She pulled her hand away and wrapped the tuxedo jacket tighter around herself. ‘I think I’ll just go to bed.’
He watched as she slipped past, his feet stuck to the ground. ‘Jenny?’
‘Goodnight, Brody.’ She hoped his plan for the senator was working, but she wasn’t up for a chat. Not about this.
* * *
Genieve was lying in bed the next morning when her phone rang. She’d slept in late, and she was avoiding getting up. She’d heard Brody moving around, but she wasn’t ready to face him yet. He’d knocked on her door once to see if she was OK. If he was calling her to make her talk to him…
She picked her new phone up off of the nightstand and sat up when she saw who was calling. ‘Hello?’
‘I hear you’re bored.’
She let out a frustrated sigh and flopped back against the pillows. ‘Nina, that man is a tyrant. No walks, no dinners out, no sunbathing…I can’t take it.’
Nina let out a sympathetic hum. ‘I know, sweetie. Brody’s just trying to keep the reporters away from you. It shouldn’t be that much longer. I’m sure he’s told you his plan.’
‘Plan, plan, plan. That’s all he ever does. I want action.’ She plucked at the covers. She’d thought she’d been going to get some last night, but then she’d learned his true feelings about her. It made her confinement seem so much worse. Darn it, she’d begun to like the guy. ‘He’s such a stick-in-the-mud. I’m going out of my mind.’
‘Well, if you’re really looking for something to do, I could use your assistance.’
She perked up. ‘I’ll do anything.’
‘All right, well, ever since that break-in happened to you, we’ve been trying to compile a list of clients who might have a grudge against you or Luxxor.’
‘You think somebody was trying to get back at us?’
‘At this point I really don’t, but the exercise exposed a lot of holes in our database.’
Genieve bit her lip. She didn’t like where this was going. ‘You know I’m not a paperwork girl, Nina.’
‘No, no. Here’s my idea. I’ll give you a list of people, and you compile everything you know about them: their likes and dislikes, passions and interests, known associates, affiliations, any quirks, etc. Record them on your phone if you wish. Rielle can transcribe them later.’
Genieve rolled on her side and pulled up her knees. ‘I could do that.’
If she had to stay…
‘It would be such a help.’
She stared out the bedroom window as Nina went through her plans. It was overcast and drizzling today, but her boss sounded good. Almost upbeat. She was on top of things, and she sounded calmer than she had the last time they’d spoken – especially when the subject of Detective Morgan came up. Genieve bit her thumbnail. The big tough detective was still out there, poking around on the case.
‘So…you and the detective have been talking?’ she asked cautiously.
‘Yes, we’ve been…talking.’ Nina’s voice sounded odd.
‘I’m really sorry he got dragged into this. I know he’s been lingering around Luxxor, looking for…’ Genieve rolled onto her back and dropped her hand over her head. ‘Never mind. I just know my luck could not have been worse.’
Talk about an understatement. She’d been caught with a client, and the one man she might have been truly interested in had seen the tape. Depression sank back in. He was attracted to her, but he couldn’t get past her job…her job where she slept with men for payment.
Genieve took a heavy breath. She’d thought she’d gotten past making excuses for what she was.
‘It’s all right, sweetie. It wasn’t your fault.’
But her involvement had brought the detective back to Luxxor’s door. ‘Morgan hasn’t been giving you a hard time, has he?’
Nina cleared her throat and evaded the question. ‘Speaking of difficult men, did Brody mention to you the discussion he and I had last night?’
Nina had been at the event? No, they hadn’t gotten around to it. There had been other revelations last night. ‘What discussion?’ Genieve asked hesitantly.
Nina sighed. ‘I told him you can’t remain in hiding for ever.’
‘Well, hallelujah for that. Thank you.’
‘Don’t thank me just yet. His solution was a bit…creative.’
Genieve let out an unladylike snarl. Weren’t they always? ‘What did he do?’
Nina hesitated until finally just giving it to her square. ‘He told me to sign you to an exclusive contract – with him.’
‘What?’ Genieve jackknifed straight up in bed. Tension rang through her body until it twanged loose. She broke out in laughter. ‘You can’t be serious.’
‘I am. He’s willing to pay for your full time.’
Of course he was. ‘To keep me away from the spotlight until the election is over,’ she said dryly.
‘So…I should tell him we decline?’
‘I didn’t say that.’ They shouldn’t decide too quickly. Genieve pushed back the covers and got out of bed. Her own plans began forming as she paced around the room. ‘I’m not opposed to taking his money. It would be his money, right? Not the campaign’s or his company’s?’
‘I can make it a stipulation of the contract.’
Ha. Mr Smarty Pants. He could spin things whatever way he wanted, but he was on their turf now.
‘Would you like me to include the no-sex clause?’ Nina asked.
Genieve let out a scoff. And take away one of her biggest weapons? ‘Why handcuff ourselves – especially if we find we want to use handcuffs in the future?’
Nina clicked her tongue. ‘Genieve, the contract would be real.’
‘So let’s make him sweat.’ Her blood was pumping again. She knew what this was about. It was what she’d figured out for herself in the laundry room. Nina had made a move, and Brody had simply tried to block her. That was why he’d gotten so uncomfortable last night. ‘It’s never going to happen, Nina. He’s spinning things. It’s what he does.’
‘So you want to use this contract to spin him?’
‘Like a record, baby.’
Nina went quiet for the longest time, and Genieve began to worry. She had say over who she escorted, but Nina made the final call. She wouldn’t play games that could backfire on Luxxor, and Brody would be an imposing enemy – but he was the one who’d asked for this.
‘Why don’t you get back to me with your list of conditions?’ Nina said.
Genieve’s knees wobbled in relief. ‘I’ll do that.’
‘And Genieve? Make sure you negotiate them with Brody first.’
‘Oh, trust me.’ She stopped in front of the standing mirror in the corner of the room. She’d slept in his tuxedo jacket. ‘I can’t wait.’
Chapter Seven
Genieve fluffed her hair as she looked at herself in the mirror. So Brody wanted an exclusive contract with her, did he? Her eyes sparkled at the challenge.
He couldn’t handle an exclusive contract with her.
‘Be careful what you wish for, Brody boy,’ she whispered.
Energy buzzed through her. She was dying to hear what he had to say about this, but first she needed to prepare for the discussion. Deciding her attire was perfect, she marched across the hallway to the bathroom. She tidied up and put on some makeup. She went for the ‘natural’ look guys seemed to love but failed to understand took time. She ran a brush through her hair and changed it from bedhead to artfully tousled. Finally, she sprayed her favourite musk perfume on her wrists and neck and between her breasts. She rolled up the sleeves of his tuxedo and re-evaluated. The jacket was big on her, but with her purple bra and panties it was hardcore sexy.
Oh, yeah. She was ready. When she opened the bathroom door, she was on the hunt.
She started with his office, where he usually spent his mornings, but it was empty. So was his bedroom. She made her way down the hallway and found him sitting on the sofa with all his tech toys spread out before him. Samu
el’s latest interview must be going viral.
He glanced up when he heard her and did a rapid double-take. His irises flared as she stopped by his side.
‘Good morning,’ she said as she twirled a strand of her hair around her finger.
‘Morning,’ he repeated on autopilot. ‘Are you feeling OK?’
‘Mmm.’ She gave a lazy stretch that made his gaze slide heavily down to her legs. ‘Just getting off to a slow start today.’
‘You sure?’ He dropped his feet and put his laptop on the table. ‘You seemed upset last night.’
She wobbled her head. Upset…crushed…humiliated…Why split hairs?
She glanced at the fire in the fireplace. There was a chill in the air today. The rain had started for real, and it splattered against the windows. She hoped it wouldn’t be too cold for her petunias, but they would love drinking fresh water. No matter what a smack in the face it might be…
She took the easy chair that faced Brody and crossed her legs. The jacket draped open around her, showing the purple lingerie set that had intrigued him so much last night – but not enough for him to do anything about it without a piece of paper between them.
She traced the strap of her bra down her chest to where it met the lace cup. ‘That was Nina on the phone just now. She said you had a request of me.’
‘Aw, fuck,’ he breathed. He sat back hard against the sofa cushions and rubbed his hands over his face. Finally, he dropped them in his lap. ‘I wanted to talk to you about that first.’
She gave him a sexy smile. ‘Are you in the market for an escort, Brody?’
His expression darkened. So much for being stoic today. ‘She was going to put you back out into the field,’ he said. ‘Right now, in the middle of everything.’
And it was the last part that was the most important, right?
‘So you thought you’d step in?’ Like a gallant knight? She preferred her Black Knight, full of darkness and cunning. He’d stop at nothing to get what he wanted, but that wasn’t what this was about, was it?
‘This is what I wanted to talk to you about last night,’ he said.
‘OK, so let’s talk.’ She gave him the once-over that he was giving her. He was in jeans again. This time the T-shirt was from a Foo Fighters concert. His feet were bare, and it made it more difficult for her. This was the Brody she found so fascinating. If he was in his suit and tie, she’d know better where she stood. She wrapped her hands around the arms of the chair. ‘I’m assuming you want an exclusive arrangement, since I can’t go out on the town these days.’
With a hushed curse, he leaned forward and braced his elbows against his knees. ‘All you’d need to do is stay with me. Just like we’re doing now.’
‘But surely you know that an exclusive contract with Luxxor entitles you to more?’
He looked at her hard. ‘Are we really going to do this?’
She shrugged. ‘Nina said we should work out the details.’
‘And you’re willing?’
‘I haven’t got a better offer…at the moment.’
His jaw set. ‘OK, let’s get down to it then.’
‘Let’s,’ she agreed. She rolled her ankle and saw the way his gaze followed the motion before moving up her shin to her knee and then her thighs. The hot look made her shift in the comfy chair. ‘You want me to stay here, but I need clarification. Do you want to have sex with me?’
‘Yes.’
Her breath hitched. She’d meant to make him squirm, but he hadn’t even hesitated.
‘Were you not sure of that?’ he asked.
Frankly, she wasn’t. He’d been sending her so many crossed signals, but apparently, with a contract in place, he felt more comfortable about making his move. She didn’t want him comfortable. ‘All right. Any kinks?’
‘Do we really have to discuss this?’ he asked gruffly.
‘We really do.’ She’d had clients who liked her feet, another had been all about her hair, and then there had been the guy who’d collected her panties. She needed to know if any surprises were coming. He’d already thrown her a huge curve by going through Nina first.
‘Hard to say, but I’m not an old man.’ A muscle in his jaw flexed. ‘I’m going to be on you all night and day.’
He thought he was onto her, calling her bluff. Genieve decided to turn up the heat. She ran her fingers down along her breastbone and into her cleavage. ‘I have the staying power, if you do.’
His gaze ate up her breasts, and she felt her nipples perk up again, hard and hungry.
‘Any toys?’ she asked, her voice husky.
‘Don’t need them, but why limit ourselves?’ he returned.
His hands were clasped before him, but she could see his fingers drumming. She knew what that meant, and her lips curled. She was getting to him. ‘Anything goes?’
‘Anything we both like.’ His voice was practically a growl now.
It made her thighs squeeze. Trying to hide her reaction, she tucked her legs up to the side. The chair was deep and accommodating, but his jacket opened wider, showing more of her body.
And he wasn’t being shy about looking.
She needed to take him down a peg. ‘OK, but you’ll have to use protection.’
If anything, his attention focused even more, making her hips shift.
‘All my clients are required,’ she said. ‘That’s my stipulation.’
‘What about your boyfriends?’
‘My personal life is off-limits,’ she said sharply. ‘Stipulation number two.’
He eased back on the sofa, draping his arm along the arm rest. His legs were spread wide, and he drummed his fingers against his thigh. ‘Well, I’m going to need to know if you have a boyfriend or not, because that’s a deal-breaker for me. I don’t poach.’
Genieve stiffened. She hadn’t had a boyfriend for a while. It was difficult with her job. She either had to lie about it or find someone who was OK with it – and if they were OK with it, she wasn’t OK with them. It was a double standard, she knew, but that’s the way it was. ‘I’m currently unattached.’
She swore she saw the bulge behind the zipper of his jeans grow bigger, and she just wanted to scream at him. ‘Is there anyone you want me to pretend to be?’ she asked, forcing herself to remain calm.
‘Be yourself.’
‘Anything I should wear to get you off?’
He let out a chuckle – an actual laugh. ‘You’ve been doing a damn good job at that already.’
Oh, really. If she was what he wanted, why hadn’t he made any moves? She’d been throwing herself at him for days, but it was only now that she was becoming his escort that he pretended to be stepping up. And she knew he was pretending. He was going to blink soon, because she wasn’t backing down.
‘Anything else?’ she asked. ‘Is there anything in particular you like? Any positions I should prepare myself for?’
‘All of them.’
The devil. She could see why people hired him to handle tricky situations. He excelled at this.
‘Just do what feels good,’ he said, his voice barely carrying above the crackle of the fire.
‘You’ll have to tell me what that is,’ she teased.
‘Oh, I will, but I meant what feels good for you.’
She blinked, but then smiled at him slowly. ‘I don’t think you understand the role of an escort.’
‘I thought I could make my own rules.’
‘We make the rules.’
‘Don’t you want to feel good?’
Thunder rolled outside, and a shudder went through her. Enough. This verbal thrusting and parrying was turning her on more than anything any of her previous clients had done before. But she didn’t want to lump Brody in with them. She didn’t want to think of them at all.
She uncurled from the chair and picked up his pad of paper and a pen. ‘I think we’ve lined everything out pretty well. Why don’t you write it all down for Nina?’
He pushed the pen and paper ba
ck at her. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to do it?’
Oh, she was sure. She let her hair fall to the side and opened the jacket wide. She rolled her hips ever so slightly. ‘This is all about trust, Brody.’
Their gazes connected, and he nodded in understanding. Bowing his head, he began to write. Soon, the list they’d negotiated was there in his crisp, clean script. He held the pen out for her.
She shook her head. ‘I’m sure you got it all.’
‘You need to sign it too. Then it will be official.’
‘Isn’t that what the contract is for?’
‘This will be our own private one until we get that ironed out with Luxxor.’
Such a stickler for details. Genieve took the pen and bent at the waist to sign on the lined spiral notebook page. He stood with her as she rose again.
And then he was on her.
The pen dropped from her hand, hit the edge of the coffee table and cartwheeled off. His hands slid around her waist, underneath the jacket, and he pulled her to him. Their bodies bumped together hard. His mouth settled over her surprised gasp, and then he was kissing her senseless.
Genieve was still off-balance when he backed her up against the wall. She caught his shoulders, and his weight pressed into her.
Oh, God. He wasn’t blinking. He was calling her bluff.
He broke the kiss to run hot pecks down her neck. ‘Where did you get the crazy idea that I didn’t want you?’
She knew he wanted her, but want didn’t amount to much when it was always overruled by common sense. He was only giving into it now because the logic had turned.
But damn, he must have the willpower of an ox.
She arched her neck and threaded her fingers through his dark hair. His mouth was hungry, and the erection bumping against her stomach seemed impatient. ‘You’ve got me now,’ she said, giving in.
When want and logic aligned, they were a powerful duo. And he wasn’t the only one who’d wanted.
His mouth settled over hers again, and she kissed him back. She swept her tongue along his lower lip, and his hands clamped onto her bottom. With her thong providing only strategic coverage, the touch was skin on skin. She moaned when his fingertips dug in. A growl bubbled up from his throat, and he rocked her hips forward so he could grind against her.
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