Protection Read online

  PROTECTION

  Shelley Munro

  Fancy Free, book 1

  Table of Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Note to Readers

  Excerpt – Safeguarding Sorrel

  Excerpt – Romp

  About Shelley

  Other books by Shelley

  Copyright Page

  Introduction

  It's not every day a girl inherits a condom company, and to say accountant Alice Beasley is astonished and out of her depth is putting it mildly. For an almost virgin, she needs a quick education in all things condom because her inheritance is in danger. Someone is intent on sabotage and trying to destroy her new company.

  Alice is suddenly getting down and dirty with charismatic James, the factory manager, all in the name of business and testing new condom designs. The sex is hot. Mind-blowing. It's a dark thrill and an erotic journey. Yeah, it's a hard job, but a girl's got to do what a girl's gotta do.

  The testing turns personal. Alice wants James. She craves his talented touch and sultry kisses, she desires passion and physical pleasure on a permanent basis but first she must convince bad-boy James to give up his fancy-free ways.

  Warning: Condoms were tested and a few harmed during the writing of this story.

  Chapter One

  They were in the wrong place.

  Alice Beasley stared around the crowded town hall feeling a little like her namesake Alice in Wonderland—lost and confused in a strange, foreign world. This bedlam reminded her of a storybook rabbit hole, not a small New Zealand country town called Sloan.

  She gaped at a woman dressed in a bright orange turban and a long, voluminous, hunter-green gown. Another woman in a smart black suit teetered her way to the front of the hall, a small grubby boy in tow. His red, tear-stained face confirmed coercion and the same discomfit that slid through Alice’s stomach.

  The fish-out-of-water sensation persisted as she perused the colorful characters assembled in the town hall. This couldn’t be the reading of her godmother Alicia’s will.

  Alice rifled through the black leather handbag at her feet and pulled out the scrawled details of the date, time and address. The lawyer had rattled them off at the end of a hurried phone call the previous evening. Frowning, she stuffed the paper back inside her bag, straightened and tucked her hands in her lap.

  It was the right place.

  A prickle of awareness jerked her upright. Alice glanced up from her clasped fingers, peeking through lowered lashes.

  A man.

  She hunched forward to appear less obvious but continued to scrutinize him. Wow, a gorgeous man surrounded by flirtatious females of all ages. Tall. A rangy build. Dark shaggy hair and bright blue eyes that focused on her and bore distinct interest. Alice wondered what it would be like to have this hottie at her side, touching her like a lover, then guilt assailed her.

  He wasn’t her sort.

  Not with that wicked grin and his daredevil demeanor. No, despite this man’s obvious attractions—her fascinated gaze darted back to scan his broad chest, his overlong hair and his…

  Awareness pulled at Alice, her skin blazing with a flush of heat. She squirmed and tugged her white cotton cardigan. A quick jerk of her wrist pulled it away from her breasts but did little to cool the swelter of her body. She barely resisted fanning her face, smoothing the wayward strands of her hair away from her forehead instead.

  Oh my goodness. She’d stared right at his…

  Aghast at the way she’d ogled the man’s crotch when practically engaged to another, she turned to Steven for distraction. His phone held his attention. Alice knew better than to interrupt since he’d come to Sloan under protest.

  An ambitious man, Steven intended to advance to partner with his law firm. She admired his determination so she couldn’t fault his plans for their future. With a sigh, she scanned the cavernous room, keeping her gaze clear of Mr. Hottie. Alice had read magazine articles about men like him, and they weren’t suitable for a girl who desired security and a relationship to rival a happy-ever-after fairy tale.

  Over to the side of the room, a group of elderly women operated a tea service. They had a steady stream of customers and worked together like a well-oiled machine. The clink of gold coins added to the general racket.

  She noticed a podium on the stage at the front of the hall. Nearby, a sound system sat, ready for the speaker. Behind Alice, and in front of her, locals occupied rows and rows of wooden chairs, or at least they appeared to know one another.

  Surely, they weren’t all beneficiaries in her godmother’s will?

  “Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Steven asked after three people in full white robes squeezed past them to take possession of empty seats on their left.

  Polite and circumspect, no matter what the aggravation, this strange town seemed to rattle him. Hence his attempts to bury himself in work while they waited for the lawyer to arrive.

  Alice didn’t blame him. The people she’d met so far in the small town of Sloan were pure provocation. Ask a question and they gave a roundabout answer. No one, from the local police to the young woman walking the brown dog near the post office or the robed men and women who loitered outside the hall had wanted to discuss her godmother’s company Fancy Free. Her request for directions and polite questions had led to smirks or icy silence. She’d quizzed the man when they’d purchased petrol and learned zilch. Their reticence reeked of a weird conspiracy.

  “Alice?”

  She huffed out an exasperated breath. She’d love to learn about her inheritance. Instead, she got this frustrating mystery.

  “Yes, we’re in the right place.” Maybe she should have jumped on the internet and done some research after the lawyer’s bombshell call. There hadn’t been time since they’d both worked late then had to rush to a work function.

  Steven bent toward her and whispered, his warm breath puffing against her cheek. “Are you sure the lawyer didn’t give you a hint about your inheritance?”

  “You could do a search on your phone,” she suggested.

  His appalled expression told her his decision. “It’s a work phone. They monitor my usage.”

  She hid her grimace and feeling the weight of another stare, fidgeted. If she grew any hotter, she’d self-combust. She’d focus on Steven instead.

  Her mother might consider him stuffy, but she was wrong. A pompous windbag, her father had stated the first time she’d taken the young lawyer home.

  Alice knew better.

  Despite her parents’ opinions, Steven’s ideals aligned with her own. They were perfect for each other.

  And she’d have security, both financial and emotional.

  “Alice?” Steven prompted again. “Do you know anything?”

  Alice reconstructed the hurried phone call she’d had with her godmother’s lawyer in her mind before shaking her head. “I asked Mr. Bellbooth when he rang last night but he said in accordance with the will, I had to come to Sloan to learn the details. He told me the date and time and hung up to take another call.”

  “Mighty peculiar.” Steven spoke in a well-modulated voice. “I told you to let me handle it.”

  Irritation pierced her before guilt washed away her te
stiness. Although not officially engaged, they had an understanding, so she supposed his attitude spoke of concern. Really. They were perfect for each other.

  A tubby man dressed in an old-fashioned pinstriped suit limped onto the podium and the locals ceased their loud chatter. The clamor diminished to a low hum.

  Alice stared in fascination, her imagination taking flight. The man looked as if he’d stepped straight from a Munster’s movie. After the show so far, flitting bats or body parts somersaulting across the floor wouldn’t shock her. It had been that kind of day.

  The lawyer, Mr. Glen Bellbooth she presumed, cleared his throat and silent expectation ensued. “If everyone is ready, I’ll read the will.” The man exuded confidence as he pulled a pair of spectacles from his inside jacket pocket, put them on and surveyed his audience before he began. “Alicia asked me to read the will in its entirety.”

  Alice wrinkled her nose. This torture would continue? The lawyer didn’t understand the size of her student loan. The notion she’d be able to pay off her debts and save for the small house she’d always dreamed of refused to leave her mind.

  She and Steven could start a family sooner rather than later. A home, a family and financial security was almost too much for her to comprehend.

  Oh please, she prayed. Please let my dreams come true.

  A life in the suburbs with an average two point four children.

  She craved normal. After her topsy-turvy upbringing and the way her parents had dragged her and her siblings around the world from one worthy cause to another, she hungered for ordinary.

  At first, she focused on every word. The lawyer droned on and she drifted into dreams of the future while various persons around the hall let out excited squeaks and jumped to their feet with cheers.

  Financially independent and debt free. The idea, the potential benefits, filled her with exhilaration. Steven knew about her student loans. She’d confided in him about the house and how much she wanted her own home. Something that belonged to her. Steven wanted to rent a property so she hadn’t raised the subject again. It didn’t mean she agreed with his views. He was a good man. He’d see the sense in compromise and realize the importance of future security.

  “What?” Steven gasped, his spine hitting the back of his chair.

  Alice’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with panic. Had she missed something important?

  “To my goddaughter Alice Beasley, I leave my company Fancy Free,” Mr. Bellbooth repeated. He studied Steven over the top of his glasses before continuing to read. “I am confident you, along with my manager James Bates can work together to grab a larger portion of the condom market share.”

  “A condom company?” Steven didn’t bother to hide his horror. “Not bloody likely.”

  Heads turned to stare and several of the robed strangers whispered to each other, but shock held Alice in its grip. Condoms? Her breath hitched while her palms moistened with dread. What next?

  One thing remained certain—it was weird in this rabbit hole called Sloan.

  Mr. Bellbooth eyed them again, his brows an arch of silent inquiry, but when neither of them uttered a word, he continued. “I hope you will take an active part in the company management, but I understand if you wish to pursue your career in accountancy. I have added a stipulation to my will in the form of a codicil. If you run Fancy Free with the help of my manager for the term of six months, I will give you the sum of three hundred thousand dollars plus a share of the company profits. Should you find yourself unable to meet these terms, the money will go to the Foundation for the Blind, and you will receive ten thousand dollars.”

  Alice sat in stupefied shock. Her parents should have warned her. They must have known, but when she’d rung this morning to ask about Alicia’s will, they’d told her they were running late for the church fundraiser.

  They never stressed about money and lived from paycheck to paycheck. Alice suspected they’d wanted to surprise her with the news. Also, since her parents were big churchgoers, she’d bet they’d kept the news about a relation who owned a condom company quiet on purpose. Some of the people in her parents’ church held conservative views and opposed any method of contraception. Given the beliefs of her parents’ friends plus her parents’ discomfort in discussing anything connected to sex, their reticence on the matter didn’t surprise her.

  She glanced to her left and her breath caught at Steven’s distaste. He’d expect her to return to the Auckland suburb of Remuera and their jobs.

  After all, they were almost engaged.

  Alice let the rest of the lawyer’s words wash over her while her mind drifted to her childhood and the horrid years after her father’s bankruptcy. As a result, she’d grown up taking care with her money. Her student loan and the exorbitant interest charges made her stomach cramp, but there had been no other way to gain an education. She needed to train for a profession if she wanted security.

  The lawyer concluded and straightened his pile of papers. He switched off the sound system and a burst of chatter filled the hall.

  Steven made a gurgle of disgust deep in his throat and puffed out a hard breath that shifted the fringe off his forehead. “They have got to be joking. If any of the partners at my law firm get wind of your condom company, they’ll shunt me sideways. I’ll never make partner. We are a conservative law firm steeped in years of tradition.” Distraught at the idea, he wheezed, each breath dragged from his lungs with a harsh gasp.

  Alice fumbled in her bag for Steven’s inhaler and handed it to him with a worried frown.

  “I don’t need my inhaler,” he snapped. Each hoarse breath mocked his rejection of the medicine, and she arched her brows in exasperation. “All right. Maybe I do,” he conceded. “It’s this hick town. It’s full of pollen and dust.” An explosive sneeze punctuated his statement.

  The lawyer stopped beside them and cleared his throat. The man who’d tried to flirt with her earlier stood at his side, a tiny smile playing on his sensual lips. When she stood, Alice noticed he had a dimple at the left-hand side of his mouth. The man was her fantasy come to life—the man she’d dreamed of as a teenager.

  But not safe.

  She’d stick with a steady man. A predictable man.

  Alice gulped once she realized she’d stared at him for too long. She jerked her gaze away but still had time to notice his eyes darken and the corners of his mouth turn up in amusement.

  He knew.

  He knew she found him attractive and sexy.

  Humiliation rushed heat to her cheeks. Chagrin filled her at her disloyalty to Steven. He was her boyfriend.

  But still her gaze drifted to Mr. Hottie. Irritated, she attempted to concentrate on the lawyer. What was wrong with her?

  The time to step into bad-girl shoes had been before her involvement with Steven. True, she hadn’t planned to don a good-girl persona either—it had just happened—but she believed in commitment and loyalty. Steven was a decent, steady man and careful with money. They would have a perfect marriage.

  “It’s impossible. Alice can’t run a company that makes money from sex.” Steven’s emphasis made the act sound dirty and despicable. “What will our employers think?”

  Alice touched his forearm. “They don’t have to know.” She attempted to placate even though his attitude peeved her.

  They might have an unspoken agreement but they weren’t married yet. This was her inheritance. Alicia had left Fancy Free to her for a reason. Besides, an opportunity to pay off her debt and grab her dream with both hands didn’t occur every day. Condoms might prove a noteworthy enterprise with the constant cry for safe sex.

  Steven glared at her, his dark brows drawn together in a flat, bushy line. “As a lawyer and an accountant, our reputations must be spotless.” The image of a caterpillar jumped into her mind and she had to bite her lip to stem her inappropriate humor. “You must walk away. Distance yourself.”

  Her amusement faded, replaced by irritation. Now he was treating her like one of t
he new lawyers at his firm. Her chin lifted. “I have a spotless reputation.”

  She and Steven had done nothing more amorous than kiss—a mere brush of lips and this had become a sore point. Sometimes a girl wanted to express herself. Sometimes sex came to mind, but every time she tried to take their relationship further, Steven jammed on the brakes. If they were committed, then surely they could make love. It wasn’t a crime.

  “Use of a condom is responsible. I doubt any employer would condemn safe sex,” she said.

  “Alice! Lawyers can’t get involved in sex.”

  Alice closed her mouth with an audible snap. Did Steven have to spout his views in public? Heaven knows what the two men thought.

  “Is this a private conversation?” Mr. Hottie asked.

  Mortified, Alice blinked, her legs weak and shaky on hearing his husky voice. Up close, he was Mr. Dynamic. His strong, masculine personality shone from his tanned face.

  And that voice…

  It reminded her of rich, dark chocolate, the smooth and decadent type that melted in the mouth and tasted exquisite.

  “Who are you?” Steven demanded.

  “James Bates. I work for Fancy Free.” He smiled at Alice, a gleam in his eyes as he extended his hand. Alice’s pulse rate shot from elevated to fast and choppy. Slowly, she placed her hand in his and flinched.

  Touching him was every bit as memorable and unsettling as she’d envisaged. The tingles, delicate at first, shot up her arm like a mild case of pins and needles. Then he squeezed, his callused palm abrasive against hers. The tingles morphed into a full-body shot, much like a pick-me-up tonic. Bad-girl thoughts crammed her mind with nakedness and tangled sheets.

  With difficulty, she tugged to free herself of his potent masculinity. Breathless, she stared up at him and the scenario of a mouse cornered by a cat came to mind.

  He worked for Fancy Free? With his personality and good looks, he probably spent a fortune on their products and took full advantage of staff discounts.

  “Hello.” To Alice’s horror, her voice emerged breathless and low. A come-hither tone if ever she’d heard one.

  “Alice and I will work together.” James smirked.