by Chloe Maddox
Collin stared at the camera before nodding. The camera was connected to the projector, so that the pictures would show up on the big screen.Laurel began to do an assortment of poses that were considered suggestive but tasteful, and the men all around her were drooling, especially as the pictures popped up on the black screen.
Collin kept a professional look on his face as he snapped the pictures, and Laurel wondered if her plan to get him to engage was failing. She tossed him a look over her shoulder and caught an unguarded look on his face, and that was all she needed to continue. She strutted towards the stage and stood behind the black screen.
She began to dance behind it, causing everyone up front to see her movements as if it were a shadow show. As the song drew to a climactic finale, Laurel draped herself over a chair, and the black screen rose up. Laurel tossed them all a playful look over her shoulder before she tugged on the lever and water came pouring down all over her body, drenching her.
She tossed her hair back as she stood up to a thunderous applause. She carefully stood up and took a deep bow as she smiled and waved. Her eyes gazed at the room searching out Collin, but what she found wasn’t exactly what she was hoping for.
Sure, she’d gotten Collin’s attention, but he looked more annoyed than turned on.
He was standing up, had his arms crossed over his chest, and a blank expression on his face as he pursed his lips in either distaste or disapproval.
Laurel’s heart sank in her chest as she wondered if maybe she misread him. She was going to go for something simpler and classier, but when she tried to get a read on him earlier, she thought maybe he was the type who liked women who were bold and adventurous. She tried to do that by incorporating the camera and water in her act, but clearly she misread the situation.
She tried to keep the disappointment from flooding through her. He was after all, a hard person to catch, and Julia did warn her about that. At least she’d gotten the attention of every other man in this room. She blew them all a huge kiss, and strutted off stage, making sure to add a little extra sway to her hips.
Chapter 3
Laurel, now dressed in a pair of cut off shorts and a tank top, was attempting to towel dry her hair when Julia walked in. She ran her hands through her hair and plopped onto the chair in the corner of the room.
“Tough day?” Laurel questioned sympathetically.
“Nope, just a long one.”
Julia’s eyes peered open. “We actually did really well today. Especially with your act. The guys were going nuts at that auction. The idea you came up with the camera, and the water, that was inspiring. Well done.”
Laurel smiled at her through the mirror. “Thank you. Maybe next time a little less water though.”
She nervously bit her lip as she turned around to face Julia. “Did I get any good patrons?”
Somehow she couldn’t bring herself to say Collin’s name even though she really wanted to. She just couldn’t bear the thought of disappointment just yet. She wanted to hang onto that picture of him gazing at her with such intensity, it was as if the rest of the world faded away.
Julia smiled as she stood up. “You got one really good one. He’s waiting for you in my office. I’ll go and talk business until you’re finished here.”
Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered if maybe it was Collin, but Julia was being unusually reserved, so she decided not to ask. She simply nodded and continued towel drying her hair. Once she was finished, she brushed it quickly, dabbed on some eyeliner, and sprayed perfume. She gave herself a look in the mirror and then quietly walked down the hall to Julia’s office.
She knocked and waited for Julia’s voice before she entered. She stood there at the back of the room, admiring the office as she did every time she went in. It was done in soft neutral colors, and if it weren’t for the sex toys hanging up here and there, it would have looked like a normal business office. Laurel chuckled to herself at the thought.
“Laurel, come closer my dear.”
Laurel stepped forward, her heart hammering in her chest as she stood directly in front of Julia, refusing to look at the patron with whom she would be living for three months.
“This is Collin Randal.”
Relief and desire both shot through her at the same time as she allowed her eyes to slide over to Collin’s, who sat there with a slight smile on his handsome features. He was eyeing her slowly, pleasantly, and Laurel was sure he was probably undressing her with his eyes. It felt intimate and sensual, and it made Laurel want to act like a wanton sex goddess.
“Pleasure to meet you, Ms. West.” His voice had a slight accent to it. As far as she could tell, it sounded British, and she thought it suited him. It even gave him a more enigmatic and sexual appeal.
“Likewise,” Laurel replied as her gaze directly collided with his.
“I’ll leave you two to get acquainted, and I’ll come back later, so you can sign on the dotted line Mr. Randal.”
Collin gave her a polite smile. “Yes, of course. Thank you Ms. Norbert.”
The door clicked shut behind her, and Laurel stood there for a moment unsure of what to do next. It was one thing to choreograph a sensual routine. At least then she had her props, her moves and lighting to get the job done, but now she had nothing but herself, and she wasn’t very good at the whole flirting thing.
It didn’t help that Collin simply sat there with his hands lying idle by his sides.
“Laurel.” He said her name so softly, she wasn’t sure she heard it right, but when he said it again, Laurel’s emerald green orbs connected with his honey colored ones.
A shiver went through her at the way her name just rolled off his tongue.
“Yes?” She whispered, her feet glued to the spot, her entire body humming.
“Are you afraid of me?”
Laurel gave him a confused look. “Why would I be afraid of you?”
“Because you have no experience with men, and here you are standing in front of a man you will have to live with for three months.”
“I knew that when I started working here.” She tried to keep her nerves steady as she clenched her hands into fists.
“Yes, but it doesn’t make you any more prepared for it. Especially because this isn’t your typical arrangement. I assume Ms. Norbert has informed you that most of the patrons here have unusual tastes when it comes to sex.”
Laurel swallowed and nodded. “She has, yes. We are all aware of that before we agree to take on this job.”
Collin leaned back in his chair and looked thoughtful. “I see.”
He let his gaze travel over her body, and Laurel resisted the urge to cover herself, only just realizing how short her outfit actually was, and how much cleavage was actually showing.
“And how do you feel about BDSM?”
Laurel was taken aback by the question. She’d never really considered how she felt about it. She just always thought it was something she had to do whether or not she liked it. She had accepted that like one accepts that you have to make up your bed in the morning, or go for flu shots.
She titled her head to the side as she studied him, letting her eyes trail over his defined jaw, his thick eyebrows, his defined lips. “I guess I never thought about how I felt about it.”
Surprise dawned on Collin’s features. “Why not?”
“Well, it doesn’t matter what I like, or don’t like. The point is what my patron likes. I can refuse a patron, but there are some things I’ll have to compromise on to stay in this business.”
Collin began drumming his fingers on the edge of his pants. He began to roll up his shirt sleeves, showing off tan and muscular arms. “Okay.”
Collin stood up and stood directly in front of Laurel. “That’s a very practical attitude to have, Ms. West. However, I do hope that you will enjoy our time together because I know I will.”
He ducked his head and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I plan on tasting eve
ry inch of that beautiful tan skin of yours until you can only feel me. I plan on bringing you to the edge and stopping till you’re panting with desire before I send you over the edge. I plan on introducing you to all kinds of kinky sex games that I think you’ll come to love, and I plan on thrusting into you so hard, you won’t be able to walk for days.”
Laurel’s entire body flushed at the mere thought, and a quiet gasp escaped her lips as Collin pulled back, took in her reaction and smirked. “I was hoping you’d react like that. That means you’re more intrigued than scared. A very good sign. Well, how do you feel about that?”
Laurel stared at him. “I don’t scare easily.”
Collin tossed his head back and laughed. “I can see that. You’ve got fire, I could see that on stage. It’s what made me curious about you. I shall definitely enjoy bringing you to your knees, and learning how to tame that fire, and how to stoke it.”
“I am not a horse.” Laurel’s voice was tinged with mild annoyance.
“Oh, I never said you were.”
“Then why are you talking about taming me?”
Collin chuckled as he reached out to stroke her cheek. “Because a good sexual relationship is equal parts give and take. Taming and being tamed.”
Laurel’s eyebrow rose. “I didn’t know that.”
“I’m sure there’s a lot you don’t know. I look forward to opening up so many different worlds for you.”
Laurel tried to ignore the tingling she felt at his touch. “Okay.”
Collin watched her. “Tell me, how does this feel?” His fingers stopped stroking her cheek and began instead to stroke her neck.
A sigh escaped Laurel’s lips. “Good.”
“Just good?”
“Great,” she breathed as his hands moved to her shoulders, and he lightly began tracing her collarbone.
A smile tugged on the corner of Collin’s lips. “You’ve got very sensitive skin I see.”
“Mm-hmm.” Laurel assented, wondering why she was reacting so strongly to such a simple touch. She speculated whether or not it was supposed to feel this good, especially when he wasn’t anywhere near her center.
“I wonder just how sensitive.”
Before Laurel could ask what he meant, Collin leaned in and blew softly on Laurel’s skin. Goosebumps rose instantly in the area his lips resided over, and Collin grinned. “Even more sensitive than I thought. Interesting.”
“Like what you see?” Laurel tried to keep the huskiness out of her voice, afraid that if he could see just how turned on she really was, it would be a turn off for him. It was after all, all about the patrons.
“I like what I see, what I feel, what I’m hearing. Yeah, I’m very much impressed.”
“Great.” Laurel tried to sound all breezy and professional, but she was sure that wasn’t what she sounded like at all.
“Hmm, I wonder.” Collin removed his hands and circled around Laurel slowly as if he were evaluating a product.
“What are you doing?”
“Admiring,” he responded as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. Laurel began to feel uncomfortable, like she was some kind of object being displayed, so she crossed her arms over her chest.
“You don’t need to do that.” His voice had a low timber to it that sent little sparks of delight dancing across her skin.
“Do what?”
“Cover your chest. You needn’t be ashamed or embarrassed.” Collin stopped in front of her, and eyed her with an amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Laurel lifted her chin up. “I’m not ashamed nor embarrassed. I have nothing to be ashamed off nor is there anything to be embarrassed about as you astutely pointed out.”
“Then why cover up?”
“Because I don’t feel like being stared at like I’m some sort of prized pony at the derby awaiting the judge’s remarks.”
Collin began to laugh, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement. “I must say, I’ve never heard that reaction before, and I’ve heard plenty of amusing ones.”
Laurel sniffed. “I’m glad I can amuse you.”
Collin smiled. “You do, but I mean that in a good way. Don’t be offended, now. However, that prized pony comment, that’s hitting a little below the belt, don’t you think?”
“No, in fact, I don’t think so.”
“A man checking a woman out doesn’t mean that this woman is some sort of prize being assessed. It’s about appreciation.”
Laurel snorted. “Come on, that’s utter crap. It’s not about appreciation in that way that you make it out to be. It’s about who scores the highest marks.”
Collin titled his head to the side. “Maybe some men view it that way. It would be dishonest of me to claim otherwise, and it’s juvenile and frankly rather distasteful.”
“Is that so?” Laurel challenged.
“It is so. Women are not the same. It’s fruitless to pretend otherwise. You are a beautiful and different species, and it would be a shame to try to lump you all together, when you could in fact sample many fruits from the same tree.”
“How very diverse of you,” Laurel commented, very dryly. “I suppose then that you think I should be flattered that you have deigned to sample me.”
“Not flattered, no. Some women would feel that way, but I very much doubt that you are one of those women.”
“You’re damn right, I’m not.” Laurel tried to keep her anger in check, realizing quite quickly that despite the fact that she was seriously attracted to him, he was starting to rub her the wrong way, pushing all the wrong buttons.
How he managed to antagonize her so quickly was beyond her. She needed to figure out a way to find a compromise, or she’d have to turn him down, and something told her that she shouldn’t just yet.
“Whoa, easy there. I didn’t mean to offend. I like that you aren’t like other women. It’s why I chose you. What I’m trying to say Laurel, is that there’s no shame in a man admiring your body, you should take pride in your body and be proud to show it off. It is quite exquisite from what I could see, and I look forward to seeing a whole lot more.”
Laurel made a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat.
Collin looked at her closely. “Something tells me you are not used to men giving you an honest and sincere compliment without there being any kind of lewd suggestions.”
Laurel coughed uncomfortably. “No, I guess not.”
Collin frowned. “That’s rather a shame. You should be complimented daily, I think.”
Laurel scratched the back of her neck nervously. “Er, thank you.”
Collin gave her a wicked grin. “Don’t thank me, Laurel. I’m not a knight in shining armor. There’s a darkness in me, but I think there’s a darkness in you too. It exists in everybody. Some people are just better at hiding it, and others simply don’t acknowledge its existence. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
Laurel was quiet for a minute. “I agree. It’s all about which wolf you feed.”
“Pardon?”
Laurel shook her head as she titled her head up to look at him. “It’s an Indian proverb my grandpa used to tell me about, that there are two wolves inside of us. One represents greed, anger, hate, lust, jealousy, etc. The other wolf represents kindness, love, forgiveness, selflessness, peace, etc. The Indian proverb states that the wolf that we feed is the one that takes control.”
Collin’s eyes sparkled. “Interesting. I have never heard that one before.”
Laurel shrugged. “It’s not very common.”
“Well, in any case. I’m not going to present myself as something other than I am, Laurel. You have my word that I will be very honest with you provided you ask me a direct question. I have no patience nor time for mind games, and I hope that you are the same. I know our arrangement is quite unusual, but I do think we can both get something we want out of it.”
“Are you British?” Laurel blurted out before she cou
ld herself. A hint of red tinted her cheeks as she mentally chided herself for being so abrupt.
“I’m half British, yes. On my father’s side. I spent some time in England when I was younger. I might’ve picked up a bit of the accent, I’m afraid.”
“More than a bit.” Laurel mumbled.
“I’ve been told it’s quite attractive.”
Laurel made a sweeping hand gesture. “I guess. If you’re into that sort of thing.”
Collin placed his thumb and index finger underneath her chin to tilt it up. “Are you into that sort of thing?”
She was trapped, like a bird in the lure of a hawk, with nowhere to look, but into his molten honey eyes. “Very much.”
“What else do you like, love?”
Her heart was beating so loud in her chest, she was sure it would burst out any moment, and just take off on some sort of marathon. “I like it when you touch me.”
She didn’t know where this sudden brazen attitude came from, but she wasn’t about to question it. She liked this sudden new found confidence, and she felt like she could suddenly ooze sex appeal though she knew that was probably taking it too far.
“Good. I like it when I touch you too.” His voice dropped an octave. “So, you mean when I touch you like this?”
His deft fingers nimbly moved across her chest, up to her face, down her neck then back to her chest, leaving a behind a trail of fire so hot, Laurel wondered if her skin was about to burst into flames.
“Yes,” she managed to get out before her own hormones betrayed her. She was trying really hard to remember Julia’s rules about how far she could go with a man before she signed a contract. Right now, she couldn’t think of a single point that Julia had made although they were all drilled into her head.
All she cared about at that moment was feeling his smooth hands slide all over the planes of her body, and being able to do the same to him.
“How about when I touch you like this?”
His hands moved down to cup her over her breasts, and a gasp escaped Laurel’s lips as she leaned into his touch. “Well, you really like that. You have very sensitive nipples it would appear.”
