by JAX
She didn’t answer right away, and his intestines knotted up as he considered that she’d say nothing he could say or do would repair the damage. Would she report him for unscrupulous conduct? Hell, was she upset enough to go on a crusade to see him fired?
Then he saw the glistening streaks of moisture tracking down her pale cheek and all of his self-centered worries were dispersed by the wave of guilt. He’d made her feel badly, he’d made her cry. “Evie …”
She turned away, but he moved up onto the seat next to her and pulled her into his arms, offering her comfort he had no right to give.
“Was any of it real, Jace? Did I mean anything to you?” Her voice wobbled as she fought her emotions.
Jace could barely breathe, his lungs crushed under the weight of her question. “More than you can ever know.”
She pushed him back, but actually held his gaze. “Were you even attracted to me?”
God damn her ex load of a husband to the fiery depths of hell for making her believe she was somehow lacking. “Evie, you’re beautiful and, yes, I’m very attracted to you.” More so than he’d ever been to another woman, but he was afraid to voice it, in case she thought his eagerness to reassure her was an act.
She searched his face and he let her look, holding his breath and praying she’d see the sincerity there.
“I want you, Evie. If I had my pick of any woman on the ship, I’d still be here with you.”
Her lips twitched. “Most of those women are fashion models in their twenties. I’d think they’re more your speed.”
Jace shook his head. “They don’t have what I like. No full hips to hold on to while I’m fucking you senseless, no luscious tits to rest my head on after we’re both spent. No laugh lines that tell me you know how to have fun. I want you, Evie, all of you, exactly as you are.”
“What, no poetry about my cellulite?” She grinned at him and he felt as though someone had cut the rubber band that had been compressing his lungs.
“If that’s what you want. This week you’re the boss of me. Whatever you want from me, I’ll give you. Just tell me what it is.”
Her smile faded and the band snapped back. She might yet kick him out.
“What I want from you, Jace, is the truth. Always the absolute honest to God truth. Can you give me that?”
Studying the hard set of her stubborn jaw, Jace wondered if she really knew what she was asking for. Most women needed some pretty little lies to help keep their worldview in order. They were supposed to spend a week in each other’s company, in what was a stressful situation for both of them.
“Evie—”
“No, Jace, that’s my rule. No more secrets, no more masks. You have to speak your mind. Be straight with me or go find someone else to spend the week with.”
“I’ll agree on one condition. I’m going to reimburse the Abernathys for my fees.” She opened her mouth to argue, but he covered her lips with his fingertips. “Wait, hear me out.”
Evie nodded.
Jace took a deep breath. “Technically, I still work for Illustra, still need to check in with the other pleasure companions on board. But everything that’s going on with us will be personal, not professional. I’ll agree to be entirely honest, entirely myself with you only if you are willing to give me a fair shot.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning if you enjoy yourself this week, I want you to consider dating me for real.”
Evie blinked, the champagne and high-octane emotions going right to her head. That was his condition? That she would invest herself in him for longer than a week? “Um … ?”
Jace leaned in, brushing her lips with his. “Just keep an open mind. If this job goes smoothly, I’ll be promoted out of the field. I can be exclusive if I want to be. That’s important to you, isn’t it?”
It was, but he was going way too fast. She’d barely accepted the fact that he was here, never mind that he was a pleasure companion, a man who had sex for a living. Sure, she’d joked about hooking up with a manwhore with her friends, but finding out that she already had, albeit an off-duty one, unsettled her. Would she have slept with Jace if she’d known he was a professional? Evie made it a habit to never lie to herself, and deep down she knew she didn’t want to be a nameless number on some man’s to-do list.
Yet, the deed was done and she couldn’t regret it. Jace had brought her to heights of ecstasy she hadn’t imagined. He hadn’t been far from her thoughts for a week. The man was beyond skilled at his job. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was so dedicated to all the women he serviced.
That thought left her cold. Jace had gone back to work last week. How many women had he fulfilled in the five days since he left her alone at her inn? The thought of him touching another woman the way he’d touched her made her slightly ill.
Of course, it was her fault for sending him off without a promise of anything more. She’d been too scared to take a chance on him, so she leveled their playing field to wham, bam, thank you, ma’am. Would he have told her how he made his living if she’d agreed to see him again?
Call her old-fashioned, but Evie liked to be exclusive when she got naked with a man. Having him as a one-night stand was one thing, but being in a committed relationship with a man who slept with other women for a living, she just wasn’t that evolved. As a certified pleasure companion, Jace could never give her exclusivity. If she’d thought there’d been obstacles in their path before, it was nothing compared with the hordes of young, fit, and wealthy women who could commandeer him from her with the flick of a credit transfer.
Even if he was “promoted out of the field,” there would be a countless history of other women for her to compete with, and she seriously doubted he could go from all that to just her so easily. And now he was telling her that at the end of the week he wanted to be a permanent fixture in her life….
Too much, too soon.
“Stop thinking.” Jace scooped her up off the chaise and deposited her on the bed. He stretched out on top of her, pinning her with his weight. His thighs bracketed hers, his groin nestled against her sex and his chest pressed into her breasts. If they’d been naked, he’d already be inside her.
“You can’t just order me to do that,” she muttered, but with him hovering right above her, rubbing against her with such delicious friction, the words held no conviction.
His spicy scent cocooned her, a drugging scent that made her lids heavy.
“How about a bath and a massage?” He nuzzled her ear as he whispered the words with seductive promise. “Something to help you relax.”
She shouldn’t even consider it. For all she knew he was just doing his job, telling her what she wanted to hear and looking for ways to keep her in the room, away from Constance. She didn’t trust him, but her body didn’t care as it tingled with his every caress. Her shoulders were knotted from tension, and the thoughts of his hands on her made her flash hot, then cold.
Threading his fingers through hers, Jace lowered his mouth and his weight until he covered her. He wasn’t too heavy or too light, his body the Goldilocks X-rated equivalent of just right on top of hers. Lips stroked and coaxed hers open until his tongue could sweep into her mouth. Again, he instinctively knew how deep she wanted the kiss, when to pull away leaving her wanting more.
It’s not instinct, it’s practice—years and years of practice with countless women.
Evie stiffened and Jace rolled off of her. “It’s okay,” he told her. “I thought it was going too well. Let me draw you that bath.”
“You don’t need to wait on me.” Evie wasn’t used to other people doing things for her.
Cupping her cheek, he turned her face toward his until he could look into her eyes. His gray-green ones brimmed with emotion, and when he spoke his voice was filled with longing. “I want to do things for you.”
What could she say to that?
“Just lie here and look up at the stars.” With lithe grace, Jace rolled off the bed and disappeared into the
bathroom.
Evie sat up. She could leave, just run right out the door, find Constance and talk some sense into her before the ceremony tomorrow. Of course, it’s not like they could open the door and go home. A seven-day space cruise loomed before them. And the thought of just running out and never seeing Jace again left her feeling hollow.
Before she’d held a small, irrational part of herself back, the hopeful idealist who Yon hadn’t managed to crush under the weight of his lazy carcass. The part that Jace had tended, the part that wanted to try again, to hell with the risks to her already damaged heart …
Flopping back on the bed, she stared at the spacescape. That part was stunted if it thought Jace the manwhore was the answer to its yearning. Let him do his worst, she’d take it like the full-grown woman she was. Why not allow herself to experience all a physical relationship had to offer before the ship docked?
Evie smiled. She may not have the flat stomach or toned thighs of some of the other passengers, but she had experience on her side. Years of imagination, fertile and ready to be utilized. Jace wouldn’t know what hit him. The name of the game was catch and release, and she knew exactly what she wanted from Jace before she threw him back.
* * *
7
Jace took his time setting the stage for seduction in the massive bathroom. The tub alone was bigger than his living room at home, plenty of room for two people to get frisky. He wished he had some of those relaxation candles Illustra used to supply, but they’d been recalled a few months back, so he had to make due with plain white pillar candles to set the mood.
Anticipation built as the tub filled and he added honeysuckle-scented oil he’d picked up yesterday because it reminded him of Evie. Though he’d been prepared to handle whatever woman—or women—the Abernathys required, having Evie to himself for a week was too good to be true.
His cock pushed against his fly as he imagined all the things he could do to her in the tub. He’d already made up his mind that they wouldn’t have sex tonight. She was adjusting well, better than he would have expected, and he wanted to give her more time to truly accept who and what he was. Keeping his hands to himself, though, was not an option. Evie was in store for the week of her life because Jace wanted to have it all, the promotion and the woman waiting for him. He was so close to success he could almost taste it.
Better not get ahead of himself. He had a lot of convincing to do to turn Evie around to his way of thinking. A sensual massage ending in a few full-body orgasms would definitely help his case. Then later, after he’d dried her off, he’d enjoy licking her slowly, getting her all wet all over again….
Yanking his shirt up over his head, he discarded it on the floor. He’d just unfastened his pants when his comm unit chirped. Jace closed his eyes, wanting desperately to ignore it. He was randy as hell, unused to a week of celibacy, and though he’d planned to delay intercourse, he knew just touching and kissing Evie would get him off.
But he was the manwhore in charge and if something was hinky with the Illustra staff, he was the one they’d call.
“What’s up?” Jace slapped a pleasant expression on his face. It turned into a genuine grin when he saw Reg dressed in what amounted to clumps of gold glitter, artfully arranged over his junk. “Dude, did you lose a bet?”
“Laugh all you want, my man, but your costume is just as bad as mine.”
Jace felt his eyebrows draw together. “Costume?”
“For the bachelorette party? It starts in half an hour, where the frack are you, anyway?”
“With a client.” Jace panned the comm around the room so Reg could see the careful scene of seduction he’d staged before looking back into the unit. “As you can see—”
“No can do, Jace. They need all of us for the party. It is our main event after all.”
Standing around wearing nothing but glitter to be ogled and fondled was Jace’s idea of hell. He was too restless to enjoy the admiration when he hadn’t done anything to deserve it. And group events were so not his scene. Never mind that he had the unexpected gift of Evie in the bedroom waiting for the promised massage, and the last thing he wanted was to run out on her to be turned into living art.
But it was in the contract, and he did agree to supervise the other pleasure companions. “I’m on special assignment, okay, so no quickies in darkened alcoves, no live demonstrations. My services are completely booked up for the rest of the cruise.” It was easier than explaining he was refunding the money for his portion of the gig. He trusted Reg, but it wouldn’t be right to tell him that via unsecured comm when he still needed to make Mrs. Abernathy aware of his change of status.
Reg whistled. “Damn, someone has some serious bank. That red-haired bridesmaid is gonna be disappointed. I saw her checking you out during takeoff.”
“I’m sure you’ll run interference for me. See you in five.” Blowing out a sigh, Jace shut off the water and started extinguishing candles.
“You’re leaving?” Evie asked from the doorway. Her expressive blue eyes revealed her disappointment.
“It’s a mandatory thing. If I don’t, I could lose my job.” He glanced at the full tub and his voice dropped an octave. “Why don’t you stay here, have a bath? I’ll be back as soon as I can. If I can’t spend the night touching you in the bath, I can at least picture you naked in it, waiting for me.”
Evie licked her full pink lips and his already rock-hard erection turned to steel. “I’m here to spend time with my daughter. If you’re not around, that’s where I’ll be.”
Then, to his utter shock, she pulled her shirt over her head. “I’ll just shower and I’ll see you at the party.” She unfastened her bra, a sturdy white utilitarian thing that looked like armor, and the bounty of her breasts was set free.
“You’re going to the bachelorette party?” Jace blinked, doubly stunned by the sight of her lush tits with tight-tipped nipples just begging to be sucked and by her statement.
“Why not? It’s where everyone else will be, right? Besides, I’m starving and I assume there will be food there.” Her skirt and panties slithered to the floor and she walked past him to the sonic shower stall. “The tub will keep, right?”
“Uh …” Jace admired her silhouette, not assimilating the question.
“Better get going,” Evie called out. Then the sound waves buffeting her body clean hummed to life.
What had just happened? Shy, body-conscious Evie had blown him off and was planning to attend her daughter’s bachelorette party? Try as he might, he couldn’t imagine her lost in drunken revelry playing obscene sexually inspired games and feeling up the manwhores. The thought of Evie’s soft hands on Reg or one of the others made him clench his fists until his knuckles turned white.
With a start, he recognized the feeling for what it was—jealousy. He didn’t want to share her with the rest of the Abernathy party, except for her daughter. And he really didn’t want her to see him dressed as though someone had vomited glitter over him. Jace could have easily spent the rest of the night watching her, enjoying the way she moved, exploring the bountiful landscape of her body. Unfortunately, he had a job to do.
He’d never hated it more.
Holy Caligula, Batman! Evie did her ancient cultures courses proud by occasionally using them to curse. And if there had ever been a time for cussing, her daughter’s bachelorette party was it.
The event was being staged on one of the holographic ballrooms on board, and instead of being surrounded by the universe, the inner sanctum had been transformed into a hedonistic paradise. It was twilight in this make-believe world, the perfect amount of light for human eyes to see. Gold, orange, and pink painted the sky, and a crescent moon hung above like a sentry guarding the hedonistic revelry below. A sparkling red-purple waterfall ran from some unseen point above to fall dozens of meters down and end in a pool. Blankets were spread out around the pool, and the people lounging on them were in various states of undress. Evie realized she’d made another fashion blu
nder by donning the sparkling red cocktail dress Constance had given her for her birthday. Well, she could unhook the halter string around her neck and let her breasts spill out to fit right in, but she didn’t want to frighten all the little girls with the horrors of the aging process.
Then again, if the drunken laughter was any indication, they might not even notice.
Strictly speaking, this was a female-only event, but here and there she saw a man. A few of them danced in front of the blankets, lit by firelight moving in sensual rhythm that told carnal tales. Feminine hands reached for them, slithered across taut muscular flesh with animal caresses. She saw one, dressed in golden netting over his rich chocolate skin like some sort of sea god, bow down and kiss a hand that had been working its way beneath the glittering gold around his shaft.
He glanced up, met Evie’s eyes, and winked before dancing away.
Was he another pleasure companion? Or some sort of highbrow exotic dancer? There wasn’t much for him to strip off, that was for sure, though Evie’s mouth kicked up at the prospect of seeing if the rest of him could possibly be as impressive as what was already displayed.
Though she’d promised herself she wouldn’t scan the crowd looking for Jace, her gaze landed on him almost immediately. Good Lord, he even outshone the sea god. His light brown hair looked tussled, as though a lover had just run her fingers through it. His thick, ropey muscles had been coated with some sort of oil, highlighting the definition on his abs, pecs, deltoids, biceps, glutes, and all the others she couldn’t recall the names of but wanted to spend the night running her tongue over.
Red and orange flames were his only concession to modesty, the glittery fabric pulled taut over his sex and his ass. Undoubtedly the women close up could see the outline of his shaft through the sheer material.
He didn’t dance, but instead moved from group to group, flashing his magnificent smile as women offered up their unfettered breasts to him. Some even spread their legs and fingered their cunts, showing him what he did to them. Jace gave each one a slow perusal and a wicked grin, but he didn’t stop to dally. The women, most of whom were young and beautiful and unused to hearing the word no, grew bolder with their offerings, kissing their friends, masturbating openly, but he continued on, making himself seen but not offering his services. Other men moved toward the women he’d scorned, not nearly as magnificent as Jace but obviously much more interested.
