9. Jenny
I wake up drenched in sweat with a hard body curled around me. Startled, I sit up and look over, instantly relaxing. Even asleep with drool on the corner of his mouth and snoring, he’s gorgeous. When I feel air hitting parts of my body it doesn’t usually hit since I always wear a chemise to bed, I look down.
Yep, naked.
Then I remember why. Eaton told me he has only one rule at his house—sleeping naked. I reminded him we weren’t at his house and he told me last night was practice.
I’ll have to set some firm boundaries with this man at some point, but for now, it feels good to be taken care of in a way that makes me happy. Daniel’s version of taking care of me was putting us both on a Keto diet, even though he was already scrawny, or buying me a dress two sizes too small to give me something to “aspire to.”
How did I stay with him for three years?
It’s because I didn’t know there was an Eaton.
Let’s not even talk about sex because if I stop to think about how oppressed I’ve been, I’ll cry. For the longest time, I thought there was something wrong with me and that I was disgusting and perverted. Meanwhile, the men saying that shit couldn’t find my clit if I drew them a map. I’ve only been fucking Eaton for less than twenty-four hours, and he’s already pleased me more than all of the times with any of them put together.
I’m not gross; I was just with the wrong men.
I snuggle back into Eaton, and when my ass meets flesh, a steel rod pushes between my cheeks. Is he always hard when he sleeps, or is it because he’s sleeping with me? I secretly hope it’s because of me, and knowing Eaton, it probably is. I’ve never felt sexier in my life. The man is obsessed with me. And now I’m moving in with him.
Sigh. He better not do this with every woman he dates. I hope he introduces me to his family soon so I can get the tea. There’s no way Eaton will be honest with me about things like that. He’s too nervous I’ll leave him. That’s why he didn’t want to go home last night; I could see it in his eyes. Silly man, I’m not going anywhere. Not unless he gives me a reason.
My eyes have just closed again when there’s a knock on my door. Wait, what day is it? I hop out of bed and throw on my robe, trying to remember what I did with my phone. The kitchen. I left it in the kitchen last night. Dashing out of my room, I find it on the counter and glance down. Four missing calls and six text messages, all from Daniel. Glancing at the day and time, I panic.
This can’t be happening. I was hoping to hide Eaton from Daniel for as long as possible, and I especially didn’t want them to meet like this. I could just keep quiet until he leaves and then apologize for not being home. My ringtone—a sped-up version of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”—plays, and I nearly chuck my phone.
“I hear your phone, Jenny. Open up,” Daniel calls through the paper-thin door.
“Who is it?” Eaton asks, walking out of my room in only his boxer briefs, his bulge still. . . bulging.
“It’s Daniel,” I whisper, ushering him back into my room. “I forgot he wanted to meet to talk about I.C.B.I.N.J.”
“That’s really not any easier than just saying I Can’t Believe It’s Not Jizz.”
I ignore that because there’s no time to argue. “Can you just stay in here until I can get rid of him? I’ll tell him I have a stomach bug, and he’ll run. He hates being sick.” Not waiting for an answer, I close the bedroom door, sighing in relief. I tighten my robe and finger-comb my hair as I walk through the tunnel of boxes.
“You’re not going to the door like that.” Eaton pushes past me. “I’ll answer the door. You go put some clothes on.”
“It’s a robe, not lingerie. It’s fine.” I hold back my comment about how Daniel has seen me in less because that probably would not go over well.
“Baby Cakes, I can see the outline of your nipples. And if you bend over, I’ll be forced to fuck you in front of him so he doesn’t get any ideas about trying to get another taste. That part of his life is over.”
I look down, and I can, in fact, see my nipples through the white satin. Shit. “Don’t answer the door. Let me run and change real quick.”
“Sure,” he says, and I’ve heard that response enough to know he has no intention of listening to me.
“I mean it, Eaton.”
“Okay, Baby.” He folds his arms across his auburn-colored hairy chest. God, I love chest hair. It’s so sexy. Daniel waxes every part of his body except his balls, which he shaves. He finds body hair unsanitary.
Daniel knocks louder this time. “Is someone in there with you? I hear another voice.”
“Eaton, I swear to God, if you answer that door?—”
“Go put on some clothes. Everything’s fine.”
Giving up, I rush into my room and quickly pull out a sports bra and some sweatpants. That’ll have to do. By the time I’ve finagled my wayward boobs into the tight-fitting bra and put on my pants, I can hear two male voices in my living room, and they’re getting louder by the second.
Fudgsicles.
“Jenny, get out here now and explain yourself,” Daniel shouts, and I roll my eyes.
“What’s with all the shouting?” I ask, rounding the corner of boxes.
“Who is this Neanderthal?”
“Daniel, this is Eaton; Eaton, this is Daniel.”
“We’ve met,” Eaton growls.
“I’m sorry, Daniel. I forgot we had a meeting scheduled this morning, and I slept in. I was at the kitchen late last night, getting everything ready for this week’s deliveries.”
Daniel eyes Eaton up and down. The two men couldn’t be more different. Even nearly naked, it’s clear that Eaton isn’t as put together as Daniel is. His hair could use a trim, his beard is a skosh too long, and he’s in his underwear at eleven a.m. on a Monday. Daniel is in a three-piece tailored suit that probably cost him a couple thousand dollars, he gets his hair trimmed every Saturday, and he’s clean-shaven. Though, between you and me, I don’t think he could grow a beard if he tried.
“Right. That’s what kept you up.” He huffs, and Eaton grins like the cat who got the cream.
“We were at the kitchen late,” Eaton confirms. “But then we got back here, and well, you know how that goes.”
“Seriously, Jenny?”
If I could force myself to spontaneously combust, I would. “Can we reschedule, Daniel?”
“I thought you were ready for this responsibility, but maybe I was wrong about investing in this little business of yours. We can reschedule, but just know I’ll be taking another look at how much help I can offer when you choose a one-night stand over fulfilling your commitments.”
“ Little business? Could you be more condescending?” Eaton scoffs, and even though he’s saying what I’m thinking, it’s not helpful.
“Eaton!” My tone is sharp, and I regret it immediately when I see the hurt in his eyes. I shouldn’t be siding with Daniel; he doesn’t deserve my loyalty, but he does have the money I need, so I have to tread carefully. “Daniel, Eaton isn’t a one-night stand. He’s my, my. . . boyfriend.”
I’m rewarded for my word choice when Eaton’s nose shoots up in the air smugly, and he takes my hand in his.
“Boyfriend? Since when?”
Yikes. That’s an answer I don’t want to give. “It doesn’t matter. Just know that he’s in my life, and you’ll probably see him now and then.”
“Especially since she’s moving in with me,” Eaton adds unnecessarily.
“Moving in?” Daniel’s tone drips with disdain. “With rash decisions like that, now I know you aren’t ready to handle the kind of money you need if you want to succeed.”
I drop Eaton’s hand, not because I want to, but because I need to. I’ve been dreaming of making my business a success for years, and now that it’s finally off the ground, I need to keep moving forward. But I need Daniel’s money to do that.
“Don’t do this, Daniel. You know I’m a hard worker. I’ve put my heart and soul into this and I know I can make us both money.”
“We’ll talk about this later. I’ll have my secretary pencil you in for later in the week, and I recommend dressing more appropriately when you come to my office.” With that, he turns on his loafers and walks out.
“What the fuck?” Eaton charges the door, but I step in front of him, closing it before there’s an altercation.
“He’s not worth it. Trust me.”
“Why do you let that asshole talk to you like that?”
“He talks to everyone like that. I’m nothing special.”
“Doesn’t answer the question.”
I sigh. “He has money, and I need money. He acts like I’m asking for a lot, but it’s only twenty thousand dollars. I need it to buy enough supplies to carry the amount of stock I need to sell to chain stores. Right now, one big order, and I’d be cleaned out.”
“Where do you plan on storing all that extra product?” he asks.
I grin, running my hands up his furry chest. “In my boyfriend’s garage, of course. Turns out he only uses one bay, which leaves two free.”
He likes this answer because he lifts me off my feet and kisses me. There’s one crisis averted. Now I just need to deal with my ex. Blech.