Three Signatures for the Lady Read online

  Three Signatures for the Lady

  By Suzanne Graham

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  2665 S Atlantic Avenue, #349

  Daytona Beach, FL 32176

  Three Signatures for the Lady

  Copyright © 2011, Suzanne Graham

  Edited by Corrie Blackmon and Roni Petroelje

  Cover art by Les Byerley, www.les3photo8.com

  Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-284-6

  Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Electronic release: April 2011

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

  This story is dedicated to the hot math stud in my life.

  I love you, Will.

  Thanks to E. for the falling towel.

  Chapter One

  Damn, my toes are killing me in these heels, Anna thought as she climbed the concrete steps to the last house on the block, near the campus of the University of Florida. After this one, she was calling it a day. Then she was going home, stripping out of this stifling suit, and pouring herself a large glass of cold Chardonnay and probably a second one after that.

  Having been raised with the cooler summer temperatures of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Anna struggled with the heat and humidity of summers in Florida, but she couldn’t imagine going back and living through another northern winter.

  After pressing the doorbell, she waited with her best professional smile on her lips and the clipboard—still needing another hundred signatures to reach this week’s goal—held loosely against her side. She’d have to get up early tomorrow and try to catch people in the more suburban parts of town before they left their houses for their Saturday morning errands. With any luck, she’d be able to finish then.

  When no one answered her first ring, she pressed the doorbell again. From the sound of the laugh track blaring from a television inside, it was obvious someone was home, and she was not leaving without one more signature.

  Taking a deep breath, she held the doorbell in for the count of five. She had to be persistent without being off-putting. Hopefully, five seconds was the optimal length.

  “Jeez, can’t one of you bums get off your butt to answer the door for the pizza? You’re sitting right here while I was in the frickin’ shower,” a loud male voice yelled from behind the door seconds before it was thrown open.

  Anna choked on an inhalation at the nearly naked, blond god in front of her. A white towel hung low across his hips, interrupting a trail of dark hair from his navel to his nether regions. His abs contracted under her gaze, revealing a toned six-pack. She dragged her gaze up past his pecs and sculpted shoulders to his grinning mouth and moss green eyes.

  “Hey, I didn’t realize Stumpy’s was trying to improve its image by making its delivery people dress up in suits,” he said. Then he winked at her.

  He winked at her. She had to be at least ten years older than him, and he winked at her, as he stood there covered only in a towel, which threatened to slip from his body at any moment. Already, the front had dipped lower, exposing more of that dark, curly, private hair.

  Her cheeks heated when she realized she was staring at his crotch. She forced her eyes to meet his. “I-I’m not with Stumpy’s.”

  “Yeah, I kind of figured when I didn’t see a box of pizza in your hands. What can I do for you?”

  Probably more than I’ve ever even fantasized.

  She cleared her throat and launched into her spiel. “I work with Representative Forsyth, and we’re concerned with the condition of the state’s natural resources. A referendum on next year’s ballot will give voters the opportunity to voice their support for the protection of Florida’s land and wildlife.” She held her pen and the clipboard out to him. “Your signature will help put his referendum on the ballot.”

  This was when most people took the clipboard and pen from her, filled in the information, and signed their name, but he didn’t make a move for either the pen or the clipboard. She waited for him to ask a question or give a comment. She knew not to break the silence with nervous chatter. The one who remained quiet at this point would be the victor, and she was definitely not leaving until she got his signature.

  “Hey, Frank,” a man shouted from inside the house. “Is that the pizza? What’s taking you so long? We’re hungry.”

  “It’s not the pizza,” the young man in front of her yelled back. “But it’s definitely something tasty-looking,” he said in a quieter voice, his eyes travelling up and down her body.

  Anna’s jaw dropped. She’d remained quiet, but she was definitely not the victor here. This man had complete control of the situation even though he stood there wearing only a towel. His self-assurance further illustrated his youthfulness. Men Anna’s age, who’d experienced a few of life’s hard knocks, no longer possessed this level of cockiness.

  But come on, he was laying it on too thick. She had to outweigh the average college co-ed by forty pounds. That, plus her age, couldn’t possibly make her attractive to him. A guy with his looks probably only dated young, model-thin beauties.

  “Who is it?” A shorter, dark-haired man joined Frank at the door. In his washed-out concert T-shirt and board shorts, he looked like a typical student from the university. But his eyes were definitely not typical. They were such a light shade of blue they looked translucent.

  As she studied him, his gaze drifted across her like a caress, and her nipples pebbled against her bra.

  Damn, it must be time for her to get new batteries for her vibrator if a mere glance from these guys was making her wet.

  She turned her attention back to Frank as he spoke.

  “She works for Representative Forsyth, but she hasn’t told me her name yet,” he said as he maintained eye contact with her.

  She put the pen and clipboard in her left hand and held out her right one. “I’m Anna Paulson. Representative Forsyth and I would appreciate your signature on this petition.”

  The young man’s warm hand engulfed hers. “Frank Burke. This is Steve Wolfe.” He nodded to the man next to him. When he finished the introductions, he held her hand a moment longer before letting go. “We’d be happy to sign your petition. In fact, you can get three signatures for your efforts. Jeff, here, will sign too.”

  “What am I signing?” A tall, muscular, African-American man pulled the door open wider to stand next to Frank. He was dressed in tan slacks and a light blue polo shirt. “Shit, it’s hot out there. Why haven’t you invited this poor woman inside, instead of making her stand out here in the sun? I’m sorry, ma’am. My roommates have the manners of barnyard animals.”

  Ugh, he ma’am-ed me, which was kind of ironic because of the three of them, he seemed to be the closest one to her own age.

  “Come on in and we’ll get you something cold to drink while you explain whatever you need us to sign,” the large man named Jeff said.

  “Oh, no, thank you. This won’t take but a minute if you’ll just fill in your information on the petition and sign your names to put the Wildlife Preservation Referendum on next year’s ballot.” She held the clipboard and pen up to him.

  He lifted one hand, biceps bulging under his polo shirt, and rubbed his short-cropped black hair. “Now, there might be
a problem.”

  “You have a problem with protecting the diminishing natural resources of our state?” Ouch, that came out sounding a little bitchy, but she was hot and tired, and she just wanted them to sign the damn paper so she could go home and strip out of this frigging suit and take off these torturous heels.

  A trail of sweat slid down her right temple. God, the sun was brutal overhead even at five in the evening, and the cool air blowing out of the open doorway of the house felt good whenever she got a touch of it on her face.

  “Jeff doesn’t have a problem with protecting the environment as long as he’s not planning a development on it,” Frank said, drawing her concentration back to him and his slipping towel.

  As Anna watched, time seemed to freeze, except for the downward fall of the white cloth from Frank’s waist. Past his pale hips to the tops of his tanned thighs, it slid until it dropped to his feet.

  “Oh, my,” she breathed out at the sight of his impressive, semi-hard cock surrounded by a nest of dark hair.

  Her exhalation elicited a twitch and further swelling of his penis.

  It took a gruff male laugh from Jeff to snap her back to her senses. She took a quick step forward and held her clipboard up in front of Frank’s waist with her eyes fixed firmly on his face.

  Her cheeks burned from more than the heat of the sun. “I-I’m sorry. Would you like to get dressed while I explain my petition to your roommates?”

  His face split into a grin. “Yeah, but you’ll have to come in and accept a cold beverage while you wait.”

  She nodded while struggling to keep her eyes on his face. She’d never been very good at resisting a piece of candy when it was so close at hand¼and he was definitely a fine piece of eye candy.

  Groaning inwardly, she berated herself for being as much of a lecher as the old men who preyed on young women.

  Snap out of it, Anna. Keep your mind on business. Then you can go home and rock your world alone with your vibrator while imagining all sorts of yummy fantasies starring Frank and his little, white towel.

  Yeah, and wasn’t that pathetic.

  “Get your pants on, Frank. We’ll take care of Miss Anna,” Steve said, shoving his roommate with his elbow.

  Frank reached down to grab the towel and slowly brought it back up around his waist, all the while grinning at Anna with a mischievous spark in his eyes.

  This boy is wicked¼and wouldn’t it be fun to be naughty with him.

  “I’ll be back in a minute.” Frank winked at her again before leaving her standing at the front door with his two roommates.

  “Please come inside out of the sun and let us get you a cold drink,” Jeff said, stepping backwards deeper into the house.

  Anna hesitated a moment as she looked from Jeff to Steve. They didn’t seem to be giving off any bad vibes, so she took a deep breath and crossed the threshold.

  Her eyes took a while to adjust to the darker interior of the house after the blinding sun, but the cool air blowing from a nearby air conditioning vent felt blissful. Reaching behind her head with her right hand, she lifted her shoulder-length hair off her neck for a brief respite.

  “I don’t want to take too much of your time,” she said, dropping her hand and trying to resume her professional persona. “If you’ll just sign this petition, I’ll let you get back to your Friday night activities.”

  Ding. Dong. The doorbell behind her rang, and she started.

  “Please let that be the pizza. I’m starving,” Steve said, giving her a quick smile as he eased past her to answer the door.

  She stepped further into the foyer to move out of his way.

  “Come into the kitchen, Miss Anna,” Jeff said. “I’ll get you something to drink.”

  “Oh, no, really. I’m fine,” she said, following him to the back of the house into a surprisingly modern kitchen in the old townhouse.

  With his head stuck in the stainless steel fridge, he said, “We’ve got Corona for the lightweights, Guinness if you’re a little more serious about your brew, and then of course, we have Chardonnay for the woosie drinkers.”

  “Hey, man. I heard that,” Steve said, setting two large pizza boxes on the table in the adjoining dining area.

  Anna’s mouth watered at the thought of drinking a cold glass of wine, surrounded by three fine-looking men. And she hadn’t even had to go to a bar for any of it.

  Jeff looked at her over his shoulder. “I’m betting on the wine.”

  She licked her bottom lip and nodded. “Yes, that would be great.”

  Jeff’s eyes seemed to focus on her lips. She licked them again. And sure enough, his eyes narrowed, and she caught a peek of his tongue sliding along his own full lips.

  Oh, my God. How could I have found two guys in the same house who look like they are interested? She’d been having such a bad string of luck lately. She hadn’t met any guys in the past six months who were anywhere near this sexy or shown even half as much awareness of her.

  “Pour one for me, too,” Steve said from the other side of the kitchen where he was pulling paper plates out of a drawer.

  Jeff retrieved two wine glasses from the rack under the cabinet next to the fridge. “Woosie drinker,” he said under his breath.

  Steve walked behind Jeff and swatted his butt. “I heard that, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.”

  Jeff turned a smirking grin toward Steve. “Are you going to take it out on my hide later?”

  “You know it, babe. And I also know you said it just to push my buttons. I’ll decide later whether that requires an extra bit of discipline.”

  Jeff sent Steve a smoldering look before returning his attention to the wine bottle and the two glasses.

  Okay, so she was definitely wrong about Jeff’s look of interest in her. He was obviously involved with Steve. But that still left Frank—the young man with the many winks and one wicked grin.

  * * * *

  In his bedroom, Frank jammed his legs into a pair of khaki shorts and hesitated for a moment before sticking his head and arms through his favorite T-shirt. He’d certainly enjoyed Anna’s visual touch on his body, but he didn’t want to appear too conceited by parading around the house without a shirt on.

  Maybe he’d arrange a spill that would require him to take it off.

  Dude, that’s weak. He shook his head, but he couldn’t remember being affected so strongly the first time he met a woman.

  Woman. Yeah, she was all woman, not like the young chicks in the math labs he taught on campus.

  Between researching his dissertation and teaching at the university, he didn’t get out among real women much. Having one show up on his doorstep was too good an opportunity to let pass.

  When his towel had slipped, he’d thought his chances were over, but she hadn’t run off shrieking. In fact, he’d caught her checking out his package quite thoroughly, and damn, that had been one hell of a turn on—having a buttoned-up, professional woman ogling him in the flesh.

  Her blue eyes had flashed with apparent appreciation, and her skin had flushed a deep shade of pink. Where her suit jacket hung open in the front, the thin material of her blouse had clung to her large breasts, and he’d gotten a glimpse of her nipples tightly budded under her bra.

  Yeah, she’d definitely responded positively to his unconventional greeting.

  She was thick around the middle, but she looked solid and strong, not fat. Actually, she looked like she was built for pleasure and wouldn’t require an overly gentle touch. Not that he liked it rough necessarily, but he did like the thought of not having to worry about breaking her in two with his deep thrusts.

  His cock twitched against the zipper of his shorts. Down boy, we’ve got some bases to get to before we’ll be thrusting anywhere.

  On his way out of the bedroom, he checked his reflection in the mirror above the dresser and used his palms to flatten the hair at the sides of his head. He paused a second longer to splash some cologne on his neck and jaw.

  Meeting his ow
n eyes in the mirror, he chastised himself. Trying too hard, dude. Relax.

  He practiced a lazy grin.

  Nope, still trying too hard. Just go talk to her, you idiot.

  He drew in a deep breath and forced himself to stroll calmly toward the kitchen where he could hear Anna’s voice dancing lightly over the deeper tones of his roommates’.

  As he turned the corner to the dining area, Anna paused with a slice of pizza halfway to her lips. She set it on the paper plate on the table in front of her, and her cheeks lightly blushed. She’d taken off her suit jacket and the neck of her blouse was open enough that he could see her throat and upper chest also flushed.

  “Your roommates invited me to a slice of your pizza since you and I seem to share a similar distaste for the anchovies on their pie.”

  Having a hard time lifting his eyes back up to her face, he sat in the chair across the width of the table from her. He took a swig from the bottle of Guinness one of his roommates had placed there for him, but before he could work up a response, she continued.

  “I hope you don’t mind sharing. I didn’t have lunch, and I just needed one piece to give me the strength to go back out into the sauna.”

  He watched her tongue slide across her top lip and thought, Hell, you can put those lips around anything of mine. But what he actually said was, “No problem. I can’t eat a whole one by myself anymore, not like I used to. Symptom of getting old, I suppose.”

  She laughed. “Right, because what¼twenty-two is ancient these days?”

  Jeff snorted from his end of the table, and Steve choked on a swallow of wine at the opposite end.

  If she was fishing for his age, he was more than willing to jump on her hook. “No, it’s not, but at twenty-seven years old, thirty seems to be just around the corner.”

  Her eyes widened as she searched his face. Looking for the beginnings of crow’s feet, maybe?

  “Hitting thirty was nothing,” Jeff said. “But you’ll definitely have to increase your time at the gym if you want to keep those abs cut, Frankie.”