SEVENTEEN
“PLEASURE DOING BUSINESS with you,” Conrad said, leading Freya out of his office and down the stairs toward the Squires reception.
The twenty guys loitering there were a surprise that halted her and Conrad halfway down.
“It’s a James Bond convention,” she murmured, scanning the tuxedos laid out beneath them.
“What the hell are you all doing here?” Conrad asked, checking his watch. “You should be in cars, going to your appointments.”
“Garage door is broken,” one of the guys said.
Conrad descended another couple of stairs, so she stayed at his side. “And no one thought to call maintenance?”
“Baer’s on it,” Donoghue said, holding a candy packet high over his head, offering her one. “Royal?”
She descended to dip her fingers in. Accepting the invitation, she popped the sweet treat between her lips.
Conrad wasn’t satisfied. “None of you are helping him because…?”
“Didn’t want to mess with the merchandise,” the first guy said, gesturing at his suit. “We get dirty, we have to shower and change… That takes time… Baer said it was okay for him to be late.”
Conrad’s nervous laugh came with a side-eye her way. Their leader was probably trying to judge her reaction without risking full eye contact.
Breathing out, she sank to sit on the stairs. “All dressed up and no place to go… story of my life.”
She didn’t mind so much; Holly was her only concern.
Creeping closer to the stairs, a man she didn’t know checked her out. “You could join me, sweetheart… I can handle more than one.”
“That’s nice,” she said to be polite.
Donoghue laughed. “This one only has eyes for Baer, trust me. And he’s right… she’ll wait. Won’t you, Royal?”
Everyone turned to the elevator when it pinged. She couldn’t see what was going on through the amassed bodies.
“Well…?” Conrad asked whoever must have come off the elevator.
“I need a shower, but you’re good to go,” Baer’s voice carried to her. “Cars are ready.”
“It’ll be like the president came to town all those limos pouring out the garage at once,” Donoghue joked.
Conspicuous. Sure.
“How long do you need, Baer?” Conrad asked. “I have a date of my own to get to.”
“So go…” Baer said. “All of you can go. I’ll lock up.” The guys began to move. “I just need to call—” She stood up next to Conrad, making herself known. Baer pointed at her. “Never mind.”
His dirty hands were raised like a doctor waiting for surgical gloves.
“I had papers to sign,” she said.
“Cool,” he said and slanted his head to the side. “Come this way.”
The guys stopped, which stalled Baer.
“You’re taking her to the locker room?” Donoghue asked.
That warranted all focus tracking to Conrad.
“I won’t let her touch anything,” Baer said.
The guys laughed.
“I don’t think she’ll mind starting early if she paid for the night,” another voice said.
Irritation ticked Baer’s jaw.
Her mood differed, she smiled and descended in a bounce, aiming for light and frivolous. “Conrad can add it to my bill,” she said, crossing the room to a soundtrack of whoops and whistles.
She didn’t look at Baer, just headed the way he’d indicated until he nudged her toward a specific door.
Inside the swish space, individual full-height wooden lockers, thick carpet and benches, suggested high-class country club. At the end was an open archway with racks of clothes, opposite was another arch, this time to showers.
Baer went to a locker. “You’re okay with them talking like that?” he asked as she got to work unbuckling his jeans so he wouldn’t have to use his grease smeared fingers.
“Yes, because it doesn’t mean anything,” she said. “It’s teasing.” Dropping his pants, she was careful about picking off his tee-shirt. Despite its dirty smudge, she was careful not to mark it further as she hooped it over his hands. “Just like I’ll have to get used to being the cock-hungry bunny boiler around the people in your life, you’ll have to get used to people in my life assuming you’re all about the money.”
“Baby—”
“Can I get you a towel?”
“There are towels in the shower room,” he said. “Lil’, look at me.”
“No,” she said, unwilling to lift her head.
“If I touch you, I’ll get this grease all over you and you’ll have to hit the shower with me.”
Not smart because they’d be naked and wet… and touching.
What choice did she have?
She elevated her chin. “I don’t want to look at you because you’re going to say something to reassure me either about the cock-hungry thing or the money thing.”
Baer shook his head. “I won’t reassure you about the cock-hungry thing. Cock-hungry works great for me, Lil’.” Okay, this was Baer. Wonderful, sweet, sexy-hot Baer, she could relax. “But the money—”
“I don’t want you to reassure me.” Not like this was her first time on this particular train. “If you’re all about the money, then you’re all about the money. And if you need me to give you money, I will… I can’t make you care about me. I figured that out about guys long ago. Either this works out, or it doesn’t, words don’t matter, actions matter.”
Was that her version of reassuring him? Did it count?
“So if I just adore you…”
Grinning, she nodded, her hair fluttering against her back. “Yes, that would be perfect. Thank you.”
“Okay,” he said and stepped back to nod downwards. “Want to finish the job for me?”
“You sure?” she asked. He crooked a brow in assent. “I put on this pretty dress for you, you know.”
Moving in closer, she dragged her thumbnails down his hips to tuck them under the elastic of his underwear.
The slight narrowing of one of his eyes betrayed his curiosity. “It’s beautiful… you’re beautiful…” He inhaled. “You remember you’re the one with the rules, right, Lil’? If you want to join me in the shower…”
“You have no integrity,” she whispered with mock outrage.
Dropping to the floor, she pulled down his boxer-briefs as she went.
What she revealed was more than ample, it was intimidating. Kneeling in front of him, her eyes trained to his member, it grew and thickened by the second. Shit, it was a rush, exhilarating, to be capable of influencing him this way.
“If you want to play with it…”
His voice startled her into blinking up. How long had she been crouched there gawping at him? Not that he seemed to mind. If there was any man with the wares to justify being cocky, this one was top of the list.
“I will,” she said, rising slowly, her lower lip just grazing his dick as she returned to full height. Not so cocky now, huh? “When you’re giving it up for free.”
“This is a complimentary date.”
Opening her hands on his bare chest, her mouth tasted him. “Are you saying you’re donating your time? The agency doesn’t compensate you?”
“Well, yeah, they do, but I—”
“I don’t care who’s compensating you. I don’t want you inside me when you’re on the clock.”
Bowing lower, he breathed just above her mouth. “You think I wouldn’t fuck my girl for free?”
“Your girl?” she asked, aroused by the words he’d never said before.
“All mine… Take off the pretty dress, Little Skit.”
Unable to stop herself, her gaze devoured him again. “We’re late already,” she said, loathed to put space between them.
He laughed. “Baby, you snuck out on me today. We could’ve been in bed all afternoon.”
“To leave and have you come on a date with me… a paid date.”
“You requested me.”
She smirked. “Would you rather another man take me out?”
“No,” he said, barely allowing the complete question to hit the air before answering it. “No fucking way. Always request me.”
“Even if it means you don’t get laid at the end of the night?”
Walking toward the shower, he gave her an appreciated view of his magnificent ass. “That we’ll negotiate on, Little Skit. Put your butt in a seat.”
She’d rather admire his for as long as allowed. Just before going into the shower room, he turned, catching her drooling, but she didn’t even hide it.
Feigning innocence, she shrugged. “I’m allowed to look.”
Without slowing, he sauntered on, a drawl in his deep voice when he spoke. “You’re allowed to do a helluva lot more than that, Lil’.”
“Hound Dog!” she called after him.
He just waved and disappeared into a stall.
This was nuts.
This relationship was nuts.
Damnit, she’d never been so happy.