“Well you had a sort of panic attack after we left the bar. You looked haunted, and I couldn’t stand it. So once I could slip away, I went to your room and offered you the only comfort I could thinkof.”
“Your penis you mean? That’s such a guymove.”
He nudged me with his shoulder. “I didn’t get a single complaint from you. Although at the time, I did get the impression your previous sex life had beenlacking.”
“Howso?”
“Just some of the things you did. Like—” He stopped and hopped back on the bed to lay down, his boots hanging over the edge. Then he neatly folded his hands across his belly and looked up at the ceiling. “When I told you to lay down, this is what youdid.”
“Well, glad to see my game sucked back thentoo.”
He laughed with me this time before jackknifing up and over on his side to face me. “And how wasyours?”
“My game or my sex life? Have you been with any otherwomen?”
“Before that night, yes. After that night,no.”
“Why not? If you didn’t think I was ever coming back, why would you wait forme?”
I laid down so I could look into his eyes as he answered. It wouldn’t make a difference, but despite the depression threatening to choke the life out of me, I wanted to get to know him too. He made me curious in a way I hadn’t felt in a very longtime.
“I wish I had a good answer to that. But I don’t. I was hurt and threw myself into work. Dating took a back burner. When I needed to take the edge off, it happened fast, in the shower after we closed before I collapsed inbed.”
The image of him clutching himself as water ran into the ridges of his muscles flashed in my mind. It ignited everything I tried to bank when he shut me down a little while ago. My mouth went dry, but the important parts werewet.
“What sort of benefits package does this bar offer?” I asked, trying to distract myself from the images cascading in my head. Him touching himself in all the ways I wanted to touchhim.
“Sad to say, the only benefits at the bar are free food and freebooze.”
He slid his hand over the curve of my waist, and I shifted closer before I even realizedit.
“Come work with me. We can get to know each other better, and I can help you find whatever it is you’re lookingfor.”
I cleared my throat and met his eyes, wanting to be absolutely clear on my terms. “I’ll come work with you under onecondition.”
“What’s that?” He leaned down and nuzzled myneck.
I savored the scratch of his whiskers on the sensitive skinthere.
“Fuck me. Rightnow.”
