International Guy_New York

by Audrey Carlan

  I grin. “That’s Bo. Calls it like he sees it, but he’s always right.”

  She purses her lips as she looks down at her boring-as-fuck black pumps. She lifts a hand to her hair and pulls out the ponytail holder. The golden-brown locks fall in a sheet down her back. “Better?” She lifts her pretty blue eyes to me.

  I take a gander at the package with the hair down. “New shoes would do wonders for the legs, babe. You’ve got great ones. Show ’em off.”

  She bites down on her bottom lip and nods. “Thanks.”

  “I’m going to get the beer. You want one?”

  “Glass of wine would not go unappreciated.” She grins.

  “You got it!” I laugh and head to the kitchen.

  The next day finds us on Sky’s patio with her in a sexy-as-all-get-out bikini.

  “Gotta say, bro, lovin’ my job today. The view is sah-weet.” Bo waggles his brows just to fuck with me.

  He is not wrong. The view is awesome, and I’m not talking about the panoramic view of New York City and Central Park off her gargantuan patio.

  Skyler is sitting at the end of her small lap pool. Her body is soaking wet, and she’s rocking a pair of aviators, her hair wet and dripping down her back as she looks over her shoulder at the camera.

  Bo clicks like mad. “All right, now get wet again, then lie on the edge of the pool, along the steps, but not in the water. I want one leg out long, the other cocked. Your body should be arched so you’re pointing your chest to the sky, the arm not facing the camera tangled in your hair. Pretend you’re worshiping the sun. It’s going to be shit hot and make every man lose his mind and drool into the magazine pages.”

  Skyler laughs a full-bellied laugh, which Bo captures with his camera. He’s told me before, some of the best photos are when a person is being natural and doesn’t know their photo is being taken.

  We’ve already taken some seminaked, insanely sexy ones of Skyler in the bathtub earlier today. I made her wear a pair of peach panties, just in case, but I had to bite my tongue on the naked breasts. She made sure to keep them covered, only allowing her legs to be out of her giant tub, candles lit all around, and a bit of her cleavage showing. She had her hair up in a messy knot that was so Skyler I loved every second of it.

  The camera clicks away, and I move to the opposite end of the pool and remove my shirt. I sink my feet into the water, walking in slowly. The water hits my trunks, but it feels so good I dive right in, swim to the opposite end all the way up to where Sky is posed. I don’t care. I need to touch her.

  With a sneaky move she wasn’t expecting, I burst out of the water, soaking her stomach and chest with the splash of droplets.

  She cackles with laughter and yells out when I hook one arm under her knees, the other behind her back, and bring her into the pool, taking us both under the water. She comes up, no longer wearing her glasses, lost somewhere under the water, but she’s laughing like she doesn’t have a care in the world.

  I kiss her lips, unable to stop myself. She tastes of chlorine and oranges from the OJ she drank before she started the shoot.

  She smiles and shimmies until her legs are wrapped around me, arms over my shoulders. I’ve got one hand on her ass, the other crossing her back and cupping the back of her head. She presses her lips to mine and kisses me deeply, dipping her tongue in, leading the kiss. I let her take charge and simply enjoy having her tasty mouth on mine. My dick starts to harden, and she grins against my lips, likely feeling the beast prod her ass.

  Dimly in the distance I hear a camera going off, but I ignore it. Until I can’t when Bo says, “Park, turn the other direction. Put your head on the side not facing the camera. Sky, shift your arm down so your hand is digging into Park’s flexed bicep. Okay, Park, reverse the hand on her ass, the other on her back.”

  I follow along with his vision because at least he’s not yelling at me for stopping their work so I can cop a feel and a kiss from my dream girl. Once I’ve got my right hand on her ass, my left on her head, my own head tucked into her neck on the side, he calls out to her.

  “Okay, Sky, I want you to look down for a moment.”

  She does.

  “Park, say something private and sexy into her ear.”

  Without missing a beat, I whisper, “This white bikini is tiny. I could so easily slip the fabric aside and plunge deep inside you. Would you like that, Peaches?”

  On cue, Sky lifts her head toward Bo on a gasp. The camera clicks like mad. Once I know he’s got one helluva sexy shot, I grip her ass with both hands, she wraps her arms around my shoulders, and I touch my mouth to hers. The camera still goes off, but this time, I don’t care. I can no longer take seeing her in next to nothing, my hands on her wet, pretty body, without claiming what’s mine.

  Not giving a shit what Bo thinks, I walk Skyler right out of the pool, up the stairs, and right past Bo.

  “I guess that ends today’s photo-by-the-pool session. Go get her, man! I’m gonna head out. Find me a chicklet. Pub tonight. Both of you. Make it happen!” he calls out. I lift one hand off Skyler’s ass and wave in the air.

  Skyler laughs as I bring her all the way to her bedroom and toss her on the bed, landing right between her legs. “You think he was mad?” she asks as I move back a few feet, curl my fingers into her sopping-wet bikini bottom, and pull it off her long-ass legs.

  “Nope. Bo is a ladies’ man first, a businessman second. He gets it: you, all that you are, half-dressed, wet, sexy as fuck. He was probably shocked I lasted so long.”

  She grins. “Me too. Now come and make good on your promise in the pool!” She holds out her arms, and I slip off my soggy trunks and Superman-dive onto the bed.

  “Your wish is my command.”

  Chapter 9

  “You’re never going to know unless you try!” I do my best to remove any hint of aggravation or irritation in my tone, even though I’m annoyed as all hell with her lackluster effort on these scripts.

  She runs a hand through her hair and tosses a script over her head. It falls to the floor behind her like a downed bird, fluttering its wings on a wild descent.

  I grind my teeth and rub at the facial hair now covering my chin and upper lip. I’m about ready to shave it all back to smooth again, but Skyler seems to like the more rugged look.

  Inhaling full and deep, I rest my hands on the back of the couch behind her head. “Peaches, this is not rocket science. You need to pick up one of your scripts for an upcoming movie and start running lines with me. I’m going to suck. I’m not an actor, but I can at least read the other person’s part. Yeah?”

  Her body slumps forward, and her head drops down between her crossed legs. She lets out a long breath, reaches for the script dangling off the edge of the table, and brings it onto her lap.

  “Which movie is it?” I ask.

  “Savage Angel. The third in the Savage series.”

  “Sky, we just watched the first movie. You were jumping around the other day like a crazy woman reenacting the moves. This is not an issue. I’ll even start.”

  I lower my voice and grit out in a stern impression of a rough-and-tumble military man, “The general needs your expertise. You can’t turn down this mission. The world needs you!” I point my finger at her as though I’m mimicking the cartoon Uncle Sam.

  She snickers as I give a pretty bad example of voice inflection on the last line. Even so, she sighs, clears her voice, and responds.

  “What’s the mission?”

  “Take down the head of Jericho, leave no trace, and get the codes for the nuclear weapons they’re hiding.” I hold my face pinched, trying to display the character’s stern nature.

  After a while, Sky gets into the back-and-forth. Eventually she stands up and starts to pace, reading her lines with more intensity. Since she gets into it, so do I, until I realize an hour has gone by and we haven’t stopped. Both of us got sucked into the scenes. Skyler is such a natural actress the story oozes out with each new page read. Until we get
to the part where the heroine is battling the hero. Neither of them knows the other is a good guy, but of course, as with any badass action flick, the sexual tension between the duo is off the charts.

  We keep reading the lines, getting closer to one another, firing back the words that are meant to anger but also ignite the passion between the two characters. Until the hero takes her around the neck and kisses her unexpectedly.

  Which I do. Fully, with pride, intent, and so much passion I can hardly breathe with the weight of need pressing down on my chest.

  I rip my lips from hers. “Damn, baby, that was something else,” I whisper, my forehead resting against hers.

  “Honey, that’s not the line.” She giggles.

  Giggles. We’ve graduated to Skyler giggling. When we first met over two weeks ago, I would have never thought we’d get to the giggling stage so quickly.

  “I think we just proved you can act again.” I glance at the clock on the mantel, noting another hour has slid by. “It’s been over two hours of nothing but reading lines.”

  “Holy shit!” Her head snaps to the left to check the clock herself. She grins huge, jumps up and down with her hands around my waist, jarring me as she does. “I’m back! I got so lost in the script, I was in the zone.” Her voice dips. “I haven’t been able to do that in months! And it’s all because of you, Parker Ellis! The Dream Maker title suits you well!”

  I chuckle and bring her against my chest. “You’ve been reading my company website, I see.”

  She smiles. “Maybe. Had to know who you work with. I met Bo . . . the Lovemaker! Which, by the way, I totally get. The man is off-the-charts hot.” She fans herself.

  “Hey now.” I growl, wrapping her in my arms once more.

  She continues on regardless of my slip of jealousy. “Haven’t met Royce, the Moneymaker, although I guess I don’t really need assistance with my finances, but he’s also superhot.”

  I scowl, hating that she thinks my partners are hot. I mean, I know they get some serious action with the ladies, so they’re not butt-ugly, but I don’t need the girl I’m currently with swooning over them either.

  “And then there’s you, my handsome man, noted as the Dream Maker! Now that I’ve worked with you the past couple of weeks, it totally makes sense. You help your clients see what’s possible. The way you’ve helped me see myself, find out what I truly want out of my career and my future.” She shakes her head. “It’s really quite amazing.” Sky lifts her hand, cups my cheek, and swipes my lips with her thumb.

  Her demeanor changes, becoming stiffer, the light airiness in her eyes turning to shadow. “But how many of your clients get you in the deal, hmm? Is it just the high-profile celebrities, or highest bidder?”

  I nuzzle her neck and try not to take offense at where the conversation is headed. “Are you asking if I get as close to all of my clients the way I have gotten close to you?”

  Skyler lifts one shoulder and tips her head noncommittally.

  “Sky, the answer is no. However, I have gotten rather close with one client. Again, wasn’t planned, just happened. That client is working with Royce now, and we left our arrangement copacetic. Friendly even.”

  She purses her lips. “And how do you think we’re going to end our arrangement?” She puts emphasis on the last word.

  The word arrangement doesn’t sit well with me. More like a day-old doughnut rotting in my gut. Sliding my hands down her back to rest on her waist, I scan her face.

  Beautiful. Open. Honest.

  Nothing like the women I’ve dated in the past, Sophie being the other exception.

  Still, Skyler is in a different league than Sophie. I love Sophie. I had a blast with her. She would agree wholeheartedly. However, that’s all it was. A blast. Fun times between two consenting adults. I do not have any further romantic feelings for her. With Sophie, it’s as if the second I said goodbye, I flipped a switch inside my mind and the relationship went from friends with benefits to simply friends. Nothing more, nothing less. And it feels good there, right. I enjoy having her as a resource but also as a female I care about in my life . . . again, as a friend.

  Do I want Skyler to be my friend after I leave?

  No, no I don’t. Friends does not describe the connection we have. Lovers maybe. We’re more than two people hooking up, having fun. I’m not exactly sure what that more is. I do know it’s not the same as what I had with Sophie, or any other woman I dated before her.

  “Look, Sky, I’m not sure what we’ve got going, but all I can commit to right now is that I don’t want what we have to end the moment I leave.”

  Her entire face lights up like a ray of sunlight has just shone down on her. “Me either,” she whispers.

  “Can we agree we’re going to continue to enjoy each other’s company? Make time when we can to meet up, see one another. Spend time together?”

  Her corresponding grin is stunning. “Absolutely. I can come to Boston. Hide out where you are once in a while.” She rubs her hand down my chest.

  “I can come back to your tower in the New York City clouds.”

  Her voice is soft when she replies. “Yeah.”

  “So, we’re in agreement that we are not labeling this. We’ll keep in touch regularly and see where it goes? I know you have a job that’s going to take a lot of your attention in the very near future. I’m not sure where IG is going to take me next, but we’re International for a reason. Which means anything is possible.”

  Skyler smiles warmly. “Anything is possible. I like that.”

  “And I like you.”

  “I like you too, Parker.”

  “Let’s just start there, yeah?”

  “Deal.”

  “Brother.” Royce’s one-word greeting instead of hello is as familiar as my own voice.

  I grin, pressing the phone to my ear while shuffling through my wardrobe choices for this evening. “Hey, man, how are things back home?”

  “Can’t complain. We’re making a mint off Rolland Group doing their financials. Found some more wiggy shit the CFO was hiding. Bringing that to Sophie’s attention today before I head to Momma’s house for some oven-baked ribs.”

  “Bo in on it?” I already know the answer.

  “Course. The man heard Momma was making her famous spicy ribs, and he fell all over himself calling in favors to get me to bring him along.” His laughter is booming and full of life, just like the man.

  I snicker. “Weren’t you going to bring him anyway?”

  “Sho’nuff. He didn’t need to know that, though. Now I got a pocketful of favors to use at my discretion.”

  “Right on. Put the boy to work.” I laugh, imagining the crazy shit Momma Sterling will come up with.

  “Sisters already have a plan. They’re going to have him go through their wish lists of clothing online, get his opinion. Then Momma has some kind of closet thing she wants built. I figure he can do the entire thing and Momma will feed him. Gets me outta doing the job and keeps my momma happy. Works for me.”

  “Yeah, sounds good.”

  “How’s your new babe?”

  “Roy . . . ,” I warn.

  “You know Bo. Runs his mouth like a teenager. Blabbed all week about yo’ girl. How smitten she is with you. How you look at her like she’s the best thing since sliced bread.”

  “Seriously, Roy, this conversation doesn’t need to be had. She’s a woman I’m seeing. That’s it.”

  His voice perks up. “So, you’re seeing this woman, officially?”

  Am I?

  “Kind of. We haven’t exactly figured it out. We’re playing it by ear. Keeping things cool.”

  “All right. Respect. Won’t say much other than I’m happy if you’re happy.”

  “Brother, I’m fuckin’ Skyler Paige, my dream woman. There is no happier ending. No prettier pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. She’s the shit.”

  “’S’what I wanna hear. Happy for you, man.” His voice is low and thoughtful.

&n
bsp; “Thanks. You going to solve SoSo’s money problem?”

  “Who the fuck you think I am? Shee-it. Nothing gets past me. And soon as I talk to our sweet Sophie ’bout her issue, heads are gonna roll. I think I may have to fly out, attend a couple of board meetings.”

  “Whatever it takes.”

  “Don’t I know it. You comin’ home?”

  I sigh and rub at the back of my head. My hair is longer than normal, the curls starting to make an appearance. “Yeah, tomorrow. See you on Monday morning?”

  “I’ll make it a point.”

  “Later,” I finish.

  “Later.”

  Once I hang up with Roy, I finish getting dressed and ponder how well the last three weeks have gone.

  Skyler is doing well, her spirit has been lifted, and she is coming back into her own. She’s been practicing her lines with me for the new movie over the past few days and feels ready to take on the project. She seems excited even. So much so that Tracey sent over one of her acting buddies to run lines with her.

  It’s amazing to see Sky in her element, and I’m the lucky bastard who simply gets to enjoy watching her work. The woman is magnificent. She can change so completely into the character that I believe it while watching her read the lines in her living room, and I know it’s role-playing. Acting is absolutely her calling and something she clearly loves.

  The only concern now is that People magazine wants to make the Bared to You spread a full four pages, along with putting Skyler on the cover promoting it. That means they can’t release it right away; it will have to run in the next issue. Skyler will be on her own when it arrives, and that doesn’t sit right with me. So even though I’ll be working my next client, I’ve told Tracey to keep me posted on the date the publication drops so I can somehow be here for her in the event it doesn’t go well.

  Tracey thought the images were well done, and she approved the interview Sky had with the journalist by phone. Sky stated the call went just fine and she wasn’t concerned. Still, you never know with reporters. They have often skewed the truth and written what they thought would sell, but I have hope. Regardless, I feel it’s prudent to be there for her in some capacity when it hits the stands. Help her deal with any backlash or media buzz that may take place.