“Then why do you look so miserable?” Kendra asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Kendra’s cat jumped onto her lap and she began to stroke the Siamese’s grey fur.
“He’s my client.” Her first client and she’d slept with him. Multiple times. Since it was in one night, did it really count as multiple? Or just a one-night stand?
“So what? You wouldn’t be the first person to sleep with a client.” Kendra sipped at the coffee. The cat nudged the cup with her head and coffee spilled onto Kendra’s sweatshirt. “Fuck, little brat,” she said, pushing the cat off the couch.
Belle handed her a tissue from the box on the end table. It was a common occurrence with this particular feline. Kendra should have known better.
The same could be said for Belle. “No, I am sure I’m not. But it’s not about the sex. It’s about what happened after the sex.”
“What happened after the sex?” Kendra asked, cleaning up the mess the cat made.
“Nothing. I mean, we had sex.” Shifting in her seat, Belle tried to explain the unexplainable. She had no clue what was wrong but something had been definitely wrong. “After the first time, it was very awkward. I don’t know how to explain it. After the second time, I just climbed out of bed and went to the guest room.”
“Wait, what? You had sex with him twice?”
At Belle’s nod, she threw the tissue into a nearby garbage can.
“It had to be good then. Unless the first time was a dud, and you wanted to try it again to see if it was a fluke,” Kendra said, tapping her thumb against her leg. “I’ve had women tell me they didn’t want to give up on a promising relationship. They have more patience than me. If a guy is that horrible in bed it’s time to move on. That’s the beauty of a one-night stand.”
“It wasn’t like that. It was good both times. I mean…” she trailed off, unsure if the flush that rushed to her neck was from embarrassment or memories. “I had…, well let’s just say I enjoyed it. A lot.”
“Did you have the illusive orgasm during sex?” Kendra asked, clasping her wrist. As a freelance writer, Kendra was always looking for a story about sex to sell to popular women’s magazines. They’d had this conversation many times over the years while her friend was researching an article that she’d been commissioned to write.
“I’m not going to answer that.” Even the memory of his hands on her body, his mouth on her clit, caused her pussy to throb. Regardless, it seemed too personal to share, even with her best friend. That was asking a lot. Even for Kendra. “It’s not important.”
Undaunted, Kendra set her cup down and twisted in her seat. “How long have you known me?”
Belle drank more coffee, the exhaustion from an almost sleepless night starting to weigh her down. “A long time.”
“Then what do you think?”
“I think it’s none of your business.” She was torn between confiding more in Kendra, or just letting it go. Except she couldn’t let it go. Or forget it. Or dismiss it. It happened and she had to face the facts head on.
The cat hopped back onto the couch and plopped down in Kendra’s lap once more. She prodded Belle with her stockinged toe. “Out with it. You know I won’t give up.”
Unable to meet Kendra’s fixed gaze, Bell mumbled, “I lost count.” The first two were a pleasant surprise. Her body was so amped up, she’d gotten caught up in the moment. Every touch of his hand and mouth had the desired effect and he’d launched a relentless attack on all of her senses.
“You lost count? Lucky bitch.” Kendra stroked the cat’s head and nodded her own. “How many L’s do you rate him with, assuming he’s not lame.”
Lust. Like. Love. Lame. A silly rating system that they’d developed in college when it came to a potential boyfriend. “He’s definitely not lame. Lust and like, but not in that way.”
“What way is that? Like, like him?” The laughter had disappeared from Kendra’s face. Belle knew that her friend worried about her and her lack of a social life. Unlike Kendra, Belle was a solitary person who liked her space.
“He’s a player by his own admission. Even if he wasn’t, he’s my client. And if we dismissed that, I don’t want to be tied down to anyone.” The lady doth protest too much. She dismissed the tired line. There was no future for her and Erik, other than professional. Then why did she have a strong urge to drive back to his house and find out if last night was a fluke or the real deal?
“Who said you had to be tied down? You fuck a guy without any emotional attachment. Hell, they do it all the time.” Bitterness lay below the surface of the statement. Kendra had been burned bad by her first boyfriend who’d physically abused her, and she’d chosen to avoid relationships, instead, engaging in a series of casual hookups that never went anywhere.
“I know, but just because it works for you, doesn’t mean it works for me.” Belle had a feeling the reason she put distance between herself and Erik was because she was afraid to get involved them him. Rejection sucked and if she had to turn him down, there was no telling how he’d react. Worst case scenario, she’d lose him as a client and then have to explain why to Howler. Kendra was correct. She wouldn’t be the first agent who slept with a client. But those agents had a lot of clients on their roster. He was her only one. She had to prove herself with Erik before Howler would trust her with more responsibility. Erik had been an adult about it and she’d put a limit on the interaction. Best to follow her mother’s advice. Move forward and don’t look back.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“How’s it going?” Belle walked into the garage in a pair of form fitting jeans, the knees frayed. She wore a turquoise blue t-shirt, the vivid color popping off her skin. Per usual, he felt her presence with every nerve in his body.
Cognizant of the cameras, he kept his distance. The last time he’d been anywhere close to her, he’d kissed her. “I just took the alternator out and I’m getting ready to replace it with the other one.”
“Can I help?” The smile she offered was forced. Was she recalling their last encounter in front of the fireplace?
He better not let his mind go there. Part of their date was for Belle to help him fix her car. The crew had removed the hood and the alternator while he was at football practice. It kind of defeated the purpose of fixing the car to begin with. He’d wanted a project but the only thing he had left to do was the easy stuff.
