing about.

Flustered, I look away for a bit, but my eyes keep zeroing right back onto him as he wanders around the store.

“Hello,” a man says, popping out of nowhere. I’m so focused on the hot mystery stranger that I jump up with a gasp.

“Did I scare you?” he asks, stepping back with his hands up.

“I’m sorry,” I say as I glance at the hot stranger while he walks into the section where all of the womens’ dresses are on display. “Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for something in a medium for my wife,” he says, looking around.

I show him a few options and try to upsell a bra, but my heart isn’t really in it. How can it be when it’s over there with that hot stranger?

The customer buys a few items and I ring them up, keeping my eye on the tall sexy stranger as I complete the transaction. The hot stranger picks up a sparkly dress, looks it over, and puts it back on the rack with a frustrated sigh.

I take a deep breath and wonder if I should go over there and help him as my customer leaves with his bag. It is my job after all. Just because he’s crazy hot doesn’t mean he doesn’t need help. And it doesn’t make me a creep to go over there and gaze into his eyes to see what color they are. His wife would actually appreciate my involvement. I’ll get her something nice, while being totally respectful.

My feet start wandering over there before I can stop them. Lordy, he’s even more gorgeous up close.

The stunning sight of him takes my breath away as I approach this god amongst men. He has dark brown hair, perfectly combed to the side, not a strand out of place. His jaw is molded into the masculine ideal with the most kissable lips I’ve ever seen. Even his hands are getting me all tingly. They’re making my heart race. The lack of a wedding ring is my favorite part about them.

“Can I help you?” I ask with my hands clasped behind my back and my chest puffed out.

He turns and looks a little stunned when he sees me standing beside him. I’m a little stunned too. I knew those dark eyes would be gorgeous, but I wasn’t prepared for the total body shock of having them locked on me. They’re a magnificent chestnut color and I feel like I could get lost in them for days. It feels like when I finally pull away, it might be the New Year already.

“Do you work here?” he asks in a smooth, rich voice.

“Jemma, at your service,” I say, pointing to the name tag pinned above my boob.

He looks at my chest and my nipples immediately get hard. Oh shit. Is he noticing? Of course, he’s noticing! They’re sticking straight up like they’re raising their hand—Look at me! Look at me!

They’re sticking up like they’re desperate for his attention.

I look like I’m on the set of Friends. What was with that anyway? Did they jack up the air conditioning on the set or something?

I shake out the crazy in my mind and force out some words. “Are you shopping for your girlfriend?”

“Sister,” he says, never taking his eyes off me.

“Oh,” I say, getting a little excited. But my excitement is premature. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a girlfriend. Guys like him always have girlfriends. If not, they’re players and I definitely don’t want that. “Did you finish shopping for your girlfriend already?”

I’m hoping I’m not too obvious with my fishing for details. Who am I kidding? If I was any more obvious, I’d be throwing a fish hook at his forehead.

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he says as he runs his hand along his tie. “I just need something for my sister.”

Interesting…

“I can help you…” I lift my eyebrows up.

“Quinn,” he says, quick on his feet. I like that in a man.

“Quinn,” I say with a smile. “Let’s find something for your sister. What does she like?”

“I’m not sure,” he says with a quick lick of his lips. “She lives in Hawaii, so we don’t see each other too often.”

“ Hmmmm ,” I say as I look around the store. “Then you’re going to need something that travels well. Maybe a nice sweater?”

“In Hawaii?”

“Girls always need sweaters,” I say as I lean in and brush my hand along his arm. “Something light. Cashmere maybe?”

“Cashmere is nice,” he says.

“Great,” I say with a big smile. “Follow me.”

I walk over to the sweaters, swaying my hips just in case he’s looking. I glance in the mirror on the column and see his heated eyes all over me. It makes my body tingle with excitement.

“Did she give you a list of things she’d like?” I ask as I glance over my shoulder at him. He’s so hot. Like so so hot.

“It’s a Secret Santa, so she doesn’t know I have her.”

“Oooh, mysterious. Fun.”

“I wouldn’t call it fun.”

I frown at him in a flirty way. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those hot, rich, New York finance guys who hate Christmas. I saw a movie about you.”

He chuckles. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, and you were the bad guy in it.”

He shakes his head. “Figures.”

“But don’t worry, you learned the magic of Christmas before the credits rolled.”

“I doubt that will be happening in real life,” he says, grinning at me. “What do you want for Christmas?”

A heaviness hits my stomach, but I quickly push it away. What I really want for Christmas is to be home. Or, anywhere festive really.

I always dreamed of moving to New York City and three years ago when I was twenty-two, I did it. I packed my things and moved from Arizona all the way here to the Upper East Coast. I wanted to work in fashion, designing clothes more specifically, but all I’ve gotten so far is an unpaid internship that fired me halfway through. But still, I work every night on my designs and I’m not giving up yet.

I love my family, and I adore spending the Holidays with them, but it’s too expensive to fly back and forth every year. I haven’t been home since I left. I really miss it.

Last year, I spent Christmas with my roommate. We made a small turkey and watched Christmas movies all day, which was fun.

But this year, she’s going home, so it’s just going to be me and her cat hanging out, eating spicy Ramen noodles, and trying not to cry.

“I would be thrilled to have one of these sweaters under the tree,” I say, waving my arm at the folded sweaters on display. “They’re real cashmere, feel.”

We both put our hand on the same sweater and our fingers touch. Electricity sizzles through me. Literally. We both get a static electric shock and I yank my hand back with a gasp.

He laughs. It’s such a gorgeous sight.

I could stare at this face for days …

“Talk about chemistry,” he says with a flirty smile.

“Actually, electricity is a part of physics rather than chemistry, so the pun is incorrect.”

My heart starts pounding as his flirty smile turns into an amused grin.

Shit. Shit!

This was going so well.

Why do I always ruin it? Why can’t I be like other girls and just smile back while flicking my hair?

This is why I don’t have a boyfriend. Why I’ve never had a boyfriend. Why I’m a twenty-five-year-old virgin who’s stuck alone for the Holidays, again .

“I mean…” I say, my cheeks burning hot.

“No, you’re right,” he says, actually amused by my flavor of crazy. “There are two things I hate more than anything: Mixing up fields of science and incorrect puns. I hope you can forgive me.”

“It’s going to take some time…”

“Does this mean I can see you again?”

I swallow hard as I stare into those unworldly eyes. My body is on fire . The spark ignited when we touched and now it’s a blazing inferno.

Now, that’s what I want for Christmas.

To see this man again.

And to be consumed by him.