“I can’t work the way my office is now, so I’m not taking no for an answer. I’ll see you at Jovi’s in half an hour.” He hung up without waiting for a reply.
Lauren looked at the now silent phone in her hand. Trepidation warned her to stay home and come up with another idea for getting Belinda the money. Because meeting Jack Henderson—the sexy and dangerous football player—for drinks made her stomach do cartwheels. But she reminded herself she was a professional with a job to do, and Jack was merely another client. Something she kept repeating as she freshened up. She ran a brush through her hair, reapplied her apple blossom lip-gloss, and stayed dressed in the white skirt and coral tank top she’d worn to work.
As she put her shoes back on her phone beeped with a text message. Picking it up from the coffee table, she hoped it was Jack texting to cancel their meeting. No such luck.
She opened the text message from Jade.
Thought you might want to see what Mr. Pretty has to offer. Hubbahubba. If this doesn’t turn you on, I don’t know what will. J x
Following Jade’s message were pictures of Jack in a Calvin Klein campaign, wearing nothing but tighty-whities and come-and-have-sex-with-me eyes. In one photo, he was leaning against a gym wall with a football tucked snugly under his arm. His chest glistened with sweat, his abs washboard hard, and his hooded eyes looked straight into the camera. In the next photo he was lying on a bed with rumpled sheets, with the promise of wanting to do wicked things expressed on his face. Then her gaze zeroed in on the impressive bulge. Surely the photos had been photoshopped? After a thorough inspection, she picked her jaw up off the floor.
The photos were the hottest thing she’d ever seen. They were the kind of photos that made you think of wild, scorching, all-consuming sex, the kind that kept you wanting to go back for more.
Lauren’s entire body heated and she wished she had time for a cold shower before heading out to meet Jack. How could she meet him now after seeing him practically naked?
The phone in her hand rang. Startled, she fumbled, almost dropping it on the tiles. Once she had it secure, she answered.
“Did you get the pics?” Lauren could hear Jade’s excitement.
“Why did you send me those photos?”
“Aren’t they the hottest thing you’ve ever seen, Lauren?” Yes, they were, but she kept that to herself.
“I saw them in the latestCosmomagazine and thought you needed to see what a stud muffin Jack is. You really need to get your hands on him.”
“Jade,” she said sternly, hoping to get her point across. “Nothing is going to happen with
Jack. He is not my type, and he does nothing for me.”Liar, liar, pants on fire.“And it looks like I’m going to be working for him, so it would be extremely unprofessional of me toget my hands on him.”
“You’re working for Jack? How did that happen?”
Lauren filled her in about Belinda’s phone call.
“That bitch. You need to put a stop to her blackmailing. You don’t deserve this.” Her voice was filled with rage.
Jade, Ava, and Lillian were the only ones who knew how bad it had gotten living with Belinda and Dorothy. They constantly told Lauren not to give Belinda the time of day. But they weren’t the ones who would have to live with the consequences once the affair with Graham became public knowledge.
“One day I will,” Lauren said to appease Jade. It was a promise she often made but never went through with. Always holding onto hope that Belinda wouldn’t come back asking for more money. But after eight years, it didn’t seem likely.
“Lauren…” Her friend didn’t sound convinced.
“Jade, I will. I need to do it when I’m ready. Listen, I have to go. I’m meeting Jack…” She bit her lip and slapped her forehead. Big mistake letting the meeting with Jack slip. Jade would make a massive deal out of nothing.
“You’re meeting Jack?” Jade’s voice rose to a high pitch. “This keeps getting better and better.”
“Jade, it’s for work.”
“I hope you’re wearing something sexy. Wear your slutty, black dress with the deep V.
Your boobs look fabulous in it.”
“Hey, that dress isn’t slutty.”
“And wear your hair up. Show off that gorgeous neckline you have.”
Lauren blew out a breath. “Goodbye, Jade. I’m hanging up.”
She pressed theend callbutton in the middle of Jade debating whether she should wear underwear or not.
