Jo felt the tension in her shoulders as she finally drew up outside her house. It had snowed heavily since she’d left work, and the journey home had been a nightmare. Twice the car started to skid, and at one point, the poor visibility had almost made her stop and walk the rest of the way. Plus, it had taken her nearly an hour to get home, instead of the customary twenty minutes. That meant she had less time to go through the Curtis files she’d brought home. Sighing, she pulled on her hat and clambered out of the car then reached back in for her laptop. She was trying to ease it out without dropping it when she backed into something. That something turned out to be her new neighbor.

“Whoa,” he began as he grabbed onto her waist. “Can I help you with those?”

“No, I’m fine thank you.” Jo continued her juggling act as her would-be helper closed the car door and locked it. Thank you, I’ll manage now.”

“Hey, it was no problem. See you later.”

Jo continued her precarious journey down the front path to her terraced cottage. She couldn’t believe it. Of all the people to come to her rescue when she looked dreadful, it had to be him. He’d moved into Wattle Village in June, at the bottom of the row of terraces that backed onto Jo’s rear yard. She’d looked out for him ever since. With shaggy blond hair and a fantastic body, he was the archetypal surfer dude. He lived the fun and sociable lifestyle Jo feared she was missing. While he and his friends sat in his yard around the barbeque, drinking beer and singing, Jo sat alone with her one glass of chardonnay reading through work files. She’d watched him walk past her window with a string of gorgeous women, laughing and having fun as she made her final cup of tea for the evening and settled down with her cats. Not that her life was so bad, she reasoned. She’d worked hard to achieve her position at Howard and Houghton. It was one of the most prestigious accountancy firms in the area. She’d always planned to attack her career first then, once that was established, deal with the more social aspects of life. But, at twenty-eight, she wondered if she’d left it too long.

Once inside, she sighed yet again as she dusted the snow from her coat and kicked off her Wellingtons. Midge and Madge came running to meet her. They were both rescue cats and never went out.

“Come on, you two. Let’s get you fed.” Jo carried on talking to the cats as she led them into the kitchen. The cottages were small. A large living room led into a kitchen/diner, while upstairs were two bedrooms and a bathroom. Jo had gone for traditional furnishings that complemented the age of the property and its stone build.

She fed the cats, popped a microwave dinner in for herself, and sat down to review the first of many cases. It was a pattern that was repeated more nights out of the week than not.

Chapter Two

Jo groaned when her alarm went off the following morning, dragging her from an exhausted sleep. The air around her nose felt cold, and she didn’t want to leave her nest of warmth. However, after a ten minutes’ snooze, she climbed out of bed, disturbing Midge and Madge. They each opened an eye and gave her a disgusted stare then curled back up again.

“It’s all right for some,” Jo muttered as she opened the curtains and looked out upon an absolute blanket of white. “Good grief.” She’d never seen so much snow. The cars were buried up past their wheels, and it was still coming down. “I’m not sure I’ll be going anywhere soon, girls.”

She chatted to the cats as she began the process of getting ready. She took a quick shower, tied her hair back at the nape of her neck, then on went another trouser suit, a slightly darker color than yesterday’s. She went downstairs for a bowl of porridge and a cup of tea. It was her morning routine, only the difference today was that it was highly unlikely she would make it to work.

Ten minutes later, Jo stood at what should have been the edge of the road, but there was no sign of it. She blinked and shielded her eyes as she tried to make out anything that wasn’t white, but it was no good; the village was completely snowed in. She felt a mixture of excitement at the occasion and anxiety at the amount of work she needed to do.

“Hello again.” Her new neighbor stood ginning at her, all wrapped up against the snow, wearing one of those ridiculous hats that went down past his ears with a pom-pom on top. “Exciting, isn’t it? All cut off from the world.”

Jo’s stomach flipped as she struggled to find her voice. “Yes, but rather frustrating when you have a lot of work to do.”

“You know what they say about all work and no play.” As he spoke, his gaze roamed down over Jo’s body. “Anyway, got to go. Snowboarding calls.”

She watched him walk away. If only she had the freedom to ignore her workload and try snowboarding too, or at least, enjoy the excitement of the day without the constant pressure of work nagging away at the back of her mind. She felt rather envious as she turned and trudged back to her cottage. The phone was ringing as she entered.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Jo, it’s Steve here.” Steve was Jo’s colleague who lived in the next village down. “I’ve already phoned the office, and they’re staying closed today. The boss says to finish any outstanding casework you have then he’ll post other jobs online as they come up.”

“Oh, okay, thanks for letting me know.”

“No problem. Listen, are you okay, because I could probably make it up to you if you need me.” Jo was aware, as was the rest of the office, that Steve had a crush on her. She tried her best to pretend that it didn’t exist as she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He was a nice man, a few years older than she, with average looks and build, but he just didn’t do anything for her. Not like her neighbor.

“That’s okay, Steve, I’m fine. I’ve plenty of work to do, and I’m well stocked with food. Thank you for the offer. Hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow.” She looked at her laptop. Why would she want to go snowboarding when she could sit and work? She grimaced inwardly with dissatisfaction at what her life had become, a treadmill of work with nothing else to balance out the equation.

Within half an hour, she had settled down at her laptop, cup of tea in hand, when her neighbor and some friends walked down the back lane. They were shouting and joking with each other, throwing snowballs and making the most of the snow day. Jo only realized she was staring when her neighbor glanced her way and their eyes locked. Instantly, Jo lowered her gaze, but moments later, she heard a knock at the door. What on earth could he want?

“Hello. I don’t think we’ve ever been introduced. I’m Jack Brogan.” Again, she was hit with his knockout grin.

“Hi. I’m Jo Philips.” She didn’t know what else to say. His rather direct approach had caught her off guard.

“I have some friends staying with me at the moment.” He indicated a group of people waiting for him at the back gate. “And we’ve been thinking about the whole snowed-in scenario. It feels like we’re living in a bubble where normal rules don’t apply. We thought we might enjoy the uniqueness of the situation and have some fun with it. We’d like you to join us.”

“Oh.” Jo was stunned. “Well, I do have rather a lot of work to do I’m afraid.” She couldn’t believe she was turning down the opportunity to spend some time with him.

“I see.” He seemed to study her then moved closer until his frozen breath brushed her face. “That’s a shame because I have a theory about you.”

“You do?” Jo was mesmerised by the movement of his lips.

“I do. You see, I think that once you relax and let yourself go, we could have a really nice time together.” His voice was almost a caress, and Jo could feel the wetness in her underwear. “My friends and I have been thinking of having some adult fun, shall we say. Unfortunately, we’re an odd number, three men and only two women. I want you to join us.”

“Adult fun? What are you talking about?”

“Why don’t you come down around eight and find out?”

Jo was both confused and flustered by the nearness of his body. “Well, I do have work… I…” was all she could manage.

“Hey, no pressure.” Jack grinned as he backed away. “Maybe I was wrong about you.”

Jo stood at the door and watched the group walk away. What did he mean maybe he was wrong about her? Whatever his intention, the inference in his voice certainly made it sound like an insult. Midge and Madge rubbed up against her legs, demanding attention.

“We’ll show him. Won’t we, my angels?” She bent down, stroking first one then the other. They led her to the cupboard where their treats were kept. “Okay, I get the message. Anyway—” She stopped mid stretch for the door. “—what did he mean adult fun?” She popped the cheesy bites into their bowls then sat down on the stone floor beside them. “Do you think he meant s-e-x?” She even had to spell the word out in front of her cats.

The encounter had left her feeling restless and strangely out of sorts. Her solution was to bury herself in work once more, but she was finding it difficult to concentrate as her mind drifted back to Jack’s words, his lips, and his deep brown eyes.

She had been determined to push him out of her mind, but her eyes had wandered up to the clock face every minute since 7 o’clock. It was now half past.

“I could just go and see what he was talking about. I don’t have to stay.” The cats offered their silent agreement curled up on the table, fast asleep. “It could be fun. My chance to see what everyone else does when I’m working.” She rubbed her eyes and shut down her laptop. “And he is gorgeous. You’re right, girls. I’m going.”

She spent the next half hour deciding what to put on. Jo didn’t have many clothes for socializing, and those she did own were designed for more formal occasions. What should she wear for adult fun? The more she thought about it the more excited she became. Her body began to ache with desire for Jack, and her pussy felt heavy and wet. They were sensations she hadn’t felt for a long time. Her whole body tingled with anticipation. She rummaged through her underwear drawer, but everything was all very practical and supportive. Who was she kidding? Jack would never find someone like her attractive.

Her mood deflated, she grabbed her waterproof trousers and fleecy sweater, hauled on her walking boots and outdoor gear, and headed down the back lane. It was still snowing. Jack’s tracks and those of his friends were already covered over with three more inches of the stuff. Jo doubted she’d make it to the office tomorrow either. Still, thanks to modern technology, she could still put in a full day’s work.

She hesitated, her hand hovering over the doorknocker as doubt started to creep back into her mind, making her tummy flutter. What on earth was she doing? This was not her style at all. There might be times when she wished it was, but it was too late; her path was set. She’d turned to walk away when she heard the door open behind her.

“Well, I didn’t actually think you’d come. You weren’t having second thoughts, were you?” Jack hung on the doorframe as he spoke. Behind him, Jo could see one of the girls perched on a kitchen counter. She wore an absurdly short skirt.

“No, I just… That is… I...”

“Come on in.” He reached for her mittened hand, drawing her into the warm room. “Don’t look so terrified. We don’t bite. Well, only if you want us to,” he added with a laugh. Jo didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t turn and leave now. She’d look stupid. As she took off her outdoor clothes, the others came in to inspect her. They were all impossibly fit and beautiful. Jack did the introductions.

“This is Susie.” He motioned towards the girl sitting on the countertop. She had long toned legs, a tight body, and masses of chocolate-colored curls.

He slipped an arm around the next woman. “Carly, meet Jo.” Carly was small but athletically built with short blonde hair and a pixie-shaped face.

“Then we have Tim and Andy. Guys, this is Jo from up the street.” Both men openly appraised Jo’s body until she found herself pulling her sweater down even though it already went way past her hips. Like the girls, both men were fit and impossibly healthy looking for the time of year. One had a short dark crew cut, the other, long shaggy curls.

“Can I get you a drink, Jo?”

Jo felt that, if she were going to survive even half an hour, she would probably need one. “Yes, thank you, I’ll have a white wine.”

“Coming up.” Jack grinned. He handed her a glass then took her hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world and led her into the living room. It was sparsely decorated in light creams and natural wood. A comforting warmth greeted them courtesy of an open fire nestled within a large stone hearth. Apart from it, the only other light came from candles dotting the room. Jo was starting to feel claustrophobic. The air seemed to hum with sexual tension as the others entered the room. The girls seemed to almost pour themselves into it then drape their bodies effortlessly over the many cushions scattered on the floor. Jo sat down but seemed to end up in an awkward pile that was extremely uncomfortable. She could feel her cheeks burning and the heat from the fire and the fleece she was wearing combining in a volcanic effect.

“You may want to take that off.” Jack’s voice was so close to her ear she jumped at his words, however, she nodded her thanks and handed him her drink as she removed her fleece. A utilitarian brown T-shirt lay underneath. She saw the girls glance at each other in amusement. Thankfully, Jack started discussing the day’s snowboarding activity.

Jo was on to her second glass of wine when she became aware of the atmosphere changing in the room. It was Carly and Susie who initiated the change. They had been giggling together for quite a while as Jo had been trying to master the theory of snowboarding. They stood up and walked slowly around the room, running their fingers over the shoulders of the boys and Jo. It seemed to spark something in the men as all snow talk ceased, and their eyes started to linger on the girls’ bodies. Even Jack stared at Susie, leaving Jo feeling clumsy and awkward. The girls poured their bodies back down onto the cushions. Carly straddled hers with a slight groan and a parting of the lips as Susie began running her fingers up the inside of her thigh.

“Well—” Jack’s voice seemed to thicken on the words. “—I think it’s time. How are we going to play this? Ladies choice or shall we go for a lucky dip?”

Jo’s whole body had gone rigid, and she put down her wine glass, afraid she would shatter it with her white-knuckle grip. She really needed to leave, but she couldn’t move. The raw sexuality in the air had her in its grip. She was both terrified and aroused. She wanted to see what would happen next.