Single. Unless he took off his ring.
“Do you have any kids?”
Carter gives me a weird glare. “No. Do you?”
“No,” I fire back.
I’m glad that’s the end of that.
Carter finishes typing his number into my phone and hands me the device.
“Just to double-check—is this your work or personal number?”
“Burner,” he says.
Of course it is.
“Take care of yourself,” he says from the Harley. “And remember to ring me if you ever come into contact with Conrad O’Neill again.”
“If you want to get into my panties again, just say so. There’s no need to beat around the bush and use Conrad as an excuse.”
“I’m not using him as an excuse. Goodbye.” Carter revs the engine and returns his feet to the foot pegs. Before I know it, he’s gone like the wind.
And that’s when it hits me that I’ve got a mile’s trek to complete before I make it home. I put my best foot forward and make a start.
I wasn’t exactly one to judge the state of the clubhouse last night. These houses don’t offer anything exciting either, colored the same sandstone shade as everything else in and around the vicinity.
Dehydrated and with the sun beating down, it’s not an easy walk. On top of that, I’m still sore from last night. It’s really more of a limp than a walk. But I make it back in one piece, and that’s all that matters.
“Mommy!” calls Otis as soon as I make it through the door. He zooms past Sadie and wraps his tiny arms around me.
I check the time on my phone and sigh with relief. At least I made it back before seven a.m.
“Hey, baby!” I pick Otis up and scatter celebratory kisses all over his face.
Little does he know that we’re millions of dollars up.
“Why don’t you play in the living area with your soldier figures? I’ll be there in a second.” I place him on the floor and watch him hurry into the next room.
Sadie glances over her shoulder to make sure he’s disappeared. “How was your night?”
I was stripping,I remind myself.Not attending an illegal auction and having sex with Otis’s dad and his biker friends.
“Lucrative!” is the adjective I settle on. “I was with some big spenders.”
“How big are we talking?”
“Big.”
Sadie reads my expression, trying to work out if that was a euphemism or not.
It’s probably best I leave it open for interpretation in case I end up saying too much and accidently bring up Carter Trescott.
“Thanks so much.” I bring her in for a hug and kiss her temple. “I really appreciate you staying over.”
After seeing her out, I shut the door and grab my deadbeat laptop.
First things first—deposit the check. I open up my online banking and make a start.
