Shara Azod's Flavors- Habañero Cocoa Read online

  Habañero

  Cocoa

  by

  Shara Azod

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright© 2010 Shara Azod

  Cover Artist: Shara Azod

  Editor: Jennifer Puckett

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. This is a work of fiction. All references to real places, people, or events are coincidental, and if not coincidental, are used fictitiously. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.

  ~1~

  Layla Theresa Smith-Everheart was about five point four seconds from jumping over the damn counter and punching the cosmetic twit dead in her face. It was just the principle of the matter. She’d been standing here waiting patiently as the persnickety woman behind the counter helped every freaking body else but her. She didn’t have to imagine what the woman’s problem was. She wasn't dressed her best, but that was on purpose. Layla was in sweats because they were easy to take on and off and she’d gone to the spa, got her nails done, now the hair dresser was the only place left to go – all for some grand soiree tonight for work. Beauty took time and effort, so she’d wanted to be comfortable damn it. That didn’t mean she couldn’t afford the overpriced cosmetics behind that damn counter. She still had to go home and shower before her hair appointment damn it, she had no time for this.

  Her infamous temper may have made her one hell of an attorney, but unfortunately it also got her in a crap load of trouble from time to time. When her blood started to boil her baser instincts tended to take control of her otherwise brilliant brain. Her hands had already begun to curl into ready-made claws, her feet rocked until she was ever-so-slightly bouncing on the soles of her feet. Her muscles tensed as she readied herself to spring. If that woman ignored her one-more-‘gin…

  “Oh, no you don’t.”

  Her first reaction would’ve been to spin on the man who had wrapped his steely arms firmly around her waist, thereby preventing her from reaping the retribution on the snooty stick figure that was still pretending like she wasn't standing there waiting to be helped. She would have, if she didn’t immediately recognize the voice. There was only one man in the world who could take her from murder-death-kill mode to strip ’em-jump ‘em-fuck ‘em mode in less than a heartbeat. Not that she’d ever done it with this particular man, but oh, how she dreamed of it!

  Layla had no idea what Javier Nuñez was doing in Saks, but right this second she couldn’t bring herself to care much. All that mattered at the moment was the sinewy arm wrapped around her, the slightly accented baritone voice in her ear, the hard body pressed against her back, the thick erection –

  Whoa! Erection? From Javier? She’d known the man for approximately five years, lusted after him for every second of those days, hours and minutes since she first started at Nuñez & Sons, Attorneys at Law, and not once had he ever given her any indication he thought of her as anything more than a colleague and friend. She wished it was otherwise. She had wanted to scratch out the eyes of every damn woman that ever looked in his direction. She of course hadn’t acted on it because she had no desire to become a crazed mass murderer. Every woman looked at Javier. The man was walking sin on a stick. Standing nearly six-four, he towered over every other man that worked at the mid-sized firm, including his father and two brothers. He wasn’t the most massive man she’d ever seen, but his trim, strapping physique couldn’t be hidden by the tailored suits he wore in the office. She’d seen him a couple of times in a bathing suit at company retreats. Lord, but the man was built for pleasure.

  The Nuñez family was originally from Argentina, every one of them freakishly good looking with bluish-gray eyes, long sooty lashes, and thick inky-black curly hair. How many times had she reached out to bury her fingers in the thick mass only to catch herself at the last moment? She had it bad, but there was no way in hell she’d let it show. There were signs a man threw off when he wanted a woman, and Layla had never seen any such indication from Javier. She wasn’t the type of woman to delude herself or throw herself at a man, so she’d never even tried to catch his eye.

  Yet, there was that erection pressing against her backside. Had he been hiding his attraction, just as she had? Did he look at her the same way she looked at him when no one was looking? Or maybe that erection wasn’t for her at all. The scrawny chick behind the counter was passably pretty, she supposed. Man, if he had a hard on for that kind of woman there was no chance in hell for a petite yet curvaceous dark skinned sister like herself. Now she really hated the make-up bitch.

  “Hello, Javier.” It was difficult to keep her voice even. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  As much as she wanted to grind back on the impressive thickness, she held steady. She loved her job, made damn good money. Throwing herself at a senior partner just after she had made partner herself would not be a good idea. Not to mention he as the son of the founder and leader of their fearless group. Life really was unfair sometimes.

  “As much as I would have appreciated the view, I’m afraid I can’t allow you to jump behind the counter.” He purred right into her ear, making her pussy all wet and hungry. “My specialty is contract law, not criminal defense. There’s only one way I would prefer to get you off.”

  Okay, there was nothing ambiguous about that. Sure she and Javier had partaken in some light hearted flirting, but nothing that explicit. That sounded positively delicious. Plus, it could possibly mean that very impressive organ pushing ever so slightly against her backside was all for her. Maybe.

  “You should never dangle a sweet tasty treat in front of a woman with a sweet tooth.” Her let her voice drop, letting a hint of all her pent up lust peek through. Just to push the issue, she allowed the generous globes of her ass to slide ever so slightly against his hard length.

  The arm around her waist tightened, dragging even harder against his front. The hand that had been gripping her side slowly made its way to rest against her stomach, underneath her sweat shirt.

  “You should never tempt a man who is already far too tempted,” Javier retorted, biting her earlobe for emphasis. The sharp little bite sent shivers racing down her spine. If he only knew how close she was to having her wicked way with him.

  “Can I help you? “

  Oh sure, now the perky little witch wanted to come over and offer her assistance. And of course, her eyes were locked on the sexy man behind her. Layla grit her teeth, pissed at the interruption just when things were getting interesting.

  “Go on, mina, tell the nice sales clerk what you want.”

  Damn, what had she come here for again?

  ~2~

  How many times had he dreamed of having this little spitfire in his arms? When Layla had first started at the family firm, Javier had merely appreciated her for the smart, funny, sexy woman she was. He respected her drive, her fierceness, even that fiery temper. More and more he found his eyes straying from her face to appreciate her many other charms. He hadn’t meant to; tried like hell not to, but the woman was like a little pocket Venus. All curvy in the right places with this sultry smile – she had no clue she slayed any man within a five mile radius with that smile. Saint Jude couldn’t intervene for a man should he happen to watch her saunter away, and as the p
atron saint of lost causes he would be the only hope. Her hips had this hypnotic sway, drawing the eye to the most fabulous ass in the universe.

  The ass presently pressed all up against his swollen cock. He wasn’t about to step back just because the ignorant woman behind the make-up counter was openly staring at where his hand rested on Layla’s stomach. If she didn’t like it… well, there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it if she didn’t like it.

  “Hey!” Layla actually snapped her fingers in front of the cosmetic lady’s face. “I’m the one in need of assistance. The gentleman behind me doesn’t wear make-up.”

  One would never know she was really a high powered attorney in her regular life. Then again, he had been watching since he strolled into the store, originally for a new tie, his one concession to a party he didn’t really want to attend in the first place. The saleswoman should have never, ever ignored a woman like Layla. She was not one to suffer fools gladly. Like now as she fired a distinctive list for the woman to go fetch. He actually blinked when Layla actually told her just that – go fetch. He would have laughed, but the little firecracker pushed back just right on his dick, making coherent thought impossible for a minute .

  “Keep it up and I will give you what you are asking for right here.” Maybe right in this exact spot, but his mind immediately started assessing where there might be private places in the department store. A man could only take so much. He wanted this woman for far too long, far too badly. He wasn’t thinking straight, and he couldn’t be bothered to care.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Layla retorted right back, grinding back a little harder.

  Javier had to swallow his corresponding moan. There was no way he would show her just how much she got under his skin, not in front of the rude salesperson who was openly frowning in disapproval at his hand still resting on Layla’s stomach. She was a short little thing, he was still holding her up with his other arm, and she hadn’t said a word. Oh, she was so his. And not just for some cheap and quick office fling either. Layla was the kind of woman you kept, and he was keeping her.

  They wouldn’t be making it to the office celebration tonight. Javier knew and understood this on a fundamental level. He saw a very long night stretched in front of him, one they would both enjoy very much. By the time the clerk rang up Layla’s purchases, he was all too ready to get out of here. He threw his credit card on the counter, hushing the protest he knew was coming by pulling Layla so close his shaft was resting in between the cheeks of her ass through their clothing.

  Damn, that felt good.

  “I can pay for my own purchases, Javier.”

  He was willing to bet anything she would have been tapping her little foot had they actually reached the ground. As it was, she was standing on the tips of her toes. He could almost see the steam rising off of her. Still, she hadn’t even tried to get away. Layla was notorious for her hot temper. She was like a freaking habeñero when she was pissed, but sweeter than whipped chocolate when she wanted to be.

  “I happen to know for a fact you can, doesn’t mean I am not paying. Now hush woman, the sooner this is over the sooner we can get out of here.”

  Forget the tie; he wouldn’t need it anyway. Unfortunately, he had to let her go to actually leave the store. At least, he had planned to leave the store. Layla must’ve had other ideas because when he let her down, she started out in the direction opposite the door.

  “Excuse me, counselor.” Reaching out he grasped her arm, but of course that didn’t slow her down a bit. He could have stopped her, but that would’ve involved using true force, which would get him punched, probably in the nuts. “Where do you think you are going?”

  “You don’t have any bags.”

  Javier blinked, trying to assimilate the words that were coming out of her mouth. Didn’t have any bags? What the hell did that mean? “I don’t carry a purse, and I’m sorry but those man pouch things are purses.” He really hoped that wasn’t what she was talking about, but he was completely lost.

  “Shopping bags?” She held up the little bag that carried her purchases. “If you can buy my crap, the least I can do is keep you company while you get something for the party tonight. Assuming that’s what you are here for and all evidence points to the fact that I am right as usual.”

  Ten, nine, eight, seven…Nope, counting backwards wasn’t going to help. “I originally came to get a tie, but I’ve since changed my mind. I won’t be needing it, because we won’t be making the party tonight.”

  Complete, total and utter silence was the reaction he got for two full minutes. It was the only time Javier could ever remember Layla being at a loss for words. Didn’t last longer than those two minutes, but he knew he would remember them for the rest of his life.

  “Yeah – no.”

  And that was all she said before stomping, literally, to the men’s section.

  ~3~

  This is so not happening. Layla could care less about whether or not Javier got whatever it was he had come to the department store for. She was simply buying time as she tried to figure this all out. Javier Nuñez was really here, and he was really coming on to her. A bit more than coming on actually. The man had her so riled up, she swore she could’ve come from just one little touch. She couldn’t remember ever getting so wet just from having a man press up against her. The slow rub on her tummy hadn’t exactly helped the situation either.

  The very last thing she’d expected to happen today was that the star of every masturbation fantasy she’d had in who knows how long work the same magic on her body in real life as he did in her dreams. Actually the reality was so much better, so much hotter and so damn good. And he hadn’t really done anything yet. This had to be more of Javier’s infamous flirting. Maybe he was a little more touchy because they were outside the office. Sure, they’d seen each other outside the work environment before, but never completely alone. Maybe this was the way he flirted outside a work environment, or away from his family. It was the only logical explanation she could come up with other than the one she was too afraid to admit.

  He wanted her just as much as she wanted him. It was a terrifying prospect to a woman who usually just didn’t know how to be afraid. It was that she was afraid of Javier the ladies man; he was brilliant and funny, most people didn’t know that he had a heart of gold and could be the sweetest person on occasion. Although he called himself a contract attorney, in reality he was one of the shrewdest business law specialists she had ever known. She had learned quite a bit from him. Not to mention he was sexier than should be legal.

  The problem was, handling it if, when, he walked away in the morning. Fine the chemistry was on and popping, but what happened tomorrow or the next day? Layla was proud of all the things she had accomplished in life, she considered herself one hell of a woman without being all conceited about it. But she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt there was no way she could walk away from him in the morning, if ever. She didn’t just lust after him, she seriously liked him. If – no, when – she had sex with him, she was scared that like would turn into something more. She wished she could’ve said to herself “if” she decided to get with him, but she wasn’t into lying to herself.

  This was going to happen all right. Layla just needed to steel herself against the evitable pain sure to come. She needed to regain her composure because he had thrown that all out of whack. She had to be clear to both herself and to him about what this was. A little fling right? They would just be working the insane attraction between them out of their system. Surely that was his plan, so it had to be hers too.

  At least the pull she’d always felt toward him hadn’t been as one sided as she once believed. That was something of a relief.

  “Stop.”

  He didn’t raise his voice to say it, but there was a subtle change in Javier’s voice that made Layla stop in her tracks. His accent seemed a tad heavier, his tone a little deeper. Geez, he walked right up to her, not stopping until his front
was once again flush with her back. That thick, heavy organ of his didn’t lay directly against her ass this time, she was a little on the short side and he was no longer holding her up, but she could feel it all hot and heavy against her back. She was a goner. She wanted to wrap her hands around his heavy length. Wanted to lick round and round the head.

  “I came for a tie.” He had leaned down to purr the sentence directly in her ear. Did he suspect that little move made her insides melt? He added a little bite to her ear had her about a half a second from panting right there in the middle of the store. “You’re standing in front of the ties.”

  And so she was. A display of colorful ties stood directly in front of her. Should she pick one out, or wait for him to do it? Damn but she hated feeling indecisive. She wasn’t used to feeling unsure about anything. She was just about to reach out and just grab a handful of ties when Javier’s arms came up around her trapping her between his hard body and the display of colorful silk ties. She hadn’t realized what she was doing until she felt it again, his hard shaft pressed against the soft cushions of her behind.

  “I was going to wear a charcoal colored suit.” His voice sounded so good all deep and low in my ear. “I was thinking of a lighter colored tie. Now I think I will go with a couple of these.”

  His arms brushed the side of her breasts as he reached forward and ran his long fingers against the fabric of two reddish-orange ties with wide mocha colored stripes running down it at a slight angle.

  “That would clash with gray.” Not the wittiest thing she had ever said, but who could think being surrounded by red hot Latin man. Especially since his very impressive organ was stealing most of her thoughts. Umm, how would it feel sliding inside her?

  “But it would look so good against your skin.” What did that mean? Did she even want to know? A little tremor raced down her spine. He was picking up two ties. Oh my, oh my, what he could do with those! “Besides we’re not going to the party tonight.”