FIFTEEN
PURPOSE, YES, REASON. Resolute, she wouldn’t be shaken from her decision. Sometimes a person just had to leap. Roxie would leap, so this was her, leaping.
“I want the works,” Freya said at her emergency meeting with Conrad.
The surprise of her request made him pause in his descent to his chair. With one hand on the arm, his brows rose as he sank the rest of the way. “Uh… okay… are you sure?” She nodded with as much vigor as she could muster. “Really? Because when you were in here before you said you didn’t want sex at all.”
Dropping her purse to the floor, she flattened her hands, splaying them in the air, indicating an array. “I want everything. Your top package.”
Resolute.
Top package meant top money. What better way was there to guarantee she got what she needed?
Clearing his throat, he hid his smirk by dipping his head and scratching his forehead. Attempted to hide it anyway, he wasn’t doing a very good job.
“Okay…” The Squires boss was gracious enough to clear his amusement before carrying on. “We will update your profile on the system and find new matches to—”
“No,” she said. Purpose. “No need for that. I know who I want.”
Clutching the arms of his chair, he rocked back. “Do you? Who would you like?”
With a single nod, she gave her unequivocal answer. “Baer.”
Determination. No shame here, no siree.
Again, his surprise took the form of a brow raise and not so well disguised smile. Let him be amused, if Baer was the prize, she’d take it.
“A popular choice.” Not something she liked to think about. “But, unfortunately, he doesn’t offer the top package.”
Damn, that was an unexpected dent.
Taken aback, she frowned. “He doesn’t?”
“No,” Conrad said, just letting his smile go. No more mystery here. Opening a drawer, he produced a brochure, which he passed to her. “Maybe you’d like to remind yourself of what’s available at the top tier.”
Given how little attention she paid when perusing the brochure the first time, his suggestion wasn’t a bad one.
A mass of interwoven naked bodies greeted her when she opened it. Immediately, she closed it. That was enough of that.
“No,” she said, pushing it onto the desk and putting a hand to her throat. “Just to me… I want him to… to do everything to me. Not…” She waved a finger in the direction of the brochure. “Not that.” Composure, calm, just pretend he’s not laughing on the inside. Purpose was funny, apparently. “It’s short notice, I know, I will pay top tier rates… whatever it takes.”
“Okay,” he said. “Maybe we can negotiate. Hold on.”
Reaching for the phone on his desk, Conrad pressed a few buttons until ringing pierced the air.
“I said not today, Con,” Baer’s voice came through the speakerphone.
Oh, God, more humiliation. Should she smile or weep? The point of visiting Conrad was to get a measure of how this would work before Baer was introduced into the equation. If she convinced his boss, he couldn’t object, could he? Having Conrad on her side may be useful in encouraging Baer’s agreement.
“Yeah, I know, but, look, I’ve got a client—”
“What part of not today do you not follow?” Baer asked. “Someone told you I’m around? I came in for the gym. I’m not in… not in, in. I’ve been in every day this week. I’m entitled to a damn minute.”
Part of that week included her, but she couldn’t be offended he was frayed, he wasn’t the only one.
The more relevant point? He was there, in the building. Unnerving, he could be close by.
“You gonna let me finish a goddamn sentence, Baer?” Conrad snapped then took a breath. “I have a client, who doesn’t care about seeing you today.”
He looked to her for confirmation; she shook her head fast.
“Oh,” Baer said. “Cool, what’s the problem?”
Conrad’s irritation faded to a smile. “She wants the full package from you.”
“I don’t do men.”
“Yeah, I know,” Conrad said and smirked as he leaned back in his seat. “She says she wants you to do it all to her. Do everything to her… Everything a man can do with a woman… one on one… And she’ll pay for the privilege…” Silence. “Never heard you hesitate before, buddy… This is top dollar for a job. And I gotta tell you, I wouldn’t mind doing this one myself.”
He winked at her. A signal he wasn’t hitting on her or being leery? The comment was a prompt for Baer. And maybe for her too. Did he think Baer cared about her or was he amused that she had such a hard-on—no pun intended—for Baer?
“Then do it yourself,” Baer said. “Use your patter. She won’t care who—”
“No, she’s pretty adamant, man,” Conrad said. “She asked for you by name.”
“Recommendation?”
“No, you know this one.”
Interrupting would be rude, but she was dying to butt in.
“Regular?” Baer asked, trying to figure it out. “My clients want something, they ask for it and are billed. Who would come to you instead of asking me next time we’re together?”
“Hound.”
The word leaped out of her. All on its own. Unintentionally.
In the following quiet, her intense cringe wished the ground would swallow her whole. Conrad stared at her—just stared—awaiting Baer’s response.
“Wait there,” Baer said. “Don’t move. Do nothing.”
The line died.
On another inhale, Conrad opened his arms. “That went well,” he said. “The gym’s two floors down, he’ll be up in just a minute… We could do the paperwork while we wait.”
Opening a different drawer, he retrieved some documents to go through them, letting her read as he explained different clauses.
Conrad was still talking when she plucked a pen from a holder on the desk intending to sign the latest page.
Until someone came rushing in.
“Do not sign that,” Baer said, tossing what sounded like a bag to the floor.
Twisting around, her intention was to object to his barking. But, damn, the bright white tee-shirt, the damp hair, gray sweats… She could smell soap and deodorant and… man. That was a tempting combination, she could go over there and—
“Thought you weren’t in today, buddy?” Conrad semi-mocked.
“I’m not, and neither is she. Lil’—”
“I am here,” she said, finding her voice. “I have decided to do this, Hound. Don’t even—”
“Don’t even, what?” he asked, marching over to drop into the seat next to hers. With his elbows on his parted knees, he leaned in. “Frey—” Stopping himself, he turned to Conrad. “Want to give us some privacy?”
“Privacy?” Conrad said like he’d never heard the word before. “She’s a client. Why would… I…” Quieting, he puffed out his cheeks and stood up. “Sure, okay. Privacy.”
Skirting the desk, he paused by the door to look at them with curious eyes before going out and closing the door.
“Baby—”
“You have every right to refuse me service, but—”
“Service? Skit, don’t talk like that,” he said, scooping a hand around her face, trapping her hair between his palm and her cheek. “Where is this coming from?”
“I want you to come away with me,” she said. “Next weekend, two weeks, with my family… I’ll pay you forty thousand dollars.”
“Frey—”
“I know it’s short notice and you’ll be away from your family and your other job. I’ll cover all expenses and get someone to cover your building’s maintenance, whatever you need.”
“Freya—”
“Fifty thousand,” she said. “Or sixty. Whatever it will take—”
Silencing her with a fingertip on her lips, he smiled. “Now I know how frustrated Conrad was… Little Skit, you were so sure you didn’t want me with you. What changed?”
His touch slid away to let her voice out. “Back then I didn’t want to hire you because I… I don’t know, I didn’t want to fall for it. I thought it was an act. Idiot me believed it until I realized it was practiced. This is what you do, and I was a fool, it was an act, and I believed it.”
Sinking back in his chair, he breathed out. “It was an act… until you were on your knees in front of me at that vending machine. Shit, baby, I’d have…”
“I know.” She nodded, shifting in her chair to put her knees between his and lay her hands on his thighs. “At the beginning it was, it was the persona, I get that… But… things are different between us now, Baer. Aren’t they different? I don’t know what this is or where it’s going, but I thought, why not spend some time together and find out? I need a fake boyfriend and you need the money. I won’t miss the money, it’s nothing to me…” Sensing he may be coming around, she pulled herself closer, digging her fingers in deeper. “You told me not to choose Donoghue.” Leaning in, she lowered her volume. “And you told me you didn’t want to go all the way with that client… This will give us some breathing room. It’s two weeks of getting to know each other.”
“And not having to worry about either of us being with anyone else.”
She smiled. “Right… And the money gives us both a buffer anyway, if we decide after two weeks, or at any time, we want out, we call it business and walk away.”
“Sixty grand is too much.”
Though he needed every cent. “Whatever it is, I’ll pay,” she said, driving her hands higher while bowing lower. “You’re worth it.”
The corner of his mouth reacted; he exhaled a laugh. “You know how often women say that to me?”
She laughed. “Okay, so you’re not worth it… I don’t think of it as money for you anyway. It’s money for your family, for them to live on while you’re not here… In case of emergency, that kind of thing… I’m paying them for denying them your company…”
“Oh, you don’t need to convince me to take the dough, sweetheart,” he said. “In an ideal world I’d support you—”
“Please don’t let finances come between us. It’s the twenty-first century and I can’t apologize for what’s in my bank account. We’re still equals, and I want to give you this. Don’t be threatened by it.”
“I’m not, and, baby, there’s nothing wrong with my ego, don’t worry about it. So long as we’re clear it’s you I want, not your bank account. But if this is business…” His eyes flicked down to take advantage of the view his younger brother enjoyed at the hospital. “What do you want for your money, Skit?”
Good progress. “Two things,” she said, straightening her arms and meeting his eye. “Fidelity.”
“For the two weeks, right? Because after we’re back in town—”
She nodded. “I know, I know. Yes, for the two weeks… Fidelity while I’m paying you because if you’re still interested in making money, there will be events after. I’d prefer it if you didn’t solicit other women while we’re at dinner with my family, you know?”
He laughed and reached over to tuck her hair behind her ear. “Fair enough. And number two?”
This one was more serious than the first and may be more divisive. May? Try definitely.
Licking her lips, she curled them into her mouth and took her time letting them go. “No sex.”
His eyes closed before they opened wider. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t want us to have sex while I’m paying you.”
“What happened to wanting everything a man can do with a woman?”
“Your boss can believe that; this truth is between us.”
Personal, not business.
Tilting his head, he peered into her. “Let me get this straight, you want us to explore what this might be, but you don’t want us to have sex?”
“Right.”
“You, the first woman in five years I’ve been attracted to, as me, personally… and you want me to agree I won’t make moves on you?”
“Moves are okay,” she said, secretly anticipating that enticement. “You’ll have to be my fake boyfriend in front of everyone at God knows what kind of events.” Fake boyfriend? Fake while there was cash involved. Why make that distinction? “Holding my hand and kissing me is the job, we’ll have to be familiar. And we’ll be sharing a room… and a bed, so…”
“So… sex naturally follows.”
She was quick to prod him. “No! See, this is why you have to agree. We are not allowed to have sex while I’m paying you. Not while I’m paying you.”
His head tilted the other way like her reiteration flagged a loophole. “What about when you’re not paying me?”
She shrugged and stooped again, this time laying the points of her elbows on his solid thighs. “That’s allowed. That’s non-fake boyfriend.”
Still didn’t make him her real boyfriend, just not, not… her confuddled mind couldn’t keep up. Oh, she couldn’t think straight with him.
“Okay, right, good,” he said. “This is boundaries.” He paused. “But you’ll be paying me for two weeks straight.” She nodded. “No sex for two weeks?” She nodded again. “You know how long it’s been since I’ve gone two weeks without sex?”
“According to you, if we discount all the sex you’ve been paid to have, it’s been five years.”
Unsure she’d convinced him, her butt left the seat as she slid her hands up his body. She took her time slithering onto his lap and coiling her arms around his neck.
“I’m not paying you now.”
That intrigued him. “You want to have sex here?” he asked, glancing around. “Door doesn’t lock, but I’m good with that. I’ve been watched plenty.”
If he’d been doing this for years, she didn’t doubt he’d probably done just about everything.
When he tried to marry their mouths, she leaned back. “Except if Conrad catches us, he’ll put it on my bill and my conditions will be shot to hell…” Pouting, she wriggled in his lap. “I’ll be worth waiting for.”
“Waiting ‘til when?” he asked. “What day do we go away?”
Squealing in delight, she bounced her fist on his shoulder. “You’ll do it?”
“I’m not going to say no to you, am I? When?”
“Saturday.”
“There’s a lot of time between now and Saturday.”
She rested her forehead on his cheek. “I’m not having sex with you on the same day you have sex with clients.”
“God, these rules just keep on coming, don’t they? I don’t have a client tonight. There’s three tomorrow, so…”
Her mouth opened. In slow motion, she slanted away. If it wasn’t for his hand splaying on her back, she’d have fallen right out of the chair.
“Three? You have three dates tomorrow?”
“Breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” he said, flashing her his dimple. “That’s a lie, it’s like lunch, afternoon delight, and then dinner.”
It boggled her mind. “How do you do that?”
“How do I do what?”
“Go from one woman to the next.”
“They know what I do,” he said. “They don’t expect me not to see other women… it’s my job. It’s not love. I don’t care about them… not about their feelings and—”
“No, not that.” Dropping her gaze, her head bobbed side to side. “How do you… do… it?”
“You think I can’t get it up three times a day?”
“In close proximity like that with women you just said you don’t care about… You must be exhausted by the time you get home.”
He laughed and skimmed his hand up her back to draw their mouths together. “If you’re worried there won’t be anything left in the tank by the time I get home to you, don’t be,” he said. “You’ll be my priority, Little Skit.”
Noble. Kissing him was incredible. Their tongues tangled, his hand found its way into her top, maybe they would do it right there… Could she be with a man who did… this? Who shared himself with…? Already she was feeling something and didn’t like to think about him with other women. It was jealousy, there was no other word for it.
Their attraction was still new, and he was desperate for cash. She couldn’t ask him to change his life or lifestyle for her. Not… yet? Would there come a time…?
He had his father and brothers to support and a zillion medical bills. She’d happily assume the financial responsibilities, except most men wouldn’t want a woman striding in and taking over. And if she did, wouldn’t it be like paying him to be in a relationship with her anyway?
And then there was the other elephant: Truman. If he found out she was even considering a relationship with a gigolo, he’d cut her off for sure. Then she’d just be another mouth for Baer to feed. Another person for him to look after, she’d never be able to ask him to stop after that. Adding her to the mix would increase his burden and Squires was how he kept the family afloat.
With a palm on his chest, she separated their mouths to seek his eyes. “Baer,” she said as he ran his fingers into her hair, watching it move between them. “Do you use protection?”
His hand dropped and the ease of his expression became a frown. “Yes,” he said. “Always… Why would you ask me that? I’m clean. We get regular physicals.”
“No, I wasn’t thinking that I… I was wondering about kids.”
Opening his mouth in acceptance, he nodded. “Yeah, we sometimes have women who consider us walking sperm banks, which is why we provide all protection ourselves. We don’t use what the women provide and there are no exceptions. We have non-latex condoms for women who are allergic, natural alternatives, everything… There are no little Baers out there… You want to get lunch?”
From potential kids to lunch without skipping a beat. His confidence was okay, there would be time to get into all the nitty-gritty, preferably while not in Conrad’s office.
Using his chest as a lever point, she got to her feet. “I can’t today. I have a date.”
“Oh yeah?” Pushing up in the chair, he examined her. “A date? With who?”
Bending down, she picked up her purse to hook the strap over her shoulder. “Who else? My boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend, huh?”
Detecting the tease, he relaxed a little, but she wasn’t giving in.
“Yes,” she said. “And don’t sit there all cocky, he’s tough. You should watch yourself, you know…” She wiggled her finger at him. “For what we just did there. He’d take you apart for doing that.”
“You sat on me, Skit… And it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve kissed another man’s girlfriend,” he said, linking his fingers on the top of his head. “Tell me about this boyfriend.”
“He’s cute.” She straightened the strap of her purse. “He’s a little beat up right now, but when he’s on top form, he’ll take you down.”
“Will he?”
“Sure,” she said, coiling her fingers around the strap. “He’s a criminal.”
“A criminal?” One dimple peeked. “You know what I do here isn’t exactly legal?”
She mock sneered. “This is kids’ stuff. He’s a real criminal. Wanted for breaking and entering as a matter of fact.”
“Presley,” he murmured, then laughed. “You’re taking my little brother out for lunch?”
“Actually, his father is taking me out.”
“Meeting the family, huh?” he asked, pushing out of his chair and slinging an arm around her. “My invite must have got lost in the mail.”
“You’re not coming.”
“Why not? It’s the weekend. If Abel and Pres will be there, Charlie will too… You can have the whole set.”
“The whole set.” They paused for him to pick up his bag and toss the strap over his head. “I like the sound of that.”