Good Karma (40 page)

Johnny might still try to cause trouble, but
her gut told her Jolene would no longer be a problem. There had
been something in Jo’s eyes—something Karma could only describe as
fearful awareness—that indicated Jo had come to the realization
that she’d finally met her match. That she had pushed Karma one
step too far and the jig was up. There would be no more picking on
her. No more bullying. No more threats. It was clear that Jo now
realized Karma had the upper hand and was beyond her reach, immune
to her petty games.

For Jo, that meant the fun was over.

Karma smiled at her reflection. She had
achieved another pivotal moment. No more would she allow herself to
be a victim. From now on, she called the shots. No one would take
away her happiness.

She took a minute to let the adrenaline rush
of facing off with Jolene subside. Then she found Spookie and
carried her back out to the patio, where the bundle of black fur
promptly made a bed in her lap.

If she couldn’t share her revelatory
accomplishment with Mark, she would share it with the next best
thing: the coolest cat in the world.

Chapter 33

Passion is
energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites
you.

-Oprah Winfrey

“How about that one?” Daniel said, pointing to a
picture of a woman wearing a lacy red chemise.

Karma shook her head and made a stink face.
“I don’t want red. It’s too cliché.”

Daniel arched a dubious brow. “And yet red is
the color you were wearing the night the two of you met.”

“All the more reason to choose a different
color,” she said with a decisive nod. “To mix things up.”

“Well, men love red,” Daniel scanned the rest
of the pictures on the page. “But if you don’t want red, we’ll find
something else.”

Daniel and Lisa had come over to help her
look at lingerie. If she and Mark were moving forward, she wanted
to be ready, and boxer shorts and a tank top as sexy bedtime attire
just didn’t seem grand enough to impress a guy like him. And now
that she had squashed the pesky bugs that were Johnny and Jolene,
she was eager to shed all her old skins, including the sexually
modest one. This required lingerie. Classy, sexy, make-him-stare
lingerie.

Lisa had suggested a website called Yandy,
where she had bought a few pieces of lingerie in the past, and
while Karma had seen a few passable items, so far nothing had
jumped out as
the one
that would turn her first time with
Mark into something eternally unforgettable.

Lisa returned from the kitchen with a bowl of
freshly popped popcorn. “Any luck?”

Daniel shook his head. “She’s shot down
anything red or black, so I’m running out of ideas.”

Lisa set the bowl of popcorn on the coffee
table. “Well, what about that one?” She pointed to a slinky garment
that looked like purple Band-Aids connected by a whole lot of
string.

Karma wrinkled her nose. “The thong I’m
wearing has more material in it than that.”

“You’re wearing a thong?” Lisa said.

Daniel leaned forward and lightly smacked her
butt. “Since when do you wear thongs?”

“Since a few weeks ago.” Karma buried her
nose back into the website, wishing she hadn’t brought it up. “And
hands off the merchandise, Danny, or I’ll tell Zach you’re going
straight on him.”

“He’ll never believe you.” Daniel
nonchalantly munched on a handful of popcorn.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

“My little Karma is finally growing up,” Lisa
said, pretending to wipe a tear off her cheek.

Karma slapped Lisa’s leg. “Cut it out. Focus.
I need to find lingerie for this guy. Something not sleazy.
Something demure. Something—”

“What about that?” Daniel shoved his index
finger toward the screen, pointing at a sheer, antique-white
baby-doll with a lace and satin bodice. He tapped the screen and
pulled up the details. Delicate lace decorated the hem, and a satin
sash circled the high waist, which fell just under the model’s
breasts.

“It’s
innocent
,” Lisa said.

“It’s perfect!” No doubt. This was the
one.

Daniel clapped once and pumped his fist.
“That will drive your man crazy.”

The frilly baby-doll wasn’t overtly sexy in
an in-your-face kind of way. It was sexy in an
I’m-still-innocent-so-be-gentle-with-me-but-not-too-gentle kind of
way that fit her perfectly. Daniel was right. This would drive Mark
crazy.

She scowled at the price. Almost sixty
dollars. Why was lingerie so damn expensive? This was for a special
occasion, though, so her credit card balance be damned.

“I’m getting it.” She added the baby-doll to
her cart.

Lisa pointed. “Make sure to buy the white
thong, too. It’ll look good underneath.”

“Good call.” Karma added it to the cart. “Can
you guys think of anything else I need?”

Daniel sat back with a sigh. “Candle wax,
whips, chains, handcuffs.”

“Danny!” She smacked his arm, making him
laugh.

Lisa giggled. “You’re going to give him a
night he won’t forget, Karma.” She grabbed a handful of popcorn. “I
can’t believe you two haven’t already done the deed. I figured that
would have been old news by now.”

Karma pulled out her credit card and started
filling in the order information. “I wasn’t ready. And besides, he
wanted to take his time.”

“I guess.”

Daniel gave Lisa a playful shove. “Leave her
alone. Our little Karma is about to become a woman.” The two
snickered.

“Fine, laugh it up.” Karma double-checked all
her info on the screen, making sure to add two-day shipping, then
tapped the icon to place the order before smiling at them over her
shoulder. “Done.”

“Mark has been so good for you, girl,” Lisa
said, smiling like a proud momma.

Daniel nodded in agreement. “Before long,
we’ll be going to your wedding.”

Karma held up her hand and shook her head.
“No, that’s not what this is about. Remember, I told you that this
is just a temporary thing.”

“Temporary, my ass.” Daniel snagged some
popcorn. “I hear the way you talk about him. You’re falling in love
with him, Karma. And from the way it sounds, he’s falling in love
with you, too. At least from what you’ve said.”

“You’re reading too much into things. Mark
doesn’t want that. He made that clear from the get-go.”

“He might have made it clear from the get-go,
but sometimes things change, honey. And it sounds like your beau
and you are changing, if you get my drift.” Daniel’s eyebrows rose
as he gave her a meaningful look.

Lisa remained quiet, but Karma could tell by
her expression she agreed with Daniel.

“Well, you’re wrong. This is just about
having fun. That’s all.” Karma set her tablet aside, dug her hand
into the popcorn, and tried not to acknowledge that Daniel was
right. She
was
falling in love with Mark. But that was
her
problem. Mark wouldn’t stick around and be her boyfriend
after his assignment at Solar was finished, let alone be her fiancé
or her husband. She refused to entertain the idea that their
relationship would ever be more than two people sharing a mutual
attraction for one another. No strings attached.

And if her heart got splattered to hell and
back later? Well, that would be her own damn fault for wanting
something Mark had warned her he would never give.

Chapter 34

Three
things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the
truth.

-Buddha

The following Saturday, Mark returned to Clover a
day earlier than planned. It had been eight days since he had seen
Karma. Well, eight-and-a-half, but who was counting?

Apparently, he was.

And he wasn’t going to let another day pass
without seeing her.

He parked outside her apartment, picked up
the bouquet of periwinkle hydrangeas and lilacs interspersed with
white calla lilies, took the stairs to her apartment two at a time,
and knocked as he hid the flowers behind his back.

He heard the deadbolt unlock. “Dad, you’re
earl—Mark?”

“Hey you.” It took all his self-control not
to pick her up, kick the door closed behind him, and carry her to
the bedroom.

“You’re back early.” Her exuberant smile
wrapped around his heart and squeezed.

“I thought I would take an extra day to get
settled before Monday.” It was a lie. He had come back a day early
because he couldn’t stop thinking about her and wanted to see
her.

“I’m glad. I was starting to miss you.” She
stepped aside to let him in.

He pulled the flowers from behind his back.
“For you.”

She beamed and dove her nose into one of the
lilies.

The way she closed her eyes and inhaled, all
angelic innocence, made him stand a little taller.

“Roses seemed too ordinary for you,” he said,
pulling a card from his pocket. On the envelope was a doodle of
their faces, side-by-side, on the flap. He had been doodling her
face a lot.

She opened her eyes and rewarded him with the
most beautiful smile he’d seen in over a week. “That’s sweet.
They’re gorgeous.”

He leaned in and kissed her, letting his lips
linger on hers as he slid the card into her free hand. “So are
you.”

She took the card then buried her nose inside
the bouquet again before turning for a vase on one of her shelves.
“I’ll just put them in some water.”

In the kitchen, she set the flowers and vase
on the counter and grinned at the caricature of her face on the
envelope. “This is pretty good.” She turned it toward him. “I’ve
noticed you doodle a lot, mostly faces. What’s up with that?”

Leaning against the counter, he shrugged.
“Just something I’ve done since I was a kid. I used to sit in my
parents’ studio and draw pictures of the dancers. As I got older, I
got better. Now, it’s a habit. I don’t even realize I’m doing it
most of the time. I’ll be sitting in a meeting or on some
conference call, and then I’ll look down and have a sheet full of
faces.”

She laughed, opened the envelope, and pulled
out the card he had gotten her. It was nothing fancy, just a
sentiment of how much he enjoyed spending time with her. After
reading it, she smiled and slipped the card back inside the
envelope. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She turned for the sink and grabbed the
vase.

“So, it sounds like you’re expecting your
dad. Should I leave?” He noted the silken, wavy spill of her hair
over her shoulders, as well as the way her loose-fitting jeans
hugged her rump. He might have been a man with a major foot fetish,
but he liked asses, too, and hers was damn near perfect.

Speaking of feet, she wasn’t wearing any
shoes. What was she trying to do? Drive him crazy?

As the vase filled with water, she looked
over her shoulder. “Dad shouldn’t be here for a while. If you had
been him, I would’ve been surprised. This is way early. He’s coming
over to watch the game later.”

Mark was a little disappointed. He had hoped
to spend time with her tonight. But then, he had stopped by without
calling first.

“I won’t stay long then,” he said. “I just
wanted to check in and see how your lessons are coming along.”

“They’re going well.” She flashed her
eyebrows to hint at just how well. “The new books I bought have
been educational.”

“Maybe you’ll let me take a peek before I
leave.” He stepped a little closer.

“Maybe. If you’re good.” She turned back to
the sink.

A hundred fantasies flashed through his mind
about just where he wanted those feet and how he would worship that
fine, firm rear view. He nearly panted as he gazed down at her bare
toes poking out from under the ragged hem of her jeans.

She giggled, and he snapped his attention to
her face. She shook her head, her cheeks rosy.

“Caught you,” she said.

He cleared his throat and grinned crookedly.
“Guilty, but it’s not my fault. You’ve been warned.”

She laughed and set the half-filled vase on
the counter. “Yes, I have, and had I known you were coming over, I
would have put on my fuzzy slippers.”

“Fuzzy slippers?”

“Uh-huh. Little bunnies.”

Joining her, he helped her arrange the
flowers, casting her a shameless grin. “No bunnies. I like your
feet just as they are.”

She gave him a wary glance. “Will my feet be
safe for the evening? Maybe I should put on shoes.” She picked up
the vase and moved it to the dining room table. She bent over
slightly and pushed it toward the center.

The opportunity was too good to resist, and
he moved behind her. As he wrapped his arms around her waist and
pulled her ass against his groin, she shot upright and gasped. The
sound bolted a spear of warmth—not lust—down his spine. Lust he
could have understood, but warmth? The kind of warmth that comes
with something more intimate than lust. That was unexpected.

He quickly shook off his dismay and bent his
head so his mouth rested beside her ear. “I’m also an ass man, and
I do like yours in these jeans.” He chuckled low, with quiet
confidence. “So, you can put on shoes if you like, but I think it’s
your backside that needs to be worried this evening.” With that, he
stepped away and gave her a gentle swat on the right cheek.

She squealed and spun around, her hand going
to where he’d slapped her rump, her face alight with surprise. Even
though she tried to look appalled, her eyes danced with
excitement.

“You spanked me!”

“You have a very spankable ass.”

“Mark!”

He laughed. “Hey, I couldn’t help
myself.”

“Couldn’t help yourself, my ass.”

He laughed harder. “Exactly.
Your
ass.
That’s my point.”

She turned bright red and groaned before
falling into a fit of giggles. “Oh God.” She dropped her face into
her hand.