I hang up, and we lock eyes for a moment. It’s impossible to tell what he’s thinking when he’s lost in thought like this—it’s terrifying and fascinating in equal measures.
He starts fake dialing on his invisible phone, holding it back up to his ear. I pick up.
“Ms. Hitman?”
“Dr. Conley?”
“Thanks for reaching out. I’m glad you called, because this sounds serious. I’ve got a bikini-fetish patient I need to see to, but once I’m done, I’ll take good care of you. Are you free in”—he scrolls through his real phone to double-check SexyBikini’s booking—“say, half an hour?”
His lip curls in a cheeky smile, and I suddenly get what he’s thinking. Once we’re done with this trip, we’re going to take a ride ourselves, and in a way, that surprises me. This isn’t the time or the place—not when you’re as focused and driven as he is, anyway. I like the way he seems to be loosening up, though. He doesn’t feel as unreachable anymore. Our worlds don’t seem so far apart.
My eyes linger over his mouth, just long enough for one of my favorite fantasies to play out in my mind’s eye—him, me, in a car, undressed…
“What was it you told me? The dean said no hooking up with clients on campus?”
Damn it.Why the hell did I just say that? Now he’s sure to change his mind.Why am I freaking out about this?
“You’re not a client, and we won’t be on campus.”
“And what about Don?”
Girl, shut the hell up!
I don’t know why I’m giving him a hundred good reasons not to go through with this. Maybe because I want to hear him say it—I want to hear him explain what this thing is between us, where we’re heading. I want to know exactly what kind of mess I’m getting myself into.
“Does he need to know?”
“No…” I whisper.
Enough with the questions, there’ll be time for all that later.Right now, I’m Amy Hitman—fearless and free and fully in the moment.
I hold my imaginary phone back to my ear. “Your methods are certainly…unusual, Doctor.”
“I aim to please.”
Yourself, or me?
He looks me square in the eye. “So… Call it thirty?”
I nod.
He hits the gas, and before I know it, we’re racing down the street to collect SexyBikini.
21LEWIS
We’re cruising our way over to SexyBikini, and all I can think about is what comes after. This is unlike me. I usually take my job ultra seriously, but I can’t help it. I’m hoping the roads are quiet so we get this done and dusted ASAP.
When I pull up, I glance over at my sidekick, trying to get a sense of whether she’s as excited as I am to wrap this up, but she’s staring hard at the girl waiting for us on the sidewalk.
“Stop glaring, Amy—you’re scaring her.”
“What?” she says sweetly. “I’m just an innocent observer, that’s all.”
“There’s nothing innocent about you, Hitman.”
That gets a smile out of her. Which immediately makes me want to rip her clothes off.I should never have accepted SexyBikini’s request!As soon as I park, I leap out of the car and take a deep breath in, desperately trying to activate work mode.
“SexyBikini?”
