17. Kayla
From right next to me, I can feel Jace glowering at me. I just keep my eyes on the building ahead as we continue down the sidewalk.
Bright sunlight beats down from a clear blue sky, baking the city. The smell of warm asphalt hangs in the air, and sweat trickles down my spine even though I’m only wearing a short skirt and a light top in a thin white material.
If we had bothered to check the weather forecast, we would’ve known that there was a heatwave coming this week, and then we wouldn’t have decided to pick this particular day. But we didn’t check the weather forecast, so here we are, traipsing across the city and doing lots of odd jobs for businesses in exchange for them donating something to our silent auction.
Not that I’m doing much of the work. Or any of it, really. I took one look outside this morning and decided that I would not be performing any sort of demanding tasks in this kind of heat.
So I made a deal with Jace. In exchange for him doing all of the work today, I have promised to not sneak away or ditch him for the entire rest of the week. And given that it’s only Monday, I’d say that he is getting one hell of a great deal out of this bargain. But then again, given the size of the lawn he just mowed, I suppose that I am too.
“You’d better hold up your end of the bargain, little demon,” Jace threatens as he casts me a look from the corner of his eye while we continue towards the next business on our list.
We decided that it would be more efficient if our entire event group split up so that we could cover four times as many businesses instead of going to one at a time as a group. Right now, I’m very glad that I pushed for that strategy since it means that the rest of my group will never know that I didn’t actually do any of the work.
“I don’t know what you’re complaining about,” I reply as I flick a nonchalant glance at him. “It’s not that hot.”
He turns to face me, that glower still on his features. “Not if you’re standing in the shade, no. But if you’re walking back and forth across a damn field with a lawnmower…”
“It was just a lawn.”
“The size of a football field!”
“Now you’re just being dramatic.”
Locking eyes with me, he stabs his finger at me in warning as he repeats, “You’d better hold up your end of the bargain. No bullshit this entire week. Or I swear to God, I will fucking handcuff you to your bed and leave you there.”
Lightning shoots through me at the memory of what he did the last time he handcuffed me, but I manage to keep the expression off my face as I instead flash him a smile full of challenge. “If you handcuff me again, I’m going to call the police and tell them that you kidnapped me.”
A villainous smile curls his lips. “Good luck with that. My family owns the police department in this city.”
“Oh really? I bet I could buy them out from right underneath you.”
“You forget, my family is rich too.”
“Not as rich as mine.”
“True. But we can also threaten to kill their loved ones if they don’t do as we say.” His eyes gleam as he gives me a wicked grin. “And money plus the threat of a dead loved one trumps just money every day of the week.”
I scoff.
He smirks. “Face it, little demon. You’ve been outmaneuvered. So keep your end of the bargain or find yourself handcuffed and with no police coming to save you.”
Scoffing again, I make a show of rolling my eyes at him. But I can’t stop the smile that pulls at my lips.
Usually when I flaunt my wealth or power, people get uncomfortable. Especially men. They grimace faintly and shift their weight and try to change the subject as quickly as possible. But not Jace. He never seems to find it off-putting when I throw my weight around. Instead, he just meets me with the same energy. And I have to admit, I quite like that.
With that smile now fully on my lips, I try to turn away so that Jace won’t see it. But it’s too late. He has already seen it. Thankfully, he doesn’t point it out. Instead, a soft smile blows across his own lips.
We close the final distance to the next business in comfortable silence.
It’s a car dealership. Not one of the fancy ones. Just a regular one that normal people buy their cars from. I spoke to the owner, Richard Dalton, on the phone last week, and he has agreed to donate one of his cheapest models in exchange for some help. And for the publicity that comes with being featured at a silent auction hosted by none other than the Ashford heir, of course.
“Ms. Ashford,” Richard Dalton exclaims as he comes bustling out of the door the moment we set foot on the massive parking lot in front of the building.
We weave through the sea of cars while he hurries towards us. He reaches us halfway across the parking lot. His brown hair is damp at the temples, and sweat slides down his neck. Given that he is wearing not only a dress shirt but also an actual suit jacket on top of it, I’m not surprised.
“I’m so honored that you want to include my humble business in your venture,” he says as he shakes my hand.
His palm is also a bit damp. I smile while discreetly wiping my hand on the side of my skirt after we finish shaking. Jace, who as usual misses nothing, doesn’t even bother hiding the amusement on his face.
“Of course,” I reply. “I’m so glad that you wanted to be a part of it.” Clearing my throat, I motion towards Jace before he can start outright grinning. “This is Jace, he is the one who is going to be helping you with…” I frown. “I’m sorry, what was it that you needed help with again?”
Mr. Dalton draws a hand through his hair and lets out an embarrassed laugh. “I never said, because I hadn’t figured anything out yet.” He straightens and then gives both me and Jace a nod. “But I have now. Come with me and I’ll show you.”
Turning around, he motions for us to follow as he starts towards the other side of the parking lot.
Sunlight gleams in the spotless windows of the cars that we pass as we make our way towards the side that is framed by both the street we took to get here and the one that runs perpendicular to it.
Jace leans closer, a smirk on his face, and whispers, “Need a handkerchief?”
“Shut up,” I hiss, and cast a quick look to make sure that Mr. Dalton didn’t overhear.
A soft chuckle escapes Jace’s throat. I shake my head at him as we walk the final distance to the spot that Richard Dalton was apparently heading for. Both Jace and I stop when he does. My gaze drifts over the space before us. Or rather, over the cars before us.
There are two entire rows of cars lined up in the otherwise empty part of the parking lot. And all of them are covered in what looks like mud. Or maybe wet sand.
Richard turns to us and gives us a smile that almost looks a little apologetic. “My newest shipment came in yesterday.” He motions towards the cars behind him. “But as you can see, the car carrier trailer that brought them here got caught in some really terrible weather. So the rain and the sand turned the cars into… Well, as you can see, they’re not particularly clean anymore.”
“And you need our help to wash them,” I say, my eyes still on the rows of dirty cars.
Mr. Dalton clears his throat a bit self-consciously. “Yes.”
I turn towards Jace, a wicked grin on my face. “Well, you’d better get to it then.”
For a while, Jace just continues staring at the cars. Then he drags his gaze to me. I smile and bat my lashes at him in my best imitation of innocence. He narrows his eyes at me.
“The bargain,” he says, his voice coming out low and full of threats, as he gives me an expectant look.
I roll my eyes and wave a hand in the air. “Yes, yes. I promise that I will keep my end of the bargain.”
“You’d better.”
The dark promises in his tone send a ripple down my spine.
Blocking it out, I instead give Jace one more smirk and then start towards the little patio a short distance away. It looks like a place where the staff can go to smoke on their break, or something like that, because there are several chairs waiting there in the shade. I sit down in one of them while Mr. Dalton shows Jace where the water and buckets and sponges are.
Once the owner has finished, he hurries back to the main entrance across the parking lot. I lean back in my chair, cross my ankles, and watch as Jace stands there on the asphalt, staring at the mass of cars.
He glances up at the blistering sun above. Then he heaves a sigh.
And then he grabs the hem of his white t-shirt and yanks it over his head.
My heart skips several beats.
After dropping the shirt on the ground, he rolls his shoulders back and walks over to the hose. I stare at the way his muscles flex when he grabs the hose and turns on the water.
Water sprays through the air, hitting the nearest car. The drops glitter in the bright sunlight as they fill the air like mist. But I can’t take my eyes off Jace.
God damn it. Did he have to be this fucking hot? It’s such an unnecessary complication.
On the street, a few passersby slow their walk as they watch Jace as well. Some leave the sidewalk and drift onto the parking lot. But they’re looking at Jace more than the cars, so I’m not sure if they’re actually here for a vehicle or for the free show.
Once Jace has hosed down the nearest car, he grabs a sponge and dunks it in a bucket of water and car shampoo. White foam drips from his strong hands as he lifts it up. I stare, completely transfixed as he starts washing the car.
The muscles in his chest and arms shift as he runs that sponge back and forth, and his hard abs tighten as he twists slightly.
My thighs clench, and I have to adjust my position in the chair as a throbbing sensation starts in my clit.
Fucking hell, is this what his naked body would look like in bed too? Is this how his lethal muscles would flex if he were to grip my thigh and hoist it up before thrusting into me?
Images of Jace above me and below me and in front of me in all kinds of positions flash through my mind.
I grip the armrest hard and press my thighs together.
God damn it. I should not be thinking about things like this. What Jace and I did at that costume party three days ago was a one-time act of insanity. Nothing else.
It doesn’t matter that he’s the hottest fucking guy I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t matter that he makes me laugh. It doesn’t matter that he never makes me feel bad about the fact that I’m rich and powerful. It doesn’t matter that he goes to the trouble of making breakfast for me every morning. And it certainly doesn’t matter that he made me feel like I was bursting with sparkling pleasure when he made me come on that red couch.
All that matters is that I need to get rid of him.
My heart flutters as Jace reaches forward over the hood, his perfect body making the move seem effortless.
Next week, I amend in my head. I need to get rid of him, but not until next week. Because I did promise that I wouldn’t pull anymore bullshit this week if he did all the work today. And a deal is a deal.
A low whistle of approval sounds from right next to me. “Damn.”
I start in surprise and whip my head to the left to find a woman about my age dropping down into the chair beside me. She’s wearing a blue polo shirt with the logo of the car dealership embroidered on it, which means that she no doubt works here. I narrow my eyes as I study her face.
With her eyes locked firmly on Jace’s half-naked body, she cocks her head and smiles. “I’d tap that.”
An absolutely irrational flash of jealousy and possessiveness burns through me like wildfire.
“He’s my bodyguard,” I snap, the words coming out with much more bite than I intended.
The woman next to me doesn’t seem to notice, however. Because she continues ogling Jace as if she’s imagining what he looks like in bed. A sly smile blows across her features as she gives me a knowing glance.
“Oh you lucky girl,” she says.
I squeeze my hand into a fist and resist the urge to stab her.