“I didn’t think of tonight as a job. But that’s all I’ll say for now. A horrible surprise is brewing.”
She groaned before angling up her face to him. Her hands slid until they rested at his hips, where their bodies met. He knew she wanted some room between them so she could run her palms up his chest. The next step would be hooking them around his neck like she’d done the other night and pulling his face down, eager to get what she wanted.
He was just as eager to let her. So eager that his hard-on pounded, desperate to be inside of her, and lust pulled on his gut and tightened his balls. He wanted to feel her thighs slide up his sides as he thrust into her.
Not yet.
He needed to meet her on equal terms, when the stigma of his job wasn’t hanging over their heads. When there were no strings attached, just the hope that there soon would be.
He squeezed her harder, his cock throbbing against her softness, before he forced himself to take a step back. Like ripping off a Band-Aid, the pain would be less if it was done quickly.
“Okay. I’ll see you on the flipside,” he said in a rough voice, everything in him wanting to step closer again. To shove her against her door, push her dress out of the way, and plunge deeply into her. “Talk to you soon.”
“Okay…uh…goodnight,” she said, her disappointment evident. “Thanks again.”
He was already walking away with a jerky step that probably reminded her of Frankenstein’s creature.
A half-hour later, he stalked up to Janie and Dave’s front door, adrenaline still running through his body and the need to turn around and go back to Kaylee so strong he continuously clenched and unclenched his fists. This was right, though. What he was doing was the right move. The pain of walking away made itself known in every fiber of his being. So there was that.
He rapped on the door, trying to keep his mind off the feel of her body pressed tightly to his. Of that look she’d given him, inviting him into her heart and her body.
He was so fucked if he was reading all these signals incorrectly. So, so fucked. She’d steamroll him.
He rapped on the door again. He needed to get this done really quickly, then head home and take care of this erection that would not go away.
“Dude, what is up out here?” Joe poked his head out of his apartment. “Whoa. You look…tense, yo. You need to get laid.”
“Yes, I do, Joe. Yes, I do. Thank you for that unwelcome insight.” Ethan raised his hand to knock again. The lock clicked over and the door swung open to reveal a harassed-looking Dave.
“You’re a good-looking dude, though. Don’t you have a truckload of girls on speed dial?” Joe asked, sidling closer in lady’s pajama bottoms and a tank top.
“None of them are the right girls, and why do you wear lady’s clothing?”
Joe glanced down at his bottoms. “My special friend wears my shit, so I figured—what goes around comes around, you know what I’m saying?”
“No.”
“No one ever knows what he’s saying,” Dave said, stepping forward so he could see Joe. “You cheat in school, don’t you? It’s the only explanation.”
“Sometimes. But that’s just because I’m too smart and get lazy.” Joe put up his hand to hold an imaginary joint. “Weed levels me out. That’s what makes me so personable.”
“Sometimes, my ass.” Dave shook his head and stepped back, his gaze landing on Ethan. “Janie is painting and I’m watching. I’m pretty sure you know what that means.”
“It means get lost, or he gets super violent,” Joe said, taking a step back.
“She’ll want to see this.” Ethan made a circle around his face with his finger. “I’ll only stay as long as she wants me here. Unless she’s changed her mind about painting me?”
Dave sighed and stepped back. “She’s on a different track, but yeah, she’ll want to see you. Come in. She’s clothed.”
“You’re clothed, so I assumed as much.” Ethan stepped forward, ignoring Joe’s request to join them. Dave slammed the door in his neighbor’s face. Ethan got the feeling it was a normal routine that both had come to expect. Odd characters, these people.
“Wise assumption,” Dave said. “I’ve been trying to nail down an angle for the event. We have a place picked out and a few options for dates, but I can’t get a clear idea of her direction, and you know her. She just does. She doesn’t think about it until the whole thing is nearly done.”
“Exciting, isn’t it? I’d be on pins and needles constantly, if I were you.”
“You’re as fruit loops as she is.”
“I could only wish.” Ethan didn’t wait for Dave to go grab Janie—he went straight to the source.
She stood at her easel in the middle of the small art room, a half-finished piece in front of her. Painter’s tarps covered the floor, like always, and her smock looked like a Jackson Pollock painting. A collection of art leaned in three clusters against the room’s walls. One of the clusters looked like it was comprised of the pieces he’d already seen—purchased online and needing shipment. The three pieces next to it were spaced out, and he figured they were probably in various stages of being dried. The third group was swathed in sheets, Janie concerned about protecting them from leaning against each other. Those had to be for the show in progress. She clearly didn’t have the same standards for the website purchases.
“You guys are really kicking ass on sales, huh?” Ethan asked, taking a moment to watch Janie work. She moved in such a magnificent way when she was in the moment, feeling the image going onto the canvas. He didn’t see it as erotic like Dave did, but…enlightened.
“Yeah.” Dave crossed his arms, also watching Janie. “The prices are increasing and people are still buying.”
“Leaving BD has worked out for you, then, huh?”
“I left for Janie. It would’ve worked out even if we weren’t making money. That we are, and that my mom is doing really well, just makes everything sweeter.”
“It was meant to be,” Ethan said, wandering over to the covered canvases. Janie hadn’t looked back at them once. When she was in the zone, nothing seemed to distract her.
“So what’s your deal?” Dave asked, leaning against the door.
“I got a woman kickboxing my vitals, that’s my deal,” Ethan said. “She’s something. One of a kind.”
“Yeah, Kaylee’s cool. You can see that about her when you first meet her. She’s just enough uptight to make you less strange.”
“Totally.” Ethan flipped up one of the sheets and a million emotions raced through his mind. He was used to Janie’s stuff affecting him this way, but this time it was personal. This time it shot right down to the core of him and scrambled everything up. A solitary man stood, facing away, amidst a storm of color. It was Ethan, and… “Holy—”
“Yeah. You’re going to get your mind blown. I’m not sure it’ll be in a good way, either. All your shit is going to be on canvas.”
“Is this what you felt like when she did it to you?”
“Judging by your facial expression, yep. It’s sure…”
“Something,” Ethan finished, flipping up another sheet. This one showed a woman sitting on a park bench, alone, feeding pigeons. It was a spin on a classic scene portrayed by countless painters and photographers. Yet the subject seemed so fresh and new. Like he’d never seen it before. Haunted and sad, it twisted his heart in painful ways. He wanted to rescue the woman from her loneliness. Wrap her up in his arms and chase away all the shadows.
“That’s Kaylee, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Yep. It’s a trip, right? You can’t see her face, and her body isn’t really defined, but you know who it is. I mean, you do. I do because Janie told me. Strangers won’t, so Kaylee is anonymous in that one. Here’s the thing, though…” Dave crossed the room, moved things around, and pulled out three more paintings. “In these, she isn’t.”
One by one Dave pulled back the sheets. Ethan’s heart lurched and his knees weakened. His reaction
to these paintings settled any lingering doubt that he might have started down the wrong path.
In each of them, Kaylee was wearing baggy clothes, in various degrees of dishevelment. One piece kept drawing his eyes. It was of her the other night, when she’d shown up at Colton’s with her hair a mess and baggy sweats. This painting showed Kaylee’s makeup smudged around her eyes and remnants of lipstick outlining her lips.
“What’s that one called?” he asked through numb lips, barely feeling his legs.
“Beauty,” Dave said, moving in beside him. “I’d have to agree. She looks a hot mess, but there’s something special about her. I didn’t pick up on it the other night—Janie’s portrait is what clued me in. She’s a knockout, brother, even looking like she was dragged through the gutter and left for dead.”
“I noticed it the other night,” Ethan said softly. “It isn’t just her looks that make her beautiful, though. Which Janie has captured.”
“Well, there you go.” Dave clapped Ethan on the back. “Lock that one up.”
“You sound like a serial killer.”
“We all have our crosses to bear.” Dave walked over and tapped Janie on the shoulder. “Janie.” She didn’t notice. He tapped her again. “Janie!”
Janie turned slowly to face him, blinking as though coming out of a trance. And she probably was. “Yeah?”
Dave pointed, making her turn in confusion before she laid eyes on Ethan. She blinked a few more times, tilting her head to get a different angle.
It didn’t take long for her Art Stare to come back full force. “Tell me about your night,” Janie said.
Ethan gave a quick account of the night. When he was done, he mentioned what would happen the next day.
Tomorrow would be the most elaborate horrible surprise he’d ever done.
This time, it was for himself.
Fifteen
Kaylee stalked into her office right on time, despite the longer-than-normal shower in which she’d leaned her head against the cold tiles and thought about the night before. Ethan had been such a prince: charming, sophisticated, and—above all—so much fun to be around. Their conversation was lively, intriguing, and they never lacked for things to say. Getting the VP position wasn’t the most important issue at the moment, not anymore. She just wanted to see him again. She was fairly certain she’d never meet another man like him.
Tell him what I want.
She blew out a breath and sat at her desk. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure pop into the doorway. “Happy birthday!” Ben gave her a thumbs-up.
“Thanks, Ben,” she said with a half-smile.
This birthday was already lining up to be like all the others—depressing and full of dashed wishes. Her mom had always said that it was because she didn’t like cake. No way could she have a great birthday if she didn’t like the star attraction.
“Chocolate cake, right? That’s your favorite?” Ben asked.
Nope, that was the office’s favorite. She hoped it would put everyone in a good mood. “Chocolate, yes. You’ve got it.”
“Great! And good to see you last night. It can only help.”
She sighed in that way coworkers did to tell each other that they were feeling trench fatigue. Ben rolled his eyes back and hung his head in silent commiseration.
“But at least we get cake,” he said.
“There is that, yes.” She laughed softly and turned on her computer.
Her phone chimed as Ben backed out of the doorway. A text message from her phone service company telling her how much they’d deduct from her account. She went back to the home screen and noticed two unread personal emails.
She’d been on an unsubscribe kick, but the emails kept pouring in. It drove her mad, because she couldn’t just ignore them. Unread emails were like someone repeatedly tapping on her head until she took care of them.
The first was from a company she’d never heard of, advertising a fat burner. The second was from Big Dick Escort Service.
Her brow furrowed as she clicked into it. Maybe Ethan had decided he wanted her to pay after all. When she read through it, though, her frown increased. It looked like a confirmation of an appointment, but under the description of services, it was blank. Provider was Ethan. Time was “high noon.”
“What is this?” she mumbled, looking over it again. No location was noted. In fact, there were no other details whatsoever.
Shaking her head, she deleted it. It was probably some sort of systems hiccup related to the previous night.
She set the phone down and clicked into her work email on her computer. Among the work-related messages, a few birthday wishes had come in from her friends and family. All very nice, but…
Delete.
She wasted no time getting to work, tackling problems with added gusto so she wouldn’t have time to think about Ethan, his sexy green eyes, and his gorgeous smile. So she wouldn’t think of how he’d backed away from their hug last night, almost like he’d feared she would try to accost him again.
She almost had. It was good he’d gone off running.
Tell him what you want.
She wanted the same thing that all the girls probably wanted. Him. What made her different?
Time flew by in a rush with, thankfully, very few interruptions. Before she knew it, lunchtime was creeping up on her. She’d need to either go out and get lunch, or have something delivered.
As she was thinking over the options, a shape filled her doorway.
More birthday wishes, no doubt. She’d been fending them off all morning.
“Yes?” She glanced up.
Ethan stood there in a red Hawaiian shirt and bright turquoise trousers. His face was clean-shaven, showing a little dimple in his left cheek that she hadn’t noticed before.
Her stomach flip-flopped and her tongue knotted. “Huu.” It was more a grunt than anything, and not close enough to hi to get the point across.
“Hello Kick-Ass Lady.” He smiled, something that would make Cupid sing, before sauntering into the room.
“Hi,” she managed, quickly standing up. Her desk bumped forward and the pens in her pen holder wobbled.
“You’re in flats again today.”
She glanced down. Yes, she was. Huh. She honestly hadn’t noticed—she’d just slipped on shoes and walked out the door.
Strange.
Even stranger was that they were pink, a blatant mismatch with her red pantsuit.
“I look ridiculous,” she blurted. Clearly her subconscious had been in charge of dressing her. And her subconscious was color-blind.
“You pull it off marvelously.” He walked around the desk slowly, his movements full of smooth confidence. His eyes tracked her, glimmering with passion and lust.
Her core tightened painfully; she was already wet and ready for him. “The— Thank you,” she said.
“Of course. Did you get my email?”
She cleared her throat as he stopped too close, his heat lapping at her. His smell, cologne and clean cotton, dizzied her mind. “No,” she whispered, wanting to fall into him.
“No? The reservation of my last gig?”
“Wh-what?” she said, having a hard time thinking. And speaking.
“This is my very last gig for BD.” His voice was deep and slow. “For your birthday, I’m going to give you a free service. After that, I’ve told the guys that I won’t be working there anymore. I’m done.”
“You’re quitting?”
“After this, yes.”
“And…” She tried to look away from his entrancing eyes, wanting to run away and step forward at the same time. Feeling like she was on a great precipice, only needing a push until she went careening and lost control entirely. “What’s this gig?”
“I’m going to go down on you. Right here in your office. Happy birthday.”
Her breath got stuck in her throat and all the saliva dried up in her mouth. The distinctly female parts of her roared.
“But that’s cr
azy,” she managed, despite a tongue suddenly three sizes too big for her mouth.
“Yes. All of this is crazy. The way I feel about you after such a short time, the never-ending loop of Kaylee thoughts inside my head, my desire to overhaul my life so it’s something you’d be comfortable partaking in, thoughts of a future together…all of it. And I’m going to ride it like I insist everyone else ride it when I give them a horrible surprise. It starts now. By the end of today, you’ll either love your birthday, or you’ll hate it. That goes double for me.”
All she could do was stare up at him, soaking in those words. Yes, it was crazy. Totally crazy. They’d known each other for a week. Not even, because she hadn’t met him until later in the evening last Friday. For him to be talking about the possibility of a future…
Well, she couldn’t process it. She opened her mouth to say so, but nothing would come out.
“Here we go.” He smiled, and it was the first time she’d ever seen him nervous.
He sauntered across the room before peeking out and looking in the direction of her assistant’s desk. “I need to speak to Kaylee about an important issue. I’d prefer that we not be disturbed.”
“Wha— Oh,” Kaylee heard. “Okay, sure. I’ll just… Yes. I’ll head everyone off…” Her assistant’s voice was wispy. Kaylee knew exactly how she felt.
Ethan shut the door with a soft click before turning the lock. He pulled the string to close the blinds.
A hum settled deep in her body, arousal so intense it was draining the blood from her head to fuel it. Thought had already been laborious, but now it fled completely.
“As your service provider, I must ask: would you like to be kissed, or just get to business?” He stopped in front of her and rested his hands on her upper arms.
“Is kissing extra?” she asked with bated breath, going along with it. What else could she do? He’d wrapped her up in need for him that first night. It had only gotten more intense since.
Undertow: Big D!ck Escort Service Page 11
