Sugar Shack

Sugar Shack

by

Paisley Scott

Chapter One

Catherine Bennett tucked a stray brunette lock behind her ear and plucked a flute of Dom Perignon off the tray of a passing server. She shifted uncomfortably in her high heels and adjusted the thin strap of her green, sequined gown. God, she hated these get-togethers. On the other hand, Elsie Parker, her senior editor at
Off the Beaten Path
travel magazine, really loved them and knew how to throw a party. Christmas was still a week away, but Elsie looked for any excuse to host a bash at her swanky penthouse in the middle of downtown Chicago.

Her gaze swept the room until it lit on Ellie
’s short, silver bob. Typically, her boss was floating around the room, eavesdropping on everyone’s conversations. Catherine sighed. She didn’t really feel particularly festive this year. Maybe it was because she and Lewis had officially parted ways.

She let her lips hover over the rim of the glass, ignoring the bubbles tickling her nose. She was hoping for something. Some kind of feeling to overtake her at the finality of their relationship. But nothing had happened. It was like reading the end of a perfectly mundane book. Nothing memorable—just something to occupy some time for a while. Lewis had been her ordinary little bedside read.

She took a long pull of the champagne, swallowing slowly to enjoy the fizzy sensation as it slid down her throat. “Merry Christmas, Catherine Ann,” she muttered to herself, licking her lower lip. “Here’s to another year without Lucky Luke.”

“
Oh, pray tell, Catherine. What exactly is a Lucky Luke?” Her coworker Nita Graham sidled up to her and wrapped a slim, ebony arm around her shoulders.

Catherine stopped another passing server and relieved the young man of his entire champagne-laden tray.
“You don’t miss a thing, do you, Nita?”

The woman tilted her head at Catherine and snickered.
“Damn, woman. What kind of reporter would I be if I let the important stuff pass me by?”

“
Touché, m’dear.” Catherine allowed her friend to lead her to the leather sofa. She set the tray down on the nearby coffee table, took another flute of bubbly and sat back, smiling. “It’s a long, boring story, if you must know.”

Nita
’s dark gaze swung around the room before returning to her. “Get real, girl. This is another one of Mama Elsie’s puppeteer parties. She just wants to tug our strings and see how fast we’re dancing for her. Believe me, any one of your stories is a helluva lot more interesting than what’s going on here tonight. So spill it. Lucky Luke is...?”

A giggle escaped Catherine
’s lips as they touched the glass. She took a long sip, thinking it over. Finally, she swallowed. “Fine. But after I’m finished and you’re left sitting there, bored out of your mind, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Nita took a glass from the tray and nodded.
“Noted. I have been warned. Yada, yada, yada. Start talking.”

Inhaling a deep breath, Catherine paused a long moment, then launched into a story she hadn
’t spoken of in over a decade. “Lucky Luke is the nickname of a guy I used to date named Luke Mackenzie.”

“
I take it Luke got lucky?”

Unable to help herself, Catherine laughed. Leave it to Nita to cut right to the chase. There was no sense in beating around the bush with the woman.
“Yeah. He got lucky many times.” She took another long pull of the champagne.

It seemed like only yesterday. She
’d transferred to the University of Vermont and had met her student advisor, Luke Mackenzie. She grinned at the memory. She’d been a month shy of her twenty-first birthday and still clumsy in the art of lovemaking. By the end of the following month, she’d learned quite a lot from Luke. An involuntary moan escaped her at the thought of his skilled hands gliding across her skin, his fingers sliding into her eager wetness.

Warmth crept across her breasts as she closed her eyes and recalled his lips on her nipples, his tongue flicking devilishly across the swollen peaks before his teeth gently nipped. Her tummy tightened in response to the naughty memory.

“Girl, I haven’t been half as turned on as you are right now when I had a man naked in the same room as me. Damn, I’m jealous.”

Catherine
’s eyes snapped open and she glanced quickly around the room. What had gotten into her? Luke, a wicked little inner voice answered. Mmm. No kidding. He sure had gotten into her, and the sex was always magnificent with him. Both had satisfied the other, but as soon as their blood cooled, lust would take over again. They could never get enough of each other. It was both a delight and a curse.

“
So what happened to him?”

In an attempt to cool her suddenly dry mouth, Catherine took a gulp of champagne. When she felt capable of speech again, she said simply,
“We wanted completely different things back then.”

Nita snickered.
“Y’all sure seemed to have one thing you both wanted.”

Catherine groaned.
“God, no kidding. I can’t deny the sex was un-frickin’-believable. It was like Fourth of July fireworks every time we slept together.”

“
Slept?” Nita cocked her head and winked. “Doesn’t sound like y’all were doing much sleeping to me.”

“
Sleeping was not high on our priority list back then.” Her blood heated another ten degrees at the thought of the all-night lovemaking sessions she and Luke had shared. Leaning in, she dropped her voice and confided, “Once, during a flag football game, Luke and I snuck away and hooked up under the bleachers.” She gave a low, satisfied moan. “God, that was good.”

Neither Luke nor Catherine
were interested in playing the silly game at the park with about twenty other students. Once the game was underway, beer flowed, inhibitions dissolved and, soon, Luke was taking every opportunity to tumble her to the ground. His hands were all over her. Just as eager to have him, she led him off the field and they made it as far the wooden bleachers before they were yanking off clothes and groping at each other’s sweat-slickened skin.

She
’d never had sex outdoors before and the temperature was brisk. The slight chill against her bare nipples was a major turn on. And the chance of them being discovered made it even more exciting. They were standing up and Luke turned her around so her back was to him, her ass pressing against him. Her fingers gripped the cold, steel post as his thick, hot cock entered her. She wanted to melt into him at the moment; to become one with her lover.

While crimson and gold leaves crunched beneath their sneakered feet, they fed each other
’s passion. His hands cupped her hot pussy, fingering her clit while his wondrous cock pumped into her aching wetness, harder and faster with increased need. Her throat grew hoarse from her cries of pleasure.

Finally, with one last thrust that impaled her to the hilt, Luke
came in a hot burst, his seed trickling down the back of her cool, bare thighs. Sanity slowly returned, and both of them were a mess, but they didn’t care. They’d been gone too long and their friends were hollering for them, but it didn’t matter. Neither cared as they caught their breath after those timeless moments of bliss. It could have been five minutes or five hours, neither cared.

When they emerged from the cover of the bleachers, the other players were standing around, waiting for them. A slow clap began and then loud whistles and catcalls. Before long it was a cacophony of applause, all directed at them.

“Congrats on getting lucky, Luke!” one of the guys hollered.

“
No, congrats on getting Lucky Luke!” a female voice had added.

“
And that’s how he got the nickname,” Catherine said, grabbing another glass off the tray and leaning back into the sofa.

Nita laughed.
“What a wild little thing you were, Ms. Bennett!” Her gaze lifted above Catherine’s head and she instantly transformed back into the professional, ex-runway model Elsie had hired the same year as Catherine. “Head’s up,” she whispered.

Elsie sidled up beside them, a crimson smile tilting her lips.
“Hello, ladies.” Strategically, the older woman leaned over the side of the couch rather than risk a single wrinkle to her flawless silk suit.

“
Wonderful party, El,” Nita said, raising her glass toward the hostess.

“
Hear, hear.” Catherine imitated Nita’s toast.

“
So what are we talking about in the far corner of the room, hmm?”

“
Oh, Catherine was sharing some memories of her college days in Vermont. Weren’t you, darling?”

Catherine nearly choked on her sip of champagne.

“And it sounded absolutely charming. Especially the way she described the quaint little parks there. And the trees painted in vibrant watercolors during autumn. It certainly makes me want to visit the place.”

“
Really?” The severely tweezed dark eyebrows lifted above Elsie’s glacial blue eyes.

Catherine could almost see the gears beginning to spin in her boss
’s head.

“
I’d always been under the impression you didn’t care much for Vermont.”

“
I was what, twenty-four years old?” The fragile straps fell away from her shoulders as she shrugged. “I was dying to stretch my wings, Elsie. Leave everything behind and see what the world held for me.” A dark curl fell over her forehead and she shoved it back in place. “I didn’t dislike Vermont. It’s a very charming place, actually. I simply wanted to experience more.”

Elsie
’s blue eyes widened. “Oh. Well, if that’s the case, why haven’t you ever done a piece on it? I think that would be right up your alley.” She tapped a red-tipped fingernail against her chin thoughtfully. “As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what I’d like your next assignment to be, Catherine.” Her bobbed hair swung gracefully against her jawline. “Yes, yes. I like it. We’ll have the whole theme of the New Year be in magical places that evoke Currier and Ives. Anywhere with quaint, snow-dusted places straight out of a Dickens’ novel. Your Vermont story will be perfect. I love it. Let’s go with it. I’ll get Mary on it now so you can head out first thing tomorrow.” Elsie turned and wandered back through the crowd without a backward glance at Catherine or Nita.

The two women stared after their boss until the
partygoers completely engulfed the woman. It was Catherine who broke the quiet, poking an elbow into her friend’s ribs. “Why did you have to mention Vermont?”

Nita had the grace to look embarrassed.
“Hey, I got you a free trip home for the holidays, sweetcheeks.”

Catherine couldn
’t help the giggle that slipped out. “You’re lucky I like you so much, you smug tart.”

“
You’re welcome.”

Laughing, they raised their glasses in a toast.