‘Yes, but…’
‘But you didn’t ask TMI News to break into your hotel room with a camera.’
‘No.’ No, she hadn’t.
‘If Samuel cries big crocodile tears now, it’s not your fault if people decide to vote for him again.’
She cocked her head. ‘Doesn’t any of this bother you?’
His gaze drifted over her face. ‘Some of it.’
Her skin tingled. She’d always thought he hadn’t liked her being with Samuel because of the political implications. Now she wasn’t so sure.
‘Do you think the tide has turned? Should I go back home and play my part?’
She found herself holding her breath. It shouldn’t matter if she went out in public. She’d just wear dark sunglasses and keep up the charade of the breakup. But she was with Brody now – and the one thing they hadn’t discussed was how long their arrangement was going to last.
‘No,’ he said abruptly. He got to his feet and she could feel the rise in energy, even as his expression turned even more pokerfaced and calculating. ‘They’d be on you like vultures, wanting your side of the story. You need to stay an enigma. You’ve broken up with the senator and have gone into hiding to avoid any more confrontations with the press.’ He pointed at the tablet that had tumbled from his lap onto the sofa. ‘It says so right there.’
Genieve scrunched her nose. Somehow a website had found a picture of her walking with Samuel and looking upset. If she remembered correctly, she’d stepped in gum. ‘So I’m supposed to be eating ice-cream and drinking wine?’
‘If the internet says so, it must be true.’
She let out a huff.
‘Not the case?’
She rolled a shoulder. She’d never had her heart broken before. ‘I imagine I’d be taking a lot of kickboxing classes.’
‘Not Zumba?’
‘No, the Zumba comes when I’m looking for my next boyfriend.’
His eyebrows jumped, and she pushed away from the couch. ‘Hey, did I see you using some fancy voice-recognition software on your laptop?’
He shook his head as if he was having trouble moving off the Zumba subject. ‘I’ve got a couple. What are you looking for?’
‘One where it will write down what I say. Rielle called me with some work for Luxxor, but I just did my nails yesterday.’ She wiggled them at him. They were red and shiny. They’d looked super-sexy biting into his shoulders.
His gaze got stuck. Apparently he thought so too. He rubbed a hand over his head. ‘Sure, you can use it.’
She followed him down the hallway to his office. She hadn’t spent much time in the room. It seemed more private and off limits – like the king villain’s lair. He sat her down in front of his desk and soon had her set up with his laptop and a headset.
‘How does it work?’ she asked.
He backspaced over the words the software had written. ‘Just speak clearly. It will get better as it goes along.’
‘I didn’t see that. What did it say?’
‘Chow on the fork.’
She made a face. ‘I said, “How does it work?”’
He pointed at the screen. ‘And it got it right that time.’
‘OK.’ She adjusted the headset so the microphone didn’t hit her nose. She could get the hang of it. ‘Thank you.’
He hesitated.
‘Unless you…need me for something?’ she asked.
The look on his face went from curious to hardened.
Genieve sighed. She didn’t know how to play this game of pretend. Did he want her for real or was she his escort? He’d said she wasn’t supposed to play him, so she flicked her fingers at him. ‘Shoo. You can’t hear this.’
His lips quirked, but his curiosity had been roused. ‘What kind of work did they send you?’
‘Nothing, really.’ She set her phone on the desk and casually swiped through screens. ‘Just some database work.’
‘Database?’
She rolled her eyes and muttered underneath her breath. She could hear it in his tone. Even that was too much information to give him.
He stepped back towards her. ‘Are you telling me that Luxxor keeps databases of information on people?’
‘No.’ She wasn’t telling him that. He’d figured it out on his own. Drat.
‘Is there information in there on Gunderson?’
‘This has nothing to do with him. Besides, it’s little stuff like what kind of food a client prefers or the activities they enjoy doing.’ And maybe a few idiosyncrasies like the client was vertically challenged and not to wear heels…or that he had an upcoming business deal that could affect the stock market…or that he had a teensy problem with prescription painkillers…You know, the little things.
Brody went quiet. ‘Why do they have you filling it out?’
Genieve had been so prepared for him to demand that she remove everything pertaining to Samuel that the question caught her by surprise. And then it left her gut-punched. ‘Because I’m good at it. I’m able to read and understand people – except for you.’
She stood up and the headset jerked. She ripped it off and slammed the laptop shut. ‘I haven’t escorted everyone in DC, Brody, and most of our engagements don’t involve sex. Luxxor sends people out on dates, and we try to pair clients and escorts who will have a nice time together.’
‘Jenny, I didn’t mean…’
‘Yes, you did.’ She gathered up the laptop and its accessories. ‘I’m going to my bedroom.’
‘I was hoping you’d be moving into my room tonight.’
She stopped in the doorway.
‘Fine, but you wanted the girlfriend experience.’ She flipped her hair over her shoulder. ‘You’ll be sleeping on the couch.’
* * *
Brody stared out the sliding glass door to the back yard. The rain was still coming down in sheets. It smacked against the plate glass, trying to get to him, and rolled down the window when it failed. The outdoor fire pit sat cold, while the fire in the fireplace hissed and snapped. He could hear it cursing at him from halfway across the room.
He could be an ass; he knew it. He was paid to get results, not to be nice. It was a bad habit he’d let slip into his personal life, and Genieve had called him on it. But that was where he kept getting tripped up. Was this for the job? Or was it personal? He wasn’t sure he knew.
The girlfriend experience.
He drummed his knuckles against the window. He supposed that was about as close as you could get. He’d known what she did walking in – hell, he’d hired her – but he still wanted to pretend. He wanted to forget about her other clients.
Talk about a double standard.
He let out a long breath that fogged up the window. He’d thought that signing her to an exclusive contract would kill two birds with one stone, but it might have just made things worse. For someone who made money hiding the truth, he was dangerously close to exposing his.
He wanted her – had ever since the first night they’d met.
He still remembered that call. She’d asked him to come help her with Gunderson, and her voice alone had made him sit up and take notice. It had been all soft and smoky. He’d driven across town wondering who she was and what she looked like. He hadn’t been prepared when he’d found the pair at a Senate barbecue. Gunderson had been flat-out drunk, but Genieve had been right at his side propping him up, smiling and expertly hiding his intoxication from stuffy Senator Margulies. That man used anything he could against the opposing party, but he’d been close to voting with Gunderson on a bill that would create jobs.
Brody had known all that. He’d swiftly carted Gunderson away, but he’d been on autopilot. All his attention had been on the beauty who’d saved the night. Genieve. Who was the smart redhead with the bubbly laugh and banging body? And what was she doing with Gunderson? He’d quickly learned, and his head was still ringing from the punch that had been.
He looked at the time. She’d been shut in her room for way too long. �
��Hell.’
He needed to apologise.
He walked down the hallway, but stalled outside her bedroom door. He made himself knock. ‘Jenny?’
There was a long pause before she responded. ‘What?’
He opened the door. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed with his laptop in her lap. She pushed the headset off and let it drape around her neck.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said.
Her green eyes flared, but the stubborn set of her jaw loosened. She sighed and closed the laptop. ‘You’re forgiven.’
He hesitated on the threshold. He hadn’t expected it to be that easy. Deciding to go with it, he entered the room. ‘You missed lunch.’
‘I was mad at you.’
And zing…She wasn’t totally over it. He supposed he deserved that. ‘Fair enough.’
He looked around the bedroom. She’d made her mark. Splashes of colour were here and there, from her perfume bottles to the picture on the wall. He looked closer. It was his signed poster from the Stones’ Voodoo Lounge tour. She’d framed it.
‘We’re going to have to add another stipulation to our agreement,’ she said. ‘No snide remarks about my job.’
‘All right.’ He walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down beside her. He stretched out his legs and kept an eye on his feet. ‘I just have a hard time with it.’
‘So you hired me, but you have a problem with that?’
He finally looked at her. ‘Yeah.’
Her green eyes got even bigger before she broke the look. Her hands seemed clumsy as she removed the headset and unplugged it. His brow furrowed. She seemed…unsettled. He’d never seen that in her before.
‘I know it’s contradictory.’
The corners of her lips twitched. ‘It’s OK. Really.’
He leaned back against the headboard. Outside, the clouds were heavy. They blocked the sun and were making for a dreary day, but things inside her room felt cosy. Intimate.
‘Did you finish everything you needed to do?’ he asked.
‘Enough for today.’
He traced the pattern of the bedspread. ‘Show me what you’re good at. Tell me how you read people.’
She curled the laptop into her arms. ‘I don’t know how I do it. I just do.’
‘What did you think of Gunderson when you first met him?’
‘I can’t tell you that. It’s confidential.’
‘OK, what about his assistant with the bowtie? He’s not a client. Is he?’
‘You know I can’t say.’ She nibbled her lip. ‘But he’s a good guy. He likes Indian food, his favourite colour is neon green, and he’s big into bicycling. He’d attend the Kennedy Center free shows every night of the week if he could, but he suffers through sports bars instead because he likes jocks.’
‘So he’s gay.’
‘If you didn’t know that, then you’re really bad at this.’
Brody smirked. ‘I picked it up, but where did you get the green? Did he tell you?’
‘You have to pay attention to people, Brody, not just what they do. All his office supplies are neon green. So is his bike helmet. Have you not seen the bowtie?’
‘Can’t say that I have.’
‘Things like that are important to people.’
What was important to her? She valued her friends, he knew that. She was impulsive, and she dived in when trying new things. She was sharp, in brains and in personality. He looked at her nails. She despised the nine-to-five, but those were little things. He wanted to know more.
‘What about Megan?’ he asked.
‘Well, first off her name is Maggie. She’s a homebody who’s still a bit overwhelmed by DC. She’s got a strong sense of right and wrong, with not much middle ground. She doesn’t like spicy food, and she’s very close with her family.’
‘Who would you pair her up with?’
‘Samuel.’
Brody’s head snapped back. ‘Seriously?’
‘Huge case of puppy love.’
Well, he knew Gunderson didn’t see the woman other than as his Girl Friday. Thank goodness for that, although a romance with an office staffer was something that could be explained away more easily.
Than an escort…
‘OK, too easy.’ He shifted to face her and propped an elbow on the headboard. ‘What about me?’
Her green eyes danced. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Hit me.’
She put the laptop on the nightstand and scooted around to face him. The pillow at her side plumped up her breasts and made them impossible to ignore in the top she was wearing.
‘Well, you’re a breast man,’ she said casually.
His gaze snapped up to her face. From the press of her nipples against that thin fabric, she liked that about him.
She grinned, not the least bit self-conscious. ‘Actually, you’re tough to read. You want everyone to think you’re a badass. You pretend you don’t have feelings, but I’ve begun to suspect you do. It’s a still-waters-run-deep kind of thing.’
He nodded.
‘Like that,’ she said, reaching out and tapping him on the chest.
She let her touch linger and traced his collarbone. ‘You’re smart, loyal and always prepared to ride to the rescue. You have all the markings of a good guy, but you’ve put your mind on the side of evil. The question is why?’
She wasn’t the only one with questions about why.
‘You tell me,’ he said. ‘You’re the mind-reader here.’
‘I’m still working on it, but I know you spent a lot of time in bars. I’m thinking you were either a bartender or in a band.’
He blinked. Whoa. She did have a bit of a fortune teller in her.
‘And you like redheads.’
‘You shouldn’t make generalisations.’
He liked her.
Her gaze slid up slowly and locked with his.
‘I really am sorry,’ he said.
She fisted her hand in his T-shirt and pulled him to her. Their mouths met, and Brody could have sworn he heard the crackling of the fire out in the fireplace. The kiss was hot enough to send steam out of his ears. She went up on her knees and draped her arms around his neck. She was taller than him like this, and he tipped his head back as she kissed him again. Their tongues stroked, and he hooked an arm around her waist when she straddled his lap.
‘If it makes it any better, you’re the only client I’ve ever fought with.’ Her green gaze was steady as she looked down at him.
‘We agreed not to talk about them.’
He threaded his fingers in the soft waterfall of her hair. She came back willingly, and her kiss became hotter as she settled down on his lap. Her thighs tucked around his hips, and her curvy bottom landed on his thighs. They clenched, and he ground against her.
‘Mmm,’ she hummed. She tucked her face against his neck. ‘Slow down, lover boy. This time I want to lead.’
Brody felt his pulse race. Her soothing kisses and licks weren’t doing anything to calm him down. He settled his hands on her waist. ‘Then get off the starting line.’
‘Like this?’
She moved her hips in the most mind-blowing way.
‘That will do,’ he said through gritted teeth.
She chuckled, low and sexy. ‘I thought so.’
She caught his T-shirt and leaned back to work it off. Brody lifted his arms so she could pull it over his head. When she tossed it aside, she stopped and just stared. ‘I could play here for hours.’
He rested his hands on her thighs. ‘Nobody’s stopping you.’
Her touch was warm and soft as she stroked his chest. His heart thudded against her palm when she lined her fingers up with his ribs. She pressed a kiss against his pec, and her hair fell forward as her concentration dropped to his abs. ‘You’re just so…yummy.’
Brody’s belly cinched up tighter when those red-tipped fingernails rasped across it. She followed the ridges and indents until her finger dipped into his bellybutton.
>
He let out a hiss that she quickly swallowed with a kiss.
‘Mind if I keep exploring?’
Did he mind?
Her hands dropped to his jeans, and his cock jumped to meet her.
She felt it too, and she cupped her hand over his zipper. ‘I’ll take that as a no.’
She scooted lower and undid the jeans that were swiftly becoming too tight. She wasn’t shy about pulling them down, along with his briefs, and Brody helped her by lifting his hips. She was already crawling down the bed and stretching out on top of him.
‘Yummy,’ she repeated.
All of his air came out in a whoosh when her hair brushed against his thighs. His muscles bunched again, and he dug his heels into the mattress to keep from rocking her off.
He wanted her right where she was.
Still, his neck bowed when she cupped both hands under him. She watched him intently as she caressed his balls and petted his cock with her thumbs. Rain splattered against the window, and her breaths got heavy. He could feel the damp, warm air coasting over him, teasing him and making him ache. He sank his hands into her flame-red hair, and Genieve hummed sexily. She cupped one hand under his balls, keeping the back-arching massage going, but then began to pump his cock firmly.
‘Jenny,’ he groaned.
She kept her work slow and steady, like the lazy, rainy day outside.
Brody twisted with pleasure when her hair swung forward and tickled him too. ‘Oh, damn,’ he groaned.
‘That’s supposed to be my line.’ Her voice sounded strained, and her touch became more urgent. ‘Brody.’
Her head dropped. The warm heat of her mouth surrounded him, and then she was sucking him hard.
Stars exploded behind Brody’s closed eyes. Reaching back, he caught the headboard as she went down on him. Her mouth was hungry and intense. She burrowed deeper between his legs, and he spread them wider to make room. Her hands were gentle but determined, as she worked his erection harder. Her tongue swirled around his sensitive tip, and then her head began to bob.
‘Jenny. Fuck!’
He couldn’t stop his hips jumping up to meet her. The first time, he surprised her. She pulled back, but then relaxed. The next time he did it, she took him more easily. They found a rhythm, and Brody felt the pinch at the base of his spine grow into a kick.
Courting Gossip Page 13
