“I didn’t know him at the benefit,” I said, opting for the easiest answer.
“But you know him now?Even though you aren’t seeing any new clients because of the legal thing?”
This time her questions came with a side of accusation and I felt like an ass.So much for the new, more honest Alex.
“It’s complicated.”
“I bet it is.”She pinned me with her stare and I watched as her eyes went wide.“You’re dating Erik Jensen.That’s it, isn’t it?He’s one of the most eligible bachelors in the city.He’s almost never seen with the same woman more than once.There’d been speculation that he was gay.You’d be Amal to his Clooney.”
Something inside my chest tightened, both at the idea of having to disabuse her of her Amal Clooney dreams and more shocking, at the fact that some of those kind of dreams seemed to have crept into my head as well.That wouldn’t do.Erik and I were playingtie me up/tie me down, not playing house.I chose to ignore for the moment that his house was exactly what I’d be asking him for.
“Slow down.It’s not like that.We’re not dating.We’re friends.”I pulled the word out of the air at the last minute, but when I rolled it around in my head, I realized I liked the way it felt.
I could do a hell of a lot worse than have a friend like Erik.He was an arrogant, infuriating know-it-all, but he was also attentive, perceptive, challenging, and maybe most surprisingly, kind.
“Friends with benefits or just friends?”
“We’re friends.”I left everything else unsaid.If I talked out my feelings with Elena, I wouldn’t be able to hide them from myself, and it felt like my peace of mind depended on it.
“Do you really think he’d be willing to do it?”she asked, looking like a woman who didn’t want to be disappointed.
Welcome to the club, sister.
––––––––
IWAITED UNTIL I gotback to my apartment before I called Erik.Not bothering with something as mundane as a plate, I took a bite of the waxed paper-wrapped muffaletta sandwich, thumbed open the contact for Sir and hit Call.I groaned in satisfaction as the salty olive salad and salami soothed my squash-abused taste buds.
“Mid-orgasm, kitten, or just getting started?”he answered and I realized he must have heard my cured Italian meat-induced pleasure.
“Eating.It’s a long story.”
“I’m happy to make time for you.”
My stomach warmed both from the food and his words.I could picture him standing in his office, sleeves rolled up to reveal his tanned wrists while he surveyed everything around him like the lord of his domain.I didn’t want to talk about my foray into raw food.Everything we’d done together had this undercurrent of delicious sensuality.It might break my heart if denial was something he actually enjoyed.
“I have a question.”
“I have many answers,” he said, the smile clear in his voice.
“Are we friends?”
He paused for a moment and I wondered if he was worried it was some kind of trick question.Or worse if, because I’d accidentally dropped theLbomb, he was trying to find a nice way to tell me no.The possibility made me freeze in place, and I opened my mouth to tell him never mind.I didn’t want to know.
“Yes, Alexandra, I believe we are friends.”He let out a hmpf on the other end of the line, and I got the impression the answer surprised him as much as it initially surprised me.“Why did you ask?”
“I need a favor.”
“You want me to strap a vibrator to your clit, bend you over the spanking bench and warm your ass with my hand until you come three or four times?”
My skin flushed at his words.It wasn’t fair that he could make my body respond like that, to nothing more than the sound of his voice and the picture he painted with his words.I shifted on my ladies who lunch heels, pressing my thighs together to keep from trying to crawl through the phone to curl up on his lap, begging to be stroked like the kitten he called me.
“I want you to let me enter your house in the Garden District Home Tour.I can’t tell you why—at least not now—but it’s important.And you won’t have to do a thing.”I cringed, waiting for thenoI knew was coming.
“Get your sweet ass ready, and I’ll have the car pick you up in an hour.Wear that naughty librarian skirt, the highest heels you have and no panties.We’ll try my favor first while I consider yours.”
I sagged against the counter, using it to steady my shaky legs.“Yes, Sir,” I said, before I could stop myself, the title a response to the command in his voice.
“See you in an hour, friend.”He disconnected the call, his warm chuckle still ringing in my ear.
