Training Randi Read online

  Training Randi

  A Carnal Reunions Tale

  By Tessie Bradford

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  P.O. Box 992

  Edgewater, Florida, 32132

  Training Randi

  Copyright © 2009, Tessie Bradford

  Edited by Jessica Berry

  Cover art by Rika Singh

  Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-089-7

  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: November 2009

  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.

  Thank you to my author friends for your expertise and encouragement.

  Thank you to my family for your unfaltering support.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  To: [email protected]

  From: [email protected]

  Hello to all of Gracie’s Girls, class of 1999. Once again, thanks to all of you for the flowers and phone calls after my aunt Gracie’s passing last winter. You all meant so much to her, and to me.

  As I’m sure you all know, our tenth college reunion is coming up this summer. Since I now have Gracie’s big rambling house all to myself, I’d like to extend an invitation. If any of you are coming back for the reunion, you’re more than welcome to stay here, in your old rooms. Gracie quit taking in college students several years back, so there’s no one here but me, and I’d love to have some company while I’m getting the house ready to put on the market. So what do you say? One last time as roommates? It would be great to see all of you again.

  Hugs,

  Karen

  * * * *

  Miranda Ellson stood on the sidewalk, staring up at the stately Victorian house that she had called home while at Western Indiana University, and drew in deep breaths of the warm, fresh air. She immediately recognized the voices of both Lily and Karen as their laughter floated out of the open windows. They were probably hanging out in the living room, eating snacks and catching up. Vivid memories of marathon study sessions, pizza and gossip in the kitchen, and late night, pajama clad conversations flooded her mind. Six girls had started out as strangers, bonded over the trials and tribulations of growing up, and ultimately set out to pursue their own dreams.

  She was the one who had left telling anyone in earshot that she was going to make her mark on the world of interior design and never look back. Ten years, five job changes and three boring, failed relationships later, Miranda stood in the same spot where she’d started, trying hard not to vomit as another wave of nerves assaulted her.

  Reunions were the type of events where people bragged about their perfect marriages, or their stellar career successes or showed pictures of adorable, dimpled offspring or, in the worst-case scenario; all of the above. She had no husband, no ex-husband and no dependants. She was financially secure, which was easier to accomplish without the afore-noted complications but she didn’t consider her lack of tenure in any one spot a comfortable subject of discussion.

  The idea of re-connecting with her roommates had sounded good when Miranda had first read Karen’s email. She hadn’t kept up with the girls with any kind of regularity over the years and the thought of some female camaraderie had been appealing. She was pretty light in the friends department.

  Oh, who was she kidding? The possibility of hooking up with Jeff Briggs while in town had been more of the reason for coming than anything else, despite the fact that she hadn’t heard from him in a couple of years. In her mind, they had unfinished business. He was still her fantasy of choice when spending quality time with her favorite toys.

  As the reunion approached, she had convinced herself that if they met up, she would throw caution to the wind and honestly confess her desires. Her plan had seemed provocative, tantalizing and irresistible in the privacy of her condo, but with her dubious track record in the man department, she was having some serious second thoughts. He was probably happily married, or affianced or otherwise spoken for. Did she really want to come face to face with that reality? What the hell had she been thinking?

  Miranda crossed the street and walked quickly over to a bench on the far corner. It was probably for the best if she just got back in her car and headed home to Chicago, but it was a long drive and she should rest first. She dug around in her purse, finding her cell phone and the list of hotels that the reunion committee had sent, and started dialing. By the time she hung up with the last hotel, still hearing the clerk laughing at her request for a room during one of the busiest weeks on campus, tears clouded her vision. Maybe she could nap in her car?

  Not paying the slightest bit of attention to her surroundings, Miranda jumped up from the bench and collided with an immovable object.

  “Whoa, impressive hit.” Strong hands gripped her hips. “If you’d lowered your right shoulder a bit, I’d be flat on my ass.” Lord that voice. The deep baritone mixed with the southern drawl sent butterflies dancing in her tummy. How many nights had she imagined him whispering all of the naughty deeds they were going to do together? Miranda squealed in surprise when he lifted her off the ground and hugged her tightly.

  “Jesus, Jeff. You startled the crap out of me,” she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged back. How freaky good was this? A faint scent, spicy and familiar, instantly sent a rush of heat to her pussy. “It’s not nice to sneak up on a girl, you know.” Her fingers inadvertently tightened on the corded muscles of his shoulders when he set her down. Maybe it would be okay if she held onto him for a second longer?

  “You were so lost in your thoughts I’m pretty damn sure I could have parked my pickup right here on the sidewalk, and you wouldn’t have noticed.”

  “Point taken,” she laughed. “It’s good to see you again, Jeff.” Her pulse rate sped up when his hands moved to lay scandalously close to the upper swell of her ass.

  “Ah, Miranda, it’s a whole bunch better than ‘good’ to see you. What are you doing out here plowing into innocent pedestrians? Shouldn’t you be hanging out with the other Gracie Girls, getting caught up on ten years of goings on?”

  “They don’t know I’m in town yet. I never exactly committed to when I was going to get here or where I was staying. I was kind of working up the nerve to go in when I bumped into you.”

  “You were starting to run down the street in the opposite direction, darlin.”

  “Oh you noticed that, did you?” She glanced down at the ground while nervously shuffling her feet.

  “It was hard to miss.” Jeff chuckled, lifting her chin with a finger. “Why the sad eyes, Randi?” The look of concern on his face was heartwarming. “Tell your old buddy what’s going on. We used to be able to talk about anything.” Jeff stared down at her with a crooked grin and a raised eyebrow. “If I remember correctly, we would have done a lot more than just talk if you’d had your way,” Heat instantly infused her cheeks.

  During the two years they had been neighbors and friends, they’d spent countless hours studying together, solving the world’s problems with high-spirited political debates and talking about their plans for the future. They had also spent a great deal of time and energy not dealing
with the serious sparks of sexual tension that arched every time they were in the same room. Miranda had shamelessly used every trick in the book to seduce him, but despite her most fervent efforts, he always gently refused her advances with soothing compliments and vague explanations of her not understanding what a relationship with him would mean.

  “It’s not very gentlemanly of you to remind me of that, Jeff,” she admonished with a grin. “I was young and inexperienced, and with you being so much older and wiser than I was; well I was just bowled over by your manly goodness.” Miranda stared up at him with mischief dancing in her eyes.

  “There’s the Randi I know: sharp tongued and sexy as hell.” She gasped in surprise when he hauled her up against his solid frame and planted a kiss on her forehead. “What do you say we take a walk and get reacquainted? Maybe if you start out with me it won’t be such a big deal to meet up with the others.” He let her go, took a step back and held out his hand in invitation.

  Miranda didn’t hesitate. She placed her hand in his, allowing him to guide her toward the southern end of campus. His grip was strong but the pace he set was slow and comfortable. She glanced over at him and smiled, taking her first good look at the man he’d become. He hadn’t gotten any taller, not that he needed to at probably six foot three or four inches. His deep brown hair was cut short now, his face a bit fuller and there were little personality lines around his piercing green eyes. The black t-shirt he wore did nothing to disguise the muscular physique beneath, and did everything to accentuate his perfectly defined biceps. The faded, snug blue jeans sitting low on his hips further accentuated the fact that physical fitness was still a big part of his life.

  Images of him pumping iron, shirtless and glistening with perspiration assaulted her, and she clumsily stumbled over a piece of uneven pavement. Jeff released her hand and drew her against his hip without breaking their stride. She felt the heat of his palm right through the thin cotton material of her skirt. Oh yeah, this was going to help her pay attention to where they were going. They entered one of the many small parks that edged the campus and sat down at a picnic table secluded among thick bushes and towering trees.

  “So how’s business, Jeff?” she asked, trying for casual and hoping he didn’t interpret her breathlessness to her being out of shape. “The last time we emailed, you were thinking about opening your own gym, right?”

  “I own and operate two private gyms now, and I’m still on staff with the athletic department of the university.”

  “Heartwood has enough exercising people to support two different facilities?”

  “I think you just insulted both my business ability and anyone in the area who wants to be physically fit,” he laughed.

  Miranda fought to stifle a groan of embarrassment as she wrung her hands together in her lap; so much for starting the conversation off with witty banter. “I guess I haven’t changed much, Jeff. You know when I get nervous something stupid is bound to tumble out of my mouth.”

  “Nervous? What’s there to be nervous about?” Miranda practically jumped when he set his hand on her thigh. “Jesus, darlin, did you have extra caffeine or something today?”

  “Actually I did.” She chuckled, tearing her eyes away from where he touched her once she decided the electric jolt she’d felt wasn’t visible. “I’ve been on the road for a long time.”

  “You drove straight through from New York?”

  “Chicago,” she corrected with a shy smile.

  “Apparently we have lots of things to catch up on,” he noted with a grin. “When did you move again?”

  “Two years ago. I’m a manager for a company that specializes in designing office spaces.”

  “Are you happier there than you were in New York?”

  “The pay’s great and I live only a few blocks from work, which cuts way down on the wear and tear on my car.”

  “A poor attempt at evading the question, Randi. ‘Re-connecting’ requires honesty don’t you think? Without out it, we’re just two people trading bullshit.”

  Leave it to Jeff to cut right to the quick of the matter. Miranda had always instantly responded both physically and emotionally to him when he exerted his natural ability to take control of a situation. Back in the day, whether he was breaking up a drunken brawl, putting one of his friends through a vigorous work out or patiently explaining to her where she was getting off track with her studies, Jeff had exuded an intensity that never failed to send her libido into overdrive. She squirmed a bit on the narrow bench, trying to ease the ache already building between her thighs.

  “I’m not unhappy; Jeff. Things are good in my life, just different from what I had pictured as a wide eyed co-ed.”

  “Did what’s-his-name go with you?”

  “Ralph? No, of course not.” She shook her head quickly. “Why would you think that?”

  “Before you stopped answering my emails it sounded like you two were getting pretty tight.” She didn’t miss the admonishment in his tone.

  “I’m sorry about not keeping in touch, Jeff.” Miranda was well aware that she was the one who slowly severed their online communications without much of an explanation—except for the bullshit “life is really busy right now” lines. He deserved more. “It started to feel kind of inappropriate to talk to you about certain things.”

  “Why? What things?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” she fidgeted nervously, “I felt like I was always rambling on about my relationships or my job or…just me stuff.” And always wondering how it might be different if we were together.

  “I liked hearing about your ‘stuff’, Randi. I kind of thought I was a good sounding board, and maybe even helped you out a time or two.”

  “You did, Jeff, I just, oh hell, enough about that. What’s going on in your world these days?” This whole scenario of being with Jeff again had unfolded much more comfortably when it had occurred in the privacy of her mind. How could she explain her fantasies, her questions of what could have been between them?

  “I’ve been in a constant state of excitement since reading in the reunion newsletter that Miranda Ellson was coming back to town.” He scooted an inch closer and draped an arm across her shoulder.

  “Now who’s bullshitting?” she asked as casually as possible, hoping he couldn’t see her nipples snapping to attention through her white blouse.

  “Not me. That was smart-assy, but I would never lie to you, Miranda. You have no idea what memories have been keeping me up at night over the last few weeks.” His playful leer sent her pulse into overdrive.

  “Enlighten me.”

  “Okay, here’s a fun one: my second week living in The Wet Spot you came over with a cherry pie you’d baked.”

  She smiled, remembering how young and silly she had been. She’d grilled one of the other guys in the jock house next door to Gracie’s for information, and learned that Jeff had transferred in from a community college in Northern Kansas, was a couple of years older than she was and kind of a loner.

  “You wore a pair of cut off shorts that were two inches too short, a top that hugged you in all the right places and strappy little sandals that showed off your fire engine red toenails.” She blushed furiously at that particular visual. “You were better than any fantasy girl I had ever been able to conjure up. And then you smiled, announced that we were next door neighbors and launched into a bubbly conversation about how you would be thrilled to show me around and help me adjust to life at WIU.”

  “I was bubbly?”

  “Bubbly, gorgeous and brimming with fresh-faced innocence. That’s one hell of a dangerous combination. I fell hard for you that instant, Randi.”

  “But you never…I tried to…I wanted…” Her ability to construct full sentences had completely vanished. Her mind raced in so many directions she couldn’t keep up! If he felt that way, why hadn’t they set some sheets on fire? When his fingers tightened on her shoulder, moisture flooded her pussy.

  “Want to hear another favorite of
mine?” he asked quietly, leaning close to her ear.

  “Yes please,” she whispered.

  “One afternoon I was putting Dakota Reese through his paces in the weight room and you were sitting in the corner supposedly studying. Because he wasn’t in the mood to give me his all, I was riding him pretty hard to keep him focused. I was finishing my pep talk about the benefits of pushing to the limits of pain tolerance when I glanced over at you. Your book was lying in your lap, your cheeks were bright red and you were slowly running your tongue along your lower lip. When our eyes met, you flew out of that room as if the devil himself was nipping at your heels, and I almost came in my shorts.”

  Miranda closed her eyes, remembering that day as if it were yesterday. She had raced into the house at a dead run and come close to knocking Chloe down the stairs on the way to her bedroom. It had taken only the lightest touch to propel herself into a mind blowing orgasm, but the mortification and embarrassment she felt at her reaction had lasted for a long time afterwards. What normal girl got turned on by the image of her guy inflicting a bit of pain?

  She did, damn it. It had taken years for her to understand what she was looking for in a sexual relationship, and then she had made a complete mess of things by hooking up with men who had no clue of how to satisfy her.

  Miranda’s eyes flew open when Jeff firmly grasped the back of her neck.

  “Kiss me, Miranda.”

  It was an order she’d been waiting ten years to hear. She leaned in, wrapped her arms around his middle and tilted up her chin. Miranda prayed the low, rumbling growl was his not hers as their lips met.