Chapter 26 Parker
PARKER
Ilied to Linc. I don’t have a date tonight.
That’s the last thing I need.
It’s nothing more than a hookup.
After the stress of the last few days, and then the way he was looking at me in the gym this morning, I realized that I need a release.
Sure, I could go and replace my favorite vibrator. Hell, I’m definitely going to do that. But I need more than that.
I need a man. One who can take everything away for a few minutes and leave me feeling sated and limp and tingling with aftershocks.
I have a few regulars for when my itch needs a decent scratch. Guys who are only interested in a good time when a girl needs it.
And thankfully, when I opened Tinder after the gym incident this morning, it seemed that my luck was in, because there was a message waiting for me from a guy I only see a couple of times a year when he comes to town.
He’s a businessman, although I have no idea what he does. He clearly does it well, because he always stays in the best hotels and orders the most expensive alcohol for us. Neither of which I complain about. He also knows what he’s doing in the bedroom.
All I need is the name of the hotel he’s staying at tonight and I’m set.
Hopefully, once that is done, I’ll be able to focus on what I really need to do.
Find an apartment and get the hell away from Linc.
My session with Hayden passes quickly. He’s the youngest guy on the team, fresh from college, but while he might be a little green and overexcited about life, he’s so easy to get on with. His enthusiasm for life is infectious. I think we could all do with being a little more like him.
When I get home, Linc is lying on the couch, watching game tapes, but when he doesn’t look over or say anything, I hurry down to my room to get ready.
I have a message burning a hole in my pocket with a location for tonight, and I need to shower and shave every inch of my body.
I don’t feel the pressure with this hookup as I would with someone new, or even someone who could potentially be more than just a night of fun, but I still have some standards.
Henry has money, and very good taste, from what I can tell. I’d hate to disappoint him and walk away empty-handed.
Henry…I laugh to myself as I kick my door to. I don’t even know if that’s his real name. And do you know what? I don’t even care if it’s not.
I take my time getting ready, my stomach growling as I do so. The bagel I grabbed on the way to the arena earlier is long gone. But with the promise of a delicious meal before we get to the good part tonight, I held off having anything this afternoon.
I style my hair in loose waves before pinning the left side away from my face with a pretty clip, then I pull on a tiny pair of panties and the little black dress I wore out the other night. It’s not like I have a lot of options in my wardrobe right now.
It’s another reminder that I should probably be focusing on my clusterfuck of a life instead of my libido, but fuck it. There’s always tomorrow.
With a spritz of perfume, I grab my purse from the bed and stare down at my shoes.
My foot might be healing, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any pain. But I can hardly turn up to this “date” wearing sneakers.
“Fuck’s sake,” I hiss as I bend down and snatch them from the carpet. I figure that I’ll put them on at the last minute and then slip them off again the second I’m at the table.
Without my shoes tapping against the wooden floor, Linc doesn’t hear me coming, so when I step into the kitchen, I see his entire body jerk in shock.
“Shit, you scared me.”
“Sorry,” I mutter.
“It’s…fuck. Parker, you look—”
Thankfully, I’ve got my back to him, so he doesn’t see the moment I squeeze my eyes closed as flashbacks from our past hit me out of nowhere.
He’s not worthy of you, little P.
As much as I hate to say it, Linc was right.
Seth wasn’t good enough for me. Although, to be fair, I’m not sure I’ve ever met a man who is.
None of them ever step up when needed.
Okay, that’s a lie. Some do, just…not for me.
“Thanks,” I mutter, my cheeks burning.
“Where is he taking you?”
The temptation to say the movies is strong, but I swallow down the nostalgia.
“The Carlton.”
Linc whistles. “Fancy.”
I shrug one shoulder and finally spin around to face him. I discover my mistake instantly.
He’s on his feet and only a few feet away, wearing nothing but a pair of athletic shorts.
His torso is in full view, as are his tattoos.
At the arena, when I have an athlete on my table, they’re nothing but muscles and joints. A machine that needs fixing up. I’m basically a mechanic for a very complex car. I pride myself on being professional.
But with Linc…
Well, he came before the trainer’s table and the experience.
He was one of three men who allowed me to test things out on them. To hone my skills. And as much as I want to say that I saw him no differently to working on my dad or Rett, I’d be lying.
Having him lying before me and at my mercy has always hit differently.
He’s always been more than a machine.
More than just Rett’s best friend.
“He’s a lucky guy, getting to spend the night with you. I hope he knows that,” Linc muses, his eyes taking in every inch of me.
His appreciation is more measured, more considered than it was all those years ago. But we were just silly kids back then. Now, we’re adults who are meant to know what we’re doing.
A laugh rumbles up my throat, but I manage to catch it before it breaks free.
“Only time will tell, I guess,” I muse, hitching my purse up higher on my shoulder.
My cell buzzes, letting me know that my ride is here, and I take a step to the side—only, Linc doesn’t let me escape. Instead, he moves with me, blocking me.
“W-what are you doing?” I ask, my voice weaker, quieter than it was only moments ago.
Linc lifts his hand, and I startle the second his fingertips brush my cheek, the pair of shoes in my hand crashing to the floor, before he tucks a lock of hair behind my ear.
A shudder rips down my spine as his fingers graze my sensitive skin before his thumb purposefully rubs over the sweet spot beneath my ear.
My eyes drop from his to his mouth.
How would it feel if it were his lips there?
“Linc?” I whisper, not trusting myself to speak any louder as I stand frozen in place.
Anyone would think that this is the first time he’s touched me, from how I’m acting.
But that’s far from the truth.
“I hope he’s worthy of you, little P.”
A rush of air passes my lips as he steps even closer.
Without my heels on, he towers over me.
Heat rolls through my body like a wave, and I attempt to discreetly rub my thighs together when my clit begins to beg for attention.
You just need to get laid.
An hour of mindless sex will make all of this better.
Get out of the apartment.
Now, Parker.
Now.
A laugh erupts from me. “I’m yet to meet one that is, but I guess tonight could be my night. Wish me luck,” I say, as I force myself to move away from him. “I could be about to meet my future husband.”
Linc grimaces as I walk backward toward the elevator.
I don’t know why I haven’t turned around and marched away.
No, that’s a lie. I do.
I want him to tell me to cancel.
I want him to—
No. Stop.
He watches me retreat without saying a single word.
“Have a good night, Linc. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
He snorts as his hand lifts, but I spin around before I get to see the way his abs ripple as he rubs his neck. I don’t need the visual; I’ve seen it so many times over the years that I have it committed to memory.
I’m almost at the elevator when he calls out.
I freeze on the spot as all the things I secretly want him to say play out in my mind.
But when he does speak, he doesn’t say a single one of them.
“Your shoes.”
Spinning around, I find him stalking over with my heels swinging from his fingers.
He drops to his knees before me and places them on the floor so I can slip my feet into them.
I swear to God, the sight of him down there makes my brain misfire.
“Get up,” I demand when he doesn’t even attempt to move.
“Humor me.”
With a huff of fake irritation, I lift my good foot and slip it into my shoe. Linc’s gaze burns up the length of my leg, and when he gets to the short hem of my dress, I should move, but I don’t.
Instead, I shift my weight to my other foot and slip my bad one into the other shoe, aware that he can probably see everything right now.
I mean, I’m wearing panties, so it’s not like he can see anything really, but the way my heart is racing and my blood is simmering, I may as well be naked.
I wince in pain but quickly swallow it down. No pain, no gain.
Linc stays on his knees, with his hands resting on his lap. As I take a step back, he swallows thickly before dragging his eyes up to mine.
“Have a good night, little P. Make sure he’s worthy before you give him anything he doesn’t deserve.”
I walk away with my head spinning.
Damn him.
The second I’m settled in the back of my Uber, my eyes roll up the tall building beside me, all the way to the penthouse sitting on the top.
Even if Linc were standing at the window, I wouldn’t be able to see him, but that doesn’t mean goose bumps don’t erupt across my body, making me think that he is.
The driver drags me from my thoughts when he confirms our location and takes off.
Unease builds within me as we make our way through the city toward the hotel where I have a man waiting for me.
A man who won’t hold back.
A man who will give me everything I ask for and never break my heart in the process.
As we get closer, the unease turns to a giant knot sitting heavy in my stomach, making me feel physically sick.
“Umm…could you go around the block again?” I ask my driver, not ready to get out.
“Yeah, sure,” he agrees before taking off.
And when we get around the front again, I ask the same thing.
My cell buzzes, and when I look, I find a message from Henry, checking that I’m still coming.
I’m never usually late, but when I look at the clock, I discover that I am.
My hand trembles as I think about what I’m doing.
This morning, when I made this date, I was so sure of myself.
But now…
Now, going into that hotel and falling into bed with a man is the last thing I want to do.
I quickly tap out an apology and hit send. The second I see it’s read, the pressure lifts, and I swear I breathe for the first time since I climbed into this car.
“Are you getting out, Ma’am?” my driver asks.
“Um…no. Could you carry on driving around for a bit? I’ll give you a new location soon.”
His eyes find mine in the mirror.
“You did the right thing,” he assures me, despite the fact that he has no idea what just happened.