He took one step with her before his whole body went taut. A moment later, cold rushed in, coating her front. He’d stepped away.
She blinked as he turned her toward the door.
“You are unbelievably sexy, Kaylee,” he whispered in a soft, deep voice. His lips brushed against the shell of her ear. “Unbelievably sexy. A passionate and fiery and smart goddess. I would love to escort you inside and pleasure you all night. But you’re intoxicated, and I am not. When you’re making a voodoo doll in my image, please understand that I’m trying to do the right thing here.”
He helped her step into her house before turning her toward him again, now just a little taller than him. This time, the kiss was sweet and soft, nothing more than a lingering peck.
“Goodnight, Kick-Ass Lady. I hope to see you soon.” He winked, so smooth, then coaxed her to step back and shut the door with a soft click, closing himself out.
Her core pounded. Heat still surged through her body. The silence of the house pressed in on her.
Part of her realized that come the morning, she’d probably be thankful. She couldn’t hear that part just then, though. She was too stuck on the voodoo doll idea.
Seven
Ethan walked toward Dave and Janie’s small apartment with his eyes on his phone, going through all his potential bookings for BD. None of them were for the dinner with Kaylee on Thursday.
He trudged up the stairs, checking the email conversation Dick had forwarded to him. Dick and Kaylee had gone back and forth a few times since the dinner and horrible dessert date on Friday. The exchange had been about payment—Dick had returned it, as instructed, and he’d also written Ethan’s phone number in the message, specifying that Kaylee should contact Ethan directly with any questions or comments. He’d made it clear that Ethan would be happy to take her call. She’d put up a bit of a fuss before finally agreeing to the refund.
Ever since, Ethan had been desperate for some form of communication. Even a fuck off. He wasn’t choosy where it concerned her. But it was two days after the email exchange, only a few days before the dinner, and Ethan was still living in radio silence. She hadn’t called. Or texted. No fuck offs had rattled his phone.
It was killing him. He’d really dug the vibe between himself and Kaylee. She was intoxicating and refreshing. Desire pooled in his gut and hardened his cock whenever he thought about their kiss. Sensual and sexy and filled with passion.
He hadn’t had any desire to see anyone else since he’d taken her home, not even for a meaningless fling, and certainly not for payment. He didn’t want to tarnish the memory of her. And he knew, without a doubt, that when confronted with a dull conversation and very little connection, his mind would wander back to her. She was like an elixir he’d tasted for the first time, and was now hopelessly addicted. The woman had some sharp hooks, and she’d sunk them deeply into his middle.
Then didn’t call.
The horrible surprise had backfired on him. He hadn’t seen that coming.
Maybe that was why Martha thought he was so dumb. He was blind to repercussions.
Sighing, he knocked on the door. At least Janie’s work was an interesting distraction.
“Hey, bro.” Joe, Janie and Dave’s stoner neighbor, sauntered over without a shirt on. His dirty blond hair was tousled, and the whites of his brown eyes were so red that he looked like he had a medical issue.
“How are things?” Ethan asked, taking a step away in case it was a medical issue.
“I’m doing damn good, man. Damn good. It’s a bit chilly, though. The weather is changing.”
“You don’t have a shirt on.”
“Yeah. That’s happening.”
The door opened to Janie in normal clothes, no paint splatter anywhere. She squinted at him before her eyes flicked sideways. “Joe, what are you doing?”
“I’m just taking in the scenery.” He turned and looked out over the apartment complex. A piece of trash rolled across the walkway.
“Great. Quit badgering my guests.” She stepped aside so Ethan could enter.
“Can I come in?” Joe followed closely behind Ethan.
“No.” She held out her hand. “Don’t run into my hand, Joe. No, don’t— Ew.” She pulled her hand off his bony chest. “Dave! Joe is trying to come in.”
“Push him out,” Ethan heard from within. “You and he weigh the same.”
“He’s half-naked. And strangely clammy.”
“I exfoliate,” Joe said with a grin. He raised his voice. “Your mother is doing well, by the way. She made me tea yesterday. And sandwiches.”
Dave appeared in the hallway, also shirtless. The difference between the two men was startling. “My mother has better things to do than feed you, Joe.”
Ethan smirked and skirted around Janie and into the tiny living room that doubled as a dining room. He fell onto the couch, breathing a sigh of relief that they’d cleaned up before he came over. He couldn’t stand the chaos that Janie usually chose to live in. It freaked him out.
“I was checking on her, bro.” Joe raised his hands. “She’s old. She has two original hips. Either one could give out at any time.”
“Oh my God.” Janie peeled away from the door, rolling her eyes. She pointed at Ethan. “Do you want something to drink? Coffee, water, wine?”
“Water. Sparkling.” Ethan tapped into the phone app, looking for Kaylee’s name, having already saved her number. Maybe he’d messed with his luck by doing that. Made karma take notice and spit at him for something.
“Hello?” Janie put a fist to a hip, standing by the opened fridge.
“You’re wasting energy,” he said without inflection, tapping into the app.
“Then listen for a change. We don’t have sparkling water, Mr. Frou-frou. How about plain with ice cubes?”
“Plain is fine, no ice cubes.”
She heaved a sigh that doubled as a comment about his taste and closed the fridge door.
“I’d love some water with ice cubes.” Joe edged into the apartment.
“Joe, get out!” Janie hollered.
“It’s warm in here.” Joe rubbed his arms.
“It would be warm out there, too, if you put some clothes on!”
Dave sauntered forward, his shirt now in place. Barely stopping, he pushed Joe out of the apartment, hooked his fingers around the edge of the door, and pulled. It swung shut, just missing Joe’s face.
“You guys are rough on that kid,” Ethan said with a laugh.
Dave shook his head as he wandered into the kitchen, barely big enough for him and Janie to move around in at the same time. “That kid’s parents should’ve been rough on that kid. Now they’re just throwing their money away so he can flunk college.”
“He’s getting straight As except for one B.” Janie left the kitchen so she could hand Ethan the glass of water.
“How is that guy getting good grades?” Dave turned around, bewildered. “Is he cheating?”
Janie shrugged, heading toward her painting room, the first room down the hall. “No idea, but whatever he’s doing, it’s working.”
“Well, he’s still a moron.” Dave grabbed a glass from the cabinet. Silence fell over the room.
Ethan rested his phone on his lap.
“You waiting for a call?” Janie reemerged from the hall with two blank canvases, one of them half as tall as her, and the other so big it was hard for her to carry.
“Nah.” But he couldn’t bring himself to put the phone away.
Dave put his hands on the counter and grinned in a shit-disturbing kind of way. “Have you heard from Kaylee?”
“No.” Ethan told them about giving his number and the back-and-forth between her and Dick.
“She sounds like Madison.” Janie leaned the canvases against the wall. “I would’ve been over the moon to get some BD lovin’ for free.”
“You did,” Dave said.
“Over the moon.” Janie did a fist pump.
“Kaylee got dinner, des
sert, and Colton’s mom,” Ethan said. “I hardly think that counts as lovin’. Or something she would expect to pay for.”
Dave pushed away from the counter. “So you’re into this chick, huh? Just like that?”
Ethan stood and wandered toward Janie’s art room. He didn’t like putting labels on things at the outset. He liked to jump in and follow the flow, see if it would flower into something…or fizzle out.
He had to admit that the current state of affairs strongly hinted at fizzling, and for the first time he could remember, it was playing hell on his anxiety. He didn’t want to let her float away. Those hooks were in too deep. They’d rip lumps out of his flesh.
Ethan scratched his chin, covered in stubble. Shaving was a drag, so he often didn’t bother. “She’s smart, powerful, sexy, beautiful, confident, fit—she’s literally got it all. What wouldn’t I be into?”
“She is pretty cool, I’ll give her that.” Janie glanced Ethan’s way just before he disappeared around the corner. She padded across the beige carpet that Ethan suspected had once been white. The thought made him shudder.
He disappeared into her art room just as she came in sight.
Paintings lined the baseboards along the wall, two and three deep. More waited on the shelves in the closet. The easel in front of him stood blank, ready for her next creation.
He looked over the offerings as she leaned against the frame of the door. There didn’t appear to be a common theme linking them together.
“A little wound up, but pretty cool.” Janie crossed her arms over her chest, looking out the window. She no longer objected to him looking over her stuff, but she still didn’t like it. That was clear. She’d likely never get entirely used to that part of the process. “So you saw her last on Friday?”
“Yeah. I dropped her off, kissed her goodnight, and off I went.”
“And she seemed cool?”
“At the time, yes. But drunk. I don’t think she’s a big drinker.”
“Ah. Well, it’s good that you did the right thing.”
“It wasn’t easy.”
A wicked grin lit up her face. “Oh yeah?”
He blew out a breath and looked at the paintings without really seeing them. Instead, Kaylee’s face swam into view. His brain called up all the little details. The burn of her body as it pressed against his. The fire in her eyes. The curve of her lips when she smiled.
Oh yeah, those hooks were in good and deep.
“Call her up.” Janie disappeared from the doorway.
He followed her out. “That’s a little much, even for me. She has the option to hire me for her company dinner. Or just ask me to go. I left her with the ball in her court. To push her would be a little creepy at this point.”
“Dude. Creepy is your thing. That’s what you do best.” She pointed at the couch, silently telling him to sit. “I’d say just go with it. She seemed comfortable around you. That’s the hardest part for you with dating, right?”
Dave laughed, taking a seat on the other side of the couch. “Let’s look at it from her point of view. She hired you for a gig, and you proceeded to basically kidnap her to Colton’s house, feed her alcohol, and then drop her off at home. It wasn’t a date, and it probably wasn’t comfortable. You can’t hope to start an acquaintance with a horrible surprise and expect it to stick.”
“The horrible surprise just felt right in the moment.” Ethan chewed his lip. “Hindsight.”
“I’ll say.” Janie sidestepped twice until she stood beside the canvases. “So, I need to pick which one to use.”
“The white one,” Ethan said.
“Terrible joke, bro.” Dave shook his head.
“As the king of terrible jokes, he knows what he’s talking about.” Janie touched the larger of the canvases. “I was thinking of painting you on the larger one. And I have a good idea of what I’ll do, but it’s the rest of the show that has me stumped.” She twisted her mouth to the side and glanced at him, her gaze vague and distant. Ethan thought of it as her Art Stare. “Last time, the show was centered around that portrait of Dave. I figured we’d do the same thing. The thing is, I don’t really know what makes you sing. What sets you off.”
“Like…” Ethan frowned and glanced at Dave. “Sexually?”
Dave’s face came around slowly, his frown much more pronounced than Ethan’s.
“No, not sexually,” Janie said. “Just…in general. What you’re into, what lights you up. I am essentially doing a show around a subject I don’t know much about.”
“Well…” Ethan shifted. He was an art appreciator, not an art creator. While he’d noticed the lack of a connective thread in the paintings in her art room, he was lost when it came to this side of things. And yet… “Why do you need me as the star of the show? It’s been done. Why not pick a new thing to make people gasp?”
“We thought of that.” Dave sat forward. “I’m thinking of calling this a companion event to the one we had in Sacramento. Bringing the thrill of Sacramento to Scottsdale.”
Ethan scratched his chin, making a sandpaper sound. “We all agree that Janie should stick with the edginess of the first show, but why keep the paintings the same? The joy of Janie is in the unexpected.”
“Since when?” Dave asked.
Ethan made an arc with his finger through the air before dramatically pointing at the ground. “Right now.”
Janie shifted. Her hips moved in an organic way, the movement unconsciously sensual. She had to be thinking with her art brain, which always made her move in ways she never did in the public eye. Ethan suspected it was why Creepy Art Guy had paid to watch her paint in the nude. “Huh,” she finally said.
“Rusty wants a nude male painting, though,” Dave said.
“You can put the painting in the show, but I think it’s a mistake to make it the headliner like last time.” Ethan sipped his water. “Of course, this feels as right to me as Friday night did, and you know how well that’s going for me.”
Janie’s eyes came up slowly before meeting his. Emotions raced across her face and she tapped her lip with her fingertips. “Huh.”
Ethan crossed his ankle over his knee and let Janie study him. It was part of her process, after all, and he’d agreed to participate. He just wished he wasn’t so on edge about the Kaylee situation. He had a sneaking suspicion that she was picking up on it, and then she’d splatter it all over a bunch of canvases. Her art could not keep secrets.
While he was dwelling on Miss Kick-Ass Lady, he pondered what could’ve gone wrong. It was rare for women not to call him, paid or unpaid.
Were Janie and Dave right? Had it been the horrible surprise? She’d admitted to being okay with it in the end, but only after several of Janie’s mixed drinks had loosened her up.
Of course, maybe it was the loosened-up part that was the problem. The woman spent all her time wound up, as Janie had noticed. For Kaylee, letting her hair down, so to speak, might make her feel as exposed and vulnerable as painting made Janie feel. Maybe she was embarrassed…
“I need to think about this,” Janie said, bringing him out of his reverie. “Things are too confused right now. I need to plan a better approach before I put things on canvas.”
“What are you going to do with all the ones in there?” Ethan pointed at the art room.
“Those are sold. Most are, at least. That last show has kept people’s interest. We’re selling through our revamped website. Have you seen it?”
“No. It’s the first I’ve heard of it.” Ethan glanced over at Dave. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Dave shrugged. “You’re not my mother.”
“Has your mother heard about it?”
Dave laughed. “Caught me. It’s only been live for a short while. We were selling off the other one, too, but it wasn’t getting as much traffic. Anyway, what are you up to? Want to go get some wings or something?”
Ethan looked at the blank screen of his phone. “Yeah. Might as well.” He didn’t have anythin
g else going on.
Eight
Kaylee stared at her computer, not seeing it. A little box sailed across the screen, leaving a rainbow-colored trail in its wake. The screensaver blacked out the Big Dick Escort Service website, in which the contact form had been pulled up.
“This is ridiculous,” she said under her breath, leaning back.
Her phone sat on her organized desk, between the report she’d just finished and the task list for the next day.
Thursday.
The day of the company dinner.
The image of Noah swam into her head. Extremely attractive, delicious body, preppy, and from good stock, Noah would fit right in. He’d tell the right kind of jokes, laugh when he needed to even if the joke wasn’t funny, and sell the image of them as a happy couple. She knew for a fact he could do it, and it wouldn’t matter that she had to wear shorter heels.
But for some reason, it just didn’t feel right. Something about pairing with him seemed off.
That was ridiculous. It had to be. But she couldn’t shake the feeling.
She tapped her mouse. The screensaver cleared and a handsome man filled her monitor. So tall he almost looked lean, though that powerful body had been pressed against hers, and it was all muscle. Smooth, easing from one place to the other like a wave. Relaxed in any setting.
His smoldering green eyes stared at her through the screen, making her squirm a little. That tiny smile, hinting at a joke shared between the sheets, set her body on fire.
She blew out a breath and looked away.
The man was as hot as sin, and entrancing as all hell. He’d drawn her in after one short dinner. Drawn her in and made her lose control of herself.
She had walked out of a restaurant and hopped into a prostitute’s car an hour after meeting him.
Then she’d endured someone else’s crazy family. She had a hard time with her own family, and had flaked on meeting the families of past boyfriends, but she’d stayed. Then the after-party…
A smile interrupted her thoughts.
That had been a pleasure. She liked those people—their vibe, their priorities, and how they treated her and each other. If she’d met Ethan in any other way, she would have asked if they could hang out with them again.
Undertow: Big D!ck Escort Service Page 6
