Hooker (L.A. Liaisons Book 2)

by Brooke Blaine

  I broke away from his hold and punched him good and hard on the arm, and he laughed.

  “Sorry, I meant fifty. Fifty-five?”

  “Asshole,” I said, shaking my head. “The answer is at least sixty-five, thank you very much. You’re lucky I don’t call your parents to come pick you up for causing trouble and harassing your elders.”

  “I asked permission before I came.”

  I snorted. “Do you ask permission every time you come?”

  When his jaw dropped, I held up my hand and said, “Never mind.” Then I flicked off my computer, grabbed my purse and jacket, and headed for the exit as he followed on my heels. I’d just have to come in early tomorrow to finish the column.

  “No, hey, I like this,” he said. “Turning the conversation towards the bedroom. I can deal with that.”

  Before I could reach for the handle, he moved in front of it. “That’s not what I was doing. It just came out.”

  “Happens sometimes.” Nate gave me a lopsided grin, and I rubbed my forehead.

  “You don’t stop, do you?”

  “That happens sometimes too.”

  “Ugh.” My head fell back and I growled in frustration.

  Why was this guy here to torture me and try to tear through my defenses? Whether I wanted him to or not wasn’t an issue, it was that I couldn’t. But how to explain that to a guy you wanted desperately to kiss you? And more. Much more than that. Not giving in. Nope.

  “What is it you want from me?” I asked. Though if the expression on his face was any indication, his mind was still on the coming part of the conversation.

  “I want to spend time with you. Go on normal dates like a night at Arclight and then do cool shit like a Malibu Wine Safari. Take you to a decent restaurant. Go see a concert. Check out your underwear collection—you know, the usual things people do when they’re getting to know each other.”

  Resist the dimples. Resist the dimples. And for God’s sake, don’t touch them.

  “But…why?”

  He looked at me then as if I had two heads. “What do you mean why? Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I mean, I’m sure there are plenty of girls in your classes to go out with.”

  “And you come across single men every day in this job. What’s your point?”

  “My point is…” And then I blanked. It was like those damn greenish-brown eyes had some sort of hypnotic effect and had rendered me not only speechless, but brain dead as well. Awesome. “Uh. I had a point. I mean, I have one, but… Shit.”

  Nate tilted my chin up. “I like you. Stop trying to change my mind.”

  “I have a feeling you aren’t easily deterred.”

  “I’m not,” he said with a grin that soon dropped, replaced by something that looked a lot like…arousal. “Don’t freak out, but I’m gonna kiss you now.”

  “That’s not a good idea.”

  “Then stop me.”

  His hands went to both sides of my face, and slowly he leaned down, both showing his intent and making it clear I could put a halt to what he was about to do.

  And I should’ve stopped him. Part of my brain was screaming at me not to take this any further, that one kiss would lead to another that would lead to another that would lead to…something else entirely. But the other half was in full cheerleader mode, chanting “Don’t be a pussy” and doing backflips and cartwheels.

  I closed my eyes, as if doing that would keep me from having to make any decision at all. Then my purse was slid down my shoulder, and my jacket was pulled from my grasp, both landing on the ground beside us.

  He surprised me when his lips didn’t lightly brush against mine as I expected them to. Instead, his kiss was insistent, not asking permission but rather taking it. Forcing my mouth to open to his. Threading his fingers through my hair to keep me from going anywhere, not that I could’ve at that point. With one taste of his tongue, I was done for.

  As he deepened the kiss, he flipped us around so that my back was against the door and he was pressed up against me. Our mouths were hungry, and as the seconds passed, so did all thoughts of work, of Ace, of anything other than the man holding me tight.

  He pulled my blouse out of my pants, and then one of his hands traveled up under my shirt to my waist, squeezing gently. When I didn’t stop him, he went higher, his fingers ghosting over the front of my purple lace bra. Through the thin material, his hand was warm, and his thumb grazed over my nipple.

  I broke from his kiss on a gasp, my hips arching forward into him, and he must’ve taken that as a signal, because he pulled away and had my shirt up and over my head before I could find my breath again.

  He stood there, staring at me for a long moment while we tried to catch our breath, his eyes expressing an appreciation that made my heart stutter. Then one hand went by the side of my head, and the other reached down to—

  Flip the lock.

  I didn’t hesitate. I shoved off the door and found his lips again, pushing his blazer to the floor as we stumbled back against Nicole’s desk. A cup holder of pens scattered, her neat piles of paperwork swishing to the floor as if a swift breeze had knocked them off. Or just two bodies about to get their naked on.

  As I unbuttoned his pants, he reached to do the same to mine, but then stopped.

  “What’s this?” he asked, plucking a Post-it out of my bra.

  “Oh, uh…it’s nothing. Just a reminder.” I resumed undressing him, and sadly, the suspenders would have to go, and didn’t that almost bring a tear to my eye.

  “Did that say ‘Remind Bob to put his teeth in before his date’?”

  “Shut up and kiss me,” I said, pressing my mouth against his, and then the crumpled square hit the desk.

  Suspenders off. Pants on the floor. His. Mine. I somehow managed to get all the buttons undone on his shirt before he spun me around, picked me up, and set me on top of the desk.

  Oh, if Nicole only knew how defiled her work area was about to be. But what the hell, she deserved it. Conniving cuntbag.

  Nate’s mouth was on my neck, trailing kisses down my chest. His hands deftly removed my bra, tossing it over his shoulder, and then his tongue teased the top of my breasts. I wrapped my legs around his waist to pull him closer, get his mouth where I wanted it, but his gaze flicked up to mine, and damn if it wasn’t mischievous. Painstakingly slowly, his tongue dragged down to my nipple, licking and sucking me into his mouth, and it was a sweet torture that I wanted him to stop but never stop.

  I reached between us and took him in my hand, his length rock solid and ready for me. He groaned as I stroked him, and the vibration shot straight to my core. Then he laid me back across the desk, pulling my ass to the edge, and I flinched as the cool wood hit my back. Through my thin cotton hipsters I could feel the heat of him as he slid his still-covered cock between my thighs.

  The man was a damn tease, and I told him as much.

  “You say that now, but once I get inside you…” He shook his head.

  A shy smile crept over my face, and my hand went to the back of his neck to pull him down toward me and—

  “Oh shit.” A thought crossed my mind, and it should’ve been the first one I’d thought of, truth be told.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Uh…well, I don’t know if I have anything in my purse for—”

  “I’ve got it.” Nate reached into the pocket of his discarded pants and grabbed a foil packet out of his wallet. As I sat up on my elbow, he stepped out of his boxer briefs and—

  “Holy shit.”

  He looked up, a crooked grin tilting his lips. Then he rolled the condom on his impressive length, and swaggered—yes, that’s the only word for it—back between my legs.

  “I take it you approve?” he asked, and then leaned down over me, taking the top edge of my hipsters into his mouth. As his hands curled under the material at my hips, I lifted my ass, and he slid my panties down my legs and to the floor.

  Though usually a fan of foreplay, I wasn’
t in the mood for more teasing from him tonight. Maybe it was the sting of denial from the last time I’d tried to get him in my pants, but I wanted it quick, hard, and dirty. And I wanted it now.

  When I shoved off the desk, Nate’s eyebrows shot up.

  “Care to show me your follow-through, mister?” I kissed him roughly, and after he got over the initial surprise, his mouth was urgent on mine. He backed me up against the desk again, and this time, I broke from his kiss and turned around, sticking my ass out and looking over my shoulder to where his jaw dropped to the ground.

  “I take it you approve?”

  “Fuck,” he said, and I gave a wicked grin.

  Now if only I could be this aggressive in my career.

  He didn’t waste time sliding his fingers through my drenched slit, and a loud groan escaped him at how wet and ready I was for him.

  I was squirming beneath him before he drew his hand away and lined up his cock, and then he was pushing inside me inch by inch. My puffs of breath steamed across the desk, the incredible fullness almost too much to take, but I pushed back slowly anyway, letting him fill me completely.

  Then he began to move, his grip strong on my hips as he thrust inside again and again. What started as easy and tentative quickly turned into the delicious, rough slapping of bodies coming together, chasing our releases like we were in a mad dash toward a finish line.

  Sweet God he felt so good, his velvet cock thick and strong, marking me as his. His breath was ragged to my ears, but hell, it could’ve been mine. There was no way to draw this out, no way to savor it, but I didn’t care. I was desperate with need, and my climax hit me out of nowhere, with no warning, no slow buildup.

  Arching my back, I cried out as I came, and thank fuck Nate didn’t stop or slow the pace. He kept pumping, letting me ride out my release, and then I felt him jerk once, twice, and then a shudder racked his body. I clenched my inner muscles tight, milking him for all he had, and when he finally slowed, his forehead, slick with sweat, lay against my back. Then his hands moved away from my hips to cover my hands flat on the desk, his fingers interlacing mine, and his cock still inside me.

  We stayed there as our breathing slowed, saying nothing but saying everything. When Nate lifted his head, it was to trail light kisses down my spine before pulling out. As I sat up, I felt thoroughly used, but in the good way that meant you’d feel it tomorrow, and when you did, you’d smile as you remembered why.

  After putting back on our piles of clothing, he helped me set Nicole’s desk back to order. Then his arms were around my waist, pulling me closer and nuzzling into my neck. He kissed the soft place beneath my ear and said, “You sealed the deal now. I’m getting us his and hers Jedi bathrobes.”

  “Oh yeah? Only if you make mine blue.”

  “I don’t know,” he said, fingering one of my curls. “I’m partial to red now.”

  I bit into my lip as I chuckled softly. “Good thing.”

  His eyes were tender as he leaned in to kiss me again, softly this time, and it was then that I felt my world spin on its axis. Nothing would be the same after tonight. That thought rang true somewhere deep and closed off, and I was utterly unprepared.

  How could this possibly be right? It wasn’t the right time, I wasn’t in a good place in my work life or my personal life, and how the hell could fate throw Nate my way knowing all that?

  “Stop thinking,” he murmured against my lips. “Be here with me.”

  As I let myself get lost in his kiss, I tried to shut my mind off.

  I could do this. I could…date two people at once. Sort of. Right? This was crazy. I was crazy. Why did Nate have to be so damn persistent? And why did I have to volunteer myself to help Ace, therefore putting me in this predicament in the first place? Perhaps I was a masochist. Or incredibly selfish. I didn’t want to give up my job, or Nate, so that had to be it. But I would make it work. I would. Because if there was one thing I excelled at, it was juggling balls. And it looked like I’d be doing just that—publicly and privately.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Superman and Spandex

  AS IT TURNED out, “dating” two people was easy as pie.

  …said no one ever.

  “Yes, of course I’d love to go hiking again on Saturday,” I said, as I paced my bedroom and tried not to fling myself against the wall in the hopes of scoring an injury that would put me out of commission for a few days at least. I’d already been on two hiking dates with Ace in the past week, and I had blisters in places I didn’t even know you could get them. Working out was apparently his version of a date, which was just one of many reasons I couldn’t be with a guy like him.

  The other being his preference for the nuts and berries, of course.

  “Great, so you’ll come over Friday night, then?” he asked.

  “I’ll be there.” I tried for a smile, one of those that would show through my words, but the reflection in my hanging mirror showed it came off as more of a grimace.

  It wasn’t that hanging out with Ace was so bad. On the contrary—he was super nice, and the two times I’d been over we’d stayed up late watching movies on his wall-sized TV before I passed out on his couch or in the guest room. I had to be seen staying overnight, of course.

  But…damn. Nate had asked me to come over on Friday too, and I was annoyed I’d have to cancel. Again.

  There was a knock on my door, and then Paige stuck her head in. “Knock knock, slutbag,” she said.

  I shouldered my phone and waved her inside. “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll see you then.” After ending the call, I tossed the cell on the nightstand. “What are you doing here?”

  After locking the door, she proceeded to dump the contents of her bag onto my bed. Wigs…sunglasses…makeup…hats?

  “What’s all this?” I asked, fingering one of the long blond wigs. “Did you mistake my house for Goodwill again?”

  Paige picked up a pair of sunglasses and slid them on my face, scrutinizing them before taking them off and trying another pair. “If you’re gonna do this, then you need some disguises.”

  “If I’m gonna do what?”

  She stopped what she was doing, and one of her hands went to her hip. “You know I’m a bottle blonde, right?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Which means I’m not as stupid as I look.” Rummaging through the pile of accessories, she settled for a newsboy cap and then placed it on my head.

  “Paige…”

  “Shut it. I’m aware that you probably can’t say anything because of a contract, so I won’t make you break that, but my gut says I’m right, so I’m right. But if you’re gonna pull off seeing Nate on the DL, you need to be crafty about what you look like in case you get recognized. Your hair, for one thing, stands out like a freakin’ beacon, so it needs to be up and under a hat whenever you go out.”

  “With which one?”

  As I confirmed what she already knew, Paige’s eyes twinkled and her lips curved into a smirk. “I’ve only seen you in workout clothes and a ball cap with Ace, so keep that shit up. And maybe tell Nate you’re into the whole role-playing thing so you can rock the wigs.”

  “God. This is your fetish, isn’t it?”

  “Just say thank you, Shayne.”

  “Thank you, Shayne.”

  “Smartass,” she said. “I think you also need to maybe do a darker lip when you’re out with Ace, and wear the same sunglasses each time.”

  “Ah hell.” I flopped onto the bed and groaned. “I’m so not the right person for this sort of thing. What do I know about subterfuge?”

  “Hey, even if you get busted, it’s more like you’re just a hot girl who cheated on Ace rather than someone who covered for him. And honestly? Everyfuckingbody is gay in Hollywood. It’s, like, the worst-kept secret ever. The only people that this shit serves a purpose for is conservative middle America, who want to believe their own reality.”

  I chewed on my lip as I thought that over. “Do the girls know?”


  “Does a cow suck its own dick?”

  “So eloquently put, Pita.” Pita, short for her full name, Paige Iris Traynor-Ashcroft, though when Dick Dawson had coined that nickname years ago, he’d probably meant it as Pain In The Ass and sometimes Paige In The Ass. He wished. Wink wink.

  “Nah, they don’t know. Quinn’s not back yet, and Ry hasn’t quite clued in to your deceptive ways. Well…that’s not entirely true. She just thinks you’re a two-timing whore, but she’s called me that for years, and it’s not such a bad title, really.”

  “That’s just great.” Pulling my hair up, I wrapped it in a bun and then put on one of the brunette wigs. With bangs and a straight cut, I looked…weird. I am way too pasty for brown, I thought, removing the fake hair. “Hey, I need a final count for the Valentine’s mixer at the After Dark. I’ve got over fifty single guys on my list, so are you in or are you out?”

  Paige shook her head. “I freakin’ wish I was in. I’ve got a wedding in Santa Barbara that day, which would be bad enough without the momzilla of the bride micromanaging my every move. Seriously, who gets married on Valentine’s Day? It’s so clichéd.”

  “For a wedding planner, you’re the most jaded person I’ve ever met.”

  “I’m not jaded. I just think monogamy is boring.”

  “Maybe you haven’t met the right person yet.”

  She gave me a droll look. “Gee, that’s not something I hear every day at all, thanks. And pass.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. One-upping Dawson is much more fun than spending time with someone you care about.”

  “Ugh, you mean Dick,” she spat. “And don’t say that name.” She tossed a hat back onto the pile. “All right, I’m leaving these with you. Try not to get busted.”

  “Try not to hook up with the best man after the wedding,” I called after her, to which she responded with a finger before the door shut.

  * * *

  “OKAY, DON’T TAKE this the wrong way, but—” I said, and then a pillow flew at my head, cutting me off. “Hey!”

  Ace laughed and looked unrepentant. “Whenever someone says that, an asshole comment follows after.”