Scrubbing a hand over his face, the kid standing beside me let out a deep exhale. “Sorry about her. She can be a real bitch sometimes.”
A laugh was pulled from my chest. “Don’t ask me why, but I’m kinda into it.”
“Anyway, I’d better get going before she goes full nuclear meltdown, but thanks for not ratting me out on how I got here today. I’d have ended up grounded for life.”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ve got you, man. But can you do me a favor?”
Austin pointed to his chest. “You need a favor fromme?”
“Yeah, the next time you need to get out and you don’t have a ride, give me a call. If I’m not on the road, I’ll come pick you up and take you where you need to go. You’re a cool kid, and I’d hate to see something happen to you because you got into a car with a stranger.”
He let out a disbelieving exhale. “You’d seriously do that for me?”
Lifting one shoulder in a half shrug, I replied, “Just doing what I wish someone had done for me at your age.”
Still mildly stunned, he nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
We exchanged numbers, and then he took off toward the stall that handled beach rentals.
I might not have gotten the girl—yet—but I had an in with her younger brother.
My foot was in the door. Now it was up to me to work my way into Arizona’s bed.
Chapter 6
Arizona
Guiltwasapowerfulmotivator.
Okay, that wasn’t the full truth.
Austin had been in the process of wearing me down with a mixture of emotional manipulation—citing that kids made fun of him for wearing clothing with holes—and pointing out that debt collectors had begun calling the house when a pipe burst underneath the kitchen sink.
With no commissions in close to two months now, my account was drained after paying Mom’s care facility bill, and I didn’t have enough cash to pay a plumber.
It was out of pure desperation that I dialed up Levi Nixon and agreed to his demand.
His smug voice on the other end of the line, as if he’d always known I would cave, made me want to scream. But I was out of options; compromising my principles seemed like the only choice. I could suffer through one night with the insufferable man if it meant digging out of this hole.
At least, that’s what I was telling myself, anyway.
Levi was so eager to take me out that he let me set the terms. And through the phone, I could almost hear the moment he realized he’d fucked up in doing so, because I chose a movie date. Two hours in the dark, not speaking. It was the perfect loophole that would allow me to fulfill my end of the bargain while cutting off his attempts to charm me into giving him more.
But so help me God, if he got handsy, all bets were off. I’d likely end up in jail for aggravated assault, leaving Austin to be placed in the foster system.
There was no maybe about it. This was a terrible idea.
Yet I found myself driving to the movie theater anyway, even as my stomach churned, knowing if my bosses ever found out about this, I’d be fired in a heartbeat.
I wasn’t just toeing the line of what was appropriate when dealing with a client; I’d crossed over it. And I hated myself for sinking this low to make a sale.
Take a deep breath. You’re not doing this for yourself. You’re doing it so Mom can continue to have access to the best medical care available, Austin can get the new glasses he needs, and to keep the run-down house you live in from falling down around your ears.
Parking in the attached lot, I walked inside to find Levi already waiting, his eyes flaring with hunger when they landed on me.
It took a Herculean effort to force my feet to move closer, because all I wanted to do was turn around and walk right back out the door.
An easy grin curved on the playboy’s face. “You look incredible.”
